Pirate Galaxy » ed their season low with one hit

John Saunders, one of the familiar on-air faces of ESPN for nearly 30 years, has died. He was 61.Saunders hosted studio and play-by-play programming. He covered college football, basketball and the NHL for the network, in addition to anchoring SportsCenter. He was also host of The Sports Reporters.This tragic news brings us unspeakable sorrow, Saunders family said in a statement. John was the patriarch of our family, and we cant believe he is gone. We are sincerely touched by the outpouring of support and sadness, which is a reflection of the character and integrity that defined him.While we dont yet have all the specifics, John wasnt feeling well physically in recent days and sadly, he was unresponsive earlier this morning. We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers for our cherished father, husband, brother and uncle.Born in Canada, Saunders was an all-star defenseman in the junior hockey leagues of Montreal. He played at Western Michigan and Ryerson Polytechnical in Toronto before becoming one of the most prominent broadcasters of his time.Saunders was a founding member of The V Foundation for Cancer Research and served on its board of directors.John was an extraordinary talent and his friendly, informative style has been a warm welcome to sports fans for decades, John Skipper, ESPN president and Disney Media Networks co-chairman, said in a statement. His wide range of accomplishments across numerous sports and championship events is among the most impressive this industry has ever seen.More importantly, John was a beloved and devoted family man who cared deeply about people and causes, as evidenced by his long-standing efforts as a passionate board member for The V Foundation for Cancer Research.He was one of the most significant and influential members of the ESPN family, as a colleague and mentor, and he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this extremely difficult time.Saunders joined ESPN in December 1986 to anchor SportsCenter. He also became a regular voice on college basketball and the WNBA and hosted ESPNs coverage of the Stanley Cup playoffs from 1993 to 2004. He also worked on coverage of the World Series and Major League Baseballs All-Star Game.We are deeply saddened by the passing of John Saunders, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. As the studio host of NBA Shootaround, a play-by-play announcer for nationally televised NBA and WNBA games and one of the?Toronto Raptors first?television voices, John was a vital member of the NBA family for more than two decades and was a friendly and familiar face to our players and fans.His achievements in journalism are matched only by his commitment to his community, particularly his service as a founding member of the V Foundation.Dick Vitale, a longtime colleague of Saunders, said his friend represented everything that was good in a human being.He was all about family and helping people, Vitale said. He was as good as it gets, and he had deep loyalty and love for others. His work with The V Foundation was so special. He loved Jimmy V and poured his heart and soul into the cause. He was always willing to share and give, and he played a vital role in the success of helping so many. I cant believe this stunning and horrible news. He will be forever in our thoughts.Chris Berman, who worked with Saunders during his entire 30 years at ESPN, said it was easy for anyone to relate to his former colleague.John Saunders was our friend, and he was your friend. You were immediately comfortable with John in 30 seconds, Berman said. I was fortunate enough to be comfortable with him for 30 years. We knew him for his understated demeanor and understated smile, but we also knew him for his firm commitment to getting things right and treating people right. John was old school, even Old World. Maybe because he was Canadian. Maybe because he was John.Professionally he was always willing to be out of the limelight, but make no mistake, with John Saunders, you knew you were in special company. His mark on ESPN is indelible. His mark on all of us even more so.Other on-air colleagues of Saunders at ESPN took to social media to express their sorrow.Western Michigan honored Saunders as well, as did retired NBA star Kobe Bryant.Saunders survivors include his wife, Wanda, and daughters Aleah and Jenna. Custom Panthers T-shirts . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Custom Bill Torrey Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. http://www.customnhlpanthersjersey.com/ . LOUIS -- St. Wholesale Custom Panthers Shirts .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Bill Torrey Jersey Large . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. PITTSBURGH -- Both starting pitchers will have something to prove Tuesday when the Seattle Mariners open a two-game stop in Pittsburgh.Thats based on what Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez and Pirates lefty Francisco Liriano did their last time out.Hernandez (4-4, 3.23 ERA) got a no-decision Wednesday in Seattles 6-5 win over the Chicago White Sox. While his numbers werent great -- five runs on 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings, with two strikeouts and two walks -- the fact that he felt strong and lasted 94 pitches (68 of them strikes) and into the seventh inning was encouraging because it was his first game after coming off of DL.He reported no issues related to the right calf strain that had sidelined him, and that is backed up by his ability to take his regular turn in the rotation right away with the start against the Pirates.I had a good sinker, got a lot of ground-ball outs, Hernandez told MyNorthwest.com. They were swinging. They were swinging at every pitch. I mean, thats why my pitch count was pretty low.Feels good, man. Feels good to finally be back out there. Trying to do my job here and help my team to win.Hernandez is 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in three career starts against Pittsburgh but has not faced the Pirates since 2013.He will look to get even further back in the groove Tuesday after his performance against the White Sox exceeded the expectations of Mariners manager Scott Servais.First time out, it was probably better than I thought he would be, Servais said. To Felixs credit, he hung in there. Really the key to the game for us was how deep he went in the game. Weve talked a lot about our starting pitchers, just give us a chance even when you dont have your best stuff. (Hernandez) gave us a chance.Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle has been singing a similar tune.Weve been trying to push starters to get more length, he said.Hurdle and everyone else affiliated with the Pirates also would like to see more, period, from Liriano (6-9, 4.96 ERA), who struggled the first half of the season after being pegged as one of the clubs key contributors entering the season.Things seemed to be getting better slowly, and then Liriano hhad what might have been a breakout game Thursday.ddddddddddddHe struck out a season-best 13 batters, giving up two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings in a 5-3 win over Milwaukee.Liriano told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review that it had been a long time since his command had been as good and said, I feel like Ive been (improving).In July, Liriano is averaging 3.2 walks per nine innings, a low for any month this year.Hurdle on Thursday was reminded of how good a pitcher Liriano can be. The 32-year-old is six wins shy of 100 and five strikeouts shy of 1,500 for his career.I believe he has a good foundation to build off of, Hurdle said. The changeup was electric. The slider was disappearing. ... Really good stuff. Really good composure. Really impressive outing.Weve seen this before. Its not like hes digging somewhere hes never been before.Liriano is 6-2 with a 2.61 ERA against the Mariners but has not faced them since 2011.Seattle, 25-25 on the road, had won three in row, five of seven and seven of 11 before running into the brick walk that is Torontos J.A. Happ and losing 2-0 Sunday. The Mariners matched a season high with 19 hits Saturday in a 14-5 win over the Blue Jays, then matched their season low with one hit Sunday.Pittsburgh, 28-22 at PNC Park, has won two in a row and five of seven since a three-game losing streak.Both teams had the day off Monday, with the Mariners spending it in Pittsburgh after traveling there Sunday from Toronto.For both clubs, this is their second day off since the All-Star break, with another Thursday. The Pirates have another next Monday.Hurdle said he sees extra days off as neither a bonus (it could hurt momentum when the team is winning) nor a hindrance (it helps with players who are banged up and allows for bullpen rest).We take them as they come and you deal with them the best you can, Hurdle said. They present a different set of opportunities and challenges with the starting rotation, how you map things out.Well just work with it. Ill take advantage of them personally. ' ' '