THE 50-YARD LINE

Well, a change of scenery didn't seem to help your Pittsburgh Steelers. Even in London, they still came out on the losing end of things, dropping their 4th in a row, to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 34-27. Mrs. Black-N-Gold takes a look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the latest Steelers loss.

1)The Good-Let's see....The obvious good is that with a bye week, the Steelers won't be in the loss column again this week. Was there anything else good about it? Hm. RB Le'Veon Bell made his season debut, rushing 16 times for 57 yards, a 3.6 yard average, and 2 touchdowns. Also, WR Jerricho Cotchery caught 5 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. Actually, the fact that the offensively-challenged Steelers were able to put up 27 points is a bit of a good thing.

2)The Bad-It continues to be the turnstile that is the offensive line. Or more specifically, our tackles, second round draft picks Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert. QB Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 5 times and hit 5 more. The biggest sack came on the final drive of the game. With 3rd and goal with 19 seconds left, Ben was sacked and fumbled the ball away to end a potential game-tying drive. In the first half alone, Adams let DE Jared Allen sack Ben twice and Adams also was penalized for holding. This is not a good way to protect your quarterback.

3)The Ugly-Week after week, the loss would hang on the offense for a lack of scoring. Not this week. The defense is the ugly duckling, surrendering 34 points to a team that was led by their backup quarterback. Matt Cassel was only sacked once. The defense continued to be shut out in the turnover department. The Steelers let RB Adrian Peterson run all over them for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. They also let Cassel do his best impersonation of an NFL quarterback. He was 16 of 25 for 248 yards and a 123.4 passer rating. WR Jerome Simpson had 7 catches for 124 yards and WR Greg Jennings was 3 for 92 and 2 scores. The missed tackles and missed opportunities continue to mount.

The Steelers are in trouble. Big trouble. Coach Mike Tomlin doesn't know what to do to stop the bleeding. If he doesn't figure something out soon, this team could be on life support before you know it. It's a shame because both the Baltimorons and the Bungles also lost. It was a good day to make hay. Now the Steelers have to go back to the drawing board during the bye and conjure up some medicine to save this season. Paging Dr. Tomlin, Dr. Mike Tomlin. We have an emergency in the ER. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks! Your playoff-bound Pittsburgh Pirates close out the regular season this afternoon in Cincy as they battle the Reds. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Bucs go for the sweep in Cincy. Yesterday's 8-3 victory assured Pittsburgh of the home field for Tuesday's wild card game against Cincy. Therefore, today's game has no significance. However, wouldn't it be nice to take all three games from Cincy and have some serious momentum for Tuesday night's game? Break out the brooms! 2)Manager Clint Hurdle is expected to rest most of his starters today. We can't have anyone get hurt in a meaningless game. It's a good opportunity for some younger players to make a case for next season. Go out and impress us with plenty of Hit, Run, & Score! )Meanwhile, let's all sit back and appreciate what a terrific season it's been for our Buccos. I'll gladly admit that I predicted 87 wins for this squad back in the spring. At 93 wins and counting, boy was I wrong. Don't stop till you reach the top! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers are over in merry, old England as they battle the Minnesota Vikings this week. Both teams are looking for their first victory of the season. These are your key's to today's game. 1)The Steelers committed 5 turnovers last week. They're hoping that the regular-season debut of second-round draft pick, RB Le'Veon Bell, will help kickstart the offense. The Steelers rushing game averages an AFC-worst 51.7 yards per game. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)The Vikes will start Matt Cassel at QB over the injured Christian Ponder. For KC last year, Cassel had an NFL-worst 66.7 passer rating, throwing for 6 TD's along with 12 picks. The Steelers D have to be licking their chops as they continue to search for their first turnover of the season. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)Beware of the Vikes running game. Or should I say, beware of Adrian Peterson. The Vikes running back was last year's league MVP. The defense is going to need to tighten up and clog the holes to bottle up Peterson. Peterson's nickname is AD, short for All Day. If the Steelers don't contain All Day, it will be a looong day. Gimme a D! Gimme a Fense! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your playoff-bound Pittsburgh Pirates go for 2 in a row in Cincy this afternoon as they continue their HUGE series with the Reds. These are your keys to today's game. 1)Keep Cincy speedster Billy Hamilton out of the game and off of the basepaths. Don't let the Reds get inside your heads with the bean ball. And don't let Cincy get to Chapman to close out the game. The Pirates were able to take care of all this in last night's 4-1 victory. One more win puts the wild card game in Pittsburgh. TCB-Take Care of Business! 2)The Pirates put RH Charlie Morton on the mound today. Morton is 7-4 with a 3.14 ERA. Ground Chuck loves Great American Ballpark. In his last 3 starts there he has a 0.39 ERA and has held Cincy scoreless in his last 14 1/3 innings in the Queen City. Grind 'em up, Chuck! 3)Cincy has lost 3 in a row. During that streak they have scored 3 runs and are hitting .196, 1 for 17, with runners in scoring position. Give them loss #4 with a big dose of Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, Woop, Woop! Standings Alert! Unfortunately, the Scrubs weren't able to help the Bucs last night as they lost to St Louie. That means the Pirates can't win the NL Central flag. Fear not, Pirates fans. As I said earlier, a win today means in Pittsburgh we will play on Tuesday! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hit the ball and touch 'em all! Your playoff-bound Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their regular season with a HUGE 3 game series in Cincy as they battle the Reds tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)Cincy has lost 2 in a row. If it's 3 it's for me! 3)Cincy has also dropped 4 of their last 6 at home. Go into their house and beat them like a rented mule. Open up a can of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates have RH A.J. Burnett on the hill. A.J. is 9-11 with a 3.39 ERA for the season. You may remember A.J.'s last start. It was last Saturday night against Cincy at PNC. A.J. struck out a season-high 12 batters over 7 innings en route to a 4-2 victory. Mow 'em down, A.J.! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! The Pirates were idle yesterday as were St Louie and Cincy. Both the Bucs and Cincy lost on Wednesday while St Louie won. St Louie's magic number to win the NL Central is 1. The Pirates are 3 games out and Cincy is 4 back. In the season series with Cincy, we're tied at 8 games each. Remember how Cincy went into our house last weekend and not only threw at our guys, but took 2 out of 3? It's payback time! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

