Ireland Contracting Nightly Sports Call: July 31, 2025
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Western Pa. native A.Q. Shipley named new radio analyst with Arizona Cardinals
A.Q. Shipley spent four of his eight NFL seasons playing for the Arizona Cardinals. He was selected by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 NFL Draft. He moved back and forth between the Colts and the Baltimore Ravens for a few years before cementing his career in Arizona, where he served as the team’s starting center for four straight seasons.
Shipley spent four of his eight NFL seasons playing for the Cardinals and now he’ll be joining the organization as part of the broadcast team, replacing Ron Wolfley as the team’s color analyst.
Following his NFL playing career, Shipley has done some podcast work and has been making appearances on the Pat McAfee Show.
“I love being able to talk football,” Shipley said. “It’s basically doing exactly what I like to do in terms of a coaching aspect except now it’s in front of people from the media angle.”
Prior to playing in the NFL, Shipley was a multi-sport star at Moon Area High School and then played at Penn State University.
A.Q. Shipley was a multi-sport star at Moon Area High School before playing college football at Penn State and carving out a successful NFL career that lasted eight seasons. Moon Area School District
Shipley was selected by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2009 NFL Draft and bounced around a few practice squads until finally making the Indianapolis Colts’ roster in 2021.
Shipley moved back and forth between the Colts and the Baltimore Ravens for a few years before cementing his career in Arizona, where he served as the team’s starting center for four straight seasons.
After his playing career, Shipley said he thought he would be involved in coaching, but decided it wasn’t a fit with a growing family.
Pirates’ skid reaches five games with 4-3 loss to Royals
The Pirates fell to 0-5 to start their nine-game trip ahead of the All-Star Break. Jac Caglianone homered for the Royals, his first extra-base hit in 14 games at Kauffman Stadium. Oneil Cruz tied it in the fourth with a 458-foot shot over the fountains in right field on the day he was announced as a participant in next-week’s Home Run Derby. The teams complete their three-game series Wednesday night.
Rookie Jac Caglianone homered for the Royals, a 421-foot drive leading off the second inning that was his first extra-base hit in 14 games at Kauffman Stadium. He had been 5 for 46 at home before Tuesday.
Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz tied it in the fourth with a 458-foot shot over the fountains in right field on the day he was announced as a participant in next-week’s Home Run Derby.
Nick Gonzales put the Pirates ahead with a homer in the top of the seventh before Loftin’s drive made it 3-2.
Bryan Reynolds tied it with an RBI grounder in the eighth.
Maikel Garcia singled leading off the ninth against Dennis Santana (2-2) and Salvador Perez followed with a base hit. With one out, Isaac Mattson came in and gave up Loftin’s game-ending hit on a 1-0 fastball.
The Pirates fell to 0-5 to start their nine-game trip ahead of the All-Star Break. Kansas City has won five of six.
Carlos Estevez (3-2) worked a scoreless ninth for Kansas City.
The Pirates’ Mitch Keller and the Royals’ Seth Lugo, both rumored to be trade candidates before the July 31 deadline, were nearly identical through six innings. Each allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts.
Key moment
The Pirates loaded the bases with one out in the eighth against Lucas Erceg, who gave up Reynolds’ tying fielder’s-choice grounder and then retired Gonzales on another groundball.
Key stat
The Royals had their second straight multi-homer game after not having done that all season.
Up next
The teams complete their three-game series Wednesday night with Pittsburgh’s Bailey Falter (6-4, 3.69 ERA) facing Kris Bubic (7-6, 2.36).
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Pitt and Penn State take rivalry to the hardwood in December
The Panthers and Nittany Lions will play a game on Saturday, December 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. It will be the first meeting between the Pitt and Penn State men’s teams since 2017, when they played at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. Both schools have faced off 148 times since 1906, with Penn State holding a 76-72 record over Pitt.
The announcement was made on Wednesday that the Panthers and Nittany Lions will play a game on Saturday, December 21, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
“Pitt and Penn State is a natural rivalry that makes a great deal of sense to play in the current collegiate landscape,” said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel. “The trip to Hershey in December will give Pitt fans across the state an opportunity to see the team in action and will be a great way to tip off the holiday season.”
This will be the first meeting between the Pitt and Penn State men’s teams since 2017, when they played at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. The Nittany Lions scored an 85-54 victory over the Panthers.
Both schools have faced off 148 times since 1906, with Penn State holding a slim 76-72 record over Pitt. While the Panthers trail all-time, in the past 25 seasons, Pitt holds a 7-2 record over Penn State.
While it is among the most-played rivalries, the two schools have only played nine times since 2000-01.
Tickets will go on sale later this year, and a tip-off time and TV information have yet to be announced.
Pirates complete series shutout sweep of Cardinals, win 5-0 for 6-0 homestand
Pittsburgh pitchers extended their scoreless streak to 31 innings. The Cardinals were blanked in three consecutive games for the first time since 2022. The Pirates finished a 6-0 homestand in which they outscored opponents 38-4. Tommy Pham hit an RBI single in the first off Sonny Gray (8-3), who allowed four runs and five hits over 7 1/3 innings in his first start since a one-hit shutout at Cleveland.
Pittsburgh pitchers extended their scoreless streak to 31 innings as the Pirates finished a 6-0 homestand that started against the New York Mets in which they outscored opponents 38-4.
Keller (3-10) won his second straight start following a 15-start winless streak. He allowed five hits, struck out seven and walked one. Dennis Santana and Isaac Mattson completed the six-hitter with one inning each.
Pittsburgh, last in the NL Central, hadn’t had three straight shutouts since 2015. The Cardinals were blanked in three consecutive games for the first time since 2022.
San Diego shut out Colorado in three straight games from April 11-13.
Tommy Pham hit an RBI single in the first off Sonny Gray (8-3), who allowed four runs and five hits over 7 1/3 innings in his first start since a one-hit shutout at Cleveland.
Gray retired 14 straight batters until walking Nick Gonzales starting the eighth. Pham had another run-scoring single, Kiner-Falefa followed with his single and Spencer Horwitz followed with an RBI single.
St. Louis was 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners. The Cardinals were without first baseman Willson Contreras (bruised left hand) and third baseman Nolan Arenado (jammed right middle finger).
Key stat
St. Louis has gone a franchise-record 49 innings in a row without scoring against a fellow NL Central team.
Key moment
St. Louis stranded the bases loaded in the first inning when Thomas Saggese grounded out.
Up next
Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas (4-5, 5.76) starts Friday’s series opener at the Chicago Cubs.
Pirates: Start a weekend series at Seattle.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/video/ireland-contracting-nightly-sports-call-july-31-2025/