STEELERS
This past Sunday, our Steelers managed to snatch defeat from the hands of victory again. Really, if you think about it, of the Steelers 5 losses, at least 4 of them were games they should have won (Cincy, KC, Baltimorons and now, Seattle). Who knows? If they had good secondary, they may have even shut down New England in the first game. A good secondary. That's not a phrase that you hear around these parts lately. Unless someone is saying "boy, I wish we had a good secondary." And it's just getting worse. The Steelers passing defense has been passive at best. In their last 3 games, they've allowed QBs to put up over 300 yards passing per game. They've also surrendered 10 touchdowns in the span. The play of CBs Antwon Blake and Ross Cockrell has been especially horrendous. Which begs the question that is on all of Black-N-Gold Nation's lips: "Where is Brandon Boykin?". It's not like Boykin is the second coming of Darrelle Revise. At least you don't think so. How could anyone know. He's barely seen the field since they traded a draft pick for him back in August (except on special teams). The Steelers tried using the excuse that because Boykin was obtained late in preseason, he needed time to get acclimated to the defense. Well, guess what? Cockrell was picked up on waivers at the beginning of September and he's on the field. At his weekly press conference, Coach Tomlin implied that a change may be coming in the secondary. Hopefully that change is to the cornerback position. Maybe rookie CB Doran Grant may even get some playing time. But come Sunday night against Indy, we'll see if Boykin has worked his way out of Tomlin's doghouse and into the lineup. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
Mrs. Black-N-Gold has always heard that Pens C Sidney Crosby is the consumate professional. As the Captain he's always expected to conduct himself in the most businesslike fashion. However, Sid has been mired in a slump that stems back to last season. Of course there were rumors that he dictates where he is positioned on the power play. There has also been word that Sid wants specific players to play on the top line with him. This week, Sid got his wish. Head Coach Mike Johnston has returned both Pascal Dupuis and now, Chris Kunitz to play alongside Sid on the top line. Mrs. Black-N-Gold can't help but wonder, was Sid's slump really just a ruse all along, intended to get Duper and Kuni back on his line? Will the fans and the media harp on this subject if Sid's continues to play down to his abilities? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't want to see this come to a head. She wants Sid to get on the stick and return to his form as the Best Player in the NHL. Let's Go Pens!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates have made nary a ripple in the free agent pool, thus far. That's really no big deal considering the GM meetings in Nashville don't begin until next week. Some big ticket pitchers have already been taken off the market in Jordan Zimmerman and David Price. We can't forget the Bucs were losers in the JA Happ sweepstakes, either. How many of you really expected the Bucs to be in on the bidding for Zimmerman and/or Price. Not to mention Grienke, Cueto, Chris Davis, etc. But fans did hope they were able to bring back Happ. Conventional wisdom says the Blue Jays overpaid for the lefty. When is the last time you heard anyone accuse the Pirates of overspending? It was probably a few years ago when they brought C Russell Martin into the fold. Since then? Nothing. Zero. Zilch. It is completely Buccos owner Bob Nutting's right not to spend copious amounts of cash on players. It's a free country. He may do with his/our money as he sees fit. And that's the point. Mrs. Black-N-Gold certainly tries to look at things through Black-N-Gold colored glasses but to think, no, EXPECT the Pirates to break the bank in free agency or even on their own players is just not realistic. They never have. They never will. It's sad but true. These fans that demand the Pirates to go out and bring in Davis to play 1B or expect the Pirates to land a big fish like Price are just living a pipe dream (better lay off that pipe!). Mrs. Black-N-Gold would love nothing more than to see the Pirates when a playoff series, a divsion title, and especially a World Series before she leaves this earth. It's not going to happen with Bottom Dollar Bob. And he's duped Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Josh Harrison and Francisco Liriano into believing he wants to win. That's why the Bucs were able to low-ball these players into long-term contracts. Not so with Neil Walker. Not so with Gerrit Cole. And they're scared to break the glass on their farm system because they don't want the arbitration clock to start with those players, either. It's a sad fact of life. The sooner we all realize this and just enjoy the ride, the better off we'll all be. If the Pirates should win a World Series in the process, we'll be all the more happier. Happy Hot Stove! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
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