January 22, 2026 • 50 mins
Mark takes a ton of your calls this hour, and is joined by Josh Yohe talking Penguins. Ask Mark Anything!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm serious about that. You know I would use replacement players.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
After a year.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
It'd be like the old players never existed. In for sure,
ninety percent would cross the picket line after not even
a full year. If you started a baseball season with
replacement players, I'd say half the rank and file would
across the picket line by June first.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
For sure, those guys want paid.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
They're not a union in the teamster sense, in the
steam fitter sense. There are a bunch of rich guys
who just want more money. It's a union founded in greed,
giving way to greater greed. F the Baseball Union, F
the baseball players, F Baseball. Again, not to be critical.
(00:50):
We're doing a thing tomorrow, me and Tom. Tom's gonna
give me a list of athletes and coaches he feels
I've been unduly hard on, certally disrespectful to. If you'd
like to chime in and add to that list right now,
feel free call eight three three four one two w XDX.
This segment brought to list by eighty four Lumber Dynasty,
(01:11):
partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Let's go to Brian and South Hills. Brian, you're all
with Mark, Hey, Mark.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I want to ask you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I'm gonna revert back to the discussion about Robertson and
the possible trade there. I know it's just rumors, but
if we do go for him, do you think it's
gonna matter in the sense of not fixing our goalie.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Situation At this moment.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
You can pull roberts in, but you know, what's it
going to do if we don't have a solid, at
least number one goalie.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Well, you're not making the trade for this year. It
would help this year, no doubt about that, But moorshoffs
your long term number one, and they are very confident,
as am I that he can fill that role quite
nicely and maybe be an All star that level goalie.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Berber a, Hi, thank you, thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
You always wrote and he'll talk to me about this
at the bottom of the hour that the Penguins might
be looking to trade for Jason Robertson because Dallas is
cap strapped, they can't sign him long term, and Pittsburgh
has the cap room and Robertson's twenty six. You could
trade for him now before he hits restricted free agency.
(02:20):
And I wouldn't trade for him unless he signed a
long term deal in advance, that's for sure. Or you
could wait till he gets the restricted free agency and
sign him to an offer seat, which rarely happens, but
you could do it. And getting a guy like a
Robertson a younger star, I mean not rookie level, but
this guy's twenty six, he's in his prime. That has
always been a part of the Dubis play, although easier
(02:42):
said than done.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Let's go to Dick, Dick. You're on with double M
So Bill Garon may not be the end. I'll be
all of GMS.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
But when you are third in the hot National Hockey
League in goal scorer and you get you don't get
picked for the Olympic team, something's wrong.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I gotta tell you.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love I love Billy, I love Billy g and
I and I and I like Mike Sullivan and respect
what they both did for the Penguins. Their their selection
of that roster for the US team was clueless. It's
big and tough and they're living vicariously and it ain't
going to work and leaving roberts noof Heck, they had
a chance when Seth Jones got hurt to right or
wrong and and get Lane Hudson, that great defenseman who skates, skills,
(03:25):
shoots everything from the Canadians and and instead they they
named some plugger to replace that Jones. Let call m
I mean, I think those guys have lost their minds
as regards picking the Olympic team.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Let's go to Jim. Jim, you're all with.
Speaker 7 (03:43):
Mark Hey so, uh, I think I'm taking crazy pills
because I mean Mike McCarthy, I realize that he's you know,
a little bit older, but he has the clear resume,
like the clear best resume. And I just worry that,
you know, the same old woke Steelers they're gonna.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
They're gonna in terms of in terms of right this second.
Well you heard Jerry, he says woke has nothing to
do with it.
Speaker 8 (04:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But but McCarthy sixty two, Bro, I mean, you could
run it back with him and maybe go ten and
seven again. But at what point do you lay a
foundation to not just have a team that scrapes into
the playoffs by the skin of its teeth, but it's
building toward a championship. Because Mike McCarthy wouldn't do that.
Mike McCarthy sixty too, He'll be he'll be dead soon.
He'll try to win right now.
Speaker 7 (04:32):
So instead of getting a good coach, they're gonna get
someone that's unproven just to ap prove some kind of
woke democrat agenda.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Oh that's just stupid and f you. F everything about you,
you piece of trash. Goodbye. This is football, not the
McLaughlin group. Actually, the McLauchlan group would have been intelligent. Yeah,
they might serve the Rooney rule, but that doesn't mean
the coach would be unqualified.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Maybe the Rooney rules a tiebreaker.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I don't know, But but this this notion's gonna come
down to politics and just using that demeaning terminology like
that asshat did. What a freakin' jag off. But McCarthy's
sixty two. I mean, at what point is it about
more than just the next game in the next year.
