THE BULLPEN

     Root, root, root for the home team! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series with the St Louie Cardinals with a day/night doubleheader at PNC Park. 1)These are your keys for today's/tonight's games. 1)St Louie's magic number to win the NL Central is 2. The Bucs lead the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot by 3. There are just 5 games left in the regular season. The only thing that is certain is that the Pirates will face Cubs RH Jake Arrieta again if they play the Wild Card. You can bet that if the Buccos win the first game, Mike Methany won't play his B team in the second game. All hands on deck! 2)Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Keep our head on straight. Take care of business! 3)The last key is the most important of all as you've got to hit them early, hit them often, hit the HARD! Hit, Run, & Score, oh my! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Have you heard the news? It's all over town! Mrs. Black-N-Gold brings you the latest from your favorite Black-N-Gold Teams, the Pirates, Steelers and Pens with the newest edition of The Black-N-Gold News.


                                             THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

PIRATES

     As summer turned to autumn, our Boys of Summer opened a 4-game series in Colorado against the Rockheads. First, they had some roster moves to make. The Bucs officially placed INF Jung Ho Kang on the 60-day DL. That created a spot for OF Keon Broxton to be called up from Triple A Indy.

     On Monday evening, the Pirates proceeded to pummel Colorado 9-3. Tuesday saw another W for the Buccos this time 6-3. On Wednesday, the Bucs survived a slugfest with the Rockheads, winning 13-7. Thursday's finale was closer than the first 3 games of the series but the result was the same. Pirates over Colorado 5-4 to complete the sweep. There were some milestones in this win. The Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Club won their 10,000th game in history. The Pirates completed their 14th sweep of the season, tied for best in MLB. RH Mark Melancon notched his 50th save. OF Starling Marte tied a team record with HOF Pie Traynor when he collected 13 hits in the 4-game set.

     On Friday the Pirates opened a HUGE series with their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field. The Cubs continued to nip at the Bucs heals for the top Wild Card spot when this series began. The Pirates extended their winning streak in dramatic fashion on Friday afternoon with the 3-2 victory. RH Gerrit Cole not only recorded his 18 win of the season, but also struck out his 200th batter. Saturday brought another Pirates W, their 8th straight, with a 4-0 shutout. LH Francisco Liriano joined teammate Cole with 200 Ks. They became the first Pirates duo to accomplish that feat in the same season. Congrats, Cole Train and Frankie! Sunday night saw the winning streak come to an end, 4-0, at the hands of Cubs RH Jake Arrieta. Bucs RH AJ Burnett nabbed his 2500th career strikeout. Congrats, AJ! Sunday night's game could be a preview of what the Buccos are up against if they face the Cubs in the Wild Card Game.

     The Pirates can avoid Arrieta and the Cubs by winning the NL Central title. With last night's 3-0 loss to St Louie they've made their situation more difficult. They're 4 games out with 5 to play including tonight and tomorrow night vs St Louie at PNC Park. Get out there a root, root, root for our Pirates. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

STEELERS

     The week started on a high note for our Steelers. QB Ben Roethlisberger was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance vs the San Fran 49ers. Congrats, Ben! A roster move was made to make room for RB Le'Veon Bell who was returning from suspension. WR Tyler Murphy was released by the team.

     The Steelers went into St Louie and defeated the Rams on Sunday 12-6. Unfortunately, all the news wasn't good. Ben left the game in the 3rd quarter with a left knee injury. He's said to have suffered a sprained MCL. There is good news, though. Ben is not expected to be done for the season. The estimated time table for his return is 4-6 weeks. Get well soon, Ben!

     Meanwhile, the remaining Steelers need to help get QB Michael Vick up to speed in time to face the Baltimorons at Heinz Field on Thursday. They go into this game at 2-1, good for 2nd place in the AFC North. With an 0-3 mark, the Baltimorons are hungry for a win. The Steelers need to make a statement in their first division matchup of the season. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

PENGUINS

     Our Penguins are preparing for the puck to drop on the regular season. Preseason games got under way this past week. On Monday, the Pens won their exhibition opener 1-0 in a shootout over Columbus. W Beau Bennett scored the game-winner. Tuesday saw the Pens get blown away by the Hurricanes 7-3. Thursday the Pens suffered another defeat, 6-1, at the hands of the Red Wings. On Saturday the Pens fell to Columbus 4-2. That's ok, boys. Get these losses out of your system. The games count beginning in Dallas on October 8. Let's Go Pens!!!

THE BULLPEN

     The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with St Louie tonight as they collide with the Cardinals at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates suffered their 2nd straight defeat last night, another shutout, 3-0. They have not scored a run in the last 2 games and have fallen to 4 games out with 5 to play. You can't win ballgames if you don't Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Bucs failed to take advantage of many opportunities last night. JA Happ pitched a heck of a game and deserved a win but when you go 0 for 12 with runners in scoring position and leave 16 men on base after drawing 10 walks, you rarely get the win. Opportunity is knocking. Time to answer the call. Take care of business! 3)RH Michael Wacha, 17-6, 3.15 ERA starts for St Louie. He'll face Pirates RH Charlie Morton, 9-8, 4.54. ERA. Wacha has a 6.75 ERA in his last 4 starts. All hands on deck. Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Your Pittsburgh Steelers found the win column this week, defeating the St Louie Rams 12-6. Yes, it was a win but Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't feel much like celebrating. That's because QB Ben Roethlisberger was helped off the field and carted from the sidelines in the third quarter. It is an injury to his left knee. Not much has been released regarding the knee. Ben is expected to miss at least 4 weeks. We should no more tomorrow following his MRI. Yes, it was a win but at what cost? There was still a game played and the Steelers were the victors. Allow Mrs. Black-N-Gold to give you The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from yesterday's game.

GOOD

Again, there's the win. You have to figure with a final score of 12-6, there isn't much more to be happy about. You'd think the defense did a bang-up job holding St Louie to 6 points. However, St Louie's offensive isn't among the upper-echelon in the NFL. Rams QB Nick Foles literally threw away the game late in the 4th quarter. Did S Will Allen really intercept that ball or did Foles toss it up to him on a horrible throw? The important thing is that he came down with it to help secure the win. Before Ben was knocked out of the game, WR Antonio Brown was having one of his usual, blow-you-away kind of days. AB snagged 11 receptions for 108 yards. We also saw the return of RB Le'Veon Bell, The Beast was good for over 100 all-purpose with 19 rushes for 62 yards and a TD to go with 7 catches for 70 yards. But even before Ben's injury, the offense sputtered in the 2nd half.

BAD

Ben's injury could be very bad and backup Michael Vick didn't look very good. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes that she was wrong about the Vick signing as a bad football decision. Vick only has 4 days to get ready for the Baltimorons. And unless the Steelers bring in another QB, Landry Jones is now the backup. I would imagine once the Steelers find out more tomorrow, proper steps will be taken to get Ben upright as quickly as possible, if he's able, and to bring in extra arms, if necessary.

