A game in the past is certainly in the past, but there is no doubt Dayton had some extra motivation tonight to not get swept.  After the first nine minutes of the game, where the Dukes played to their strengths by forcing turnovers, playing good transition basketball, finding open guys and finishing, the momentum kind of just stopped.

“We had open shots we couldn’t knock down and they converted them,” said Dukes’ senior guard Eric Evans.

That would be a pretty accurate statement, as the Dukes shot under 40 percent from the field, 19 percent from the arc and 60 percent from the line, while UD shot 47 percent from the field and 88 percent from the line.

In an already balanced Dayton team coming into the game, five UD players scored in double digits, led by senior guard Paul Williams’ game-high 18, 16 of which came in the second half.  Junior forward Matt Kavanaugh finished with a double-double, 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

“Against a team like Dayton who’s got (Chris) Johnson and (Paul) Williams who are seniors and guys who have sort of been through the wars of our league and understand it, those guys, they’re good basketball players.  Every mistake we made, especially defensively getting back, they made us pay for,” said Dukes head coach Ron Everhart.

Dayton finished the game with 20 turnovers, but everything else seemed to diminish the sting of that number, including the fact that the Dukes only converted 18 points off of UD’s seven above average turnovers.

The Flyers scored over half of their points in the paint including 21 second-chance points, a result of 41-24 out-rebounding effort.

“We’ve been playing small all year, we have to work with what we have, and we can’t make excuses.  We were supposed to get the rebounds and we didn’t,” said Duke’s senior swingman B.J. Monteiro who scored all of his 10 points in the second half.

Just seven free throws were attempted in the first half between both teams, including an and-one for Dayton’s leading scorer, senior guard Kevin Dillard with two minutes to go to give the Flyers a 31-24 lead.

The Dukes cut the lead to three at the half, but had three consecutive turnovers at the start of the second as Dayton when on a 6-0 run.

Duquesne answered with a 9-0 run a few minutes later to take a 48-45 lead after what looked like a sequence in which the Dukes would finally get some good momentum to finish out the game.  It began with Mike Talley’s two free-throws and continued with Mamadou Datt’s two dunks, defensive rebound and a B.J. Monteiro three.

Up until the last six minutes, it was a back and forth game.  This season the Dukes have been plagued with large runs against them, and this time Dayton’s run came too late for them to recover.  Dayton went on a 23-9 run in the last seven minutes of the game.

“I didn’t think offensively we had a lot of patience, and I think our bad offense led to bad defense,” Coach Everhart said.

Talley led the Dukes with 13 points.

In case you wanted to know…

• First-year Dayton head coach, Archie Miller is the brother of Arizona head coach and former University of Pittsburgh guard, Sean Miller.
• The Dukes travel to George Washington for a 2PM game on Saturday February 25^th. 
• UD had 15 fast break points to Duquesne’s 11.
• The Dukes bench contributed 29 points.
• UD guard Chris Johnson finished with 13 points, junior Kevin Dillard had 11 and redshirt senior guard Josh Parker added 12.  Sophomore forward Devin Oliver grabbed 10 rebounds.

Aly Cohen
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Even though the last two months were tough, reflecting on last year was overall a positive experience. 

In the past, players have been used to recruit other players, but Frank believes that Derrick Lee will stay retired from the game. 

Frank did not shed a tear when Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols left the division.  No progress yet to be reported on contract extensions for Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker. 

He was arrested on July 9, after a Dekalb County police officer said he saw Ward hit a curb and drive out of his lane.

Ward has reportedly pleaded guilty to a lesser count of reckless driving. The DUI charge was dropped.

Ward is facing a 12-month probation, 80 hours of community service and a $2,000 fine.

In a police report issued in July of 2011, police said Ward could not keep his balance, mixed up and omitted letters while reciting the alphabet and refused a breathalyzer test.

A portable reading showed a blood alcohol level of 0.128, but the test was not admissible in court.

Ward’s agent said in a statement: “By dropping the DUI charges, it is clear that the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence … Hines has always maintained that his ability to drive was in no way impaired.”

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This is the night Patrick will finally be back at practice with his Pittsburgh Hornets teammates since suffering a concussion more than three months ago.

Cobourn doesn’t remember much of the injury.

“Well I went and skated to the bench and then I like blacked out,” he says. “I just remember getting rushed to the hospital.”

Unfortunately, these days Cobourn’s case has become all too common. As head injuries have reached epidemic proportions in the NHL, it’s become just as big of a problem in youth hockey.

Chris Stern is head coach of the Pittsburgh Hornets midget major team.