At what point do you do what the Penguins are doing,
(05:17):
which is laying the foundation to try to be a
legitimate championship team.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
At what point do the Steelers do that?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
At what point do they think but they don't because
they won't because Art is so desperate just to win
a playoff game, So friggin' desperate just to win a
playoff game, and he can't even do that, not so far.
By the way, I'm not kidding about the replacement players
for baseball. I got a bunch of tweets saying that
(05:43):
people wouldn't. Yeah, they would, they might not go in
the same numbers and right away, but baseball's baseball, and
the players would cross the picket line. They're making millions, millions,
They're gonna cross the picket line. Replace players with a
chance to get the MLB minimum. They're gonna be scaps.
(06:05):
It would be easy to break that strike. There would
be a lot of acrimony, but it could be done.
The NHL lost the whole season because of a workstopage
because the owners demanded a salary cap. And now hockey's
stronger than ever, albeit not as strong as I'd like
it to be, still an each type thing, and more
(06:25):
money is being paid to the players than ever before.
As I keep saying about the potential for a baseball
work stoppage, a salary cap would benefit the entirety of
the rank and file. There would be more money paid
to the players as a group with the salary cap.
The salary floor would facilitate that. It would guarantee that
literally guarantee it. Then again, I've seen the cap might
(06:49):
be one hundred and forty mil. I mean, this floor
might be one hundred and forty mil. Nothing would sell
the team infore pay that. That might be the one
thing that could happen to finally get Bob Nodding to
sell the team a salary floor of one hundred and
forty millers somewhere they're abouts. But as I've said repeatedly,
sports unions aren't run by the rank and file.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
The voting doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
It's the stars and their agents, and they convinced the
rank and file to do things their way because the
rank and file, the lower level guys are marks for
the stars. You know, really has done more to ruin
baseball than anybody. Scott Boris the super agent. He's done
a lot for his clients, but he's ruined baseball, no
question about that.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Let's go to lou On Neville Island, lou your own
with double.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
M mark and Robertson deal. Would you give up, say Kendall,
no hell and a first round pick for him?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I would not give up my an eighteen year old.
It's already proven he can play in the league. Absolutely not.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Wow, you straight, No.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No, I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 9 (07:52):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
What would you give up? Can you be a little specific.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Like I want to give up maybe a couple first
round picks?
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Okay, so you would give up say two first in Raquel.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
No, I wouldn't want to give up Raquel, because if
you're getting Robertson for this year, then you're trying to
win a playoff series this year. I would talk to
them about it, but I wouldn't be eager to do it.
It's probably a better way to put it, but I'd
give up too far.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
They want some roster players that can help them this year,
if they're less interested in the young stuff. That's why
I no, No.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You're you're you're right, You're you're right about that. They
would want guys who could help them this year. And
for that reason, maybe you wait till Robertson gets the
restricted free agency. That said, somebody else could jump in,
gazump the Penguins in and and get Robertson themselves. I
don't think they're going to get roberts And I just
think it's a possibility. And I think the fact that
they appear to be investigating indicates the franchise is intent
(08:48):
and what Dubas wants to do, because I do know
it's always been part of Dubas's plan to get a
young star, a guy who's a star right when you
get him, somehow, some way.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Let's go to Dawn what mine.
Speaker 9 (09:03):
Hey, you were just talking about the salary cap in
the MLB, and I think a perfect example of that
is the Bryce Harper contract. I mean, what a bad
example of how guaranteed money does not guarantee success for
a franchise.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Well no, but but the Phillies have been successful there.
You know, they won a World Series in recent memory.
I mean, I respect them for doing their best, which
the Pirates don't. But then again, the Phillies are in
a bigger market with more revenue. But here's what the
Bryce Harper contract. It does be lie without a cap,
star players get long term deal so long that they
(09:40):
can never stay at the performance over those salary dictates
for the length of the contractor or even for half
of it. Very often and h but the teams that
can afford it will basically pay the guy ten years
to get five good years out of him.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, absolutely one other what the molky Bets. Mookie Bets
is the biggest example. The ram Socks were right to
trade Mookie Bets. It turned out to be a great
trade because the Dodgers gave him this huge deal and
the deal is not even half over and he's already mediocre.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Let's go to Corey and Bloomfield. Corey, what up Man?
