May 7, 2026 • 35 mins
Mark keeps talking about the Rodgers situation, does the Bucco Roundup and welcomes Mike DeCourcey to the program.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Mark Madden Show. I am the revolution
I wanted. That's a good quote. David Bowie said that
eight three three four one two WXDX the number to call.
Or you can follow me on Twitter at Mark Madden
x so you can comment on that. You can also
talk about the Rogers situation, which may or may not
(00:21):
be approaching resolution depending on what you believe. It's not
so many Steeler fans want Will Howard to be the quarterback.
That's the calls I want. If you want Rogers to
be the quarterback, tell me why. But I don't think
there's many of you left. And will fans turn on
Rogers if he plays poorly? I don't know. I don't know.
Like Tom and I talked about, it's different at Acker
(00:44):
sure than it is on Twitter or calling talk shows.
But it's not so many Steeler fans want Will Howard
to be the quarterback. It's what you want, Yeah, I
guess some of you. But he's a no hope fan
fiction folk hero, and yet somehow your belief grows. Your
belief grows without him ever having taken so much as
an exhibition snap. It grows the more and longer he
(01:07):
doesn't play Now I posted a poll. Here's the pacifics.
Who do you want to see a quarterback for the Steelers.
Eleven hundred voted. That's a small sample. Thirty five percent
said Aler, twenty eight percent said Howard, twenty percent said Rogers,
and seventeen percent said Rudolph. Now Aler won the vote,
(01:28):
and that's because it's my poll on my ex and
that's what people think I want. It's not what I want.
I want Rogers to piss up a rope get lost.
I want Rudolph to start the season. I want the
other two to learn and battle at the foot of
the master, the quarterback guru, Mike McCarthy. But what's most
revealing about that poll is eighty percent of those voting
(01:50):
in effects said not Rogers. So if you're one of
the twenty percent that wants Rogers to play, callin tell
me why eight three three four one two wxds and
tell me what the ceiling is. They're not gonna win
a Super Bowl with Rogers, and there's no chance they'd
be lucky to win a playoff game. They didn't last year.
He has more weapons, now you say, really does he?
(02:12):
And he has a totally reorganized offensive line and he
won't take a hit to make a play. Tell me
how it's gonna get better, and tell me exactly at
eight three to three, four one two WXDX to me
and we got a sound bite from Nick Wright and
Dave damashek to this effect, they're wasting a year. That's
what they're doing, is they're wasting a year because Art
(02:32):
is so desperate to win a playoff game and not
soil the legacy of Daddy and Granddaddy. He just wants
to win a playoff game, even though what's going on
now is what soils the legacy. Well, McCarthy sort it out.
Although Dola like putting his mail bag. We got Dulac
at four thirty do you like putting his mail bag?
That he thinks McCarthy is the guy who wants Rogers
back the most. So I don't know it'll it'll sort out,
(02:55):
but not in the way you hope. Eight three three
four to one two WXD. I was in Fort Lauderdale.
Guns n' Roses were very good at the Seminole Hollywood
Hard Rock Casino. I like live music so much more
than sports right now, and that was a very enjoyable show.
(03:16):
You know what, GNR do the group should take a
lesson from GNR play. For one thing, they play three hours,
which is actually too long. It should be like two
hours and fifteen minutes because they're old and world and
if they don't suffer for it, and they don't, but
I do. But what they do that every group could
learn from. They come out and play six great, driving,
(03:36):
well known songs right away opened up with Welcome to
the Jungle, which was the national anthem in nineteen eighty seven,
Bad Obsession, Mister Brownstone, you could be Mine, Slither from Velvet,
Revolver Live and Let Die the Wings cover just bang
bang bang bang bang bang, and it was brilliant. And
in music, new was Greta van Fleet, the kids who
(03:58):
I love from Michigan. They posted a video teasing that
they're breaking up. I hope not. It'd absolutely break my heart.
I don't know how that band, three brothers, the Kiskis,
all under twenty, under thirty rather still kids, very popular.
Why would it break up? Some people online after I
(04:22):
said I was at GNR where like, oh, what about
Axel's voice? A? It was fine? B why don't we
have to review everything? All I could think of when
I'm in the front row of the balcony expensive tickets,
like people like me get that's Guns n' Roses up there,
and it's awesome. And nobody's really ever replaced bands like that.
(04:44):
And one thing about GNR, you got to give credit
to gruns the neo punk like Nirvana, Soundgarden, et cetera.
Wiped a lot of bands out, not GNR. They just
kept going because they had that attitude that almost like
grungsy feel to them and kind of look with axels.
So more power to g and R. I'm going to
(05:05):
see him again in Toronto, maybe in Hershey. And I
enjoy watching that, listening to that far more than I
do talking about sports, are watching pretty much anything but hockey.
By the way, that Buffalo Montreal series is underway. Buffalo
won Game one, but that's gonna be a hell of
a series. You know why, two young, fast, up and
(05:26):
coming teams going straight at each other with a lot
of skill and speed. And if you're a Penguin fan
and that doesn't worry you, I just don't know what
to say. Eight three, three, four to one two wxdx.
What do we got today in my bag of tricks?
Like I said, the show all over the place. I've
made just countless off color jokes so far, and I
intend you to I intend to keep doing so. Oh,
(05:48):
I got to get this in there, because this guy
paid for my house. Ted Turner passed away, a pioneer
in giant in communication and a friend of wrestling WCW.
If Turner hadn't sold out, literally, I'm not casting a spersions.
If he hadn't sold to Aol Time Warner and still
(06:10):
had stroken that company up until he passed, WCW never
would have folded. Now AEW is back on TVs and TNT.
But if Turner had his way back when WCW, never
would have folded a friend of wrestling. He beat McMahon,
giving Eric Bischoff a lot of money in cart Blanche.
But he beat McMahon for eighty three weeks and he
(06:32):
signed my checks. I met mister Turner. I liked mister Turner,
and again a true pioneer, true visionary. Put Atlanta Braves
baseball on cable TV across the country, and suddenly they
were selling merch and across the country, and you know,
drawing more fans for away trips. He had it figured
(06:53):
he had it figured it was national, it wasn't just
hometown and again just an absolute true visionary Toronto Maple
Leafs won the draft lottery. The obvious pick is Gavin
McKenna from Penn State. Remember that assault case in in
Penn State where McKenna punched the guy. Well, he has
(07:16):
demanded that it be reopened and he's trying to plea
bargain for jail time, anything to avoid Toronto. By the way,
n I yell at Penn State for a year to
avoid Toronto. He won't do it. He's Canadian. He's going
to be a mark for playing for the Maple Leafs.
But if I were him, I'd want jail time. What
movie was that Bad Teacher? Jail Time? One o five
(07:37):
ninety X.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
M Rich Rich Rich or listen all day for your
chance has some extra cash one.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
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Free massage amenodies all long so you can reset and
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(08:09):
We're all strong on this planet. See club for details.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
And now the super genius Mark Madden, Superginious.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Yeah Park, Welcome show, Well, won Y Buddy Potato, Dusty Road,
Tomican Dream, So be a Baby the X.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
At one oh five nine, I wish I was still
back at at the hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You know what, you know, it's funny like obviously, the
weather was really nice down there, hot but not too hot,
sunny but not burning. And I never left the hard Rock,
that the casino, the complex once during my stay because
I'm just not an outdoors type of person. And that,
even more so than any place in Vegas, is self
contained to the point where you never have to leave
(08:53):
and you'll have a great time. And I I eat
off the diet a little bit off awake of one
eighty when on vacation, but not too much. I had
like one bad night, but other than that, I mostly
stuck to protein and salad and whatnot. Had a great
priest of prime rib. I tweeted a picture of it.