“I’ve been doing this 24 years and it increases every year,” says Chris Stern, head coach of the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major team, “and this year is the worst.”

Three players on Stern’s 18-and-under team have missed time due to concussions.

“The worst part was being tired all the time,” says 17-year-old forward Michael Louria. “I couldn’t focus on anything, always had a headache.”

It’s something Louria’s mother, Kim, has come to expect.

“At this point it’s something that you know is inevitable, it’s coming,” she says. “You just hope that it’s caught, cured and he’s not back out until he’s better.”

But what makes concussions so frustrating is you never really know when you’re all better. Sometimes you don’t even know you have a concussion at all.
That’s exactly what happened to 16-year-old Chris Shero.

“I ended up playing the rest of that game,” Shero says, “and actually I ended up playing seven more games.”

Nobody knew Shero had a concussion until his grades dropped suddenly, from all A’s and B’s to C’s and D’s. It took him six months to get back to normal and he is only one of four players on the Hornets 16-and-under team that have been lost to concussions over the last two seasons.

And if the name Shero sounds familiar, it should. Chris’ father, Ray, has dealt first hand with concussion problems as general manager of the Penguins.

“I think we had six or seven concussions with the Penguins this year, maybe six last year. Obviously the Sidney Crosby thing happened last January and my son – it happened last January.

“So over the last year I’ve learned an awful lot about concussions and Sidney being our franchise player , my son Chris, he’s my franchise player, so you’re on top of it as parents,” Ray Shero said.

So the question becomes, are there really more concussions today? Or is there simply more awareness of them, so more are being reported? That’s where opinions begin to differ.

“I think it’s definitely awareness and diagnosis,” Ray Shero says.

“I think there’s more instances. I think what we’re seeing too is more attention to the aftercare,” says Jeff Potter, Head Coach of the 16-under Pittsburgh Hornets team.

“It’s partially awareness,” Stern says, “but it’s only 20 percent. I think awareness is when players come back. It’s definitely a case of it happening more.

Bigger, stronger, faster doesn’t tell the whole story. I have to believe it’s equipment. You can literally take a ball bat to an elbow pad and not hurt a player.

“It’s not just this level. It’s top to bottom. NHL to pee wees. USA Hockey is trying. They’re emphasizing head shots. But the numbers aren’t decreasing so I don’t know what the answer is.”

And that’s what makes concussions so scary: The unknown. How do you avoid them? How will they affect you? Will these players be forced to give up hockey before they even become adults? It’s something Patrick Cobourn must face every time he steps on the ice.

“I can’t get hurt again,” he says. “This is my fifth concussion – third this year too. If I get any more symptoms, I’ll probably have to give it up,” Cobourn said. ” … It’s very scary.”

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Around the same time Penguins’ General Manager Ray Shero saw his best player suffer a concussion, he also saw his own son suffer one as well.

“Jan. 15, 2011,” Chris Shero recalls. “We were playing out in L.A. and I got hit.”

Shero, 16, didn’t know it at the time, but he had suffered a concussion that would keep him out for the next five months.

“I wasn’t there,” the Penguins’ general manager said. “My wife was there, and it’s one of those things, they get hit. It wasn’t that hard of a hit, and he played a few more games and got hit again.”

Sound familiar?

The plights of Chris Shero and Sidney Crosby have paralleled at times over the last year, and even brought the two together, in an unfortunate concussion connection, to compare notes.

“We talked back and forth on how everything was when I had my concussion and when he had his,” Chris said. “We talked about how things were. We were able to relate to each other so much easier with that. He helped me and maybe I helped him a little bit.”

He did.

“It’s nice when someone can relate no matter what age,” Crosby said. “Even for him to hear what I was going through was good for him. To see someone who can’t go to school and can’t be with his friends, I think it was good for me to get a different viewpoint on it.”

“And that’s what happens,” Ray Shero told KDKA-TV. “You compare, whether it’s teammate to teammate, or in Chris’ case, being around those guys. Sid was really helpful for Chris, too.”

Now, the elder Shero is looking to USA Hockey, youth hockey’s governing body, to try and stem the tide of concussions in the younger ranks, so incidents like Chris’ can be avoided.

“At the end of the game sometimes… it’s not even if your kid won or lost or if they scored a goal,” said Shero. “It’s: ‘Are you ok.’

“I sent something to USA Hockey where I really believe rules for majors for elbowing and hits from behind have to be dealt with more severely in terms of supplemental discipline as we have in our league, where a kid is going miss more than one game, maybe two or three games, before he’s allowed back to play,” he added.

Shero was also instrumental in getting a baseline test for local high school hockey players so future concussions can be more easily diagnosed. But the problem Chris went through is not an isolated case, and prevention can only go so far.

