December 10, 2025 • 33 mins
Mark takes your calls and is joined by Mike Decourcey for his weekly hit
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
How many Pro Bowl guys do they have? How many
guys on that team are playing at a Pro Bowl level?
And I don't mean literally the game itself, because that's
just that stupid flag football thingy, but how many are
playing at a level that would get them elected to
the Pro Bowl, let alone making first or second team
All Pro besides Boss Boswell the kicker. But what's it
(00:25):
say about the Steelers and about this MVP discussion that
their best football player isn't really a football player? Eccles
and Pierre ain't no MVP, but have definitely come through
and in roles bigger than they would be thought to
occupy before the season started. And here's the one that
(00:46):
won't be popular, and again, no MVP. But I like
Joey Porter Junior. Despite the occasional flag. He's not playing
passive and when they let him man up, Like I said,
except for the occasional flats, he gets stuff done, he covers,
he breaks plays up, and that's how we should be used.
You can't be so afraid of flags that you have
(01:09):
a good athletic talent like Joey Porter Junior too often
play away from his strengths. But the watch thing nobody
wants to say how disappointing he's been. I think he
has been by far the most disappointing Steeler this year
because he just isn't contributing like his paycheck dictates. To
(01:30):
quote Mary Lemeeu as I so often do. If you
make the most, you should do the most. And this
whole MVP discussion illuminates the Steelers are just such a
man team. They're a bland on the run. They're the
charge of the L T. E Brigade. There's no there there.
(01:52):
There's not one player on the Steelers that's having a
great season, not one or even exceeded expectations except for
below the line guys like Eccles and Pierre you know,
maybe Kenneth Gainwell. I think they've gotten about as much
out of Kenneth Gainwell, that is they had a right
to hope for. But again, overachieving and having a Pro
(02:16):
Bowl caliber season, let alone all pro those are two
way different things. And all this MEH adds up to
seven and six, And I gotta tell you, I think it's.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Amazing they're seven and six.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I think when you look at their stats and how
they've mangled some games, it's incredible that they do have
seven wins out of thirteen and it's a terribly boring team,
badly assembled, badly developed. But there I go again being
a hater. I apologize they're great. Here we go, This
is the mark Man Show. The next segment is, of course,
(02:50):
the talk show craze that's sweeping the nation. Audience participation.
That's a Pittsburgh sensation. Is that it I just can't
get and I don't write it down, but we want
you to call. We take calls on the fifteens. I
freely admit the show's disintegrating along with my mind because
(03:11):
I'm old and I forget stuff, and I can't nearly
hide the fact that I don't care as well as
I used to. But to get it to generic conversation,
who is the Steelers' MVP this year? Give me one
on both sides of the ball. That's a good cliche,
I mean, a good topic for calls on the fifteens.
And can we say yet the TJ. Watt is washed
(03:34):
up or on his way there? And are you willing
to admit as I predicted? Because I'm smarter than all
of you despite my fading memory. Can we admit as
I predicted that giving him that deal was a grievous error.
I just want to hear somebody say it that I
was right and giving him that deal was a grievous
er and they should have made him play out his
deal and franchised him as necessary, because it's better to
(03:58):
make deals that are good for the football team then
to just keep a big, cry baby fathead Jim Teacher,
happy me.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Dad, Sorry I got that wrong anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That number to call is eight three three four one
two wxdx eight three three four one two wxdx.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Like I said, get the calls in.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I'm totally out of material after this segment, although Mike
de Corsi does join me at three thirty, Paul's Ice
at four o'clock, Tyler Kennedy at four thirty. By the way,
if you ever want to see me get ripped to shreds,
I mean, like savage, go to reddits, go to Reddit
and search my name because they kill me. I mean,
(04:35):
they make Twitter seem like my friggin' fan club on Reddit,
and you know what they criticize me for now, They
say I have vocal fry. I've heard how we start
talking about that where you kind of your voice kind
of fades out as a dramatic way you talk like this. Okay,
I'm not doing that on purpose. I'm old and that's
what my voice is devolving into.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
If that's vocal fry, call it what you like.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I call it on my way to dying brown are now? Uh?
I want to talk about Philip Rivers. And here's a
legitimate question. Why would Philip Rivers come back to play
at forty four after making two hundred and forty four
(05:19):
million dollars on his career? Seriously, why would you do that?
It's a fine line between clever and stupid. I guess
I see people say, well, who wouldn't want to throw
the ball around the yard with the boys? And well
I wouldn't. Note if I had two hundred and forty
four million in the bank. I know he's Catholic and
can't divorce his wife and get away from those ten kids.
But nonetheless, just have like a quiet room in the
(05:41):
house where you store the drugs and the big screen
TV like Aaron Rodgers undobtedly has. But the coach cut
that rookie Riley Leonard and Brett Rippens there and now
Rivers And I mean I think if they want to win.
Is Rivers there best bet out of those three?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Maybe I bet there's a secret agenda here. I bet
Rivers isn't the devout Catholic we think he is. I
bet Rivers wants to get back out on the road
and break some commandments on Wickha. By the way, it
actually says and I quote, Rivers is a devout Catholic. Wow,
ten kids. I never would have guessed. Pittsburgh versus Indian
(06:24):
the playoffs would be great. If Philip Rivers is the quarterback.
It would be scientology versus Catholicism. L Ron Rogers versus
Pope Philip speaking to Catholics. I'm surprised Notre Dame is
skipping the Bowl game. But then again, no, because Catholics
think it's okay.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
To pull out, get it, pull out.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
What if Rivers would go down after getting hit and
just not get up. That could happen. Dude's forty four,
he'd played in five years.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
What if he died right there on the field, Like
like I know, and he has those twenty seven kids
to think about.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Twenty seven kids.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That's second only to Antonio Crumarti, who has had the
good sense to quit.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Let's oh okay, good I made I made the commercial break.
I'm totally out of material, so call now, and a
lot of that wasn't even very good. Call now eight
three three four one two wxdx. That's eight three three
four one two wxdx for calls on the fifteens, and
we have, uh, Mike de Corsi, is that right at
(07:33):
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Is so fetch eight three three four one two wxdx.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I want your reaction the Penguin catastrophe last night. Muse
just mangled the end. Had Carlson and Latang both ot
there too. Offensive defenceman righty righty pak was behind the
net for Anaheim with nine seconds left, they said, all
came all the way down the rink and scored with
(08:01):
point one second left own goal by Carlson, who inexplicably
dove toward the blue paint and gloved the puck into
the nets. Dude who scored it went right past Rust
and Latang. He just slashed the guy there, take his
arm off the power play. With that amount of time left,
they could have hurt you. Heck, the Penguins were on
the power play at that point, just a catastrophic loss,
(08:25):
and not least because it was punctuated by losing yet
another shootout. That's five shootout losses on the year against
no victories and nine straight shootout losses dating back through
last year. So how could the Penguins fix that? What's
your take? A three, three, four one two WXDX. I
want to tell the nil story I told a little
(08:47):
bit ago, but right now, let's go to Jim.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Jim, you're on with Mark?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Hey, Mark, As far as Steelers MVP offense defense, I
can't adventure a guess on that, really can't. As far
as TJ. Watt, Sure he gets double teamed and chipped.
