May 11, 2026 • 29 mins
Mark and Tommy Baseball talk a ton of Pirates in the first hour, and a little bit of Rodgers too.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
If Aaron Rodgers is in town, nobody's seen him, so
that looks like fiction. Maybe he's in a dark room
with his fake wife Motel six and Moon has those
dark rooms.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's called the light bulb not working.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Wait this just in Adam Schefter's reporting that Aaron Rodgers
was not and is not in Pittsburgh. So that was
indeed all fiction, one hundred percent wrong. I guess Woodward
and Bernstein ain't Woodward and Bernstein. See that's what happens
when you've never worked in journalism.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You pull the trigger too quick.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Uh. The Steelers had Mini camp McCarthy and alert one
on one those guys can save the logo. Video got
posted a Valor doing a dropback drill and he got
buried on X.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
For his clumsiness.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But then a couple of quarterbacks who played the NFL,
Denucci and Daniel, he spoke up and it turns out
Aler did the drill exactly as required because it's not
game speed. It's doing certain things to reinvent his footwork.
But it's okay to get that wrong, because conflict.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Is the best.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Did you notice that down the dial they always get
things wrong and I never do. But yeah, go ahead
and switch. Listen, they root for your favorite team. I
just give you the truth. Who wants that? The Eli
Heinreich myth is in overdrive being compared to Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
He's got the same tool set.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
No he doesn't, for Heck's sake, but I will say
in the Navy, come on and join your fellow man
in the Navy. And in spending too much news, Chris
Boswell signed a four year deal with the Steelers worth
twenty eight mil. That seven million dollar per year makes
(02:05):
him tied for the highest paid kicker in NFL history.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I'm not I wouldn't be angry because I don't care.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I think it's kind of dumb to pay a kicker
that much, but I get it.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Boswell is a great kicker.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
But the Steelers spend so much keeping together components of
a team that ain't won a playoff game for nine years.
That's what I don't get. A lot of one helmet
guys who never win. This is the Mark Madden Show.
(02:44):
I used to do a little, but the little wouldn't
wait hold it. I used to do more show starting
at three o'clock for a while, till when do we switch?
Back when when Steelers camp kicks in, I forget. But
for the time being, I'm on at three pm until
I'm not. I gotta play this sound because it is
so on the money. With Rogers still not deciding and
(03:07):
not being in Pittsburgh. We break news, we're journalists. We know.
Turns out he was never here. Now I don't think
them guys made it up. I think they got misled
by the Steelers offensive coordinator who was the one guy's
tight ends coach at pitt That's what happened. It was wrong,
but still well, you know what, like I said, when
you've never worked in journalism like I have for years,
(03:30):
many years. When you never work in journalism, it's not
important to get it right. So you just throw stuff
at the wall and when it doesn't stick, it's, oh well,
just show up for work the next day. But at
any rate, here's sound from Emmanuel Acho about Rogers's indecision.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
The problem is you can't cheat the game of football,
and Aaron Rodgers has been trying to cheat the game
of football for the last five years. Think about it.
What was the controversy in Ann Rodgers with the New
York Jets. Robert Salad canceled the last week of mandatory
miniications just as go home. So Aaron Rodgers is trying
to cheat the.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Game of football.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
He's like, Okay, let me practice as minimally as possible,
let me invest as little as I can in football
and still try to get something out of it.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
But that just don't work. You can't cheat it and win.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game of football. For the
last five years, Aaron Rodgers has been cheating the game
of football. Emmanuel Acho said that I agree Aaron Rodgers
is cheating the game of football, not just the game
of football, but but Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game
of football. I don't think he's cheating on his wife.
(04:38):
You can't cheat on a fake wife. But Aaron Rodgers
is cheating the game of football. That should be on
his Hall of Fame bust. He cheated the game of football.
Rogers doesn't want to work. You might say, he doesn't
need to, doesn't need those reps, doesn't need OTAs, doesn't
need mini camp. But let's ask Sidney Crosby what he
(04:58):
thinks about extra work. Sidney Crosby, who is navigating the
tail end of his career much better than Aaron Rodgers
is his why Because Sidney Crosby shows up for work.
Sidney Crosby always has shown up for work. Aaron Rodgers
is lazy. He's focused only conveniently. He wants to do
(05:20):
the bare minimum. He feels he's above having to work hard.
The quarterbacks supposed to be there all the time. That's
what makes him the quarterback, That's what makes him the
focal point of every team. How can the focal point
of a team be there selectively and in the process,
Aaron Rodgers is sabotaging the careers of guys like Roman Wilson.
(05:42):
But that shouldn't surprise anybody because Aaron Rodgers doesn't give
a crap about anybody but himself. Football is a game
of work, and Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to. Emmanuel Ancho
said that Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game of football,
but not just the game. He's cheat his teammates, He's
cheating the logo and maybe even cheating his legacy. I'll
(06:08):
be joined by Tommy Radio just to round the corner.
This is the Mark Madden show Boy start at three.
It feels like they should be done. Actually, it feels
like not doing a show at all.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It's awesome.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Three hours compared to four. Wow, it is just so
welcome that Boswell.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I mean, you got you see again.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I have no problem with giving him the seven million
per year. I think it's a little pricey for a kicker.
I think you could have forced him to settle for
less than that. But okay, it's not my money. But
they just want to keep this team together that doesn't win.
It's not important to keep a team together when it
doesn't win, let alone an expense. Wake Till TJ. Watt
(06:50):
retires and he's never won a playoff game, it will
be the weakest Hall of Fame career ever. They should
put that on his bus. Put on Rogers, he cheated
the game of football. Put on TJ's he never won
a playoff game. And you know what, I don't even
blame him for that because it's a team game. But
the Steelers go so far out of their way to
(07:10):
keep together components of a team that's never won. And
if you could explain to me, why don't bother? I'm
not interested.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
One O five to nine the X Paul mcmahin, thank
you for making my day. Yeah what you said? The exe.
I love people.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Acting shock that Adam Shefter's reporting Aaron Rodgers was never
here this weekend. The people were the most shocked for
the people who reported it was going to happen. One
thing about this show, I have credibility. I don't make
stuff up. I don't promulgate fiction. I'll tell you what
ain't fiction is the Pirates stats as regards their top
(07:49):
three starting pitchers, because they are in crazy big form Skeens, Keller,
n Ashcraft, Skeen's era of two point three six and
that's despite that that opening day disaster.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
In New York.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
The Cruise fed them Ashcraft two point seven to seven,
Keller two point eight seven. They need Bubba to catch on,
and yesterday he kind of did, but they pulled him
too quick. I told you about Ashcraft. I told you,
and I just told you last segment. Reynolds is fen
it up. Cruise is fen it up. Look at their stats,
(08:21):
look at their recent form, and consider two that they
are Keystone cops in the odd field. Tom, what do
you make of the Pirates. I was disappointed with that
lost yesterday. That was a winnable game. Yeah, you can't
lose two out of three to a crappy team like
San Francisco and expect to make the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
That's just it.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
It was an extremely disappointing series loss. I frankly wanted
them to sweep the Giants. I know that that's asking
a lot on a West coast road trip, but the
second two out of three would have been five. Yes,
I would have been totally happy with that. And then
you took two out of three against the Diamondbacks too,
so you would have been absolutely good on that road trip.
