PENS SHOW CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER WITH COMEBACK IN GAME SIX

The Pens have now won nine straight playoff series and have advanced to round two. I thought the Pens would win easily at home in Game Five where they had a chance to close out the Flyers. And if I’m being honest, I thought the Pens were in trouble of having to play a Game Seven when they fell behind by two goals in Game Six Sunday afternoon. They showed why they are champs with their rally, led by second year star Jake Guentzel. It was a heck of a win for the Pens and a sweet one to boot.
• The Penguins were able to win the Stanley Cup last year without Kris Letang, something I didn’t think they were capable of doing. They will need Evegeni Malkin, who missed the finale in Philly, if they’re going to three-peat. Malkin is listed as day to day. The Pens had better hope he’s not out of the lineup very long. He’s that important, and a former Conn Smythe winner. Guys like that are worth their weight in gold.
• It was great to see the Pens close out the series in front of those disgusting Flyers’ fans. They’re some of the worst in sports. Leave it to the Philly fans to throw things on the ice as their team was eliminated. That’s what Philly fans do and why they have the reputation they have.
• It looks like the Pens will face the Washington Capitals again, even though it’s not official yet. The Caps lost the first two games of their series but have won three straight. The Pens have owned the Capitals in the playoffs. It will be another great series if these two square off again.
• The Pirates have come back down to earth after their fast start. The Buccos have lost four in a row after getting swept in Philadelphia. They’ve also dropped six of their last seven games. Pitching, and in particular the bullpen, has been a big reason the Pirates have started to lose. I said all along I thought the pen would be a major problem for the Pirates. This team will only go as far as the pitching staff takes it. Right now it doesn’t look that will be too far.
• The Pirates’ attendance hasn’t been good so far this season, but you can’t blame the small crowds on fans being fed up with Pirates’ ownership. Mother Nature hasn’t been kind to the Pirates. They haven’t had a single warm sunny day at PNC Park. In fact, they haven’t played a game above 50 degrees at home, and have had several where they battled bitter cold, rain and even snow. The Pirates have had a surprisingly good start in 2018, which is not what most fans expected. Now they need the weather to cooperate so fans have a reason to go out and enjoy a night at PNC Park.
• By this time next week we’ll know who the Steelers have drafted and the positions they hope to upgrade. I expect the first round of this year’s draft to be one wildest and most unpredictable in years. There will probably be a run on quarterbacks with as many as six signal callers going before the end of the round. That would actually be good for the Steelers, as it would mean that other top players could slide down to when the Black and Gold pick at spot 28. I still think the Steelers will take a top inside linebacker if one is on the board when they pick. Still, if another big name player is there, the old best athlete available, the Steelers could surprise us. We’ll find out in a few nights.
• RIP Bruno Sammartino. Bruno wasn’t just a wrestling legend, he was a Pittsburgh icon. He was the biggest star in wrestling when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s and a mainstay on the old Studio Wrestling that aired on Saturday evenings on the old WIIC-TV in Pittsburgh. Bruno even came to Indiana. I remember seeing him and the other big wrestlers of the day at Mack Park one year in the early 70s. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t love Bruno Sammartino. He will be missed.