Wait, the Stanley Cup playoffs start when? And what were those NFL Draft dates again?
Uh-oh.
Listen, I'll fess up: I've been keeping a forward eye on this for what feels like forever, as much as such a thing's possible. But here we are now, with the Penguins soaring past the Eastern pack and on the cusp of clinching, even as we're still cleaning up and constructing stuff for the biggest single event Pittsburgh's ever seen, and it just so happens they could coincide, with the first round of playoffs beginning April 18 and the first round of the three-day draft April 23.
Why 'could?'
Well, think about it: If the Penguins can hold their current second-place standing in the Metro, they'll open up with home ice. Which would be a dream come true for city planners, since Games 1 and 2 at PPG Paints Arena would happen ... eh, it'd still be a little close for comfort, but there'd be at least a prayer of finding hotel rooms somewhere in the region. (The Penguins have been warning potential opponents of this possibility for several weeks.) And from there, Games 3 and 4 could be ... yeah, anywhere else.
As for my own itinerary ...
It's like this: I'm under orders from the Boss to stay put. We'll have an unprecedented-beyond-words surge of humans into our Downtown and, thus, to our HQ/shop. And within that, we've got a whole marketing plan aimed at my being present to say hi, shake hands and, of course, sell the media product. (I might be the worst ever at selling merch.) And all of that goes poof, obviously, if I'm not in town.
So my new dream scenario in all this is that the Blue Jackets, who suddenly can't win a blessed game, climb past the Islanders into third in the Metro. That way, they're the first-round opponent, and Columbus can be plenty driveable, just three hours away. So I can go out there and back on the same day/night to be here more.
I mean, that's the good scenario.
We'll see.
The only bright spot: The Pirates smartly will stay far, far away, down in Arlington, Texas, then move on to Milwaukee, and it'll be done by the time they're back.
WHEN I WHIFF
I didn't make it into the HQ/shop yesterday until a little after 2 p.m., and I missed out on meeting a fair number of folks, including that fine-looking father/sons combo atop this feature. I really, really hate when that happens, and I'll try harder to be more available.
I also DID get to meet quite a few over this busy weekend, and I'm grateful for that.
It'll all come around, my friends. We're going to be here for a very long time.
• There's a whole new set of boxscores, standings and statistics being offered by our developers at BoomPress. If you're interested in having these, particularly on the app, let me know.
• Travelogue: Taylor Haase will have the Penguins' game Thursday in Newark, N.J., and I'll join her if there's a mathematical chance a playoff spot could be clinched. José Negron will have the Pirates' next series in Chicago.
• Across the bottom of the app, there are six buttons: Home, Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, SOMETHING and Multimedia. It's you who chooses what that something is. Tap your Profile (top left corner), thumb down to Customize App and tap Edit, and the rest's obvious. Just pick a college or team of your choice.
• A reminder I'll be making a lot: A subscription to this app/site covers only that. It doesn't apply to any of the memberships we offer on YouTube. And the same is true, obviously, in reverse. The reason: The platforms have nothing in common from the commerce perspective.
• Feel free to add a review of any aspect of our business on our Google business listing, or on our Appleand Spotify podcast channels. Makes a real difference.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our video views for our most recent full seven-day span, March 27-April 2, were 260,731. Our most-watched program was my Monday Daily Shot of Steelers on the NFL Meetings, at 9,282.
• Our page-view numbers, also for March 27-April 2, were 854,663. Our most-read original piece was my column from Elmont, N.Y., on the Penguins crushing the Islanders, at 10,570.
THE ASYLUM
Site Stuff: Accessible enough? Never
Wait, the Stanley Cup playoffs start when? And what were those NFL Draft dates again?
Uh-oh.