UGLY

What started out as a promising season at 2-1, has now turned ugly. The Steelers have all these explosive weapons on the offense and no one knows how to operate them. To make matters worse, they face the Baltimorons on Thursday. Until then, all of Black-N-Gold Nation will hold its collective breath. Get well soon, Ben.

On the bright side, the Steelers are now alone in 2nd place in the AFC North. The Bungles pulled out a win over the Baltimorons. They sit atop the division at 3-0. In 3rd place, with a 1-2 record, are the Clowns who lost to Oakland yesterday. Bringing up the rear at 0-3 are the Baltimorons. They would love to get off the schneid against our Steelers. This a our 1st division game and we need to get off to a good start in the tough-as-nails AFC North. The Steelers need to get up to speed, asap, and grab that W. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Pennant fever. Catch it! Your Pittsburgh Pirates begin a critical 3-game series tonight vs the NL Central-leading St Louie Cardinals at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Last night's 4-0 loss to the Jake Arrieta-led Cubs is exactly why the Pirates need to win the division, so they don't have to run into Arrieta again in the Wild Card. St Louie has a 3 game lead with 6 games to play. Get back in the win column and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)St Louie starts RH Lance Lynn, 12-10, 3.16 ERA. The Bucs torched Lynn for 7 runs in just 2/3 of an inning on August 13. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD. Hit him with everything you've got. Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates start LH JA Happ, 10-8, 3.88 ERA. Happ has turned out to be the steal of the trade deadline, going 6-2 with a 2.28 ERA for the Buccos. Happy Happ Day! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Overture, curtain, lights! Your Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their road trip with the Chicago Cubs tonight under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Following yesterday's 4-0 shutout of the Cubs, the Pirates have held their NL Central foes to just 2 runs in the first 2 games of this series. In the midst of a 3-game losing streak, Chicago has scored just 3 runs. Give 'em the goose egg! 2)The Pirates send RH AJ Burnett, 9-5, 3.15 ERA, to the bump. AJ's record at Wrigley is 6-1 with a 2.80 ERA. Get AJ the W! 3)The Cubs start RH Jake Arrieta, 20-6, 1.88 ERA. With numbers like that, Arrieta is a surefire Cy Young candidate. Say sayonara to Cy
Young. Give him what for with a big case of Hit, Run, & Score! 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 take their show on the road to St Louie this afternoon as they kickoff against the Rams. These are your keys for today's game. 1)St Louie's vaunted defense is 3rd-worst in rushing yards allowed, surrendering an average of 153 per game. That's good news for the Steelers as they welcome back RB Le'Veon Bell, the NFL's second-leading rusher from a year ago. He joins RB DeAngelo Williams who is currently second in the league with 204 yards. Run over the Rams! 2)St Louie's D has also allowed quarterbacks to complete 80.9% of their passes, 2nd-worst in the league. They may have their hands full with Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben is 2nd-best in the NFL with 720 passing yards. The Steelers lead the NFL with an average of 469 yards per game. Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)Watch out for the trap game. You don't want to get caught looking ahead to Thursday's battle with the Baltimorons. Hit them early, hit them often, hit them HARD! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

    Oh baby, don't you wanna go! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Chicago Cubs with a matinee at Wrigley today. These are you keys for today's game. 1)With yesterday's 3-2 win, the Cubs have dropped 2 in a row while the Bucs have won 7 straight. #8 would be great! 2)The Pirates will start LH Francisco Liriano, 11-7, 3.41 ERA. Be filthy, Frankie! 3)The Cubs counter with RH Jason Hammel, 9-6, 3.79 ERA. The Pirates struck first and made hay yesterday. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD. It's time for more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Let's play two! Your Pittsburgh Pirates open a crucial 3-game series today at the not-so-friendly confines of Wrigley Field as they battle the Chicago Cubs. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Pirates completed the 4-game sweep of Colorado with yesterday's 5-4 come-from-behind victory. The Bucs have won 6 straight. #7 would be great! 2)The Buccos have cracked the double digit hit mark in 5 straight games. They're looking for payback after the Cubs took 3 of 4 in Pittsburgh last week, ending INF Jung Ho Kang's season, in the process. Cubs manager Joe Maddon made light of the severity of Kang's injury to the press following that game. Come at them hard. Give them what for: Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates shuffled their rotation so ace RH Gerrit Cole, 17-8, 2.64 ERA would get a start in this series. He'll face lefty Jon Lester. Lester, 10-11, 3.46 ERA pitched a complete game win over the Bucs last week. With the top Wild Card spot on the line, this game will surely have the atmosphere of a playoff series. All aboard the Cole Train for a Pirates win! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I've seen it raining from the sky! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series this afternoon with the Colorado Rockheads. These are your keys for today's game. 1)Following last night's 13-7 win, the Pirates look to clean house in Colorado. They've won 5 straight, including 3 in a row in Colorado on their way to the postseason. Don't stop till you reach the top! 2)LH Jeff Locke, 8-11, 4.48 ERA is on the bump for the Bucs. During 3 road starts this month, Locke has posted a 6.00 ERA. Locke down a win! 3)He'll face Colorado RH Chad Bettis, 8-5, 4.46 ERA. In his last 12 innings, Bettis has given up just 1 run while striking out 12. In this series the Pirates have pounded out 28 runs on 45 hits. Give them some more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Couldn't get much higher! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in the Mile High City tonight against the Colorado Rockheads. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 6-3 win, the Buccos have won 4 in a row. Keep the streak alive with win #5! 2)In that win, the Bucs collected their 6 runs on 11 hits. They've scored 15 runs in the first 2 games of this series. It's a hit parade! 3)The Pirates put RH Charlie Morton, 9-8, 4.26 ERA on the mound. He'll face Colorado RH Christian Bergman, 3-0, 3.81 ERA. The Bucs magic number is at 1 to punch their 3rd straight ticket to the postseason. And how do you get to the playoffs? You gotta Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Your Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their first win of the young season on Sunday as they celebrated their home opener by romping the San Fran 49ers 43-18. Today Mrs. Black-N-Gold looks back at the win with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from the game.

GOOD

When you come away with a 43-18 victory, there is ALOT of good to talk about. This game had everything, offense, defense. There is so much that Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know where to start. How about with the QB? Ben Roethlisberger had a phenomenal game as he picked apart San Fran's defense to the tune of 21 of 27 passing for 369 yards and 3 touchdowns, good for a 155.8 rating. Ben's main target yesterday, WR Antonio Brown, was his usual, fantastic-self. AB caught 9 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Let's not forget the offensive line. They did a terrific job of protecting Ben. He wasn't sacked once. The O-Line also opened holes for RB DeAngelo Williams to the tune of 20 carriers for 77 yards and 3 TDs. Yes, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will say that DeWill is working out nicely. Thank you, very much.

Then there was the defense. This game should be the confidence builder that the much-maligned D needs. They held San Fran to just 18 points and remained stout throughout much of the game. They got to San Fran QB Colin Kaepernick most of the day, sacking him 5 times. One of the standouts on D was LB Ryan Shazier who enjoyed a coming-out-party of sorts. Shazier led the team with 15 tackles, 11 solo. He also recorded a sack and 3 tackles for loss. Shazier left the game late with a shoulder injury. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes it's a minor injury as she'd love to see more of this from the former 1st round pick. DE Cam Heyward was another member of the D that enjoyed a big day. Cam had 6 tackles, 5 of them solo with 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss. Cam was, indeed, the Man. A performance like this gives the defense something to build on and keep trending upward.

