I always wanted to get a couple of T206 baseball cards just because ... I think they'd be cool to have. Don't care about player. Grade. Condition. Just think they'd be cool to display. So I was pissing around on eBay tonight and found some in my $ range.

Nikola Jokic looked like a man not to be fucked with right there.

Relatable

NHL Trade Deadline Primer: Are you an NHL Playoff team or potential NHL Playoff team in need of a goalie? Well that is probably just too bad. adamgretz.substack.com/p/nhl-trade-...

Nobody is more excited about the insane contract negotiation that is about to take place between the Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens than Jerry Jones, because this ensures the Dallas Cowboys will be the top story on ESPN every single day until it gets signed.

I want one of the Riverhounds Andy Warhol Bridge jerseys. They are apparently already sold out. That is speaking my Yinzer language.

Ben Kindel keeps getting better. He has been one of their best players over the past 10 games. He was outstanding yesterday. www.pensburgh.com/analysis/733...

The buzz around Konnor Griffin is starting to approach what we saw with Paul Skenes before he arrived. In fact, I think it might be starting to exceed it. Every national person is just like "hey, this guy fucking rocks."

Update: Does not seem to be going swimmingly over there.

Every once in a while I think of the Fedko Fone Zone, a low-budget sports call-in show on a cable news network that was just a breeding ground for an endless, relentless stream of prank calls, usually revolving around Gary Roberts. Not sure they ever got a serious call. youtu.be/RHelKCVVFdE?...

My goodness.

The ending of that game was .... something.

This is the first one of these I have ever seen that actually seems hard if not impossible.

It is stupid how good Matthew Schaefer already is. That is just insane. He should have been on Team Canada.

The Penguins have a five-point lead as of this moment for a playoff spot while also still having three games in hand on the team closest to them.

It took them a couple of periods to find their legs but when they did they absolutely took that game over in the third period.

Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov is quite a duo.

Egor Chinakhov holy crap.

Connor Clifton?!

Probably lucky to be tied coming out of that period.

I understand the no games in three weeks but given the schedule they have coming up you can not let two points slip away against a bad New Jersey team that played yesterday. They are getting badly outplayed right now.

I do not like this challenge at all.

That was an absolutely horrendous shift. They had three or four chances to exit the zone and could not get out of their own way. Took a penalty, then gave up a goal. Woof.

Penguins really danced through some rain drops around their own net at times that period. Need to clean some things up. Some rust also to be expected.

It did not result in a goal, but that play by Ben Kindel to bully Nico Hischier to steal the puck and set up Justin Brazeau was really something.

So is Sportsnet Pittsburgh not working for anybody else online?

When the Penguins were building PPG they took a bunch of us on a tour of the construction, and one of the things they kept saying everytime they showed us a new feature "they can cap us on players, they can not cap us on how we take care of the players."

How. How is that possible.

Even when he was put into the GM role the main core of the team was already in place. He just made a few moves on the fringes. When it was time for him to do the *actual* team building it was a disaster. They didn't get bad because of the salary cap or aging. They were horribly run.

If Stan Bowman were named Stan Smith he wouldn't be working in the NHL.

Also from this week: Looking at the Pittsburgh Penguins trade for Samuel Girard. www.pensburgh.com/analysis/732...

Also everything I write at YardBarker across all sports in one place. www.yardbarker.com/authors/adam...

From today at B/R. Buy, sell, or hold. What every NHL team should do at this season's NHL Trade deadline. bleacherreport.com/articles/253...

From yesterday: NHL Trade Deadline Primer: The four types of players that will ruin the good thing you have going. Avoid these types of players. AVOID. adamgretz.substack.com/p/nhl-trade-...

NHL Trade Deadline Primer: The four types of players that will ruin the good thing you have going. Avoid these types of players. adamgretz.substack.com/p/nhl-trade-...

NHL Trade Deadline Primer: The four types of players that will ruin the good thing you have going. Avoid these types of players. adamgretz.substack.com/p/nhl-trade-...

Obviously the injury to Sidney Crosby is not ideal, but I think the Penguins have enough depth they can do what they need to do to maintain their playoff spot. Also big opportunity for Ben Kindel, who seemed to be playing his best hockey of the season going into the Olympic break.

I am going through it today. As usual. This past week a longtime family friend, one of those people that's more family than friend ... family without being family ... passed away, way too early in life. One of those people that just seriously impacts your life in the best, most positive ways.

Seeing Konnor Griffin hit two home runs today

Looking at the layers of the Brett Kulak-Sam Girard trade for the Penguins. Putting salary cap space to use to buy another draft pick. Fill a position of need in the short-term. Lot to like. www.pensburgh.com/analysis/732...

This guy protects the house, the hen house and the dog house in a 25 mile radius

The Penguins turned Tristan Jarry's seemingly untradeable contract into Stuart Skinner, Samuel Girard and two future second-round draft picks.

Not sure why the Penguins would trade Brett Kulak for this guy but we will see how it goes.

Me, Galaxy Brained Genius: This is probably a good time to call the Jets about Kyle Connor because somebody probably looks at him as not a team guy for skipping the SOU and White House and not tough enough because he was scratched in the Olympics. Buy low! NHL people are dumb!

They probably see it as being easier to smooth things over with their team (which probably doesn't care) and deal with disappointed fans that will come back than face the wrath of MAGA dipshits even for a few days (which is all they'd care about it anyway).

This is one of the only times where it's acceptable to look at a player being away from their team that's paying them and saying, "hey, asshole, what are you getting paid for?"

The back of this super pretzel box is hilarious. What your meal is missing ..... Some soft pretzel sticks with your salad

Told this story many times, but always fun to share again. But during Randy Robitaille's brief tenure in Pittsburgh, I had a friend that I used to Student Rush games with and he was always into getting autographs in the players parking lot at the civic arena. Guys always signed. Well, one night...

Gregory Soto joins Mike Maddux, Ramon Martinez in Pirates history of signing the right last name but the wrong first name.

I don't think we are talking about Bubba Chandler enough going into this Pirates season. Obviously Skenes will command the most attention. All of the hype is on Griffin. But Chandler is a top-5 prospect in all of baseball as well. He can impact things significantly as well.