(09:13):
People said, oh, that's raw. Well, it's supposed to be
not well done, and it wasn't raw. You people out there,
you eat so much crap. You don't know what good
food looks like. But but no, a great time. GNR
was great. I thought it was hilarious when I came
out of gn R and a GNR tribute band was
playing at the hard rock restaurant like it's a bar restaurant.
(09:37):
They have a stage, and they weren't very good. It
was like from one extreme to the other. But a
great time. And I'm here for a couple of weeks now.
Then I go to Atlantic City, Bret Michaels, my buddy
and Journey two separate shows. So but enough about that.
Let's talk about Aaron Rodgers. That's all you care about.
Do you want Aaron Rodgers to be the quarterback again?
Speaker 5 (10:00):
So?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Why so? I'm curious to why you would want that.
I just don't see an upside to wanting that. I
just don't. So you tell me eight three three four
one two wxdx is. John Lyden once said, this is
what you want, but this is what you get. In
my case, it's certainly two different things. And then there's
(10:21):
the Geno saga. I want to talk more about that,
YOI will join me at four o'clock. The Penguins in
Malkins agent have not yet talked. As far as I know,
YOI will know for sure. I don't expect this will
drag out like Rogers and the Steelers, but but I
don't know. I know it won't. I mean Dubus won't.
(10:41):
I just won't. But I think you got to keep them.
The fans want it, the captain wants it, the new
owners don't want to look bad. I think that sid,
Gino and Tanger got to play together on the Penguins
as long as they want to, and that was decided,
that path put in motion long ago before Dubus. Certainly
(11:03):
the time to trade Gino was twenty eighteen, to not
reap him twenty twenty two. Same with Tanger twenty twenty two.
But FSG saved those guys Fenway Sports Group when they
took over from Mario, because they didn't want to be
the bad guys. So I wouldn't keep Geno. But you
gotta keep Gino, simple as that. And if that doesn't
make sense, you're right it doesn't. And it's not just
(11:28):
a hockey thing, because all the hockey factoids are pretty clear.
Gino had good production this year, but he's a point collector.
I mean not sure how much it added up. He
only scored nineteen goals playing top six, playing PP one.
That's because he got no shot anymore and no confidence
(11:50):
in it. He's bad on the power play, shouldn't be
on the first unit. Penguins allowed twelve short handed goals,
second most in the league, and a lot of those
could be traced directly to number seventy one. Bad passes
or bad job getting back on d He's better at wing,
not as much of a liability in the defensive of
(12:11):
neutral zones, takes dumb penalties, won't accept his limitations, going
to be forty unlikely to maintain what he's doing, affordable, franchise, legend,
blah blah blah, But you got to move forward. Can't
turn your dressing room into a museum. And none of
that matters because you got to keep him. And I'm
not sure what's going to happen. Yoi'l shed light at
(12:33):
four o'clock. But now it's time, after much ado for
the Buco roundup. We've been talking about this most of
the show. Schemes totally unhittable last night, two singles under
one hundred pitches for eight innings, totally in control, but
(12:55):
the Bats are lacked thereof almost blew it. While with
the home run in the first Pirates win one nil,
I was so sure they were gonna blow it in
the bottom of the ninth, but Soto came in and
did a creditible job. I'm starting to wonder if Lefty
righty aside, if he's not the closer period, he's got
better stuff than Santana. I think so. I think Skeens boy,
(13:17):
you know, it's a shame statistically had those two bad oddings,
especially opening Day when when Cruz screwed him with those
faux pause in center field. But nights like last night
where Arizona was clueless, They were confused, they did not
know what to do. I wonder what his peak is.
Can he have that Bob Gibson type year like in
(13:38):
nineteen sixty eight Gibson was twenty two to nine because
the Cardinals bats occasionally betrayed him, but they did get
to the World Series one point one two. We are
is Skeen's capable of that? I think he is, And
what if he has a year like that and the
Pirates don't make the playoffs? Gotta go get more bats,
Gotta do it soon. As in now. Pirate's getting ready
(14:02):
to play today at Arizona. Mitch Keller on the hill,
and we got who's next the Corse he next, that's
the Bucko running up four Thursday. Today's show really is
all over the place. I'm like elegantly wasted, like like
the late Pete Way, Mike the Corsey next one oh
five to nine.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
It's the Hoodie Show Tomorrow morning from six till.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Tenen, whoa you got a day Wednesday?
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Babe on one of the centill going to make rocket
Pete And here's what's trending on the iHeart.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Sports Network presented by KFC.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers will reportedly be in Pittsburgh
this weekend to hash out a new contract. He's kept
a team in limbo for several months. Hit football coach
paton Ardoozy is embracing a twenty fourteen college football playoff,
saying it's the end of poll season as we know it,
and ESPN's reporting the expansion of the NCAA Men's and
women's basketball tournaments from sixty eight to seventy six. Team
(14:56):
says imminent. I'm Scott David.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Said introducing the KFC ten dollar Beck in the mid
eighty almost ever heard the.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Exit one Jerry Duac of the Post because that joins
me at four thirty.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
He's now reporting that Rogers will be in town tomorrow
to meet with the Steelers, confirming an earlier report, joining
us now to talk probably too much about that with
Pittsburgh's own he works for the Sporting News, the great
Mike de Corsi. Mike, We'll get to Rogers at a moment,
because I think we talked too much about him, and
even about this Malkin situation with the Penguins, and not
(15:29):
enough about Paul Skeen's. Look at last night, Skeens really
is in a class by himself.
Speaker 6 (15:35):
Oh yeah, at Pittsburgh having someone for now and hopefully
for longer, who will who If his arm stays healthy,
and that seems to be more a conditional thing that
we might have said twenty thirty.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Forty years ago. If his arm stays healthy, he's going
to be mentioned with the greats of the game. He's
going to He's is one of the greatest pitchers talent
talent wise and early accomplishment wise, who's walked onto a
major league diamond. And if he continues, he's going to
be up there with the guys like Maddox and Gibson
(16:15):
and sever and all of the modern greats, Bob Feller,
that's going to be the kind of conversations he's in.
He's that great because it's not just there are a
lot of guys who throw hard now, but he does everything. Yeah,
he throws hard, but it's where he throws and throws
it and how he throws it, and how competitive he is.
(16:39):
This is an extraordinary thing we're watching here. And one
of the reasons why I've been I've been looking at
the twenty seventh season as a worthy sacrifice if it
leads to a legitimate salary cap system, because it would
mean that the Pirates would be as competitive as anybody
(17:02):
to have Schemes on their team for the long term,
and I think that that would be the best thing
for the future of the Pirates and the best thing
for the future of baseball in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
No, I agree with all that. I mean, I don't
know his ambition, his significant others ambition could still take
him elsewhere, but yeah, it would give the Pirates a
chance to retain him. And what I think is the
most amazing about him is how much he has improved
and continues to improve at the major league level. Like
in college. They knew he'd be good, everybody did, but
(17:33):
maybe not this good. And he keeps getting better. And
I really do wonder what the ceiling is because he
seems to be finding another level when I didn't think
it was possible. You mentioned Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson had
arguably the best season ever for a pitcher in nineteen
sixty eight, Mike one point one two era. I wonder
if he might not be capable of something like that.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Yeah, I don't know if the game now allows you
to get to quite there, but there are some stats
where he could maybe set new precedents at the whip number,
for instance, Like his first two years were incredible. I mean,
he was one of the leaders in the league at
zero point nine four to eight. That's walks and hits
toward compared to innings pitched, so less than a walk
(18:16):
and a hit combined per inning pitched.
