Mark Madden stories, Page 4

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...

The Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. Hockey’s showcase, or so the NHL thinks. Early TV ratings showed that viewership is down 12%. That’s no surprise. Hockey is a winter sport. It’s played on ice. But we’re already a month into spring and the postseason just started. The NHL season is...

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the right guy. I’m as shocked as anybody. Especially with Shedeur Sanders’ availability giving Mike Tomlin the opportunity to go showbiz with a shiny new toy. But defensive line big-timers had tumbled off the board: Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen,...

The Pittsburgh Steelers should do the obvious Thursday and draft a much-needed defensive lineman with the 21st pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Save fixing quarterback till 2026. That draft is stronger at QB and, with any luck, the Steelers go 5-12 this coming season to get a...

“SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM!” Except he won’t. So the joke’s on you. Saturday was the epitome of Bob Nutting’s Pittsburgh Pirates. It was sold out because the first 20,000 entering got Paul Skenes bobbleheads. But Nutting saw the lines that extended far away from PNC...

Ten things that will happen before the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ next season: 1. Winger Ville Koivunen will be NHL Rookie of the Year. Good speed, great playmaker, plays the 10-foot game that Sidney Crosby prefers. He had seven assists in eight NHL games this season and only scratched...

I watched the entirety of the Aaron Rodgers interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.” God help me, I did. It was wall-to-wall horse manure. Rodgers presented himself as a victim. He isn’t, not in any small way. Rodgers hasn’t been “slandered,” as he said. He doesn’t know what that word...

The Steelers would be insane to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Any NFL team would be. They would get a legit first-round talent. Sanders’ ability is undeniable. But they would also get the nuttiest Little League dad this side of LeBron James. Make no mistake, Deion Sanders would be interfering....

The Pittsburgh Steelers simply can’t pay T.J. Watt $40 million per year, or one dollar more than Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, or whatever figure Watt desires to satiate ego disguised as comparison shopping. Many absurdities accompany this drama, not least that the Steelers would be paying quarterback money to two players...

Erik Karlsson scored his 200th career goal Tuesday night. That’s pretty impressive given that Karlsson never got to play against himself. The Pittsburgh Penguins have several players they would be well rid of at season’s end. But despite being a three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman, Karlsson...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a plan. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas has a plan. Like with any plan, whether it works remains to be seen. The Penguins have 18 picks over the first three rounds of the next three drafts. That includes four first-rounders. That indicates a commitment to...

Alex Ovechkin eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record for goals has renewed a debate: Who would be on hockey’s Mt. Rushmore? The correct answer: Nobody. There will never be a Mt. Rushmore for hockey or baseball or football or anything but Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore doesn’t even seem to be...