SLAP SHOTS

     Happy Pucks & Bucs Day! Hop in the Cordoba, baby, we're going bowling; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins take their 3-1 series lead to DC tonight to finish off.....oops, make that faceoff against the Washington Capitals. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Pardon Mrs. Black-N-Gold for putting the cart before the horse but she's sick of the Capitals and they're whining. Wouldn't it be a cherry on top our Black-N-Gold Sundae to go down to DC and eliminate the crybaby Capitals in front of their own fans? Take the crowd and the Caps out of the game as quickly as possible. Score early, score often, score BIG Goals, Goals, Goals! 2)The Pens held the vaunted Capitals power play in check in Wednesday night's 3-2 win. The Caps were 0 for 4 with the man-advantage. Now, of course, this can't last forever. And the best way to keep the Caps from scoring on the power play is to stay the heck out of the penalty box. That's not likely to happen either. Kill 'em all! 3)Mrs. Black-N-Gold just loves how the Pens have battled their way through this series, especially considering all the adversity they've faced. What better way to reward themselves then to end this series tonight and get an extended break until the next series? You've got them on the ropes. Stay on their case and in their face. Keep on PUCKN! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Happy Bucs & Pucks Day! The crack of the bat, the thrill of the hit! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Milwuakee Brewers tonight at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Our Pittsburgh Pirates go for 2 in a row following last night's 4-0 blanking of the Brewers. The Bucs will start RH Gerrit Cole, 1-3, 3.50 ERA. He'll face Milwaukee RH Matt Garza, 1-0, 3.38 ERA. All aboard the Cole Train for a win! 2)In last night's win, 1B Josh Bell knocked his 5th home run of the season. That ties him with 3B Josh Harrison and CF Andrew McCutchen for the team lead. Chicks dig the long ball! 3)The Pirates continue to have one of the worst offenses in the NL. They're among the bottom-feeders in most offensive categories. Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't know about you but she finds the Bucs lack of offense quite offensive. Give us more Hit, Run, & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Baseball fever, catch it! Our Pittsburgh Pirates return home to the friendly confines of PNC Park tonight to start a 3-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Lower the Jolly Roger again. The Pirates dropped the finale to the Cincy series yesterday, 4-2, losing 3 of 4 to the Reds. Not counting their 12-run outburst in the lone win during that series, the Bucs scored just 7 runs in 3 games. We need more, more, more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The season is barely a month old and Mrs. Black-N-Gold is not happy with the Pittsburgh Baseball Club. They're 12-16 and 3.5 games out in the NL Central as they occupy the basement and they've managed to misplace the Jolly Roger. Right the ship and raise it! 3)Seriously, Mrs. Black-N-Gold said in her season preview that the front office didn't do enough to help this ball club and, unfortunately that is more and more apparent every game. Mrs. Black-N-Gold is not happy with the way Manager Clint Hurdle is managing the lineup, either, although he did make me look foolish the other night in the 12-3 win. I guess even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. However, I must admit, Hurdle's job can't be easy what with the injuries and the horrible job GM Neal Huntington did amassing a roster. That's no excuse for the terrible play from the regulars. Hurdle needs to light a fire under these guys. Stop SUCKN and start BUCN! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Got kind of tire of packing and unpacking! Our Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series this afternoon in Cincy versus the Reds. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The bipolar Bucs were at it again last night, losing to Cincy 7-2. This time is consistently inconsistent. They're up 1 day and down the next. Mrs. Black-N-Gold needs a prescription for Prozac to watch this team. They were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base. Need I say more? Hit, Run, & Score! 2)Mrs. Black-N-Gold doesn't like to single out players but LF Gregory Polanco's poor play can't be denied. Is he the only regular cleanup hitter in MLB that still doesn't have a home run after over a month of play? And he still only has 4 RBIs. What kind of cleanup hitter is that?! I know the Bucs don't have many options to bat 4th, considering the circumstances but clearly .229 average are not getting the job done. Get hot, El Coffee! 3)The NL Pitcher of the Month for April, RH Ivan Nova, 3-2, 1.50 ERA, will start for the Pirates. RH Tim Adelman, 0-1, 4.70 ERA starts for Cincy. Adelman has just the kind of stats that befuddle the Bucs. Nova deserves so much better than a 3-2 mark. He just isn't getting the run support that he should. Once again, we need to call on our prized free agent pickup from the offseason to pull the Pirates out of their funk. Be a super Nova! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     Happy Pucks & Bucs Day! Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too; it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins faceoff against the Washington Capitals tonight at PPG Paints Arena with a 2 games to 1 lead in their 2nd round playoff series. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)By now Mrs. Black-N-Gold is sure that you've heard that Pens C Sidney Crosby is out for tonight's game with a concussion following the hit from Caps D Matt Niskanen in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss. We're also without F Conor Sheary who suffered a concussion, as well. They keep knocking us down but we keep getting back up. No way we stand for this. It's time to show these jagoffs what winners do when faced with adversity. We need to beat the crap out of the Caps. And win I say "beat" I mean win the damn game. Next man up! 2)Speaking of "next man up" it's time for C Evgeni Malkin to take control. Typically, Geno is content to sit back and do his thing while Sid is the Best Player in Hockey. But it's times like these that #71 proves why he wears the "A" on his sweater. Go, Go, Geno! 3)We don't want to go back to DC on Saturday with a 2-2 series tie. Wouldn't it be cool to go down there and take this series and rub it in their smug little faces? Fire up the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BULLPEN