Speaker 6 (18:20):
He's set point.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Seven one four right now.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
It's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Yeah, and the ieast is even better, Mike. I mean
I watched the game last night Arizona. You could tell
their hitters didn't know what to do. They got two
easily singles. One was a hit where it was to him,
could have made a better play, could have been a
one hitter. And you rarely see hitters in what is
a hitting league. You rarely see the hitters dumbfounded bit
(18:45):
like you do against skeats.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Absolutely, That's why I use comparisons like Gibson because that year,
remember they changed the mound. A year after that.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Right in nineteen sixty nine, they lowered the mound, correct
because of ye McClain. A bunch of pitchers had career years,
but none like Gibson.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Right exactly. And so you look at it now and
you see the game has changed a little bit so
that it is harder to keep your era anywhere near
that low because teams load up for your one mistake,
and if your your your one mistake is more likely
than ever.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
To go out of the park.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
And so it's hard to go to one point one
to two. But there are ways that he can dominate
and continue to ascend that he continued. He has absolutely
improved over the course of his three years, and you
would expect some improvement because he learns the league. He
learns the batters, he learns more about how to pitch
(19:45):
at the major league level. But when you start out
as high as he did, I mean his first year,
which began slightly into the twenty four season, he had
a one point nine to six ERA, and he was
he was exceptional already, so to be able to improve
consistently upon that, not just obviously not the ERA number.
(20:06):
He was slightly off that by a little bit, but
with many more innings pitched a year ago, and then
this year his ERA is a little higher, it's a
two point three six. But the dominance is continuing to grow.
He is going to wind up being again that I
feel funny saying if he stays healthy. But if he
(20:27):
stays healthy, he's going to win another cy Young, a
second consecutive cy Young. And for three years in the league,
he'll have finished in the top three in cy Young
voting all three years.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, it's just not unforeseen, but just amazing. And the
sad part is, Mike, I still don't think they can win.
There's not enough bats. They make way too many mistakes.
Look at last night, Skin's dominated still barely won. They
made a base running era that cost him around right
they just they need to go out and get bats.
(20:59):
Like now, they need to understand what they have potential
finally might be realized. They need to make the most
of it right this second.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
Well, I would agree with that if you can find
if you can find teams that are so bad at
this stage, I don't think we have anybody quite at
that level yet. But perhaps by the time we get
the June somebody might be saying, okay that we can
get this this salary off our books. We're not going anywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
But then you've got to trade huge, you got to sacrifice.
I mean, this is blasphemy. Yes, if I could get
the right hitter for Seth Hernandez the next Paul's games,
but not really undo it, well, I think it would
have to be the right right hitter.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
It have to be somebody exceptional.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, I'm not arguing with that, because remember, as great
as he is as a young pitcher, eventually you'll get
Jared Jones back, and there's no reason to believe that
he can't get back to where he was. Most of
the pictures who come back from from that surgery have
come back to approximate their prior success. So you'll get
(22:09):
him back so you can afford to give up a
terrific young arm if it does net you someone that
is exceptional as a hitter and someone that you can
really rely upon, and not just somebody who's gonna hit
like not a somebody like Suarez for the Reds, who's
gonna hit When he hits it, it's probably going out
of the park, but he's not gonna hit it all
(22:29):
that often. But somebody who's really reliable as a hitter.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
And with Powell, you need to get somebody who's the
equivalent of what Brian Reynolds should be, which is another
discussion altogether. And also here's part of the discussion. Will
nottting spend more? Well, the Pirates add if it means,
you know, increasing payroll, because if they do, that's when
I believe this newfound affinity for competition that the owner
(22:57):
wants us to believe he has. I personally think they
just went out and spent more this season because if
a cap comes, he wants to have a head start
on spending to the floor. That's why I must.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
You're right on there, Mark, But that's the thing. When
you said would he spend more, well, that's exactly the
incentive to do it now because you're nowhere near what
a floor would be if a cap floor system comes
into play, Right, you're.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Getting there, but you're not. You're right, You're you're not
that close.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
So if you have the opportunity to improve your team
significantly and take a great chance at winning something this year,
I mean, the Central Division is really competitive. I mean
the Reds went from first place to last in six
days this way, in the last six days they went
from first place to last. That's how balanced it is.
(23:51):
So they certainly have a chance to be a team
that would be competitive at the at the top end
of the division. And if you're competitive at the top
end of a division in which everyone's winning, then there's
a chance, at the minimum you could be a wildcard team.
So yeah, if you have a chance to get somebody
in that would increase your payroll, it'd be less punitive
(24:13):
now than ever, because again, if you do lose twenty
seven and you do have the salary cap system put
into place, and revenue sharing comes a little bit higher
or a lot higher, you can afford it more. All
of those things will be part of whatever happens a
year from now. So it seems like this is a
(24:35):
good time for them to try to make such improvements,
whether it's if there's an opportunity now or at worst
when you get closer to the deadline.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
We're talking about the course of the Sporting News. He's
brought to us by South Hills Kiap. We got to
talk about the Rogers saga. He's allegedly well do lack
reports it's indefinite. Now he's going to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow.
It's like we're tracking Santa Claus' sway on Christmas.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
He might.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
It makes me crazy. And here's a good question. If
he plays and stinks, which could happen, Well, the fans
in Pittsburgh turn on him because I sensed that possibility.
I sensed that a lot of people out there are
just as tired of this as me.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
Oh well, yeah, here's the thing.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Yes, I think they will, because they've never truly embraced him.
I mean, he did the job as exactly as he
was capable of and the way they would have wanted
it done a year ago, no nonsense off the field,
and as much as he had in him he gave.
He just can't move anymore. And so there's that significant
(25:39):
detriment in that area. He did most other things well.
He certainly led the locker room well, he was cooperative
with the coaches. I thought he could have been a
little less cooperative and maybe called a few more of
his own plays toward toward the end of last season.
But he's done everything that they could have wanted. But
if he failed, let's say, the first six weeks of
(26:02):
this season, not inconceivable. He also could go out and
do approximate what he did a year ago, only with
better players around him and maybe thus better results.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Yeah. Way, when you say better players, they didn't bring
Swan and stal Wars back in their primes, and their
offensive line is still while with potential, very disorganized. I'm
not sure it's a much better setting.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
Well. I like the fact that they now finally have
a solid second receiver in Pittman, for instance. That's a start,
and then the rookie wide out from Alabama is another
improvement in that area. You have to agree that they're
significantly better at receiver than they were as last season started.
And so well, yeah, because last season started, we already
(26:48):
had seen the Pickings trade. So yeah, they're significantly better
than they were as last season started at that position.
That's all I'm saying is that he might do better.
To answer your question. If he doesn't do better, they
the uh, the call for a look at Howard or
a look at Aller, whichever is the apparent second team quarterback.
