BLACKNGOLDNAT
Saturday, October 29, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Call Arnold Slick from Turtle Crick and tell him it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins hit the road to phaceoff against their cross-state rivals, the Philly Phlyers tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With Thursday night's 4-2 win over the Isles, the Pens exceeded 3 goals for the 1st time this season. It's all about the Goals, Goals, Goals, baby! 2)The Pens have won 2 in a row. If it's 3, it's for me! 3)The Pens have the 4th most penalties in the NHL. They also tend to lose their cool in Philly. Keep your wits about you and your head on straight. We don't like them and they don't like us. Be on their case and in their phace! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Friday, October 28, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
Stop the presses! Stop the presses! Mrs. Black-N-Gold is back with all The Black-N-Gold News for you. She's got Penguins. She's got Steelers. She's got Pirates. Oh my!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PENGUINS
Our Pens season has only just begun but so have the injuries. D Derrick Pouliot was placed on IR last week. In his place, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team called up D David Warsofsky from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Get well soon, Derrick!
The Pens have look lackadaisical, of late, especially in last Saturday's 5-1 loss in Nashville. They returned home on Tuesday and C Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup. Sid's return helped spark the Pens in a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Panthers. Sid lit the lamp again last night with the game-winner in a 4-2 victory over the Islanders.
The Pens hit the road tomorrow night to faceoff with the Flyers in Philly. Let's Go Pens!!!!
STEELERS
Our Steelers were short-handed for their games versus the New England Patriots this past Sunday. The injury-bug continued to hit our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team as they fell to the Pats 27-16.
Now it's time to get rested and healed during the bye week. Then they'll hit the road for a division matchup with the Baltimorons on November 6.
In the meantime, TE Ladarius Green actually practiced with the team as he attempts to come back from ankle surgery. QB Ben Roethlisberger also practiced, although it was more individual drills than team activities.
Hopefully they'll start feeling better and help the team get back in the win column next week. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates made some moves within the coaching staff this week. Our Favorite Black-N-Gold team dismissed 3B Coach Rick Sofield and re-assigned 1B Coach Nick Leyva. Altoona manager Joey Cora is expected to take Sof's place at 3B.
LF Starling Marte was named to the Sporting News NL All-Star Team. Congrats to the Marte Partay! Our man Marte may garner more accolades this offseason. He's been named a finalist for a Rawlings Gold Glove. If he wins, it will be for the 2nd straight season. Good luck, Marte.
Hopefully the Pirates will produce a whole lot more All-Stars in the 2017 season. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
PENGUINS
Our Pens season has only just begun but so have the injuries. D Derrick Pouliot was placed on IR last week. In his place, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team called up D David Warsofsky from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Get well soon, Derrick!
The Pens have look lackadaisical, of late, especially in last Saturday's 5-1 loss in Nashville. They returned home on Tuesday and C Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup. Sid's return helped spark the Pens in a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Panthers. Sid lit the lamp again last night with the game-winner in a 4-2 victory over the Islanders.
The Pens hit the road tomorrow night to faceoff with the Flyers in Philly. Let's Go Pens!!!!
STEELERS
Our Steelers were short-handed for their games versus the New England Patriots this past Sunday. The injury-bug continued to hit our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team as they fell to the Pats 27-16.
Now it's time to get rested and healed during the bye week. Then they'll hit the road for a division matchup with the Baltimorons on November 6.
In the meantime, TE Ladarius Green actually practiced with the team as he attempts to come back from ankle surgery. QB Ben Roethlisberger also practiced, although it was more individual drills than team activities.
Hopefully they'll start feeling better and help the team get back in the win column next week. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates made some moves within the coaching staff this week. Our Favorite Black-N-Gold team dismissed 3B Coach Rick Sofield and re-assigned 1B Coach Nick Leyva. Altoona manager Joey Cora is expected to take Sof's place at 3B.
LF Starling Marte was named to the Sporting News NL All-Star Team. Congrats to the Marte Partay! Our man Marte may garner more accolades this offseason. He's been named a finalist for a Rawlings Gold Glove. If he wins, it will be for the 2nd straight season. Good luck, Marte.
Hopefully the Pirates will produce a whole lot more All-Stars in the 2017 season. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Thursday, October 27, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Eddie spaghetti, it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins faceoff against the New York Islanders tonight at PPG Paints Arena. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens look to stay in the win column following Tuesday night's come-from-behind 3-2 win over the Panthers. It's seems like our boys always have to claw their way back into the game. Be 60 minute men! 2)Don't look now but the Pens are ranked 28th in the league in goals per game at a paltry 2.1. Fire up the Goals, Goals, Goals! 3)The Isles are 1st in the NHL on the penalty kill at 95.5%. It's the opposite end of the spectrum for them on the power play. They're 29th with 6.7%. Make those special teams special! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
THE BULLPEN
There's no crying in baseball! There is if you're Mrs. Black-N-Gold and our Pittsburgh Pirates aren't playing in the World Series. Again. But the Fall Classic gets under way tonight as the Chicago Cubs clash with the Cleveland Indians. Either way, one team is going to end a looong World Series drought when they win. Or, can MLB go on strike before the 1st pitch? Wishful thinking but that's doubtful. Today Mrs. Black-N-Gold breaks the matchup down scientifically to give you her thought-provoking prediction for the 2016 World Series.
FANS
Chicago-If Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't have to see Bill Murray's mug adorned in Cubs garb again, it will be too soon. Same with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Then there's comedian Bob Newhart, he wasn't alive when the Cubs last won in 1908, but it's close.
Cleveland-Comedian/game show-host Drew Carey has worn his Cleveland fandom for years, even before it was considered cool. NBA star LeBron James won't get to make it to opening night in Cleveland, he's got a little ring ceremony of his own to participate in as his Cavs receive their rings the same night. One fan that should be available for the game is former late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall.
Advantage-Cubs
MUSIC
Chicago-While Vedder is originally from Chicago, his band Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone and the Seattle grunge scene. Of course, there is the band Chicago. They were alright until they let Peter Cetera get behind the mike. But you can't deny Chicago Blues. All of that makes up for Styx, Survivor and REO Speedwagon.
Cleveland-Only Cleveland would have a song called "Cleveland Rocks" that was written by an English musician (Ian Hunter and Mott the Hopple). Mrs. Black-N-Gold remembers the Michael Stanley Band opening up for Donnie Iris. Joe Walsh was in the James Gang before he became a hired hand for the Eagles. Nine Inch Nails got their start in Cleveland. And Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are from the Mistake by the Lake. Cleveland does have this little tourist trap in their town that you may have heard of: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sorry, Cleveland. To quote Muddy Waters-"The blues had a baby and they called it rock & roll." Without the Blues (Chicago) there would be no rock & roll (Cleveland).
Advantage-Chicago
FOOD
Chicago-One of the most famous delicacies to hail from the Windy City is their deep dish pizza, a delectable combination of pizza dough, tomato sauce and cheese. Another culinary classic is the Chicago-style hot dog. It's a dog dressed in mustard, relish, tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, onions and sports peppers. Hmmmmm. Mrs. Black-N-Gold will stick with the pizza.
Cleveland-Mrs. Black-N-Gold read that Cleveland is famous for its city chicken. There isn't even chicken in city chicken. They're also known for a sandwich that's called the Polish Boy. It's kielbasa on a bun covered with barbecue sauce or hot sauce and french fries and coleslaw. This sandwich sounds a little too familiar to Mrs. Black-N-Gold.
Advantage-Chicago
PITTSBURGH
Chicago-The Cubs have turned former Pirates C David Ross into a Chicago icon thanks to Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and the "Grandpa Rossy" moniker.
Cleveland-We all know that Cleveland manager Terry Francona was raised in the 'Burgh. His father Tito is from Aliquippa. But did you know the Indians had little-used and light-hitting Pirates INF Michael Martinez on their roster this season? They also have former Pirate OF Rajai Davis.
Advantage-Cleveland (or Disadvantage, depending how you look at it).
And there you have it. Now the only thing left for Mrs. Black-N-Gold to do is make here pick. What's it gonna be? Cubs? Indians? Awww, you already know the answer to that 'cause I sold my soul for Black-N-Gold. Wait till next year! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
FANS
Chicago-If Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't have to see Bill Murray's mug adorned in Cubs garb again, it will be too soon. Same with Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Then there's comedian Bob Newhart, he wasn't alive when the Cubs last won in 1908, but it's close.
Cleveland-Comedian/game show-host Drew Carey has worn his Cleveland fandom for years, even before it was considered cool. NBA star LeBron James won't get to make it to opening night in Cleveland, he's got a little ring ceremony of his own to participate in as his Cavs receive their rings the same night. One fan that should be available for the game is former late-night talk show host Arsenio Hall.
Advantage-Cubs
MUSIC
Chicago-While Vedder is originally from Chicago, his band Pearl Jam rose from the ashes of Mother Love Bone and the Seattle grunge scene. Of course, there is the band Chicago. They were alright until they let Peter Cetera get behind the mike. But you can't deny Chicago Blues. All of that makes up for Styx, Survivor and REO Speedwagon.