You know, he used to occasionally beat that scenario and
make a play.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
He used to beat it a lot. He used to
be a totally dominant player. It's another example, and we
see it too often in sports, where the players getting
paid for the player he used to be, not the
player he currently is. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Well, the bigger problem is even when he gets singled up,
which used to be a devastating mistake for an opposing
team to make, he's not beaten that situation nearly as
much as he should.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Well, he's just not doing much of anything, Like he
only has seven sacks and not really sacks on everything.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But he's not even a factor.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
You don't remember plays where he blew the play up,
even if it didn't end in a sack or whatever.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
He just isn't effective.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
He's clearly lost a half step, and it's evident to
the naked eye watching on network even Let's go to Alex.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Alex talk to Mark, what up mine?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
What up?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Mine?
Speaker 5 (10:06):
So the Penguin game last night at the end of
the game was atrocious, But I was listening to the
radio stuff after the game and us mus if he
would ever consider just pulling show offs for Jari in
the shootout scenario. He didn't seem to like that question
too much, did he.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
He just said, we're gonna keep working on improving in
the shootout. But that's a legitimate question. He doesn't have
to answer it, but he certainly didn't.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
No, And I, if I were them, I would pull
him for that, just Jarry can actually make a sit
in the shootout and the one better of it.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
But I would do that just just to try it.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And again, I just don't think Archer shilloffs is as
stablished enough as a goaltender in Pittsburgh or even in
the league where they should worry about hurting his feelings.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
No, I completely agree, And can I hit you with
one Liverpool thing real quick?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
No, let's go to that's frask Mark. Anything later, Let's.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Go to.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Hey Mark.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
After last night's game, I'm of the opinion of that
this is who the Penguins are this year, and I'm
actually okay with that. They're not ready to take the
step to be in the playoffs, and if they have
to take this year to learn from that and to
maybe get another draft pick and learn from it, we
wait year.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I'm okay with the case they need to finish a
lot lower than they're currently placed in the standards to
get a better draft pick. And it worries me that
they blow leads all the time, because that's not indigenous
to being a bad team. That's having a low hockey
IQ and panicing quite honestly at the moment of truth,
like I think they did last night when Anaheim came
to the length of the rink in nine seconds, I
(11:44):
think there was any amount of chances for even one
Penguin to do the right thing, make a play and
end the game, and nobody did.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
In fact, they looked foolish in the attempts.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Can I just say, I just think that that was
a coaching decision to have the wrong matchups there there
were a lot of a lot of.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Little decisions I I didn't like.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I mean, like I said, righty, righty on defense to
offensive defenseman Rustin Latang got got walked. Carlson dove toward
his own blue paint. Let me tell you a small thing.
Sid went backwards on the draw and he won it,
and Carlson that put it in the zone. I would
tell my center to push the puck toward the boards,
(12:24):
to go forward with the draw and follow the pick
puck in just to create uh, you know, a scrum,
you know, mucking for it. Whereas what Carlson did he
gave them the puck facing forward.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And again it seems like a little thing.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
But but but my way would have probably won the
game if Sid would have executed it.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Can I get one more question?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I asked one more question? Why is schilaws on his
belly after every shot?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Like, why isn't he standing up more?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Priest? Do you mean on the shootouts?
Speaker 5 (12:54):
On the shootouts?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, yeah, he just he's bad at He's really bad
at it.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't like what he said after the game when
he said, well, we didn't score a goal. That is
shirking responsibility. Dude, You've allowed eight goals on ten shots
in the shootout. You stink at and at least own it.
Maybe that would help you get better. Next, talk to
Mike the Corsi one O five nine the X.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
Tomorrow nights, the Pens go head to head against the Canadians.
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Game time is seven.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Our coverage starts at six here every game and the
best coverage right here on your home of the Pens
one O five nine.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
D X tis this season, I think I gotta start
with pull pork, nachos, fantastic the X at one five nine,
joining me now to talk about a plethora of things sports.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
You read him in the Sporting News.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
He's Pittsburgh's own Mike the course, He Mike, here's a
cliche question, but here goes who's been the Steelers' MVP
this season?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Give me one on each side of the ball.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
Well, I'd say on the offensive side, you'd have to
go with Aaron Rodgers, because although he has not been
uniformly great, when he has been good.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
They have succeeded, and so.
Speaker 8 (14:08):
That's probably they probably about I don't know, seven and two,
seven and three when he's played well, uh, and then
oh and three and four when he hasn't something like that.
So I would say he would have to be the
MVP on the offensive side. The defensive side has been
more a mixture of players. It's been such an inconsistent group. Uh.
(14:31):
But in a way, I would say probably that you'd
have to go with Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
Although he's not been uniformly excellent, he.
Speaker 8 (14:40):
Has solidified a position that the Steelers kind of abandoned
in the trade to bring in Ramsey, and and then
he ended up repairing some of what they damaged by
doing that.
Speaker 7 (14:53):
The trade has been something.
Speaker 8 (14:58):
It's close to a disaster because they haven't gotten much
of anything out of John uh and they've had to
use Jalen out of position. But Ramsey has has at
least rectified some of the mistake they made when they did.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Are they a lot going to be seven and six?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Because as this discussion has yielded, Mike, no players have
really had outstanding seasons per se.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
No, I think they've there have been a lot of
players who had outstanding moments. And I think if Alonso
excuse me, if Alex Heismith had been healthy the full year.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, he's had the most good games, I think.
Speaker 8 (15:33):
Yeah, And if you go by percentage of good games,
it's pretty close to you know, it's it's not far
from one hundred.
Speaker 7 (15:39):
It's not one hundred. Nobody's perfect every time out.
Speaker 8 (15:42):
But he just has missed enough time that that part
of it would be problematic for him. But when he
has been out there and healthy, he's been pretty good.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Has TJ want lost a step? Can we just say
that period at just seven sacks?
Speaker 7 (16:01):
Well, I think that.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
I think some of it is that the way he's
doubled now, I mean it's almost but.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
He always has been he always has.
Speaker 8 (16:10):
Not not like this, I mean not in every playing
part of the reason they can do that now in
the past they had better d linemen that if you
doubled him or or chipped him, uh, that that you
wouldn't be able to get anything done there. And so
now now he they just double him and say, well,
we're not getting.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
Hurt by Keanu Benten.
Speaker 8 (16:32):
Uh, you know, we're not getting hurt from that standpoint,
And of course when Harmon's been out there, that's been
a little bit less effective. But Harmon missed what the
first four games in the last two, so gosh, that's
close to half the year that he's been absent and
that and that has a significant impact on the ability
(16:52):
of opponents to spend spend special attention on TJ.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Why can't the Steelers won the ball or stop the run,
which had been part of their identity on each side
of the ball?
Speaker 8 (17:02):
Mic well, on the on the first it comes down
to teams not fearing at all the deep ball, like
the Ravens were there. Their whole approach was, well, they're
not going over the top of us. We're just going
to send eight to nine guys into the box and
they won't be able to run it. And you also
had the absence of Broderick Jones impacting the run blocking.
(17:25):
They don't have a they don't have an adequate replacement
for him in that respect.
Speaker 7 (17:29):
The guys who replaced them Pete et cetera did a
better job.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
Did an adequate job of pass blocking, but they're not
going to open holes in the way that Broderick can.
But on the defensive side, I think it's a lot
of things. I think some of it's schematic. I don't
understand the the obsession with creating traffic rather than filling gaps.
(17:55):
I don't want my inside linebacker throwing himself on a block.