    Happy Bucs & Pucks Day! I want a triple shot of Cincinnati juice! Our Pittsburgh Pirates carry on their series in Cincy tonight as they face the Reds. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The battlin' Bucs came back from a 3-0 deficit to route the Reds 12-3 last night. 3B Josh Harrison smacked his 3rd home run in 2 games in front of his family & friends in his hometown. Keep on BUCN! 2)The Pirates were an impressive 5 for 9 with runners in scoring position. There's always room for more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Pirates RH Jameson Taillon, 2-0, 2.08 ERA will face Reds RH Rookie Davis, 0-1, 11.17 ERA. In the rookie's last start, a 9-4 loss to Milwaukee, Davis lasted just 2.2 innings, giving up 7 earned runs on 11 hits. Rock the rookie! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in Cincinnati tonight versus the Reds. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)Following last night's disappointing 4-3 loss in 10 innings, the Pirates have dropped 2 in a row. Right the ship and raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The latest loss was marred by errors. Again. Gotta to tighten up that D. The fact that the team only registered 3 hits all night didn't help, either True, they were all home runs and chicks do dig the long ball. However, what's that saying Mrs. Black-N-Gold is always fond of repeating? Hit, Run,  & Score! 3)Once again, the Pirates made Cincy CF Billy Hamilton look like the Hall of Famer he is......at least when he plays Pittsburgh. He's batting all of .222 and he goes 2 for 5 with 3 stolen bases last night. Maybe the Bucs can sign Matt Niskanen to take this kid out. Keep him off the basepaths! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     Happy Pucks & Bucs Day! Shave my legs with a rusty razor; it's a hockey night in Pittsburgh! Our Pittsburgh Penguins return home tonight to faceoff against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena with a 2-0 series lead. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With Saturday night's 6-2 victory, the Pens have scored 9 goals in the 1st 2 games of this series. Crank up the Crue and the Goals, Goals, Goals! 2)Meanwhile, G Marc-Andre Fleury has been stellar, holding the President's Trophy winners to just 2 goals in each of the 1st 2 games. Flower Power! 3)Washington Coach Barry Trotz pulled Vezina Trophy-winning G Braden Holtby on Saturday night. The Pens are in the Caps heads. Now stay there. Get in his face & on his case! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Happy Bucs & Pucks Day! Make baseball great again! Our Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to Cincy tonight to open a 4-game series versus the Reds. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates had an opportunity to sweep Miami in FLA yesterday, but thanks to a 10-3 thumping, that didn't materialize. Tonight, RH Gerrit Cole, 1-3, 3.60 ERA will face Cincy LH Amir Garrett, 2-2, 5.09 ERA. Cole typically does not do well against Cincy. Get the Cole Train and the Bucs on the winning track! 2)The Buccos bats did come alive for most of the Marlins series, good for 19 runs in the 3-game set. How about more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)For as bad as the Bucs have looked in the early going, they're only 2 games under .500 at 11-13 and 2.5 games out of 1st place after the 1st month of the season. It's important to start off the month of May on a good note, especially considering that Cincy swept us at home during the 1st week of the season. Raise the Jolly Roger!! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh Steelers. Has Mrs. Black-N-Gold got all the news for you. That's right, Black-N-Gold Nation, Mrs. Black-N-Gold has all the information because it's time for another edition of The Black-N-Gold News.