Cleveland-Only Cleveland would have a song called "Cleveland Rocks" that was written by an English musician (Ian Hunter and Mott the Hopple). Mrs. Black-N-Gold remembers the Michael Stanley Band opening up for Donnie Iris. Joe Walsh was in the James Gang before he became a hired hand for the Eagles. Nine Inch Nails got their start in Cleveland. And Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are from the Mistake by the Lake. Cleveland does have this little tourist trap in their town that you may have heard of: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sorry, Cleveland. To quote Muddy Waters-"The blues had a baby and they called it rock & roll." Without the Blues (Chicago) there would be no rock & roll (Cleveland).
Advantage-Chicago
FOOD
Chicago-One of the most famous delicacies to hail from the Windy City is their deep dish pizza, a delectable combination of pizza dough, tomato sauce and cheese. Another culinary classic is the Chicago-style hot dog. It's a dog dressed in mustard, relish, tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, onions and sports peppers. Hmmmmm. Mrs. Black-N-Gold will stick with the pizza.
Cleveland-Mrs. Black-N-Gold read that Cleveland is famous for its city chicken. There isn't even chicken in city chicken. They're also known for a sandwich that's called the Polish Boy. It's kielbasa on a bun covered with barbecue sauce or hot sauce and french fries and coleslaw. This sandwich sounds a little too familiar to Mrs. Black-N-Gold.
Advantage-Chicago
PITTSBURGH
Chicago-The Cubs have turned former Pirates C David Ross into a Chicago icon thanks to Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and the "Grandpa Rossy" moniker.
Cleveland-We all know that Cleveland manager Terry Francona was raised in the 'Burgh. His father Tito is from Aliquippa. But did you know the Indians had little-used and light-hitting Pirates INF Michael Martinez on their roster this season? They also have former Pirate OF Rajai Davis.
Advantage-Cleveland (or Disadvantage, depending how you look at it).
And there you have it. Now the only thing left for Mrs. Black-N-Gold to do is make here pick. What's it gonna be? Cubs? Indians? Awww, you already know the answer to that 'cause I sold my soul for Black-N-Gold. Wait till next year! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
SLAP SHOTS
Michael, Michael, motorcycle, it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins return to the home ice of PPG Paints Arena tonight to faceoff against the Florida Panthers. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens are coming off another embarrassing road loss, Saturday night's stinker in Nashville, 5-1. One goal isn't going to get it. Give us Goals, Goals, Goals! 2)The defense has gone into hibernation with the injury to Kris Letang. Pull yourselves together. We need the D! 3)There was a Sidney sighting at Pens practice yesterday. The only thing was, C Sidney Crosby wasn't wearing his usual non-contact sweater. Will the Captain make an appearance on the ice tonight? Slap me silly! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Monday, October 24, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
What the "L"? Our Pittsburgh Steelers lost their 2nd game in a row yesterday, falling to the New England Patriots 27-16 at Heinz Field. For better or worse, Mrs. Black-N-Gold looks at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from yesterday's contest.
GOOD
Some people may find solace in the fact that the Steelers hung with the Pats for most of the game. And that after a rocky start, QB Landry Jones played a decent game in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger. But this is the NFL, folks. There are no moral victories. The only good thing about this game is that our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team has a bye next week. That gives them time to rest, heal and re-group for their divisional battle in Baltimore in 2 weeks.
BAD
Do you know what's bad? When you get a team that rarely makes mistakes to commit 2 turnovers and you come away with 0 points. How can you allow this to happen? It's also bad when your head coach chooses to attempt a 54 yard field goal when your down 27-16 in the 4th quarter on a 4th and 2. Coach Tomlin, why aren't you going for it? K Chris Boswell missed his 2nd field goal of the day on that try and the Steelers gave the ball back to New England on downs. That seems like some bad coaching to Mrs. Black-N-Gold.
UGLY
10 penalties for 85 yards was very ugly. The Steelers hung with New England for most of the game but an unnecessary roughness penalty, false starts on offense, holding on a punt return and offensive pass interference penalties certainly didn't help the Steelers cause. After looking like a well-disciplined team earlier in the season, the Steelers have recently reverted back to their sloppy, undisciplined ways. Clean it up or it will continue to be ugly.
Most of the AFC North stayed in the loss column yesterday. The Steelers fell to 4-3 but still lead the division. The Bungles won and the Baltimorons lost. They're now in a tie for 2nd at 3-4. The Clowns continue to be cellar dwellers with their latest loss putting them at 0-7.
As Mrs. Black-N-Gold said, the Steelers get the week off. Hopefully, when they return to action in Baltimore on November 6, they'll have some starters return from injury (Cam and/or Ben perhaps? Or will we see Bud Dupree come off IR or Ladarius Green make his long-awaited debut from the PUP list?). Yesterday's loss was to an AFC rival so that's not good. However, the Steelers can still take the division and try to get a bye and/or home playoff game. Either one would go a long way. But first, they've got to beat the Baltimorons on the road. Get ready to get back in the win column. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
GOOD
Some people may find solace in the fact that the Steelers hung with the Pats for most of the game. And that after a rocky start, QB Landry Jones played a decent game in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger. But this is the NFL, folks. There are no moral victories. The only good thing about this game is that our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team has a bye next week. That gives them time to rest, heal and re-group for their divisional battle in Baltimore in 2 weeks.
BAD
Do you know what's bad? When you get a team that rarely makes mistakes to commit 2 turnovers and you come away with 0 points. How can you allow this to happen? It's also bad when your head coach chooses to attempt a 54 yard field goal when your down 27-16 in the 4th quarter on a 4th and 2. Coach Tomlin, why aren't you going for it? K Chris Boswell missed his 2nd field goal of the day on that try and the Steelers gave the ball back to New England on downs. That seems like some bad coaching to Mrs. Black-N-Gold.
UGLY
10 penalties for 85 yards was very ugly. The Steelers hung with New England for most of the game but an unnecessary roughness penalty, false starts on offense, holding on a punt return and offensive pass interference penalties certainly didn't help the Steelers cause. After looking like a well-disciplined team earlier in the season, the Steelers have recently reverted back to their sloppy, undisciplined ways. Clean it up or it will continue to be ugly.
Most of the AFC North stayed in the loss column yesterday. The Steelers fell to 4-3 but still lead the division. The Bungles won and the Baltimorons lost. They're now in a tie for 2nd at 3-4. The Clowns continue to be cellar dwellers with their latest loss putting them at 0-7.
As Mrs. Black-N-Gold said, the Steelers get the week off. Hopefully, when they return to action in Baltimore on November 6, they'll have some starters return from injury (Cam and/or Ben perhaps? Or will we see Bud Dupree come off IR or Ladarius Green make his long-awaited debut from the PUP list?). Yesterday's loss was to an AFC rival so that's not good. However, the Steelers can still take the division and try to get a bye and/or home playoff game. Either one would go a long way. But first, they've got to beat the Baltimorons on the road. Get ready to get back in the win column. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
Yoi and double yoi! Our Pittsburgh Steelers look to get back in the win column this afternoon at Heinz Field when they battle the AFC East-leading New England Patriots. These are your keys for today's game. 1)Ok, Steelers. It's time to pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off and shake off last week's loss in Miami, where the Steelers were dismantled by the Dolphins 30-15. Sure, there is a laundry list of starters out for this game but the plan remains the same. Bring your A game! 2)The Steelers need to impose their will and control the line of scrimmage in this battle or it's going to be another long day. Surely there are some players on the defense that would love nothing more than to rock Pats QB Tom Brady's world. And don't forget about their twin tight end threat, Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 3)QB Landry Jones has to step up and show us what he's got in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger. Putting points on the board early is a good way to start the day. Don't wait to see what the New England defense gives you. Take what you can get. Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Saturday, October 22, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Hop in the Cordova, baby, we're going bowling; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins take their show on the road to Nashville tonight to faceoff against the Predators. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens came back to find the win column Thursday night in a 3-2 thriller over San Jose, scoring all 3 goals in the 3rd period. While that's cool that the Pens were able to come back and win it, sleepwalking through the 1st 2 periods is not a good thing. You gotta play all 60 minutes! 2)This is the 2nd of back-to-back games for the Preds. They fell last night in Detroit, 5-3. A win in Music City would be music to my ears! 3)The high flying Pens have yet to reach 4 or more goals in a game this season. They're facing a Nashville team that has high expectations but has stumbled to 1-3-0 to start the season. Turn up the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Friday, October 21, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Mrs. Black-N-Gold has all The Black-N-Gold News for you. She has the latest on our favorite teams the Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates. It's only Black-N-Gold, but we like it.
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Following last week's performance in the win against the Jets, QB Ben Roethlisberger was named FedEx Air Player of the Week. Congrats, Big Ben!
There was a rumor last week that free agent signee TE Ladarius Green was close to practicing with our favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team in anticipation of coming off the PUP list. That has not happened, as of yet. If/when Green does take the field, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will let you know.
Roster moves were made between the practice squad and the team as injuries continued to wreck havoc with the Steelers depth chart. CB Al-Hajj Shabazz was released and WR Cobi Hamilton was promoted from the practice squad in the run-up to the Dolphins game.