Listen, I'll fess up: I've been keeping a forward eye on this for what feels like forever, as much as such a thing's possible. But here we are now, with the Penguins soaring past the Eastern pack and on the cusp of clinching, even as we're still cleaning up and constructing stuff for the biggest single event Pittsburgh's ever seen, and it just so happens they could coincide, with the first round of playoffs beginning April 18 and the first round of the three-day draft April 23.
Why 'could?'
Well, think about it: If the Penguins can hold their current second-place standing in the Metro, they'll open up with home ice. Which would be a dream come true for city planners, since Games 1 and 2 at PPG Paints Arena would happen ... eh, it'd still be a little close for comfort, but there'd be at least a prayer of finding hotel rooms somewhere in the region. (The Penguins have been warning potential opponents of this possibility for several weeks.) And from there, Games 3 and 4 could be ... yeah, anywhere else.
As for my own itinerary ...
It's like this: I'm under orders from the Boss to stay put. We'll have an unprecedented-beyond-words surge of humans into our Downtown and, thus, to our HQ/shop. And within that, we've got a whole marketing plan aimed at my being present to say hi, shake hands and, of course, sell the media product. (I might be the worst ever at selling merch.) And all of that goes poof, obviously, if I'm not in town.
So my new dream scenario in all this is that the Blue Jackets, who suddenly can't win a blessed game, climb past the Islanders into third in the Metro. That way, they're the first-round opponent, and Columbus can be plenty driveable, just three hours away. So I can go out there and back on the same day/night to be here more.
I mean, that's the good scenario.
We'll see.
The only bright spot: The Pirates smartly will stay far, far away, down in Arlington, Texas, then move on to Milwaukee, and it'll be done by the time they're back.
WHEN I WHIFF
I didn't make it into the HQ/shop yesterday until a little after 2 p.m., and I missed out on meeting a fair number of folks, including that fine-looking father/sons combo atop this feature. I really, really hate when that happens, and I'll try harder to be more available.
I also DID get to meet quite a few over this busy weekend, and I'm grateful for that.
It'll all come around, my friends. We're going to be here for a very long time.
INSIDE THE WORKS
• Yet again, we're hiring. Email: Jobs@DKPittsburghSports.com
• There's a whole new set of boxscores, standings and statistics being offered by our developers at BoomPress. If you're interested in having these, particularly on the app, let me know.
• Travelogue: Taylor Haase will have the Penguins' game Thursday in Newark, N.J., and I'll join her if there's a mathematical chance a playoff spot could be clinched. José Negron will have the Pirates' next series in Chicago.
• Across the bottom of the app, there are six buttons: Home, Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, SOMETHING and Multimedia. It's you who chooses what that something is. Tap your Profile (top left corner), thumb down to Customize App and tap Edit, and the rest's obvious. Just pick a college or team of your choice.
• A reminder I'll be making a lot: A subscription to this app/site covers only that. It doesn't apply to any of the memberships we offer on YouTube. And the same is true, obviously, in reverse. The reason: The platforms have nothing in common from the commerce perspective.
• Feel free to add a review of any aspect of our business on our Google business listing, or on our Apple and Spotify podcast channels. Makes a real difference.
BACK TO BUSINESS
• Our video views for our most recent full seven-day span, March 27-April 2, were 260,731. Our most-watched program was my Monday Daily Shot of Steelers on the NFL Meetings, at 9,282.
• Our page-view numbers, also for March 27-April 2, were 854,663. Our most-read original piece was my column from Elmont, N.Y., on the Penguins crushing the Islanders, at 10,570.
• Our company social media: 72,068 followers on Facebook, 61,633 on X, 59,393 on YouTube, 17,860 on Instagram, 9,098 on TikTok, 6,781 on Threads.
• We make mistakes. If you see one, email: Typos@DKPittsburghSports.com
• The Downtown HQ/shop's open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 p.m., while our company-themed merch can be had in our online store.
• Anything you need, email: Help@DKPittsburghSports.com
• Thanks for supporting this proud, family-owned, wholly independent Pittsburgh venture.
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