Sunday Funday

So after a busy night of wine tasting and board games (you'll find I do both of those things a lot), I thought I'd drop in and give ya my quick takes on some things happening in the world of Pittsburgh sports.  But beforehand I'd like to give a shout out to Mrs. Snuke and her friend Bear who made some homemade pasta last night from scratch for yours truly.  I know I'm biased, but damn was it good stuff.  Anyway, back to what ya came here for -

• The Pens are looking very good heading into the Olympic break.  My only concern with them, and it's a concern every year, is that they are too soft on the top two lines.  Unfortunately, players such as Milan Lucic, who have the talent to be on a top line and the grit of an enforcer, are few and far between.The last Penguin that I felt had the potential to be that was Eric Tangradi, however once I saw him play it was clear he wasn't interested in using his size to his advantage.
• As for the Steelers, they ended the season on a great note, and, as we all know, came within a Succop (emphasis on the Suck) missed kick of heading into the playoffs.  This offseason is going to bring a ton of change to the Steelers, and not all of it wanted.  There may be some notable veterans, such as Brett Keisel, Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley hitting the bricks.  But then again, Omar Khan and the front office have always seemed to keep those they wanted to, regardless of contract situation, so I guess we'll have to let the process play out.
• The Pirates have done nothing this offseason to make the fans believe that last year was just a starting point for bigger and better things.  All they have done is drag the AJ Burnett saga out as long as possible, anger the fanbase by ditching the "Jolly Roger" for the solitary "P" logo, and pick up zero free agents who will help with the glaring need at first base.  The pitching staff, especially with the signing of Edinson Volquez and Jameson Tallion waiting in the wings, appears to be on solid footing, but one once again has to question if the Buccos will have enough pop to go deep into the postseason.
• Pitt has been looking very good on the basketball court.  I like how their game has transitioned to the ACC so far, with Patterson and company bringing a more "high octane" style to the Panthers hoopsters.  The football team has kind of been a mixed bag since Paul Chryst took over.  I think he's going to develop into an excellent coach, but he is definitely going through some growing pains, on the recruiting front, and the game management front.  However, when you have hosses on the O-Line (which is one position he definitely can recruit), a two-way player like James Conner and a big time wide receiver like Tyler Boyd, you can overcome a lot of deficiencies. Also, I really like what I saw out of Chad Voytik in the bowl game.  As long as Coach Chryst can reel in the game management mistakes, I see no reason Pitt can't go for 8 or more wins next season at the very least.

That's all for now, I plan on writing some more in-depth stuff this week, including a review of a local restaurant and whatever else I can think of.  Feel free to drop any suggestions in the comments.  Until next time boys and girls...