I don't want my outside linebackers always crashing inside and
then opening up the perimeter in the case of the ladder. Okay,
Joey Porter's got to make the tackle. Well, I mean,
Joey is doing a fine job in a lot of ways,
but I mean he's not Rod Woodson.
Speaker 7 (18:14):
I mean that's so why are you playing it that way?
Speaker 8 (18:17):
And then on from the standpoint of the of the
inside linebackers constantly throwing themselves on the block to create traffic,
then you are basically saying, we've got one guy that
can make this play from here on out and he
and he's starting twenty five twenty yards off the line.
So I think some of it's schematic. I think some
(18:38):
of it is is personnel. Peyton Wilson has not been
effective in the run game. The decision to go away
from a Land and Roberts still is vexing to me
because they just they didn't really replace that well and
so and again, I mean Mika.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Is a better safety tax.
Speaker 8 (19:00):
Of course, to Shaun Elliet, his absence is a big
part of this as well. I mean, he was a
phenomenal run defender and he's been absent for what the
last half dozen games.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Miami is in time Monday night? Is this kind of
a trap game? A hot team, four straight wins and
they can run the ball, and you know that's what
they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Yeah, I mean I don't.
Speaker 8 (19:21):
I think it's a dangerous game, like you're you're implying,
But I don't call it a trap game because the
Steelers don't.
Speaker 7 (19:26):
Have those anymore. Not this team.
Speaker 8 (19:28):
True, this team doesn't have This team doesn't have trap games,
is not good enough to have them. Trap game is
when you're ten and three, uh, and then you go
to Cleveland it's in the snow.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
That's a trap game like last year.
Speaker 8 (19:40):
But this team has to take every game seriously, especially
when they know that they still have to go to Detroit, uh,
and they still have to play Baltimore head up, and
so they have to take every game any win they
can get and put it in the bank to try
to keep that lead over Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
And this is by no means a gimme.
Speaker 7 (19:57):
No, no, no, they've been.
Speaker 8 (19:59):
They've been playing exceedingly well and on both sides of
the ball. They were gimmicky in McDaniel's early years. They
never really replaced what they lost on defense, both schematically
and personnel wise in the early years. So they were
a very offensive, passing game based team in the early
(20:20):
McDaniel years, and now they're much more effective running the
football and they've they've been a significant defense during their
winning streak.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
We're talking to Mike the course of the Sporting News
Mike brought to us by South Hills, Kia. Mike, I
want to turn to the Pirates for a second, because
whenever we hear talk about the Pirates potentially signing a
big name free agent, is it always bs Is it
a lie for hype? Because that's what I think.
Speaker 8 (20:45):
Well, I mean, I think they go through the motions
of being involved in certain pursuits, I mean, the shorb
of pursuit. I don't think there's any question that they
put an offer out there. It's like, let's say you're
going out there and you're looking at houses and see
one you like, but you're not one hundred percent sure
that you can really afford it at the price that
(21:05):
you know it's most likely to go. So you put
in a low ball offer and if they can't get
what they think they can get and what you think
they can get, then maybe you get lucky.
Speaker 7 (21:17):
And I think that's what the whole Schwarber thing was.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Instead of saying, we know that we have to go
to extremes to get this guy because of who we
are and what our circumstance is, they say, we go
under what the number probably will be, and then we've
been actively involved in.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
The pursuit of one of the best home run hitters
in the league.
Speaker 8 (21:41):
Oh tr Yes, I don't think it's BS, but I
think it's PR.
Speaker 7 (21:44):
And there is a difference.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
I think it's one hundred percent PR because if they
wanted really to get Schwarberg, they would have had to say, Okay,
the going price is probably going to be five years,
so we either go up a year.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
Which is a extreme, or we go up multiple millions
of dollars.
Speaker 8 (22:05):
And in the in the case of of of the
Pirates versus the Phillies, I think the minimum you're gonna
have to even think about going up in terms of
of the multiple millions is five per year, So that's
twenty five total million. And for the for him to say,
why would I go there when I can win here? Uh,
you have to say, Okay, here's more money than they're
(22:26):
possibly gonna give you, or here's another year maybe at
a you know, a sort of a mutual option.
Speaker 7 (22:33):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (22:34):
If if you aren't hitting anymore by the time we
get the year five, we pay you half.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
But even then, Mike, even if you did clearly on
bid the Phillies in money and in tenure, he might
still say no because he wants to win.
Speaker 7 (22:47):
Yeah, he might, but.
Speaker 8 (22:48):
He you know, but if you put if you put
like I said, if you put some exceptional offer on
the on the on the table, he's gonna have to
think about it.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
Uh. When it's just uh, okay.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
My four years against their five years, he's not even
thinking twice about it because, you know, because if he
wants to live in Pittsburgh, he can afford to live
anywhere he wants, So it's not about that. So you
have to give him a reason to leave the success
that Philadelphia traditionally has had, and they didn't make any
(23:19):
effort at all to do that.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You know, it's funny the pirates say they want to
spend more. They've certainly leaked that out there through the
baseball media and people are taking that at face value.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I am not.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I just don't believe it for a second until the
money is actually spent. But the naive thing is it's
not a one year process. You can't snap your fingers
and have credibility when it comes out to going and
getting guys like we're talking about, you got a lay foundation.
Maybe I don't know, signing some mid level free agents
having better roster than they do currently.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
They say they want to do it, and even if
they are serious, it's tough to do.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
It is hard, there's no doubt.
Speaker 8 (23:59):
And that's why I said you have to do you
probably would have to go to an extreme. I mean this,
When the Cincinnati Red signed Joey Vado back around two
thousand and ten or eleven, I mean they gave him
ten years and two hundred and fifty million dollars and
that in those days, that was an unbelievable contract. I mean,
nobody would except for the very richest franchises, we're doing that,
(24:22):
and they committed Devado and he pretty much got to
the very end of that. But it didn't end up
paying off because after the first few years when they
had him, then they couldn't really afford or didn't afford
anything else beyond that, and weren't successful again with after
twenty thirteen. So you kind of have to if you
(24:44):
believe you've got schemes and the rest of this pitching
staff and you and you think you can roll the dice,
then you have to take a you have to take
a big swing at.
Speaker 7 (24:52):
Someone like Schwarberg.
Speaker 8 (24:53):
I'm not sure that you can bring in a couple of.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Mid level free agents and really move the needle. I mean,
you want to be better than you are.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
But I think that this was an opportunity for them.
Uh and and it would have involved considerable risk because I.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
Don't know how much longer he's gonna hit the ball
out of the park. I don't think that he's gonna
do it.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Wait has a theoretical opportunity though, Mike, because like like
I think we agree he was just never going to
come here period, and.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
That he would have if they if they had overbid,
they would have had to overpay as like as using
the house analogy again, when you put it up at
a list price and there are multiple suitors. If you
really want the house and you can and you can
pull it off, then you.
Speaker 7 (25:35):
Go over asking.
Speaker 8 (25:37):
And that's what the Steelers, excuse me, the Pirates would
have had to do. They would have had to go
well over asking, as I said, maybe another year or
at minimum a year, a mutual year, where like I said,
if they got to the end of the five.
Speaker 7 (25:50):
And he had pretty much been shot, then you say.
Speaker 8 (25:52):
Okay, we're gonna pay you half of it to go
away and and that'll be that. And for him, that's
like the best you know, uh, that's the best scenario
because even he won, he can take the half what
that would have been I guess fifteen million dollars and
then still go out and see if somebody else wants
to sign him for less than that, or he can
(26:13):
just take the half and retire and it's a nice
going away present. You would have to do something like
that to get him. And could they have done that.