(27:10):
At that stage, they'll get really loud and it will
be reasonable. Like I said, if it's one in five
or two and four, maybe two and five week seven,
then at that point there will be some logic to
going in that direction. To go in there from the
beginning is preposterous. I know.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I think you're I think they're wasting a season with
this old with this old grandpa. The ceiling is to
win a playoff game. Who cares about that? I'd start
a long last moving forward?
Speaker 5 (27:38):
Yeah, see that you're not moving forward if you're going
with unqualified players at the most important position on the field.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
I just wrote a column about this.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
The least you would find out, Mike, I know you're
not a big believer in Aller, and I'm certainly not
a believer in Howard, but but why wouldn't you find
out as opposed to get blad all.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
You would find out why he's not ready? All you
would find out if he's not ready. You wouldn't find
out if he's of it. Though, it's the same thing
the Jets have done for years and years. They draft
a quarterback for a second third. There's all this pressure
for them to get on get them on the field,
and maybe it doesn't even take the pressure, maybe just
think they think that's the way to go. But you
throw him out there, he fails, he becomes.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
I would start Rudolph and try to transition to whoever
looks the best among the two young guys by mid
season or even a little later. I think Rogers changes
expectations unrealistically, so it's still a low ceiling. Isn't that
important to win a playoff game if you don't go
any further than that, and I don't think they're close
(28:37):
to winning a playoff game.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Well, but see, I don't think that you I don't
think you improve by failing. I think you improve by
continuing to improve as many areas of the team as possible,
and eventually that has to be quarterback. But now it's
going to.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
If that's the case. When they went one in thirteen,
they drafted Brad. So when they went six and ten,
they drafted Roethlisberg, and let's be honest, that does not
happen with Terry Hanratty and Tommy Maddox. That the only
reason the Steelers have any Super Bowls at all is
because the quarterback. They need to get a guy like that,
and you don't do that by hanging around the mushy middle.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Mic Well, I understand what you're saying. But the Chiefs
drafted Patrick Mahomes after they went twelve and four, The
Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson after they went nine and seven.
You can say the same for the Bills when they
drafted Josh Allen. All of that involved, It involved activity
in the trade. In the trade market. For sure, you
had to trade up to get Mahomes, you had to
(29:34):
trade up to get Josh Allen, and a lot of
people had to judge Lamar Jackson to be deficient for
him to fall down.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Omar Kahn couldn't even get the receiver he wanted when
it was a pick away. What makes you think he
could trade up to get a quality quarterback in the
first round.
Speaker 5 (29:50):
If Omar had thought that he needed to trade up
to do it, he would have. The failure was in
not thinking that he did. He didn't think that. He
didn't think that the Cowboys would do something as foolish
as trading to make your division rival and your division
superior for most of the last decade better, And yet
(30:11):
they did. And that was a total miscalculation on Omar's
part for that to happen. He absolutely deserves criticism for
not anticipating that the Cowboys might yes be that dumb.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
But see no reason to tell you boys were done.
We disagreed on that when it happened, Mike, you make
the best trade for your team, no matter who it's with.
It doesn't matter if it's division rival. Craig Patrick always said.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
That, well, it's it's a little bit different in the
NFL than it is in the NHL because your your
schedule makes you play twice as often against your division
as you do anybody else. In the NHL, you might
play four games or eight games against your division opponents
and six games against somebody else. The disparity is not
(30:58):
as great. And the course at the time Craig's said
that the format that exists in the playoffs now wasn't
in place. You didn't automatically.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Get that.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
When Craig Craig made the trade with Philadelphia in nineteen
ninety two to get Tackett and Samuelson, and you still
play within your division the first two rounds. Then that
format came went and came back.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
Okay, all right, you got me, you got me. I
only remember the cane back.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
I didn't know about the game. Yeah, I apolo.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Speaking of which, I want to get to this before
you wrap up Mike. Even though I don't think it's
the right move hockey wise, I feel like the Penguins
got to bring back Malkin. It's not a hillworth dying on.
You would literally lose the dressing room and the fans
before the season even started.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Yeah, that's a big reason to do it. I mean,
you don't want to anger your team. Now again, you
don't want to have to overspend to not anger your team.
But part of the you know, one of my things.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
He's affordable. That's not the problem. The problem is it's
a forty year old guy who expects to play top
six and beyond the top power play.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Okay, the expectation, as we said when we talked about
this last the expectation about him being on the top
power play. I don't care. I like, if you.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Want to play, he will, and the room will. That's
the culture.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
Yeah, I know, but the coach has that, don't.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Know, Mike, Don't get me wrong. Everything you're saying makes sense.
Everything I'm saying does not. But everything I'm saying is
all so accurate.
Speaker 5 (32:30):
Well, but here's the thing that I wondered about, Like,
why accommodate Sid to And I know that Sid's been
the greatest, but Gino's not been that far off through
the course of this period of time. It's obviously not
a dynasty, but it's been a tremendous period. Why why
why accommodates sid to the degree that that everybody seems
(32:52):
to be acceptable believe because.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
They always have. And I'm not even saying that's bad. Hey,
when you didn't trade markin in twenty eighteen and reupped
him in twenty two, and when you reup Tangared twenty two,
Now it's too late. Now you just to finish out
with these guys or I mean, I'm not saying Sidward leave,
but it's the only chance of him leaving.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
Yeah, here's one thing I will say about about bringing
Gino back, and what I'm a big believer in having
veterans around who have won and know how to win.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
Is a positive.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
And in watching Gino all season, especially in the playoffs,
I never have seen him and like maybe except for
the greatest years, I've never rarely seen him, let me
put it this way, rarely seen him as attentive and
responsible on the ice as I as I saw him
this year, and especially like I said in that Philly series,
(33:49):
he wasn't always as productive as he has.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
You might have been hers in the right place, maybe
more than it had been for a few years.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
Been.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Yeah, he just slowed down. And Mike, let me let
me close with this, because we're getting tied to Would
it influence what you thought if I told you he
was very likely to go to Philadelphia as a free agent.
Speaker 5 (34:09):
That would make me more inclined to keep him. Yes,
because I would not want to see him in a
Flyers uniform. I think that would be well, that would
be pretty great.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You would want him, I can tell you that for certain.
Speaker 5 (34:21):
I just think that it like he didn't bought him
out at all. He still was more than a point
of game. I think there's value in that production. I
would rather not see him on the first power play
anymore unless he wanted to be the Patrick Hornquist. And
I don't think he wants that.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
No, he wants to be that, of course not. But
if he.
Speaker 5 (34:39):
Wanted to be that, and he was willing to adopt
all the abuse that goes along with that, then I
could see it. But him being back there with Carlson
is just that's got to stop. I mean that, that
has got to stop because it is clearly not a
recipe for success. They had a productive power play in
the regular season, it was non productive in the postseason,
(34:59):
and it was alway. He's just one slip away from
giving up a short handed chance or a short handed goal.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Mike, great stuff. We covered a lot of ground and
we'll do it again next week. Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (35:10):
Thanks Mark.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
That's Mike the course, even this morning, he knows. Brought
to us by South Hills kiup
Speaker 5 (35:16):
To power Up your Taste.
This is the Mark Madden Show. I am the revolution
I wanted. That's a good quote. David Bowie said that
eight three three four one two WXDX the number to call.
Or you can follow me on Twitter at Mark Madden
x so you can comment on that. You can also
talk about the Rogers situation, which may or may not
(00:21):
be approaching resolution depending on what you believe. It's not
so many Steeler fans want Will Howard to be the quarterback.