But losing a series to the Giants, one of the
worst teams, maybe the worst team in baseball this year,
it's inexcusable. And what you said about that starting rotation,
(09:01):
you know, yeah, the top three guys are outstanding.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Chandler needs to catch on.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
That's where the faith needs to be placed by Donnie
Kelly more than anything is in those starters arms. And
I know Chandler was the one on the mound yesterday
and he hasn't really given you many reason to have
faith in him. But he was pitching well yesterday and
he only had eighty pitches. You gotta let him go.
Your strength is your rotation. Everybody knows that. Start leaning
into it. More. They're managing Keller right. They're putting the
restrictor played on Keller right now because they want him
(09:27):
to be good in the second half of.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
The season, not Kelly's decision making.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I don't believe that's all analytics, that's all pitch con
get to a certain point, I would almost take the
manage in the major leagues except it pace pretty good,
but you're not really managing. Very few guys have the
freedom to play a hunch, which wouldn't. Don't get me wrong,
the numbers are what they are, and you know x
amount of the time they're right. A vast majority of
the time they're right. But if the manager can't, you know,
(09:54):
go against the grain when he feels it in his gut,
then what's the point of even having the manager just
to have the computer?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Gee, Stein, they're in the dugout. I gotta be honest
with you.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I'm trying to think off the top of my head
of like managers that can actually go with their gut
instead of the analytics. I was just gonna say, he's
the obvious example because he's grandfathered in and they just lost.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Like a jillion games in a row.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
I think is Bochie still in Texas. If Bruce Bochie
is still in Texas, then yeah, he's grandfathered in as
well to be able to do that. But anybody coming
in now in this league is going to have to
act that way. They're gonna have to go analytics first.
And it's a real shame because the pirates, they need
to buck analytics in certain areas, go with their gut
to kind of win in some of these margins to
maximize what they have. And right now, Don Kelly's not
(10:34):
a bad manager. I don't think he is. I think
it's too soon to tell that, right Like, he's a
rookie right now.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I don't think we'll ever be able to tell if
he has to rely so much the point analytics and
what he's told to do. I mean, I I don't
know that he was told to what was bub like
eighty pitches.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Eighty pitches, Yeah, he was.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
He was dealing, and I would have wanted to leave
him in there a bit longer to try to build
his confidence.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Eighty pitches seems like kind of a book number too, right,
Like you'd think you'd open up a book and then
be say, eighty pitches, get him out, you know what else.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Is a big deal, like second and third time through
the order with Bubba Chandler, with anybody. Well, that's the
biggest problem with Majinsky in their rotation, and that's what's
hurting them the most as far as the rotation is concerned.
They have a reliever as far as their fifth guy
in there, and once he gets that second or third
time through, it's just over for him.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It's lights out. But that's mainly hurting their bullpen too.
Like Majinsky is such a great bullpen piece to eat
up some innings in the middle of games, and he's
miscast right now.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Bochie still is managing Texas. I thought that was correct. Yeah,
what other managers could could go? Those two are the
only ones.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, probably Shelty in.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Minnesota, maybe Hinch in Detroit ive been sarcastic, I know,
and I totally let it go over my head because
I was trying to think of a serious one.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I about Sheldy left the Powers, they started spending, he
went to Minnesota and they stopped spending.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
I know, he can't catch a break. He's just the
caretaker for terrible baseball teams. But Hinch in Detroit might
the guy who cheated with the Astros or the only
guy who got punished for the astros cheating. He might
be able to play a hunch two, what about Ashcraft unbelievable? Well,
the top three in the rotation is clearly, like I
was saying, that's clearly the strength of the team.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Faith in Leazinski for what he's supposed to be. He's done.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Okay, he's just miscasts. He's just well, he's a bulk guy, right,
They're just not Mujinski. Yeah, the bulk relief guy coming
out of the bullpen.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
He starts.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Sometimes he's starting right now, but he shouldn't be in
the rotation.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
He's hurting their bullpen. He's he in the rotation if
he only goes a limited amount of innings, like five innings.
Are saying he's like the bunk relief guy, except he starts.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
And it's really just a placeholder for Jared Jones too.
Once Jones comes back, he slides back.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I keep hearing that, and I keep hearing trade a
picture because you're gonna get Jones back. How confident are
you that he comes all the way back from his
elbow injury instantly.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
Here's a take that not that many people will agree with.
But seth Rnandez just got promoted to high A. I
mean he's flying through the miners right now. You could
get an absolute whale for that player. I mean you
could get pretty much any player you wanted for someone
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I know he's like the next schemes in the future.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
But still he had schemes tied up, then you would
think about that.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, go with Hernandez. I gotta keep it.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
He's a phenom, no question about the ski He's not
the Skiens level, but he's a phenom as far as
he should be a top pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
But the other problem with that, no, that's a big prediction.
But I wouldn't trade him.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Getting a whale to the problem with that is, like,
so what, you're gonna go out there and you're gonna
try to lure the tree Jared Jones, but you're gonna
try to lure Mike Trout away from the Angels.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
You're gonna pay that freight. They're never gonna pay for
those guys.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I saw somebody say on another talk show, heard them say,
Matt Chapman, the third basement.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
For the Giants. We just saw, Yeah, because.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
They stink and he only has one home run. But
but he is like one hundred and fifty one million
dollar ticket that runs through twenty two.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's it.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
That's just it, Like any guy that you see and go, oh,
you know what, that might be decent, like for the
for the Mets. You think Francisco Lindor would they move him?
Who cares if they'd move him or not? His contracts absurd,
you'd never pay.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
You know what.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I wrote a column and I didn't put this in
there because I don't want my call him to, you know,
be fan fiction. But you know, if there's a floor,
the floor is probably gonna be one hundred and forty million.
If there's a salary cap on the floor, it'd be
got one hundred and forty million, maybe more. And I
can't picture Bob Nodding paying one hundred and forty million,
let alone potentially more than that.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
But you could keep Skeens yea if he.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Wanted to stay. I don't think he'll want to at
this point, do you now? Because anybody convince him his
long term futures here, I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I don't think so either. I honestly think the miss
is the future Missus is gonna have a lot of
influence in that she wants to go she goes to
of course, she wants to go to a Philly Chicago
in New York, right, something like that, a big city
to live there, no offense to Pittsburgh, but I think
that's gonna have an influence.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And you know, the Pirates are winning right now. They
should have tried to do with him what they did
with Griffin. Sign him early.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Yeah, but I think he was smarter than Griffin where
he he knew that he was a can't miss, Like
I think Griffin knows he's gonna be pretty damn good,
and he looks like he's pretty damn good figuring it out.
But I'm sure there was a little bit of a
doubt that was like, let's have a little insurance by
signing this contract.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Skens knew he was gonna be on the best pitch.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Do you put Jones in the rotation when he's able
bulk relief?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
How would you use him?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I might split him up with Majinsky just to start
things out, like maybe have Leginsky start the games, but
limit him to maybe three innings now and then have
Jones come in or.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Tempted Jones as the closer, especially with their bullpen in
I think dis arrays a nice way to put it.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Yeah, but they moved Sodo to that closer role and
he seems to be doing pretty good there. Soto seems
to be the one real reliable piece to that bullpench
well is not terrible.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
What another reliable piece? Yeah, you're not wrong. Actually, let
me flip what I would do it. I've been told
I was on Ben''s podcast and he said he's been
told Jones doesn't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Well, too bad.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
I would then start Jones, maybe get him go for
one or two innings. It's to start, and then Lejinski
comes in and.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
It's four or five, I'd say, oh, you don't want
to pitch relieve, Okay, you're gonna throw one hundred and
twenty pitches every start.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
You know, you know that elbow is kid.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
You know what.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Closer is a glamour position too, and you can get
overpaid as far as a contract is concerned if you're
a successful closer. So if you're going to have to
make that transition, look at the local kid. Mason Miller, right,
he was convinced to go if he wanted to be
a starting pitcher. I think that that still might be
in the cards one day for him, although how could
it be. He's one of the best closers you've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
A sun by for Ben Verlander, which we'll get to
today or tomorrow, but he says that Miller might be
the most unhittable pitcher in baseball.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Do you agree?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
It's hard to argue that right now, with the streak
that he was on where batter's retired in the he
might be as far as just like a one inning
is concerned, he might be more unhittable than Skiens.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Would you make him a starter?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
No, because he's such a great relief pitcher, such a
great clothes k But.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Let me tell you why I'm consider it. First Off,
if I'm him, I'd want to because he'd make more money,
big money, Okay. Second off, the only way a closer
like that matters if you have a legitimate contender of
a team now San Diego does so, I get it.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But a reliever like that, look at Bedner.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I mean, as good as Bedner was, he wasn't really
needed here and now he is, which is kind of.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Kind of kind of dumb. That they let him go.