                                          THE BLACK- N-GOLD NEWS

PENGUINS

When last we saw our Penguins, they were still in the midst of their 1st round series against the Columbus Blue Jagoffs. Well, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team made short order of the Blue Jagoffs, bouncing them from the playoffs with last weeks 5-2 win to take the series 4 games to 1. 

Once the Pens finished out Columbus, they sent Fs Tom Sestito & Josh Archibald and D Cameron Gaunce back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Meaanwhile, they were left wondering if they would face the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Washington Capitals in the 2nd round. 

The Pens found out Sunday night that they would take their show on the road to the Nation's Capitol to faceoff against the Washington Capitals in round 2. They took Game 1 in DC on Thursday night with a 3-2 victory. In that game, F Chris Kunitz returned to the lineup. Last night the Pens made it 2 games to 0 with a 6-2 whitewashing in Washington. In that contest, the Pens saw Fs Patric Hornqvist & Tom Kuhnhackl and D Ron Hainsey all leave the game. No word yet on their status. 

The Pen return to home ice on Monday night. That will be a 7:30pm faceoff on NBCSN. Let's Go Pens!!!!

PIRATES

It's been an up and down week for our Pirates. Last Friday night, the New York Yankees came to town for an interleague matchup. The Bucs took the opener 6-3. The Pirates blew game 2 with an 11-5 loss. However, our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team were able to take the series with Sunday's 2-1 victory. 

The Buccos were bitten by the injury bug more than once this week. It all began when they put UTIL Adam Frazier on the 10 day DL with a hamstring. They called up RH Dovydas Neverauskas from Triple A Indy. That move didn't really help the Bucs as they were crushed by the Cubs that night, 14-3 In that contest, Neverauskas became the 1st born & raised Lithuanian in MLB histroy. 

Another injury hit the Bucs when they placed LH Antonio Bastardo on the 10-day DL. They called up RH Johnny Barbato from Indy to take his place. Then the Pirates lost a 1-0 contest to the Cubs. 

The next day, Neverauskas was sent back to Triple A and INF Gift Ngoepe was called up. The move must have help because the Pirates clipped the Cubs that night to salvage a win, 6-5. It was another night of firsts as Ngoepe became the 1st African born player in MLB. 

The Pirates moved on to Miami on Friday to start a 3-game set. On Friday, the Bucs blasted the Marlins 12-2. Yesterday, they placed another player on the 10-day DL. This time it was INF David Freese and his balky hammy. They called up OF Danny Ortiz from Triple A. They then defeated the Marlins 4-0 thanks for RH Ivan Nova's Greg Maddux-like performance, a complete game shutout with under 100 pitches. Today the Buccos look to break out the brooms. Complete the sweep. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

STEELERS

Our Steelers had a busy week, as well. The regular season schedule was released for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team but that wasn't all. 

The Steelers exercised their 5th year option for LB Ryan Shazier. Shazy will make $8.718 million this season. 

The NFL announced that they conditionally reinstated suspended WR Martavis Bryant. Hopefully, Bryant can return to his play-making ways and stay off the commissioner's radar. 

The draft kicked off on Thursday night. The Steelers selected Wisconsin OLB TJ Watt with the 30th overall pick. In the 2nd round, the Steelers picked USC WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. They had 2 3rd round picks; CB Cameron Sutton from Tennessee and Pitt RB James Conner. The made Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs their 4th round pick. In the 5th round, they selected Utah CB Brian Allen. Their 6th round pick was Louisville LS Colin Holba. The Steelers closed out their draft by selecting Western Michigan LB Keion Adams in the 7th round. 

