Mark Madden stories, Page 22
Mark Madden: Money always wins, and the PGA did what was best for golf
Before you moralize about the Saudis buying golf — which is exactly what they did Tuesday — ask yourself this: How would you feel if they bought the Pittsburgh Pirates? If the Saudis bought the Pirates, they would be the best team in MLB within two or three years. No...
Mark Madden: Riverhounds could be next Pittsburgh team to win a championship
As a talk-show stooge, I constantly get asked cliched questions. One of the more frequent: Which Pittsburgh team is closest to a championship? It might be the Riverhounds. Sure, it’s only Class AAA soccer. But the Riverhounds are quietly becoming a phenomenon, selling out five of their six home games...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Position players pitching turns baseball games into a joke
The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 14-4 at San Francisco on Monday. Pirates utilityman Chase Owings (since cut) pitched the bottom of the eighth, the last time the Giants batted. A non-pitcher pitching is stupid. It happens at the end of lopsided games far too often. It shouldn’t happen at all. There’s...
Mark Madden: Here’s what makes Kyle Dubas a great hire for Penguins
Kyle Dubas is the Penguins’ new president of hockey operations. It’s a great hire. I told you it would be in March. Here’s what I like: • Dubas isn’t some blockhead ex-player hanging on by way of a second act. At 37, he’s a career executive. Dubas learned the craft...
Mark Madden: Steelers seem determined to be running team, so what’s that say about Kenny Pickett?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly kicking around the idea of getting running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren on the field at the same time. Cue a bunch of tweets: “Just like Franco and Rocky.” (One tweet literally said that. I ridiculed the author.) This sounds like mindless OTAs talk....
Mark Madden: Penguins can’t trust Tristan Jarry, at least not at market value
The next Pittsburgh Penguins GM has his work cut out for him. He likely will have to package positive assets with negative surplus just to hit reset. Like trading, say, a third-round pick and Mikael Granlund for zilch just to get rid of Granlund. If that sounds grotesque, it’s just...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Would it really matter if anyone saw Kenny Pickett’s stolen playbook?
Kenny Pickett got his SUV and playbook stolen. The SUV (a perk from a sponsor) got swiped. The playbook was in it. Each could be easily replaced. Free cars are plentiful for star athletes, and Matt Canada authored the playbook. Light reading by an unheralded author. The crime was easily...
Mark Madden: Nikola Jokic showed dominance, but LeBron grabs headlines
LeBron James got his backside handed to him by Nikola Jokic in the NBA playoffs. Denver eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in four straight games. James, 38, was very good. Jokic, 28, was utterly dominant. But, in the immediate aftermath, James pondered whether he’d retire. The media swarmed like piranha....
Mark Madden: A user’s guide for Penguins GM candidates
If you’re one of those who might get the Pittsburgh Penguins GM job, here’s a user’s guide: • Be the boss. The Penguins haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. They need your ideas. You don’t need theirs. Insist on having complete power over personnel and input on coaching. You’ll...
Mark Madden: Attendance doesn’t lie when it comes to Brittney Griner’s return to WNBA
Brittney Griner made her return to the WNBA on Friday when her Phoenix team visited Los Angeles. Griner missed the 2022 season while she was imprisoned 10 months in Russia for carrying a controlled substance (cannabis vape cartridges) through a Moscow airport. Vice President Kamala Harris attended. So did tennis...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Jim Brown remembered as best football player ever
Few sports have a player who unequivocally can be declared the game’s best ever. Hockey produces a debate between Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. With basketball it’s LeBron James and Michael Jordan. In baseball, options are plentiful: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, etc....
Mark Madden: After maintaining solid QB room, what should Steelers expect from Kenny Pickett?
As a wise old veteran of sports media once told me: When in doubt, write/talk about the quarterback. That’s always been a go-to in the Pittsburgh market. The Steelers re-upping third-stringer Mason Rudolph generated headlines, clicks and conversation. Extending backup Mitch Trubisky’s contract did the same, but more. Both moves...
Mark Madden: Steelers smart to keep Mason Rudolph but also need to retain Mitch Trubisky
Refreshing sports notes seem a worthy method of celebrating Mason Rudolph still being a Steeler. He can’t return because he never left. • Mason Rudolph’s re-signing with the Steelers gives him a job but also reveals that no other team considered him worthy to compete for a No. 2 spot....
