THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PENGUINS
Our Pens finally received some good news on the injury front when it was announced that F Carl Hagelin and D Ben Lovejoy returned to practice. In anticipation of Hags' return, the Pens sent F Conor Sheary back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Pens celebrated a big win over Columbus on Friday night 3-2. G Marc-Andre Fleury made history as he won his 350th career game. Congrats to Flower. Unfortunately, the win wasn't all sunshine and unicorns. C Evgeni Malkin left the game with an apparent arm injury. Geno tried to return to the ice but ultimately had to finish the game with the medical staff. It was announced the next day that Geno was sent home to Pittsburgh for further testing. Further results determined that Geno will be out 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury. Get well soon, Geno!
More roster shuffling went down when F Tom Sestito was sent back to WB/S. In the process, Sheary was shuffled back to Pittsburgh. F Dominik Simon made the trip with him.
The Pens fought through adversity to defeat the Rangers at MSG on Sunday 5-3. The road trip must have done Sheary some good, he proceeded to record the 1st 2-goal game of his NHL career. Congrats to Conor!
Some of the youngsters from WB/S were rewarded for their efforts in Pittsburgh. The Pens signed Fs Tom Kuhnhackl, Bryan Rust and Scott Wilson to 2 year contract extensions. Baby Pens no more!
Last night the Pens topped the Islanders 2-1 in a shootout. They're currently 37-24-8 with 82 points. They're 3 points up on the Red Wings for the top Wild Card spot. They're only 3 points behind the Islanders and the Rangers. Keep finding the win column, every point counts. Let's Go Pens!!!
PIRATES
Spring is almost in the air. Can you feel the excitement? We're less than 3 weeks away from Opening Day. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced that LH Francisco Liriano will be the starter for our Buccos when they battle St Louie at PNC Park on April 3.
The Buccos made some roster moves over the weekend, too. They signed INF David Freese to a 1-year, $3 million contract. Freese could see action at 3B while Jung Ho Kang starts the season on the DL. To make room for Freese, the Pirates designated LH Jesse Biddle for assignment.
On Monday the Bucs made their 1st round of cuts. RHs Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon were optioned to Triple A Indy. RHs Chad Kuhl and Trevor Williams, LHs Steven Brault and Kelvin Marte, C Reese McGuire and OF Harold Ramirez were assigned to minor league camp. Ramirez will first participate in the World Baseball Classic qualifier for Colombia.
Mrs. Black-N-Gold secured her tickets for Opening Day. She may be in peanut heaven but at least she'll be in the ballpark cheering on the Buccos. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
STEELERS
Our Steelers started off the week with some good news. They were awareded a compensatory 6th round pick in this year's draft due to CB Brice McCain's free agent signing last season. From there, it all went downhill.
Saturday brought word that WR Martavis Bryant would be suspended for the entire 2016 season due to another violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Next came talk from Bryant's agent that the receiver would appeal the suspension and enter rehab immediately due to "depression and coping issues". His agent also said that Bryant didn't fail another drug test. He missed mandatory drug tests that were a requirement due to his previous suspension. On Monday, the NFL made the suspension official effective immedately and Bryant decided not to appeal.
Meanwhile, it was business as usual at the Steelers South Side facility. So far, they've hosted T Russell Okung, formerly of the Seahawks. Word is they offered Okung a contract but he failed to except it. They then hosted former Denver T Ryan Harris who promptly accepted their offer of 2 years, $3.9 million. Mrs. Black-N-Gold will keep you posted if/when there are any more free agent signings. Otherwise, it's time to start having college players in for interviews as a run-up to the draft. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
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