Mark Madden stories, Page 46
Mark Madden: NASCAR noose saga adds fuel to divisive fire
Fake noose? No, not exactly. But the garage-door pull at Talladega Superspeedway which approximated a noose and caused NASCAR to go off the deep end (however righteously) has given ample ammunition to those who want to discredit Bubba Wallace as a new-day Jussie Smollett. It also diminished the impact of...
Mark Madden: The 5 most agonizing losses in Pittsburgh sports history
Because big-time American sports had not been played for 100 days, last week I alleviated the boredom by listing the Top 5 biggest wins in the history of Pittsburgh sports. Now, at 103 days, it’s the same old story. So, I once more try to alleviate the boredom by listing...
Mark Madden: Top 5 victories in Pittsburgh sports history
I did a tried-and-true (read: clichéd) sports talk bit on Thursday’s radio program, namely the use of a list: Top 5, Top 10, Mt. Rushmore, 1,004 holds, etc. You get the idea. (We’ve now had 100 days without sports. You come up with better.) In this case, it was Top...
Mark Madden: Messy negotiations prove Major League Baseball needs independent commissionerVideo
A week ago, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “100 percent” certain there would be a 2020 baseball season. As of Monday, though, Manfred was “not confident.” Tuesday’s face-to-face meeting with union boss Tony Clark restored optimism games will be played. What happened inside of a week? Nothing resembling...
Mark Madden: NBA players should continue to dribble, but not shut up
Some NBA players don’t want to resume the season in Orlando’s Disney World bubble. The most outspoken among them is Brooklyn’s Kyrie Irving, who is leading the movement via conference calls on Zoom. Irving feels the NBA resuming could take focus off the Black Lives Matter movement. I get it....
Mark Madden: NHL’s return presents Penguins once-in-a-lifetime opportunityVideo
NHL training camp opens July 10. With players now permitted to work out in small groups at their team’s facilities, it’s unclear why another month’s wait is required. But with the logistics of the resumption still not finalized, it’s good just to have a date. Perhaps that isn’t true in...
Mark Madden: Signing Colin Kaepernick now would put NFL teams in difficult position
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016. While he hardly sparkled then, Kaepernick wasn’t as useless as his 1-10 record quarterbacking San Francisco might indicate. It was a reflection of his team. His other numbers were solid: 16 touchdowns against four interceptions, for example. Kaepernick’s passer rating of...
Mark Madden: 48-game schedule would be bolt of adrenaline for MLB
Bruce Meyer, the MLB Players Association’s chief negotiator, condemned MLB’s “cynical tactic of depriving America of baseball games.” Hey, Bruce … right now, nobody even notices. Thanks to Meyer for another example of baseball’s exaggerated self-importance. We’re never deprived of that. It seems MLB, as per an agreement reached in...
Mark Madden: Drew Brees’ apology should be used as example of change
More than anything, Drew Brees hurt himself. Brees’ words cut deeply in these troubled times. Saying he will “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America” as regards a football player taking a knee during the national anthem was regrettable and tone-deaf. Brees made the...
Mark Madden: Baseball will lose out in battle for fans among 4 major American sports
Between owner Bob Nutting so obviously prioritizing profit over winning and attendance not permitted at PNC Park for what figures to be well over a year, the Pirates might be in a load of trouble once tickets can be sold again. It’s hard to imagine anyone being interested. The Pirates...
Mark Madden: Minkah Fitzpatrick’s game isn’t broken, so Steelers need not fix it
When safety Minkah Fitzpatrick wanted out of Miami, he said the Dolphins moved him around the field too much. Now that he’s made first-team All-Pro with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick would like to spend time at “corner or linebacker, whatever it may be, that’s what I’m going to do.” Fitzpatrick isn’t...
Mark Madden: Players are right, owners are wrong, and labor issues could be fatal mix for baseballVideo
There are two sides to every story. But not when it comes to the conflict between owners and players over MLB’s pay scale for what will be an abbreviated 2020 season. The players are 100% right. The owners are 100% wrong. It’s impossible to logically think otherwise, though many will....
