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Capturing The Identity of a Region
If you lived in western Pennsylvania in the 1960s, there were two
things you could count on:
1. There was always work in the mills.
2. The Steelers would always disappoint
you.
The mills were humming around the clock
with the ferocious fire and noise that were part of the landscape
. . . more.....
Up Close with Vijay Singh
Since joining the PGA tour in 1993, Vijay Singh has been a steady
contender in every event. Now, at age 41, he is playing his best
golf ever. Singh won eight events this past season, making him the
top money winner for the year ($9,455,566), as well as earning him
the #1 ranking in the world. He was also the top money winner in
2003, raking in $7.5 million. He had 13 consecutive top 10 finishes
from August 2003 to February 2004, and his 12 wins the past two
years have drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods' 1999-2001 run. PSR's
Steve Flinn spoke with the world's top golfer during the recent
84 Lumber Classic. more.....
A Real Mess This Pitt football
thing has a chance to get messy. Real messy.
Pitt football coach Walt Harris has come
under attack for the perceived failures, or at the very least, underdevelopment,
of his program. Things built to a crescendo when Tony Dorsett criticized
the program, Harris' agent turned the heat up and athletic director
Jeff Long publicly allowed that his job performance would be reviewed
at season's end.
The expectation in mid-October was Pitt
would give up, Harris would be fired . . . more.....
Robert Morris Laces 'Em Up
All hope is not lost for local hockey fans dismayed by the NHL's
apparent inability to produce a season this year. Among the four
sports Robert Morris University has added to its athletic program
in 2004-05 is a Division I men's ice hockey team, and the benefits
should reach beyond the satisfaction of area puck-heads' rink addiction.
'The sports we are adding at Robert Morris
University are going to enhance the atmosphere on campus as well
as provide events for the surrounding community to follow,' Director
of Athletics Dr. Susan Hofacre said. And the impact of the ice hockey
team could be resounding. Prior to the inception of the team, RMU
purchased the Island Sports Center on Neville Island, which will
host the Colonials' home games. In addition to the skating rink
(four of them, actually) . . . more.....
Diamond In The Rough Like
many of us in the Pittsburgh area, Ryan Ellis found himself pumping
water out of his place of business in September. The remnants of
Hurricane Ivan made life miserable for thousands of Pennsylvania
residents. But like he's done with everything else that's gotten
in the way of his career, Ellis rolled up his sleeves and went to
work. With a lot of help from his partner, Mike Kosko.
Ellis and Kosko operate the Diamond Academy
of Baseball and Softball in West Mifflin. Ivan nearly gave them
a permanent rain out. more.....
Pitt's Non-Conference Slate Unlikely To Change
Mike Montgomery was recently asked about the difference between
his last coaching job, Stanford, and his new gig leading the Golden
State Warriors of the NBA. Montgomery's answer that 'the big difference
is that you can schedule 10 wins, a third of your games in college,
to win. You don't control that here. You have much more control
in college,' illuminates how much thought goes into the schedule-making
process in major college basketball.
Not only do coaches and administrators
(it's often administrators deciding schedules) have to evaluate
more.....
Coach Brings Foreign Talent To Seton Hill
Seton Hill University's men's basketball program is beginning its
second year. They've already got a 20-win season, a second place
finish in the NAIA American Mideast Conference North Division and
a professional player to their credit. And to look at head coach
Tony Morocco's roster, it appears they've got an International All-Star
team. The Griffins have players from Israel, Macedonia, Serbia,
Australia, Nigeria, Yugoslavia and Puerto Rico on their roster.
Oh, and Natrona Heights and New Castle, too. more.....
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PSR Showdown: Which Pitt Panther Will Play In the NBA Next Year?
Chris Taft:
Chris Taft can go pro, will go pro, and
should go pro.
But for all the wrong reasons.
Taft is the prototype player that NBA
scouts love these days. He's too young, too raw, and may not have
a true position in the NBA. But the NBA is full of guys . . . .
more.....
Carl Krauser:
Tim's right: Chris Taft is almost definitely
off to the NBA next season, although it's certainly not crucial
that the Big Ticket punch that big pro ticket just yet.
Not so for junior Carl Krauser. He has
no choice but to move on after this season.
This is not to say that Carl Krauser
is the best NBA prospect at Pitt. He's not. Taft is. But Krauser's
got to go now . . . more.....
West Virginia University
Coach John Beilein has made great strides as he enters his third
season at West Virginia. He took over a program in shambles in 2002,
posted 14 wins in 2003 and 17 wins a year ago. The question is,
can the Mountaineers move forward in the rugged Big East Conference?
'We finished ninth last year,' Beilein
explained. 'We were a game out of finishing seventh or sixth and
now we have everybody back plus some . . . more.....
Penn State University Second-year
head coach Ed DeChellis has no misconceptions about the state of
Penn State basketball. 'Sometimes you have to take a step back to
make things work.' Following two seven- win seasons under Jerry
Dunn, it didn't seem that there was much room to move back. But
DeChellis battled through his first season . . . . more.....
Duquesne University Three
years ago, head coach Danny Nee came to Duquesne to stem the tide
and steer the Dukes back in the right direction.
Nee feels he has built a solid foundation,
and this year's Dukes' team should be the best he has had during
his tenure . . . . more.....
Robert Morris University Plan
A is gone, but Robert Morris may have the talent to challenge the
top teams in the Northeast Conference anyway.
The original idea included Daren Tielsch
and Jakeel Gary providing the bulk inside, but Tielsch transferred
and Gary had to go back to finish his junior college studies at
Coffeyville Community College . . . . more.....
On The Clock With Rod Hundley The
Utah Jazz announced during the NBA Draft that the team had come
to terms for a new five-year contract for veteran play-by-play announcer
Rod Hundley.
A three-year All-American at West Virginia
where he earned the nickname 'Hot Rod' for his flamboyant playing
style, Hundley was the first pick in the 1958 NBA College Draft
by the Minneapolis Lakers. He played six seasons for the Lakers,
earning All-Star honors in 1959-60 and 1960-61, before retiring
following the 1962-63 season.
In 1982 he was named to the NCAA's silver
anniversary All-America team . . . . more.....
Ben Sabotages Steelers' System Everyone
is justifiably gaga over the hot beginning Ben Roethlisberger has
had in the NFL. Mike Kruczek, for example, won his first six starts
as a Steeler QB, and we all know how that turned out.
OK, bad example.
When the smoke clears, however, and the
rookie season of Roethlisberger is truly and definitively evaluated,
here's what will have become obvious . . . . more.....
University Of Pittsburgh
Freshman guard Ronald Ramon stood beyond the 3-point arc and attempted
three shots.
Swish. Swish. Swish.
'All day,' senior forward Chevon Troutman
said. 'He's the best shooter we've had since I've been here.'
more.....
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