BAD

Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to be a downer but she can't help but wonder: Are the Steelers this good or is San Fran that bad? Consider that the Steelers looked woeful in their opener against New England. Mrs. Black-N-Gold thinks the real barometer for the Steelers will be against division opponents. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the show.

UGLY

As pretty as the Steelers were throughout most of the day, it started out on an ugly note. In the early stages of the game, penalty flags were flying left and right. G Ramon Foster was penalized on back-to-back plays. C Cody Wallace was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Steelers were able to shake off the penalties but did finish with 7 flags for 58 yards. Penalties were a thorn in the Steelers side all last season. Mrs. Black-N-Gold was glad they overcame the early penalties but they need to let the refs keep the laundry in their pockets. Clean it up, Steelers.

The Steelers find themselves in the thick of the AFC North with a 1-1 record. The Bungles lead the way with a 2-0 mark. The Clowns are tied with the Steelers at 1-1. The Baltimorons are bringing up the rear at 0-2. The Steelers travel to St Louie to face the Rams this Sunday. Beware of the trap game. There could be a big letdown following this week's win. Also, don't look ahead to the Baltimorons game next Thursday. Take it one game at a time and take care of business. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Bases are loaded and Casey's at bat! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in the Mile High City tonight as they battle the Colorado Rockheads. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 9-3 win, the Pirates have won 3 in a row. We want #4. Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Bucs battered the Rockheads for 9 runs on 15 hits with 2 homers thrown in for good measure. Rocky Mountain High! 3)It's a battle of southpaws tonight. The Pirates send LH JA Happ, 5-2, 1.96 ERA to the hill. Colorado counters with lefty Chris Rusin, 5-8, 5.11 ERA. The Buccos reached their 90th win last night and can clinch another trip to the postseason with a win and some help. Have a Happy Happ Day! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Start spreading the news! Mrs. Black-N-Gold has gathered her notes as another week has past for the Black-N-Gold. Allow us to present to you the newest edition of The Black-N-Gold News featuring the latest on the Pirates, Steelers and Pens!

                                        THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS


PIRATES

Our Pirates were off on Monday but did release an announcement. CF Andrew McCutchen is in line for another award. He is the Pirates nominee for this year's Roberto Clemente Award. Good luck, Cutch!

Tuesday stared out ok as the Bucs called up RH Vance Worley and DFA'd RH Radhames Liz. The Pirates then promptly defeated the Chicago Cubs in game 1 of a day/night doubleheader, 5-4. RH Mark Melancon tied the team  mark with his 46th save of the season. Then the Buccos dropped the nightcap, 2-1.

Also on Tuesday, the Pirates New York Penn League team, the West Virginia Black Bears went out and won their championship. Congrats to the Black Bears! Unfortunately, the Pirates weren't so lucky on Wednesday as they lost to the Cubs, 3-2, in 12 innings.

On Thursday, the Pirates woes continued, they lost to the Cubs 9-6, losing INF Jung Ho Kang for the season in the process. It was also announced that former broadcaster, Milo Hamilton, a Hall of Famer, had passed away. Get well soon, Jung Ho. Rest in peace, Milo.

The Buccos suffered their 4th loss in a row on Friday, losing at LA 6-2.

On Saturday, they finally got back in the win column, 3-2. Melancon recorded his team record 47th save. Sunday saw the Pirates take the series with a 4-3 win, with Melancon nailing down another save.

The Bucs begin a 4-game series in Colorado tonight. They're now 4 games in back of St Louie for the NL Central lead with 13 to go. Meanwhile, the Cubs are 2 behind the Buccos for the top Wild Card. These last 2 weeks of the regular season could get interesting. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

STEELERS

Our Steelers kicked off their home schedule yesterday against the San Francisco 49ers. The Black-N-Gold dominated in a 43-18 victory. The offense and defense controlled the game on both sides of the ball. RB Le'Veon Bell returns from suspension as they travel to St Louie next Sunday to battle the
 Rams. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

PENGUINS

Our Penguins began their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup as they opened training camp on Friday. The exhibition season gets under way tonight versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Don't forget. The regular season opens at Dallas on October 8. Let's Go Pens!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Spent the last year, Rocky Mountain Way! Your Pittsburgh Pirates travel to the Mile High City as they begin a 4-game set with the Colorado Rockheads tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With yesterday's 4-3 win, the Pirates have won 2 straight. If it's 3, it's for me! 2)The Pirates put RH AJ Burnett, 8-5, 3.15 ERA on the bump. The Rockheads start RH Jon Gray, 0-1, 5.00 ERA. Rock the Hit, Run, & Score! 3)AJ is still searching for his first win since returning from the disabled list. Get the W for AJ! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit! Your Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff their home schedule today as they battle the San Fran 49ers at Heinz Field. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Steelers look to find the win column this week. San Fran comes to town with a 1-0 mark, beating a not-so-impressive Minnesota team last week. The Steelers offense needs to stop settling for field goals and find the end zone. Don't leave any points on the field. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)The Steelers D looks to establish some continuity against San Fran's inconsistent QB, Colin Kaepernick. Pressure can force Kap into mistakes. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD 3)This game will be a homecoming for new San Fran Coach Jim Tomsula, a Homestead native. Give him a not so pleasant welcome. Give him "L"! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series in Los Angeles this afternoon as they battle the Codgers. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Buccos found the win column last night, 3-2. That win, coupled with the Cubs victory over the Cards puts the Pirates 4 games back of St Louie with 14 to play. The Cubs are just 1 out for the top Wild Card. Keep finding that win column. Raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Bucs have a chance to make some Meatloaf today, LA-style. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is guessing the recipe would call for tofu and avocado. Don't forget a dash of Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates will start RH Gerrit Cole, 16-8, 2.60 ERA. He'll face LA RH Mike Bolsinger, 6-3, 3.13 ERA. For his career, Cole is 2-0 with a 4.50 ERA vs LA. His career September numbers are 9-2 with a 3.05 ERA. Make it a September to remember. All aboard the Cole Train for a win! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Going to California with an achin' in my heart! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Codgers tonight in LA. These are your keys to the game. 1)With last night's 6-2 loss, the Pirates have dropped 4 in a row. They are 5 games in back of St Louie in the NL Central. The Cubs are 1 game behind the Bucs for the top Wild Card spot. There are only 15 games left in the regular season. Get back in the win column and stay there. Ya gotta believe! 2)The Buccos put LH Francisco Liriano, 10-7, 3.45 ERA, on the bump. In 4 career starts vs LA, Frankie is 3-0 with a 2.78 ERA. Be filthy, Frankie! 3)LA will start lefty Clayton Kershaw, 14-6, 2.12 ERA. Last month, the Pirates touched up Kershaw for 4 runs on 9 hits in 6 innings. The Bucs went on to win that contest, 5-4 in 10. Do it again. Hit, Run, & Score, Oh My! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Well, I just got into town about an hour ago! Your Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to the west coast as they battle the Los Angles Codgers tonight to open a 3-game series. 1)Following yesterday's 9-6 loss to the Cubs, the Bucs have dropped 3 straight. Right the ship, get back in the win column and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Pirates start LH Jeff Locke, 8-10, 4.43 ERA. Locke and load! 3)The Dodgers go with Cy Young candidate Zack Greinke, 17-3, 1.61 ERA. He's lost 3 times this season. Give him #4. Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

      Did you happen to catch the Bucs series with the Cubs this week? More specifically, did you see the play that took out Pirates rookie sensation Jung Ho Kang yesterday? Since the Buccos are out in Hollyweird, Mrs. Black-N-Gold is going to paraphrase the Academy Award-winning movie, "Network". Mrs. Black-N-Gold is mad as hell and she's not going to take it anymore.