BLACK-N-GOLD THOUGHTS

As the leaves start to change and the calendar will soon be reading October, Mrs. Black-N-Gold can't help but think what a great time of year this is. Autumn is in the air and so is anxious anticipation as all of our black-n-gold teams are playing meaningful games.

The Pens wrapped up their preseason last night with a win. They begin the Quest for the Cup with their first regular-season game on Thursday, the 3rd. There are some question marks in the Pens game as far as the goalie situation, the defense and who will be playing on Sid and Geno's lines. But you know what? Every team is going to have questions going into the season. One thing we do know, the Pens will have the fire power needed to ignite another run to the Cup. They have an 82-game schedule to work on the rest. Let's Go Pens!!!

The Steelers are looking up from an unfamiliar position in the AFC North. At an uncharacteristic 0-3, the Men of Steel go into London this week looking to get their first victory since last season. They face another 0-3 team, the Minny Vikes. Something has got to give. Rookie RB Le'Veon Bell is expected to see his first regular season action. TE Heath Miller continues to come back from a knee injury. QB Ben Roethlisberger looks to atone for last weeks turnover-fest. And the defense are still looking for their first turnover of the season. This week is a good week to get in the win column as they go into their bye Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

The Pirates finish out the regular season with a HUGE series in Cincy this weekend. They could finish the weekend as the visiting team in the wild-card round (worst case scenario) or they could play St Louie in a 1-game playoff for the NL Central flag (best case scenario). Whatever the case, the Pirates are at least assured of playing the wild card game on Tuesday night. Pirates and playoffs are 2 words that haven't been used in a sentence in a positive manner in quite some time around these parts. Get ready to raise the Jolly Roger. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

Gee, typing these words, Mrs. Black-N-Gold is starting to get misty-eyed. Yes, it's a great time of year to be a fan of the black-n-gold!

THE BULLPEN

Let's play two! Your playoff-bound Pittsburgh Pirats close out their three-game series with the Scrubs this afternoon at Wrigleyville. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Bucs will be going for their first 3-game sweep at Wrigley in 13 years. Break out the brooms! 2)The Pirates have homered in 7 consecutive games for a total of 11 taters. Chicks dig the long ball! 3)The Pirates send lefty Francisco Liriano to the mound today. Frankie is 16-7 with a 2.88 ERA. In 4 starts this season versus the Scrubs, Frankie is 3-0 with a 1.24 ERA. Get him win #4 with a big can o' Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! The Pirates and St Louie were both winners last night and Cincy lost. That keeps St Louie atop the NL Central and the Pirates 2 games out with 4 games to go. Cincy falls to 3 back. The Pirates have a 1-game lead in the wild card. If it stays that way, the Bucs will host Cincy in the play-in game. The Pirates still have their eyes on the NL Central flag. Raise the Jolly Roger today and you'll get closer to it! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

The Bucs are going all the way, all the way, all the way! The Bucs are going all the way, all the way this year! Your playoff-bound Pittsburgh Pirates go for 2 in a row in Chicago tonight as they battle the Scrubs. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)Congrats to the Pirates for notching their 90th win of the season and earning their first playoff berth since 1992. It's been a long time coming but there's still work to be done. You can still capture the NL Central flag. Raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Pirates pitch rookie RH Gerrit Cole tonight. Cole is 9-7 with a 3.23 ERA for the season. Lately, the Cole Train has been on the right track. Through his last 20 innings, Cole has given up 2 runs while striking out 28. Cole has also won 3 in a row. Give the rook #4 with a big dose of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)On September 14, Cole surrendered just 1 run in 7 innings for a 2-1 victory over the Scrubs. Let's see some deja vu all over again! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! While we were defeating the Scrubs last night, St Louie knocked the Gnats out of the wild card picture and Cincy punched their own ticket to the postseason. Now it comes down to home-field. The Pirates and Cincy are still tied, 2 games in back of St Louie. Enjoy that win, boys, but remember: there's still work to be done. You still have time to take control of the ship that is the NL Central! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Now that Mrs. Black-N-Gold has come down off the ledge, she looks at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from last night's 40-23 Steelers loss.

1)The Good-#84 Antonio Brown had a good game this week, 9 catches for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a spectacular one-handed grab for a TD. One week after his dust-up with OC Todd Haley, in which he demanded more touches, Brown comes through with a big game.

2)The Bad-Unfortunately, no one else on the team had a big game, especially his quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger, the team's best player, played one of his worst games last night. Ben threw 2 interceptions, one a pick 6. He also fumbled 3 times, recovering once. He was sacked 3 times and hit 4 more. It got so bad with the offensive line that Kelvin Beechum came in to spell both Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert. Beechum can't play both tackle positions at the same time. Ben needs to do a better job of protecting the football and the offensive line needs to get it together or get some personnel in that can play this game.

