Mark Madden stories, Page 3

Aaron Rodgers will wear No. 8 for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not No. 12. That was never a possibility. There’s no comparing him to Terry Bradshaw in Pittsburgh, just like there was no comparing him to Joe Namath in New York. Rodgers will talk to the media in Pittsburgh on Tuesday....

The prevailing wisdom is that Aaron Rodgers gives the Pittsburgh Steelers a better chance to win. Win what, exactly? It would be tangibly better for the Steelers to go 4-13 than to go 9-8. (See Commanders, Washington.) This is 41-year-old Rodgers, not MVP Rodgers. The Steelers roster is dotted with...

A notes column about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ coaching hire is apropos because related factoids and opinions are all over the place. So, let’s look at Dan Muse via the pause that refreshes. • For a guy I never heard of before Wednesday’s announcement, Muse seems a good hire. But it’s...

It’s been 447 days since the Pittsburgh Steelers played a game with a legit No. 2 wideout. Four hundred and forty-seven days since they traded Diontae Johnson to Carolina. It’s like a hostage crisis. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and the quarterback (whoever that’s going to be) should be blindfolded. (Not...

In team sports, the pressure nonetheless congregates around individuals, not least in big situations. Such is the case in this year’s Stanley Cup Final, the obvious target being Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Florida won the Cup last year. This is the Panthers’ third straight final. Nobody truly cares about hockey in...

The NFL is narcissistic, obnoxious and overbearing in its desire to be everywhere, all the time, 24/7/365. It doesn’t make the great unwashed love the NFL any less. But if anything has ever been too popular, it’s the NFL. (Besides populist fascist dictators.) The NFL’s latest victim is shaping up...

I’ve written this before, but I’m going to reiterate in detail because there seems little doubt that the Steelers are going to make a big mistake even as most of you marks cheer them on. There isn’t a single good reason to give edge rusher T.J. Watt a contract extension...

OTAs are underway at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ South Side complex. On the offensive side of the ball, they don’t matter. Little can be accomplished. The first-string quarterback isn’t there. The backup quarterbacks are getting the reps. Top wideout DK Metcalf didn’t bother attending the first day. Perhaps because the QB expected...

On Sunday at PNC Park, Oneil Cruz hit a baseball 432 feet into the Allegheny River. That solo home run was moving at 122.9 mph, the hardest-hit ball since exit velocity started being tracked in 2015. Two innings earlier, Cruz’s throw from center field to home plate sailed to the...

Sports don’t always offer instant validation (or rebuke) of decision-making. But the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 1 game will provide exactly that. It’s more than three months away, but the Steelers’ Sept. 7 visit to the New York Jets looms extremely large. It’s a proving ground. It will set a tone...

The tush push is one play. It’s basically run by one team. (A few others dabble.) But it certainly gets people talking. At this week’s NFL owners meeting in Minnesota, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie lobbied for an hour on behalf of the tush push, his team’s ballyhooed goal-line go-to....

Paul Skenes isn’t eligible for salary arbitration till 2027. He currently makes a paltry $875,000. The Pittsburgh Pirates are unlikely to retain Skenes through his three arbitration years — because they won’t want to pay what’s decided — and have zero chance of keeping him when he hits free agency...

I’m not one to predict the results of the Steelers’ season week-by-week when the schedule is released in May. That’s lazy media, and a lot can happen between now and when those games get played. But I will predict this: The Steelers will lose Week 1 at the New York...

I wish MLB had ruled before Pete Rose passed away that he’d be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame after he died. Rose could have faked his own death, resurrected upon his induction, then charged more money to sign autographs at memorabilia shows. Maybe, before he expired, Rose inscribed...

Paul Skenes isn’t falling apart. But he’s not a phenom so far this season. He isn’t dominating. Look at Monday vs. the New York Mets, Skenes’ most recent start. He allowed six hits and one run in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. He had to pitch...

The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t the worst team in MLB. Not by a long shot. Colorado is 7-33 and on pace to go 28-134. But the Rockies just changed their manager. That should fix everything, like Don Kelly in Pittsburgh. The Chicago White Sox (12-29) are also worse than the Pirates...

I’m not a good neutral when it comes to watching sports. If I don’t have a rooting interest, it’s got to be a marquee game: Two top-flight opponents, Game 7 of a series, single-elimination playoff, Super Bowl, something like that. So, I’m not that enthusiastic about the Stanley Cup playoffs....

The Pittsburgh Pirates fired Derek Shelton. It changes nothing. Relieving Shelton of his managerial duties is just appeasing the mob. A head on a pike. A perceived fresh start. All PR, nothing practical. Not that Shelton didn’t deserve the ax. His .410 winning percentage is third worst among managers with at...

In a vacuum, trading wide receiver George Pickens was an easy move. Pickens is talented. But he’s a nutjob. Out on the ledge more often than not. Was never going to be happy playing out his lame-duck contract year. Was going to be mad about DK Metcalf getting paid. Quit...

Among those dumb enough to still care about the Pittsburgh Pirates, there’s a big clamor to fire GM Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton. Cherington and Shelton should get sacked. The citizens are correct. But doing so changes nothing. Whoever replaces Cherington and Shelton would be the next Cherington and...

Shedeur Sanders is a Cleveland Brown. That was likely at the behest of the owner and will be to the detriment of the coach. Kevin Stefanski will have daddy Deion in his ear, looking over his shoulder, bashing him, undermining him, perhaps even replacing him if the con goes perfectly....

Twitter (X) is goofy on a good day. Pittsburgh Pirates Twitter is off-the-wall nutso. Here’s what’s being demanded by the tweeters, bloggers, fanboys and stooges. • Fire manager Derek Shelton. • Fire GM Ben Cherington. • Summon pitcher Bubba Chandler from Triple-A. • Perform a miracle voodoo cure on pitcher...

Let’s be honest: Letting Mike Sullivan go was an easy decision for the Penguins. (This wasn’t all that mutual.) He’s a very good coach, and there’s no diminishing what Sullivan did early in his tenure. But Sullivan had long since lapsed into Mike Tomlin mode, not winning a playoff series...

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” — Galatians 6:7. Nor can football be mocked. Shedeur Sanders reportedly botched the predraft process. He displayed his entitlement and arrogance during interviews, interrupting one to take a personal FaceTime call. Sanders was referred to as...