I think they could have. It would have hurt, but
they've made plenty of money being nonspenders over the years
that I think they could afford to do it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Well.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Funny you say that, because Mark Cabally tweeted right away.
And I totally agree. If they were willing to give
Schwarbra one hundred and twenty million over the next four years,
then that money's there to be spent.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
So spend it on somebody else.
Speaker 8 (26:46):
Yeah, I mean if somebody exactly who would be worth that,
I'm not sure. I mean, I know Pete Alonso got
signed today by Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Well, maybe you spend it on two guys, Mike, just
the total sum needs to be.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Spent, Yeah, I mean I think you have to.
Speaker 8 (27:01):
I think you have to do that to gain full credibility. Absolutely,
But you don't want to just throw it into the
toilet and say, look, we spent. I mean, you want
to get quality players who are going to make you better.
And I'll be frank, I mean I don't know the
field well enough to know whether those players are out
there that can make the Pirates better, but I know
(27:22):
this that whatever you spend, they can't.
Speaker 7 (27:25):
Be much worse on offense.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Yeah, and then they go on sign a pitcher, they
sign a lefty setup guy, and people are overreacting to that,
and you.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Get what you pay for.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You only spend seven point seven million on a mic
and Soto. I mean let's say he's everything he can be.
How much does it move the needle? That's not what
they needed.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
No, it makes you better. I mean it should.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
I mean he has seventy strikeouts and sixty plus innings,
so he's obviously able to you know, to throw some heat.
So there's some value there, but it's this is just
trying to make you a little better. They need, probably
to even have a chance to be competitive in the division.
At the top of the division, they need two significant bats. Uh,
(28:10):
guys who can who can hit the ball for if
not home run power, at least extra base power. Guys
who you know, who are gonna have significant ops's who are.
Speaker 7 (28:22):
Gonna get on base those kinds of.
Speaker 8 (28:24):
Things, and and and and hit hard, hit the ball
with enough authority that that they drive in runs and
create runs, et cetera. So I they need at least
two of those if they had been able, if they've
been willing to, I guess, go ahead and bring in Schwarber. Uh,
he's only one, and then maybe you get the other
(28:47):
one by promoting your your ace rookie.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
Maybe you get the other one that way.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
But there's no doubt that they need at least two
guys that can hit to make them better.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I've read what you've written about this, Mike, but please
do reiterate for the listeners. Does Notre Dame have any
legitimacy at all in their complaint?
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Well, I think that no.
Speaker 8 (29:06):
I think the one legitimate complaint for Notre Dame is like,
these are young people that put a lot into this,
and you basically pulled a con on them, you know,
a three card money on them.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
For the last five weeks. You said that they were.
Speaker 8 (29:19):
Ahead of Miami, and and they, you know, inside they
maybe should have said, well, why are we ahead of Miami?
Speaker 7 (29:25):
They beat us?
Speaker 8 (29:26):
But if they're telling you that you're ahead anyway, and
nothing changes on either team's resume, that Notre Dame continue
to go out and beat bad teams badly, uh, And
Miami continued to go out and beat bad teams badly,
but didn't qualify for the ACC final and.
Speaker 7 (29:43):
Therefore didn't earn an automatic bid.
Speaker 8 (29:45):
So they basically had the same resumes at the end
that they had at the beginning of.
Speaker 7 (29:50):
This public ranking process.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
So from that standpoint, I think Notre Dame has a
right to be angered that that they're young people got
fooled that way. But from the standpoint of the validity
of their case to be in the playoff, they have
nothing to stand on at all. They played two difficult,
highly difficult games against Miami and against Texas A and
(30:14):
M and lost them both. They played one maybe what
you'd call a light middleweight excuse me, a light heavyweight
in usc which was a home game, and then they
played a collection of some of the worst football teams
in America for the most part they played. They played
two teams Purdue in Arkansas that did not win a
conference game.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
They played two more that only won one conference.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Game team their opponents were awful, and so yeah, you
went out and beat them all by a lot of points,
and look how good we looked, and we were clearly
ready to play in the playoff.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Well, no, because you.
Speaker 8 (30:49):
Were playing teams that weren't anywhere near the playoff. Like
how badly you beat Boston College is not going to
translate to anything that you would be asked to do
in the playoff.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Mike, I've written a call, and I pretty much rewunted
every year that they should just take the top forty
four teams, divide them geographically into four divisions of eleven
play every team in your own division once, rotate Homan
away from year to year, and the top two finishers
in each go to the quarterfinals of a national playoff.
The four conference champions in the regular season are exactly
(31:19):
that the conference champion. Why won't they do that because
it's perfectly sensible.
Speaker 8 (31:25):
Well, but it's economically detrimental to the Big ten in
the SEC.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Okay, too bad for them.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I mean, are we talking about just two conferences or
what's right for college football?
Speaker 8 (31:37):
Well, yeah, but you're telling people in the Big Ten
and SEC who are making whatever you know, let's say,
let's use it in human terms. They're making one hundred
thousand dollars a year. Well, now we're going to pay
you sixty that's what you're telling them.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I get it, but this has made me not watch
college football at all, Mike, And I'm not kidding. Between
all the conference realignment, the NIL money, the transfer portal
allowing such free movement stuff like Blayne Kiffin, I'm just
not interested anymore, not at all.
Speaker 7 (32:07):
I understand that.
Speaker 8 (32:08):
But I think the thing that has made me even
more interested in college football is that it's not about
we think these teams are good. You win the ACC,
you get it, or the.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
SEC or the Big twelve or whatever.
Speaker 8 (32:21):
I guess if you win the ACC with five losses,
you're not getting in.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
But if you win a.
Speaker 8 (32:25):
Major conference with a fairly respectable record, you get into
the playoff. No one says, like they did to Florida
State in twenty twenty three, we don't think you're any
good anymore since you lost your quarterback. So even though
you won every single game you played in a major conference,
we're not inviting you anyway. That stuff was nonsense. Now
there are games that really matter to trying to get
(32:48):
into the playoff. And like, even though Virginia lost that
game on Saturday night, those last few minutes where they
came back and tied the game and forced overtime.
Speaker 7 (32:57):
We're really compelling.
Speaker 8 (32:59):
So it's more interested in college football now than I
was ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Well to show you how I'm not, Mike, I didn't
even know Virginia played Saturday night. But as always you've
been you've been a beacon of light. We'll do it
again next week.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (33:12):
That's great, Mark, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
That's Mike.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
The course he brought the list by South Fields Kia
We got Zeiss at the top of the hour one
oh five to nine.
Speaker 8 (33:19):
It's the Woody Show weekday mornings at six, Training news headlines,
redneck news, and more on one oh five nine. The
X eighty four Lumber is your one stop destination for
top quality materials and
How many Pro Bowl guys do they have? How many
guys on that team are playing at a Pro Bowl level?
And I don't mean literally the game itself, because that's
just that stupid flag football thingy, but how many are
playing at a level that would get them elected to
the Pro Bowl, let alone making first or second team
All Pro besides Boss Boswell the kicker. But what's it
(00:25):
say about the Steelers and about this MVP discussion that
their best football player isn't really a football player? Eccles
and Pierre ain't no MVP, but have definitely come through
and in roles bigger than they would be thought to
occupy before the season started. And here's the one that
(00:46):
won't be popular, and again, no MVP. But I like
Joey Porter Junior. Despite the occasional flag. He's not playing
passive and when they let him man up, Like I said,
except for the occasional flats, he gets stuff done, he covers,
he breaks plays up, and that's how we should be used.