What hey?
Speaker 5 (10:22):
Mark?
Speaker 10 (10:23):
You know understand this year is the rebuild year, you
know what mirror show and stuff, and he is the
goalie in the future. So for this year, do you
think Skinner is just a Renoalds? And then you know
next year is going to be Mirrorshofs.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I would be surprised if Skinner's back, given his contract
runs out, and given that Shilloffs has time on his
deal beyond this year. But but you see, i'd call
moreshof up now, I'd wave Shilloffs and try to try
to use a combination of Skinner Morishof. It would be
a bit of a risk, but I think it could
rep reward because Morrischev, I've been saying he's the best
(10:55):
goalie in the system until he proves that at an
NHL level, that's probably wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
On my part, but he is the.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Biggest talent in the system, and I'd take the gamble
that that can that can pan out coming up now.
Speaker 10 (11:10):
You know, and with the Penguins being this tight in
the playoff race, you know, what do you think they
should be? Buyers or sellers? What would you what would
be your opinion.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
The Penguins right now, they would be They would do nothing.
They would not give away any future to get somebody
who could help now. They might trade like a six
or seven round pick for a usable veteran to try
to like plug a hole in the bottom six or
the bottom pair, but they would not trade for the future.
They would not trade future for now, and they would
(11:40):
not trade much now for future. They would not, you know,
be a seller in the classic sense. Thank you for
the call. Okay, we went from calls there to calls,
more more calls. I guess h next for calls on
the fifteen broken equipment, upset by schedule, but still I persevere,
So call now eight three, three, four one two w XDX.
(12:00):
And I'm serious about the replacement players. I'm telling you,
if baseball doesn't get a cap, the whole sport's ft
it's probably f now and the Pirates f no matter what,
because well, again just talking out loud like I did before.
If the flour was one hundred and forty mil, like
some people are saying, Nutting might sell the team, he
(12:22):
just might sell the team. In fact, I gotta be
honest before that high is something that parts really can't afford,
and most teams have their market size couldn't. And if
it means the end of baseball, then damn it. I'm
all for that. I'd rather have no baseball than a
rotten team in Pittsburgh like we've had for decades.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And I'm only half kidding.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
One oh five ninety X find yourself needing a little
post holiday cash?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Did you pay the gas bill? The X as your
shot at extra cash? O money? I can't even quote
the big o'bowski right, goodbye the X.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
At one nine, I'm gonna see it beyond Purple tonight
at Jurgles, a great deep Purple and Family tribute band.
They do Purple, they do Rainbow, they do do O,
they do white Snake. My only worry is what if
some stupid with a flare gun shows up time for
(13:13):
calls on the fifteens. We just did calls it on
the top of the arms. The show got disrupted by
equipment failure before I'm thinking of suing.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I don't know who to sue, though, sue everybody.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Oh, by the way, the Post Gazette has changed its
union leadership, and now the new leadership has come crawling
to the Block family begging to negotiate again.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
And I get it. The union was in the wrong
hands in the first place.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And some of the union leaders who got voted out
or calling the new leader scabs on Twitter. Yo, don't
blame the people who can do math because you didn't.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
You couldn't. You're too dumb.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
When the paper is losing hundreds of millions of dollars,
and let's say the blocks are lying, which they do do.
Let's say they were losing tens of millions of dollars.
It's kind of tone deaf to ask for a raise
anyway and then sue when you don't get it, and
cry when the paper folds when the court forces you
to get it, or to get your old contract back anyway,
(14:16):
and and work toward a new one. Just just it
was an entirely stupid situation. You had greedy bastards on
one side in the Blox. Not greedy, they were losing money, but.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Just just I have no respect for the box.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
They're not good people against idiots who wanted to raise
when none was possible.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
They union.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
I hope it gets saved. I if I were the
blocks and tell them to go screw.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Let's go to Jim. Jim, you're all with Mark.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
What's up?
Speaker 11 (14:46):
Double Penguins a little bit, really liking their attention to
detail doing some of the smallest things that add up.
As an example, but the middle of the second period
last night, Gino has the puck down in the corner
and he hits a wide open Ryan Shay, who's activating,
(15:07):
creates a real nice scoring opportunity with which Calgary repelled.
They have an outlet pass and I'm like, uh oh,
this isn't good, and camera pans out and voila, there's
chinikof who has assumed Shay's defensive spot on the ice,
And well.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Yeah, you're supposed to do that, Jim.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
I don't want to go crazy showering praise on somebody
for doing what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But you know, it wasn't long ago.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You just wouldn't see that you didn't see the F
three where he should be.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
They were all done low.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Correct.