The moves didn't help much. The Steelers were embarrassed in Miami by a score of 30-15. Hamilton did catch his 1st NFL TD pass. Congrats to Cobi! The Steelers suffered another kind of loss in this game. #7 tore the meniscus in his left knee. Ben had an MRI Sunday night and surgery on Monday to repair the tear. Word was that he'd miss at least 1 game. Now it's said that he could be out 4-6 weeks. Get well soon, Ben!
More roster shuffling took place. OL Brian Mihalik was signed while OL Matt Feiler was released. Feiler was then signed to the practice squad as OL Austin Shepherd was released.
The AFC East-leading New England Patriots come to town for a 4:25pm kickoff at Heinz Field on Sunday. It's a chance for QB Landry Jones and the rest of the backups to shine and keep the Steelers from losing a 2nd straight game. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Pens made a roster move leading up to last week's opener. They claimed G Mike Condon off waivers from Montreal to backup Marc-Andre Fleury and sent Tristan Jarry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
An announcement was made that Pens owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle no longer had the team up for sale. What is Mrs. Black-N-Gold supposed to do with the money she'd been socking away in an effort to buy her Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team?
The Pens hit the ice for real last week when they raised the banner and opened against the Washington Capitals. The Pens started the season on a winning note, pulling out a 3-2 shootout win. A few days later, they defeated the Anaheim Ducks by the same score of 3-2.
The Pens suffered their 1st loss of the season to finish up their homestand, falling to the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in OT. They then took their show on the road to Montreal and were blanked by the Canadiens 4-0. In that game both F Conor Sheary (eye) and D Kris Letang (upper body) suffered injuries. Coach Mike Sullivan listed them as day-to-day. In other injury news, G Matt Murray (hand) has resumed practicing with the team but remains out of the lineup. Speaking of Murray, his hand was healed up enough to recently sign a 3 year contract extension. Congrats, to Double M!
Last night the Pens returned to home ice for a Stanley Cup Finals rematch with San Jose. Down 2-0 in the 3rd, down to 4 defensemen, the Pens came from behind to sink the Sharks 3-2. Saturday night they look to stay in the win column with a win in Music City. Let's Go Pens!!!!
PIRATES
This week in Pirates history, the 1971 and 1979 Pirates became World Series Champions. Will we ever see another for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know, she just hopes so. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Following last week's performance in the win against the Jets, QB Ben Roethlisberger was named FedEx Air Player of the Week. Congrats, Big Ben!
There was a rumor last week that free agent signee TE Ladarius Green was close to practicing with our favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team in anticipation of coming off the PUP list. That has not happened, as of yet. If/when Green does take the field, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will let you know.
Roster moves were made between the practice squad and the team as injuries continued to wreck havoc with the Steelers depth chart. CB Al-Hajj Shabazz was released and WR Cobi Hamilton was promoted from the practice squad in the run-up to the Dolphins game.
The moves didn't help much. The Steelers were embarrassed in Miami by a score of 30-15. Hamilton did catch his 1st NFL TD pass. Congrats to Cobi! The Steelers suffered another kind of loss in this game. #7 tore the meniscus in his left knee. Ben had an MRI Sunday night and surgery on Monday to repair the tear. Word was that he'd miss at least 1 game. Now it's said that he could be out 4-6 weeks. Get well soon, Ben!
More roster shuffling took place. OL Brian Mihalik was signed while OL Matt Feiler was released. Feiler was then signed to the practice squad as OL Austin Shepherd was released.
The AFC East-leading New England Patriots come to town for a 4:25pm kickoff at Heinz Field on Sunday. It's a chance for QB Landry Jones and the rest of the backups to shine and keep the Steelers from losing a 2nd straight game. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Pens made a roster move leading up to last week's opener. They claimed G Mike Condon off waivers from Montreal to backup Marc-Andre Fleury and sent Tristan Jarry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
An announcement was made that Pens owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle no longer had the team up for sale. What is Mrs. Black-N-Gold supposed to do with the money she'd been socking away in an effort to buy her Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team?
The Pens hit the ice for real last week when they raised the banner and opened against the Washington Capitals. The Pens started the season on a winning note, pulling out a 3-2 shootout win. A few days later, they defeated the Anaheim Ducks by the same score of 3-2.
The Pens suffered their 1st loss of the season to finish up their homestand, falling to the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in OT. They then took their show on the road to Montreal and were blanked by the Canadiens 4-0. In that game both F Conor Sheary (eye) and D Kris Letang (upper body) suffered injuries. Coach Mike Sullivan listed them as day-to-day. In other injury news, G Matt Murray (hand) has resumed practicing with the team but remains out of the lineup. Speaking of Murray, his hand was healed up enough to recently sign a 3 year contract extension. Congrats, to Double M!
Last night the Pens returned to home ice for a Stanley Cup Finals rematch with San Jose. Down 2-0 in the 3rd, down to 4 defensemen, the Pens came from behind to sink the Sharks 3-2. Saturday night they look to stay in the win column with a win in Music City. Let's Go Pens!!!!
PIRATES
This week in Pirates history, the 1971 and 1979 Pirates became World Series Champions. Will we ever see another for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know, she just hopes so. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Thursday, October 20, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Great balls of fire, it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins return home to PPG Paints Arena tonight for a Stanley Cup Finals rematch with the San Jose Sharks. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Following Tuesday's pathetic 4-0 loss at Montreal, the Pens have lost 2 straight. #3 would not be great. You've got to score to get on the board. It's all about Goals, Goals, Goals! 2)In their latest loss, the Pens were 0-8 on the power play. That's not the Penguins-way. Take advantage of the man-advantage. Man-up! 3)The Penguins continue to log big minutes in the penalty box, too. This won't do. Stay outta the box and put it on the net! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Let's go hunt moose on a Harley; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins take their show on the road to Montreal tonight to faceoff against the Canadiens. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)This is the 2nd of back-to-back games for the Pens. They suffered their 1st loss of the season last night when they fell to the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in OT. Mrs. Black-N-Gold knew they wouldn't go 82-0. She's good with 81-1. Gimme a W! 2)Sloppy play helped lead the way to last night's loss, with a total of 6 penalties. Keep your heads outta your a$$ and stay outta the box! 3)Montreal is 4th in the league in goals against, allowing just an average of 2 per game. Score early, score often, score BIG Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Monday, October 17, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
To quote those great English poets, Led Zeppelin, "the song remains the same." Our Pittsburgh Steelers continue to have trouble with sub-.500 teams on the road. They demonstrated this again yesterday in their 30-15 loss at Miami. How did they loss to a 1-4 team? Oh, let Mrs. Black-N-Gold count the ways. Today she brings you The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from yesterday's loss.
GOOD
What could be good about this loss? Well, although it was against another AFC team, at least it wasn't a division opponent. Also, the rest of the AFC North lost yesterday. It's not much to go on but it is something good.
BAD
This game seemed bad from the get-go. Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't really remember hearing many Steelers players names mentioned throughout the course of the day unless it was for the wrong reasons such as missed tackles, stupid penalties and bone-headed moves. Our favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team never really had a chance to get things going, not when they lost the time-of-possession battle 36:30 to 23:30. Just like the loss in Philly, the Steelers didn't look at all prepared for this matchup. QB Ben Roethlisberger was one of the biggest reasons for this loss. Big Ben was brought down twice by the Miami D and was picked off twice, as well. #7 was 19 of 34 for 189 yards and a paltry 57.1 passer rating. Even before Ben's knee injury and subsequent return, he seemed to be off his game. Maybe his offensive line didn't give him enough time in the pocket. Or maybe his receivers weren't getting open. Or all of the above. Make no mistake, it was a bad performance not matter how you slice it.
UGLY
Speaking of slicing the Steelers defense was sliced up more than a carrot in a Cuisinart. They allowed Miami RB Jay Ajayi (who?) to run roughshod over them, rushing for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns, good for an 8.2 yard average. They also only recorded 2 QB hits and 0 sacks on much-maligned Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. It was enough to make you want to through up, much like Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons did yesterday. He probably made himself sick from chasing around after Dolphins players in the Miami heat all afternoon. Now Mrs. Black-N-Gold is aware that the Steelers had many injured players sit this one out yesterday. A big problem was that the next men didn't step up as they had been. The league has gotten some film on these guys now and has made the necessary adjustments. It's time for our men to push back. If they don't, it will continue to get ugly.
As Mrs. Black-N-Gold said earlier, all the Steelers AFC North rivals lost as well so the Steelers are still on top at 4-2. The Baltimorons are 2nd with a 3-3 record. The Bungles follow with a 2-4 mark. The Clowns continue to search for a win in the basement at 0-6.
Next week doesn't look to get any easier as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots come to town. A win in this game could go a long way in deciding home field advantage and/or a bye come playoff time. Hopefully the Steelers can get some injured players back for this one before they go into the bye week. Get back in that win column and stay there. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
GOOD
What could be good about this loss? Well, although it was against another AFC team, at least it wasn't a division opponent. Also, the rest of the AFC North lost yesterday. It's not much to go on but it is something good.