You can't be so afraid of flags that you have
(01:09):
a good athletic talent like Joey Porter Junior too often
play away from his strengths. But the watch thing nobody
wants to say how disappointing he's been. I think he
has been by far the most disappointing Steeler this year
because he just isn't contributing like his paycheck dictates. To
(01:30):
quote Mary Lemeeu as I so often do. If you
make the most, you should do the most. And this
whole MVP discussion illuminates the Steelers are just such a
man team. They're a bland on the run. They're the
charge of the L T. E Brigade. There's no there there.
(01:52):
There's not one player on the Steelers that's having a
great season, not one or even exceeded expectations except for
below the line guys like Eccles and Pierre you know,
maybe Kenneth Gainwell. I think they've gotten about as much
out of Kenneth Gainwell, that is they had a right
to hope for. But again, overachieving and having a Pro
(02:16):
Bowl caliber season, let alone all pro those are two
way different things. And all this MEH adds up to
seven and six, And I gotta tell you, I think it's.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Amazing they're seven and six.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I think when you look at their stats and how
they've mangled some games, it's incredible that they do have
seven wins out of thirteen and it's a terribly boring team,
badly assembled, badly developed. But there I go again being
a hater. I apologize they're great. Here we go, This
is the mark Man Show. The next segment is, of course,
(02:50):
the talk show craze that's sweeping the nation. Audience participation.
That's a Pittsburgh sensation. Is that it I just can't
get and I don't write it down, but we want
you to call. We take calls on the fifteens. I
freely admit the show's disintegrating along with my mind because
(03:11):
I'm old and I forget stuff, and I can't nearly
hide the fact that I don't care as well as
I used to. But to get it to generic conversation,
who is the Steelers' MVP this year? Give me one
on both sides of the ball. That's a good cliche,
I mean, a good topic for calls on the fifteens.
And can we say yet the TJ. Watt is washed
(03:34):
up or on his way there? And are you willing
to admit as I predicted? Because I'm smarter than all
of you despite my fading memory. Can we admit as
I predicted that giving him that deal was a grievous error.
I just want to hear somebody say it that I
was right and giving him that deal was a grievous
er and they should have made him play out his
deal and franchised him as necessary, because it's better to
(03:58):
make deals that are good for the football team then
to just keep a big, cry baby fathead Jim Teacher,
happy me.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Dad, Sorry I got that wrong anyway.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That number to call is eight three three four one
two wxdx eight three three four one two wxdx.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Like I said, get the calls in.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I'm totally out of material after this segment, although Mike
de Corsi does join me at three thirty, Paul's Ice
at four o'clock, Tyler Kennedy at four thirty. By the way,
if you ever want to see me get ripped to shreds,
I mean, like savage, go to reddits, go to Reddit
and search my name because they kill me. I mean,
(04:35):
they make Twitter seem like my friggin' fan club on Reddit,
and you know what they criticize me for now, They
say I have vocal fry. I've heard how we start
talking about that where you kind of your voice kind
of fades out as a dramatic way you talk like this. Okay,
I'm not doing that on purpose. I'm old and that's
what my voice is devolving into.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
If that's vocal fry, call it what you like.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
I call it on my way to dying brown are now? Uh?
I want to talk about Philip Rivers. And here's a
legitimate question. Why would Philip Rivers come back to play
at forty four after making two hundred and forty four
(05:19):
million dollars on his career? Seriously, why would you do that?
It's a fine line between clever and stupid. I guess
I see people say, well, who wouldn't want to throw
the ball around the yard with the boys? And well
I wouldn't. Note if I had two hundred and forty
four million in the bank. I know he's Catholic and
can't divorce his wife and get away from those ten kids.
But nonetheless, just have like a quiet room in the
(05:41):
house where you store the drugs and the big screen
TV like Aaron Rodgers undobtedly has. But the coach cut
that rookie Riley Leonard and Brett Rippens there and now
Rivers And I mean I think if they want to win.
Is Rivers there best bet out of those three?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Maybe I bet there's a secret agenda here. I bet
Rivers isn't the devout Catholic we think he is. I
bet Rivers wants to get back out on the road
and break some commandments on Wickha. By the way, it
actually says and I quote, Rivers is a devout Catholic. Wow,
ten kids. I never would have guessed. Pittsburgh versus Indian
(06:24):
the playoffs would be great. If Philip Rivers is the quarterback.
It would be scientology versus Catholicism. L Ron Rogers versus
Pope Philip speaking to Catholics. I'm surprised Notre Dame is
skipping the Bowl game. But then again, no, because Catholics
think it's okay.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
To pull out, get it, pull out.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
What if Rivers would go down after getting hit and
just not get up. That could happen. Dude's forty four,
he'd played in five years.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
What if he died right there on the field, Like
like I know, and he has those twenty seven kids
to think about.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Twenty seven kids.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
That's second only to Antonio Crumarti, who has had the
good sense to quit.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
Let's oh okay, good I made I made the commercial break.
I'm totally out of material, so call now, and a
lot of that wasn't even very good. Call now eight
three three four one two wxdx. That's eight three three
four one two wxdx for calls on the fifteens, and
we have, uh, Mike de Corsi, is that right at
(07:33):
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Is so fetch eight three three four one two wxdx.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I want your reaction the Penguin catastrophe last night. Muse
just mangled the end. Had Carlson and Latang both ot
there too. Offensive defenceman righty righty pak was behind the
net for Anaheim with nine seconds left, they said, all
came all the way down the rink and scored with
(08:01):
point one second left own goal by Carlson, who inexplicably
dove toward the blue paint and gloved the puck into
the nets. Dude who scored it went right past Rust
and Latang. He just slashed the guy there, take his
arm off the power play. With that amount of time left,
they could have hurt you. Heck, the Penguins were on
the power play at that point, just a catastrophic loss,
(08:25):
and not least because it was punctuated by losing yet
another shootout. That's five shootout losses on the year against
no victories and nine straight shootout losses dating back through
last year. So how could the Penguins fix that? What's
your take? A three, three, four one two WXDX. I
want to tell the nil story I told a little
(08:47):
bit ago, but right now, let's go to Jim.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Jim, you're on with Mark?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Hey, Mark, As far as Steelers MVP offense defense, I
can't adventure a guess on that, really can't. As far
as TJ. Watt, Sure he gets double teamed and chipped.
You know, he used to occasionally beat that scenario and
make a play.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
He used to beat it a lot. He used to
be a totally dominant player. It's another example, and we
see it too often in sports, where the players getting
paid for the player he used to be, not the
player he currently is. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:27):
Well, the bigger problem is even when he gets singled up,
which used to be a devastating mistake for an opposing
team to make, he's not beaten that situation nearly as
much as he should.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Well, he's just not doing much of anything, Like he
only has seven sacks and not really sacks on everything.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
But he's not even a factor.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
You don't remember plays where he blew the play up,
even if it didn't end in a sack or whatever.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
He just isn't effective.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
He's clearly lost a half step, and it's evident to
the naked eye watching on network even Let's go to Alex.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Alex talk to Mark, what up mine?
Speaker 4 (10:03):
What up?
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Mine?
