Mark Madden Columns category, Page 51
Mark Madden: Throwback wrestler Harley Race’s death both sad, symbolic
Hulk Hogan’s real name is Terry Bollea. Steve Austin is Steve Williams. Richard Fliehr stylized his name to Ric Flair. But Harley Race was born to be a wrestler. Harley Race was his real name. Harley, like the motorcycle. Race, as in “who’s fastest?” It’s a dangerous, exciting name. You...
Mark Madden: JuJu Smith-Schuster with perfect start to Steelers training camp
Antonio Brown showed up at Oakland’s training camp in a hot-air balloon. No lack of irony there. He immediately was put on the non-football injury list. JuJu Smith-Schuster practically sneaked into Steelers training camp. No cameras, not even his own. He entered via a side door. “I am just here...
Mark Madden: In grand scheme, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s extension means little
The extension of Mike Tomlin’s contract through 2021 (with an option for ’22) was business as usual for the Steelers. The usual timetable dictated and was followed. If it’s me, I don’t extend Tomlin. He was signed through 2020, so he would not have been a lame duck in ’19....
Mark Madden: Steelers’ chances to win AFC North hinge on Chris Boswell
As Steelers training camp at Latrobe fast approaches, the biggest issue involves somebody who’s not really a football player. If kicker Chris Boswell finds his form from 2017, the Steelers win the AFC North. If Boswell had maintained that form last year, the Steelers would have won the division. Instead,...
Mark Madden: Steelers-Browns example of hope vs. hype
With NFL training camps fast approaching, the AFC North’s main rivalry is abundantly clear. It’s hope vs. hype. The Steelers hope rookie inside linebacker Devin Bush fills the hole left by Ryan Shazier when he got hurt 20 months ago. The Steelers hope losing Antonio Brown’s noise helps more than...
Mark Madden: Pirates in race to trade deadline, not postseasonVideo
This year, like last year, the Pittsburgh Pirates are in the race. But it’s a different kind of race. The Pirates’ payroll is $71 million, their lowest since 2012. Given that picayune amount, the Pirates aren’t really trying to contend. But they want to create the illusion of contending so...
Mark Madden: How Jim Bouton’s ‘Ball Four’ changed my life
When I was 10, I loved baseball. Then, I read a particular book about baseball. This book didn’t affect how I felt about baseball. But it changed my life. The book was “Ball Four.” Its author, Jim Bouton, died Wednesday at the age of 80. There had never been a...
Mark Madden: Women’s soccer, especially in the U.S., worthy of more attention
The U.S. women’s national team won the World Cup, as expected. Now, we forget about women’s soccer until the 2023 World Cup. Perhaps there will be a little interest for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. That’s a shame. Women’s soccer is worthy of more attention. The nine-team National Women’s...
Mark Madden: Penguins power play set for reshaping
The acquisition of Alex Galchenyuk in exchange for Phil Kessel puts the Penguins’ No. 1 power play in line for a major realignment. More deals might be made, but all the components for the man-advantage unit are currently in place. Kessel had 36 points on the PP last season. As...
Mark Madden: Phil Kessel hit his sell-by date; Penguins GM Jim Rutherford acted
Five years ago, Jim Rutherford traded a point-per-game player for a guy who wasn’t. On June 27, 2014, the Penguins sent winger James Neal to Nashville for winger Patric Hornqvist. Neal had 61 points in 59 games the season prior. Hornqvist had 53 points in 76 games. Neal’s production can’t...
Mark Madden: Refreshing slices from today’s sports landscape
Checkmate, honey, you’re the only one who’s got to choose … whether to read refreshing sports notes. Grab yourself a slice. We’re live from fabulous Las Vegas. • Keeping Phil Kessel would be arduous for the Penguins on many levels. But doing so while not extending coach Mike Sullivan’s contract...
Mark Madden: Tampa Bay’s split season scheme is laughable, driven by greed
The Tampa Bay Rays want to split their season between Tampa and Montreal. That plan is ludicrous on so many levels. It’s hard to imagine fans in either city buying in, or buying tickets. Decreased inventory doesn’t figure to increase demand when it’s not really your team. How’s this for...
