Mark Madden stories, Page 24

The Steelers took Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in this year’s NFL draft. The Steelers took Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th pick in the 2004 NFL draft. Pickett was the first quarterback taken. The next QB didn’t go till the third round. Roethlisberger was the third quarterback taken. Eli...

When the Steelers drafted Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th selection in this year’s draft, a lot of you thought he might start. Not me. I said that if the Steelers drafted him, Pickett should start. But he won’t. I wouldn’t have drafted Pickett. But the Steelers did. The...

In 2021, Pat Narduzzi had his best season since taking over as Pitt football coach in 2015: His Panthers went 11-3, won the ACC and went to a New Year’s Six bowl. The offense was the driving force of the two platoons, averaging 41.4 points (third best in the nation)...

Blood pressure skyrocketed in Pittsburgh when Acrisure Stadium was christened and the ketchup bottles were removed. They were presumably stored right next to the Joe Paterno statue. But locals already have found a different insignificance to babble about. (It never takes long.) The EA Sports Madden NFL video game player...

The Penguins got older but also better. They heightened their chances for winning immediately, but the subsequent plummet will be that much more precipitous. That’s the plan. A Faustian bargain. Will it work enough? Anything less than playing in the Eastern Conference final seems a letdown. Even that wouldn’t really...

The Pittsburgh Pirates are starting an in-house Hall of Fame. The initial inductees get unveiled Sept. 3 before the Pirates’ home game vs. Toronto. This illustrates the Pirates’ two primary philosophies: “Don’t look here, look over there” and “Here’s a reason to buy a ticket besides lousy baseball.” The first...

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t in prime position. Not like from 2008-18. They’re a pretty good team, no better. Their stars are aging. They haven’t won a playoff series since ’18. They have few prospects to refresh with. They’re stale. Not a legit Stanley Cup contender. But it could be worse....

Ron Hextall executed his plan, and did it well. Whether or not it’s the correct plan, and how well it works, is yet to be seen. The Penguins GM kept all four of his marquee free agents, bringing each in at under market value. Probably. The word is that Evgeni...

The priorities of Pittsburgh sports fans are way out of whack. A Twitter poll with more than 10,000 responding showed more than 30% voting would rather see Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin retire as Pittsburgh Penguins than have the team win another Stanley Cup. You always can pick...

It’s uncertain how the Evgeni Malkin contract saga will end. But one thing is definite: There will be a bad guy. If the Pittsburgh Penguins’ final offer is two years and Malkin declines, the team is the bad guy. If the Penguins’ final offer is three years and Malkin declines,...

Within the context of the Penguins’ desire to win now, GM Ron Hextall couldn’t have done better with Kris Letang’s new contract. The dollar figure of $36.6 million is shockingly low. Letang unquestionably would have commanded more in free agency. I overestimated his mercenary streak. But Letang never has been...

With each day that passes before the NFL’s punishment of Deshaun Watson is determined, the bigger the likelihood that the suspension will be lenient, even minimal. The case has festered for more than a year. A three-day hearing was just held. The two sides will submit paperwork to the disciplinary...

PNC Park is, indeed, a classic ballpark. Everybody says that, but few show up. Many say they’re excited about the Pirates current faux renaissance, but the team still ranks fourth from bottom in MLB attendance. Maybe crowds will increase along with Oneil Cruz’s batting average. Or perhaps Cruz will keep...

NHL free agency starts July 13. The Pittsburgh Penguins haven’t re-signed Kris Letang or Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is of secondary concern, so let’s consider Letang. The word is that GM Ron Hextall doesn’t want to give anyone a contract longer than three years. That matches the remaining years of Sidney...

If you’re not concerned about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offseason, you should be. The chances of retaining Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang seem slim. The Penguins don’t appear to much want the former and won’t offer more than three years to the latter. (Letang wants five.) Fanboys feel that parting with...

When you’re a kid, you have weird tastes and allegiances. For instance, my favorite baseball player was Dave Kingman. Kingman was preceded in my favor by Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski. But Mazeroski retired when I was 11. Mazeroski was the first athlete I sent a fan letter. He mailed back...

Deshaun Watson is scheduled to have a disciplinary hearing Tuesday. Why? What’s the hearing for? Watson’s lurid story has been known for over a year. The NFL has presumably been investigating that long. Watson said he has done nothing wrong and has no regrets, so we know his side. This...

Colorado’s Cale Makar won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. If the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup, Makar is the favorite to get the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He is Colorado’s top scorer with 29 points in 19 postseason games. Makar is the total package. His...

The podcast Mike Tomlin did with ex-Steeler Ryan Clark and Co. has elevated Tomlin to football sainthood. What a guy! Players would run through a wall for Coach T! But for five years, winning a playoff game hasn’t been on the other side of that wall. Clark and Co. tossed...

I sat at a long table in a gastropub called Bailiwick at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas this past Saturday. Joining me: Guy Carbonneau, John LeClair, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Craig Patrick, Bryan Trottier. Five Hockey Hall-of-Famers. Twenty Stanley Cup rings between everybody. For me, that made the debut...

Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble contributed mightily to the Steelers losing Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Except Mendenhall says it wasn’t a fumble. The now-retired running back tweeted thusly: “I never fumbled that ball. I was SEPARATED from the ball 4 yards into the backfield. That’s the RB equivalent of a strip...

Refreshing sports notes: Brief, but biting! Always leave ’em wanting more! • Kevin Durant choosing to play with Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets instead of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors is one of the worst decisions made in the history of sports. • With four NBA championships...

After getting a four-year contract extension worth $73.6 million, Minkah Fitzpatrick is the NFL’s highest-paid safety. So he needs to be the best safety. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the highest-paid defense. So it needs to be the best defense. In a league using a salary cap, you must get what...

Fat has come to the forefront of the Pittsburgh sports scene. Excuse me, did I say fat? I meant to say beefy, big-boned, heavyset, stocky or any of the other terms that patronizingly substitute but are no less aggravating to us fatsos. The Pittsburgh athlete who recently made fat where...

The New York Rangers have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. It’s a sad day. Hockey without heads getting targeted just isn’t hockey. But the Rangers gave themselves a proper send-off in their Game 6 exit at Tampa Bay: Jacob Trouba didn’t quite get nine heads in a duffel bag...