Speaker 5 (10:06):
So the Penguin game last night at the end of
the game was atrocious, But I was listening to the
radio stuff after the game and us mus if he
would ever consider just pulling show offs for Jari in
the shootout scenario. He didn't seem to like that question
too much, did he.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
He just said, we're gonna keep working on improving in
the shootout. But that's a legitimate question. He doesn't have
to answer it, but he certainly didn't.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
No, And I, if I were them, I would pull
him for that, just Jarry can actually make a sit
in the shootout and the one better of it.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
But I would do that just just to try it.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
And again, I just don't think Archer shilloffs is as
stablished enough as a goaltender in Pittsburgh or even in
the league where they should worry about hurting his feelings.
Speaker 5 (10:53):
No, I completely agree, And can I hit you with
one Liverpool thing real quick?
Speaker 2 (10:56):
No, let's go to that's frask Mark. Anything later, Let's.
Speaker 6 (10:59):
Go to.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Hey Mark.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
After last night's game, I'm of the opinion of that
this is who the Penguins are this year, and I'm
actually okay with that. They're not ready to take the
step to be in the playoffs, and if they have
to take this year to learn from that and to
maybe get another draft pick and learn from it, we
wait year.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
I'm okay with the case they need to finish a
lot lower than they're currently placed in the standards to
get a better draft pick. And it worries me that
they blow leads all the time, because that's not indigenous
to being a bad team. That's having a low hockey
IQ and panicing quite honestly at the moment of truth,
like I think they did last night when Anaheim came
to the length of the rink in nine seconds, I
(11:44):
think there was any amount of chances for even one
Penguin to do the right thing, make a play and
end the game, and nobody did.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
In fact, they looked foolish in the attempts.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
Can I just say, I just think that that was
a coaching decision to have the wrong matchups there there
were a lot of a lot of.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Little decisions I I didn't like.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I mean, like I said, righty, righty on defense to
offensive defenseman Rustin Latang got got walked. Carlson dove toward
his own blue paint. Let me tell you a small thing.
Sid went backwards on the draw and he won it,
and Carlson that put it in the zone. I would
tell my center to push the puck toward the boards,
(12:24):
to go forward with the draw and follow the pick
puck in just to create uh, you know, a scrum,
you know, mucking for it. Whereas what Carlson did he
gave them the puck facing forward.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
And again it seems like a little thing.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
But but but my way would have probably won the
game if Sid would have executed it.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Can I get one more question?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I asked one more question? Why is schilaws on his
belly after every shot?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Like, why isn't he standing up more?
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Priest? Do you mean on the shootouts?
Speaker 5 (12:54):
On the shootouts?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, yeah, he just he's bad at He's really bad
at it.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
I didn't like what he said after the game when
he said, well, we didn't score a goal. That is
shirking responsibility. Dude, You've allowed eight goals on ten shots
in the shootout. You stink at and at least own it.
Maybe that would help you get better. Next, talk to
Mike the Corsi one O five nine the X.
Speaker 6 (13:15):
Tomorrow nights, the Pens go head to head against the Canadians.
Speaker 7 (13:19):
Game time is seven.
Speaker 6 (13:21):
Our coverage starts at six here every game and the
best coverage right here on your home of the Pens
one O five nine.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
D X tis this season, I think I gotta start
with pull pork, nachos, fantastic the X at one five nine,
joining me now to talk about a plethora of things sports.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
You read him in the Sporting News.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
He's Pittsburgh's own Mike the course, He Mike, here's a
cliche question, but here goes who's been the Steelers' MVP
this season?
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Give me one on each side of the ball.
Speaker 8 (13:56):
Well, I'd say on the offensive side, you'd have to
go with Aaron Rodgers, because although he has not been
uniformly great, when he has been good.
Speaker 7 (14:05):
They have succeeded, and so.
Speaker 8 (14:08):
That's probably they probably about I don't know, seven and two,
seven and three when he's played well, uh, and then
oh and three and four when he hasn't something like that.
So I would say he would have to be the
MVP on the offensive side. The defensive side has been
more a mixture of players. It's been such an inconsistent group. Uh.
(14:31):
But in a way, I would say probably that you'd
have to go with Jalen Ramsey.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
Although he's not been uniformly excellent, he.
Speaker 8 (14:40):
Has solidified a position that the Steelers kind of abandoned
in the trade to bring in Ramsey, and and then
he ended up repairing some of what they damaged by
doing that.
Speaker 7 (14:53):
The trade has been something.
Speaker 8 (14:58):
It's close to a disaster because they haven't gotten much
of anything out of John uh and they've had to
use Jalen out of position. But Ramsey has has at
least rectified some of the mistake they made when they did.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Are they a lot going to be seven and six?
Speaker 1 (15:13):
Because as this discussion has yielded, Mike, no players have
really had outstanding seasons per se.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
No, I think they've there have been a lot of
players who had outstanding moments. And I think if Alonso
excuse me, if Alex Heismith had been healthy the full year.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
Yeah, he's had the most good games, I think.
Speaker 8 (15:33):
Yeah, And if you go by percentage of good games,
it's pretty close to you know, it's it's not far
from one hundred.
Speaker 7 (15:39):
It's not one hundred. Nobody's perfect every time out.
Speaker 8 (15:42):
But he just has missed enough time that that part
of it would be problematic for him. But when he
has been out there and healthy, he's been pretty good.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Has TJ want lost a step? Can we just say
that period at just seven sacks?
Speaker 7 (16:01):
Well, I think that.
Speaker 8 (16:02):
I think some of it is that the way he's
doubled now, I mean it's almost but.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
He always has been he always has.
Speaker 8 (16:10):
Not not like this, I mean not in every playing
part of the reason they can do that now in
the past they had better d linemen that if you
doubled him or or chipped him, uh, that that you
wouldn't be able to get anything done there. And so
now now he they just double him and say, well,
we're not getting.
Speaker 7 (16:30):
Hurt by Keanu Benten.
Speaker 8 (16:32):
Uh, you know, we're not getting hurt from that standpoint,
And of course when Harmon's been out there, that's been
a little bit less effective. But Harmon missed what the
first four games in the last two, so gosh, that's
close to half the year that he's been absent and
that and that has a significant impact on the ability
(16:52):
of opponents to spend spend special attention on TJ.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
Why can't the Steelers won the ball or stop the run,
which had been part of their identity on each side
of the ball?
Speaker 8 (17:02):
Mic well, on the on the first it comes down
to teams not fearing at all the deep ball, like
the Ravens were there. Their whole approach was, well, they're
not going over the top of us. We're just going
to send eight to nine guys into the box and
they won't be able to run it. And you also
had the absence of Broderick Jones impacting the run blocking.
(17:25):
They don't have a they don't have an adequate replacement
for him in that respect.
Speaker 7 (17:29):
The guys who replaced them Pete et cetera did a
better job.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
Did an adequate job of pass blocking, but they're not
going to open holes in the way that Broderick can.
But on the defensive side, I think it's a lot
of things. I think some of it's schematic. I don't
understand the the obsession with creating traffic rather than filling gaps.
(17:55):
I don't want my inside linebacker throwing himself on a block.
I don't want my outside linebackers always crashing inside and
then opening up the perimeter in the case of the ladder. Okay,
Joey Porter's got to make the tackle. Well, I mean,
Joey is doing a fine job in a lot of ways,
but I mean he's not Rod Woodson.