The rookes will get a chance to show their stuff this weekend when rookie minicamp gets under way. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     You got a beat up glove, a homemade bat and a brand new pair of shoes! Our Pittsburgh Pirates close out their series in Miami this afternoon as they battle the Marlins. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Pirates have won 3 straight on the strength of last night's 4-0 win. We want win #4 so Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The Pirates pitching has really played in this series, holding the Marlins to just 2 runs in the 1st 2 games. You got to know when to hold 'em! 3)The Bucs look to clean house in FLA today. The problem is, Manager Clint Hurdle typically trots out his Triple A lineup on Sundays, punting away the game. Complete the sweep. Bring your A game! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

    Happy Pucks & Bucs Day! Great balls of fire; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins continue their 2nd round series vs the Washington Capitals tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens got off to a hot start, scoring 1st in Game 1 and taking the lift-lidder in this series on Thursday with a 3-2 win. C Sidney Crosby slapped the Caps silly with the 1st 2 goals in rapid succession and C Nick Bonino closed it out with the game-winner. This was an important win for the Pens because they got off to slow starts in the Columbus series and have not played well on the road overall this season. Gimme a W! 2)G Marc-Andre Fleury played out of his mind on Thursday, looking very Matrix-like in the victory. MAF has also not been his best away from PPG Paints Arena. MAF is a bad MF! 3)The Pens need to keep the hot hand early and take the Caps crowd out of the game as quickly as possible. Rock the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Happy Bucs & Pucks Day! Party in the city where the heat is on! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series in Miami tonight when they matchup against the Marlins. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)With last night's 12-2 dismantling of the Marlins, the Pirates have won 2 straight. If it's 3, it's for me! 2)Last night the Bucs brought the lumber in their victory, scoring a season-high 12 runs on a season-high 18 hits. We want more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Tonight the Pirates start RH Ivan Nova, 2-2, 2.00 ERA. The Fish with go with RH Dan Straily, 1-1, 3.92 ERA. Be Super, Nova! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     I believe in the Church of Baseball! Our Pittsburgh Pirates take their show on the road to Miami tonight as they begin a 3-game series with the Marlins. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates found the win column to end their homestand, clipping the Cubs on Wednesday night, 6-5. They are currently 9-12 and would need to sweep the Marlins to finish the first month of the season at an even .500. Sink the Fish! 2)The Bucs bats came alive in Wednesday's win with 10 hits, 5 of them for extra bases including homers by Joshs Harrison & Bell. There's always room for more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)Pirates RH Jameson Taillon, 1-0, 2.13 ERA, will oppose Miami lefty Adam Conley, 1-1, 3.00 ERA. Don't look now but the Pirates pitching staff is ranked 5th in the NL with an ERA of 3.99. Miami is right behind them at #6 with a 4.03 ERA. You've got to know when to hold 'em! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     Eddie spaghetti, it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup playoffs where they'll faceoff against the Washington Capitals tonight in Game 1. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Caps won the President's Trophy as the team with the best regular season record. However, the Pens were the highest scoring team. It's all about the Goals, Goals, Goals, baby! 2)The Pens did not get off to great starts in their games against Columbus in the 1st round. Take the Caps and the crowd out of it early. Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)Caps G Braden Holtby is a Vezina Trophy finalist. Pens F Phil Kessel is a Stanley Cup Champion. Get on Holtby's case and in his face! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     I'm ready to play today! Our Pittsburgh Pirates close out their homestand tonight with the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The good news; The Pirates weren't embarrassed in their latest loss, 1-0 to the Cubs last night. The bad news: it still goes in the loss column. The good news: The Bucs only committed 1 error last night. The bad news: That 1 error led to that lone run. Even when the Pirates do better, they do bad. They try to salvage a win tonight to end this homestand. Right the ship. Find the win column. Raise the Jolly Roger! 2)The Bucs have scored just 5 runs in their last 3 games. You gotta find a way to get the runners home. Hit, Run, & Score! 3)The Pirates face Cubs lefty Jon Lester, 0-0, 2.66 ERA. RH Tyler Glasnow, 0-1, 7.94 ERA, will go for the Buccos. Glasnow has shown improvement as his ERA has gone down from 27.00 but he still has that dear-in-the-headlights look. Lester is notorious for refusing to throw to 1st base when a runner is on. If, and with this team that's a big IF, we can get on base, we better run, run away. Stop SUCKN and start BUCN! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Put me in coach! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series with the Chicago Cubs tonight at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)What a shame it is when you spend all day looking forward to watching your team play later that night only to see that team not show up. That was the case last night when the Cubs crushed the Pirates 14-3. I don't know about you, but Mrs. Black-N-Gold is not the least bit impressed with the Bucs jack of all trades/master of none bench. To have 1 super-utility man is 1 thing (think 2014 JHay or last season's SRod) but to have an entire bench full of them? That's just ridiculous. This continues to become more and more apparent. Especially now that UTIL Adam Frazier is on the 10 day DL with a hammy. What does the Pittsburgh Baseball Club do? They call up RH Dovydas Neverauskas from Indy. Too bad the Bucs gave away 3 outfielders within the last year: Wily Garcia-waived in the offseason, off to a scorching start at Triple A & played in the White Sox All-Garcia outfield last week, Keon Broxton-expected to be a breakout star for the Brewers this year after coming over for perpetual Triple A player Jason Rogers a few years ago, Harold Ramirez-part of the Liriano salary dump. True, all of these players were let go because we had The Outfield of Dreams. Well that dream is now officially a nightmare. The face that the FO didn't prepare for this is what's most frustrating. Sure, you can't prepare for a suspension but it's not like Marte and Polanco haven't been injury riddled during their careers. Speaking of Polanco, please put his picture on the side of a milk carton because this kid has disappeared. In other words, ya need to do more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)The clock struck midnight on the Pirates last night as the starting pitching, their one saving grace, turned into a pumpkin. We'll see if RH Gerrit Cole, 1-2, 4.70 ERA. can get this team back on the winning track. All aboard the Cole Train for a win! 3)On the bright side of last night's fiasco (you mean there's a bright side?), the Bucs only recorded 2 errors in the game. That's impressive that this team's run total exceeded their errors. But still, the miscues continue. Gimme a D! Gimme a Fense! What's that spell? D-Fense! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks! Our Pittsburgh Pirates open a 3-game set tonight vs the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pirates took 2 outta 3 from the Yanks thanks to yesterday's 2-1 victory. It's the 1st time this season the Bucs have scored less than 4 and walked away with a win. Give us some more Hit, Run, & Score! 2)Remember last weekend, when the Pirates went to Wrigley and swept the World Champs? Yeah, I do, too. Repeat the sweep! 3)Cubs LH Brett Anderson, 1-0, 4.40 ERA, will face Pirates RH Chad Kuhl, 1-1, 2.60 ERA. The Bucs starting pitching has been tremendous, of late. Their defense has  been suspect, at best. Don't waste this great pitching by leaving outs on the field. Tighten up the D! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