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Craig is extremely impressed with the Penguins’ win over the Rangers, and calls it a significant, tone-setting win. He has run out of words to describe what Evgeni Malkin is doing on the ice, but he doesn’t think enough is being said about Marc-Andre Fleury.

Craig also tells us what piece he may look to add to the Pens if he were Ray Shero, and whether Pittsburgh can win a Stanley Cup without Sidney Crosby.

According to the Penguins’ official website, Thiessen was sent back down to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Wednesday morning.

Thiessen was called up on Tuesday and served as Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup in a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers.

Brent Johnson did not dress for the game because of an illness.

In 37 games with the Baby Penguins, Thiessen is 20-14-2 with a 2.88 GAA and is tied for fourth in the AHL in wins.

The Penguins will be back in action on Saturday when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at 1 p.m.

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Talking about the amount of money that the Steelers are over the salary cap, Kirwan said that the Steelers “have got a long way to go to get to zero.” Names of players he thinks the Steelers should cut were: Hines Ward, James Farrior, and Casey Hampton.

The limited cap space causes a lot of concern over wide receiver, Mike Wallace. Kirwan tells the Fan Morning Show that he has great respect for Steelers’ General Manager, Kevin Colbert, but other teams (even within the AFC North) will be trying to bring in the Pro Bowl receiver for more money on an offer sheet than the Steelers will be able to match.

We also get his thoughts on how Antonio Brown has developed, and how the relationship between the established offensive players, and new Offensive Coordinator, Todd Haley, will work.

For the entire interview, click below:

On Tuesday, they reduced the amount they are over the cap to about $8 million after restructuring offensive tackle Willie Colon’s contract.

According to our news partners at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the restructuring saves the Steelers $2.85 million against the cap.

The restructuring involved turning $3.8 million of Colon’s $4.5 million salary for the 2012 campaign into a bonus.

The bonus will be pro-rated over the remaining four years of the contract.

Colon has played in only one game over the last two seasons, but signed a five-year, $29 million deal in August.

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Jay called the win “a complete game.” But, said that the timing of the win was as, or maybe more, important than they way the team played.

Paul Martin has been a bit of a scapegoat this season for the Penguins. Following a good game against the Rangers, Jay thinks that consistency will be the key for Martin. He can’t have any break downs, and needs to try to sustain a solid level of play.

For the entire interview, click below:

Chryst’s former offensive coordinator, Bob Bostad, left the Pitt Panthers after about a month on the job to become the offensive line coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bostad is the second assistant to leave the staff in the past two weeks after running backs coach Eddie Faulkner left for Wisconsin.

“Bob’s a heck of a coach and there’s going to be people calling and there were opportunities and I knew this would be the type that would intrigue him to where he would want to talk, and if it was the right situation, that he would do it,” Chryst said.

While Chryst will now be looking to fill the void Bostad left behind, he supports his decision to leave.

“I’m not trying to skirt that, I really believe that. So, you trust people and they make the decision that’s best for them and I support him on that,” Chryst said.

Chryst also said that Tino Sunseri would be the starting quarterback heading into training camp.

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Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury made 27 saves as the Penguins shutout the Rangers 2-0.

Fleury’s third shutout of the season pulled him into a tie with Tom Barrasso for the franchise lead with 22.

After a forgettable performance against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the Penguins came out with a purpose and put the Rangers on their heels early.

Pittsburgh was buzzing in the offensive zone for extended periods of time in the first period, but could not get the puck behind Henrik Lundqvist.

The Penguins outshot the Rangers 11-6 in the period despite killing off a delay of game penalty on Ben Lovejoy.

However, it would not take long for the Penguins to solve Lundqvist in the second period.

Kris Letang sent Evgeni Malkin in on a breakaway with a long pass from his defensive zone. Malkin closed in on goal from a wide angle, crossed the goalmouth and lifted a backhander over a sprawling Lundqvist to put the Penguins up 1-0 just 1:05 into the period.

About 10 minutes later, the Penguins capitalized on their first power play opportunity of the contest.

The Penguins were able to get in the zone and set up. Eventually, the puck came to Steve Sullivan at the point.

He let a slap shot fly, which found its way through traffic and into the back of the net, putting the Penguins up 2-0.

Malkin’s assist on the goal was the 300th of his NHL career and gave him his 73rd point of the season. He now leads the NHL scoring race by three points over Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux and Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos.

From there, Fleury went to work and came up with two great glove saves on Artem Anisimov and Derek Stepan.