That's the calls I want. If you want Rogers to
be the quarterback, tell me why. But I don't think
there's many of you left. And will fans turn on
Rogers if he plays poorly? I don't know. I don't know.
Like Tom and I talked about, it's different at Acker
(00:44):
sure than it is on Twitter or calling talk shows.
But it's not so many Steeler fans want Will Howard
to be the quarterback. It's what you want, Yeah, I
guess some of you. But he's a no hope fan
fiction folk hero, and yet somehow your belief grows. Your
belief grows without him ever having taken so much as
an exhibition snap. It grows the more and longer he
(01:07):
doesn't play Now I posted a poll. Here's the pacifics.
Who do you want to see a quarterback for the Steelers.
Eleven hundred voted. That's a small sample. Thirty five percent
said Aler, twenty eight percent said Howard, twenty percent said Rogers,
and seventeen percent said Rudolph. Now Aler won the vote,
(01:28):
and that's because it's my poll on my ex and
that's what people think I want. It's not what I want.
I want Rogers to piss up a rope get lost.
I want Rudolph to start the season. I want the
other two to learn and battle at the foot of
the master, the quarterback guru, Mike McCarthy. But what's most
revealing about that poll is eighty percent of those voting
(01:50):
in effects said not Rogers. So if you're one of
the twenty percent that wants Rogers to play, callin tell
me why eight three three four one two wxds and
tell me what the ceiling is. They're not gonna win
a Super Bowl with Rogers, and there's no chance they'd
be lucky to win a playoff game. They didn't last year.
He has more weapons, now you say, really does he?
(02:12):
And he has a totally reorganized offensive line and he
won't take a hit to make a play. Tell me
how it's gonna get better, and tell me exactly at
eight three to three, four one two WXDX to me
and we got a sound bite from Nick Wright and
Dave damashek to this effect, they're wasting a year. That's
what they're doing, is they're wasting a year because Art
(02:32):
is so desperate to win a playoff game and not
soil the legacy of Daddy and Granddaddy. He just wants
to win a playoff game, even though what's going on
now is what soils the legacy. Well, McCarthy sort it out.
Although Dola like putting his mail bag. We got Dulac
at four thirty do you like putting his mail bag?
That he thinks McCarthy is the guy who wants Rogers
back the most. So I don't know it'll it'll sort out,
(02:55):
but not in the way you hope. Eight three three
four to one two WXD. I was in Fort Lauderdale.
Guns n' Roses were very good at the Seminole Hollywood
Hard Rock Casino. I like live music so much more
than sports right now, and that was a very enjoyable show.
(03:16):
You know what, GNR do the group should take a
lesson from GNR play. For one thing, they play three hours,
which is actually too long. It should be like two
hours and fifteen minutes because they're old and world and
if they don't suffer for it, and they don't, but
I do. But what they do that every group could
learn from. They come out and play six great, driving,
(03:36):
well known songs right away opened up with Welcome to
the Jungle, which was the national anthem in nineteen eighty seven,
Bad Obsession, Mister Brownstone, you could be Mine, Slither from Velvet,
Revolver Live and Let Die the Wings cover just bang
bang bang bang bang bang, and it was brilliant. And
in music, new was Greta van Fleet, the kids who
(03:58):
I love from Michigan. They posted a video teasing that
they're breaking up. I hope not. It'd absolutely break my heart.
I don't know how that band, three brothers, the Kiskis,
all under twenty, under thirty rather still kids, very popular.
Why would it break up? Some people online after I
(04:22):
said I was at GNR where like, oh, what about
Axel's voice? A? It was fine? B why don't we
have to review everything? All I could think of when
I'm in the front row of the balcony expensive tickets,
like people like me get that's Guns n' Roses up there,
and it's awesome. And nobody's really ever replaced bands like that.
(04:44):
And one thing about GNR, you got to give credit
to gruns the neo punk like Nirvana, Soundgarden, et cetera.
Wiped a lot of bands out, not GNR. They just
kept going because they had that attitude that almost like
grungsy feel to them and kind of look with axels.
So more power to g and R. I'm going to
(05:05):
see him again in Toronto, maybe in Hershey. And I
enjoy watching that, listening to that far more than I
do talking about sports, are watching pretty much anything but hockey.
By the way, that Buffalo Montreal series is underway. Buffalo
won Game one, but that's gonna be a hell of
a series. You know why, two young, fast, up and
(05:26):
coming teams going straight at each other with a lot
of skill and speed. And if you're a Penguin fan
and that doesn't worry you, I just don't know what
to say. Eight three, three, four to one two wxdx.
What do we got today in my bag of tricks?
Like I said, the show all over the place. I've
made just countless off color jokes so far, and I
intend you to I intend to keep doing so. Oh,
(05:48):
I got to get this in there, because this guy
paid for my house. Ted Turner passed away, a pioneer
in giant in communication and a friend of wrestling WCW.
If Turner hadn't sold out, literally, I'm not casting a spersions.
If he hadn't sold to Aol Time Warner and still
(06:10):
had stroken that company up until he passed, WCW never
would have folded. Now AEW is back on TVs and TNT.
But if Turner had his way back when WCW, never
would have folded a friend of wrestling. He beat McMahon,
giving Eric Bischoff a lot of money in cart Blanche.
But he beat McMahon for eighty three weeks and he
(06:32):
signed my checks. I met mister Turner. I liked mister Turner,
and again a true pioneer, true visionary. Put Atlanta Braves
baseball on cable TV across the country, and suddenly they
were selling merch and across the country, and you know,
drawing more fans for away trips. He had it figured
(06:53):
he had it figured it was national, it wasn't just
hometown and again just an absolute true visionary Toronto Maple
Leafs won the draft lottery. The obvious pick is Gavin
McKenna from Penn State. Remember that assault case in in
Penn State where McKenna punched the guy. Well, he has
(07:16):
demanded that it be reopened and he's trying to plea
bargain for jail time, anything to avoid Toronto. By the way,
n I yell at Penn State for a year to
avoid Toronto. He won't do it. He's Canadian. He's going
to be a mark for playing for the Maple Leafs.
But if I were him, I'd want jail time. What
movie was that Bad Teacher? Jail Time? One o five
(07:37):
ninety X.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
M Rich Rich Rich or listen all day for your
chance has some extra cash one.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
X from the one oh five nine the X Traffic Center.
Free massage amenodies all long so you can reset and
recover and leave feeling stronger than when you came in.
And join the club for just one dollar down fifteen
dollars a month and get free massage amenities for the
month of May. No commitment. Deal ends May fifteen. Planet fitness.
(08:09):
We're all strong on this planet. See club for details.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
And now the super genius Mark Madden, Superginious.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Yeah Park, Welcome show, Well, won Y Buddy Potato, Dusty Road,
Tomican Dream, So be a Baby the X.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
At one oh five nine, I wish I was still
back at at the hard Rock in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
You know what, you know, it's funny like obviously, the
weather was really nice down there, hot but not too hot,
sunny but not burning. And I never left the hard Rock,
that the casino, the complex once during my stay because
I'm just not an outdoors type of person. And that,
even more so than any place in Vegas, is self
contained to the point where you never have to leave
(08:53):
and you'll have a great time. And I I eat
off the diet a little bit off awake of one
eighty when on vacation, but not too much. I had
like one bad night, but other than that, I mostly
stuck to protein and salad and whatnot. Had a great
priest of prime rib. I tweeted a picture of it.
