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Mark Madden Columns category

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers will pay a price for waiting on Aaron Rodgers
I’m not one to predict the results of the Steelers’ season week-by-week when the schedule is released in May. That’s lazy media, and a lot can happen between now and when those games get played. But I will predict this: The Steelers will lose Week 1 at the New York...
Mark Madden: Pete Rose deserved his Hall of Fame shot when he was alive
I wish MLB had ruled before Pete Rose passed away that he’d be eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame after he died. Rose could have faked his own death, resurrected upon his induction, then charged more money to sign autographs at memorabilia shows. Maybe, before he expired, Rose inscribed...
Mark Madden: Message to Pirates — free Paul Skenes
Paul Skenes isn’t eligible for salary arbitration till 2027. He currently makes a paltry $875,000. The Pittsburgh Pirates are unlikely to retain Skenes through his three arbitration years — because they won’t want to pay what’s decided — and have zero chance of keeping him when he hits free agency...
Mark Madden: What if Paul Skenes doesn’t pitch better?
Paul Skenes isn’t falling apart. But he’s not a phenom so far this season. He isn’t dominating. Look at Monday vs. the New York Mets, Skenes’ most recent start. He allowed six hits and one run in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. He had to pitch...
Mark Madden: MLB owners have no interest in a salary cap, so the Pirates will stink in perpetuity
The Pittsburgh Pirates aren’t the worst team in MLB. Not by a long shot. Colorado is 7-33 and on pace to go 28-134. But the Rockies just changed their manager. That should fix everything, like Don Kelly in Pittsburgh. The Chicago White Sox (12-29) are also worse than the Pirates...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Rooting for Canada to again be denied a Stanley Cup
I’m not a good neutral when it comes to watching sports. If I don’t have a rooting interest, it’s got to be a marquee game: Two top-flight opponents, Game 7 of a series, single-elimination playoff, Super Bowl, something like that. So, I’m not that enthusiastic about the Stanley Cup playoffs....
Mark Madden: The Pirates can change the manager, but the direction stays the same
The Pittsburgh Pirates fired Derek Shelton. It changes nothing. Relieving Shelton of his managerial duties is just appeasing the mob. A head on a pike. A perceived fresh start. All PR, nothing practical. Not that Shelton didn’t deserve the ax. His .410 winning percentage is third worst among managers with at...
Mark Madden: Timing of George Pickens trade another grotesque example of Steelers’ mismanagement
In a vacuum, trading wide receiver George Pickens was an easy move. Pickens is talented. But he’s a nutjob. Out on the ledge more often than not. Was never going to be happy playing out his lame-duck contract year. Was going to be mad about DK Metcalf getting paid. Quit...
Mark Madden: Ending Pirates’ 6-year reign of error would change nothing
Among those dumb enough to still care about the Pittsburgh Pirates, there’s a big clamor to fire GM Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton. Cherington and Shelton should get sacked. The citizens are correct. But doing so changes nothing. Whoever replaces Cherington and Shelton would be the next Cherington and...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Shedeur Sanders’ hype will continue to dominate NFL media
Shedeur Sanders is a Cleveland Brown. That was likely at the behest of the owner and will be to the detriment of the coach. Kevin Stefanski will have daddy Deion in his ear, looking over his shoulder, bashing him, undermining him, perhaps even replacing him if the con goes perfectly....
Mark Madden: Pirates Twitter demands miracles from team built to lose
Twitter (X) is goofy on a good day. Pittsburgh Pirates Twitter is off-the-wall nutso. Here’s what’s being demanded by the tweeters, bloggers, fanboys and stooges. • Fire manager Derek Shelton. • Fire GM Ben Cherington. • Summon pitcher Bubba Chandler from Triple-A. • Perform a miracle voodoo cure on pitcher...
Mark Madden: Shedeur and Deion Sanders reaped what they sowed
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” — Galatians 6:7. Nor can football be mocked. Shedeur Sanders reportedly botched the predraft process. He displayed his entitlement and arrogance during interviews, interrupting one to take a personal FaceTime call. Sanders was referred to as...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: NHL sabotages its own playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs are underway. Hockey’s showcase, or so the NHL thinks. Early TV ratings showed that viewership is down 12%. That’s no surprise. Hockey is a winter sport. It’s played on ice. But we’re already a month into spring and the postseason just started. The NHL season is...