The win was especially big for the Penguins because of how the playoff picture is shaping up. Entering Tuesday night’s action, the Penguins were sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

New York was sitting atop the conference and the Atlantic Division with a 10-point lead over the Penguins.

Pittsburgh was tied with the Flyers at 71 points and trailed the New Jersey Devils by one point.

Unfortunately, both the Flyers and Devils won in overtime so the Penguins only gained ground on the Rangers.

Pittsburgh will now prepare for two winnable games this weekend against Tampa Bay and Columbus.

The Lightning have already begun selling assets as Steve Downie and Dominic Moore have already been traded ahead of Monday’s deadline.

On Tuesday, it was announced that Vincent Lecavalier would be out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

As for Columbus, rumors are swirling about the availability of high-priced forward Rick Nash. It remains to be seen if the Blue Jackets will ship him out before the deadline or wait until the NHL Draft. Of course, they could always hold onto him, but time will tell.

Both of the games this weekend are at 1 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Center.

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It should have been a season highlight for the players. Instead, it was a sobering lesson in poor sportsmanship.

With just minutes left on the clock and Peters leading, WPIAL officials say Woodland Hills star senior Shakim Alonzo committed a flagrant technical foul by throwing an elbow. He was ejected.

An unidentified Peters player was also fouled and ejected for throwing the ball at the opposing team.

At that point, a heated Alonzo allegedly pulled away from his coach, slugging Peters center Gabe Pritz on the left side of his head, tearing ear cartilage that required 11 stitches.

“It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in a high school game,” says Peters coach Gary Goga. “Gabe had his back turned – of course – he cheap shot him – and that’s what it was – right in front of me.”

Woodland Hills coach Mike Decker was stunned.

“I just saw our guy was out of control,” Decker said. “I’m sick to my stomach over what happened, embarrassed – that’s not who we are, that’s not who I am.”

Gabe Pritz returned to the court, finishing with a game-high 30-points. Peters won.

Shakim Alonzo, 17, is facing possible misdemeanor assault charges. The Washington County District Attorney has not reviewed the case yet.

The 17-year-old honors student and multi- sport athlete already has a football scholarship offer from Cincinnati. He has apologized for the incident.

Woodland Hills players allege that racial slurs were made by Peters players on the floor, but a spokeswoman for the Peters Township School District says neither their coaches nor officials said they heard any slurs made during the game, but admits that something was said in the locker room and that it is being addressed.

That allegation and others are being investigated by both schools. WPIAL Executive Director Tim O’Malley said they will make their reports by the end of the week along with what, if any, actions should be taken.

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Morton updated us on his off-season hip surgery and said that he has already pitched off a mound five times, and his only concern is getting his reps in and building up arm strength.  Charlie anticipates pitching in games in the first week of March and being ready to be a part of the Opening Day rotation.

We also discussed the addition of A.J. Burnett and what that means to the team, and Morton said he is really glad to have Burnett as part of the rotation because he’ll not only make the team better on the field, but he’ll help in the development of other pitchers.

Charlies also told us what clicked with him last year that allowed him to figure out the best way to use his electric stuff, and said most of the credit for that belongs to the coaching staff.

We wrapped things up with Morton having him tell us what his goals are for the upcoming season.

Bouchette goes through the scenarios by which Mike Wallace could leave the Steelers via free agency, looks at the decisions the team will be making on some key veterans and tries to make sense of the growing cold war between Todd Haley and Ben Roethlisberger.

Listen to the full interview here:

According to the Penguins’ official website, goaltender Brad Thiessen has been called up.

Brent Johnson is not feeling well, which prompted the Penguins to call up Thiessen.

In 37 games with the Baby Penguins, Thiessen is 20-14-2 with a 2.88 GAA and is tied for fourth in the AHL in wins.

Last season, Thiessen set a franchise record with 35 wins and seven shutouts. He finished the year with a 35-8-1 record with a 1.94 GAA and .922 save percentage.

On Monday the Penguins recalled forward Eric Tangradi.

The Penguins take on the New York Rangers at CONSOL Energy Center tonight at 7 p.m.

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The Rangers have won five straight games in Pittsburgh, and Sam says that is because they are a more disciplined, and structured hockey team than the finesse teams they have had in the past. A fact that Sam attributes to the coaching of John Tortorella.

Columbus forward, Rick Nash, is a hot commodity heading into the trade deadline and the Rangers are one of the front-runners. Sam, however says that the deal may not happen because the Rangers will have to give up established star players, and possible draft picks, which they may not be willing to do.

The Rangers are 28-1 when scoring first in games this season. Sam goes over the reasons why, and mostly places that praise on goaltender, Henrik Lundquivst.

