Ryan

I’ve been a Pirates fan for as long as I can remember when my Dad took me to games at Three Rivers Stadium in the late 80’s and early 90’s. My little 10-year-old heart broke for the first time on October 14, 1992 while watching Game 7 of the ’92 NLCS. I recall my Dad kicking his Pirates hat down the hallway when the Pirates brought Stan Belinda in from the bullpen and I remember the heartbreak when…well you know the rest.

I grew up the next 20 years watching this team finish in last place year and year while chasing that elusive .500 record that they never seemed to get close to, and I began wondering if I’d ever experience a playoff game in my lifetime. That all changed on October 1, 2013 when the Pirates defeated the Reds in a one-game wildcard playoff to advance to the NLDS. I was there in attendance on that glorious night to experience the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever seen at any sporting event. Twenty one years of frustration and emotion built up for an intense playoff experience that I know I’ll never witness again.

I’ve been there through it all: From the awful draft picks and salary dumps to the opening of the jewel of the North Shore to the record-breaking number of consecutive losing seasons to finally the recent winning years, I’ve been following this team and that will never change. Nothing appeals to me more than visiting PNC Park to watch the North Shore Nine take the field.

I grew up in Western PA and graduated with a Journalism and Communications degree from IUP in 2005. My career spans a number of different industries, but started in sports with minor league baseball teams, then in higher education and now the casino industry. I am the founder of the North Shore Nine.

DiNardo

I was born in New Jersey but moved to a town outside of Pittsburgh in the early 90’s. While my family was moving into our new home, I was forced to watch TV on a 7” portable that only received a few stations. Turned out I was able to watch my first dose of baseball those nights, which just so happen to be the ‘92 NLCS. Yes, my introduction to my favorite sports team provided the longest nightmare I ever endured in my life..

Growing up, basketball was my first love. Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and the rest of the Seattle Sonics were the shiznit to me. You would have no problem trying to find me either. I was probably at the nearest basketball court mastering all the And1 moves (at least that’s the story I’m going to tell you) or having a 3-on-3 tourney in my driveway while Nas was blasting ‘You Can Hate Me Now.’ Fast forward years later and you can find me counting down the days til Pitchers and Catchers report while reminiscing how Dave Stewart dismantled the Diamondbacks.

I now reside in Jacksonville, FL, and love almost every aspect of it. The one thing I truly miss is the city of Pittsburgh. I still make sure I find my way to the North Shore at least once a year to catch the Buccos, while also catching them often at Marlins Park and their Spring Training tour across the sunshine state. Over the years I have truly felt that baseball needs an infusion of young fresh faces. The “good ole boys” mentality is really putting a strain on the sport and its relationship with the audience. Much like many facets of life, change is what brings on forward movement, and I really want to help contribute into that.

I intend to provide a fresh look into all things Pirates and challenge Yinzer Nation to their stale, outdated and complete unoriginal viewpoints. Pittsburgh is certainly one of the most passionate cities when it comes to their sports teams. It’s time a couple of fresh faces provide them the truthful insight to what is now the best team in town (this was written before the 2016 season).

Jim

I’ve been a Pirates fan for as long as I can remember. I attended my first game at Three Rivers Stadium when I was about 2 weeks old. My parents even had a VHS recording of a Pirates game to put on if I started acting up as a toddler to calm me down. Which is weird, because Pirates games now usually have the opposite effect.

Unfortunately for me, the team I was born to love wasn’t very good. For a long time. Like, a really long time. But throughout all the losing, I’d attend multiple game at Three Rivers and then at PNC Park before leaving the Pittsburgh area for Louisville, KY in 2005 to attend college.

Not being in Pittsburgh made it difficult to get my Pirates fix, especially in the times before sites like Twitter. So at that point, I decided to launch a Pirates blog, North Side Notch. The reason for the site was to give myself an excuse to watch as many games as I could and keep up with everything that was happening throughout the organization. To my surprise, people actually read the website from time to time!

Twitter allowed me to connect even more with Pirates fans not only in Pittsburgh but throughout the country. It became a daily routine to get together with the Pirates community every night while watching the game.

