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Pirates’ numbers paint sad picture

By John Frederick For the Mirror I am a reformed baseball fan and statistifile. My affliction began with the Pirates’ near miss in 1966 and continued unabated beyond the Pittsburgh’s’ 1979 World Championship. Half a century later, my mind remains cluttered with Pirate batting and earned run averages, trades gone awry and ones that helped win championships. I fondly recall evenings on my grandfather’s front porch listening to Bob Prince and Nellie King and the once a year pilgrimage to Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium. Who could forget Clemente legging out a triple ...

More stars could be on the move in the NFL

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams and Amari Cooper have already been traded. Who’s next? The NFL pushed the trade deadline back one week to Nov. 5 this year so teams have more time to determine whether they want to buy, sell, or stick with who they have. Star wide receivers have been a hot commodity. The Jets got things started by acquiring Adams last week, reuniting the three-time All-Pro with Aaron Rodgers in New York. They were rusty in their first game together since 2021. Adams caught just three passes on nine targets for 30 yards in a ...

For Yanks, it’s World Series title or bust

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror As the Yankees and Guardians opened play in the American League Championship Series, the youngest generation of New York fans continued to wait expectantly for a world championship to call their own. Entering this year’s postseason, it had been 15 frustrating years for New York fans since the club’s last title run in 2009. That streak of futility was the franchise’s longest since the 16-season drought that stretched from the 1979 campaign to the beginning of the Derek Jeter-led dynasty in 1996. No World Series was played in 1994 due to ...

You can’t blame Tomlin for wanting to start Wilson at QB

By Rob Maaddi The Assoociated Press Starting Russell Wilson makes sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sure, Justin Fields has played well enough to keep his job. He has made steady progress, used his athletic ability to compensate for the offense’s deficiencies and helped the Steelers to a 4-2 start. But the goal is to win a Super Bowl. It’s not just making the playoffs. With Fields, the Steelers are ranked 26th in total yards and 20th in scoring with an average of 20.7 points per game. That won’t cut it in a loaded AFC. The Steelers have been held to 20 points or less in ...

Baseball leads league in funny stories

By Wayne Stewart For the Mirror Baseball has had a wealth of funny and colorful characters. Take Kirby Higbe, who was a big league pitcher from 1937 through 1950. He had an intense fear of flying. On one flight, Brooklyn teammate Pee Wee Reese tried to console him, saying there was no need to fret because when a person’s number is up, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the air or on the ground. Higbe refused to be placated. “Suppose I’m up here with a pilot, and my number isn’t up, but his is.” One day a letter from a female admirer arrived at Higbe’s house. ...

Second, third, fourth chances can help an NFL QB

By Rob Maaddi The Associated Press Sam Darnold is realizing his potential on his fourth stop. Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith did the same. Jared Goff found his way on his second team. Some quarterbacks just need a second chance. Or third. Or fourth. Darnold was supposed to be a stopgap player in Minnesota, signed to a one-year, $10 million deal to keep a seat warm for J.J. McCarthy. But the rookie first-round pick suffered a season-ending knee injury in August and Darnold has seized the opportunity. The Vikings (5-0) are the NFC’s only undefeated team going into their bye week ...