Mark Madden: Steelers surprised talking heads with sensible 1st-round draft choice
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the right guy. I’m as shocked as anybody. Especially with Shedeur Sanders’ availability giving Mike Tomlin the opportunity to go showbiz with a shiny new toy. But defensive line big-timers had tumbled off the board: Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen,...
Mark Madden: Forget the allure of a shiny new toy. Here’s what Steelers should address in draft’s 1st round
The Steelers should do the obvious Thursday and draft a much-needed defensive lineman with the 21st pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Save fixing quarterback till 2026. That draft is stronger at QB and, with any luck, the Steelers go 5-12 this coming season to get a...
Mark Madden: Pirates fans get Paul Skenes bobbleheads and a reality check
“SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM! SELL THE TEAM!” Except he won’t. So the joke’s on you. Saturday was the epitome of Bob Nutting’s Pittsburgh Pirates. It was sold out because the first 20,000 entering got Paul Skenes bobbleheads. But Nutting saw the lines that extended far away from PNC...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: 10 things to expect for Penguins in 2025-26
Ten things that will happen before the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ next season: 1. Winger Ville Koivunen will be NHL Rookie of the Year. Good speed, great playmaker, plays the 10-foot game that Sidney Crosby prefers. He had seven assists in eight NHL games this season and only scratched...
Mark Madden: Aaron Rodgers plays the victim while Steelers continue looking weak
I watched the entirety of the Aaron Rodgers interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.” God help me, I did. It was wall-to-wall horse manure. Rodgers presented himself as a victim. He isn’t, not in any small way. Rodgers hasn’t been “slandered,” as he said. He doesn’t know what that word...
Mark Madden: With Deion sure to interfere, Steelers should steer clear of Shedeur Sanders
The Steelers would be insane to draft Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Any NFL team would be. They would get a legit first-round talent. Sanders’ ability is undeniable. But they would also get the nuttiest Little League dad this side of LeBron James. Make no mistake, Deion Sanders would be interfering....
Mark Madden: The Steelers will give T.J. Watt what he wants, but it’s the wrong move
The Pittsburgh Steelers simply can’t pay T.J. Watt $40 million per year, or one dollar more than Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, or whatever figure Watt desires to satiate ego disguised as comparison shopping. Many absurdities accompany this drama, not least that the Steelers would be paying quarterback money to two players...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Erik Karlsson reached 200 goals and his expiration date with Penguins
Erik Karlsson scored his 200th career goal Tuesday night. That’s pretty impressive given that Karlsson never got to play against himself. The Pittsburgh Penguins have several players they would be well rid of at season’s end. But despite being a three-time Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defenseman, Karlsson...
Mark Madden: Penguins’ development plan should focus on building a championship contender
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a plan. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas has a plan. Like with any plan, whether it works remains to be seen. The Penguins have 18 picks over the first three rounds of the next three drafts. That includes four first-rounders. That indicates a commitment to...
Mark Madden: Alex Ovechkin’s record-breaking goal renews debates
Alex Ovechkin eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record for goals has renewed a debate: Who would be on hockey’s Mt. Rushmore? The correct answer: Nobody. There will never be a Mt. Rushmore for hockey or baseball or football or anything but Mt. Rushmore. Mt. Rushmore doesn’t even seem to be...
Mark Madden: Ridicule Pirates for many things, but not for disrespecting Clemente family
The Pirates erected a statue of Roberto Clemente outside PNC Park. His retired No. 21 is on display. The right-field wall is called the Roberto Clemente Wall, is 21 feet tall and adorned with two No. 21s. Clemente was in the first class inducted to the Pirates’ in-house hall of...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: The Pirates continue to fleece fans, city
Pirates owner Bob Nutting garnished the home opener at PNC Park this past Friday with a huge steaming helping of horse manure. Nutting said that winning is “the most important thing we’re focused on.” A bold-faced lie. Nutting also said, “I think I’ve done everything I can to provide the...


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