THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PENGUINS
Our Pens kept the PA turnpike busy again this week. Last Thursday, they re-called F Tom Sestito from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Meanwhile, the Pens clinched home ice-advantage for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last Thursday night. They defeated the Washington Capitals in OT by a score of 4-3.
The Pens then had a meaningless Saturday matinee in Philly to play out the string. Philly, however, needed a win to continue their quest for a playoff spot. Before the game, the Pens called up F Kael Mouillierat from WB/S. The Pens lost to Philly 3-1 and lost G Matt Murray to an undisclosed injury in the process. Murray left the game with an apparent head injury and no timetable has been announced for his return. Get well soon, Matt!
The next day, the Pens re-assigned both Sestito and Mouillierat back to the Baby Pens. Before he even had a chance to pack his bags, they re-called Sestito along with G Tristan Jarry.
It was also announced that the Pens would face the New York Rangers in first round action, playing the 1st 2 games at Consol Energy Center on Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon.
The house was a' rockin' on Wednesday. Our favorite Black-N-Gold hockey team routed the Rangers in Game 1, 5-2. Little-used G Jeff Zatkoff shut down the Rangers and F Patric Hornqvist recorded his first career playoff hat trick. Game #2 is Saturday at 3. It would be good to see the Pens up 2-0. Let's Go Pens!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates continue to get into the swing of things on the young season. Last Wednesday, they pounded the St Louie Cardinals, 5-1, to complete a sweep of their division rivals. Unfortunately, they haven't been able extend a winning streak over anyone else.
The Bucs made some roster moves this week, too. They lost 1B/OF Jake Goebbert to Tampa Bay when he was claimed him off waivers. They also waived INF Pedro Florimon and RH John Holdzkom.
An early-season trip to Cincy got off on the right foot on Friday. LF Starling Marte's grand slam brought the Buccos back for a 6-5 win. The rest of the series was pretty much a lost weekend for the Pirates, losers on Saturday 5-1 and Sunday 2-1.
Our favorite Black-N-Gold baseball team then traveled to the Motor City for the start of a home-and-home series with the Tigers. The Pirates took the opener on Monday 7-4. They also announced that Holdzkom had been released.
The Pirates have had nothing but bad news since. They fell to the Tigers on Tuesday 8-2. They were forced to start RH Ryan Vogelsong in Wednesday's game when LH Francisco Liriano was ruled out with a hamstring issue. On the bright side, this hammy isn't considered serious. Get well soon, Frankie.
To help take Vogey's spot in the bullpen, the Pirates called up RH AJ Schugel from Triple A Indy. To make room, they designated 1B/OF Michael Morse for assignment. And INF Pedro Florimon accepted an assignment to Indy. None of that helped as the Bucs lost again to Detroit 7-3.
Some good injury news for the Buccos: 3B Jung Ho Kang has been cleared to play with no restrictions. It's expected that Kang's next move will be a minor league rehab assignment before he re-joins the big league club. It can't come too soon. The Pirates continue to leave opportunities on the basepaths, losing again to the Tigers on Thursday afternoon 7-4. The Bucs made more roster moves, too. They placed LH Corey Luebke on the 15-day DL and re-called RH Rob Scahill from Indy. Following Thursday's game the team announced that RH Justin Masterson had agreed to terms on a minor league deal.
The Pirates need to right the ship as they've fallen from 4-0 to 5-5. They don't want to spiral into their usual early-season nosedive. They'll have another chance to Raise the Jolly Roger beginning tonight when the Milwaukee Brewers come to town. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
Our Steelers continue to have potential draft picks visit their South Side offices for interviews this week, leading up to the 2016 Draft, April 28-30. The Steelers and all other NFL teams are allowed up to 30 visits. There are too many names to list. Suffice it to say, the majority of the players to come to Pittsburgh have been on the defensive side of the ball.
The Steelers preseason opponents were made public last week. Our favorite Black-N-Gold football team with play the Lions and Eagles in exhibition action at Heinz Field. They'll travel to New Orleans and Carolina for the road portion.
A Steelers Hall of Fame wide receiver made headlines this week. Congratulations to Lynn Swann. #88 was named athletic director at his alma mater, USC.
More scheduling news came out this week as the NFL released teams' regular season schedules. The Steelers schedule is below.
Our Steelers get a crack at the Bungles the 2nd week of the season, minus Jagoff #1 Vontaze Burfict. They'll also face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots the week before the bye. They play on Thanksgiving night, Christmas and New Year's Day, too. And with 4 night games on the schedule Mrs. Black-N-Gold is going to have to map out so some nap time in advance. Right now she sees a 12-4 season for the Steelers. On we go the Super Bowl! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
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