3)The Ugly-After going down 17-0 early, the Steelers looked like they were back in it, in spite of themselves. They were down 27-20 after 3 quarters. The defense helped it get ugly by surrendering crucial third down conversions in the 4th quarter. And for the 3rd game in a row, the defense has still not forced any turnovers. They did record 2 sacks, one by Brett Kiesel and one by LaMarr Woodley, who leads the team with 2. If you're keeping track at home, that's 3 sacks and 0 turnovers on the season. Can it get any uglier?

The Steelers hop across the pond this Sunday to face another 0-3 team, the Minnesota Vikings. They have a pretty good running back you may know. A fellow by the name of Adrian Peterson. Both teams are 0-3, something has got to give, doesn't it? Coach Tomlin needs to stop the bleeding but I don't know if he's able. He's never been in a situation such as this. Typically, Tomlin's teams start strong and trail off as the season goes. Where do you go from 0-3? Hopefully, they've hit rock bottom and have no where to go but up. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your Pittsburgh Pirates begin a 3-game set in the Windy City as they battle the Chicago Scrubs tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates have beaten the Scrubs in 10 of 16 this season. However, the Pirates have also dropped 5 of their last 7 games. Something has got to give. The Pirates magic number for the postseason is down to 2 thanks to some help from the Gnats. You should never have to back into the playoffs. This series is a good chance for the Bucs to build some serious momentum for the postseason run. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 2)The Pirates send RH Charlie Morton to the mound. Ground Chuck is 7-4 with a 3.35 ERA for the season. In his last 9 starts, Charlie is 4-1 with a 2.73 ERA. Make chopped liver of the Scrubs! 3)In his last start, Ground Chuck recorded a career-high 9 strikeouts while surrendering 1 run and 2 hits in 8 innings. Unfortunately, the bullpen wasn't able to hold the lead and the Pirates fell to the Padres 3-2. Don't forget to pack the Hit, Run, & Score with the Jolly Roger! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! I know it was a tough day for black-n-gold sports with the Bucs and Steelers both losing. There were a few silver linings, though. St Louie lost last night and the Gnats lost 1 game in their doubleheader. The Pirates and Cincy both trail St Louie by 2 games. The Gnats are 5 out in the wild card. Tonight the Mets travel to Cincy to play spoiler and the Gnats are in St Louie to keep their playoff hopes alive. Last week of the season. Make it count! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hey batter, batter, batter! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their regular season home schedule this afternoon against Cincy. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Pirates give the ball to LH Jeff Locke, 10-6, 3.27 ERA. Locke has had success against Cincy. In 4 career starts, the lefty is 2-0 with a 1.19 ERA. Put Cincy on Locke down! 2)Cincy goes with RH Bronson Arroyo, 13-11, 3.56 ERA. In the former Pirates last 4 starts, Arroyo is 0-2 with a 4.56 ERA. We want to serve up a home cooked meal of Meatloaf and taters today and take 2 outta 3 from Cincy. Give him a heaping helping of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)In his last 4 against the Bucs, Arroyo is 0-3 with a 6.14 ERA. What better way to close out the season at home than to beat Cincy till they're Red. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! St Louie won yesterday so the Pirates are still in 2nd place in the NL Central, 2 games back. With last night's 4-2 defeat of Cincy, the Red ones fall to 3 games out. The Gnats were postponed and will play a twinbill today. They're 4.5 out in the wild card. The Pirates magic number for the playoffs is 3 with 7 games to go. Give the home crowd something to cheer about today and keep your eyes on the prize! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit! Your Pittsburgh Steelers continue to look for their first victory of the season tonight as they battle Da Bears of Chicago at Heinz Field. These are your keys to the game. 1)Da Bears have lost 5 of the last 6 on the road versus the Steelers. Bears QB Jay Cutler can be had if you rattle his cage. This is a good week for the D to take control and get in Cutler's grill, force him to make mistakes and take advantage of those mistakes. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 2)The Steelers are in danger of going 0-3 for the first time since 2000. 0-3 is not for me! 3)The Steelers have scored a measly 19 points in their first 2 games. The only teams to score less is the Clowns (16) and the Jag-offs (11). Do we really want to be in the same company as those scrubs? Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Take me out to the ballgame! Your Pittsburgh Pirates look to exact some revenge on Cincy tonight at PNC Park, as they are seeing Red from last night's 6-5 defeat. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)Cincy has beaten the Pirates 4 games in a row. Say "no more", give them the old Hit, Run, & Score! 2)Cincy starts RH Homer Bailey, 11-10, with a 3.40 ERA. You may remember Bailey, he no-hit the Bucs in our house last September. He is also the owner of 6 straight wins in his last 9 starts. It's payback time! 3)The Pirates go with RH A.J. Burnett, 8-11, 3.43. In his last 4 starts at PNC, A.J. is 2-1 with a 1.52 ERA. Shut 'em down, A.J! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! So things didn't go the way we would have liked last night. St Louie won in extra innings. We're now tied for 2nd with Cincy at 2 games out. The Gnats won, too, which puts them 5 back in the wild card. Our magic number is still 4 with 8 games left in the season. We would all love to see A.J. tee off on Cincy's batters like they did on Clutch last night, but let's be realistic. We can't afford to let Cincy's guys get on base. The best form of revenge is score early, score often, score BIG and Hold 'em Bucs! Cincy needs to remember, what comes around, goes around. How badly do you want it? Hoist the colors! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Root, root, root for the home team! Your Pittsburgh Pirates begin their final home series of the regular season tonight against the Cincy Reds. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates lead the season series 7-6 and have won 4 of 6 at the friendly confines of PNC Park. Nothing beats home cooking! 2)The Pirates start lefty Francisco Liriano, 16-7, 2.92 ERA. For the season, Frankie is 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA versus Cincy. Of course his teammates have only scored 1 run in his starts against the Reds. Don't let Frankie go 0-4, bring a big case of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Frankie does like pitching in front of the home crowd, where he's 8-1 with a 1.37 ERA. There's no place like home! We have a bonus key today. Manager Clint Hurdle has rested C Russell Martin the past 2 games to get him ready for this series. The Reds have speedster Billy Hamilton in their back pocket. Break out the rifle on this kid, Frenchy and gun him down! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! Thanks to the Pirates 10-1 victory yesterday and St Louie's 15-inning loss, the Pirates are now 1 game back in the NL Central race. Cincy was idle and are 2 games out. The Gnats are 5 back in the wild card. This is a HUGE series so play it like you want it! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hey batter, batter, batter! Your Pittsburgh Pirates hope to salvage a win this afternoon as they wrap up their series at PNC Park against the San Diegans. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Pirates have suffered three straight losses to the San Diegans. Avoid #4, bring the Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The last time the Pirates were swept in a four-game series by San Diego was August 8-11, 1996. The streak was only four years old then. Wipe the slate clean and start a WINNING streak! 3)The Pirates have been held to a meager 4 runs in the first three games of this series. Thanks to the Gnats loss last night, the Pirates magic number for the postseason is now 5. There's been alot of magic at the ballpark this week. The Jolly Roger and the Pirates offense have both disappeared. The Pirates need to make them all reappear. Just say the magic word "Abracadabra"! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert! You may want to sit down because it's not so good. With last night's loss and St Louie and Cincy's victories, the Pirates are now 2 games in back of St Louie. That Red dot in the rearview mirror is getting bigger as Cincy is 2.5 game out and riding into town for a three-game series beginning tomorrow. Take care of your business and things will magically work themselves out. Don't give up the ship! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Your Pittsburgh Steelers continue to search for their first victory of the season, dropping last night's game against Cincy, 20-10. Now that she's removed the beer bottles from her tv screen, Mrs. Black-N-Gold takes a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from last night's loss.