Mark Madden: Load management works, but Penguins won’t consider it
Toronto is NBA champion. Kawhi Leonard was playoff MVP. Load management is a thing. Load management is the concept of resting players when they’re not hurt in order to keep them healthy and refreshed for the playoffs. It’s been done before, in small doses. But Toronto took it to the...
Mark Madden: Don’t chastise U.S. women for excessive celebration
When the U.S. women’s national soccer team beat Thailand, 13-0, on Tuesday and celebrated each goal like scoring had cured a horrible disease, critical things were said. Among them: “Act like you’ve been there before.” The U.S. women have been. They acted like that then, too. They have the best...
Mark Madden: 35 years later, Penguins’ drafting Mario Lemieux No. 1 was both easy, complicated
Sunday was the 35th anniversary of the Penguins drafting Mario Lemieux. That might sound like an easy decision to make. Ultimately, it was. But there were a few complications. General manager Eddie Johnston had to quietly maneuver the Penguins into finishing last overall in 1983-84. OK, so maybe he didn’t...
Mark Madden: Blaming refs is bad look for Bruins
Can one poor officiating decision decide a game? Sure, if the losing team lets it. The New Orleans Saints couldn’t overcome a pass interference no-call in the NFC championship game. But the St. Louis Blues lost Game 3 of the NHL’s Western Conference Final to San Jose when the Sharks...
Mark Madden: More MLB netting a good idea, but so is common sense
Rory McIlroy drilled a spectator in the head with a tee shot in the PGA’s Memorial Tournament on Friday. Perhaps golf should border the fairways with protective netting. The subject of more protective netting became sadly relevant last Wednesday when a foul ball hit by the Chicago Cubs’ Albert Almora...
Mark Madden: MLB’s unwritten rules are stupid, cowardly
Baseball is a noncontact sport. There nonetheless seems to be lots of testosterone flying. The occasional baseball gets pegged at somebody. Nobody gets tackled or body-checked. But manhood is constantly defended, often in ways that are less than manly. I was watching a baseball game Wednesday, and fourth-grade recess broke...
Mark Madden: Phil Kessel trade would help needed Penguins shakeup
Trade speculation regarding Phil Kessel once again runs rampant. Never mind that the Penguins have been willing to trade him for the best part of a couple years now. The latest talk has Kessel going to Minnesota along with defenseman Jack Johnson for forwards Jason Zucker and Victor Rask. Kessel...
Mark Madden: New promotion AEW creates electric time in wrestling
Prior to WWE expanding nationally in 1983, there were 30-some pro wrestling promotions scattered across North America. Each had its own TV show, troupe of performers and schedule of events. It was quaint and decidedly local. But it worked. After 1983, wrestling hit a peak in the mid- and late-’90s...
Mark Madden: John Daly riding a cart at PGA Championship a legal obligation
Refreshing sports notes? You want some, come get some! But they’re not all elite, and I’m certainly no young buck. • John Daly riding a cart in the PGA Championship isn’t debatable. It’s the law. Daly has osteoarthritis in his right knee, which makes him eligible to use a cart...
Mark Madden: Rival leagues could solve many of sport’s problems
Sports are stale. Badly over-expanded and diluted. Yet the old suffocates the new. The New York Yankees have a storied history, but maybe pinstripes make non-fans cringe by now. (The same could doubtless be said about hypocycloids.) The solution: a rival league. It wouldn’t matter what sport. Not as long...
Mark Madden: Supporting Liverpool part of something bigger, magical
It’s a place unlike any other. It has personality. It has a vibe. It’s inanimate, yet somehow lives and breathes. It’s populated by ghosts, but they’re friendly spirits. They’ve seen it all, and they want you to see it, too. From the Kop, preferably. Anything can happen at Anfield. This...
Mark Madden: Penguins probably can’t fix what went wrong
It seems like the Penguins still should be playing. But they’re not. Can they fix what went wrong? Judge for yourself after perusing this edition of refreshing Penguins notes. (Hint: Probably not.) • The echo chamber says Jim Rutherford does a bad job as Penguins general manager. But Rutherford has...
Mark Madden: Penguins face tough marketing decisions
The Carolina Hurricanes are playing to 101.7 percent capacity during home playoff games. But they attracted a meager 76.7 percent capacity during the regular season, third-worst in the NHL. Even with the “Storm Surge” sideshow act. That’s not remotely meant to ridicule. Winning draws money, and sports teams badly need...