BAD
This game seemed bad from the get-go. Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't really remember hearing many Steelers players names mentioned throughout the course of the day unless it was for the wrong reasons such as missed tackles, stupid penalties and bone-headed moves. Our favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team never really had a chance to get things going, not when they lost the time-of-possession battle 36:30 to 23:30. Just like the loss in Philly, the Steelers didn't look at all prepared for this matchup. QB Ben Roethlisberger was one of the biggest reasons for this loss. Big Ben was brought down twice by the Miami D and was picked off twice, as well. #7 was 19 of 34 for 189 yards and a paltry 57.1 passer rating. Even before Ben's knee injury and subsequent return, he seemed to be off his game. Maybe his offensive line didn't give him enough time in the pocket. Or maybe his receivers weren't getting open. Or all of the above. Make no mistake, it was a bad performance not matter how you slice it.
UGLY
Speaking of slicing the Steelers defense was sliced up more than a carrot in a Cuisinart. They allowed Miami RB Jay Ajayi (who?) to run roughshod over them, rushing for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns, good for an 8.2 yard average. They also only recorded 2 QB hits and 0 sacks on much-maligned Miami QB Ryan Tannehill. It was enough to make you want to through up, much like Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons did yesterday. He probably made himself sick from chasing around after Dolphins players in the Miami heat all afternoon. Now Mrs. Black-N-Gold is aware that the Steelers had many injured players sit this one out yesterday. A big problem was that the next men didn't step up as they had been. The league has gotten some film on these guys now and has made the necessary adjustments. It's time for our men to push back. If they don't, it will continue to get ugly.
As Mrs. Black-N-Gold said earlier, all the Steelers AFC North rivals lost as well so the Steelers are still on top at 4-2. The Baltimorons are 2nd with a 3-3 record. The Bungles follow with a 2-4 mark. The Clowns continue to search for a win in the basement at 0-6.
Next week doesn't look to get any easier as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots come to town. A win in this game could go a long way in deciding home field advantage and/or a bye come playoff time. Hopefully the Steelers can get some injured players back for this one before they go into the bye week. Get back in that win column and stay there. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
SLAP SHOTS
Mrs. Black-N-Gold is smiling like a butcher's dog 'cause it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins wrap up their homestand tonight at PPG Paints Arena when they faceoff against the Colorado Avalanche. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens have opened the season in winning fashion, getting off to a 2-0-0 start. If it's 3, it's for me! 2)The Pens power play has been impressive in the early going. They are ranked 4th in the league at a 40% clip. Take advantage of the man-advantage! 3)Colorado is ranked 1st in the NHL in goals per game at 6. However, they're 28th in goals against, averaging 5 per game. Rock the Avalanche with Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Sunday, October 16, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
Fins to the left, Fins to the right! Our Pittsburgh Steelers take their show on the road to Miami this afternoon to battle the Dolphins. These are your keys to today's game. 1)The Steelers sit all alone atop the AFC North with a 4-1 mark. In all of their wins, they've scored 24 or more. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)The Dolphins are at the other end of the spectrum as they sit at the bottom of the AFC East (along with the Steelers latest victim, the Jets) with a 1-4 record. In their most recent loss, Miami QB Ryan Tannehill threw 2 picks and was sacked by Tennesse 6 times. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)Although the Fins are bottom-feaders, that's no reason to take them lightly. And no looking ahead to next week's opponent. Keep your head on straight and beware the trap game. Do NOT play down to the level of competition. Take care of business! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Get in the fastlane, Grandma, the bingo game is ready to roll 'cause it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins return to the ice tonight to faceoff against the Anaheim Ducks at PPG Paints Arena. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)G Marc-Andre Fleury showed no rust as he stopped 39 shots in Thursday's home opener, a 3-2 shootout win. Flower Power! 2)The Ducks come to town on the heels of a 4-2 loss Thursday to the Dallas Stars, so they're still looking for the win column. Sink the Ducks! 3)The Pens scored twice in regulation on Thursday and had 3 players light the lamp in the shootout, C Evgeni Malkin, D Kris Letang, and F Phil Kessel with the game-winner. Crank up the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Thursday, October 13, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins begin defense of the Stanley Cup tonight when the banner is raised and the puck is dropped at the newly-christened PPG Paints Arena versus the Washington Capitals. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens are without Stanley Cup winning G Matt Murray and Conn Smythe winning C Sidney Crosby. Take a Steelers-like approach tonight. Next man up! 2)Remember the exciting series the Pens had with the Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring? Mrs. Black-N-Gold is sure the Caps do, too. Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)How long has it been since we cranked up the Motley Crue, too? Goals, Goals, Goals, baby! Let's Go Pens!!!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
SLAP SHOTS
Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, it's time to raise the banner and drop the puck on another season of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey! The defending Stanley Cup Champions open their season at home against the President's trophy-winning Washington Capitals at the newly-christened PPG Paints Arena this Thursday night. Can our Pens repeat? Mrs. Black takes at look at the upcoming season for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team.
1)Can our Pens repeat? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't see why not. The only player of significance that was lost in the offseason was D Ben Lovejoy in free agency. The Reverend ended up having a terrific year last season but his best days are probably behind him. Besides, with D Kris Letang, Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley, Brian Dumoulin, Ian Cole and Justin Schultz, the Pens appear stacked in the defensmen department.
2)What about the goalie situation? What about it? Having 2 Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders seems look a good problem to have. And with Matt Murray nursing a broken hand that was suffered in the World Cup of Hockey, this gives Marc-Andre Fleury a chance to shake off some of the rust following last spring's layoff. GM Jim Rutherford knows what he's doing. It's a good move that he didn't make any move this offseason to unload either Fleury or Murray. What's the hurry? Go with the two-headed monster as long as you can.
3)How will the youngsters fare this year? Make no mistake, the Baby Pens helped bring Lord Stanley back to Pittsburgh and grew up before our very eyes in the process. Will they capitalize on that success this season? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't see why not. And there's more of them waiting in the wings at Wilkes-Barre. It helped that so many of them made the jump to the NHL together last season. The sky is the limit for these kids and this team.
4)Mrs. Black-N-Gold is going to take this portion of the preview to make some (not-so-bold) predictions. She was going to say right here that C Sidney Crosby was going to parlay last spring's Conn Smythe award and his MVP run in the World Cup of Hockey, into another Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, that plan is temporarily on hold until Sid recovers from the concussion that he sustained in practice last week. Make no mistake, though. Sid WILL BE BACK. In the meantime, D Kris Letang, fresh off his exclusion from the Team Canada roster, will FINALLY win the Norris Trophy for best defenseman. Both Sid and Tanger will lead the Pens to another Stanley Cup. Yes, you read that right. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is predicting a repeat for our Pens. They will defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals to give themselves a 5th Stanley Cup in the 50th season. That also means that F Phil Kessel will win a Stanley Cup. Twice. Mark it down. Let's Go Pens!!!!
1)Can our Pens repeat? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't see why not. The only player of significance that was lost in the offseason was D Ben Lovejoy in free agency. The Reverend ended up having a terrific year last season but his best days are probably behind him. Besides, with D Kris Letang, Olli Maatta, Trevor Daley, Brian Dumoulin, Ian Cole and Justin Schultz, the Pens appear stacked in the defensmen department.
2)What about the goalie situation? What about it? Having 2 Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders seems look a good problem to have. And with Matt Murray nursing a broken hand that was suffered in the World Cup of Hockey, this gives Marc-Andre Fleury a chance to shake off some of the rust following last spring's layoff. GM Jim Rutherford knows what he's doing. It's a good move that he didn't make any move this offseason to unload either Fleury or Murray. What's the hurry? Go with the two-headed monster as long as you can.
3)How will the youngsters fare this year? Make no mistake, the Baby Pens helped bring Lord Stanley back to Pittsburgh and grew up before our very eyes in the process. Will they capitalize on that success this season? Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't see why not. And there's more of them waiting in the wings at Wilkes-Barre. It helped that so many of them made the jump to the NHL together last season. The sky is the limit for these kids and this team.
4)Mrs. Black-N-Gold is going to take this portion of the preview to make some (not-so-bold) predictions. She was going to say right here that C Sidney Crosby was going to parlay last spring's Conn Smythe award and his MVP run in the World Cup of Hockey, into another Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, that plan is temporarily on hold until Sid recovers from the concussion that he sustained in practice last week. Make no mistake, though. Sid WILL BE BACK. In the meantime, D Kris Letang, fresh off his exclusion from the Team Canada roster, will FINALLY win the Norris Trophy for best defenseman. Both Sid and Tanger will lead the Pens to another Stanley Cup. Yes, you read that right. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is predicting a repeat for our Pens. They will defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in the finals to give themselves a 5th Stanley Cup in the 50th season. That also means that F Phil Kessel will win a Stanley Cup. Twice. Mark it down. Let's Go Pens!!!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
To paraphrase the great English poets, the Rolling Stones, it's only Black-N-Gold but I like it. Yes, Black-N-Gold Nation, it's once again time for that internet sensation. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is back to bring you the newest edition of The Black-N-Gold News. She has everything Steelers, Pens & Pirates, for you.
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Our Steelers shook of their loss to the Philly Iggles in grand fashion. They crushed the KC Chiefs in front of the home crowd, last week, 43-14. QB Ben Roethlisberger was rewarded for his fine play in the win by receiving AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors Congrats, Big Ben! Not everyone received accolades for their play in the game. WR Antonio Brown received a fine to the tune of $24,309 from the game. AB worked another twerk into his touchdown routine and will be lighter in the wallet because of it. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is all for having fun but these celebrations are also worth 15-yard penalties on the field. If this ends up effecting the outcome of a game, it could cost more than some chump change to AB.