     Losing a gamer like Kang is bad enough. Losing 3 of 4 to the Cubs when they're right at the back door? That's inexcusable. Mrs. Black-N-Gold knows that manager Clint Hurdle knows what he's doing. Really, the Bucs wouldn't be 87-59 if he didn't have some sort of clue. But to continue to trot out the B team in the midst of a pennant race is ridiculous. Did the Cubs sit Anthony Rizzo? Did you see Kris Bryant miss a game? No and no. Sorry, Clint. It's time to tell the boys to man-up. You're in danger of losing homefield for the Wild Card game with the Cubs 2 games back. It may be too late to catch the Cards too now that you're 4.5 behind them with 16 games to go. Yes, sir. It's time to sit the boys and man-up.

      Here's what the lineup should be from now until the end of the season 1)Polanco-RF 2)Marte-LF 3)McCutchen-CF 4)Ramirez-1B 5)Harrison-3B 6)Walker-2B 7)Cervelli-C 8)Mercer-SS. Notice Pedro is missing. His whole giveth and taketh away act is old. He put the team back in it yesterday with a 2-run HR only to commit yet another error (what it that, his 100th of the season?) that helped open the floodgates to a 6-run Cubs 5th. Yes he's among team leaders in homers and RBI but enough is enough. The only time Pedro should be in that lineup is as a pinch-hitter and, if we're lucky, a DH in the World Series.

     Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to see the names Rodriguez, Florimon, Stewart or Morse in the starting 9, either. No offense, but those guys should only pinch hit, pinch run or go in as defensive substitutes. Same goes for Lunchbox, too, no matter how much Mrs. Black-N-Gold likes him. Oh, and, Clint, tell your regulars that there's no sleep till October. If they're hurting or dinged up, suck it up, buttercup and get out there. If they can't handle it, hit the road, jack. The time for coddling and babying these players is over. You gotta want it to win it. You're not in if you don't win. You've got to refuse to lose.

      No excuses and except no substitutes. All hands on deck and don't give up the ship. Go out there for the final 16 and take no prisoners. World Series or bust. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

    

THE BULLPEN

     One, two, three strikes, you're out! Your Pittsburgh Pirates finish out their homestand this afternoon with the finale versus the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. These are your keys for today's game. 1)With last night's 12-inning, 3-2, loss, the Bucs have dropped 2 straight to the Cubs. They are now 4 games in back of St Louie for the top spot in the NL Central and the Cubs have closed the gap to 3 games for the top Wild Card. Right the ship, find the win column and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)Mrs. Black-N-Gold has good news and bad news. During the Pirates 2-game skid, they've only allowed 5 runs. The problem is, they've only scored 3. Let me break this down for you, nice and easy: Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Cubs start RH Kyle Hendricks, 7-6, 4.08 ERA. The Pirates counter with RH Charlie Morton, 9-7, 4.02 ERA. They have very similar records, don't they? The Bucs usually let ham-and-eggers walk all over them. Charlie needs to resort back to his Ground Chuck ways today. Time to make like a banana and split! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Pennant fever, catch it! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their divisional battle with the Chicago Cubs tonight at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Yesterday these two teams split their twinbill. The Bucs took the opener 5-4 and the Cubs won the nightcap 2-1. You don't win many games when you only score 1 run. Need some more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Cubs start RH Jake Arrieta, 19-6, 1.99 ERA. Back in August, Arrieta stifled the Buccos bats en route to a 5-0 shutout at PNC. The Cy Young candidate has gone 2-1 against the Pirates this season, holding them to just 2 runs while striking out 19 in 21 innings. Say "sayonara" to Cy Young. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)The Pirates have RH AJ Burnett, 8-5, 3.14 ERA, on the bump. In AJ's last start, his first since returning from the DL, he gave up 3 runs on 3 hits with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts in 5 innings. We could use a hero tonight, Batman! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Let's play two! Your Pittsburgh Pirates finish out their homestand with a 4-game series versus another division rival, the Chicago Cubs. Today things get started with a day/night doubleheader. These are your keys for today's games 1)This is a first for Mrs. Black-N-Gold, keys to a doubleheader. This is a big series for both teams. Our Buccos sit 2.5 back of division leader, St Louie. The Cubs are 4 games behind the Bucs for the top Wild Card spot. The Black-N-Gold fans need to bring the playoff atmosphere to this series and get the house 'rockin'.  Score early, score often, score BIG! There's always room for more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)In the first game the Cubbies start RH Jason Hammel, 8-6, 3.59 ERA. The Pirates break out RH Gerrit Cole, 16-8, 2.54 ERA. All aboard the Cole Train for a win! 3)The nightcap has Cubs LH Jon Lester, 9-10, 3.50 ERA facing Bucs LH JA Happ, 5-1, 1.79 ERA. Have a Happy Happ Day! Let's Go Bucs X 2!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Steelers football is back! That also mean Mrs. Black-N-Gold is back in Black-N-Gold (to paraphrase those great heavy metal poets, AC/DC) with The Good, Bad, & Ugly from Thursday night's kickoff game. With the final score Cheatriots 28, Steelers 21, let's break it down.

THE GOOD

Even though our Steelers lost to the defending Champions, there was some good news for the Black-N-Gold in this game. WR Antonio Brown was his usual excellent-self, catching 9 passes for 133 yards and 1 touchdown. Looks like AB will pick up where he left off last season. TE Heath Miller also had a good receiving game, snagging 8 passes for 84 yards. But the Good Award this week goes to RB De'Angelo Williams who carried the ball 21 times for 127 yards. Mrs. Black-N-Gold wasn't sure what to make of the Williams signing in the offseason. He's on the wrong side of 30 and has been injured for a good part of his career. DeWill put all those worries to rest with Thursday night's performance. And really, all we need is another good start from him next week vs. San Fran then The Beast, Le'Veon Bell will be back from suspension. Mrs. Black-N-Gold thinks DeWill and Beast will make one heck of a running back tandem.