Speaker 11 (15:45):
Do you think they're the defense is pinching West this
year or yeah, the.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Defense is pinching Wess.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
The big change that mus has made, the biggest that
I can see, is the defensemen are still able to pinch,
but they're told to be more judicial about it. And
the F three, like you said with Chinnikoff, is always
where it should be in case of an unsuccessful pinch.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
They've they've conceded less odd man breaks than in a
long time, not least during this nine to two and
two streak.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Uh since the holiday break.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Let's go to our good friend, the Hebrew hammer hammer
yuk shamash.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Yeah, yuk shamash.
Speaker 6 (16:23):
Marque is Joe Block the Pirates announcer related to the
post of that blocks.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
No, okay, fair enough?
Speaker 6 (16:31):
Hey uh McCarthy Uh for the steelers Hire, I've been
hearing an anti sentiment for McCarthy.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
They're referring to it as McCarthyism.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
That's your true.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Two jokes in about thirty seconds. I respect that. Not
good ones.
Speaker 12 (16:52):
Uh.
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oh five nine.
Speaker 13 (18:03):
It's the Woody Show weekday mornings at six.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Of course, X Music.
Speaker 14 (18:07):
On the X from the one oh five nine the
ex Weather Center.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
This report is sponsored by Flynn's Tire and Auto Service.
Scottiskey Right, goodbye the X at one.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Well, we can't get hold of Yoey and we had
the equipment fail earlier.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
So just ask Mark anything for the rest of the show.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I mean, if you're if you if you're preparing, prepare
and preparing, it falls apart. What the frig you're gonna do?
So just calling out and ask Mark anything the rest
of the show. I don't give a crap. A three
three four one two w XDX A three three four
one two w XDX. I guess I can just regurgitate
some stuff I've talked about earlier. Uh Now, for some reason,
(18:50):
my headset's gone really loud on me. We got the
Penguins and Edmonton tonight at Edmonton Penguins with the win
of Calgary last night. Any of you see Sid versus
McDavid is destination viewing. I think it says something about
McDavid that I would guess that people not just in
(19:11):
Pittsburgh but everywhere, even though they're both old, would see
Sid versus Ovechkin as the bigger rivalry, and they play
more being in the same division, and they played playoff
series that were important, and Sid's won three cups, Ovi's
won one. I think people in general hockey fans see
(19:31):
Sid versus OVI has still the bigger rivalry. And part
of that is because McDavid and Sid rarely play, being
in opposite conferences. But a part of it is too
that McDavid he's a sour puss and he's never won,
and you combine those two things. Even though his stats
are overwhelming, people don't just want stats. People want charisma,
(19:54):
they want liability, they want championships to validate all of
the above. So even though this is the two well
not the two best players in the league right now,
pretty close, but McDavid's the best guy and Sid was
the best guy. But people don't cling to a game
like tonight. It's not even on national TV. Minnesota in
(20:16):
Detroit is on national TV. Quinn Ues against Dylan Larkin
is on national TV. That makes absolutely zero sense to me,
and it makes zero sense from an NHL perspective. Why
wouldn't Gary Bettman be pushing this game tonight between Sid
and McDavid to be on national TV, maybe because the
(20:37):
Oilers almost always beat the Penguins. Edmonton nine and one
in their last ten games against the Penguins, the Penguins
won eight and one. Sid has two goals and five assists.
He's minus fourteen in those ten games. McDavid's plus twenty
three and he has eight goals and sixteen assists. The
latest installment, it was deceptively close. Edmonton won at Pittsburgh
(20:59):
in December sixth four. McDavid had two and two. Sid
had a solitary apple, but the game wasn't as close
as that score. Edmonton just skated circles around the Penguins,
as Edmund can do to anybody and certainly McDavid can
do to anybody. But McDavid is obviously extra psyched to
(21:21):
play against Sid. There's no hatred there. I mean they
were teammates on Team Canada. McDavid got the golden goal
in that GOOFY four Nation's thing and said was the captain.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
But McDavid.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Is this megafast cheat code playing against the guy who
knows how to play hockey better than anybody ever, the
best ever at painting inside the lines. But for some reason,
the NHL and the fans organically just haven't latched onto that.
And don't get me wrong, they ain't all McDavid is
and ain't all sid Is. But as I said earlier,
(21:58):
if McDavid and Sid played in New York and LA,
they'd be making movies about it. But they're at Edmonton
and Pittsburgh. Like I said, don't play often and often.