Speaker 7 (18:14):
I mean that's so why are you playing it that way?
Speaker 8 (18:17):
And then on from the standpoint of the of the
inside linebackers constantly throwing themselves on the block to create traffic,
then you are basically saying, we've got one guy that
can make this play from here on out and he
and he's starting twenty five twenty yards off the line.
So I think some of it's schematic. I think some
(18:38):
of it is is personnel. Peyton Wilson has not been
effective in the run game. The decision to go away
from a Land and Roberts still is vexing to me
because they just they didn't really replace that well and
so and again, I mean Mika.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Is a better safety tax.
Speaker 8 (19:00):
Of course, to Shaun Elliet, his absence is a big
part of this as well. I mean, he was a
phenomenal run defender and he's been absent for what the
last half dozen games.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Miami is in time Monday night? Is this kind of
a trap game? A hot team, four straight wins and
they can run the ball, and you know that's what
they're gonna do.
Speaker 3 (19:19):
Yeah, I mean I don't.
Speaker 8 (19:21):
I think it's a dangerous game, like you're you're implying,
But I don't call it a trap game because the
Steelers don't.
Speaker 7 (19:26):
Have those anymore. Not this team.
Speaker 8 (19:28):
True, this team doesn't have This team doesn't have trap games,
is not good enough to have them. Trap game is
when you're ten and three, uh, and then you go
to Cleveland it's in the snow.
Speaker 7 (19:37):
That's a trap game like last year.
Speaker 8 (19:40):
But this team has to take every game seriously, especially
when they know that they still have to go to Detroit, uh,
and they still have to play Baltimore head up, and
so they have to take every game any win they
can get and put it in the bank to try
to keep that lead over Baltimore.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
And this is by no means a gimme.
Speaker 7 (19:57):
No, no, no, they've been.
Speaker 8 (19:59):
They've been playing exceedingly well and on both sides of
the ball. They were gimmicky in McDaniel's early years. They
never really replaced what they lost on defense, both schematically
and personnel wise in the early years. So they were
a very offensive, passing game based team in the early
(20:20):
McDaniel years, and now they're much more effective running the
football and they've they've been a significant defense during their
winning streak.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
We're talking to Mike the course of the Sporting News
Mike brought to us by South Hills, Kia. Mike, I
want to turn to the Pirates for a second, because
whenever we hear talk about the Pirates potentially signing a
big name free agent, is it always bs Is it
a lie for hype? Because that's what I think.
Speaker 8 (20:45):
Well, I mean, I think they go through the motions
of being involved in certain pursuits, I mean, the shorb
of pursuit. I don't think there's any question that they
put an offer out there. It's like, let's say you're
going out there and you're looking at houses and see
one you like, but you're not one hundred percent sure
that you can really afford it at the price that
(21:05):
you know it's most likely to go. So you put
in a low ball offer and if they can't get
what they think they can get and what you think
they can get, then maybe you get lucky.
Speaker 7 (21:17):
And I think that's what the whole Schwarber thing was.
Speaker 8 (21:20):
Instead of saying, we know that we have to go
to extremes to get this guy because of who we
are and what our circumstance is, they say, we go
under what the number probably will be, and then we've
been actively involved in.
Speaker 7 (21:36):
The pursuit of one of the best home run hitters
in the league.
Speaker 8 (21:41):
Oh tr Yes, I don't think it's BS, but I
think it's PR.
Speaker 7 (21:44):
And there is a difference.
Speaker 8 (21:46):
I think it's one hundred percent PR because if they
wanted really to get Schwarberg, they would have had to say, Okay,
the going price is probably going to be five years,
so we either go up a year.
Speaker 7 (21:59):
Which is a extreme, or we go up multiple millions
of dollars.
Speaker 8 (22:05):
And in the in the case of of of the
Pirates versus the Phillies, I think the minimum you're gonna
have to even think about going up in terms of
of the multiple millions is five per year, So that's
twenty five total million. And for the for him to say,
why would I go there when I can win here? Uh,
you have to say, Okay, here's more money than they're
(22:26):
possibly gonna give you, or here's another year maybe at
a you know, a sort of a mutual option.
Speaker 7 (22:33):
Uh.
Speaker 8 (22:34):
If if you aren't hitting anymore by the time we
get the year five, we pay you half.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
But even then, Mike, even if you did clearly on
bid the Phillies in money and in tenure, he might
still say no because he wants to win.
Speaker 7 (22:47):
Yeah, he might, but.
Speaker 8 (22:48):
He you know, but if you put if you put
like I said, if you put some exceptional offer on
the on the on the table, he's gonna have to
think about it.
Speaker 7 (22:57):
Uh. When it's just uh, okay.
Speaker 8 (22:59):
My four years against their five years, he's not even
thinking twice about it because, you know, because if he
wants to live in Pittsburgh, he can afford to live
anywhere he wants, So it's not about that. So you
have to give him a reason to leave the success
that Philadelphia traditionally has had, and they didn't make any
(23:19):
effort at all to do that.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
You know, it's funny the pirates say they want to
spend more. They've certainly leaked that out there through the
baseball media and people are taking that at face value.
Speaker 2 (23:29):
I am not.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
I just don't believe it for a second until the
money is actually spent. But the naive thing is it's
not a one year process. You can't snap your fingers
and have credibility when it comes out to going and
getting guys like we're talking about, you got a lay foundation.
Maybe I don't know, signing some mid level free agents
having better roster than they do currently.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
They say they want to do it, and even if
they are serious, it's tough to do.
Speaker 7 (23:58):
It is hard, there's no doubt.
Speaker 8 (23:59):
And that's why I said you have to do you
probably would have to go to an extreme. I mean this,
When the Cincinnati Red signed Joey Vado back around two
thousand and ten or eleven, I mean they gave him
ten years and two hundred and fifty million dollars and
that in those days, that was an unbelievable contract. I mean,
nobody would except for the very richest franchises, we're doing that,
(24:22):
and they committed Devado and he pretty much got to
the very end of that. But it didn't end up
paying off because after the first few years when they
had him, then they couldn't really afford or didn't afford
anything else beyond that, and weren't successful again with after
twenty thirteen. So you kind of have to if you
(24:44):
believe you've got schemes and the rest of this pitching
staff and you and you think you can roll the dice,
then you have to take a you have to take
a big swing at.
Speaker 7 (24:52):
Someone like Schwarberg.
Speaker 8 (24:53):
I'm not sure that you can bring in a couple of.
Speaker 7 (24:58):
Mid level free agents and really move the needle. I mean,
you want to be better than you are.
Speaker 8 (25:03):
But I think that this was an opportunity for them.
Uh and and it would have involved considerable risk because I.
Speaker 7 (25:10):
Don't know how much longer he's gonna hit the ball
out of the park. I don't think that he's gonna
do it.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Wait has a theoretical opportunity though, Mike, because like like
I think we agree he was just never going to
come here period, and.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
That he would have if they if they had overbid,
they would have had to overpay as like as using
the house analogy again, when you put it up at
a list price and there are multiple suitors. If you
really want the house and you can and you can
pull it off, then you.
Speaker 7 (25:35):
Go over asking.
Speaker 8 (25:37):
And that's what the Steelers, excuse me, the Pirates would
have had to do. They would have had to go
well over asking, as I said, maybe another year or
at minimum a year, a mutual year, where like I said,
if they got to the end of the five.
Speaker 7 (25:50):
And he had pretty much been shot, then you say.