THE BAD

Don't get Mrs. Black-N-Gold wrong. It certainly wasn't all good Thursday night, not by a longshot. Early in the game, when the Steelers were marching down the field, they called an inexplicable trick play that ending up biting them in the behind. QB Ben Roethlisberger threw a lateral to AB for #84 to pass it down field and fool the Pats. Didn't even happen. The Cheatriots sniffed it out and tackled Brown for a big loss. On the next play, OL Marcus Gilbert was flagged and just like that, the Steelers were looking at 2nd & 28. A handoff to RB Will Johnson netted a gain of 6 making it 3rd and long. A short pass to Heath and next thing you know, the Steelers send in new K Josh Scobee to attempt a 44 yard field goal. Shank! As a matter of fact, Scobee shanked his first 2 attempts. It's not all his fault. Why are the Steelers settling for field goals? On top of that, why are they going east-west when they should be going north-south? Mrs. Black-N-Gold understands that if the play would have worked, OC Todd Haley would have looked like a genius. Instead, the calls of "Fire Haley" were ringing out throughout Pittsburgh. Wasn't it the great American philosphers Devo that said "Go forward, move ahead". It's another example of the Steelers trying to re-invent the wheel. Consider marching down field, next time.

THE UGLY

Most of The Ugly was the same old song and dance. The defense couldn't tackle and couldn't create turnovers. The evening was a mixture of missed opportunites and penalties on both sides of the ball. But after the game, some stories arose that were uglier than anything that came into the field of play. First came word that the Steelers coaches were unable to communicate via their headsets. Sure, this problem arises from time to time. But thanks to Spygate and Deflategate it seems a little suspicious when this happens on New England's turf. The Steelers are facing a controversy of their own amid accusations that TE Coach James Daniel assaulted a fan during halftime of the game, kicking and screaming at the fan. It's said that when police tried to intervene, the coach also started screaming at the officer. More and more, it seems that there are more off-the-field stories in the NFL than action on the field itself. All these extracurricular activities are a real turnoff for a diehard fan such as Mrs. Black-N-Gold. At some point, the public will grow weary of the constant shenanigans of the commissioner, the owners and the players. Just play football, already!

To sum things up, you really didn't expect the Steelers to go 16-0 this season, did you?  Luckily, the weren't the only ones to find the loss column in the AFC Central. The Baltimorons and Clowns lost, too. Cincy was a winner but you no that won't last all season long. On Sunday the Steelers are at the friendly confines of Heinz Field to kickoff their home opener against the San Fran 49ers. It's a very winnable game and a chance for the Steelers to even up their record before RB Le'Veon Bell returns from his 2-game suspension. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Mrs. Black-N-Gold interrupts your regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important news bulletin. It's time for the latest news that is sweeping Black-N-Gold Nation on our Pirates, Steelers and Penguins. It's time for The Black-N-Gold News.

                                     THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

PIRATES

When last we saw our Pirates, they were in the midst of a series with their division rivals the Cincy Reds at Great American Ballpark. Tuesday the Bucs found the win column, 7-3. In that game, Aramis Ramirez started the first game of his illustrious career at first base, after playing third for the past 17 years. The Pirates were also winners on Wednesday, 5-4, taking the series from Cincy.

The Buccos received word this week that one of their lieutenants in the front office has moved on from the organization. Congrats to former special assistant Marc DelPiano who has was hired by Miami for a Senior VP position. When you're successful, other teams try to bring that success to their team. That is why Pirates Director of Player Personnel Tyrone Brooks was expected to meet with Milwaukee for their GM job, as well.

Thursday brought the announcement that our Pirates will make another appearance on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The Bucs will battle the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on September 27. It will be the Pirates 5th BUCN after dark game this season.

The Pirates opened a 4-game set at PNC Park against the dreaded Milwaukee Brewers, looking for some revenge for last week's sweep. The Pirates would have to wait another day as they dropped the opener 6-4 in 13 innings.

The Buccos broke a 7-game losing streak against the Brewers with a 6-3 win on Friday night. They continued their winning ways Saturday night in a 10-2 victory. They took the series Sunday as they won in walk-off fashion, 7-6 in 11 innings.

Tomorrow they begin a big 4-game series with the Chicago Cubs, who trail them for the top Wild Card spot by 4 games. The Bucs start things off with a day/night double dip. Meanwhile, the Cards are sinking in the NL Central while the Pirates are sailing towards the division lead. The Buccos are just 2.5 behind St Louie with 3 games left head-to-head at PNC in 2 weeks. The Pirates need to continue to take it a game at a time and keep their eyes on the prize. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

STEELERS

Our Steelers officially kicked off their season on Thursday night as they lost to the defending Champion Cheatriots 28-21. The game was not without controversy as Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin complained to the league of faulty headsets. To make matters worse, TE Coach James Daniel is alleged to have assaulted a fan before halftime. We'll have to see how the legal process plays out for the coach. Meanwhile, the Steelers get ready for their home opener on Sunday when they battle the San Fran 49ers. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

PENGUINS

Our Penguins continue to tune-up for training camp. This weekend, several Pens prospects took part in a four-team rookie tournament that was played in Ontario. The Pens won Friday night, 4-3 over Montreal. They also defeated the Sens on Saturday, 4-1. Get those youngsters fired up and ready for the season. Let's Go Pens!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Root, root, root for the home team! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series with the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon at PNC Park. These are your keys for today's game. 1)Last night, the Pirates pasted Milwaukee 10-2. Today the Buccos go for 3 in a row. If it's 3, it's for me! 2)The Brewers have RH Taylor Jungmann, 9-6, 2.87 ERA on the bump. The Bucs go with LH Francisco Liriano, 10-7, 3.28 ERA. Jungmann is another junk ball pitcher that confounds the Pirates. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD with some Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates now find themselves 2.5 back of St Louie for the division lead. Don't look now, Cards. We're gaining on you. Win, Raise, Repeat! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with Milwaukee tonight as they battle the Brewers at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Buccos got back in the win column with last night's 6-3 win. Wave that flag, wave it wide and high! 2)The Pirates won in spite of themselves as they committed 3 errors in the game thanks to shoddy defense. Gotta get better at flashing the leather! 3)Milwaukie will start RH Zach Davies, 1-0, 3.97 ERA. He'll face Pirates lefty Jeff Locke, 7-10, 4.56 ERA. You remember Davies from last week. He's the 12-year old, 90-pound weakling that got his first Major League win against Locke and the Pirates. Locke down a win with Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     In Heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series against the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates look to recover and find the win column following last night's 13-inning 6-4 loss. Right the ship and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Brewers have beaten the Bucs in 7 straight. #8 would not be great. Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Milwaukee has RH Jimmy Nelson, 11-11, 3.86 ERA on the mound. The Buccos put RH Charlie Morton, 8-7, 4.07 ERA on the bump. The season Nelson is 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA vs the Bucs. Charlie is 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA at home this year. Something's got to give. The Pirates blew a golden opportunity last night as Cincy slammed St Louie 11-0 and the Cubs were postponed. With 23 games to go, the Black-N-Gold are 4.5 games out in the NL Central. They still hold the top Wild Card spot with just a 2.5 game lead over Chicago. Don't look ahead to the Cubs visit, watch out for the trap with these Brewers. You gotta win to get in! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