Mark Madden: If the Rangers want Mike Sullivan, the Penguins should consider a trade
The New York Rangers want Mike Sullivan to be their coach. The New York media that stooges for the Rangers have leaked that. But Sullivan is under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins through 2027. That doesn’t discourage the Rangers’ stooges, who somehow think the Rangers matter despite a first-round playoff...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Having all 3 Watt brothers makes sense for Steelers, at right price
Retired future Hall-of-Famer J.J. Watt schmoozed Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on Twitter. Watt called Tomlin “an incredible coach and incredible man,” adding that “there’s a reason your players would run through a brick wall for you.” Watt didn’t offer a reason why Tomlin’s players haven’t won a playoff game for...
Mark Madden: Stanley Cup playoffs should be a showcase, but this display is terrible
Let’s be blunt about the NHL playoffs. They’ve been awful so far. • Too many lopsided games. • Terrible goaltending. (Today’s NHL has so few good goalies.) • Two of the best teams got eliminated in the first round, namely regular-season champ Boston and defending Stanley Cup winner Colorado. As...
Mark Madden: With Penguins committed to winning now, they should trade No. 14 pick
The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t win the Connor Bedard lottery, not least because they couldn’t. Nor did rivals Philadelphia or Washington. They could have. So, there’s that. The Penguins got the 14th pick in the first round. That’s the equivalent of a scratch-off ticket winning you another scratch-off ticket. (Bedard probably...
Mark Madden: Steelers would be smart to pursue edge rusher Kyle Van Noy
If refreshing sports notes are wrong, you don’t want to be right! Something for everybody! • Pro Football Focus projects the Pittsburgh Steelers as a possible landing spot for free-agent veteran edge rusher Kyle Van Noy. Sounds like a good idea. Fourth-round draft pick Nick Herbig isn’t a known commodity....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: If the Steelers want a new stadium, they’ll get it
In 1997, 11 counties in Western Pennsylvania voted against new stadiums for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates being built via public funding. They were built anyway. Using public funding. The idea of a new stadium for the Steelers will be mooted sooner than you think. Three Rivers Stadium operated from...
Mark Madden: Ke’Bryan Hayes is a brilliant fielder, but Pirates need more from his bat
Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t stink for the first time in a while, it’s time to discuss them like a real baseball team. Weak links can be questioned and dissected. Is third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes a weak link? Hayes will keep playing even if that’s the case. He signed...
Mark Madden: Seeing former Penguins succeed in playoffs puts spotlight on Ron Hextall’s mistakes
Defenseman John Marino had two assists and was plus-4 in New Jersey’s Game 7 victory over the New York Rangers. Marino and the Devils play Carolina in the NHL playoffs’ second round and have a good shot to beat the banged-up Hurricanes. Marino is 25. The Penguins traded him to...
Mark Madden: After strong NFL Draft, pressure for Steelers’ success falls on Kenny Pickett
The Pittsburgh Steelers had an excellent draft. It’s not quite 1974 when they drafted four Hall of Famers. But it was clinical. It filled need after need. It didn’t fill every need. The Steelers are weak at inside linebacker. They need a center better than Mason Cole to have the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Spurning young players for veterans could continue to cost Penguins
We don’t know who the Pittsburgh Penguins’ next GM, president of hockey operations, etc. will be. But here’s a situation that needs to be considered. Penguins prospect (they don’t have many) Filip Hallander is no longer a Penguins prospect. His contract is expiring. He’s a restricted free agent as per...
Mark Madden: From power play to structure, Penguins are far from playoff caliber
The Stanley Cup playoffs are showing what’s wrong with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and not just in terms of talent and depth. Edmonton is converting on the power play 57.1% of the time during the postseason, an absurdly high rate. Like the Penguins, the Oilers’ man-advantage unit has mega-stars — even...
Mark Madden: Bad headlines detract from NHL’s good stories during Stanley Cup playoffs
There’s been some dissatisfaction with the refereeing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. As ex-player Scottie Upshall advised the refs via Twitter: “Put the whistles away. Let games be decided five-on-five. Tougher/bloodier teams win.” Upshall, a winger, got drafted sixth overall in 2003. He cracked 20 goals just once in his...