Well that's just the thing.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Well that's just the thing though, right, Like an elite
closer like that if the team gets bummy, Like if
the Padres start to get bummy on Miller's watch, he'll
get shipped to New York, you know what I mean.
Like those guys are always the hottest commodity and they
get overpaid for at trade deadlines too. So like if
you're a closer on a bad team, I don't think
that lasts very long.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Look at Chapman.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Chapman was here for a couple of coffee with the Pirates,
then he jumped way to Boston to help them in
the final stretch of that year.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Yeah, it the Pirates, Like like I'm gonna do extended
talk about the Pirates for the Buco round up later,
and I forget when it is because we've rearranged the
whole show.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But but.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I I think there's still just very borderline as a
playoff team. And like I wrote my trip column today, Tom,
I don't see the amount of provement from within available
to make sure they make the playoffs. They might well anyway,
Nor do I see a big move to be made
in a deal unless you do gamble and trade the
starting pitcher, which I said last week I would make
(17:31):
a big move.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Now I'm not so sure.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Yeah, I read your colum when I was thinking that too, Like,
what could you do internally? Majinsky did the bull penguin
Jones comes back. That's such a minor move, and that
doesn't help with the bats. Mang them in the outfield
as many times as you possibly can. That helps with
DA I would.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I would, I would cut bait On Azuna, not not DFAM,
but I would make him just the DH against select
left handed hitters and then use the DH spot for
o'ne for O'Neal Cruise and Brian Reynolds because they suck
in the outfield.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Yeah, and you just have to make him allow.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
The occasional break although they're not using law against lefties
a lot, are they.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
No?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
And I don't understand why I think he should just play.
But we do know why because Don Kelly just goes
by the book. He plays the percentages and it tells
him to bench on the lefties.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
He's told to play by the book, which is a
bit of a difference. And that said, like in a
perfect world, you would just play law against Whitey's But
when you look at who plays in his place, how
the lineup gets rearranged when he sits, it don't.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Help no, because Gonzalez is over there playing third base.
That would be the guy that you would plug in
for Low at second base against the lefties. This would
be Gonzalez to be an easy platoon there. But he's
got to play third base because you don't have a
third baseman.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
See and I know he's hitting three sixteen whatever it is,
but he before this year he was a career two
fifty seven hitter and he'll revert back to that.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Then again, I will say.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
You do have the occasional outlier year like Manta this
year with thirty three goals for the Penguins and Freddy
Frickin Sanchez when a.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Bat I think that was an six.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
You gotta have some power, though, and Nikki g has
no power whatsoever. I mean, you just have to hit
home runs. You have to hit for powers.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Said.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
They're in the middle of the pack home run this year,
no thanks to HIMLB. Yeah, but they were dead last
last year, so they have made made progress big time.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And guys that they bought Lao of course, leading the
Way is a big factor for that and Cruise two.
I know he cooled down average wise, but he started
to hit some home runs now lately.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
What's amazing Tom? I do in this segment you it's
like the best baseball talking Tom. People don't think I
know baseball because they think I hate the Pirates. I
don't hate the part I hate Pirates. I hate how
the owners cheated the city. But I know more about
baseball than honestly anybody else in the radio who well,
not not like the ex players, but you know what I.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Mean, the people that are having fun as Pirates fans
this year too, Like, how do you not feel more
cheated from the past too? You like this could have
been happening a lot more often if Bob Nutting wasn't
such a scumbag to us.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I don't feel cheated at all today, Tom, because double
sweep in Philadelphia one O five nine the.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
X the EX as your shot at extra cash, you'll
keep free money, Like that is secret Luchow dinner. Rod,
I'm rich, rich rich, Jimmy, listen all day for your chance.
It's some extra cash on one oh five nine the X.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
This is Doug Gottlieb Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Network presented by Iheartadvertising dot Com.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
NBC has leaked a piece of the NFL schedule ahead
of its release. Say an Al's The Giants old hosts
of Cowboys to open Sunday Night Football. The Steelers and
kicker Chris Boswell agreed to terms on a four year,
twenty eight million dollar extension today that ties him as
the highest paid nicker in NFL history. And after finishing
their road trip with the loss to San Francisco, the
Pirates have today op and they'll open a home stand
(20:43):
tomorrow against Colorado.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I'm Scott David said, run a business and not thinking
about radio. Think again.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Great story, compelling and rich.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
The exit one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Welcome back to the show that doesn't make stuff up.
Welcome back to the show that's not fiction. I don't
know whether that makes noble or stupid. They want to
have a parade for what great journalists. They were down
the dial and then Rogers didn't show up. The one
guy said that he should be carried around on his shoulders.
If you've seen him, you know that's impossible. You know
who I mean, The guy who flunked awake in one
(21:13):
eighty uh. By the way, I was supposed to do
the Buco round up last segment, but I forgot, but
then we just talked Bucco. So that was the Bucko
roundup for Monday.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Tom.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
It's gonna take some getting used to with the with
going back to three.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Till six, it does feel really weird. The show feels
like it's moving like a million miles per hour right now, you.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Know, you know, it's funny though I told him I
would do two to six year round but I want
more money. Quickest conversation ever, and that's okay. You know
what was really good Steelers Mini Camp, excuse me, rookie Camp.
I don't know that we derived a lot from it,
but it was just Aler and McCarthy. The only quarterback
(21:58):
at rookie camp was Aler worked with Karthy the whole.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Week and a ton of one on one and that
is just what I want to hear. Just with the
doctor order. Now, that was awesome.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
And usually you bring in just kind of like you know,
maybe like a whipul kid that went to some lower
level college that's done now to come in and be
like an arm for rookie mini camp here just to
get you through it. So I thought it was awesome
that they decided to not do that. Just go with Aler.
He got every single snap that you could have gotten
out of that experience, and it actually got me thinking, Mark.