      We're from the town with the great football team! Your Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff their season tonight on Thursday Night Football from New England as they battle the Cheatriots. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Steelers D has shown that they have a hard time handling tight ends. That may be especially true for the physically imposing Rob Gronkowski who is New England QB Tom Brady's safety net. Grill Gronk!  2)The Steelers D needs to knock Brady off his game. That means giving his receivers a big bump at the line of scrimmage to throw a monkey wrench into their timing. Don't be afraid to get physical at the line. Hit them early, hit them often, hit them HARD! 3)This could turn into an offensive showdown, meaning whichever team scores last, wins. The Steelers have to make sure they control the ball. Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na (done to the sound of the Batman theme song)! Your Pittsburgh Pirates are back home at the friendly confines of PNC Park tonight as they open a 4-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)1)With last night's nail-biting 5-4 win over Cincy, the Buccos won their second straight series against an NL Central opponent. They were swept just last weekend by Milwaukee. It's payback time! Bam! 2)Milwaukee will start RH Wily Peralta, 5-8, 4.21 ERA. On the mound for the Bucs is the return of Batman, RH AJ Burnett, 8-5, 3.06 ERA. Strike fear in the hearts of the Brewers with a big ol' mug o' Hit, Run, & Score! Pow! 3)The Pirates have won 4 of their last 6. #5 would not be jive! Boom! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff their 2015 campaign on Thursday Night Football as they battle Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Mrs. Black-N-Gold gets you geared up for the gridiron action with her season preview. She looks at offense, defense, special teams and coaching to see how are Steelers stack up against the rest of the NFL.


OFFENSE

Whether you love him or you hate him, 2-time Super Bowl-wining QB Ben Roethlisberger gives this team the best chance to win. Last season he led the Steelers to the AFC North title with an 11-5 record, surprising many pundits but not many fans of the Black-N-Gold. The record setting offense was led by not only Big Ben but WR Antonio Brown and RB Le'Veon Bell. The offensive line paved the way for all as no major injuries were suffered by the guys in the trenches.

The offense will begin the season in a deep hole. C Maurkice Pouncey has been placed on the Injured Return IR. The earliest he can return will be against Oakland on November 8. Suspensions will also keep 2 key players out of the lineup for a period of time. Bell will miss the first 2 games of the season due to his marijuana/DUI charge last year. Also missing time will be WR Martavis Bryant with a 4-game marijuana suspension. RB De'Angelo Williams and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey are expected to replace Bell and Bryant in the lineup.

This limits what Ben can do and perhaps the amount of time in which he has to do it. Of course he still has the uber-talented Brown at wide receiver. Hopefully, AB will enter the season as a happy Steeler. He recently had has contract re-structured to free up more cap room and give him more money.

With Bryant not in for a quarter of the games, Brown can expect double and, maybe even, triple-teams. Will this frustrate Brown, causing him to lose his concentration? Will the oft-injured Williams be able to remain on the field until Bell's return? Speaking of injuries, will the o-line be able to keep Ben upright for the entire season? If not, the Steelers will turn to recently-signed, 35-year-old Michael Vick at QB.

As long as Ben is under center and healthy, the Steelers are in any game. Once Bell and Bryant are back, the sky is the limit for this high-flying offense.


DEFENSE

There was a time throughout the annals of Steelers history, that the defense was the strength of this team. This isn't one of those times. For the past several years, the Steelers have tried to transition from trusted veteran defensive players to younger, faster defenders. The transformation has not been smooth, to say the least. The number of turnovers and sacks go down while the number of big plays made against the D escalates.

In order to prove that, like Bob Dylan said, "The times they are a'changin'", the Steelers cut ties with long time DC Dick LeBeau and promoted LB Coach Keith Butler. They have also been working from the 4-3 alignment and the Cover 2 scheme that Head Coach Mike Tomlin was raised on as a defensive assistant. The results have proven to be mixed at best.

While the Steelers have been working different schemes and plays into their defensive repertoire, they've tried to integrate more of the younger players into their rotations since they've cut ties with the likes of Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and Brett Keisel. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency continue to haunt the youngsters.

Don't get Mrs. Black-N-Gold wrong. There are still some fine building blocks on the defensive side of the ball such as DL Cam Heyward and LB Lawrence Timmons. It just seems that for all the high draft picks the Steelers have used the past few years on defense, there would be a better foundation for this D.

Unless this unit gets their act together, and soon, it could be another long season for the former vaunted Steelers D.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Bang! Right off the bat, the Steelers lost K Shaun Suisham to a season-ending knee injury in the Hall of Fame game. And just like that, Suisham's replacement, Garret Hartley, was lost for the year due to injury. Before the coin has been tossed in the first game of the season, the Steelers are on their 3rd kicker, Josh Scobee, late of the Jags. There was also a turnover at punter. Brad Wing was traded to the Giants and Jordan Berry became the Steelers punter.

Considering how the Steelers have a bad habit of bogging down in the red zone, the kicker and punter positions are an important cog in the Steelers machine. With these newbies and the fact that so many of the youngsters will be asked to work the special teams, the pressure is on for this unit. Especially when you consider that the defense may have a hard time pulling their weight. The Steelers are going to need all the field position they can muster.


COACHING

Fans need not worry about Coach Tomlin leaving the fold any time soon as he was signed to an extension in the offseason. Whether or not that is a good thing, remains to be seen. Tomlin already put the season in jeopardy but failing to employ a time-honored tradition during training camp by bringing in an extra kicker to do the dirty work during the preseason. The Steelers are no on their 3rd kicker. Also, with the parting-of-the-ways with LeBeau, Tomlin seems determined to put his stamp on the defense. It's resulted in the same-old, same-old thus far.

OC Todd Haley has the most impressive squad on the team. The record-breaking numbers of the offense last season helped quell the cries of "Fire Haley". For now. If the offense isn't flying as high as last season, fans could be calling for Haley's head. He's got his work cut out for him thanks to the injury to Pouncey and the suspensions of Bell and Bryant.

DC Keith Butler takes over the defense after many years as a trusted defensive assistant. Will the song remain the same? Not entirely as coach promises to have the defensive lineman rush the passer as well as eat up blockers. There's also been some 4-3 and Cover 2 added to the cookbook this season. Will theses changes help create more turnovers and sacks for a team that desperately needs them? Only time will tell. If not, the fans may start a "Fire Butler" campaign, too.

So what is Mrs. Black-N-Gold's prediction for our 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers? Look, it's no surprise that Mrs. Black-N-Gold views the world through Black-N-Gold-colored glasses. However, she is also a realist. When she first looked at the schedule this year, "9-7" came to mind. Then, as training camp progressed she heard and read glowing reports out of Latrobe. Ok, maybe, 10-6 or 11-5. As she watched what unfolded in the preseason, her optimism waned. She just doesn't feel that the defense is there yet and the offense will not be able to carry the team the entire year. Sorry, Black-N-Gold fans, it's back to 9-7 for the Steelers. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes she is wrong and we'll all be celebrating our 7th Super Bowl come February. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Rounding third and heading for home! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their road trip tonight in Cincy as they battle the Reds. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 7-3 victory, the Pirates notched win #82. Another winning season in the books. Keep on BUCN! 2)This is the rubber game in this 3-game set. Time to make some meatloaf. 2 outta 3 ain't bad! 3)The Pirates will start LH JA Happ, 4-1, 1.57 ERA. Cincy counters with RH Keyvius Sampson, 2-3, 6.68 ERA. Have a Happy Happ Day with a slice of Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Extra, extra! Read all about it! Mrs. Black-N-Gold has gathered her notes, reviewed the records and has painstakingly applied all the latest, up-to-the-minute information to bring you the newest edition of the internet sensation that is sweeping Black-N-Gold Nation. Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. Black-N-Gold is proud to bring you The Black-N-Gold News, the latest on our Pirates, Steelers and Penguins. And away we go!