     There is no joy in Mudville! Our Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their series vs the New York Yankees this afternoon at PNC Park. These are your keys for today's game. 1)It looked like the Pirates may finally be breaking out of their early season malaise with Friday night's 6-3 win over the Baby Bombers but it was not meant to be. This is especially true after yesterday's latest loss, an 11-5 embarrassment. The Bucs built an early 3-0 lead only to find themselves down 5-3. They clawed their way back to tie it just to let it slip throw their fingers, both figuratively and literally. This team couldn't even catch a cold right now thanks to their Bad News Bears-like defense. And that bullpen? It's more bullsh*t than anything. You've got to know when to hold 'em! 2)This was the 1st time this season the Pirates scored 4 or more runs in a game and came away with a loss. We need more Hit, Run, & Score! 3)This finale will mark the 1st time this season the Pirates will not sweep or be swept. Have you ever heard of Yankee pot roast? Well, the Buccos need to make some Yankee meatloaf. 2 outta 3 ain't bad! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

    One, two, three strikes, you're out! Our Pittsburgh Pirates continue their series today against the NY Yankees at PNC Park. These are your keys for today's game. 1)The Pirates got back in the win column last night with a 6-3 win in the series opener. The victory was fueled by homers from SS Jordy Mercer and 1B Josh Bell. Chicks dig the long ball! 2)The Bucs brought their bats but continue to struggle with the glove. They committed 3 errors last night to give them 14 miscues in 16 games. Only Oakland and Arizona have more errors. De-Fense! 3)RH Michael Pineda, 2-1, 3.44 ERA, goes for the Yanks. The Buccos counter with RH Jameson Taillon, 1-0, 0.90 ERA. Taillon has been phenomenal so far this season. He's not always been backed by the Bucs bats. Give the kid a cushion. Give him more Hit, Run & Score! Let's Go Bucs!!!!!