Finally, we get Sam’s thoughts on the Penguins and how an outsider views the team. He considers the team to be one of the top teams in the race for the Stanley Cup if they have Sidney Crosby, but their outlook depends on the captain’s health.

For the entire interview, click below:

The NHL playoffs are roughly two months away and the Penguins are currently sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 71 points.

They are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers and sit just one point back of the New Jersey Devils.

However, any chance of closing a 10-point gap on the Rangers will have to start tonight.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two clubs this season with the Rangers holding a 2-1 series edge.

• Rangers won 4-3 on Nov. 29 at Madison Square Garden
• Rangers won 3-1 on Jan. 6 at CONSOL
• Penguins won 4-1 on Jan. 19 at MSG

Pittsburgh will be looking to shake off a bad performance against the Buffalo Sabres Sunday. The Penguins got off to a slow start and never recovered, as the Sabres rolled to a 6-2 win.

As for the Rangers, they are coming off a 3-2 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Rick Nash tied the game with 1:33 to play to force overtime, but Derek Stepan sent the fans home happy just 22 seconds into the extra frame.

Marian Gaborik continues to lead the way for the Rangers with 50 points. His 27 goals are also a team-high.

Ryan Callahan is not far behind with 43 points (23 goals, 20 assists). He also has 11 goals on the power play this season.

In goal, Henrik Lundqvist is making a strong case for the Vezina and Hart Trophies with a 28-11-4 record to go along with a sparkling 1.77 GAA.

He leads the league with a .940 save percentage and seven shutouts.

Against the Penguins, Lundqvist is 22-14-5 with a 2.41 GAA and a .914 save percentage.

For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin managed to get an assist in the game against Buffalo to add to his league-leading point total.

His 71 points are three better than Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux.

In 33 career games against the Rangers, Malkin has 15 goals and 12 assists. Eight of those goals came on the power play.

In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury’s 30 wins are just two wins behind Detroit’s Jimmy Howard for the league lead.

Against the Rangers, Fleury is 19-12-7 with a 2.79 GAA and a .906 save percentage.

On Monday, the Penguins recalled Eric Tangradi from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. It is unknown if he will play tonight, but he will be available.

This morning, the Penguins called up Brad Thiessen due to Brent Johnson not feeling well.

It was also announced that Brooks Orpik will not be in the lineup tonight due to an upper-body injury.

The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and you can watch the game on Root Sports.

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According to the Penguins’ official website, Tangradi was recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Monday afternoon.

In 37 games with the Baby Penguins this season, Tangradi has recorded 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists).

This is not his first stint with the parent club this season as he has appeared in 12 games already.

During that time, he has failed to record a point and has a minus-5 rating with 12 penalty minutes.

The last game he played with the Penguins was a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Jan. 22, where he was credited with four hits.

In 144 career games with the Baby Penguins, Tangradi has 50 goals and 53 assists.

At the NHL level, Tangradi has appeared in 28 games and has one goal and two assists.

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There are several questions surrounding the Penguins as Monday’s trade deadline draws closer.

Will the Penguins pick up another gritty forward? Are they confident Brent Johnson is still the right guy to play backup to Marc-Andre Fleury?

On Sunday, Johnson allowed three goals on 12 shots during a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. It was the third time in his last five starts that he was pulled.

Part of the problem could be the lack of work he has seen this season. Despite all that, Johnson understands his role and how to deal with it.

“It’s been tough. I want to contribute, help my teammates win. The last three out of the last six that I’ve played haven’t been what I wanted, but it’s not for a lack of trying. I feel confident. Every game I go into, I feel fine. Just haven’t been getting the results I want. It’s tough. I want to do so much for these guys,” Johnson said.

One thing is certain with the Penguins, James Neal will be around for the foreseeable future.

The Penguins signed Neal to a six-year $30 million extension over the weekend. The decision for Neal to stay in Pittsburgh was an easy one.

“Even though things didn’t work out the way I wanted them to last year, it’s just the way we play hockey here, the atmosphere. Everything that goes along with Penguins hockey is awesome. Like I keep saying, I just couldn’t have found a better place and a better fit,” Neal said.

Pittsburgh is currently sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. They are tied with the Philadelphia Flyers and trail the New Jersey Devils by a single point.

The Penguins will look to move up the standing tonight when they play host to the first place New York Rangers.

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In order to get Burnett, the Pirates sent minor leaguers Diego Moreno, a relief pitcher, and outfielder Exicardo Cayones to the Yankees.

Pirate fans have something to be excited about with Burnett as he has won at least 10 games in seven seasons during his career.

