Mark Madden Columns category, Page 3
Mark Madden: No one deserved such an exemplary sendoff more than Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury’s curtain call Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena was hokey, carny and rooted in a money grab via selling out an exhibition game at inflated prices. But it was incredibly memorable and worthwhile. Tear-jerking, heart-warming, the whole schmear. Absolutely flawless. I loved it. That says something about the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: ‘Rebuilding’ Penguins have a solution for Florida’s injury troubles
Are the Pittsburgh Penguins truly rebuilding? Or are they splitting the difference between rebuilding and reaping nostalgia created by the core three of Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin indulging the unbreakable bond of eternal brotherhood? (It’s a truly compelling story. It’s also one reason the Penguins are in...
Mark Madden: Does it matter if Don Kelly returns as Pirates manager?
As the Pittsburgh Pirates mercifully put a wrap on another stinker of a season, whispers circulate that Don Kelly isn’t a lock to return as manager. Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising. Kelly replaced Derek Shelton on May 8 after previously serving as Shelton’s bench coach. Kelly never officially had the...
Mark Madden: A reminder of better days, Andrew McCutchen belongs with Pirates
Andrew McCutchen wants to keep playing baseball, presumably for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That had better be the case, anyway. There’s little demand for 38-year-old designated hitters with zero mobility beyond markets where they can sell interest, hype, some merchandise and a few tickets as a nostalgia act. For McCutchen, that’s...
Mark Madden: Steelers escaped New England with a win, but cracks keep showing
Some have the fragrance of hope and roses. Others smell like sweat and despair. These refreshing Pittsburgh Steelers notes are decidedly a mixed bag. Not unlike their 2-1 record. • The Steelers scored touchdowns on their first two drives at New England, then got a total of one first down in...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers not getting their money’s worth from T.J. Watt
Right now, it looks like the Steelers erred in giving edge rusher T.J. Watt a three-year, $123 million contract extension. It seems too early to say that, right? The Steelers have played just two games. But Watt’s impotence dates back through last season: He’s got no sacks in his last...
Mark Madden: Is trading Sidney Crosby in the Penguins’ best interest?
There are lots of reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins shouldn’t trade Sidney Crosby. The team’s legacy is served best by him being a one-logo guy. (His, too, probably.) Crosby sells tickets, win or lose. (But attendance did drop by 1,300 per game last season.) Rebuilding is served by him shepherding the team’s...
Mark Madden: Penguins getting another save from Marc-Andre Fleury
The Pittsburgh Penguins are signing goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a tryout contract. He will practice once, then play in the team’s exhibition game vs. Columbus on Sept. 27 at PPG Paints Arena. Fleury will retire as a Penguin. Unless Fleury does well enough for the Penguins to want him to...
Mark Madden: Patience wears thin after Steelers’ inexcusable struggles continue
The excuses, okey-dokeys and empty platitudes are piling up in the wake of the Steelers’ odious 31-17 home loss to Seattle. “It’s only two games! Be patient!” We’ve been patient for eight years, each without a playoff win. “Broderick Jones needs time to adjust to left tackle.” That time should...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Forget the excuses, the Pirates aren’t close to being good
No matter how bad the Pirates are, the true believers and media stooges never run out of excuses. Here’s the latest: On Friday night, the Pirates extended their losing streak to seven with a 6-5 defeat at Washington. It was their fourth straight loss by one run. It was quickly...
Mark Madden: For the 1st time, Sidney Crosby playing in a different uniform feels real
Sidney Crosby’s agent has put Crosby departing Pittsburgh in play. Pat Brisson compared Crosby to Tom Brady, who left New England’s dynasty to win a seventh Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. Brisson said a trade “is always a possibility.” Not before Brisson said that, it wasn’t. For the first time,...
Mark Madden: Steelers don’t have solution for Broderick Jones’ struggles
The Pittsburgh Steelers have problems. Some can be fixed. The eventual return of injured rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon should help the run defense, which got gashed this past Sunday at New York. The rushing attack has two established pros in Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. If neither step forward,...