1)The Good-When you start the season 0-2 after going 0-4 in the preseason, you start to grasp at straws. Let's see, the Steelers offense scored a touchdown. Ben was only sacked twice as opposed to 5 times in the season-opener. The score was tied 10-10 at the half. The more the losses mount, the harder it is to find some good. I hope next week will give us plenty of good.

2)The Bad-Where do I begin? Well, the defense still has not forced any turnovers and has only recorded 1 sack (in week 1) in 2 games. There were also plenty of missed opportunities with missed tackles. It's funny when the announcers say what a great tackling team the Steelers are as they're whiffing on a tackle. The equipment manager needs to hook up the Steelers with some serious Stick-Em for both the defense and the receivers.

3)The Ugly-There was 10 unanswered points in the second half. The offense was a paltry 3 of 12 on 3rd downs. But what continues to be the ugliest thing about these Steelers is the increasing lack of preparation. Every week Ben and his receivers continue to look like they're not even reading the same playbook, let alone on the same page. And don't forget when Paulson fumbled, the Steelers could have hurried to the line and spiked the ball before a challenge was issued. However, it's difficult to do that when your coaches are trying to send in substitutes to run another play. And we heard all preseason what a great steal Markus Wheaton was for the Steelers yet he can't get onto the field? Are the Steelers cutting of their noses to spite their faces, or what?

Coach Mike Tomlin and QB Ben Roethlisberger have never started 0-2 with the Steelers....until now. How about some accountability and some PED's? Prepare, Execute, Dominate. Get back to playing Steelers football. Get back to playing winning football. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hit the ball and touch 'em all! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series against the San Diego Friars tonight at PNC Park. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pads are 23-10 at PNC Park and have won 17 of the last 20 there. They are 69-80 overall. The Pirates home record this season is 48-27, 87-63 on the season. There's no reason the Pirates should let the Pads one-hit them in their house. Nothing beats home cooking so cook up some Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Pirates start LH Jeff Locke, 10-5, 3.14 ERA. In Locke's last start, the lefty allowed 1 run on 3 hits in a 3-1 win over the Scrubs. Locke up a win tonight! 3)The San Diegans start LH Eric Stults, 8-13 with a 4.03 ERA. Stults hasn't won since the All-Star break, going winless in 10 straight starts. 11 would be heaven! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The Pirates remain in a tie for first in the NL Central as St Louie lost, too. Meanwhile, look in the rearview mirror. What is that red blur I see? Why it's Cincy and they've gained ground with last night's victory. Cincy is now 2.5 games back. We have a HUGE series coming up with them this weekend to close out the final homestand and we finish up the season in Cincy. Make it a non-issue by taking out the Pads first. Don't look ahead. As I've said before, you have to beat the good teams and beat up the bad teams. San Diego is a bad team. Smack 'em around! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

P.S. Happy Roberto Clemente Day! Go out and win one for the Great One!

THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates open up a 4-game series tonight against the San Diego Padres at PNC Park. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates have won 6 of their last 7. Some butter get me some butter 'cause these guys are on a roll! 2)With yesterday's 3-2 victory, the Pirates are 2nd in the NL with 28 one-run wins. They're 18-7 at home in one-run games. As long as we're in the "W" column, I'm cool with that! 3)OF Marlon Byrd is most definitely the word. Since coming over to the Pirates, Byrd is flying high with a .333 batting average, 22 for 66, with 7 doubles and 8 runs scored. Bryd needs to spread his wings and share the Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Both the Pirates and St Louie won yesterday and remain tied atop the NL Central. Cincy lost so they fall to 3.5 games back. 13 games left in the regular season. Keep it up, Bucs! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Rah, rah, ree, kick him in the knee. Rah, rah, rass, kick him in the other knee! Your Pittsburgh Steelers try to get off the schneid on MNF in Cincy as they battle the Bungles tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)In their season-opening loss to Tennessee, the Steelers only managed 195 yards of offense. That is their lowest output since Sept., 2008 when they had 179 yards in a 15-6 loss to Philly. They could only muster 32 yards on the ground. They need to come out swinging against the Bungles. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)The Bungles lost their season opener, as well. They had 3 turnovers and 8 penalties en route to giving up an 11-point lead in the 3rd quarter. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 3)The Steelers have won 11 of their last 12 in Cincy. Take down the Bungles in the jungle. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their series against the Chicago Scurbs this afternoon at PNC Park. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Pirates send LH Francisco Liriano to the hill today. Frankie is 16-7 with a 2.92 ERA for the season. He is going for his 7th straight win at home. For the year, Frankie is 8-1 with a 1.21 ERA at PNC. There's no place like home! 2)Frankie is also 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA versus the Scrubs this season. Sink the Scrubs! 3)The Scrubs will counter with LH Travis Wood, 9-11, 3.05 ERA. Wood is 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA against the Pirates this year. Get some good wood today with plenty of Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The Pirates 2-1 win last night, coupled with St Louie's loss puts the Pirates back in a tie for first in the NL Central. Cincy also won and are 2.5 games out. Take the series today and take over the the ship that is the NL Central Division. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hey batter, batter, batter! Your Pittsburgh Pirates look to get back in the win column tonight against the Chicago Scrubs at PNC Park. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates send rookie RH Gerrit Cole to the mound tonight. Cole is 7-7 with a 3.48 ERA. In his last start, a 1-0 win over Texas, Cole had the best outing of his young career. He struck out 9 and gave up just 3 hits in 7 innings to start the Pirates recent 4-game winning streak. All aboard the Cole Train! 2)Andrew McCutchen continues his campaign for NL MVP. Clutch is hitting .462 with 4 doubles and 9 runs in 11 games for the month of September. M-V-P, M-V-P! 3)Last night's 5-4 defeat to the Scrubs was just a bump in the road. There's only 15 more games left in the regular season. The Pirates need to go out tonight and run over the Scrubs. Don't forget to bring the Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Both the Pirates and Cincy lost as St Louie won in 10 innings. St Louie sits alone atop the NL Central, followed by the Pirates at 1 game out. Cincy is next at 3.5 games back. Every game counts in a pennant race. Go out and start another winning streak tonight! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Take me out to the ballgame! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates go for 2 in a row versus the Chicago Scrubs tonight at PNC Park. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)With 10 home games left, last night's 3-1 victory set a Pirates record for most home wins in a season at PNC Park, 46. Why stop now? Give them plenty of Hit, Run, & Score and get more, more, more! 2)During their current 4 game winning streak, the Pirates starting pitchers have an ERA of 2.39, giving up 1 run or less in each start. #4 and counting. Keep the streak alive with #5! 3)The Pirates start RH Charlie Morton tonight. Morton is 7-4 with a 3.44 ERA for the season. Ground Chuck hasn't defeated the Scrubs since May 5, 2010. In his last outing, Sunday's 9-2 loss at St Louie, Morton surrendered 5 runs in 1 2/3 innings. Make mincemeat of the Scrubs, Chuck! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Last night's win coupled with St Louie's loss puts the Pirates in a tie for the NL Central lead. Idle Cincy is now 2.5 games back. First place feels great! Don't stop till you reach the top! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Root, root, root for the home team! Your Pittsburgh Pirates return home to PNC Park tonight to start a 4-game series with the Chicago Scrubs. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates ride into town following a sweep of the Strangers, 3 wins in a row. Get #4 with tons of the Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Scrubs go with lefty Chris Rusin tonight. Rusin is 2-3 with a 2.89 ERA. The Pirates counter with LH Jeff Locke, 9-5, 3.23 ERA. Locke hasn't won a game since July 21, walking 27 in 38 1/3 innings. Get this kid his double-digit win. Locke and load! 3)The Pirates lead the season series 7-5. The Scrubs bring up the rear of the NL Central with a 62-83 record. You have to beat the good teams and beat up the bad teams. The Scrubs are a bad team. Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The Pirates and St Louie both won yesterday so the Buccos remain 1 game out in the NL Central. Cincy's win puts them 3 games back. The Pirates have 17 games left in the regular season. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Rounding third and heading for home! Your Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their series today against the Texas Strangers. These are your keys to today's game. 1)NL MVP candidate Andrew "Clutch" McCutchen has a 9-game hitting streak. In last night's 5-4 victory, Clutch had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. That's good wood! 2)The Strangers start RH Matt Garza, 9-4 with a 3.70 ERA. Garza is 3-3 with a 4.31 ERA since joining the Strangers. They are 5-0 at home when he takes the mound. The Pirates are looking for a Texas-sized sweep this afternoon. Somethings got to give. Break out the brooms with plenty of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Strangers have the most come-from-behind wins in the Majors this season. The Pirates have the NL's best interleague record at 14-5. Make that 15-5! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: St Louie also won last night so the Pirates keep pace and are still 1 game back in the NL Central. Cincy dropped one to the Scrubs to fall 3 games out of first place, 2 in back of the Pirates. The Pirates go for 3 in a row. If it's 3, it's for me! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hit the ball and touch 'em all! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Texas Strangers tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates send LH Francisco Liriano to the hill. Frankie is 15-7 with a 2.98 ERA. With his 15 victories, Frankie has the most wins in a season for his career and has the most wins for a Pirates lefty since 1991. The Pirates assured themselves of a winning season with last night's 1-0 win. The Pirates have 82 wins and counting and Frankie has 15 wins and counting. Let's get more with some Texas-sized Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Strangers have the best record in the Majors against lefthanders, 28-16. Mow 'em down, Frankie! 3)Frankie is 4-1 with a 3.19 ERA lifetime versus Texas. You gotta stay in it to win it! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Last night's Pirates victory moves the Bucs into sole possession of second place, 1 game behind St Louie for the NL Central lead. Cincy dropped to 2 games back as they were shut out by the Scrubs. Wins are like runs and money, you can never have enough! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Your Pittsburgh Steelers got off on the wrong foot yesterday, dropping their season-opener to Tennessee 16-9. Now that Mrs. Black-N-Gold has had time to calm down after this debacle, she looks at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from yesterday's game.

