First Call: Antonio Brown plans to play for his arena team; praise for Steelers signing; interesting Pens nuggets in minors

Thursday’s “First Call” has high praise for a Pittsburgh Steelers free agent signing. There are some changes of interest in the Steelers scouting department. Pirates prospect Henry Davis won’t cool down.

We have some interesting notes from the Penguins seeping out from the farm club.

And then there’s the story about Antonio Brown that we all expected we’d see at some point.

It was just a matter of time

We all saw this one coming, didn’t we?

It’s not exactly reminiscent of Mario Lemieux coming out of retirement to play for the team he owned, but that’s what former Steeler Antonio Brown is trying to do.

According to NEWS10 in Albany, Brown plans on suiting up for the Albany Empire this season. The former NFL wide receiver bought the National Arena League team in March. Predictably, since then, the franchise has found itself in the swirl of chaos that always seems to follow Brown wherever he goes.

There have been questions about actual ownership of the club, player defections amid accusations of nonpayment, coaching staff upheaval, and even an altercation between Brown and a security guard.

Via NEWS10 Sports Director Griffin Haas, “Brown’s rep says he is aiming to suit up for their home game against the Fayetteville Mustangs on May 27 at the MVP Arena. They added the stipulation that if he does not play in that game, the seven-time Pro-Bowler plans on playing their next home game, June 17th against the Fayetteville Mustangs.”

But, wait! There’s more! As there always is with A.B.

Haas also quotes JR Rickert, Brown’s advisor, as saying that Brown is getting interest from NFL teams. Rickert tells Haas “if Brown wants to play in the NFL in 2023, the opportunity will be there for him.”

Albany Empire owner Antonio Brown's rep tells me @AB84 plans to suit up for the @thealbanyempir.

Meanwhile, Brown's adviser @JRRickert tells me Brown is receiving interest from NFL teams.

A lot to unpack, full story below. @WTEN @NALFootballhttps://t.co/eKSjO816Nv

— Griffin Haas (@Griffin__Haas) May 17, 2023

By the way, what happens if Brown doesn’t pay himself? Just wondering.

Strong statements

Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce gave a hearty endorsement to new Steeler guard Isaac Seumalo. The two men played next to each other on the Eagles offensive line.

“I think he’s one of the best guards in the NFL,” Kelce said via NFL.com. “I think he’s one of the most consistent players I’ve ever been around, one of the most consistent people I’ve ever been around. … Isaac is a really, really special player. I know we’ve said that here for a long time, and I still don’t think people really truly grasp what he did for our room.”

Seumalo was in Philly for seven years and started 60 games.

“I think he’s probably the smartest player I’ve ever been around. Really, really gifted physically, mentally, across the board. So I think the Steelers are getting a steal,” Kelce insisted.

The 29-year-old out of Oregon State was part of the 2017 team that won a Super Bowl and started in last year’s Super Bowl loss to Kansas City.

More sports

• Steelers announce signing of QB Mason Rudolph
• Tim Benz: Steelers rookies hope to prove they're as versatile as scouting suggest
• Penguins coach Mike Sullivan dismisses rumor

Scouting the scouts

There have been some comings and goings in the Steelers scouting department.

Longtime scout Mark Gorscak retired Tuesday. Now two new names are joining the department.

Via SteelersNow.com, one of them is a native of Western Pennsylvania: Jim Ward. A former college player at Slippery Rock, Ward still lives in Jefferson Hills and played his high school football at Steel Valley in Munhall. He has also been a WPIAL coach at South Allegheny and McKeesport. Ward was the Philadelphia Eagles’ Midwest area scout.

Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston also reports that the Steelers are bringing former NFL fullback Zach Crockett into the scouting department. He had been the Las Vegas Raiders’ Southeast scout.

#Steelers hiring former #Raiders Southeast scout and veteran #NFL fullback Zach Crockett, according to a league source, as a Southeast area scout. Crockett is a former #Colts third-round draft pick from @Seminoles Scored 36 career touchdowns and rushed for 1,701 yards. @KPRC2

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 17, 2023

Crockett played for the Raiders during his career which lasted from 1995-2007. He scored 36 touchdowns in the NFL.

Henry’s hot streak

The Pirates first-overall pick from the 2021 draft is staying hot. He went 2-2 with two walks on Wednesday as the Altoona Curve won 11-2 in Bowie.

That’s on top of hitting another home run Tuesday.

HENRY DOES IT ALL! @henrydavis32 crushes his ninth home run of the season to give us the lead in the sixth inning!

LISTEN: https://t.co/aioWvW3Svf
WATCH: https://t.co/6GP894jPtF pic.twitter.com/vu3SUE0zHK

— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) May 16, 2023

The young catcher’s numbers are starting to get pretty ridiculous on the AA level.

Henry Davis with two more hits and two more walks tonight for Altoona. He's hitting .393 with 7 HR, 13 RBI and 10 walks in his last 15 games.

He continues to lead AA baseball in OBP and OPS by large margins. #Pirates

— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) May 18, 2023

At least much-maligned Pirates catcher Austin Hedges had two hits during the team’s 8-0 win in Detroit on Wednesday. So that raised Hedges’ average to .172.

Beefing up the Baby Pens

Here are some interesting nuggets from InsideAHLHockey.com relating to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the parent club in Pittsburgh.

Via writer Tony Androckitis, Fenway Sports Group ownership, by way of the insistence of Mike Sullivan, is putting an emphasis on bolstering the minor league product.

“I’m told FSG will mandate to their new GM that this AHL Penguins club needs to be highly competitive — on the persistent advice from Sullivan, specifically, in making sure the organization’s top prospects are developing in a winning environment,” Androckitis said.

That’s ironic, given that Sullivan seemed so loathe to use young players in recent years. Maybe he just hasn’t been under the impression that any of them were any good down at WSB.

Androckitis added this quote from an NHL source, “This is a (Sullivan) thing more than whoever the new (GM) is. … And right now, (Sullivan) has the hammer with the Fenway guys.”

That seems to confirm a lot of what people in Pittsburgh have assumed about the relationship between FSG and Sullivan.

Also, Androckitis says he’s hearing Marc Bergevin, Jason Botterill and John Chayka are three specific candidates to watch for the GM vacancy, and that coaches around the AHL think J.D. Forrest and his staff had “a well-structured team” despite a lack of depth on the club.