(09:13):
People said, oh, that's raw. Well, it's supposed to be
not well done, and it wasn't raw. You people out there,
you eat so much crap. You don't know what good
food looks like. But but no, a great time. GNR
was great. I thought it was hilarious when I came
out of gn R and a GNR tribute band was
playing at the hard rock restaurant like it's a bar restaurant.
(09:37):
They have a stage, and they weren't very good. It
was like from one extreme to the other. But a
great time. And I'm here for a couple of weeks now.
Then I go to Atlantic City, Bret Michaels, my buddy
and Journey two separate shows. So but enough about that.
Let's talk about Aaron Rodgers. That's all you care about.
Do you want Aaron Rodgers to be the quarterback again?
Speaker 5 (10:00):
So?
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Why so? I'm curious to why you would want that.
I just don't see an upside to wanting that. I
just don't. So you tell me eight three three four
one two wxdx is. John Lyden once said, this is
what you want, but this is what you get. In
my case, it's certainly two different things. And then there's
(10:21):
the Geno saga. I want to talk more about that,
YOI will join me at four o'clock. The Penguins in
Malkins agent have not yet talked. As far as I know,
YOI will know for sure. I don't expect this will
drag out like Rogers and the Steelers, but but I
don't know. I know it won't. I mean Dubus won't.
(10:41):
I just won't. But I think you got to keep them.
The fans want it, the captain wants it, the new
owners don't want to look bad. I think that sid,
Gino and Tanger got to play together on the Penguins
as long as they want to, and that was decided,
that path put in motion long ago before Dubus. Certainly
(11:03):
the time to trade Gino was twenty eighteen, to not
reap him twenty twenty two. Same with Tanger twenty twenty two.
But FSG saved those guys Fenway Sports Group when they
took over from Mario, because they didn't want to be
the bad guys. So I wouldn't keep Geno. But you
gotta keep Gino, simple as that. And if that doesn't
make sense, you're right it doesn't. And it's not just
(11:28):
a hockey thing, because all the hockey factoids are pretty clear.
Gino had good production this year, but he's a point collector.
I mean not sure how much it added up. He
only scored nineteen goals playing top six, playing PP one.
That's because he got no shot anymore and no confidence
(11:50):
in it. He's bad on the power play, shouldn't be
on the first unit. Penguins allowed twelve short handed goals,
second most in the league, and a lot of those
could be traced directly to number seventy one. Bad passes
or bad job getting back on d He's better at wing,
not as much of a liability in the defensive of
(12:11):
neutral zones, takes dumb penalties, won't accept his limitations, going
to be forty unlikely to maintain what he's doing, affordable, franchise, legend,
blah blah blah, But you got to move forward. Can't
turn your dressing room into a museum. And none of
that matters because you got to keep him. And I'm
not sure what's going to happen. Yoi'l shed light at
(12:33):
four o'clock. But now it's time, after much ado for
the Buco roundup. We've been talking about this most of
the show. Schemes totally unhittable last night, two singles under
one hundred pitches for eight innings, totally in control, but
(12:55):
the Bats are lacked thereof almost blew it. While with
the home run in the first Pirates win one nil,
I was so sure they were gonna blow it in
the bottom of the ninth, but Soto came in and
did a creditible job. I'm starting to wonder if Lefty
righty aside, if he's not the closer period, he's got
better stuff than Santana. I think so. I think Skeens boy,
(13:17):
you know, it's a shame statistically had those two bad oddings,
especially opening Day when when Cruz screwed him with those
faux pause in center field. But nights like last night
where Arizona was clueless, They were confused, they did not
know what to do. I wonder what his peak is.
Can he have that Bob Gibson type year like in
(13:38):
nineteen sixty eight Gibson was twenty two to nine because
the Cardinals bats occasionally betrayed him, but they did get
to the World Series one point one two. We are
is Skeen's capable of that? I think he is, And
what if he has a year like that and the
Pirates don't make the playoffs? Gotta go get more bats,
Gotta do it soon. As in now. Pirate's getting ready
(14:02):
to play today at Arizona. Mitch Keller on the hill,
and we got who's next the Corse he next, that's
the Bucko running up four Thursday. Today's show really is
all over the place. I'm like elegantly wasted, like like
the late Pete Way, Mike the Corsey next one oh
five to nine.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
It's the Hoodie Show Tomorrow morning from six till.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Tenen, whoa you got a day Wednesday?
Speaker 3 (14:28):
Babe on one of the centill going to make rocket
Pete And here's what's trending on the iHeart.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Sports Network presented by KFC.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers will reportedly be in Pittsburgh
this weekend to hash out a new contract. He's kept
a team in limbo for several months. Hit football coach
paton Ardoozy is embracing a twenty fourteen college football playoff,
saying it's the end of poll season as we know it,
and ESPN's reporting the expansion of the NCAA Men's and
women's basketball tournaments from sixty eight to seventy six. Team
(14:56):
says imminent. I'm Scott David.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
Said introducing the KFC ten dollar Beck in the mid
eighty almost ever heard the.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Exit one Jerry Duac of the Post because that joins
me at four thirty.
Speaker 1 (15:07):
He's now reporting that Rogers will be in town tomorrow
to meet with the Steelers, confirming an earlier report, joining
us now to talk probably too much about that with
Pittsburgh's own he works for the Sporting News, the great
Mike de Corsi. Mike, We'll get to Rogers at a moment,
because I think we talked too much about him, and
even about this Malkin situation with the Penguins, and not
(15:29):
enough about Paul Skeen's. Look at last night, Skeens really
is in a class by himself.
Speaker 6 (15:35):
Oh yeah, at Pittsburgh having someone for now and hopefully
for longer, who will who If his arm stays healthy,
and that seems to be more a conditional thing that
we might have said twenty thirty.
Speaker 5 (15:52):
Forty years ago. If his arm stays healthy, he's going
to be mentioned with the greats of the game. He's
going to He's is one of the greatest pitchers talent
talent wise and early accomplishment wise, who's walked onto a
major league diamond. And if he continues, he's going to
be up there with the guys like Maddox and Gibson
(16:15):
and sever and all of the modern greats, Bob Feller,
that's going to be the kind of conversations he's in.
He's that great because it's not just there are a
lot of guys who throw hard now, but he does everything. Yeah,
he throws hard, but it's where he throws and throws
it and how he throws it, and how competitive he is.
(16:39):
This is an extraordinary thing we're watching here. And one
of the reasons why I've been I've been looking at
the twenty seventh season as a worthy sacrifice if it
leads to a legitimate salary cap system, because it would
mean that the Pirates would be as competitive as anybody
(17:02):
to have Schemes on their team for the long term,
and I think that that would be the best thing
for the future of the Pirates and the best thing
for the future of baseball in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
No, I agree with all that. I mean, I don't
know his ambition, his significant others ambition could still take
him elsewhere, but yeah, it would give the Pirates a
chance to retain him. And what I think is the
most amazing about him is how much he has improved
and continues to improve at the major league level. Like
in college. They knew he'd be good, everybody did, but
(17:33):
maybe not this good. And he keeps getting better. And
I really do wonder what the ceiling is because he
seems to be finding another level when I didn't think
it was possible. You mentioned Bob Gibson. Bob Gibson had
arguably the best season ever for a pitcher in nineteen
sixty eight, Mike one point one two era. I wonder
if he might not be capable of something like that.