The injuries continue to wreak havoc with the Steelers roster. They placed T Ryan Harris (shin) and CB Senquez Golson (foot) on injured reserve. Because of that, they promoted T Matt Feiler and CB Al-Hajj Shabazz from the practice squad.
Even with the injuries piling up, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team continued to collect Ws. On Sunday they shellacked the Jets 31-13 at Heinz Field. This Sunday they're going to Miami to face the 'Phins. They may do so without DL Cam Heyward who left Sunday's win with a hammy. Cam the man is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Get better soon, Cam! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Penguins continued to get ready for the regular season by playing out the exhibition schedule. Last week, they blanked the Blue Jackets 2-0. That gave them a string of 3 consecutive shutouts. In the penultimate preseason game, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team fell to the Red Wings 5-2. They closed out the exhibition schedule with a loss to Columbus 5-3. They finished with a 3-3 mark.
The Pens received some bad news yesterday when it was announced that C Sidney Crosby has a concussion. Supposedly, Sid suffered the injury in practice on Friday. He's not expected to be in the lineup for the opener and there is no timeline for a return. Remember, Sid missed a considerable amount of time before due to a concussion. Let's hope that it's not as severe. Get well soon, Sid!
Now it's time for the games to REALLY count. This Thursday, the banner is lifted and the puck drops on the Pens 50th anniversary season. The Pens look to defend their championship at home against the Washington Capitals. Tomorrow, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will give you her Pens season preview. Here's a hint: Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, pass me the brandy. Again. Let's Go Pens!!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates closed out their season with a whimper as they raised the white flag all weekend long last week in St Louie. They lost last Saturday when they were clipped by the Cards 4-3. And they were decked again on Sunday in a 10-4 loss.
In what appeared to be a quizzical paper move, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team placed LF Starling Marte on the 15-day DL on the final weekend of the season. There is speculation that this move was made in an attempt to 1)embarrass Marte for basically taking the final month of the season off due to a questionable back injury and 2)to try to prevent Marte from playing winter ball in an effort to make the Domincan team in the World Baseball Classic. Sounds like the party may be over for the Bucs and Marte Partay.
Some more moves were made even after the regular season ended. LH Phil Coke was designated for assignment. That move was necessitated by the acquisition of RH Brady Dragmire (who?) from Toronto for cash considerations. It looks like the dumpster diving is starting early for the Buccos.
There was also an announcement made by GM Neal Huntington this week that could spell disaster for the 2017 Pittsburgh Baseball Club. NH made mention that the team will be on a tight budget next year. Perhaps he's trying to brace everyone for a repeat of this season. Or, maybe, Bottom Dollar Bob is tightening the pursestrings further to offset the 250,000 dip in attendance the team suffered this season.
Even though the team limped to the finish with a 78-83 record, lowering the Jolly Roger more than raising it this season, Mrs. Black-N-Gold still bleeds Black-N-Gold. She wants the Pirates to win a World Series in spite of the cheapskate owner. She's keeping her fingers crossed for 2017. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Our Steelers shook of their loss to the Philly Iggles in grand fashion. They crushed the KC Chiefs in front of the home crowd, last week, 43-14. QB Ben Roethlisberger was rewarded for his fine play in the win by receiving AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors Congrats, Big Ben! Not everyone received accolades for their play in the game. WR Antonio Brown received a fine to the tune of $24,309 from the game. AB worked another twerk into his touchdown routine and will be lighter in the wallet because of it. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is all for having fun but these celebrations are also worth 15-yard penalties on the field. If this ends up effecting the outcome of a game, it could cost more than some chump change to AB.
The injuries continue to wreak havoc with the Steelers roster. They placed T Ryan Harris (shin) and CB Senquez Golson (foot) on injured reserve. Because of that, they promoted T Matt Feiler and CB Al-Hajj Shabazz from the practice squad.
Even with the injuries piling up, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team continued to collect Ws. On Sunday they shellacked the Jets 31-13 at Heinz Field. This Sunday they're going to Miami to face the 'Phins. They may do so without DL Cam Heyward who left Sunday's win with a hammy. Cam the man is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Get better soon, Cam! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Penguins continued to get ready for the regular season by playing out the exhibition schedule. Last week, they blanked the Blue Jackets 2-0. That gave them a string of 3 consecutive shutouts. In the penultimate preseason game, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team fell to the Red Wings 5-2. They closed out the exhibition schedule with a loss to Columbus 5-3. They finished with a 3-3 mark.
The Pens received some bad news yesterday when it was announced that C Sidney Crosby has a concussion. Supposedly, Sid suffered the injury in practice on Friday. He's not expected to be in the lineup for the opener and there is no timeline for a return. Remember, Sid missed a considerable amount of time before due to a concussion. Let's hope that it's not as severe. Get well soon, Sid!
Now it's time for the games to REALLY count. This Thursday, the banner is lifted and the puck drops on the Pens 50th anniversary season. The Pens look to defend their championship at home against the Washington Capitals. Tomorrow, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will give you her Pens season preview. Here's a hint: Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, pass me the brandy. Again. Let's Go Pens!!!!
PIRATES
Our Pirates closed out their season with a whimper as they raised the white flag all weekend long last week in St Louie. They lost last Saturday when they were clipped by the Cards 4-3. And they were decked again on Sunday in a 10-4 loss.
In what appeared to be a quizzical paper move, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team placed LF Starling Marte on the 15-day DL on the final weekend of the season. There is speculation that this move was made in an attempt to 1)embarrass Marte for basically taking the final month of the season off due to a questionable back injury and 2)to try to prevent Marte from playing winter ball in an effort to make the Domincan team in the World Baseball Classic. Sounds like the party may be over for the Bucs and Marte Partay.
Some more moves were made even after the regular season ended. LH Phil Coke was designated for assignment. That move was necessitated by the acquisition of RH Brady Dragmire (who?) from Toronto for cash considerations. It looks like the dumpster diving is starting early for the Buccos.
There was also an announcement made by GM Neal Huntington this week that could spell disaster for the 2017 Pittsburgh Baseball Club. NH made mention that the team will be on a tight budget next year. Perhaps he's trying to brace everyone for a repeat of this season. Or, maybe, Bottom Dollar Bob is tightening the pursestrings further to offset the 250,000 dip in attendance the team suffered this season.
Even though the team limped to the finish with a 78-83 record, lowering the Jolly Roger more than raising it this season, Mrs. Black-N-Gold still bleeds Black-N-Gold. She wants the Pirates to win a World Series in spite of the cheapskate owner. She's keeping her fingers crossed for 2017. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Monday, October 10, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
Another Sunday, another win for our Steelers. Yesterday they grounded the New York Jets 31-13 in front of the home crowd at Heinz Field. Mrs. Black-N-Gold brings to you The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from yesterday's victory.
GOOD
There were so many good things from this game, Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know where to start. There was QB Ben Roethlisberger's performance: 34 of 47 for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns for a 124.4 passer rating. Ben was so good, at one point he rattled off 14 straight completions. 2nd year WR Sammie Coates had quite the day, too. Sammie hauled in 6 passes for 139 yards and 2 TDs, the 1st 2 of his career. Sammie had a case of the dropsies for awhile there but recovered nicely. WR Antonio Brown had 9 receptions for 78 yards, 1 touchdown and zero penalties for TD celebrations. However, the uniform police made him change his shoes mid-game as the Ali-inspired cleats were a violation of the league's uniform code. RB Le'Veon Bell caught 9 passes for 88 yards and rushed 20 times for 66 yards.
The defense got to Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick many times, registering 3 sacks, .5 each by LBs Lawrence Timmons and Arthur Moats, LB Anthony Chickillo recorded his 1st NFL sack and LB Vince Williams continued his impressive play by getting 1 sack to go with his team-high 9 tackles, 8 solo. Vinny Vin also had 3 tackles for loss and 2 QB hits.
All in all, things were impressive on the field for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team. They continued to buzz along as they said "so long" to the bumblebee uniforms yesterday.
But the best of the "good" goes to "The Next Man Up". This team has faced a myriad of injuries lately, and the replacements have stepped in and stepped up without the team missing a beat. No one wants to see their starters go down with an injury. Everyone wants to see the back-ups play as well in their place.
BAD
The coaches almost had another perfect week where they could do know wrong. Notice, Mrs. Black-N-Gold said "almost". In the 2nd quarter, with the Steelers clinging to a 7-6 lead and looking at a 4th and 2, the Steelers lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt by K Chris Boswell. But instead of kicking and possibly going up 10-6, Coach Tomlin decided to have P Jordan Berry attempt to run to the outside for a 1st down. That attempt failed miserably. The Jets then took over on downs and marched down the field for a touchdown and a 13-7 lead. Now, if this had worked, everyone would be praising Coach T for his genius move. Instead, it blew up in his face like a Wil E. Coyote Acme bomb. It could have spelled disaster for the Steelers but they were able to recover and secure their 4th win of the season against the 1-4 Jets. The Wizard of Boz has been nothing but money in the bank since the Steelers signed him off the street last year. Why try to have a punter outrun linebackers when you can get 3 points from Boswell? Bad move, Coach.