1)The Good-The only thing good about yesterday is the fact that the other three teams in the AFC North, the Clowns, the Bungles and the Baltimorons, also lost their season-openers. At least the Steelers aren't looking up from the bottom of the standings.

2)The Bad-Except for a touchdown pass from Ben to Cotchery in garbage time, the only score for the Steelers was a safety by Tennessee on the opening kickoff. Another bad part about that is the safety was Tennessee's fault, the Steelers didn't cause it at all. There were many other bad, bad points from this game. The non-exist running game, Redman's 2 fumbles, 6 for 60 on penalties, Ben was sacked 5 times. What else? How about the defense? True, they held Tennessee to 16 points. However, they only had 1 sack and zero turnovers. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

3)The Ugly-In case you didn't notice, the Steelers were bitten by the injury bug yesterday, big time. They lost C Maurkice Pouncey, LB Larry Foote, and RB La'Rod Stephens-Howling to season-ending injuries during the game. Also injured were CB Cortez Allen and K Shaun Siusham. We'll see how bad those injuries are as the week develops.

So, that's it. The Steelers have a lot of work to do to get ready for the Bungles next Monday night on the road. They did lose a conference game but at least it wasn't in the division. Remember when the Steelers would lose a player and another one would step in and they wouldn't miss a beat? It's been evident for the last few years that that is no longer the case. If ever there was a time when the Steelers younger players needed to step up, the time is now. Seems like I'm saying that quite a bit these days.....Re-group and attack the Bungles. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road for a 3-game series with the Texas Strangers beginning tonight. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)Both the Pirates and Strangers are at 81-61. Something's got to give. The Jolly Roger never made an appearance in St Louie. Hopefully, that's because the Pirates forwarded it directly down to Texas. Raise the Jolly Roger! 2)All time at Arlington, the Pirates are 0-6. The Strangers lead the series 10-2. The Pirates have dropped 4 straight games. Get the funk out with lots of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)In year's past, AL teams would drool over the interleague schedule when it was time to meet the Pirates. Not this year. The Bucs have the NL's best interleague record at 12-5. Beat these Strangers like rented mules! After getting swept in St Louie, the Pirates now look up in the NL Central, tied for second with Cincy. You gotta win it to get back in it! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Put me in coach! Your Pittsburgh Pirates try to scratch out a win today as they close out their series versus the St Louie Red Birds. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Pirates have fallen out of first place after losing 3 in a row. Avoid loss #4 by bringing plenty of Hit, Run, & Score! 2)During their losing streak, the Pirates are a measly 7 for 34 with runners in scoring position. You have to take advantage of every opportunity during a pennant race. Don't leave the ducks on the pond! 3)The Pirates go with RH Charlie Morton, 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA. In his last 6 starts, Morton is 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA. Ground Chuck needs to make chopped liver of the Red Birds! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Last night's 5-0 victory by St Louie puts the Red Birds in the driver's seat. The Pirates fall to 2nd, .5 games back. Cincy topped the Dodgers. They're 1.5 games back. Did the Pirates forget to pack the Jolly Roger for this road trip? A win today puts us back in the crow's nest. Hoist the colors for crying out loud! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their season today against the Tennessee Tight-Ones at Heinz Field. These are your keys to today’s game. 1)The Steelers are looking to avenge last season’s 26-23 defeat to Tennessee. They’ve beaten Tennessee 3 in a row at home and haven’t dropped a season opener at home since 2002. Hit them early, hit them often, hit them HARD! 2)The Titans have missed the playoffs 4 years straight. The Steelers haven’t missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since missing the postseason 3 years in a row from 1998-2000. The Steelers need to come out ready to roll. Lock and load! 3)The Tight-Ones surrendered a league-high 29.4 points per game last year. Score early, score often, score BIG! Let’s Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hey batter, batter, batter! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates continue their HUGE series tonight against the St Louie Cardinals. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates start LH Jeff Locke, 9-4 with a 3.22 ERA. Locke has been stuck on win #9 and returns from a stint in Altoona where he tried to recharge his batteries. Lock up a win tonight! 2) St Louie sends RH Adam Wainwright to the mound. In his last five starts against the Pirates, Wainwright is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA. He's also lost 2 in a row. If it's 3 it's for me! 3)The Pirates look to avenge last night's 12-8 loss to St Louie. Revenge is a dish best served cold with a side of Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The Pirates are still in the crow's nest atop the NL Central. St Louie trails by .5 games and Cincy by 2. Don't stop just because you've reached the top! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Play ball! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates are in St Louie tonight to begin a 3-game series. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)The Pirates have beaten St Louie 10 out of 16 games this season. This is the last series between the two teams this year. Beat 'em like a rented mule! 2)The Pirates have hit a home run in 13 straight games. Chicks dig the long ball! 3)The Pirates send RH A.J. Burnett to the mound tonight. A.J. is 7-9 with a 3.09 ERA. For the season, he is 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA in 5 starts versus St Louie. A.J. will face RH Joe Kelly, 7-3, 2.82 ERA. Since joining the St Louie rotation, Kelly is 2-0 against the Bucs with a 0.75 ERA. He's due for a letdown. Give him plenty of the ol' Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The Pirates were idle yesterday but picked up ground on St Louie as they lost to Cincy last night. The Bucs lead St Louie by 1.5 and Cincy by 3. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