Mark Madden: Vast uncertainty still exists for finishing NHL season
When it comes to the resumption of pro hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mostly told us what he doesn’t know. Bettman doesn’t know when training camp starts: Not before July 1, and likely later. Bettman doesn’t know when play resumes. Bettman doesn’t know where games will take place: Two host...
Mark Madden: Steelers locker room leaders need to prioritize winning mindsetVideo
In 2013, as a rookie, Le’Veon Bell rushed for 860 yards. That season was Antonio Brown’s fourth. He had his best year to date with 110 catches. These were two rare talents. It seemed inevitable the Pittsburgh Steelers would return to the Super Bowl. But, not long after, I proclaimed...
Mark Madden: Talent, playoff experience will benefit Penguins in unique postseason
The NHL’s proposed 24-team playoff reportedly has the Penguins playing Montreal in a best-of-five preliminary-round series. Montreal features goaltender Carey Price, not quite in his prime but widely regarded as one of hockey’s best. A best-of-five vs. Price is no easy task, even with Montreal 15 points back of the...
Mark Madden: Changes to Rooney Rule should have trickle-up effect
The Rooney Rule that promotes minority hiring in the NFL is a noble idea and very worthy of having the late Dan Rooney’s name attached. But right now, it’s just not working. Minorities fill four head coaching jobs in the NFL and two general manager slots. The Rooney Rule requires...
Mark Madden: Time for Steelers to cut ties with James Harrison
James Harrison went too far…again. He threw Mike Tomlin and the Steelers logo under the bus…again. It’s time for the Steelers to excommunicate Harrison. Make him persona non grata. Harrison should never again be welcome at Heinz Field. When Harrison said Tomlin “handed me an envelope” after Harrison got fined...
Mark Madden: Pitt basketball should stick to its word, play Duquesne
Pitt should play Duquesne in men’s basketball for any number of reasons. But the main reason is because Pitt said it would. In March 2019, a statement released by Pitt quoted athletic director Heather Lyke thusly: “The City Game is a time-honored basketball tradition in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, our scheduling dynamics...
Mark Madden: Sympathetic figures lacking on both sides of MLB labor dispute
The MLB labor dispute that erupted from a health crisis is reminiscent of “Breaking Bad”: No sympathetic figures are to be found anywhere. The owners are employing distasteful opportunism by trying to shame the players into revenue-sharing, however temporary. That is a de facto salary cap, and the players would...
Mark Madden: 3 starters likely entering final season with Steelers
Alejandro Villanueva, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner are all likely headed into their final season with the Steelers. Each will be in the last year of his contract. Villanueva’s exit would be logical. He’s 31 and struggled last season after making the Pro Bowl in 2017 and ’18. Villanueva’s performance...
Mark Madden: Conditioning won’t be problem for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers schedule has been released. Now we can predict their record. We could have done that right after last season ended. The schedule template dictated the Steelers’ opponents and sites for each game. We just needed dates matched to foes. That has been done. We have a graphic to...
Mark Madden: Michael Jordan’s gambling, pettiness makes for compelling documentary
Episodes 5 and 6 of ESPN’s Michael Jordan documentary averaged 5.5 million viewers this past Sunday. That’s a slight dip but still impressive. In cliched talk-show fashion, hacks like me are given to wondering aloud, “What Pittsburgh athlete would be logical fodder for such an endeavor?” The answer: Nobody. Mario...
Mark Madden: Athletes can’t be forced to play, but they will want to get paid eventually
It looks doubtful any of America’s major sports leagues will start or resume. The minute a plan is formulated, it’s poked full of holes and said to be unworkable. If you want it to be impossible, of course it’s going to be impossible. If you’re looking for reasons to not...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ window might be closing, but it’s not quite shutVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t supposed to win the Stanley Cup in 2016. Their odds were 13-1 at season’s start. Four teams were more favored. The Penguins hadn’t made a Stanley Cup final since winning in 2009. They got swept in their only conference final (2013). It wasn’t unreasonable to feel...
Mark Madden: ESPN’s marketing of ‘The Last Dance’ is brilliant
ESPN is doing big ratings despite no games. The NFL Draft drew 55 million viewers over its three days. That’s up 16% from the 2019 draft. Episodes 3 and 4 of “The Last Dance” documentary averaged 5.9 million viewers. The first two episodes averaged 6 million. ESPN could go in...