UGLY
It was ugly the way the Steelers let the Jets hang around for so long. The Steelers didn't really take control of this game until about half way through the 4th quarter. And they should send Jets Coach Todd Bowles a Thank You Card for it. Instead of going for it on 4th and 2 and keeping a drive alive that may have kept New York in the game, Bowles opted to punt and give the ball back to the Steelers. The Steelers took full advantage of that opportunity, finally, putting the Jets away for good. The Steelers play another awful team next week in the Miami Dolphins. Don't let them hang around, too.
The Steelers sit all alone atop the AFC North with their 4-1 record. The Baltimorons fall to 3-2 following their loss. The Bungles also lost, making them 2-3. The Clowns continue to be laughable at 0-5.
On Sunday, the Steelers take a road trip to Miami and try to sink the 'Phins. They can't take them too lightly, nor look ahead to New England's visit the following week. Stay focused and take it one game at a time. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
GOOD
There were so many good things from this game, Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know where to start. There was QB Ben Roethlisberger's performance: 34 of 47 for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns for a 124.4 passer rating. Ben was so good, at one point he rattled off 14 straight completions. 2nd year WR Sammie Coates had quite the day, too. Sammie hauled in 6 passes for 139 yards and 2 TDs, the 1st 2 of his career. Sammie had a case of the dropsies for awhile there but recovered nicely. WR Antonio Brown had 9 receptions for 78 yards, 1 touchdown and zero penalties for TD celebrations. However, the uniform police made him change his shoes mid-game as the Ali-inspired cleats were a violation of the league's uniform code. RB Le'Veon Bell caught 9 passes for 88 yards and rushed 20 times for 66 yards.
The defense got to Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick many times, registering 3 sacks, .5 each by LBs Lawrence Timmons and Arthur Moats, LB Anthony Chickillo recorded his 1st NFL sack and LB Vince Williams continued his impressive play by getting 1 sack to go with his team-high 9 tackles, 8 solo. Vinny Vin also had 3 tackles for loss and 2 QB hits.
All in all, things were impressive on the field for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team. They continued to buzz along as they said "so long" to the bumblebee uniforms yesterday.
But the best of the "good" goes to "The Next Man Up". This team has faced a myriad of injuries lately, and the replacements have stepped in and stepped up without the team missing a beat. No one wants to see their starters go down with an injury. Everyone wants to see the back-ups play as well in their place.
BAD
The coaches almost had another perfect week where they could do know wrong. Notice, Mrs. Black-N-Gold said "almost". In the 2nd quarter, with the Steelers clinging to a 7-6 lead and looking at a 4th and 2, the Steelers lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt by K Chris Boswell. But instead of kicking and possibly going up 10-6, Coach Tomlin decided to have P Jordan Berry attempt to run to the outside for a 1st down. That attempt failed miserably. The Jets then took over on downs and marched down the field for a touchdown and a 13-7 lead. Now, if this had worked, everyone would be praising Coach T for his genius move. Instead, it blew up in his face like a Wil E. Coyote Acme bomb. It could have spelled disaster for the Steelers but they were able to recover and secure their 4th win of the season against the 1-4 Jets. The Wizard of Boz has been nothing but money in the bank since the Steelers signed him off the street last year. Why try to have a punter outrun linebackers when you can get 3 points from Boswell? Bad move, Coach.
UGLY
It was ugly the way the Steelers let the Jets hang around for so long. The Steelers didn't really take control of this game until about half way through the 4th quarter. And they should send Jets Coach Todd Bowles a Thank You Card for it. Instead of going for it on 4th and 2 and keeping a drive alive that may have kept New York in the game, Bowles opted to punt and give the ball back to the Steelers. The Steelers took full advantage of that opportunity, finally, putting the Jets away for good. The Steelers play another awful team next week in the Miami Dolphins. Don't let them hang around, too.
The Steelers sit all alone atop the AFC North with their 4-1 record. The Baltimorons fall to 3-2 following their loss. The Bungles also lost, making them 2-3. The Clowns continue to be laughable at 0-5.
On Sunday, the Steelers take a road trip to Miami and try to sink the 'Phins. They can't take them too lightly, nor look ahead to New England's visit the following week. Stay focused and take it one game at a time. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
We're from the town with the great football team! Our Pittsburgh Steelers look to stay in the win column this afternoon when they face the New York Jets at Heinz Field. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Jets have the 27th ranked pass defense in the league, allowing 8 touchdowns with just 2 interceptions. Sounds like QB Ben Roethlisberger and the boys can tee off on Gang Green. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown 10 interceptions and has been sacked 6 times. Force Fitzpatrick into making mistakes by getting in his face. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)Now, just because the Jets are 1-3 is no reason to take them lightly. Any team can win on any given Sunday. Don't sleep on these guys. Don't look ahead to New England in a few weeks. Take it one game at a time. Ground the Jets! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
THE BULLPEN
There is no joy in Mudville. Or in Pittsburgh, for that matter. Our Pittsburgh Baseball Club closed out the season in the loss column, falling to St Louie 10-4, getting swept in the series and missing the postseason for the first time in 3 years.
Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't hide the fact that she loves baseball and would love nothing more than to see our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball team win a World Series before she dies (she's not getting any younger, ya know). It's been 35 years since the Bucs have not only won a championship but even a playoff series, for that matter. Believe it or not, some people weren't even alive the last time the Buccos had a victory parade. It's taken her a few days to get over the sting of this SUCKN season, not that she was surprised. She saw the writing on the wall back in the offseaon. But now, it's time for a season review of the Pittsburgh Pirates 78-83 season.
"Bridge" to Nowhere-Mrs. Black-N-Gold had a bad feeling about this season from the get-go. When the Pirates couldn't, or wouldn't, try to keep RH JA Happ. It was like they had to Plan B to replace Happy. When they traded 2B Neil Walker to LH Jon Niese. Mrs. Black-N-Gold isn't blind. She knew the Homeboy's day in the 'Burgh were numbered. Why the were is a mystery. It seems like management had a bug up their ass about him from Day 1. Maybe it's because the Real Deal wasn't willing to take a low-ball offer (what they refer to as the "hometown discount") to stay in the Black-N-Gold. But did they have to get Niese in return? Mrs. Black-N-Gold didn't like that move then, she didn't like it during spring training when the groundball pitcher was giving up gopher balls left and right and she sure as hell didn't like it when Niese was losing his way straight out of Pittsburgh and back to New York. That, to me, is the move that set the tone for the season. Then the front office had the audacity to call it a "bridge" year? Translation, "We may have won 98 games last year, but the Best Organization in Baseball isn't going to pony up the cash to put the team over the top". It was the beginning of the bridge to nowhere.
As Easy as 1-2-3-The Bucs thought putting a band-aid on a bullet wound would help with the arrivals of Niese, Ryan Vogelsong and Juan Nicasio. And the bullpen was no better. It was as if they pitching staff forgot how to count because no one could get any 1-2-3 innings. To make matters worse, RH Gerrit Cole, the man the Pirates were counting on to carry the staff, came to spring training injured and really never recovered. He was as inconsistent and unreliable as the rest of them. The one saving grace was RH Mark Melancon, the closer. But due to his pending free agency, the Shark was shipped to the Nationals at the trade deadline. Another deadline deal was made when they dumped LH Francisco Liriano and his salary to Toronto. Frankie was sent north along with 2 top 10 prospects from the Pirates system, C Reese McGuire and OF Harold Ramierz. GM Neal Huntington hates to part with prospects but had no problem throwing them in to get Toronto to take on all of the remainder of Frankie's salary. These were 2 players the Pirates loved before the trade but then slammed them once the deal was done. Stay classy, PBC.
No Crying in Baseball-Was it Mrs. Black-N-Gold's imagination or did the Bucs do an awful lot of bitching this season? CF Andrew McCutchen led the way. Cutch didn't like the way the Pirates played him in center. Cutch didn't like batting 2nd in the order. Cutch didn't like the way the umps called balls/strikes. That last dislike carrier over to the rest of the team as they spend much of the season moaning and crying about the strike zone this season. Hey, Pirates! Mrs. Black-N-Gold has news for ya! All of MLB had to put up with the crummy umps inconsistent and ever-changing strike zone this season. Get over it!
Put the FUN in Fundamental-The Bucs were certainly lacking in the fundamental department this season. Baserunning blunders, fielding errors, and mental miscues abounded. Considering the fact that the Pirates found themselves without 5 key players from last year's Wild Card team (Happ, Walker, 1B Pedro Alvarez, Liriano and Melancon) it was more important than ever to be a fundamentally sound team. They were not.
