Mark Madden stories, Page 51

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: 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: 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: Penguins GM Jim Rutherford’s deadline deals unlikely to matter much

Every time the NHL trade deadline comes around, Penguins fans want the team to trade for Ron Francis again. Like in 1991. That’s speaking metaphorically. But local hockey nostalgia holds that a blockbuster trade is a harbinger for winning a Stanley Cup, especially since it happened again the next year,...
Mark Madden: Pirates owner Bob Nutting, others specialize in absurdity

With sports media and social media bleeding into each other (think bloody mess), content is at a premium. It doesn’t have to be good content. It doesn’t have to be true content. It just has to be voluminous. As a result, a lot of nonsense gets put out there. (Ahem.)...
Mark Madden: Antonio Brown only thinks he runs the Steelers

As we brace for the summit meeting between the man who owns the Pittsburgh Steelers and the man who thinks he owns the Steelers, the question begs: Is Antonio Brown’s behavior carefully calculated to ramrod his way out of Pittsburgh, or is he just nuts? Here’s betting the latter, because...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ season full of crazy sidebars

The Penguins’ power play is one for its last 21 and has surrendered two short-handed goals in that time. It’s not often a power play is minus-1 over a 10-game span. But the Penguins’ penalty kill has scored nine short-handed goals since Dec. 14, an incredible number. The answer seems...
Mark Madden: Any rule that shortens MLB games is good rule

The National League will not use the DH until at least 2022, according to reports. That’s quite understandable. What’s the hurry? The National and American leagues have illogically differed in this regard since 1973. What’s three more years? Those three years, of course, will be filled with the merciless kvetching...
Mark Madden: Penguins need a 1-A type backup as insurance for Matt Murray

Penguins GM Jim Rutherford might be done dealing after acquiring forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann from Florida on Feb 1. But he probably isn’t. Tweaking the roster is in Rutherford’s blood. He’s changed a quarter of his team since season’s start. That’s no complaint. The results speak for themselves....
Mark Madden: Teddy Blueger belongs on Penguins, not in minors

The NFL has no offseason. Maybe that’s why the Super Bowl drew its lowest TV rating in a decade: The citizens are tiring of football, or weary of New England winning, or maybe America just hates Maroon 5. But everybody loves refreshing sports notes. • When the Penguins get healthy,...
Mark Madden: Coyne Schofield-McGuire exchange was awkward, nothing more

The Kendall Coyne Schofield-Pierre McGuire fiasco on the NBC Sports Network on Wednesday night was much ado about nothing. If you’re just now tuning in, U.S. women’s hockey player Coyne Schofield debuted as an analyst on NBCSN’s NHL coverage, specifically the game between Tampa Bay and the host Penguins. McGuire...

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