I know, Will Howard is considered a lottery ticket too,
(22:27):
but let's be honest, Drew Aller has a much higher
ceiling than Will Howard.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Any Like, snap Howard.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Takes in this kind of developmental course that he's going
to be in with Mike McCarthy as well, is taking
snaps away from Drew Aller in that same exact course.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Didn't you love the.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Usual suspects criticizing Aler for his clumsy footwork in the drill,
and then Chase Daniel and Ben Denucci corrected saying, no,
that's the way the drills run is designed to reinvent
his footwork and promote rhythm.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
And that's a pitman in Danucci, well, kind of a
pitman in Danucia. It played for McCarthy in Dallas though,
yes he did.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
No.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
And the other thing too, is like, so we see
what they said is true, but go with me on
this too. So we see this footage of Drew Aller
looking a little clumsy with his feet er or specifically
working on his footwork.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
What did we expect to see? That was the book on.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Him, Like, he needs to get better footwork, he needs
to get a little less clumsy in the pocket.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
What do you want them to work on specifically?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
People were saying, well, his first step looks clumsy and exaggerated, right,
and then Ben Denucci says, yeah, it's supposed to be
clumsy and exaggerated.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
It's not the same as in a game, for sure,
And Denucci's right about that.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
But also furthermore, yeah, his footwork looks bad because his
footwork's been bad. He didn't get the coaching that he
needed at Penn State over those four years.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
The next big thing Macarthy and Aller are going to
save the franchise. It won't happen this year, but they're
gonna save the franchise.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
It's quite a shot to call, for sure, just because
of the third round quarterback hit rate. But he's not
your average third round quarterback, Like there's different circumstances around
he was.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
If he hadn't broken his ankle, he would have gone
in the second round. If he had had even an
average season, he would have gone.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
In the first first round. I think even if he
doesn't break his ankle, he's in the first round. Was
subjected as a first rounder and had a bad season,
you know, he would have been able the frig.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
That that should be a death sense for his potential
as an NFL quarterback.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
I think the Steelers got a steal a year after
he was in the semi finals, right, Like I mean,
last year was a bad year for him and he
heard his ankle, But the year before that, he took
Penn State to the college football semi final and let's
go in toe to toe with Notre Dame. He did
have a pretty bad pass in that Notre Dame game too,
But you know what, that's fine. Let's see if McCarthy
can get that out of his system and the talent
can rise up to those situations.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Examine this lady, But why do people want him to fail?
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Drew Aller, I think some of it. I think some
of it is Pitt Honks. I gotta just call my
own fan base out for that.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I think some of it is Penn State fans who
felt disappointed by Ah.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
That's an interesting take that they didn't get enough out
of him to screw you don't be good.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
For sakes, could have won the national title except Drew
Aller f it up.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
But all the people that we're talking about, like in
the then diagram, they should all overlap as Steelers fans,
or for the most part they would. So, no matter what,
you should want the quarterback to succeed for the Pittsburgh
Steelers and any.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Penn State fans who feel that way, I'm afraid I've
got some bad news because you're never a national title.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You'll be in the playoff a lot, you ain't winning it.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
He might be the closest you've ever get too when
he got you to the semi final. Yeah, when Drew
Aller was your quarterback. So I don't know why there.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Seems to State fans have a romanticized version of what
their program is. They're very INDEPTI lying to themselves quite frankly,
no quarterback prospect.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Steelers fans shouldn't be rooting for any quarterback to fail
for the Steelers. They should be hoping any single one,
any port in a storm, right like if it's Howard,
if it's All or whoever the hell it is, just
have somebody hit, have somebody be a franchise guy.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
What do you make in this Rogers story him not
being in Pittsburgh as was predicted.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
It's so bizarre.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Because here's to reiterate, I'm making fun of the guys
who reported it because they're not journalists and acted like
they were Woodward and Bernstein in the aftermath.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
But I don't think they lied.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I think they were given bad information by that Steelers
offensive coordinator who may maybe they were testing him out
as a leak. I don't know, But the bottom line
is Rogers never showed up.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
You think they fed him the bait like it's some
episode of that Departed on the South Side, trying to
flesh out the mole.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
I mean, if I didn't want that guy to be
a constant source to the guy who he coached, you
know in the tight ends room of pit.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah, I just exposed it here.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
The ripple effect from it, too, was just so fascinating
because then you had other people like the Rappaports and
the Shifters and even Dulac was trying to make heads
or tails of what was going on out here. He's
in Pittsburgh, No, he's not in Pittsburgh. Well, he's here,
but he's not going to the South Side, which that's
when I knew it was fishy.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Who knows, maybe he'll be here tomorrow, but I knew
over the next day, right, well, but the story was
he was going to be here this weekend, and iron.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
It out he wasn't, and he wasn't the same spot.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I knew it was fishy when I was told he
was in Pittsburgh but not meeting with the Steelers, and
then people tall, well, he's golfing. Yeah, he needed to
fly from California to Pittsburgh to find a good golf course.
Right at that point, it became covering up for the misreporting.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Yeah, exactly. The golfing thing is just absolute nonsense. Like,
I know, we got some nice courses around here, but
he'll get to them when he comes, you know, in
a month or so, or whenever he gets here.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
So what did you say that, Joe Sombite that said
he's cheating the game of football. I tend to agree
with that, and that he's cheating the Steelers and his
teammates as well.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
The last thing you just said there is where I
wanted to jump off on. He's cheating his team right now.
And I know that the Steelers Hanks out there will
hear me say that and go, that's a little dramatic,
don't you think if this was Lamar Jackson, if this
was Joe Burrow, we would be eviscerating the Bengals, eviscerating
the Rams.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
He is ending Roman Wilson's career because how can Wilson
build up rapport with him when he's not at any
you know, OTAs whatever it is to try to do
that and then he's going to play because Wilson isn't.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
As precise as he wants.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
How can Wilson build up position with Rogers without Rogers here?
Speaker 4 (27:39):
And this isn't as dramatic as Wilson because his career
is not on the line, but he has no rapport
with Michael Pittman whatsoever. That are supposed to be your
big time targets. Now in the offense, get to work
with these guys. Just be a press even if you don't,
you know, take all the reps. You got to be
a presence there. That's the job. Back should be at everything, everything, everything.
That's how it is around the league. If another starting
(28:00):
quarterback doesn't show up to these workouts. It's a massive story.
There's questions about it, the contracts of disputed, it's all
those things.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
The Steelers just looks so bad with this.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
It just seems to be getting worse and worse because
they put on the front that they knew what was happening,
and that's so clear.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
But then when he shows up, you know, all the
all the Steelers stooge degree.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
See see see they knew, they knew, they knew, and
that's what they're doing.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
They're just betting on something that has a really high
potential to hit. You know, They're they're putting chips down
on something that is like, you know, two to one
odds that you're gonna get it's a coin flip. It's
even better than that that that you're going to be
right about this so they can take the victory lap
the first hole or center. Rovid still, I don't think
so that was extended coverage. We're no extended.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I'm still giving him. We love told, I'm told otherwise.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
The first hour of the show brought to this by Sender, Rovid,
cendro Rovis and Fishman. They've got your bat notch Walt
and tom If. I just gave them a free plug.
I don't feel bad, and I'll tell you why. They
only take twenty five percent. Everybody else takes forty robbery
for everybody else. Aaron Rodgers would not well no he no,
he wouldn't because he's cheap. Aaron Rodgers cheap, I've never
heard that. I don't think cheap. I don't think he is.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I mean he bought himself a PJ to get to
New York to do that meeting with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Then again, you can't get taken for a jillion bucks
and a divorce with a fake wife.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
One oh five by GP
If Aaron Rodgers is in town, nobody's seen him, so
that looks like fiction. Maybe he's in a dark room
with his fake wife Motel six and Moon has those
dark rooms.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's called the light bulb not working.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Wait this just in Adam Schefter's reporting that Aaron Rodgers
was not and is not in Pittsburgh. So that was
indeed all fiction, one hundred percent wrong. I guess Woodward
and Bernstein ain't Woodward and Bernstein. See that's what happens
when you've never worked in journalism.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
You pull the trigger too quick.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Uh. The Steelers had Mini camp McCarthy and alert one
on one those guys can save the logo. Video got
posted a Valor doing a dropback drill and he got
buried on X.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
For his clumsiness.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
But then a couple of quarterbacks who played the NFL,
Denucci and Daniel, he spoke up and it turns out
Aler did the drill exactly as required because it's not
game speed. It's doing certain things to reinvent his footwork.