Mark Madden: Few held the torch higher than Ken Dryden for hockey’s most legendary franchise
I’ve been a Pittsburgh Penguins supporter since the franchise’s first season, 1967-68. I went to my first game when I was 7. The Penguins were bad for a long time. Won four playoff rounds total before 1991. (Then won four playoff rounds that year.) I needed a mistress team. Somebody else...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Paying Paul Skenes would show commitment to winning, so don’t get your hopes up
The Pirates have won 11 of 15, swept Los Angeles, lead MLB in shutouts, Paul Skenes is cooking, Don Kelly’s record sits at .500, Konnor Griffin is on the horizon, and optimism moving forward is out of control. Absolutely unbearable. Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 FM tweeted, “If the playoffs started...
Mark Madden: Expect more of the mushy middle for this year’s Steelers
I’ve got a bland prediction. It’s going to be a bland season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will go 9-8. Stuck in the mushy middle. The Steelers will just make or just miss the playoffs. If they do make the postseason, the Steelers will be one-and-done. Same as it ever was. Thursday...
Mark Madden: Captain Cam’s leadership in question during standoff with Steelers
Has anyone ever so quickly devalued his reputation with Steeler Nation like Cam Heyward? Training camp seemed to have dodged turmoil when T.J. Watt signed his extension. Then the big-deal leader dictated otherwise. Only Heyward’s biggest apologists see him as being wronged. If he signed a bum deal a year...
Mark Madden: Texas’ Arch Manning didn’t live up to the hype at Ohio State
The defense of Arch Manning in the wake of his abject failure this past Saturday at Ohio State has been vigorous. Not as vigorous as the defense that shut down the ballyhooed Texas quarterback. Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia confused and flustered Manning, as Patricia’s pedigree of three Super...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Only Steelers fans value TJ Watt over Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett
Micah Parsons got traded from Dallas to Green Bay, then signed a four-year contract worth $47 million per year. T.J. Watt’s new deal only calls for $41 million per year. Time to hold in. Time to renegotiate. Time for autocorrect. Myles Garrett’s contract in Cleveland pays just $40 million per....
Mark Madden: Pirates’ pitching depth sparks hope for future, but lacking bats will hold them back
There’s already a buzz surrounding next year’s Pittsburgh Pirates: “This team is close. Closer than people think.” Close to what? Escaping last place in the NL Central seems the only reasonable answer. But maybe not that close and certainly not that soon. (The Pirates are currently seven games out of...
Mark Madden: If the Steelers really are all in, go get a legit No. 2 receiver
The Pittsburgh Steelers are supposed to be all in. But the Steelers aren’t. They might think they are. They aren’t. You’re not all in when Calvin Austin III is your No. 2 wideout. You’re not all in when Jaylen Warren is your starter at running back. You’re not all in when...
Mark Madden: Cutting Shedeur Sanders is best decision for the Browns, which is why they won’t
The Cleveland Browns should cut Shedeur Sanders. It’s stupid to have a backup quarterback who is a constant topic of heated debate nationally and locally. It’s distracting and counterproductive. Cutting Sanders means absorbing heat for a few weeks, perhaps a bit longer. Then it goes away. Sanders certainly wouldn’t be...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Bubba Chandler’s debut sparks optimism, but the Pirates’ story remains the same
Bubba Chandler’s MLB debut Friday night at PNC Park was the latest chapter in the sociological experiment that is Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. The Pirates are last in the National League Central because they unequivocally belong there. Despite leading MLB with 15 shutouts. The Pirates have scored fewer runs than any...
Mark Madden: Can Aaron Rodgers keep Mike Tomlin from living in his fears?
Mike Tomlin unloads lots of horse manure when he preaches to the media. One of Tomlin’s greatest hits is that nonsense about “not living in our fears.” The Pittsburgh Steelers do just that all too frequently, not least when they’re in the red zone. The Steelers lay up and settle...
Mark Madden: Cam Heyward’s hold-in might be over, but his image took a hit
Chris Boswell ending his hold-in without a fuss is understandable. He’s only a kicker. But Cam Heyward suddenly participating in team drills Tuesday was a bit surprising given previous harsh words and Heyward’s mastery of the hold-in genre. Heyward likely caved for two reasons: • He was becoming the clear-cut...
Mark Madden: Why would any player trust the Pirates?
Andrew Heaney was abruptly removed from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitching rotation and sent to the bullpen. He had pitched 119 innings, one inning shy of a $50,000 bonus. It reeks of last season, when Rowdy Tellez got released four plate appearances short of a $200,000 bonus. But here’s the difference:...
