Mark Madden: Thoughts on Russell Wilson, NFL draft, Cutch, Erik Karlsson and more sports notes

Just remember, man, quarterbacks come and go, but Wu-Tang is forever. Here’s some refreshing sports notes that ain’t nothing to, uh … mess wit’.

• I got a close-up look at Russell Wilson, wife Ciara and their entourage in the catacombs of PPG Paints Arena after Saturday’s Pittsburgh Penguins game. It’s a dazzling bunch. Wilson was sporting Pittsburgh Steelers gear. (He’s done fantastic PR work since arriving at the last chance saloon.) Ciara wore a Wu-Tang Clan shirt. Seven people total. Not too big, not too small. Just enough bling and glitter to be tasteful. Thumbs up.

Pittsburgh Proud ???? pic.twitter.com/XXup6rxuMO

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 14, 2024

• Also on hand were shampoo salesman Troy Polamalu and hockey dad Brett Keisel. Had a delightful chat with both. Neither had an entourage. Just one more Super Bowl ring apiece than Wilson.

• NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. says the Steelers will select Duke’s Graham Barton with the 20th pick overall. Which means the Steelers absolutely won’t take him. Barton played left tackle at Duke for the last three seasons but is projected as a center at the pro level. He played center as a freshman. I’d prefer the Steelers take a center that’s been playing center. Remember Kendrick Green, who played just three games at center in college and mangled the position in the NFL. Barton has more talent than Green. But there’s plenty of good centers available who played center in college.

• If Georgia tackle Amarius Mims (6-foot-7¾, 340 pounds) is available at the 20th pick, the Steelers would have to consider. He’s athletic and fast, especially for his size. Mims only started eight games in college. But the Steelers don’t put rookies in the lineup immediately anyway. It would give them another year to indulge their Dan Moore Jr. fetish at left tackle. After that, Broderick Jones moves to left tackle and Mims starts at right tackle. (I’m not kidding.)

• San Francisco would be nuts to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. But the usual suspects keep trying to speak it into happening. His cap hit would be $14.1 million for 2024, the final year in his contract. What will his cap figure be beyond that, and how would the Steelers pay George Pickens when his deal expires after the 2025 campaign? Pickens will want to be badly overpaid regardless of performance. (By the way, Pickens would be enraged if the Steelers got Aiyuk.)

• Now that Andrew McCutchen has hit career home run No. 300, perhaps it’s time for him to not play very much. McCutchen is hitting .194 with 16 strikeouts in 36 at-bats and looks as impotent as his stats. If the Pirates are to contend for a playoff berth, sentiment must be pushed aside.

• McCutchen eventually should have his No. 22 retired by the Pirates. While he’s not close to being Baseball Hall 0f Fame-caliber, McCutchen is representative of one of the franchise’s rare good eras, three straight playoff berths from 2013-15. A team that constantly sells nostalgia has to take every opportunity to create more.

• Erik Karlsson celebrated his 1,000th NHL game Saturday by going minus-4 and taking a dumb penalty. Analytics be damned, Karlsson has hurt the Penguins more than he’s helped. But the trade for him can’t be criticized. President of hockey ops/GM Kyle Dubas dumped a lot of dead weight/contracts. Perhaps Karlsson will play better next season. But that’s unlikely. He doesn’t play winning hockey. Karlsson also puts ketchup on pasta, so he can’t be trusted.

The key to @ErikKarlsson65's success?

Hard work... and a GIANT side of ranch.

Read more before Karlsson's 1,000th NHL game: https://t.co/s2y55FM3L3 pic.twitter.com/1mShnCfW9P

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 13, 2024

• It feels weird when the Penguins honor players who have been on the team 15 minutes for milestones mostly compiled beforehand. That’s part of the Penguins’ problem, perhaps: Too much respect is given for accomplishment elsewhere, and maybe it’s contributed to underachievement here. Are such players invested, or just collecting a paycheck? Jeff Carter is playing OK lately but has been mostly lousy as a Penguin. He’s a Flyer or a King. He’s not a Penguin. Reilly Smith hasn’t mentally checked out because he never checked in. He’d rather be in Las Vegas. (Me, too.)

• Drew O’Connor is invested. He has six goals in his last 10 games, and the Penguins have won seven of those. He has 16 goals and does well on Sidney Crosby’s line, which is a great career move. O’Connor’s short-handed goal against Boston on Saturday was vintage, clutch, Jordan Staal-level stuff. Not sure if O’Connor’s a legit top six. But he’s definitely a solid middle six. O’Connor isn’t as physical as he is big (6-3, 200 pounds), but he’s ramped that up a bit.

• Michael Bunting is invested. Some do that the minute they join a new team. One size fits all. Getting him in the Jake Guentzel trade is reminiscent of swapping James Neal for Patrick Hornqvist. Guentzel was the most talented player in the trade, as was Neal. But Bunting’s combination of grit and just enough skill makes him a valuable addition. Bunting makes linemate Evgeni Malkin play more north-south. Malkin adjusts to Bunting, and that’s good.

• Guentzel has 24 points in 16 games for Carolina, so he can back up the Brinks truck. Guentzel has proven he’s not a Crosby creation, so his free agency will see him cash in big.

• Alex Nedeljkovic is fatigued. That was evident Saturday in the Penguins’ 6-4 home loss to Boston, which was Nedeljkovic’s 11th straight start in goal. Nedeljkovic got pulled after three goals. Tristan Jarry got in the blue paint for the first time in three weeks. So, right away, he makes a tragic turnover and the puck winds up behind him. Jarry has no focus, no head for the game. It’s been proven too often. If Dubas can move him this offseason, he should.

• The Penguins making a run at a playoff spot shouldn’t keep Dubas from making major changes. It’s a false dawn. The Penguins are nowhere near a Stanley Cup contender, and the process of returning to that level must start. To repeat: If all four big contracts and coach Mike Sullivan return, nothing will change. It’s the same team.

• Between gatekeeping, misguided dues-paying and burying her pro career in Indianapolis, the Caitlin Clark phenomenon will have cooled drastically by the time the 2024 Summer Olympics and WNBA season are completed. She will be inexplicably marginalized. Women’s basketball doesn’t know how to handle such a prodigy, or what’s best for it.

• Tiger Woods finished last among those who made the cut at the Masters. Woods shot a 16-over-par 304, the highest 72-hole score of his professional career. Woods never can tarnish his legacy. But he certainly can embarrass himself on the day, and that’s what he did at Augusta. Maybe it’s time to not golf on TV anymore.

• Central Catholic grad Neal Shipley was paired with Woods for Sunday’s final round, shooting 1-over to best Woods by four strokes. On the tournament, Shipley finished tied for 53rd at 12-over and was low amateur. Not a bad Masters debut for Shipley, 22. Shipley idolized Woods as a kid. Like every single golfer anywhere near Shipley’s age.