But it's okay to get that wrong, because conflict.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Is the best.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
Did you notice that down the dial they always get
things wrong and I never do. But yeah, go ahead
and switch. Listen, they root for your favorite team. I
just give you the truth. Who wants that? The Eli
Heinreich myth is in overdrive being compared to Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
He's got the same tool set.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
No he doesn't, for Heck's sake, but I will say
in the Navy, come on and join your fellow man
in the Navy. And in spending too much news, Chris
Boswell signed a four year deal with the Steelers worth
twenty eight mil. That seven million dollar per year makes
(02:05):
him tied for the highest paid kicker in NFL history.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I'm not I wouldn't be angry because I don't care.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
I think it's kind of dumb to pay a kicker
that much, but I get it.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Boswell is a great kicker.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
But the Steelers spend so much keeping together components of
a team that ain't won a playoff game for nine years.
That's what I don't get. A lot of one helmet
guys who never win. This is the Mark Madden Show.
(02:44):
I used to do a little, but the little wouldn't
wait hold it. I used to do more show starting
at three o'clock for a while, till when do we switch?
Back when when Steelers camp kicks in, I forget. But
for the time being, I'm on at three pm until
I'm not. I gotta play this sound because it is
so on the money. With Rogers still not deciding and
(03:07):
not being in Pittsburgh. We break news, we're journalists. We know.
Turns out he was never here. Now I don't think
them guys made it up. I think they got misled
by the Steelers offensive coordinator who was the one guy's
tight ends coach at pitt That's what happened. It was wrong,
but still well, you know what, like I said, when
you've never worked in journalism like I have for years,
(03:30):
many years. When you never work in journalism, it's not
important to get it right. So you just throw stuff
at the wall and when it doesn't stick, it's, oh well,
just show up for work the next day. But at
any rate, here's sound from Emmanuel Acho about Rogers's indecision.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
The problem is you can't cheat the game of football,
and Aaron Rodgers has been trying to cheat the game
of football for the last five years. Think about it.
What was the controversy in Ann Rodgers with the New
York Jets. Robert Salad canceled the last week of mandatory
miniications just as go home. So Aaron Rodgers is trying
to cheat the.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Game of football.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
He's like, Okay, let me practice as minimally as possible,
let me invest as little as I can in football
and still try to get something out of it.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
But that just don't work. You can't cheat it and win.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game of football. For the
last five years, Aaron Rodgers has been cheating the game
of football. Emmanuel Acho said that I agree Aaron Rodgers
is cheating the game of football, not just the game
of football, but but Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game
of football. I don't think he's cheating on his wife.
(04:38):
You can't cheat on a fake wife. But Aaron Rodgers
is cheating the game of football. That should be on
his Hall of Fame bust. He cheated the game of football.
Rogers doesn't want to work. You might say, he doesn't
need to, doesn't need those reps, doesn't need OTAs, doesn't
need mini camp. But let's ask Sidney Crosby what he
(04:58):
thinks about extra work. Sidney Crosby, who is navigating the
tail end of his career much better than Aaron Rodgers
is his why Because Sidney Crosby shows up for work.
Sidney Crosby always has shown up for work. Aaron Rodgers
is lazy. He's focused only conveniently. He wants to do
(05:20):
the bare minimum. He feels he's above having to work hard.
The quarterbacks supposed to be there all the time. That's
what makes him the quarterback, That's what makes him the
focal point of every team. How can the focal point
of a team be there selectively and in the process,
Aaron Rodgers is sabotaging the careers of guys like Roman Wilson.
(05:42):
But that shouldn't surprise anybody because Aaron Rodgers doesn't give
a crap about anybody but himself. Football is a game
of work, and Aaron Rodgers doesn't want to. Emmanuel Ancho
said that Aaron Rodgers is cheating the game of football,
but not just the game. He's cheat his teammates, He's
cheating the logo and maybe even cheating his legacy. I'll
(06:08):
be joined by Tommy Radio just to round the corner.
This is the Mark Madden show Boy start at three.
It feels like they should be done. Actually, it feels
like not doing a show at all.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
It's awesome.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Three hours compared to four. Wow, it is just so
welcome that Boswell.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
I mean, you got you see again.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
I have no problem with giving him the seven million
per year. I think it's a little pricey for a kicker.
I think you could have forced him to settle for
less than that. But okay, it's not my money. But
they just want to keep this team together that doesn't win.
It's not important to keep a team together when it
doesn't win, let alone an expense. Wake Till TJ. Watt
(06:50):
retires and he's never won a playoff game, it will
be the weakest Hall of Fame career ever. They should
put that on his bus. Put on Rogers, he cheated
the game of football. Put on TJ's he never won
a playoff game. And you know what, I don't even
blame him for that because it's a team game. But
the Steelers go so far out of their way to
(07:10):
keep together components of a team that's never won. And
if you could explain to me, why don't bother? I'm
not interested.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
One O five to nine the X Paul mcmahin, thank
you for making my day. Yeah what you said? The exe.
I love people.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Acting shock that Adam Shefter's reporting Aaron Rodgers was never
here this weekend. The people were the most shocked for
the people who reported it was going to happen. One
thing about this show, I have credibility. I don't make
stuff up. I don't promulgate fiction. I'll tell you what
ain't fiction is the Pirates stats as regards their top
(07:49):
three starting pitchers, because they are in crazy big form Skeens, Keller,
n Ashcraft, Skeen's era of two point three six and
that's despite that that opening day disaster.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
In New York.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
The Cruise fed them Ashcraft two point seven to seven,
Keller two point eight seven. They need Bubba to catch on,
and yesterday he kind of did, but they pulled him
too quick. I told you about Ashcraft. I told you,
and I just told you last segment. Reynolds is fen
it up. Cruise is fen it up. Look at their stats,
(08:21):
look at their recent form, and consider two that they
are Keystone cops in the odd field. Tom, what do
you make of the Pirates. I was disappointed with that
lost yesterday. That was a winnable game. Yeah, you can't
lose two out of three to a crappy team like
San Francisco and expect to make the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
That's just it.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
It was an extremely disappointing series loss. I frankly wanted
them to sweep the Giants. I know that that's asking
a lot on a West coast road trip, but the
second two out of three would have been five. Yes,
I would have been totally happy with that. And then
you took two out of three against the Diamondbacks too,
so you would have been absolutely good on that road trip.
But losing a series to the Giants, one of the
worst teams, maybe the worst team in baseball this year,
it's inexcusable. And what you said about that starting rotation,
(09:01):
you know, yeah, the top three guys are outstanding.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Chandler needs to catch on.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
That's where the faith needs to be placed by Donnie
Kelly more than anything is in those starters arms. And
I know Chandler was the one on the mound yesterday
and he hasn't really given you many reason to have
faith in him. But he was pitching well yesterday and
he only had eighty pitches. You gotta let him go.
