First call: Pirates talk about Fernando Tatis Jr. controversy, Pens prospect moves on, Steelers have new ‘room’

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Wednesday’s “first call” features the Pittsburgh Pirates’ reaction to the Fernando Tatis Jr. controversy. Steelers tight end Vance McDonald makes a folkloric Pittsburgh faux pas. A former prospect from the Penguins has a new home. And a tip of the cap to Roberto Clemente for his birthday.

Taillon on Tatis

The big Major League Baseball controversy this week has been San Diego Padres hitter Fernando Tatis Jr.

The “unwritten rule” in baseball is that you don’t swing into an account in a situation like this. This is baseball’s version of “keep the score”.

Rangers manager Chris Woodward says he wasn’t happy with what Tatis Jr. did. The Rangers thrown behind the next batter in retaliation. Pitcher Ian Gibaut has been suspended three games for doing this. Woodward was docked a match.

Padres manager Jayce Tingle did not appear thrilled, suggesting the ‘catch sign’ was on for Tatis Jr. The 21-year-old shortstop later apologized and said he had “Missed” the sign.

It doesn’t matter. It’s baseball. You can kneel on a soccer possession or dribble an NBA shot clock. No hitter should ever feel the need to make an intentional out – or feel the pressure not to get a hit when it is possible to do so.

Pirate Launcher Jameson Taillon agrees.

Pirates manager Derek Shelton was unfazed when he spoke of Tuesday’s “incident”.

“I think we are doing way too much (over) the unwritten rules in the game and how the game is played,” Shelton said. “People want to blow a lot of things out of proportion. I have no problem with that. He hit the home run, he put his head down and ran around the goal.

And, hey, if anyone knows what the unwritten rules are for blowing yourself up, it’s the Pirates.

So if they’re not crazy, how can we be crazy?

A beautiful day to remember ‘The Great One’

Tuesday marked what would have been Roberto Clemente’s 86th birthday.

Sadly, Clemente only lived to the age of 38. He died in a plane crash on New Years Eve 1972.

But his legacy remains in Pittsburgh. As it should be after two World Series rings, 15 All-Star appearances, 12 Gold Gloves, four batting titles and MVP awards for the 1966 season and the 1971 World Series.

So in honor of Clemente, some of his greatest hits.

Pavlychev is going to pack his bags

The Penguins have officially lost Penn State forward Nikita Pavlychev. He signed with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. Syracuse is affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Penguins’ seventh-round pick in 2015 scored seven goals and added seven assists in 27 games during his senior season at Penn State.

Pavlychev is 6 feet 8 inches tall and 225 pounds. He became an unrestricted free agent on Saturday. He is the seventh Nittany Lion player to sign a professional contract since the NCAA hockey season ended in March.

‘Vance, there’s a Mr. Scuderi on line 1 for you’

Steelers tight end Vance McDonald spoke to media on Tuesday via Zoom. And he’s spent a lot of time praising tight new partner Eric Ebron.

“I said to Eric yesterday, ‘You were the missing link,’ McDonald said. “Eric comes in here and makes all these big, close-toed plays. This will uplift not only myself but everyone in the field.

“Eric is the missing piece. Expect me to dive into everyone this year now that we have Eric on our team.

Wait, “The Missing Piece”? Hey, can’t wait to see Ebron play too, Vance. But there can only be one “piece” in Pittsburgh sporting tradition, right?

That’s Penguins defenseman Rob Scuderi, when he accidentally dubbed himself “the play” in a post-game interview after making two crucial saves in Game 6 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final.

We may have a Steelers vs. Penguins copyright infringement case here.

Obviously, this will have to be decided in the only fair way possible – the sale of t-shirts.

Tim Benz is an editor for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.

Categories:
Penguins / NHL | Pirates / MLB | Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz



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