                                                THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

PIRATES

As Labor Day weekend approached, it was not a good week for Pittsburgh's Boys of Summer. The week opened for our Buccos with some roster moves as the rosters were expanded on September 1. The Pirates called up OFs Jaff Decker and Travis Snider, C Elias Diaz, RH Radhames Liz and LH Bobby LaFromboise. RH Rob Scahill was activated from the DL and RH Casey Sadler was transferred to the 60-day DL. Speaking of Diaz, congrats go out to the Indy backstop as he was named an International League postseason All-Star.

Tuesday night the Pirates troubles in Miller Park, AKA The House of Horrors, continued as they dropped the first game of their 3-game series by a score of 7-4.

Wednesday brought another loss to the Brew Crew, 9-4. It also brought more roster changes as INF Pedro Florimon was called up and RH Deolis Guerra was moved to the 60-day DL.

Thursday started on a good note for the Buccos. CF Andrew McCutchen was named NL Player of the Month for August. This is the 4th time in Cutch's career that he's received this honor. Congrats, Cutch! Some more roster news occurred. The Pirates announced that OF/1B Corey Hart would not be activated from the DL this season, thus ending his career with the Black-N-Gold. The Pirates promptly went out and were swept by Hart's old team, the Brewers, 5-3.

Friday night the setting was switched to St Louie. The Pirates began a 3-game series with the NL Central-leading Cardinals. Friday night saw the Bucs deck the Cards, 9-3. Also on Friday, 2 minor leaguers on the Pirates Bradenton roster received honors. Both OF Austin Meadows and 2B Erich Weiss were named end-of-season High-A All-Stars for the Florida State League. Congrats!

Saturday saw another showdown with St Louie. This time the Pirates fell, 4-1. Sunday's rubber game took place under the lights of ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. The Pirates again showed the nation how we do it, Black-N-Gold-style, with a 7-1 victory.

The Pirates had to follow-up Sunday night's game with a matinee in Cincy for Labor Day. Boy, it was a labor watching this one as the Pirates committed 4 miscues on their way to another loss to the Reds, 3-1. Before the game the Buccos activated 1B/OF Travis Ishikawa from the DL. After the game, Manager Clint Hurdle proclaimed that RH AJ Burnett would make his return to the rotation on Thursday night at home versus Milwaukee.

It was a roller coaster week for our Pirates and will continue to have it's ups and downs as the Bucs are 5.5 back of St Louie in the NL Central with 26 games to play and the Cubbies on their tail for the top Wild Card at 2 games back. If our Pirates want to get in, they'd better make sure they go out and win. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

STEELERS

Our Steelers kicked off the week by obtaining their 3rd kicker of the preseason, trading a conditional draft pick to the Jags for Josh Scobee. This move puzzles Mrs. Black-N-Gold as they had Jay Feely in for a visit when they signed Garrett Hartley. Scobee brings with him a price tag that eats up more salary cap space and cost the team a draft pick. Really, all this could have been avoided had the Steelers brought in an extra leg to training camp.

More moves were made as the aforementioned Hartley and rookie CB Senquez Golson were placed on IR. Also, OL Mike Adams will start the season on the PUP list.

The NFL announced that they have denied WR Martvis Bryant's appeal of his 4-game suspension for marijuana use. That means Bryant, who was expected to have a breakout season, will miss a quarter of the Steelers regular season schedule. WR Darrius Heyward-Bey is expected to start in Bryant's absence.

The Steelers also re-structured some contracts this week to free up salary cap space. WR Antonio Brown, TE Heath Miller, K Shaun Suisham, and LB Lawrence Timmons all had their deals re-done. Hopefully, this makes AB a happy camper as he was not pleased with his previous salary structure.

The Steelers may have moved around some money in hopes of signing free agent NT Phil Taylor, who visited the South Side offices. However, the Steelers decided not to sign Taylor for health reasons (knee).

Thursday evening was the final tune-up for the regular season with the Steelers visiting Carolina. Unfortunately, the results were about the same. The lost to the Pantherw 23-6, finishing the preseason with a 1-4 mark. Mrs. Black-N-Gold understands that the preseason record doesn't count but she is concerned about the play of the Black-N-Gold during the exhibition season. She'll touch on that when she gives you her Steelers season preview tomorrow.

Meanwhile, more moves were made to get down to the 53-man roster limit. P Brad Wing was traded to the Giants for a conditional pick (perhaps the one we lost in the Scobee deal?). The Turk paid a visit to several players that hoped to catch on: RB Jawon Chisolm, RB Josh Harris, DL Matt Conrath, DL Ethan Hemer, DL Mike Thornton, S Jordan Dangerfield, S Alden Darby, S Gerod Holliman, OL Reese Dismukes, OL BJ Finney, OL Doug Legursky, CB Kevin Fogg, CB BW Webb, LB LJ Fort, LB Shayon Green, LB Howard Jones, WR Shakim Phillips, & WR Jarrod West. They placed OL Kevin Palmer and Mitchell Van Dyk on the Waived/Injured List. A signing was made as they added CB Ross Cockrell.

Sunday brought about more movement. They signed RB Jordan Todman and DE Caushaud Lyons and cut CB Doran Grant and DE/LB Anthony Chickillo.

The team captains were announced. Congrats to DL Cam Heyward (defense), QB Ben Roethlisberger (offense), CB William Gay (defense) and DB Robert Golden (special teams).

The Steelers also made it official as they placed C Maurkice Pouncey on the IR Return List. Pouncey is eligible to make his season-debut in the Oakland game. Legursky was brought back to take Pouncey's roster spot.

And now it's time for the games to count. The countdown to kickoff has begun as the Steelers travel to New England to square off against the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers will have their hands full since Tom Brady's suspension was overturned by a judge, voiding the Deflategate suspension. Meanwhile, the Steelers will be without the injured Pouncey and the suspended Bryant and RB Le'Veon Bell. Time to play like you mean it. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

PENGUINS

Our Penguins continue to get ready for training camp and the run to the Cup. Players have conducted their own workouts at the Pens training complex. One player who is getting into shape for the season is newly-acquired F Phil Kessel. Kessel has been training with former Penguin and fitness guru Gary Roberts. Reports are that the usually rotund Kessel has shed 13 pounds during the offseason. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is happy to hear this as one of the knocks on Kessel has been his lack of conditioning. Another strike against Kessel was his reluctance to play in the spotlight of hockey-crazed fans and media in Toronto.