Your strength is your rotation. Everybody knows that. Start leaning
into it. More. They're managing Keller right. They're putting the
restrictor played on Keller right now because they want him
(09:27):
to be good in the second half of.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
The season, not Kelly's decision making.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
I don't believe that's all analytics, that's all pitch con
get to a certain point, I would almost take the
manage in the major leagues except it pace pretty good,
but you're not really managing. Very few guys have the
freedom to play a hunch, which wouldn't. Don't get me wrong,
the numbers are what they are, and you know x
amount of the time they're right. A vast majority of
the time they're right. But if the manager can't, you know,
(09:54):
go against the grain when he feels it in his gut,
then what's the point of even having the manager just
to have the computer?
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Gee, Stein, they're in the dugout. I gotta be honest
with you.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
I'm trying to think off the top of my head
of like managers that can actually go with their gut
instead of the analytics. I was just gonna say, he's
the obvious example because he's grandfathered in and they just lost.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Like a jillion games in a row.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
I think is Bochie still in Texas. If Bruce Bochie
is still in Texas, then yeah, he's grandfathered in as
well to be able to do that. But anybody coming
in now in this league is going to have to
act that way. They're gonna have to go analytics first.
And it's a real shame because the pirates, they need
to buck analytics in certain areas, go with their gut
to kind of win in some of these margins to
maximize what they have. And right now, Don Kelly's not
(10:34):
a bad manager. I don't think he is. I think
it's too soon to tell that, right Like, he's a
rookie right now.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
I don't think we'll ever be able to tell if
he has to rely so much the point analytics and
what he's told to do. I mean, I I don't
know that he was told to what was bub like
eighty pitches.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Eighty pitches, Yeah, he was.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
He was dealing, and I would have wanted to leave
him in there a bit longer to try to build
his confidence.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Eighty pitches seems like kind of a book number too, right,
Like you'd think you'd open up a book and then
be say, eighty pitches, get him out, you know what else.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Is a big deal, like second and third time through
the order with Bubba Chandler, with anybody. Well, that's the
biggest problem with Majinsky in their rotation, and that's what's
hurting them the most as far as the rotation is concerned.
They have a reliever as far as their fifth guy
in there, and once he gets that second or third
time through, it's just over for him.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It's lights out. But that's mainly hurting their bullpen too.
Like Majinsky is such a great bullpen piece to eat
up some innings in the middle of games, and he's
miscast right now.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
Bochie still is managing Texas. I thought that was correct. Yeah,
what other managers could could go? Those two are the
only ones.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Well, probably Shelty in.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Minnesota, maybe Hinch in Detroit ive been sarcastic, I know,
and I totally let it go over my head because
I was trying to think of a serious one.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
I about Sheldy left the Powers, they started spending, he
went to Minnesota and they stopped spending.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
I know, he can't catch a break. He's just the
caretaker for terrible baseball teams. But Hinch in Detroit might
the guy who cheated with the Astros or the only
guy who got punished for the astros cheating. He might
be able to play a hunch two, what about Ashcraft unbelievable? Well,
the top three in the rotation is clearly, like I
was saying, that's clearly the strength of the team.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Faith in Leazinski for what he's supposed to be. He's done.
Speaker 4 (12:03):
Okay, he's just miscasts. He's just well, he's a bulk guy, right,
They're just not Mujinski. Yeah, the bulk relief guy coming
out of the bullpen.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
He starts.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
Sometimes he's starting right now, but he shouldn't be in
the rotation.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
He's hurting their bullpen. He's he in the rotation if
he only goes a limited amount of innings, like five innings.
Are saying he's like the bunk relief guy, except he starts.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
And it's really just a placeholder for Jared Jones too.
Once Jones comes back, he slides back.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
I keep hearing that, and I keep hearing trade a
picture because you're gonna get Jones back. How confident are
you that he comes all the way back from his
elbow injury instantly.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
Here's a take that not that many people will agree with.
But seth Rnandez just got promoted to high A. I
mean he's flying through the miners right now. You could
get an absolute whale for that player. I mean you
could get pretty much any player you wanted for someone
like that.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I know he's like the next schemes in the future.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
But still he had schemes tied up, then you would
think about that.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Yeah, go with Hernandez. I gotta keep it.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
He's a phenom, no question about the ski He's not
the Skiens level, but he's a phenom as far as
he should be a top pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
But the other problem with that, no, that's a big prediction.
But I wouldn't trade him.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Getting a whale to the problem with that is, like,
so what, you're gonna go out there and you're gonna
try to lure the tree Jared Jones, but you're gonna
try to lure Mike Trout away from the Angels.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
You're gonna pay that freight. They're never gonna pay for
those guys.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
I saw somebody say on another talk show, heard them say,
Matt Chapman, the third basement.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
For the Giants. We just saw, Yeah, because.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
They stink and he only has one home run. But
but he is like one hundred and fifty one million
dollar ticket that runs through twenty two.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
It's it.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
That's just it, Like any guy that you see and go, oh,
you know what, that might be decent, like for the
for the Mets. You think Francisco Lindor would they move him?
Who cares if they'd move him or not? His contracts absurd,
you'd never pay.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
You know what.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
I wrote a column and I didn't put this in
there because I don't want my call him to, you know,
be fan fiction. But you know, if there's a floor,
the floor is probably gonna be one hundred and forty million.
If there's a salary cap on the floor, it'd be
got one hundred and forty million, maybe more. And I
can't picture Bob Nodding paying one hundred and forty million,
let alone potentially more than that.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
But you could keep Skeens yea if he.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Wanted to stay. I don't think he'll want to at
this point, do you now? Because anybody convince him his
long term futures here, I don't.
Speaker 4 (14:08):
I don't think so either. I honestly think the miss
is the future Missus is gonna have a lot of
influence in that she wants to go she goes to
of course, she wants to go to a Philly Chicago
in New York, right, something like that, a big city
to live there, no offense to Pittsburgh, but I think
that's gonna have an influence.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And you know, the Pirates are winning right now. They
should have tried to do with him what they did
with Griffin. Sign him early.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
Yeah, but I think he was smarter than Griffin where
he he knew that he was a can't miss, Like
I think Griffin knows he's gonna be pretty damn good,
and he looks like he's pretty damn good figuring it out.
But I'm sure there was a little bit of a
doubt that was like, let's have a little insurance by
signing this contract.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Skens knew he was gonna be on the best pitch.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Do you put Jones in the rotation when he's able
bulk relief?
Speaker 2 (14:46):
How would you use him?
Speaker 4 (14:46):
I might split him up with Majinsky just to start
things out, like maybe have Leginsky start the games, but
limit him to maybe three innings now and then have
Jones come in or.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Tempted Jones as the closer, especially with their bullpen in
I think dis arrays a nice way to put it.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
Yeah, but they moved Sodo to that closer role and
he seems to be doing pretty good there. Soto seems
to be the one real reliable piece to that bullpench
well is not terrible.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
What another reliable piece? Yeah, you're not wrong. Actually, let
me flip what I would do it. I've been told
I was on Ben''s podcast and he said he's been
told Jones doesn't want to do that.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Well, too bad.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
I would then start Jones, maybe get him go for
one or two innings. It's to start, and then Lejinski
comes in and.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
It's four or five, I'd say, oh, you don't want
to pitch relieve, Okay, you're gonna throw one hundred and
twenty pitches every start.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
You know, you know that elbow is kid.
Speaker 5 (15:31):
You know what.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Closer is a glamour position too, and you can get
overpaid as far as a contract is concerned if you're
a successful closer. So if you're going to have to
make that transition, look at the local kid. Mason Miller, right,
he was convinced to go if he wanted to be
a starting pitcher. I think that that still might be
in the cards one day for him, although how could
it be. He's one of the best closers you've ever seen.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
A sun by for Ben Verlander, which we'll get to
today or tomorrow, but he says that Miller might be
the most unhittable pitcher in baseball.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Do you agree?
