Mark Madden stories, Page 39
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Where Aaron Rodgers plays could impact Steelers’ playoff fate
The NFL’s big schedule “reveal” this past Wednesday gave clichéd sports media a chance to break down the Steelers’ slate game-by-game in detailed fashion. That approach ignores that A) We knew who the Steelers were playing (and where) months ago, and B) The season is still three months away. But...
Mark Madden: Despite what Cameron Heyward says, NFL rookies need to attend minicamp
The Steelers’ Cameron Heyward wants those invited to not attend the team’s minicamp for rookies this weekend. He posted this on Instagram: “For the ROOKIES and FREE AGENTS find your vets tell them to get you up to speed. Trust me y’all ain’t missing anything you will still get your...
Mark Madden: Penguins are better than Islanders, but crazy things happen in the playoffs
The New York Islanders are the preferred first-round matchup for the Penguins. You asked for it, you got it. The players and staff likely feel the same, albeit quietly. That’s sometimes when the trouble starts. But that shouldn’t be the case on this occasion, the Islanders’ series sweep of the...
Mark Madden: Play of Sidney Crosby, systemic excellence lifted Penguins to East division title
I’m just another heart in need of rescue, waiting on love’s sweet charity … and for the NHL playoffs to start. Meantime, check out these refreshing hockey notes. Here I go again … • Many (including me) had the Pittsburgh Penguins pegged as a borderline playoff team before season’s start....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Aaron Rodgers is a Hall of Famer and a giant diva
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg is one of the nation’s top sports media personalities. But even the best of us can drop a clanger, as Greenberg did when he said any team in the NFL would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender if it added quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Roll over, Jacksonville, and...
Mark Madden: NHL’s response to Tom Wilson incident means players will police the game
The latest Tom Wilson incident is over. But the implications have the potential to be long-reaching. The NHL is being nudged back to the era of each team having an enforcer. That doesn’t mean a return to the anarchy of the 1970s. But each team will have a fourth-line goon....
Mark Madden: While many draft needs were addressed, the Steelers still need a cornerback
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft did a lot to fix their offense, specifically their running game. But is their defense broken? The Steelers’ playmaking defense has been the team’s cornerstone the last two seasons. It was third- and second-best in yards allowed per play in 2020 (4.9) and 2019 (4.7). It...
Mark Madden: Kris Letang has been great for Penguins, despite what Twitter suggests
One of the best things about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ excellent season is Twitter has had to absorb a sharp stick in the eye, or perhaps someplace a bit further south. When the Penguins obtained defenseman Mike Matheson, he was called the new Jack Johnson. When defenseman Cody Ceci signed, he...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers draft decisions don’t always add up
I liked the Steelers’ first draft pick — until they made their second pick. After the Steelers made their third pick, I felt OK again. Picking Alabama’s Najee Harris at No. 24 made perfect sense. He was the best running back in the draft. Harris will make more immediate impact...
Mark Madden: Thought to be a borderline playoff team, Penguins suddenly see sky as the limit
Thursday was a great day for hockey. (Sky point to Badger Bob Johnson.) The Philadelphia Flyers got eliminated from playoff contention and will not win the Stanley Cup for a 46th straight season. Please, God, let them (and me) make it to 50 years in 2025. Have you ever seen...
Mark Madden: In transition to ESPN and Turner, NHL needs to find the next Charles Barkley
The NHL’s national TV situation has been overhauled. NBC is out. ESPN and Turner Broadcasting are in. Hockey is finally on multiple networks. Pinocchio, you’re a real boy now. NBC failed at hockey. Their in-studio presentation is dull and lifeless, devoid of personality and edge. Praise is thick, criticism nonexistent....
Mark Madden: Penguins will put Evgeni Malkin on top power play, but they shouldn’t
Before Evgeni Malkin got hurt, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play scored 15 times on 84 opportunities. That’s a conversion percentage of 17.8. With Malkin out, the power play is 16 for 50. That’s a percentage of 32.0. When Malkin rejoins the lineup, should he go back on the No. 1...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers’ need to improve transcends NFL Draft
The NFL Draft begins Thursday. Good. It’s so tiresome to discuss. Get it over with. “Experts” pretend the draft is an exact science. But it’s a crapshoot. The Steelers have the 24th pick in the first round. If the Steelers want to help their team now, take a running back....