Speaker 5 (17:54):
Yeah, I don't know if the game now allows you
to get to quite there, but there are some stats
where he could maybe set new precedents at the whip number,
for instance, Like his first two years were incredible. I mean,
he was one of the leaders in the league at
zero point nine four to eight. That's walks and hits
toward compared to innings pitched, so less than a walk
(18:16):
and a hit combined per inning pitched.
Speaker 6 (18:20):
He's set point.
Speaker 5 (18:21):
Seven one four right now.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
It's just ridiculous.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
Yeah, and the ieast is even better, Mike. I mean
I watched the game last night Arizona. You could tell
their hitters didn't know what to do. They got two
easily singles. One was a hit where it was to him,
could have made a better play, could have been a
one hitter. And you rarely see hitters in what is
a hitting league. You rarely see the hitters dumbfounded bit
(18:45):
like you do against skeats.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Absolutely, That's why I use comparisons like Gibson because that year,
remember they changed the mound. A year after that.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Right in nineteen sixty nine, they lowered the mound, correct
because of ye McClain. A bunch of pitchers had career years,
but none like Gibson.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
Right exactly. And so you look at it now and
you see the game has changed a little bit so
that it is harder to keep your era anywhere near
that low because teams load up for your one mistake,
and if your your your one mistake is more likely
than ever.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
To go out of the park.
Speaker 5 (19:22):
And so it's hard to go to one point one
to two. But there are ways that he can dominate
and continue to ascend that he continued. He has absolutely
improved over the course of his three years, and you
would expect some improvement because he learns the league. He
learns the batters, he learns more about how to pitch
(19:45):
at the major league level. But when you start out
as high as he did, I mean his first year,
which began slightly into the twenty four season, he had
a one point nine to six ERA, and he was
he was exceptional already, so to be able to improve
consistently upon that, not just obviously not the ERA number.
(20:06):
He was slightly off that by a little bit, but
with many more innings pitched a year ago, and then
this year his ERA is a little higher, it's a
two point three six. But the dominance is continuing to grow.
He is going to wind up being again that I
feel funny saying if he stays healthy. But if he
(20:27):
stays healthy, he's going to win another cy Young, a
second consecutive cy Young. And for three years in the league,
he'll have finished in the top three in cy Young
voting all three years.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, it's just not unforeseen, but just amazing. And the
sad part is, Mike, I still don't think they can win.
There's not enough bats. They make way too many mistakes.
Look at last night, Skin's dominated still barely won. They
made a base running era that cost him around right
they just they need to go out and get bats.
(20:59):
Like now, they need to understand what they have potential
finally might be realized. They need to make the most
of it right this second.
Speaker 5 (21:08):
Well, I would agree with that if you can find
if you can find teams that are so bad at
this stage, I don't think we have anybody quite at
that level yet. But perhaps by the time we get
the June somebody might be saying, okay that we can
get this this salary off our books. We're not going anywhere.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
But then you've got to trade huge, you got to sacrifice.
I mean, this is blasphemy. Yes, if I could get
the right hitter for Seth Hernandez the next Paul's games,
but not really undo it, well, I think it would
have to be the right right hitter.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
It have to be somebody exceptional.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Yeah, I'm not arguing with that, because remember, as great
as he is as a young pitcher, eventually you'll get
Jared Jones back, and there's no reason to believe that
he can't get back to where he was. Most of
the pictures who come back from from that surgery have
come back to approximate their prior success. So you'll get
(22:09):
him back so you can afford to give up a
terrific young arm if it does net you someone that
is exceptional as a hitter and someone that you can
really rely upon, and not just somebody who's gonna hit
like not a somebody like Suarez for the Reds, who's
gonna hit When he hits it, it's probably going out
of the park, but he's not gonna hit it all
(22:29):
that often. But somebody who's really reliable as a hitter.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
And with Powell, you need to get somebody who's the
equivalent of what Brian Reynolds should be, which is another
discussion altogether. And also here's part of the discussion. Will
nottting spend more? Well, the Pirates add if it means,
you know, increasing payroll, because if they do, that's when
I believe this newfound affinity for competition that the owner
(22:57):
wants us to believe he has. I personally think they
just went out and spent more this season because if
a cap comes, he wants to have a head start
on spending to the floor. That's why I must.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
You're right on there, Mark, But that's the thing. When
you said would he spend more, well, that's exactly the
incentive to do it now because you're nowhere near what
a floor would be if a cap floor system comes
into play, Right, you're.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Getting there, but you're not. You're right, You're you're not
that close.
Speaker 5 (23:30):
So if you have the opportunity to improve your team
significantly and take a great chance at winning something this year,
I mean, the Central Division is really competitive. I mean
the Reds went from first place to last in six
days this way, in the last six days they went
from first place to last. That's how balanced it is.
(23:51):
So they certainly have a chance to be a team
that would be competitive at the at the top end
of the division. And if you're competitive at the top
end of a division in which everyone's winning, then there's
a chance, at the minimum you could be a wildcard team.
So yeah, if you have a chance to get somebody
in that would increase your payroll, it'd be less punitive
(24:13):
now than ever, because again, if you do lose twenty
seven and you do have the salary cap system put
into place, and revenue sharing comes a little bit higher
or a lot higher, you can afford it more. All
of those things will be part of whatever happens a
year from now. So it seems like this is a
(24:35):
good time for them to try to make such improvements,
whether it's if there's an opportunity now or at worst
when you get closer to the deadline.
Speaker 1 (24:44):
We're talking about the course of the Sporting News. He's
brought to us by South Hills Kiap. We got to
talk about the Rogers saga. He's allegedly well do lack
reports it's indefinite. Now he's going to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow.
It's like we're tracking Santa Claus' sway on Christmas.
Speaker 4 (25:00):
He might.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
It makes me crazy. And here's a good question. If
he plays and stinks, which could happen, Well, the fans
in Pittsburgh turn on him because I sensed that possibility.
I sensed that a lot of people out there are
just as tired of this as me.
Speaker 6 (25:16):
Oh well, yeah, here's the thing.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
Yes, I think they will, because they've never truly embraced him.
I mean, he did the job as exactly as he
was capable of and the way they would have wanted
it done a year ago, no nonsense off the field,
and as much as he had in him he gave.
He just can't move anymore. And so there's that significant
(25:39):
detriment in that area. He did most other things well.
He certainly led the locker room well, he was cooperative
with the coaches. I thought he could have been a
little less cooperative and maybe called a few more of
his own plays toward toward the end of last season.
But he's done everything that they could have wanted. But
if he failed, let's say, the first six weeks of
(26:02):
this season, not inconceivable. He also could go out and
do approximate what he did a year ago, only with
better players around him and maybe thus better results.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Yeah. Way, when you say better players, they didn't bring
Swan and stal Wars back in their primes, and their
offensive line is still while with potential, very disorganized. I'm
not sure it's a much better setting.
Speaker 5 (26:25):
Well. I like the fact that they now finally have
a solid second receiver in Pittman, for instance. That's a start,
and then the rookie wide out from Alabama is another
improvement in that area. You have to agree that they're
significantly better at receiver than they were as last season started.
And so well, yeah, because last season started, we already
(26:48):
had seen the Pickings trade. So yeah, they're significantly better
than they were as last season started at that position.
That's all I'm saying is that he might do better.
To answer your question. If he doesn't do better, they
the uh, the call for a look at Howard or
a look at Aller, whichever is the apparent second team quarterback.