I’m still in Louisville but I typically make it back to Pittsburgh for one home stand a year, and I try to catch the team in Cincinnati when they hit the road. I no longer have a Pirates blog, but I still love interacting with Pirates fans on Twitter and have become friends with many of them.

I am excited to join the North Shore Nine to share my thoughts and opinions on the Bucs and hopefully I can provide some value and entertainment to those of you who love the Pirates as much as I do.

​Tyler

To Be Completed Soon. Though this is Tyler we are talking about so this will probably never be completed.

Actually, it has now been 2 years as I am updating this page while reconstructing our new site. Yup, Tyler has not completed and updated a bio for the site. Oh, Ty Ty!

​Cody

Born and raised in Beaver County, and only a 30 minute drive from the North Shore of Pittsburgh, I was bound to bleed black and gold. Raised by a family of steel workers, the hard nose, blue collar, Western PA work ethic was instilled in me at a young age. My Dad and my Uncle are my biggest sports influences, as they are the ones that always had the games on at family gatherings or they would take my brother and I to games in the city. My first Pirate’s game that I remember was a cold, dreary day game and the Bucs took on the Reds. I grew up idolizing Jason Kendall and Brian Giles, and as those players made their way out of Pittsburgh I started to realize how heartbreaking it will be to be a Pirates fan from here on out. Luckily I was more of a football fan and I was able to find comfort in the fact that I’d never have to worry about who the starting QB was for the next 18 years of my life, and that he would be backed up by a dominant defense for the majority of his career.

While idolizing sports figures all my life, and realizing I would never be able to compete at the same level, I started to find interest in video editing and production. With my mediocre grades and some interest in my athletic ability at the D-3 level, I found my self at Bethany College in West Virginia where I majored in digital media. I quickly found myself behind a microphone and in front of the camera covering several sporting events at the school. I never saw myself as someone who would be comfortable in a talent roll, but as I continued to announce games and produce my own shows, I began to feel like it was second nature.

As my love for content and sports coverage grew, real life inched closer. I graduated from college and put my days as a talent aside for more technical work in my field. This caused me to have to move out of the Ohio Valley and into DiNardo’s birth state of New Jersey. While working for the company of my childhood dreams, I continued to create content on my own for the enjoyment of myself and other Western PA sports lovers with my Podcast Back To The Burgh. While this podcast was fun, the content was finite, as it became harder and harder to find guests to come onto the show. Lucky for me, DiNardo and the crew at NS9 noticed my drive and skills and asked me to join them for something new and exciting. I can’t wait to bring this content to you all and I hope that you and enjoy it as much as we enjoy making it!

Kenny

Hi. My name is Kenny, and I am the resident North Shore Nine nincompoop. I didn’t choose the blogging life. The blogging life chose me.

For as long as I can remember, baseball has been my favorite sport, and the Pittsburgh Pirates my favorite team. It’s not a glamorous lifestyle, but I’ve made it work for me. I was four years old the last time the Pirates won the World Series. I don’t remember it. I grew up listening to my dad telling the story of Maz’s home run in the ’60 World Series. He still tells the story every chance he gets. I don’t blame him, I would tell everyone who would listen if that was one of my memories. The ’92 NLCS fiasco occurred at the start of my senior year in high school. Then the first 20 years of my adult life were consumed with losing season after losing season. Through it all, I’ve always found a way to keep loving the Bucs. Some call it insanity. They may be right.

When I’m not obsessing over baseball and the Pittsburgh Pirates I enjoy playing music. The guitar is my instrument of choice. It’s been a few years since I’ve played regularly in an organized band, so it’s pretty much just a hobby at this point. Though I do make the occasional appearance at local open mic nights. I also enjoy reading. Nothing too nerdy. Mostly just your typical murder mystery and thrillers. I also have a 10-year-old Airedale Terrier named Mozzie. For those of you who found your way here from the NS9 Newsletter on Substack, you’ll know that I also enjoy baking. When times get rough during the season, as they tend to do for the Pirates, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite recipes here. Don’t worry.

Let’s Go Bucs!