 Mrs. Black-N-Gold can't help but wonder, if the Pens get off to a bad start, and Kessel plays particularly poor, will the crown-jewel of GM Jim Rutherford's offseason wilt under the scrutiny that a slow start would bring? Sure, Kessel is happy that most of the attention will be paid to C Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. But would a slow start out of the gates draw Kessel the fan's and media's ire? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to go there. Yet. Get ready for the season and ready to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. Let's Go Pens!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Got kind of tired of packing and unpacking! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in Cincy tonight as they battle the Reds. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Following yesterday's series-opening, error-filled 3-1 loss, the Buccos have dropped 6 of their last 8. There's good news and bad news. The good news is St Louie lost yesterday. The bad news is the Cubs beat them. The Bucs are still 5.5 back of St Louie in the NL Central but the Cubbies are 2 games behind the Bucs in the Wild Card with 26 games to play. You gotta win to get in! 2)The Pirates tied a season-high mark with 4 errors in yesterday's game. Gotta get better by flashing the leather! 3)LH Francisco Liriano, 9-7, 3.40 ERA starts for the Black-N-Gold. Cincy goes with rookie RH Raisel Iglesias, 3-6, 3.81 ERA. Iglesias gave up 2 runs in 6 2/3 in a 4-3 win on August 1. Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know about you but she's sick and tired of the Black-N-Gold getting wasted by these ham-and-eggers. You gotta want it to win it. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! You can't score 1 run and expect to win ballgames. We need more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me! Your Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to Cincinnati this afternoon as they battle the Reds. These are your keys for today's matinee. 1)The Pirates and Gerrit Cole got back on the winning track last night, pummeling St Louie 7-1 to take 2 outta 3. The win was powered by 13 hits, 3 of them homers. Chicks dig the long ball! 2)Don't look now but the Bucs are just 4-9 vs Cincy. Beat the good teams and beat up the bad teams! 3)The Pirates will go with LH Jeff Locke, 7-9, 4.66 ERA. Cincy counters with RH Anthony DeScalfani, 7-10, 3.87 ERA. DeScalfani is the kind of mediocre pitcher that thrives against the Bucco bats. Get to him early and show him the door with a big can o' Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Bright lights, big city! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series under the lights in St Louie tonight on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates start RH Gerrit Cole 15-8, 2.64 ERA. In Cole's past 7 starts, he's 1-4 with a 3.92 ERA. The Pirates have only totaled 13 runs for him in those 7 games. It's time to get the Cole Train back on the winning track! 2)St Louie goes with RH John Lackey, 11-8, 2.87 ERA. In 12 of his last 15 starts, Lackey has given up 2 runs or less. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD, hit him with more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Bucs have lost 5 of their last 6 games to fall 6.5 back in the NL Central. Winning tonight's matchup would give them a series win in this 3-game set. Time to make some Meatloaf. 2 outta 3 ain't bad! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Meet me in St Louie! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their showdown with St Louie this afternoon. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Pirates found the win column in a big way last night, taking the first game 9-3 on 17 hits. The Bucs were 8 for 16 with Bucs on the pond. How about some more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)Pirates send RH Charlie Morton, 8-6, 4.22 ERA to the mound. He'll face St Louie LH Jamie Garcia, 7-4, 2.03 ERA. Morton is 2-0 lifetime versus St Louie with a 5.58 ERA. We need Charlie to be the Ground Chuck that he was earlier in the season. Grind 'em up! 3)Believe it or not, St Louis has dropped 2 straight. If it's 3, it's for me! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Pennant fever. Catch it! your Pittsburgh Pirates open a HUGE 3-game series tonight for a showdown with the NL Central-leading St Louie Cardinals. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates were swept out of Milwaukee last night, 5-3 and have lost 4 in a row. Whether they were looking ahead to this series or not, the damage has been done. They sit 6.5 back in the division with 30 games to play, 6 head-to-head with St Louie starting tonight. The Bucs have said all season that their goal is go win the NL Central. It's put up or shut up time. Right the ship, find the win column and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Pirates start LH JA Happ, 7-7, 4.10 ERA. Happ has won his last 3 starts and has an ERA of 0.51 during that stretch. Have a Happy Happ Day! 3)St Louie sends RH Carlos Martinez, 13-6, 2.91 ERA, to the mound. Martinez has proven he can be rattled. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD. Hit him with everything you've got, with all the Hit, Run,
& Score you can muster! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Give us any chance, we'll take it. Read us any rule, we'll break it! Your Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series in Milwaukee tonight against the Brewers, hoping to salvage a win. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 9-4 loss the Pirates have dropped 3 straight. Milwaukee's Miller Park continues to be a House of Horrors for our Buccos. Take a bucket of holy water, a pound of garlic, a rabbit's foot, a 4-leaf clover and a priest and exorcise these demons. Don't forget to bring the Hit, Run, & Score and the Jolly Roger, too! 2)The Bucs start LH Francisco Liriano, 9-6, 3.28 ERA. The Pirates have won Frankie's last 11 starts. That's quite a feat. However, Frankie hasn't looked his sharpest in a loooong time. Be filthy, Frankie! 3)Milwaukee will go with RH Taylor Jungmann, 8-5, 2.48 ERA. Jungmann is 2-0 against the Buccos this season, giving up just 2 runs on 8 hits while fanning 10. To quote the great Jimi Hendrix, "That ain't too cool". Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Shlemiel, schlemazel! Your Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in Milwaukee tonight as they battle the Brewers. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Following last night's 7-4 loss, the Pirates have dropped 2 straight. #3 would not be great. Right the ship and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)Last night's loss coupled with St Louie's win now puts the Bucs at 6 back in the NL Central. Don't look now but the Cubbies are 4.5 back in the Wild Card, too. The Buccos look to get back in the win column as they start lefty Jeff Locke, 7-8, 4.46 ERA. Locke continues to fight for his spot in the rotation and help the Pirates avoid their first 3-game losing streak in 6 weeks. Time to shine! 3)The Bucs will face Brewers rookie R Zach Davies. Give him a big welcome to the Bigs. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD with some Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Sunday, Monday, happy days! Your Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to Milwaukee to battle their division rivals the Brewers in the first of a 3-game series tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Last time the Buccos visited Milwaukee, the Brewers swept them out of town. At 79-50 the Pirates have one of the best records in baseball. With a 55-75 record, Milwaukee has one of the worst. You have to beat the good teams and beat up the bad ones. Give 'em a big mug o' Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Pirates shuffled the rotation a little bit so that RH Gerrit Cole, 15-7, 2.44 ERA starts tonight. This also leaves Cole ready to pitch Sunday night in St Louie. Don't look too far ahead. Watch out for the trap series here. Ride the Cole Train to victory! 3)Milwaukee starts RH Jimmy Nelson, 10-10, 3.81 ERA. Nelson is another one of those mediocre pitchers that has the Bucs' number. It doesn't help that the Pirates are also 21-29 vs NL Central opponents. If you want to win the division, you have to beat the division. TCB, Take Care of Business! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!