Speaker 4 (15:56):
It's hard to argue that right now, with the streak
that he was on where batter's retired in the he
might be as far as just like a one inning
is concerned, he might be more unhittable than Skiens.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Would you make him a starter?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
No, because he's such a great relief pitcher, such a
great clothes k But.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Let me tell you why I'm consider it. First Off,
if I'm him, I'd want to because he'd make more money,
big money, Okay. Second off, the only way a closer
like that matters if you have a legitimate contender of
a team now San Diego does so, I get it.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
But a reliever like that, look at Bedner.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I mean, as good as Bedner was, he wasn't really
needed here and now he is, which is kind of.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Kind of kind of dumb. That they let him go.
Well that's just the thing.
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Well that's just the thing though, right, Like an elite
closer like that if the team gets bummy, Like if
the Padres start to get bummy on Miller's watch, he'll
get shipped to New York, you know what I mean.
Like those guys are always the hottest commodity and they
get overpaid for at trade deadlines too. So like if
you're a closer on a bad team, I don't think
that lasts very long.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Look at Chapman.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Chapman was here for a couple of coffee with the Pirates,
then he jumped way to Boston to help them in
the final stretch of that year.
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Yeah, it the Pirates, Like like I'm gonna do extended
talk about the Pirates for the Buco round up later,
and I forget when it is because we've rearranged the
whole show.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But but.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
I I think there's still just very borderline as a
playoff team. And like I wrote my trip column today, Tom,
I don't see the amount of provement from within available
to make sure they make the playoffs. They might well anyway,
Nor do I see a big move to be made
in a deal unless you do gamble and trade the
starting pitcher, which I said last week I would make
(17:31):
a big move.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Now I'm not so sure.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
Yeah, I read your colum when I was thinking that too, Like,
what could you do internally? Majinsky did the bull penguin
Jones comes back. That's such a minor move, and that
doesn't help with the bats. Mang them in the outfield
as many times as you possibly can. That helps with
DA I would.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I would, I would cut bait On Azuna, not not DFAM,
but I would make him just the DH against select
left handed hitters and then use the DH spot for
o'ne for O'Neal Cruise and Brian Reynolds because they suck
in the outfield.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Yeah, and you just have to make him allow.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
The occasional break although they're not using law against lefties
a lot, are they.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
No?
Speaker 4 (18:07):
And I don't understand why I think he should just play.
But we do know why because Don Kelly just goes
by the book. He plays the percentages and it tells
him to bench on the lefties.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
He's told to play by the book, which is a
bit of a difference. And that said, like in a
perfect world, you would just play law against Whitey's But
when you look at who plays in his place, how
the lineup gets rearranged when he sits, it don't.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Help no, because Gonzalez is over there playing third base.
That would be the guy that you would plug in
for Low at second base against the lefties. This would
be Gonzalez to be an easy platoon there. But he's
got to play third base because you don't have a
third baseman.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
See and I know he's hitting three sixteen whatever it is,
but he before this year he was a career two
fifty seven hitter and he'll revert back to that.
Speaker 2 (18:48):
Then again, I will say.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
You do have the occasional outlier year like Manta this
year with thirty three goals for the Penguins and Freddy
Frickin Sanchez when a.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Bat I think that was an six.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
You gotta have some power, though, and Nikki g has
no power whatsoever. I mean, you just have to hit
home runs. You have to hit for powers.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Said.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
They're in the middle of the pack home run this year,
no thanks to HIMLB. Yeah, but they were dead last
last year, so they have made made progress big time.
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And guys that they bought Lao of course, leading the
Way is a big factor for that and Cruise two.
I know he cooled down average wise, but he started
to hit some home runs now lately.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
What's amazing Tom? I do in this segment you it's
like the best baseball talking Tom. People don't think I
know baseball because they think I hate the Pirates. I
don't hate the part I hate Pirates. I hate how
the owners cheated the city. But I know more about
baseball than honestly anybody else in the radio who well,
not not like the ex players, but you know what I.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Mean, the people that are having fun as Pirates fans
this year too, Like, how do you not feel more
cheated from the past too? You like this could have
been happening a lot more often if Bob Nutting wasn't
such a scumbag to us.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I don't feel cheated at all today, Tom, because double
sweep in Philadelphia one O five nine the.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
X the EX as your shot at extra cash, you'll
keep free money, Like that is secret Luchow dinner. Rod,
I'm rich, rich rich, Jimmy, listen all day for your chance.
It's some extra cash on one oh five nine the X.
Speaker 4 (20:16):
This is Doug Gottlieb Here's what's trending from the Iheartsports.
Speaker 2 (20:19):
Network presented by Iheartadvertising dot Com.
Speaker 5 (20:21):
NBC has leaked a piece of the NFL schedule ahead
of its release. Say an Al's The Giants old hosts
of Cowboys to open Sunday Night Football. The Steelers and
kicker Chris Boswell agreed to terms on a four year,
twenty eight million dollar extension today that ties him as
the highest paid nicker in NFL history. And after finishing
their road trip with the loss to San Francisco, the
Pirates have today op and they'll open a home stand
(20:43):
tomorrow against Colorado.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
I'm Scott David said, run a business and not thinking
about radio. Think again.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
Great story, compelling and rich.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
The exit one oh five nine.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Welcome back to the show that doesn't make stuff up.
Welcome back to the show that's not fiction. I don't
know whether that makes noble or stupid. They want to
have a parade for what great journalists. They were down
the dial and then Rogers didn't show up. The one
guy said that he should be carried around on his shoulders.
If you've seen him, you know that's impossible. You know
who I mean, The guy who flunked awake in one
(21:13):
eighty uh. By the way, I was supposed to do
the Buco round up last segment, but I forgot, but
then we just talked Bucco. So that was the Bucko
roundup for Monday.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
Tom.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
It's gonna take some getting used to with the with
going back to three.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Till six, it does feel really weird. The show feels
like it's moving like a million miles per hour right now, you.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Know, you know, it's funny though I told him I
would do two to six year round but I want
more money. Quickest conversation ever, and that's okay. You know
what was really good Steelers Mini Camp, excuse me, rookie Camp.
I don't know that we derived a lot from it,
but it was just Aler and McCarthy. The only quarterback
(21:58):
at rookie camp was Aler worked with Karthy the whole.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Week and a ton of one on one and that
is just what I want to hear. Just with the
doctor order. Now, that was awesome.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
And usually you bring in just kind of like you know,
maybe like a whipul kid that went to some lower
level college that's done now to come in and be
like an arm for rookie mini camp here just to
get you through it. So I thought it was awesome
that they decided to not do that. Just go with Aler.
He got every single snap that you could have gotten
out of that experience, and it actually got me thinking, Mark.
I know, Will Howard is considered a lottery ticket too,
(22:27):
but let's be honest, Drew Aller has a much higher
ceiling than Will Howard.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
Any Like, snap Howard.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Takes in this kind of developmental course that he's going
to be in with Mike McCarthy as well, is taking
snaps away from Drew Aller in that same exact course.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Didn't you love the.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
Usual suspects criticizing Aler for his clumsy footwork in the drill,
and then Chase Daniel and Ben Denucci corrected saying, no,
that's the way the drills run is designed to reinvent
his footwork and promote rhythm.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
And that's a pitman in Danucci, well, kind of a
pitman in Danucia. It played for McCarthy in Dallas though,
yes he did.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
No.