Ovi's the all time goals leader. He's more charismatic and
McDavid is a sour puss.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I keep using those words.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
If you've ever seen him talk, you just know he's
a friggin sour puss. But I'm totally looking forward to
the game. I just think everybody should be. Everybody nationally,
every media outlet, every hockey fan should be looking forward
to this game. I also want to reiterate what I
(22:35):
said about the the replacement players thing for baseball, because
Kirchion said that baseball's gonna have a workstopping in twenty
twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I know that's true.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
The players won't accept the cap, like Kirkchian said, but
they're gonna have to if they want to play baseball again,
if the owners have any gumption, which just talking out loud.
Maybe they don't, but the union will always lose the
if the owners are strong. If the owner just say
no baseball until you agree to a salary cap, there
(23:05):
will be a salary cap because they own the stadiums,
they have the money. What are the players going to
just start their own league. I'd love to see that
Scott Boris could be committionioner since he's the one ruinning
MLB more than anybody. He really is. Let's go to
Franken Westmoreland. Frank what do you want?
Speaker 12 (23:23):
Hey, Mark, you know you're right. We don't see Edmonton
too much. But I was just thinking, like, do you
think McDavid's ever gonna win a Cup in Edmonton or
is there just like like being in Toronto, just so
much thinking pressure in trying to win a Cup up.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Well, I don't think there's the pressure in Edmonton there
is in Toronto. I think there's more pressure on the
Leafs to win a Cup than there is on any
team in any market to win a championship because it's
the largest hockey market in the world, the best hockey city,
and they haven't won a Cup since nineteen sixty seven.
So I don't think it's quite the same with McDavid.
I think the pressure is on McDavid more because he's
(23:59):
this great individual. So maybe, yeah, maybe he's an individual
the pressure is greater on him. But do I think
he's gonna win a Cup at Edmonton? No?
Speaker 2 (24:06):
I don't, certainly not this year. Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
He the Oilers have less points than the Penguins. It's
turned out that Tristan Jarry hasn't solved the problem and
goal and I just don't think so. I think he's gonna.
I didn't make David Will asked to be traded at
the end of this year.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I do.
Speaker 12 (24:24):
That's insane. It's so it's like when these Canadian teams
get in the whole country, it's just like they're expected
to perform. And I don't know who's gonna break that
streak eventually, but hopefully nobody.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Let's go to Greg. Greg're oning with double.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
M hey mark common question. First of all, I saw
you a couple of weeks ago at the basketball game,
and you don't need me to tell you from probably
man the weight loss. You look great?
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Keep what at North Hills?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Okay, yeah, because that's uh, that's the only basketball I want.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
I just tell you what they're up Marks. A quick
question on the on the salary. I think if the
baseball puts a salary cappen on the floor, all you're
gonna do is bring the sledge up from what you
have now. It's not going to make the game anymore competitive.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Because yeah, it absolutely will.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
It absolutely will.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
The if you had a salary cap, the l A
Dodgers wouldn't have eight players that are better than than
Pittsburgh's best in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
And they do the worst, the worst, the worst.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
The worst l A player in their regular lineup is
better than Pittsburgh's best player.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, I agree, But wouldn't that be a ceiling cap then,
not a not a floor, it would be a ceiling cap.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
No, there has to be There has to be both.
A cap doesn't work without a floor and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Okay, I agree. I thought you were just talking about
just a floor, and I just don't think that would work.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Oh no, why would Why would why would the why
would the MLB want just the floor that the spending
would even more go through the roof.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Let's go to Seth. Seth. You're on with Mark, did they, sir?
I said, good day.
Speaker 13 (26:02):
You hit the nail on the head about side McDavid,
I mean, honestly, like you're right about the sour push
stuff like Bettman's just not good with marketing NHL stars
in general. My question is like, how, like how was
it back in the day when Gretzky and Lemiu would
face off, Like was there any build up to that
when Gretzky was with Edmonton and Barrio here?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Honestly not like there should have been, because when gretz
was still in Edmonton, the Penguins weren't very good and
hockey never pushes the French guy like the English guy,
and anybody who's been around hockey for any amount of
time knows that to be absolutely true.
Speaker 13 (26:43):
Yeah, yeah, if I can definitely see that.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
I just I don't remember I said.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
A short tripped because he's from Nova Scotia. The people
who on the NHL thinks hockey is Ontario and Western
Canada and that's it.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
That's the list.