Mark Madden: When healthy, the Penguins could actually roll 4 good lines
Here’s a popular talk-show question: When the Pittsburgh Penguins are 100% healthy, what would their lines be? Here’s a popular Penguins fan fantasy: that the team will ever be 100% healthy. That’s not the nature of hockey and certainly not the nature of the Penguins. Their defense was ravaged by...
Mark Madden: Steelers were always going to extend Mike Tomlin’s contract, but why now?
Mike Tomlin was always going to get his contract extended. He can coach the Steelers for as long he wants. That’s how Dad ran things. Granddad, too. (Actually, Granddad had 13 coaches in the Steelers’ first 35 years, and they only made the playoffs once. But don’t spoil the narrative.)...
Mark Madden: Connor McDavid’s scoring is impressive, but Mario Lemieux defined his era
Edmonton’s Connor McDavid reached 70 points in 43 games. That’s fast but unsurprising in the limp competition of the North division, the NHL’s worst. It’s so weak that McDavid’s Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs will be hard-pressed to both underachieve in the playoffs. It’s not likely, but hardly impossible....
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers have more immediate draft needs than quarterback
A whole slew of “experts” think the Pittsburgh Steelers should draft a quarterback. Turn on ESPN. Adam Schefter, Dan Graziano and Booger McFarland are hot for the Steelers to select a QB. Not necessarily in the first round, where the Steelers pick 24th. Maybe in the third or fourth round....
Mark Madden: Pine-Richland’s shameful firing of Eric Kasperowicz deserves better than ‘no comment’
Pine-Richland High School fired Eric Kasperowicz after eight seasons as football coach. He won two state championships and four WPIAL titles, including one of each this past season. Kasperowicz was 85-18. He’s beloved by his players and known for his professionalism. Plenty of Kasperowicz’s players got football scholarships. Kasperowicz wasn’t...
Mark Madden: Ex-Steelers WRs have better Hall of Fame credentials than Julian Edelman
Since New England receiver Julian Edelman quit and those in the sports media presumably whacked out of their minds on hallucinogens started making his case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the argument posed by Yinzer Nation compares him to the Steelers’ Hines Ward. Ward’s stats badly trump Edelman’s...
Mark Madden: A big question still looms over Penguins after Jeff Carter deal
At 36, Jeff Carter is still a good hockey player. Carter skates swiftly, which is indigenous to playing for Pittsburgh. He is not the finisher he was in his prime (four seasons of 30-plus goals) but is a proven scorer. He has a shoot-first mentality that will be useful. He...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: ‘Cheaters never win’ doesn’t apply for MLB
You can cheat in baseball and get away with it. Not just stretch the rules or exploit gray areas. But blatantly cheat, win, and not get punished. The biggest example is the Houston Astros. They won a World Series in 2017 via sign-stealing. They got caught and confessed. Not one...
Mark Madden: With Evgeni Malkin injured, Penguins taking test drive for future
McDonald’s is doing a promotion with Evgeni Malkin: The “Geno Meal” consists of a Big Mac, french fries, milkshake and an orange soda. (Do elite athletes ever eat like that?) The “Geno Meal” is available for a limited time. Perhaps that’s an omen. When GM Ron Hextall and president of...
Mark Madden: It’s a bad time for Penguins goalies to implode
The Pittsburgh Penguins allowed eight goals Tuesday. Liverpool FC conceded three. Can’t anybody here play defense? Only one thing can restore my calm: refreshing sports notes! • The Penguins’ defense was terrible Saturday at Boston and Tuesday at the New York Rangers. But goalies Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry were...
Mark Madden: Pitch counts, analytics are taking away baseball’s trademark moments
Pitcher Jose Berrios of the Minnesota Twins had a no-hitter going Saturday: 6 innings, zero hits, zero walks, 12 strikeouts. (It wasn’t a perfect game. Berrios hit a batter.) Berrios was pulled by manager Rocco Baldelli. He had thrown 84 pitches. Every manager in MLB would do the same. That...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Most of baseball’s flaws involve wasted time
The Pirates season started well Thursday. Prize rookie Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a home run in the first inning. As Hayes rounded the bases, he was doubtless dreaming of escaping from Pittsburgh at the earliest possible opportunity. If he could have, Hayes would have crossed home plate, sprinted to the dugout,...
