Mark Madden stories, Page 22

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ alleged interest in trading receiver Chase Claypool would be a mistake. Any fan enthusiasm concerning a proposed swap is more evidence of the misguided belief that there’s some way to finagle the Steelers to a quicker fix. There isn’t. The Steelers won’t make the playoffs this season...

The Pittsburgh Penguins face a stiff early-season test as they hit the road for five games, including a particularly challenging three-game swing through Western Canada. Edmonton and Calgary are legit contenders. Vancouver is a dark horse experiencing a bad patch. But there’s lots to like about the Penguins’ 3-0-1 start,...

Some Pittsburgh Steelers make me weary. Beyond the endless quarterback debate, that is. The most tiresome is receiver Diontae Johnson, the Dollar Tree version of Antonio Brown. Less expensive but less production. Less chaos, too, but still too much. Johnson got a two-year contract extension worth $36.71 million. He has...

After Mitch Trubisky entered Sunday’s home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third quarter because of Kenny Pickett’s concussion, Trubisky provided the best quarterback play the Pittsburgh Steelers have had all year. Better than Pickett. Better than Trubisky’s prior outings. That’s beyond argument. Numbers don’t lie. Trubisky was...

My prediction for the Stanley Cup Final is the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Edmonton Oilers. Toronto is too good to not get there sometime. The same can be said for Oilers uber-star Connor McJesus. But I don’t trust either team because I don’t trust either goaltender. The race for...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 1-4. It’s a bad team, and the organization seems broken. There’s no foolproof way to fix it, and the timetable is hardly immediate. But I’ve got a plan. It’s based on the assumption that coach Mike Tomlin has usurped almost all the franchise’s power when it...

After the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to Washington in the second round of the 2018 playoffs, I’d have traded Evgeni Malkin. Malkin had a no-movement clause but would have waived it to go to Florida, a rumored destination. His family has a home there. A big package of young talent and...

The Pittsburgh Steelers stink, and the horse manure is flying. Mike Tomlin threatened changes after Sunday’s 38-3 loss at Buffalo, be it to personnel or staff. But any change Tomlin makes will be to something he put in place. Kenny Pickett’s performance in his first NFL start is being overrated....

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 100 games for a second consecutive year for the first time since 1952-54. That team cracked that regretful barrier three straight times. Next year’s squad won’t lose 100. Probably not, anyway. But the Pirates’ winning percentage in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season was .317, lowest in franchise...

The numbers don’t lie. Except when they do. Pro Football Focus says the Steelers offensive line has allowed the least QB pressures in the NFL. Tight end Pat Freiermuth is on pace for 947 receiving yards. Heath Miller’s best season was 816 receiving yards. Cornerback Cameron Sutton has eight forced...

The Penguins have made the Stanley Cup playoffs for an incredible 16 straight years. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2018. This season’s team should maintain the former streak. Can it end the latter streak? Can it win a first-round series after losing four in a row? Can it...

Here’s some real talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are 1-3 on their way to 1-7 going into the bye week (2-6 at best): • Kenny Pickett erred horribly in his NFL debut. His second interception did as much as anything to lose the game. Pickett must throw that ball...

Outside linebacker Melvin Ingram of the Miami Dolphins won AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Ingram played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last year until leaving after six games because he was unhappy with playing time. Coach Mike Tomlin granted Ingram his requested exit because, as Tomlin says, “We need volunteers,...

Tyson Alualu got dropped to the second string. Montravius Adams took Alualu’s spot as a starter on the defensive line in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ base 3-4 defense. This clearly solves all the Steelers’ problems. They should do no worse than 13-4. Regarding further change, coach Mike Tomlin said, “We’re not...

Pittsburgh Penguins training camp seems to get shorter every year. The Penguins played exhibition games in two different cities Sunday. That’s certainly hurrying things up. NHL preseason used to be longer. Players would work themselves into shape after truly taking the summer off. Now conditioning is a year-round endeavor. Sidney...

In Dan Jenkins’ acclaimed football novel, “Semi-Tough,” a character named Dreamer Tatum proclaims thusly after a narrow defeat: “I learned somethin’ a long time ago about football. What could have happened, did.” Words to live by. If Cameron Sutton didn’t drop an interception or Gunner Olszewski didn’t muff a punt...

It’s the nature of sports fans to be optimistic, however cockeyed. To believe that a team perceived to be underperforming can be fixed. Coach ’em up. Tweak the lineup or strategy. Trade all our bad players for all their good players. Find that secret sauce that’s a cure-all, or at...

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is making $19 million this year. He’s made $36 million during his career. He’s going to break the bank in free agency after the season. On Tuesday, he hit his 60th home run. That’s in the Yankees’ 147th game. Judge got to 60...

The Pittsburgh Steelers just aren’t very good. But neither are the New England Patriots. If the Steelers offense is scared, scant, rotten and easy to defend because that’s what quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s limitations dictate, put in Kenny Pickett. If the Steelers offense is scared, scant, rotten and easy to defend...

Ke’Bryan Hayes had no glove on. He was eating sunflower seeds. The ball was in play. A runner was rounding the base he was standing next to. Beat ’em, Bucs! The usual suspects say what happened Friday night is no big deal, that every athlete does something stupid occasionally. But...

In 1941, Ted Williams hit .406. He remains the last MLB player to hit .400 or better. He led MLB with 37 home runs and was fourth with 120 RBIs. Williams led MLB in all the stats that didn’t matter then or weren’t kept: WAR, OPS, etc. Joe DiMaggio hit...

The truth about T.J. Watt’s injury is we still don’t know. It’s reported that Watt’s pectoral injury doesn’t require surgery, just rehab. Watt will miss six games. That’s not official. That’s not confirmed by the Steelers. If Watt, indeed, plays again come Oct. 30 at Philadelphia, will he be 100%?...

Pyrrhic victory — A victory that comes at a great cost, perhaps making the ordeal to win not worth it. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defined the Pittsburgh Steelers’ crazy 23-20 overtime win at Cincinnati perfectly: It just wasn’t worth it. It was Pyrrhic as can be. Not that such things can be...

Here’s my Pittsburgh Steelers prediction. You won’t like it. The Steelers will go 7-10. Coach Mike Tomlin’s first losing season. (What a relief that will be. The streak of years without a playoff win will be extended to six, however.) I’m not totally convinced of my prediction. This Steelers team...

The NFL season is here. The most important thing is to get your bets down. What would football be without gambling? The most flawed wager I’ve witnessed so far this season is Carolina back Christian McCaffrey drafted second overall in a $6,500-per-team fantasy league. McCaffrey has played just 10 games...