Mark Madden Columns category
Mark Madden: Trading Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell is best for Penguins’ future
It’s imperative that the Penguins get a top-five pick in next year’s NHL draft. It’s a top-heavy draft. Potential stars are available, not least Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, the presumptive first choice overall. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas has done a good job restocking the Penguins’ system. But that...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: CB trio offers options, but Steelers need to be aggressive
The Pittsburgh Steelers have three starting cornerbacks: Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay. None is really a slot guy, though that transition is uncomplicated. None is a safety. Coach Mike Tomlin tells us, “They’re (all) gonna be on the field.” But he doesn’t tell us how. It’s intriguing....
Mark Madden: Hulk Hogan always stole the show, made wrestling a true phenomenon
Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling history. His match vs. Andre the Giant in 1987 at WrestleMania III in the Pontiac Silverdome remains the genre’s biggest moment. It made wrestling a true phenomenon. His heel turn to ignite the nWo invasion of World Championship Wrestling in 1996 was...
Mark Madden: Caitlin Clark is WNBA’s catalyst, only player to impact new media rights contract
Caitlin Clark is the only reason for the WNBA’s increase in popularity. Clark gets fouled, injured, disrespected and excluded despite being the rising tide that lifts all boats. (Clark’s eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike makes the hurt easier to live with. Clark works for Nike, not the WNBA. The...
Mark Madden: T.J. Watt has more to achieve before climbing Steelers’ franchise hierarchy
This space recently proclaimed that to justify a contract extension that pays $41 million per season, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has to make first-team All-Pro, finish top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting and help the Steelers win a playoff game. If the Steelers win a...
Mark Madden: Bob Nutting’s Pirates are permanently broken
The Pittsburgh Pirates have lost 11 of 12 after being swept at PNC Park by the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox have MLB’s second-worst record this season, lost 121 games last season. But the White Sox outscored the Pirates, 27-7. Owner Bob Nutting doesn’t care. The Pirates drew more...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: How is T.J. Watt worth more than Sauce Gardner?
T.J. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million contract extension with $108 million guaranteed. The average annual value is $41 million. Watt will be the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Sauce Gardner of the New York Jets got a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension with $60 million guaranteed. The average annual value is...
Mark Madden: T.J. Watt got what he wanted, but this contract raises the stakes
A new concept: Refreshing sports notes about one athlete! It’s an honor to chronicle all the skinny about T.J. Watt in the aftermath of his contract extension! Far superior to Myles Garrett notes! • Watt got what he wanted. Maybe less term than he’d prefer. But Watt got a higher...
Mark Madden: Increased popularity shows changes are working for MLB
After the first-ever “swing-off” brought pizzazz to the finish of Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, it seems inevitable the concept will be used for regular-season games. It shouldn’t be. It has a fatal flaw. The “swing-off” uses non-major-leaguers to help determine the result of MLB games, namely the batting-practice pitchers. Teams...
Mark Madden: All bets are off with Arturs Silovs now in Penguins’ goaltending rotation
The Penguins’ goaltending situation seemed easy to read after Alex Nedeljkovic got sent to San Jose: Tristan Jarry is the starter in Pittsburgh. The backup is Joel Blomqvist, Filip Larsson or Sergei Murashov. The other two split netminding duties with the Penguins’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton farm club. (Murashov, 21, is the franchise’s...
Mark Madden: Drafting another pitching phenom latest example of unwarranted Pirates optimism
First-round draft pick Seth Hernandez is the latest reason for Bucco optimism. The Pirates’ head scout called the high school right-hander a “culture changer.” But Paul Skenes hasn’t changed the Pirates’ culture. Skenes is MLB’s best pitcher. But he’s 4-8, and the Pirates are last in the NL Central. If...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Might as well add Brewers rookie to meaningless All-Star Game
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski has been named to Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game. The 23-year-old phenom has started just five games and thrown only 25⅔ innings. It’s exemplary of what the All-Star Game has become. It’s not Pete Rose turning Ray Fosse into roadkill while scoring the winning run for...
Mark Madden: Matt Dumba trade makes sense for Penguins and is probably just the start
It’s time for refreshing sports notes at the speed of sound! Climb on my back and we’ll go for a ride in the sky! • The Pittsburgh Penguins’ acquisition of right-handed defenseman Matt Dumba indicates that Erik Karlsson’s exit is pending and promising 19-year-old prospect Harrison Brunicke won’t make the team....