He has also been one of the top strikeout pitchers in the league over the last decade.

Despite what you might think about leaving a perennial contender, he is happy to have a change of scenery.

“No regrets. I got my ring there, got to play with teammates that a lot of people won’t get to play with, Hall of Famers and played for a great manager in a great city. So, I take it and run. That chapter is closed and it’s time to move on to the next one,” Burnett said.

“We gave up two pretty good players, but we feel like we got a very good pitcher that’s going to help us a lot over the next two years in more ways than just off the field, on the field. We’re looking forward to [Burnett] helping to stabilize our rotation. We’re a young team that we feel like we’re ready to take a step forward and he makes us better,” Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington said.

The last couple of seasons have not been good for Burnett as his ERA ballooned to over 5.0.

Last season, Burnett was 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA in 33 appearances for the Yankees. He struck out 173 and walked 83.

Burnett said he knows why he struggled over the last couple of years.

“Without getting too far into it, I would just say I let a few too many people tinker with me maybe. When you let that happen, you get out there and you start doubting yourself sometimes like, ‘Am I doing it right? Is this the way it’s supposed to feel?’ This and that. In ’09, nobody messed with me. I was able to do what I wanted to do on the mound whether it was turn all the way around, close my eyes, pitch upside down, whatever it was. And then you have a few bad games and you start changing and listening,” Burnett said.

As for how he thinks he can step in and immediately contribute to the Pirates, Burnett is going to take a workmanlike approach.

“You just lead by example. I think that’s what the main thing is. I’m a hard worker. I’ll take the ball every five days. I’m not going to make any excuses. That’s one thing I can take from my time in New York is that I never back down from anything. And that’s what it’s all about. More for the leadership I guess than watching and learning, more than anything else. Just how you carry yourself in certain situations. I’m not a cheerleader, pom poms. I’m not going to have a ‘C’ on my chest, but I know right and wrong and hopefully, I can shine some of that on the younger players,” Burnett said.

The Pirates will open up Spring Training games on March 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

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A.J. quickly showed his personality and excitement about being in Pittsburgh saying, “I’m not going to lie, I look pretty good in black and gold.”

Though he has yet to meet with his teammates, he has spoken with Manager Clint Hurdle and Pitching Coach Ray Searage, A.J. tells us that he is happy to just be able to pitch, and not worry about tinkering with his mechanics, saying, “I’ve got 11 years in the game, I don’t need fixed.”

A.J. was impressed with the Pirates first-half run last year that saw them leading the division at one point, and “hopefully [he] can be that piece of the puzzle and help them get over that little hump.”

For the entire interview, click below:

(mpopchock@kdka.com)

The biggest story of Saturday was not just the surprise demise of No. 4 seed and AAAA-Sec. 2 champion Woodland Hills, a team that had the potential to make some noise this postseason, but the bizarre events leading up to the dismissal of the Wolverines by No. 13 seed Peters Township in boys’ Class AAAA competition.

First of all, the game, scheduled for a noon tip at California University, started about 45 minutes late because the Woodland Hills team bus erroneously went to IUP. Second of all, Gabe Pritz paced the Indians with 30 points in their 67-56 upset, but he sure didn’t leave the Convocation Center feeling like a winner. He had to get stitches after taking a punch from Woodland Hills’ leading scorer, Cincinnati football recruit Shakim Alonzo.

Speaking from experience, my immediate reaction upon hearing this story was as follows: a Peters Township player dropped an N-bomb in the general direction of Alonzo, who took it personally. Sadly, it appears my first instinct might have been correct.

Alonzo claims he was targeting a different player with the punch that crippled Pritz, and for that very reason. To the credit of Mike Decker, Alonzo’s head coach, Decker did not condone what his star senior did.

Peters Township head coach Gary Goga, one of the more colorful men in the WPIAL, was even less forgiving.

The WPIAL will hold a hearing on the matter, and now there is a possibility charges may be filed against Alonzo by the campus police.

What’s sad is the way this episode overshadows a terrific game by Pritz, one of the best step-up performances we’ve seen in the WPIAL Basketball Championships so far. What’s even sadder is the notion that some of us in western Pennsylvania haven’t learned from one of the most globally embarrassing periods in our nation’s history.

I’m confident whatever punishment the school gives Alonzo will be just, and young men of color everywhere need to be taught the example set by Jackie Robinson, a flag-bearer for future generations of black athletes: that real courage means not fighting back. Having said that, would anyone really be surprised if Alonzo’s side of the story were true, and by that same token, wouldn’t the reaction of a teenager under those circumstances be at least understandable, if not forgivable?