BLUES N'AT

Mrs. Black-N-Gold was determined to make the summer of 2013 the "Summer of Blues". There were all kinds of great blues happenings going on in and around the area. One problem, though. She had the "No Cash Blues". How do you have a bluesy summer when, to quote the late, great, Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Money's tight, nothing's free"? Well sit back and let me tell you all about the "Summer of Blues". Sure there were some tremendous artists at both the Pittsburgh Blues Festival and the Heritage Music BluesFest. The Big Bossman and I would have loved to attend. Alas, we were unable. We mostly kept it local and were able to see many talented blues musicians, both local and national, for free or a minimal cover charge. It all started when spring had actually been in full bloom, back in May. We were lucky enough to see Ruby Red and the Dirty Devils for the first (but not the last) time. They have a special place in my heart as they're the first band to be gracious enough to allow me an interview. Believe me, they did not disappoint. Our calendar was starting to take shape in June. We were able to see 2013 Blues Challenge winner Billy the Kid and the Regulators put on a rocking, funky good show at the Hungarian Club in Belle Vernon. We got to see Tommy Castro and the Painkillers in South Park and Pittsburgh's own Shot O' Soul joined them. It was the first time for both of these bands and they kept us dancing all night long. We attended the Ladies Sing the Blues event in Bridgeville. I've never seen Shari Richards, Stevee Wellons, or Miss Freddye before and they were sensational. The night ended with Pittsburgh legends Jill West and Blues Attack bringing down the house. Whew! What a way to start the summer. July brought even more blues and more fun. My hometown, Washington, PA, hosted the Whiskey Rebellion Festival. Friday night is always Blues, Brews and BBQ. There was a whole lot of shakin' going on that night with Ruby Red & the Dirty Devils, Jill West and Blues Attack and the Billy Price Band. Thank goodness I wore my dancing shoes! Two days later was another blues and BBQ extravaganza, courtesy of Billy the Kid at the Hungarian Club in Belle Vernon.  Good food and good times, indeed. On our next stop, we had the pleasure of seeing Shannon and the Merger at the Kopper Kettle in Washington for the first time. There was a big crowd ready to shake a leg. And shake a leg we did! August had the "Summer of Blues" on the road to see Lower Case Blues in Rehoboth Beach. If you're ever in that area, check them out, they're highly recommended. From there, it was back home to finish out the month. We were delighted to see the Bobby Hawkins Back Alley Blues band for the first time. We also got to enjoy Billy the Kid in an unplugged setting the following week. He performed re-worked acoustic versions of songs from his CD as well as blues tunes that influenced him through the years. We closed out the month of August as we got to see the swinging, jazzy blues of the Jimmy Adler Trio. Which brings us to Labor Day, the end of summer. But, fear not, there are more bands on the horizon. The coming weeks promise us Tony Janflone, The Rumpshakers and more blues events than you can shake a tambourine at. As the weather turns cold, the blues will heat up with the Blues Picnic, the Blues to Fight Blindness, the Fall Blues Cruise, Blues Goes Pink....the Divas Return Show, Blues for Tots and Toys Christmas Party, and rounding out the year, the New Year's Eve Blues Bash. You'd better keep your dancing shoes handy. So long for now. Until next time, keep it bluesy.