In conclusion, Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels that, thanks to owner Bottom Dollar Bob Nutting and his minions, the Pittsburgh Baseball Club has no one but themselves to blame for staying home this Buctober. But, hey, at least we still have "financial flexibility". Nutting is the PT Barnum of MLB because he believes "there is a sucker born every minute". He may be mistaken. The Pirates season attendance dropped some 250,000 this season. Will ticket prices rise while the payroll drops? What spin will NH and the PR staff put on more non-moves? Again, Mrs. Black-N-Gold wants nothing more than to be proven wrong and see our Buccos celebrate a World Series championship. She just doesn't see that happening as long as Nutting is in office. She'll still follow them and root, root, root for the home team. She just has one request. To quote the cinematic masterpiece The Outlaw Josey Wales: "Don't piss down my back and call it rain". Make Pittsburgh baseball fun again. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't hide the fact that she loves baseball and would love nothing more than to see our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball team win a World Series before she dies (she's not getting any younger, ya know). It's been 35 years since the Bucs have not only won a championship but even a playoff series, for that matter. Believe it or not, some people weren't even alive the last time the Buccos had a victory parade. It's taken her a few days to get over the sting of this SUCKN season, not that she was surprised. She saw the writing on the wall back in the offseaon. But now, it's time for a season review of the Pittsburgh Pirates 78-83 season.
"Bridge" to Nowhere-Mrs. Black-N-Gold had a bad feeling about this season from the get-go. When the Pirates couldn't, or wouldn't, try to keep RH JA Happ. It was like they had to Plan B to replace Happy. When they traded 2B Neil Walker to LH Jon Niese. Mrs. Black-N-Gold isn't blind. She knew the Homeboy's day in the 'Burgh were numbered. Why the were is a mystery. It seems like management had a bug up their ass about him from Day 1. Maybe it's because the Real Deal wasn't willing to take a low-ball offer (what they refer to as the "hometown discount") to stay in the Black-N-Gold. But did they have to get Niese in return? Mrs. Black-N-Gold didn't like that move then, she didn't like it during spring training when the groundball pitcher was giving up gopher balls left and right and she sure as hell didn't like it when Niese was losing his way straight out of Pittsburgh and back to New York. That, to me, is the move that set the tone for the season. Then the front office had the audacity to call it a "bridge" year? Translation, "We may have won 98 games last year, but the Best Organization in Baseball isn't going to pony up the cash to put the team over the top". It was the beginning of the bridge to nowhere.
As Easy as 1-2-3-The Bucs thought putting a band-aid on a bullet wound would help with the arrivals of Niese, Ryan Vogelsong and Juan Nicasio. And the bullpen was no better. It was as if they pitching staff forgot how to count because no one could get any 1-2-3 innings. To make matters worse, RH Gerrit Cole, the man the Pirates were counting on to carry the staff, came to spring training injured and really never recovered. He was as inconsistent and unreliable as the rest of them. The one saving grace was RH Mark Melancon, the closer. But due to his pending free agency, the Shark was shipped to the Nationals at the trade deadline. Another deadline deal was made when they dumped LH Francisco Liriano and his salary to Toronto. Frankie was sent north along with 2 top 10 prospects from the Pirates system, C Reese McGuire and OF Harold Ramierz. GM Neal Huntington hates to part with prospects but had no problem throwing them in to get Toronto to take on all of the remainder of Frankie's salary. These were 2 players the Pirates loved before the trade but then slammed them once the deal was done. Stay classy, PBC.
No Crying in Baseball-Was it Mrs. Black-N-Gold's imagination or did the Bucs do an awful lot of bitching this season? CF Andrew McCutchen led the way. Cutch didn't like the way the Pirates played him in center. Cutch didn't like batting 2nd in the order. Cutch didn't like the way the umps called balls/strikes. That last dislike carrier over to the rest of the team as they spend much of the season moaning and crying about the strike zone this season. Hey, Pirates! Mrs. Black-N-Gold has news for ya! All of MLB had to put up with the crummy umps inconsistent and ever-changing strike zone this season. Get over it!
Put the FUN in Fundamental-The Bucs were certainly lacking in the fundamental department this season. Baserunning blunders, fielding errors, and mental miscues abounded. Considering the fact that the Pirates found themselves without 5 key players from last year's Wild Card team (Happ, Walker, 1B Pedro Alvarez, Liriano and Melancon) it was more important than ever to be a fundamentally sound team. They were not.
In conclusion, Mrs. Black-N-Gold feels that, thanks to owner Bottom Dollar Bob Nutting and his minions, the Pittsburgh Baseball Club has no one but themselves to blame for staying home this Buctober. But, hey, at least we still have "financial flexibility". Nutting is the PT Barnum of MLB because he believes "there is a sucker born every minute". He may be mistaken. The Pirates season attendance dropped some 250,000 this season. Will ticket prices rise while the payroll drops? What spin will NH and the PR staff put on more non-moves? Again, Mrs. Black-N-Gold wants nothing more than to be proven wrong and see our Buccos celebrate a World Series championship. She just doesn't see that happening as long as Nutting is in office. She'll still follow them and root, root, root for the home team. She just has one request. To quote the cinematic masterpiece The Outlaw Josey Wales: "Don't piss down my back and call it rain". Make Pittsburgh baseball fun again. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Monday, October 3, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
We have a winner! Our Pittsburgh Steelers returned to the win column on Sunday night in a BIG way, crushing the KC Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday. Today Mrs. Black-N-Gold is back with The Good, The Bad & The Ugly from the victory.
GOOD
Boy we've got alot of good to discuss. How could you not following a 43-14 win? This was a total team win, too, from top to bottom, coaching on down to the players. Coach Tomlin had his team well prepared this week, in all facets of the game. The offense came ready to play as they welcomed back RB Le'Veon Bell. Bell was a beast, rushing for 144 yards on 18 carriers plus 5 receptions for 34 yards. The only this #26 didn't have was a TD but those will come soon enough. QB Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game bounced back this week. Big Ben came up big, completing 22 of 27 passes for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns. WRs Antonio Brown and Sammie Coates led the air attack. AB caught 4 passes for 64 yards and 2 TDs. Coates was 6 for 79.
And how about that defense? They were in QB Alex Smith's back pocket all night, especially DE Cam Heyward. Cam was the Man, scoring a hat track with 3 sacks. LB Vince Williams, subbing for the injured Ryan Shazier, was a man possessed. He recorded 1 sack, and led the field with 16 tackles, 14 solo and 2 for loss. Many of the players that were asked to "step up" in place of the injured, did just that (Williams, S Jordan Dangerfield, G BJ Finney). The Steelers came ready, willing and able to play on the big stage of Sunday Night Football.
BAD
Once again, this is bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good. Just think how bad this team could be if they played like this every week. These are some bad mofos wearing that Black-N-Gold.
UGLY
If this keeps up, things are going to turn real ugly for the rest of the NFL, real quick.
The Steelers sit high atop the AFC North at 3-1 but they're not alone. The Baltimorons lost to Oakland and are in a tie for 1st with the Steelers and their 3-1 record. The Bungles won to even their record at 2-2. And the Clowns are still bringing up the rear while they continue to search for the win column with an 0-4 record. Our Steelers stay home this week for a 1pm game versus the New York Jets and their 1-3 mark. It might be good to beware the trap game. You don't want to fly too high and get grounded by these Jets. Continue to stay the course and keep it steady in the win column. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
GOOD
Boy we've got alot of good to discuss. How could you not following a 43-14 win? This was a total team win, too, from top to bottom, coaching on down to the players. Coach Tomlin had his team well prepared this week, in all facets of the game. The offense came ready to play as they welcomed back RB Le'Veon Bell. Bell was a beast, rushing for 144 yards on 18 carriers plus 5 receptions for 34 yards. The only this #26 didn't have was a TD but those will come soon enough. QB Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game bounced back this week. Big Ben came up big, completing 22 of 27 passes for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns. WRs Antonio Brown and Sammie Coates led the air attack. AB caught 4 passes for 64 yards and 2 TDs. Coates was 6 for 79.
And how about that defense? They were in QB Alex Smith's back pocket all night, especially DE Cam Heyward. Cam was the Man, scoring a hat track with 3 sacks. LB Vince Williams, subbing for the injured Ryan Shazier, was a man possessed. He recorded 1 sack, and led the field with 16 tackles, 14 solo and 2 for loss. Many of the players that were asked to "step up" in place of the injured, did just that (Williams, S Jordan Dangerfield, G BJ Finney). The Steelers came ready, willing and able to play on the big stage of Sunday Night Football.
BAD
Once again, this is bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good. Just think how bad this team could be if they played like this every week. These are some bad mofos wearing that Black-N-Gold.
UGLY
If this keeps up, things are going to turn real ugly for the rest of the NFL, real quick.