(27:10):
At that stage, they'll get really loud and it will
be reasonable. Like I said, if it's one in five
or two and four, maybe two and five week seven,
then at that point there will be some logic to
going in that direction. To go in there from the
beginning is preposterous. I know.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
I think you're I think they're wasting a season with
this old with this old grandpa. The ceiling is to
win a playoff game. Who cares about that? I'd start
a long last moving forward?
Speaker 5 (27:38):
Yeah, see that you're not moving forward if you're going
with unqualified players at the most important position on the field.
Speaker 6 (27:44):
I just wrote a column about this.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
The least you would find out, Mike, I know you're
not a big believer in Aller, and I'm certainly not
a believer in Howard, but but why wouldn't you find
out as opposed to get blad all.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
You would find out why he's not ready? All you
would find out if he's not ready. You wouldn't find
out if he's of it. Though, it's the same thing
the Jets have done for years and years. They draft
a quarterback for a second third. There's all this pressure
for them to get on get them on the field,
and maybe it doesn't even take the pressure, maybe just
think they think that's the way to go. But you
throw him out there, he fails, he becomes.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
I would start Rudolph and try to transition to whoever
looks the best among the two young guys by mid
season or even a little later. I think Rogers changes
expectations unrealistically, so it's still a low ceiling. Isn't that
important to win a playoff game if you don't go
any further than that, and I don't think they're close
(28:37):
to winning a playoff game.
Speaker 5 (28:39):
Well, but see, I don't think that you I don't
think you improve by failing. I think you improve by
continuing to improve as many areas of the team as possible,
and eventually that has to be quarterback. But now it's
going to.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
If that's the case. When they went one in thirteen,
they drafted Brad. So when they went six and ten,
they drafted Roethlisberg, and let's be honest, that does not
happen with Terry Hanratty and Tommy Maddox. That the only
reason the Steelers have any Super Bowls at all is
because the quarterback. They need to get a guy like that,
and you don't do that by hanging around the mushy middle.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Mic Well, I understand what you're saying. But the Chiefs
drafted Patrick Mahomes after they went twelve and four, The
Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson after they went nine and seven.
You can say the same for the Bills when they
drafted Josh Allen. All of that involved, It involved activity
in the trade. In the trade market. For sure, you
had to trade up to get Mahomes, you had to
(29:34):
trade up to get Josh Allen, and a lot of
people had to judge Lamar Jackson to be deficient for
him to fall down.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Omar Kahn couldn't even get the receiver he wanted when
it was a pick away. What makes you think he
could trade up to get a quality quarterback in the
first round.
Speaker 5 (29:50):
If Omar had thought that he needed to trade up
to do it, he would have. The failure was in
not thinking that he did. He didn't think that. He
didn't think that the Cowboys would do something as foolish
as trading to make your division rival and your division
superior for most of the last decade better, And yet
(30:11):
they did. And that was a total miscalculation on Omar's
part for that to happen. He absolutely deserves criticism for
not anticipating that the Cowboys might yes be that dumb.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
But see no reason to tell you boys were done.
We disagreed on that when it happened, Mike, you make
the best trade for your team, no matter who it's with.
It doesn't matter if it's division rival. Craig Patrick always said.
Speaker 5 (30:36):
That, well, it's it's a little bit different in the
NFL than it is in the NHL because your your
schedule makes you play twice as often against your division
as you do anybody else. In the NHL, you might
play four games or eight games against your division opponents
and six games against somebody else. The disparity is not
(30:58):
as great. And the course at the time Craig's said
that the format that exists in the playoffs now wasn't
in place. You didn't automatically.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Get that.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
When Craig Craig made the trade with Philadelphia in nineteen
ninety two to get Tackett and Samuelson, and you still
play within your division the first two rounds. Then that
format came went and came back.
Speaker 5 (31:23):
Okay, all right, you got me, you got me. I
only remember the cane back.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
I didn't know about the game. Yeah, I apolo.
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Speaking of which, I want to get to this before
you wrap up Mike. Even though I don't think it's
the right move hockey wise, I feel like the Penguins
got to bring back Malkin. It's not a hillworth dying on.
You would literally lose the dressing room and the fans
before the season even started.
Speaker 5 (31:44):
Yeah, that's a big reason to do it. I mean,
you don't want to anger your team. Now again, you
don't want to have to overspend to not anger your team.
But part of the you know, one of my things.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
He's affordable. That's not the problem. The problem is it's
a forty year old guy who expects to play top
six and beyond the top power play.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Okay, the expectation, as we said when we talked about
this last the expectation about him being on the top
power play. I don't care. I like, if you.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Want to play, he will, and the room will. That's
the culture.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
Yeah, I know, but the coach has that, don't.
Speaker 1 (32:19):
Know, Mike, Don't get me wrong. Everything you're saying makes sense.
Everything I'm saying does not. But everything I'm saying is
all so accurate.
Speaker 5 (32:30):
Well, but here's the thing that I wondered about, Like,
why accommodate Sid to And I know that Sid's been
the greatest, but Gino's not been that far off through
the course of this period of time. It's obviously not
a dynasty, but it's been a tremendous period. Why why
why accommodates sid to the degree that that everybody seems
(32:52):
to be acceptable believe because.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
They always have. And I'm not even saying that's bad. Hey,
when you didn't trade markin in twenty eighteen and reupped
him in twenty two, and when you reup Tangared twenty two,
Now it's too late. Now you just to finish out
with these guys or I mean, I'm not saying Sidward leave,
but it's the only chance of him leaving.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
Yeah, here's one thing I will say about about bringing
Gino back, and what I'm a big believer in having
veterans around who have won and know how to win.
Speaker 4 (33:25):
Is a positive.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
And in watching Gino all season, especially in the playoffs,
I never have seen him and like maybe except for
the greatest years, I've never rarely seen him, let me
put it this way, rarely seen him as attentive and
responsible on the ice as I as I saw him
this year, and especially like I said in that Philly series,
(33:49):
he wasn't always as productive as he has.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
You might have been hers in the right place, maybe
more than it had been for a few years.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
Been.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Yeah, he just slowed down. And Mike, let me let
me close with this, because we're getting tied to Would
it influence what you thought if I told you he
was very likely to go to Philadelphia as a free agent.
Speaker 5 (34:09):
That would make me more inclined to keep him. Yes,
because I would not want to see him in a
Flyers uniform. I think that would be well, that would
be pretty great.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
You would want him, I can tell you that for certain.
Speaker 5 (34:21):
I just think that it like he didn't bought him
out at all. He still was more than a point
of game. I think there's value in that production. I
would rather not see him on the first power play
anymore unless he wanted to be the Patrick Hornquist. And
I don't think he wants that.
Speaker 1 (34:36):
No, he wants to be that, of course not. But
if he.
Speaker 5 (34:39):
Wanted to be that, and he was willing to adopt
all the abuse that goes along with that, then I
could see it. But him being back there with Carlson
is just that's got to stop. I mean that, that
has got to stop because it is clearly not a
recipe for success. They had a productive power play in
the regular season, it was non productive in the postseason,
(34:59):
and it was alway. He's just one slip away from
giving up a short handed chance or a short handed goal.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
Mike, great stuff. We covered a lot of ground and
we'll do it again next week. Thank you so much.
Speaker 6 (35:10):
Thanks Mark.
Speaker 1 (35:11):
That's Mike the course, even this morning, he knows. Brought
to us by South Hills kiup
Speaker 5 (35:16):
To power Up your Taste.
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