Speaker 4 (22:57):
And the other thing too, is like, so we see
what they said is true, but go with me on
this too. So we see this footage of Drew Aller
looking a little clumsy with his feet er or specifically
working on his footwork.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
What did we expect to see? That was the book on.
Speaker 4 (23:11):
Him, Like, he needs to get better footwork, he needs
to get a little less clumsy in the pocket.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
What do you want them to work on specifically?
Speaker 1 (23:16):
People were saying, well, his first step looks clumsy and exaggerated, right,
and then Ben Denucci says, yeah, it's supposed to be
clumsy and exaggerated.
Speaker 2 (23:23):
It's not the same as in a game, for sure,
And Denucci's right about that.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
But also furthermore, yeah, his footwork looks bad because his
footwork's been bad. He didn't get the coaching that he
needed at Penn State over those four years.
Speaker 1 (23:34):
The next big thing Macarthy and Aller are going to
save the franchise. It won't happen this year, but they're
gonna save the franchise.
Speaker 4 (23:40):
It's quite a shot to call, for sure, just because
of the third round quarterback hit rate. But he's not
your average third round quarterback, Like there's different circumstances around
he was.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
If he hadn't broken his ankle, he would have gone
in the second round. If he had had even an
average season, he would have gone.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
In the first first round. I think even if he
doesn't break his ankle, he's in the first round. Was
subjected as a first rounder and had a bad season,
you know, he would have been able the frig.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
That that should be a death sense for his potential
as an NFL quarterback.
Speaker 4 (24:04):
I think the Steelers got a steal a year after
he was in the semi finals, right, Like I mean,
last year was a bad year for him and he
heard his ankle, But the year before that, he took
Penn State to the college football semi final and let's
go in toe to toe with Notre Dame. He did
have a pretty bad pass in that Notre Dame game too,
But you know what, that's fine. Let's see if McCarthy
can get that out of his system and the talent
can rise up to those situations.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Examine this lady, But why do people want him to fail?
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Drew Aller, I think some of it. I think some
of it is Pitt Honks. I gotta just call my
own fan base out for that.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I think some of it is Penn State fans who
felt disappointed by Ah.
Speaker 4 (24:38):
That's an interesting take that they didn't get enough out
of him to screw you don't be good.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
For sakes, could have won the national title except Drew
Aller f it up.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
But all the people that we're talking about, like in
the then diagram, they should all overlap as Steelers fans,
or for the most part they would. So, no matter what,
you should want the quarterback to succeed for the Pittsburgh
Steelers and any.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Penn State fans who feel that way, I'm afraid I've
got some bad news because you're never a national title.
Speaker 2 (25:01):
You'll be in the playoff a lot, you ain't winning it.
Speaker 4 (25:03):
He might be the closest you've ever get too when
he got you to the semi final. Yeah, when Drew
Aller was your quarterback. So I don't know why there.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Seems to State fans have a romanticized version of what
their program is. They're very INDEPTI lying to themselves quite frankly,
no quarterback prospect.
Speaker 4 (25:20):
Steelers fans shouldn't be rooting for any quarterback to fail
for the Steelers. They should be hoping any single one,
any port in a storm, right like if it's Howard,
if it's All or whoever the hell it is, just
have somebody hit, have somebody be a franchise guy.
Speaker 1 (25:31):
What do you make in this Rogers story him not
being in Pittsburgh as was predicted.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
It's so bizarre.
Speaker 1 (25:37):
Because here's to reiterate, I'm making fun of the guys
who reported it because they're not journalists and acted like
they were Woodward and Bernstein in the aftermath.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
But I don't think they lied.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
I think they were given bad information by that Steelers
offensive coordinator who may maybe they were testing him out
as a leak. I don't know, But the bottom line
is Rogers never showed up.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
You think they fed him the bait like it's some
episode of that Departed on the South Side, trying to
flesh out the mole.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
I mean, if I didn't want that guy to be
a constant source to the guy who he coached, you
know in the tight ends room of pit.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
Yeah, I just exposed it here.
Speaker 4 (26:14):
The ripple effect from it, too, was just so fascinating
because then you had other people like the Rappaports and
the Shifters and even Dulac was trying to make heads
or tails of what was going on out here. He's
in Pittsburgh, No, he's not in Pittsburgh. Well, he's here,
but he's not going to the South Side, which that's
when I knew it was fishy.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Who knows, maybe he'll be here tomorrow, but I knew
over the next day, right, well, but the story was
he was going to be here this weekend, and iron.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
It out he wasn't, and he wasn't the same spot.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I knew it was fishy when I was told he
was in Pittsburgh but not meeting with the Steelers, and
then people tall, well, he's golfing. Yeah, he needed to
fly from California to Pittsburgh to find a good golf course.
Right at that point, it became covering up for the misreporting.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
Yeah, exactly. The golfing thing is just absolute nonsense. Like,
I know, we got some nice courses around here, but
he'll get to them when he comes, you know, in
a month or so, or whenever he gets here.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
So what did you say that, Joe Sombite that said
he's cheating the game of football. I tend to agree
with that, and that he's cheating the Steelers and his
teammates as well.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That's it.
Speaker 4 (27:08):
The last thing you just said there is where I
wanted to jump off on. He's cheating his team right now.
And I know that the Steelers Hanks out there will
hear me say that and go, that's a little dramatic,
don't you think if this was Lamar Jackson, if this
was Joe Burrow, we would be eviscerating the Bengals, eviscerating
the Rams.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
He is ending Roman Wilson's career because how can Wilson
build up rapport with him when he's not at any
you know, OTAs whatever it is to try to do
that and then he's going to play because Wilson isn't.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
As precise as he wants.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
How can Wilson build up position with Rogers without Rogers here?
Speaker 4 (27:39):
And this isn't as dramatic as Wilson because his career
is not on the line, but he has no rapport
with Michael Pittman whatsoever. That are supposed to be your
big time targets. Now in the offense, get to work
with these guys. Just be a press even if you don't,
you know, take all the reps. You got to be
a presence there. That's the job. Back should be at everything, everything, everything.
That's how it is around the league. If another starting
(28:00):
quarterback doesn't show up to these workouts. It's a massive story.
There's questions about it, the contracts of disputed, it's all
those things.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
The Steelers just looks so bad with this.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
It just seems to be getting worse and worse because
they put on the front that they knew what was happening,
and that's so clear.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
But then when he shows up, you know, all the
all the Steelers stooge degree.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
See see see they knew, they knew, they knew, and
that's what they're doing.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
They're just betting on something that has a really high
potential to hit. You know, They're they're putting chips down
on something that is like, you know, two to one
odds that you're gonna get it's a coin flip. It's
even better than that that that you're going to be
right about this so they can take the victory lap
the first hole or center. Rovid still, I don't think
so that was extended coverage. We're no extended.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I'm still giving him. We love told, I'm told otherwise.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
The first hour of the show brought to this by Sender, Rovid,
cendro Rovis and Fishman. They've got your bat notch Walt
and tom If. I just gave them a free plug.
I don't feel bad, and I'll tell you why. They
only take twenty five percent. Everybody else takes forty robbery
for everybody else. Aaron Rodgers would not well no he no,
he wouldn't because he's cheap. Aaron Rodgers cheap, I've never
heard that. I don't think cheap. I don't think he is.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I mean he bought himself a PJ to get to
New York to do that meeting with the Jets.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Then again, you can't get taken for a jillion bucks
and a divorce with a fake wife.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
One oh five by GP
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The MeatEater Podcast
Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.