THE BULLPEN

One, two, three strikes, you're out! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series in Milwaukee tonight against the Boo Crew. These are your keys to tonight's game. 1)We know the Pirates packed the Jolly Roger as they've won the first 2 games of this set, #80 and #81 and still counting. The Pirates are going for their first sweep in old Milwaukee since 2004. Break out the brooms, Bucs! 2)The Boo Crew has a reason to boo-hoo. They've lost 5 straight. #6 would be great! 3)The Pirates start LH Francisco Liriano tonight. Frankie is 15-6 with a 2.57 ERA for the year and is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA against Milwaukee this season. Milwaukee has the second-worst record in the Majors versus lefties, 12-26. Help Frankie out with plenty of Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: Thanks to our 4-3 victory and Cincy's shutout of St Louie, the Pirates now lead St Louie in the NL Central by 2 games and Cincy by 3.5. First place feels great! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Hit the ball and touch 'em all! Your first place Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series against the Milwaukee Boo Crew tonight. These are you keys to tonight's game. 1)With yesterday's 5-2 victory, the Pirates are now at 80-57. This is the first time since 1992 that the Pirates have at least 80 wins. Coincidence? I think not! 2)The Pirates have won 4 of their last 6 games. They look to keep rolling as they send rookie RH Gerrit Cole to the hump tonight. Cole is 6-7 with a 3.80 ERA on the year. In his last 10 starts, Cole Train is a paltry 2-7. Get the Cole Train back on track! 3)The Pirates are looking for their 4th consecutive win in Milwaukee. It would be the first time they've done that since 2002. What better way to get #4? You need lots and lots of Hit, Run, & Score! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: The win yesterday, coupled with St Louie's defeat by Cincy puts the Pirates in sole possession of first place in the NL Central. St Louie is 1 game out and Cincy is 3.5 back. Keep that train a rollin'! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff the regular season at Heinz Field this Sunday as the battle they Tennessee Tight-Ones to begin their quest for a 7th Lombardi Trophy. But first, let's look at Mrs. Black-N-Gold's prediction for the season.
As long as the Steelers keep their franchise quarterback, Big Ben Roethlisberger upright and healthy, they'll always have a shot at the postseason. The key is to let Ben be Ben. He's at his best when he's able to move the pocket and make plays happen. The Steelers have a younger offensive line playing mostly a zone-blocking scheme this year under their new line coach. The line hasn't been very impressive yet but I feel the more they play, the more they'll gel. They'll also need to give Ben plenty of time to pass as second-round draft pick, running back Le'Veon Bell is hampered by a foot injury and isn't expected to play in the early going. Another problem for the offense is team MVP, Heath Miller, is off the PUP list but isn't going to play immediately, either. The Steelers also need to learn how to lower the boom on their opponents, scoring-wise. They'll come out like a house on fire on their first series but then allow themselves to get bogged down in the red zone and settle for field goals afterwards. Score early, score often, score BIG!
The defense is a mixture of young and old this season. Troy Polamalu has impressed, looking like his Pro Bowl-self of seasons past. The question is, "How long can Troy maintain his torpedo-type of play before he gets hurt again?" There's still many of the usual suspects, as well: Keisel, Woodley, Timmons, Clark, Taylor. There's a few that may or may not be busts : Heyward, Hood. The Steelers can't keep depending on the greybeards to pull their fat out of the fire. The young players need to step up in a big way. Attack the QB and make things happen. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD!
The special teams continue to look more and more like a disaster area, especially with the penalties.
Coach Tomlin needs to prepare his teams to play. Most games they look totally clueless and do not display focused, disciplined football. Tomlin is known as a player's coach. Maybe it's time he becomes a coach's coach, instead.
Depth is a big concern. Or should I say, lack of, depth? There is none. The Steelers will need luck, and lots of it, to make it through the season without major injuries.
When I first saw the schedule, I figured the Steelers at 9-7, if they were lucky. After an 0-4 preseason, I'm thinking more like 7-9. Believe me, I don't like it any more than you do. I bleed black-n-gold and would love to see the Steelers take the Stairway to 7 this season. However, I'm also a realist. The Steelers just don't have the development, the depth, or the discipline that they once had. Until they do, they'll be watching the playoffs at home with the rest of us. I hope I'm wrong.
Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit! Now that the preseason is complete, Mrs. Black-N-Gold takes a look at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from your Pittsburgh Steelers 0-4 exhibition campaign.

The Good-With an 0-4 mark, the only good thing to say is that it was only preseason. Sure there were a few highlights. Safety Troy Polamalu is looking like his Pro Bowl-self. Some of the Steelers draft picks had their moments, as well. Still, the only good thing is that the preseason is over and know the games count!

The Bad-I was really looking forward to the offensive line this season. For the first time in years, the Steelers addressed their needs up front and brought in some O-Linemen with pedigrees these past few drafts. They certainly didn't play as expected. They'll need some time to get know each and build some continuity. I think, as the year progresses and if they stay healthy, they'll be a big part of the team's success.

The Ugly-Unfortunately, it's a toss-up. Once again, the Steelers exhibited a complete lack of discipline with the vast amount of penalties they accrued. A good number of those infractions occurred on the (not-so) special teams. These are both areas that the team needs to improve, pronto! I don't know how they'll fix them by Sunday since they haven't fixed them yet but they'd better get cracking if they want Super Bowl #7.

Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Play ball! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to Milwaukee today as they battle the Boo Crew. These are your keys to today's game. 1)Last week in Pittsburgh, the Boo Crew took 2 of 3 from the Buccos. Time for a little revenge. Revenge is a dish best served cold, with a side of Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Pirates send RH Charlie Morton to the mound. Ground Chuck is 6-3 with a 3.14 ERA. In his last 5 starts, he's 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA. Ground Chuck needs to make mincemeat out of Milwaukee! 3)The Pirates won 2 out of 3 this weekend against St Louie. Milwaukee has lost 3 straight. Kick 'em while they're down! Woop, woop, woop! Standings Alert: With yesterday's 7-2 loss to St Louie, the Pirates and Cardinals are both 79-57 and tied for first in the NL Central. Cincy lost, too. That puts them 3.5 games back. St Louie plays at Cincy today. Let them beat each other into the ground. Take care of our business and things will take care of themselves. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

One, two, three strikes, you're out! Your first-place Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their series against the St Louie Cardinals this afternoon at PNC Park. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Pirates are 10-5 versus St Louie this season. In taking the first two games in this series, the Bucs have outscored the Red Birds 12-1. Keep bringing the Hit, Run, & Score! 2)St Louie starts RH Joe Kelly today. Kelly is 6-3 with a 2.91 ERA. The last time the Pirates faced Kelly, they were trounced 13-0. Of course the Pirates will have a new look today after acquiring OF Marlon Byrd, C John Buck and 1B Justin Morneau this week. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him BIG! 3)The Pirates have won 3 of their last 4 and go for the sweep of St Louie today. Break out the brooms, it's time to clean house! Woop, woop, woop! Time for another Standings Alert: With last night's 7-1 victory over St Louie, the Pirates have sole-possession of first place in the NL Central. Cincy won and remains 3.5 games back. We're down the home stretch with a record of 79-56 and a mere 27 games to go. Get ready to hoist the colors! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!