Mark Madden: Steelers have no good reason to give in to T.J. Watt’s contract demands
The T.J. Watt contract extension saga seems stuck in neutral. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Watt are “far apart.” It seems unlikely that negotiations are taking place, or that Watt is willing to negotiate. Watt wants to top what Myles Garrett gets from Cleveland, specifically more than $40...
Mark Madden: What are Pirates saving Paul Skenes for?
Paul Skenes is pitching great: He’s got an ERA of 1.94, second-best in MLB. But he isn’t pitching much. What are the Pittsburgh Pirates saving Skenes for? In his past three starts, he’s thrown just 14 innings. He’s averaged only 81 pitches. Is that what Skenes and his agent want?...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: WWE’s Monday Night Raw color men from Western PA at center of debate
Pittsburgh has a rich pro wrestling tradition: Kurt Angle, Bruno Sammartino, Larry Zbyszko, Shane Douglas, me. But now, internal debate in WWE involves two Pittsburgh-born talents: Pat McAfee and Corey Graves. Plum’s McAfee had been the color analyst on flagship telecast Monday Night Raw since January. He succeeded Monroeville’s Graves,...
Mark Madden: Pirates’ winning streak just fool’s gold
The Pirates’ six-game winning streak has the citizens wetting their pants with glee. Don Kelly’s winning percentage as manager (.520) gets projected over a 162-game season, and that puts the Pirates in the playoff hunt, and wait ‘til Jared Jones gets back, and ‘til Bubba Chandler and Konnor Griffin get...
Mark Madden: Acquiring Jonnu Smith shows Steelers’ true commitment to Arthur Smith’s offense
What was the purpose of the big trade the Pittsburgh Steelers made? Exchanging safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a swap of fading performances and bloated paychecks. It’s worth a try. Changes of scenery might jump-start. Still not sure how that secondary lines up. Lots of cornerbacks, not...
Mark Madden: Dave Parker was a Pirate, was Pittsburgh and a worthy successor to Roberto Clemente
Dave Parker was the last in line. See how he shined. Parker is likely the final player that will go into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Pittsburgh Pirate. Unless the Hall wises up and finally inducts Al Oliver. It took way too long for Parker. No great player will...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Enough with the bogus Sidney Crosby trade rumors
It’s happening again on the occasion of the NHL Draft. The hockey media’s fringe elements whisper, “There’s a very good chance that (Sidney) Crosby will play somewhere else.” (The author of that is fairly oozing CTE from having his head whacked hundreds of times.) Social media piles on, trying to...
Mark Madden: What the Pirates will do with Paul Skenes, should do with Oneil Cruz and more sports notes
The days are turning long and hot, but refreshing sports notes are short and cool. Unwrap a Popsicle and dig in! • When Paul Skenes files for arbitration in 2027, the first year he’s eligible, he figures to be awarded in excess of $30 million. When that happens, the Pittsburgh...
Mark Madden: West Mifflin’s L.J. Mooney is small, yet skilled, and just what the Penguins need
When you’re a 5-foot-7 hockey player, you’re usually too small. But sometimes you’re Martin St. Louis. Truth be told, the 5-foot-8 St. Louis had an inch on West Mifflin’s L.J. Mooney, an 18-year-old forward who is eligible to be selected in this weekend’s NHL Draft. But their situations are similar....
Mark Madden: Stench of Pirates’ best players might be the foulest
The Pittsburgh Pirates should be covered like a dumpster fire. The Hindenburg disaster. The fall of Saigon. They’re not. Let’s lay out the unvarnished truth: Don Kelly has changed little since taking over as manager. There was a short adrenaline rush, as with any coaching switch. But the Pirates still...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: T.J. McConnell has shown guts on, off the court
“Betting on yourself” is an overused phrase. It’s showbiz. Most people bet on themselves. Not doing so is to turn away from self-reliance. But T.J. McConnell is on the verge of winning the NBA championship because he bet on himself. The 2011-12 collegiate season had concluded. McConnell had finished his...
Mark Madden: Can Connor McDavid win a Stanley Cup in Edmonton?
Edmonton lost a second straight Stanley Cup Final. That’s no shame, especially when the winning team is clearly better. Florida’s incredible depth and physicality overwhelms. Give the Oilers credit for extending the series to six games and to seven games last year. But that doesn’t help Connor McDavid’s legacy. The...