Two wrongs don’t make a right. But if it is determined by the WPIAL that racial epithets were hurled at Alonzo prior to him hurling his fist, those who provoked him don’t deserve a free pass either.

Meanwhile, the boys’ and girls’ tournaments resume Tuesday with the conclusion of the First Round. In Class AAA top seed New Castle begins its quest for its first boys’ basketball title since the Red Hurricane’s dynastic run in Quad-A 1997-99 when it takes on Highlands Tuesday night at 8:00. Highlands rallied to defeat Southmoreland 56-48 in a Preliminary Round contest at Gateway High School Friday:

This one is going to be all about guard play. Highlands senior and Drake recruit Micah Mason, the district’s all-time leader in career three-pointers, ranks among the top twenty scorers in WPIAL history, but he hasn’t gotten much help from his supporting cast this season. That changed Friday, when three others reached double digits, and the Golden Rams gutted one out despite a rare scoreless first half by Mason, who eventually ended with 18.

Nevertheless, it’s hard to imagine them stopping the dynamic backcourt duo of Corey Eggleston and Shawn Anderson. The New Castle cousins joined the 1,000-career-point club this season, and the undefeated Red Hurricane led the entire WPIAL with 81.4 points per game. My guess is, head coach Ralph Blundo throws a diamond-and-one, or some other junk defense, at Mason, the regular-season district scoring leader with 29.1 points per game, and his mates simply won’t be able to keep pace.

Another interesting contest on that side of the boys’ bracket is the 8:00 matchup between South Fayette, last year’s WPIAL runner-up, and Beaver Tuesday night. The teams boast identical 16-6 overall records, and while Beaver had the least scored-upon defense in its section, South Fayette entered the playoffs yielding just 43.3 points per game, the fewest in the classification.

I’m predicting a relatively well-played game won by the Lions, and if Keystone Oaks can hold serve against Trinity Tuesday, that would set up an interesting challenge for South Fayette’s defense in the Class AAA Quarterfinals Friday. The Golden Eagles are led by Rocco Constristano, who finished third among WPIAL boys with 24.1 points per game during the regular season.

In girls’ Quad-A, my eye is on the First Round meeting between North Allegheny and visiting Bethel Park Tuesday night at 6:30, though the concurrent First Round contest between Pine-Richland and visiting Plum should also be fun to watch.

N.A. ranked fourth in the classification during the regular season with 58.7 points per game, while Bethel, which gave up just 48.7 a night, is one of the top five teams in Class AAAA defensively. I say the Tigers live to face top seed and section rival Oakland Catholic in what could be a terrific quarterfinal matchup Friday, but the Black Hawks will make them work for it.

Pine-Richland and Plum enter the playoffs with each coming off a 14-8 regular season finish, and both squads have limped their way into this game. The Rams have been very inconsistent, while the Mustangs have seen a five-game win streak interrupted by two season-ending losses. Still, the individual battle between Emily Johanson of P-R and Krista Pietropola of Plum, each of whom averages 17 points a game, is fascinating, and given the recent wackiness on that side of the bracket, I’ll take Plum in an upset.

Furthermore, I foresee a couple upsets in girls’ Class AA: Keystone Oaks over Deer Lakes, and Avonworth over Bentworth. Keep a vigilant eye on Lauren Mayernik, the Lady Lopes’ leading scorer at 23.5 points per game.

Those games tip off at Canon-McMillan and Moon Area High Schools, respectively, Tuesday at 6:30.

Check back Wednesday for more playoff coverage, and click here for a complete list of boys’ First Round sites and girls’ First Round sites.

(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)

With Rashard Mendenhall’s knee injury putting the Steelers’ running back situation in total flux, Baron tells us how his own knee injury rehab is going, and whether he’ll be good to go when the season begins.

Baron also tells us why he enjoys blogging so much, how he hopes to change fans’ perceptions of athletes, and what his former college coach Dana Holgorsen can expect as West Virginia moves to the Big 12.

According to the Penguins’ official website, the team has come to terms with James Neal on a six-year contract extension.

The average salary cap hit per season is $5 million, which will run through the 2017-18 season.

At first glance, I absolutely think this is a great deal for the Penguins. Assuming he stays healthy and has either Sidney Crosby (hopefully) or Evgeni Malkin setting him up, Neal could be a 35-40 goal a year guy.

Keep in mind, he’s only 24-years-old and will be hitting his prime during this deal.

At $5 million a year for a guy like that, I’m not complaining one bit. Time will obviously tell if this is a good deal or not.

However, the focus now has to shift to players currently on the roster as the Penguins try to manage their salary cap figures for the future.