Speaker 8 (25:52):
Okay, we're gonna pay you half of it to go
away and and that'll be that. And for him, that's
like the best you know, uh, that's the best scenario
because even he won, he can take the half what
that would have been I guess fifteen million dollars and
then still go out and see if somebody else wants
to sign him for less than that, or he can
(26:13):
just take the half and retire and it's a nice
going away present. You would have to do something like
that to get him. And could they have done that.
I think they could have. It would have hurt, but
they've made plenty of money being nonspenders over the years
that I think they could afford to do it.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
Well.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
Funny you say that, because Mark Cabally tweeted right away.
And I totally agree. If they were willing to give
Schwarbra one hundred and twenty million over the next four years,
then that money's there to be spent.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
So spend it on somebody else.
Speaker 8 (26:46):
Yeah, I mean if somebody exactly who would be worth that,
I'm not sure. I mean, I know Pete Alonso got
signed today by Baltimore.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Well, maybe you spend it on two guys, Mike, just
the total sum needs to be.
Speaker 2 (26:58):
Spent, Yeah, I mean I think you have to.
Speaker 8 (27:01):
I think you have to do that to gain full credibility. Absolutely,
But you don't want to just throw it into the
toilet and say, look, we spent. I mean, you want
to get quality players who are going to make you better.
And I'll be frank, I mean I don't know the
field well enough to know whether those players are out
there that can make the Pirates better, but I know
(27:22):
this that whatever you spend, they can't.
Speaker 7 (27:25):
Be much worse on offense.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Yeah, and then they go on sign a pitcher, they
sign a lefty setup guy, and people are overreacting to that,
and you.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Get what you pay for.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You only spend seven point seven million on a mic
and Soto. I mean let's say he's everything he can be.
How much does it move the needle? That's not what
they needed.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
No, it makes you better. I mean it should.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
I mean he has seventy strikeouts and sixty plus innings,
so he's obviously able to you know, to throw some heat.
So there's some value there, but it's this is just
trying to make you a little better. They need, probably
to even have a chance to be competitive in the division.
At the top of the division, they need two significant bats. Uh,
(28:10):
guys who can who can hit the ball for if
not home run power, at least extra base power. Guys
who you know, who are gonna have significant ops's who are.
Speaker 7 (28:22):
Gonna get on base those kinds of.
Speaker 8 (28:24):
Things, and and and and hit hard, hit the ball
with enough authority that that they drive in runs and
create runs, et cetera. So I they need at least
two of those if they had been able, if they've
been willing to, I guess, go ahead and bring in Schwarber. Uh,
he's only one, and then maybe you get the other
(28:47):
one by promoting your your ace rookie.
Speaker 7 (28:49):
Maybe you get the other one that way.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
But there's no doubt that they need at least two
guys that can hit to make them better.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
I've read what you've written about this, Mike, but please
do reiterate for the listeners. Does Notre Dame have any
legitimacy at all in their complaint?
Speaker 7 (29:05):
Well, I think that no.
Speaker 8 (29:06):
I think the one legitimate complaint for Notre Dame is like,
these are young people that put a lot into this,
and you basically pulled a con on them, you know,
a three card money on them.
Speaker 7 (29:17):
For the last five weeks. You said that they were.
Speaker 8 (29:19):
Ahead of Miami, and and they, you know, inside they
maybe should have said, well, why are we ahead of Miami?
Speaker 7 (29:25):
They beat us?
Speaker 8 (29:26):
But if they're telling you that you're ahead anyway, and
nothing changes on either team's resume, that Notre Dame continue
to go out and beat bad teams badly, uh, And
Miami continued to go out and beat bad teams badly,
but didn't qualify for the ACC final and.
Speaker 7 (29:43):
Therefore didn't earn an automatic bid.
Speaker 8 (29:45):
So they basically had the same resumes at the end
that they had at the beginning of.
Speaker 7 (29:50):
This public ranking process.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
So from that standpoint, I think Notre Dame has a
right to be angered that that they're young people got
fooled that way. But from the standpoint of the validity
of their case to be in the playoff, they have
nothing to stand on at all. They played two difficult,
highly difficult games against Miami and against Texas A and
(30:14):
M and lost them both. They played one maybe what
you'd call a light middleweight excuse me, a light heavyweight
in usc which was a home game, and then they
played a collection of some of the worst football teams
in America for the most part they played. They played
two teams Purdue in Arkansas that did not win a
conference game.
Speaker 7 (30:35):
They played two more that only won one conference.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Game team their opponents were awful, and so yeah, you
went out and beat them all by a lot of points,
and look how good we looked, and we were clearly
ready to play in the playoff.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Well, no, because you.
Speaker 8 (30:49):
Were playing teams that weren't anywhere near the playoff. Like
how badly you beat Boston College is not going to
translate to anything that you would be asked to do
in the playoff.
Speaker 1 (30:58):
Mike, I've written a call, and I pretty much rewunted
every year that they should just take the top forty
four teams, divide them geographically into four divisions of eleven
play every team in your own division once, rotate Homan
away from year to year, and the top two finishers
in each go to the quarterfinals of a national playoff.
The four conference champions in the regular season are exactly
(31:19):
that the conference champion. Why won't they do that because
it's perfectly sensible.
Speaker 8 (31:25):
Well, but it's economically detrimental to the Big ten in
the SEC.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Okay, too bad for them.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I mean, are we talking about just two conferences or
what's right for college football?
Speaker 8 (31:37):
Well, yeah, but you're telling people in the Big Ten
and SEC who are making whatever you know, let's say,
let's use it in human terms. They're making one hundred
thousand dollars a year. Well, now we're going to pay
you sixty that's what you're telling them.
Speaker 1 (31:52):
I get it, but this has made me not watch
college football at all, Mike, And I'm not kidding. Between
all the conference realignment, the NIL money, the transfer portal
allowing such free movement stuff like Blayne Kiffin, I'm just
not interested anymore, not at all.
Speaker 7 (32:07):
I understand that.
Speaker 8 (32:08):
But I think the thing that has made me even
more interested in college football is that it's not about
we think these teams are good. You win the ACC,
you get it, or the.
Speaker 7 (32:19):
SEC or the Big twelve or whatever.
Speaker 8 (32:21):
I guess if you win the ACC with five losses,
you're not getting in.
Speaker 7 (32:24):
But if you win a.
Speaker 8 (32:25):
Major conference with a fairly respectable record, you get into
the playoff. No one says, like they did to Florida
State in twenty twenty three, we don't think you're any
good anymore since you lost your quarterback. So even though
you won every single game you played in a major conference,
we're not inviting you anyway. That stuff was nonsense. Now
there are games that really matter to trying to get
(32:48):
into the playoff. And like, even though Virginia lost that
game on Saturday night, those last few minutes where they
came back and tied the game and forced overtime.
Speaker 7 (32:57):
We're really compelling.
Speaker 8 (32:59):
So it's more interested in college football now than I
was ten years ago.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
Well to show you how I'm not, Mike, I didn't
even know Virginia played Saturday night. But as always you've
been you've been a beacon of light. We'll do it
again next week.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (33:12):
That's great, Mark, Thanks.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
That's Mike.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
The course he brought the list by South Fields Kia
We got Zeiss at the top of the hour one
oh five to nine.
Speaker 8 (33:19):
It's the Woody Show weekday mornings at six, Training news headlines,
redneck news, and more on one oh five nine. The
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