The Steelers sit high atop the AFC North at 3-1 but they're not alone. The Baltimorons lost to Oakland and are in a tie for 1st with the Steelers and their 3-1 record. The Bungles won to even their record at 2-2. And the Clowns are still bringing up the rear while they continue to search for the win column with an 0-4 record. Our Steelers stay home this week for a 1pm game versus the New York Jets and their 1-3 mark. It might be good to beware the trap game. You don't want to fly too high and get grounded by these Jets. Continue to stay the course and keep it steady in the win column. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
THE 50-YARD LINE
Rah, rah, ree, hit him in the knee. Rah, rah, rass, hit him in the other knee! Happy Pigskins & Pirates Day! Our Pittsburgh Steelers look to get back in the win column tonight at Heinz Field when Football Night in America and the KC Chiefs come to town, These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Steelers stated goal this season is to score at least 30 points a game. Someone scored over 30 points last Sunday but it wasn't the Steelers who only managed a Chris Boswell field goal in their loss at Philly. Keep in mind, too, that the Steelers were defeated in last year's trip to KC. Of course they were without QB Ben Roethlisberger. And this week brings the return of RB Le'Veon Bell. Ok, Big Ben, the Juice is loose. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)Through 3 games, the Steelers have only mustered 1 sack. At this rate, they'll be lucky to have a handful all season. Give KC QB Alex Smith a handful today. Return to Blitzburgh. Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! 3)This will be a tough week, with several starters questionable due to injuries. The standard is the standard. Next man up! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
THE BULLPEN
I have seen enough to know I have seen too much! Happy Pirates and Pigskins Day! Our Pittsburgh Pirates close out their season this afternoon in St Louie when the face they Cardinals. These are your keys for today's matinee. 1)The Bucs bullpen could not preserve a 3-run lead yesterday as the Pirates fell to St Louie 4-3. The bullpen has been mostly bull crap all season and yesterday was no different. This is an area Mrs. Black-N-Gold would like them to work on before next season. You got to know when to hold 'em! 2)The Pirates have not done a good job as spoilers this weekend, dropping the 1st 2 games of this series. St Louie is 1 game out of the wild card with 1 to play. Wouldn't it be fun to ruin St Louie's playoff hopes? Go out with a bang, not a whimper! 3)As has always been the tradition here, in The Bullpen, you've got to put more runs on the board than your opponents. You've got to, go to, go to have more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
Saturday, October 1, 2016
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
What's the news across Black-N-Gold Nation? Mrs. Black-N-Gold has the information with the latest on our favorite Black-N-Gold Teams, the Steelers, Pirates and Pens. Yes, sports fans, it's time for another edition of The Black-N-Gold News.
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Steelers rookie DL Javon Hargrove learned the hard way that the horse-collar tackle is illegal in the NFL. Hargrave received a fine from the league office for the infraction that occurred in the Cincy game.
More bad news this week for our Steelers. They took a business trip to Philly last week and came out of the losing end of a 34-3 drubbing by the Iggles. That gives our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team their 1st loss of the season.
And then came some good news....RB Le'Veon Bell returned to the team from his 3-game suspension. LBell will be available to play in the game this Sunday night when the Steelers return home to Heinz Field to face the KC Chiefs. They'll need him with several players already ruled out for the game (LB Ryan Shazier, G Ramon Foster, S Robert Golden & WR Eli Rogers). Remember, KC beat the Steelers last year. Remember, Philly head coach, Doug Pederson, was KC's OC last season. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is just sayin', Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PIRATES
Some Pirates received post-season accolades this week. Congrats to 1B/OF Josh Bell, Pirates Minor League Player of the Year, and RH prospect Mitch Keller, Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Hope you both are major contributors for years to come!
It wasn't all sunshine and flowers for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Team. Even as the season draws to a close, the injuries continue to mount. RH AJ Schugel was placed on the 60 day DL. OF Gregory Polanco was injured during the Pirates 11-inning, 6-5 win over the Nationals last Friday. El Coffee has been struggling to return to the lineup as has OF Starling Marte.
Without 2/3 of their starting outfield, the Bucs fell to the Nats on Saturday night, 6-1. The losses continued to pile up like the injuries, the Buccos fell to the Nats and lost the series on Sunday, 10-7.
Monday brought more moves for the Pirates. They obtained INF Chris Bostick from the Nats for minor league C Taylor Gushue and cash. Bostick is not expected to join the team this season (next year, perhaps?). Meanwhile, 2B Josh Harrison was placed on the 60 day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Bostick.
The NL Central-winning Cubs came to town. And go to town they did on Pirates pitching. The Good Guys lost the opener 12-2. The lost the next night, as well, 6-4. With that loss and some other mathematic equations, the Bucs were eliminated from playoff contention. That doesn't mean they shut it down for the season. They touched Cubs RH "Fake" Jake Arrieta for 6 runs the next night in a 8-4 win. Congrats to Pirates 1B John Jaso. In the win, the dread-locked lefty became the 1st player to hit for the cycle at PNC Park while driving in 5 runs on 4 hits. The final home game was a wash when it ended in a 1-1 tie with the Cubs. It was washed out due to rain after 6 innings.
The Pirates opened their final series last night in St Louie. The spoiler role didn't suite them as they were shutout 7-0. They get 2 more chances to know St Louie out of the postseason starting this afternoon. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is in it till the end. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Pens received an injury update on G Matt Murray who was injured in the World Cup of Hockey. It turns out the jammed thumb that Murray suffered was really a broken hand. He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. Get well soon, Matty!
The Penguins continue to get ready for the regular season as training camp commences. They dropped the puck on exhibition play this week. The lost the opener in Detroit 4-2. They came back the next night to shut out Chicago 2-0. Last night, the Pens played their home exhibition opener, shutting out Chicago again, 1-0.
While everyone is getting geared for the regular season, C Sidney Crosby was winning the World Cup of Hockey for Team Canada. Congrats to Sid on the win and for taking the MVP, too!
Our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team drops the puck on their 50th season versus the Washington Capitals at Consol on October 13. Let's Go Pens!!!!
THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS
STEELERS
Steelers rookie DL Javon Hargrove learned the hard way that the horse-collar tackle is illegal in the NFL. Hargrave received a fine from the league office for the infraction that occurred in the Cincy game.
More bad news this week for our Steelers. They took a business trip to Philly last week and came out of the losing end of a 34-3 drubbing by the Iggles. That gives our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team their 1st loss of the season.
And then came some good news....RB Le'Veon Bell returned to the team from his 3-game suspension. LBell will be available to play in the game this Sunday night when the Steelers return home to Heinz Field to face the KC Chiefs. They'll need him with several players already ruled out for the game (LB Ryan Shazier, G Ramon Foster, S Robert Golden & WR Eli Rogers). Remember, KC beat the Steelers last year. Remember, Philly head coach, Doug Pederson, was KC's OC last season. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is just sayin', Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!
PIRATES
Some Pirates received post-season accolades this week. Congrats to 1B/OF Josh Bell, Pirates Minor League Player of the Year, and RH prospect Mitch Keller, Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Hope you both are major contributors for years to come!
It wasn't all sunshine and flowers for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Team. Even as the season draws to a close, the injuries continue to mount. RH AJ Schugel was placed on the 60 day DL. OF Gregory Polanco was injured during the Pirates 11-inning, 6-5 win over the Nationals last Friday. El Coffee has been struggling to return to the lineup as has OF Starling Marte.
Without 2/3 of their starting outfield, the Bucs fell to the Nats on Saturday night, 6-1. The losses continued to pile up like the injuries, the Buccos fell to the Nats and lost the series on Sunday, 10-7.
Monday brought more moves for the Pirates. They obtained INF Chris Bostick from the Nats for minor league C Taylor Gushue and cash. Bostick is not expected to join the team this season (next year, perhaps?). Meanwhile, 2B Josh Harrison was placed on the 60 day DL to make room on the 40-man roster for Bostick.
The NL Central-winning Cubs came to town. And go to town they did on Pirates pitching. The Good Guys lost the opener 12-2. The lost the next night, as well, 6-4. With that loss and some other mathematic equations, the Bucs were eliminated from playoff contention. That doesn't mean they shut it down for the season. They touched Cubs RH "Fake" Jake Arrieta for 6 runs the next night in a 8-4 win. Congrats to Pirates 1B John Jaso. In the win, the dread-locked lefty became the 1st player to hit for the cycle at PNC Park while driving in 5 runs on 4 hits. The final home game was a wash when it ended in a 1-1 tie with the Cubs. It was washed out due to rain after 6 innings.
The Pirates opened their final series last night in St Louie. The spoiler role didn't suite them as they were shutout 7-0. They get 2 more chances to know St Louie out of the postseason starting this afternoon. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is in it till the end. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
PENGUINS
Our Pens received an injury update on G Matt Murray who was injured in the World Cup of Hockey. It turns out the jammed thumb that Murray suffered was really a broken hand. He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks. Get well soon, Matty!
The Penguins continue to get ready for the regular season as training camp commences. They dropped the puck on exhibition play this week. The lost the opener in Detroit 4-2. They came back the next night to shut out Chicago 2-0. Last night, the Pens played their home exhibition opener, shutting out Chicago again, 1-0.
While everyone is getting geared for the regular season, C Sidney Crosby was winning the World Cup of Hockey for Team Canada. Congrats to Sid on the win and for taking the MVP, too!
Our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team drops the puck on their 50th season versus the Washington Capitals at Consol on October 13. Let's Go Pens!!!!
THE BULLPEN
Meet me in St Louie! Our Pittsburgh Pirates play their penultimate game today when they clash with the Cards in St Louie. These are your keys for today's game. 1)Following last night's 7-0 shellacking by St Louie, it seems that the Pirates don't know the definition of the word spoiler. In a nutshell, it means to spoil the other teams fun/plans for the postseason. Last night's game was certainly no fun for our favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team. Sometimes, they make it tough to on the fans. Thank goodness for Iron City Beer. This team may make Mrs. Black-N-Gold drink, but she's still in it till the end. Right the ship and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)Rookie RH Chad Kuhl, 5-4, 4.25 ERA, goes for the Buccos. A win would be cool! 3)St Louie starts RH Michael Wacha, 7-7, 4.93 ERA. Give him hit the ol' Hit, Run & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
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