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Mehno: Champion Pens ready for time off

PITTSBURGH – The Stanley Cup parade rolls this morning at 11:30, which means a lot of the Penguins players should be scattering this evening.

Who can blame them?

They reported to training camp in mid-September, and played their season opener on Oct. 8. They made four trips to the Pacific time zone. When they didn’t have games, they had practices.

The season ended on June 12. If the NFL season ran that long, the Super Bowl would be played in May. It’s a grind. Yes, the players are well-paid, but it’s a lot to deal with, physically and mentally, in a championship season.

Training camp will open in less than three months. More than a few players are probably headed for a destination where there’s a beach and the warm sun to bake out a season’s worth of aches and pains.

As much as they’re enjoying their accomplishment, the idea of some time away from hockey must seem heavenly about now.

SUBHEAD: Slumping Pirates

The Pirates have had two basic problems lately: Pitching and hitting.

As Jim Leyland used to say, “That’s a bad combination.”

Pitching has been an issue all season. The starters haven’t been consistent, which puts more pressure on the bullpen.

That needs to work itself out, and soon. Pitching is the biggest factor in whether a team has success.

The offense has hit the skids recently, but there’s every reason to believe that’s a temporary condition. The Pirates have good hitters throughout their lineup. As soon as Andrew McCutchen starts producing at his normal levels, things should improve quickly.

For now, pay no attention to the standings. Instead, just focus on what the Pirates are doing.

They need to get back to winning series, especially within the division. Consistently take two of three games, and see what happens in the standings.

SUBHEAD: Enough is enough

You have the feeling that Neil Walker was glad to see his homecoming come to an end last week.

It seemed like Walker was forced to cram a month’s worth of activity into three days and he was about ready to cry, “uncle.” (If he did that, surely a handful of relatives would have stepped up and said something).

The homecoming wasn’t going to be easy under any circumstances. By the time the three games at PNC Park were over, it seemed as though Walker would welcome the chance to move on to Milwaukee, the next stop on the Mets’ trip.

SUBHEAD: Cheating for profit

Who says crime doesn’t pay?

Marlon Byrd, a much-traveled player who helped the Pirates win in 2013, was suspended 162 games for PED use.

Byrd is 38, so his career is essentially over. It was the second time he had a positive test for banned substances that drew a penalty.

After he played for the Pirates, he made the tour of three other teams in two seasons before Cleveland signed him. He made an additional $16 million after he finished in Pittsburgh, so he wound up making more than $38 million over his 15-year career.

That’s not a bad parting gift.

Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.

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