Assuming the new CBA discussions go well and that the salary cap remains as a fixture in the “New NHL,” the Pens have a couple of large contracts looming.

Both Jordan Staal and Crosby will be entering the final years of their current contracts next season.

Currently, Staal is making an annual salary of $4 million, while Crosby is being paid $8.7 million. (Courtesy CapGeek.com)

Shero can’t start negotiations with either player until July 1, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Staal will be looking for a bit of a raise.

Perhaps he will seek a salary not necessarily equal to, but in the ballpark of Neal. Maybe $4.5 to $4.75 million? This is just pure speculation at this point.

Assuming Crosby also gets a raise, the Penguins will be dealing with seven contracts of at least $4 million (Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Staal, Fleury, Martin and Michalek) heading into the 2013-14 season.

At their salaries for the 2012-13 season, the Penguins will be paying a total of $40.4 million to those seven players.

Granted, the team is pretty well set heading into next season with only Steve Sullivan, Arron Asham, Richard Park and Brent Johnson slated to become unrestricted free agents.

Matt Niskanen and Cal O’Reilly are slated to become restricted free agents as well.

However, heading into the 2013-14 season, Matt Cooke, Pascal Dupuis, Craig Adams, Tyler Kennedy, Dustin Jeffrey and Ben Lovejoy will all be seeking new contracts.

To have $40.4 million tied up at minimum presents some salary cap issues and could lend itself to Shero having to make a move or two to ice a complete and competitive team.

Figure Chris Kunitz, Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang are all making at least $3.5 and the math suggests that someone may need to be moved.

In my opinion, the leading candidate to be moved is Martin. Fans have been all over him for the duration of the season and with good reason.

He hasn’t been playing close to the same level he played at last season and has looked completely lost on the ice at times.

Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres was one Martin would like to forget as he was a minus-four. Normally, I don’t put a lot of weight into the plus-minus rating as I think it’s a very loaded stat and can be easily manipulated.

However, Martin earned every bit of that rating yesterday from being out of position and not making good decisions around his own net.

I think the problem or at the very least, the perception that Martin is not performing, is due to his hefty paycheck.

The potential problem in trying to trade him is that he’s owed that contract for another three years after this season.

At $5 million, you expect the player to perform to the level deserving of that kind of contract. Last year, I had no issues with the deal once he got in the system and got used to playing with Michalek.

Now, Martin and Michalek have been broken up, with Martin dropping down to the third pairing with Deryk Engelland/Ben Lovejoy.

Meanwhile, the man who appeared to just be thrown into the Neal trade has asserted himself as a top four defenseman with this team.

Matt Niskanen has improved leaps and bounds over where he was last year. Much like Neal, I think this boiled down to getting used to being in a new city and having to learn a new system.

I’ve also heard people pointing fingers at Michalek this season, which personally, I believe is foolish.

However, the situation presents a sort of “chicken or the egg?” question.

Has Michalek been playing poorly, or has Martin’s play made him look bad by default?

I’ll let you decide.

In any event, I’m not sure what deals the Penguins may pursue leading up to the trade deadline. I wouldn’t be upset if they brought in another gritty forward who isn’t afraid to go to the net and score garbage goals.

A net-front presence was sorely lacking in their first round loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. Dwayne Roloson had a very easy time of it in the cage and that’s never a good thing in the playoffs.

In conversations with other Penguins fans on Twitter, I’ve seen names such as Paul Gaustad (hat tip to self-described Gaustad super fan @ErikBlevins for making a case for him) thrown around.

I wouldn’t be opposed to taking a chance on Gaustad. At 6-feet, 4-inches tall and weighing 225 pounds, he could certainly create a lot of havoc in front of opposing goaltenders.

He’s a faceoff machine and won 16 of his 23 draws against the Penguins Sunday. He also scored a goal by being around the crease hunting for rebounds.

That is exactly the kind of play and player that wins you games in the playoffs. You have to pay a price if you want to have your name etched in silver.

At the end of the day, I won’t be upset if the Penguins decide to sit tight and go into the playoffs with this current roster.

Tyler Kennedy should be back in plenty of time to get his game legs back before the playoffs.

Of course, there’s always the hope that Crosby can get back into and stay in the lineup for the playoffs as well.

Like I’ve said before, if you can add arguably the best player in the world to your lineup without having to give up anything, that’s a deal any general manager, coach or fan in the world would love to make.

We’re gearing up for the best part of the year and the trade deadline signifies that the playoffs are just around the corner.

The next few days should be interesting to see how much more of Shero’s plan comes into focus.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sheavedice

For More Penguins Coverage Check Out Puck Talk With Popchock.

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