Speaker 13 (26:58):
And what's funny is if said was a Mapela, they
would love him.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yeah, Sid wouldn't love being a maple leaf. I don't
think Sid.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I think Sid, at one time when he was a kid,
might have thought he'd loved being a Canadian, but he's
done just fine being in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh's done just
fine by Sid being here. But yeah, I just can't
believe tonight's game between Sid and McDavid isn't on national TV.
I forget if the game in December was on national TV,
but not. None of it makes sense to me. Thank
(27:29):
you for the call.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You know what I've been doing is blocking people on
Twitter that even slightly annoy me.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I blocked over fifty today.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Them is the rules. I'm in the home stretch. Ain't
gonna change don the doll. They're just talking about the
coaching search. You can go there if you don't like it.
A three three four one two WSDX. I guess we're
gonna as Mark Anything. Like I said for the rest
of the show, No idea what happened to Yoey? But
eight three three four one two w XDX Ask Mark
(28:04):
Anything one O five nine.
Speaker 14 (28:06):
Time now to send in your questions for Ask Mark Anything,
use the talk back Mike on your free ieart radio
app and record your question for the super genius.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Tonight's the Pens go head to head against the Oilers.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Game time is nine.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Pregame starts at eight.
Speaker 15 (28:26):
Listen to every game and the best Pens coverage on
your home in the Pittsburgh Penguins one O five nine DX.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
This honor the Mark Madden Shows, brought to you by
Mickli Baltrom probably Madden.
Speaker 13 (28:38):
Hey, Mark, great show is.
Speaker 16 (28:39):
When you got a young trophy White, Oh's money to
I can't even quote the big o'bowski White Goodbye DX
at one O five nine.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
This song was everywhere when I was in I think
seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Deep Purple got.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Beyond Purple the tribute group Tonight at Jurgles, I'm gonna
be there. Smoke on the water Baby. We all went
down to Mantra. Now it's time to ask Mark anything.
What a great story told in this song, Just tremendous.
Deep Purple recording an album in Montro, Switzerland. They were
doing it at the casino and the casino burned down,
(29:25):
so they had.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
To find another place. Swiss. Time was running out. It
seemed that we would lose the race.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Uh Anyway, if you see me at Gurgles, don't say
a word to me, least of all when the music
is playing. We got this big snowstorm coming. How do
we feel about that. I'll tell you we feel about that.
Every idiot in Pittsburgh, and that's most of you, will
be in Giant Eagle tonight and tomorrow getting milk and
toilet paper and I don't know what else, and the
(30:00):
storm will fizzle. You know what I do when there's
a big snowstorm coming, I don't go out and get anything.
If I have to all live by my wits, if
I have to all use well, there's no newspapers anymore.
The Post Gazette. I mean, that's where they let people down.
It would be perfect for toilet paper, no offense to
toilet paper. Actually, I'm I'm sad the Post because that's
(30:22):
probably gonna fold. The way the union handled it with
just you couldn't have done it worse, couldn't have done
it worse. And the union leaders that got voted out
now still think they're rights, which.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Is just pathetic. The whole thing was pathetic. Never should
have happened.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
But so anyway, this snowstorm Sunday, I can't wait. I
hope it snow's like fifty seven inches. I hope we
are paralyzed for days, weeks, months, years, and then I
hope the Aliens invade after you know what's a big
game in hockey. We got tonight, we got the Penguins
in Edmonton sit against McDavid. But tomorrow night, for the
(30:59):
first time since even Toronto, Mitch Marner goes back there
with the Vegas gold Knights to play the Leafs. And
I don't know how he became a villain in Toronto,
but he seems.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
To be because he left. Why wouldn't he leave?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
No matter how good he did, it wasn't enough, not
for the fans, not for the team. He was the
team's best player, but they didn't realize that until now
he's gone.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I'm a big Mitch Marner fan.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Here's another thing I want to say about the Steelers
coaching search, which we've talked about minimally today and thank god,
because until something happens, it doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
How good do you think they're going to be next year?
Speaker 1 (31:41):
How close to being a legitimate contender do you believe
they are to even winning a playoff game? Because they
didn't look real close when Houston sodomized them a week
ago this past Monday, didn't look real close. And how
much impact do you think the new coach is going
to have on accelerating the Steelers path back to being
legit no matter who that coach is.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Your thoughts and.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
End of your all of that eight three three four
one two w xdx. Let's go to seth.
Speaker 12 (32:11):
Ty Mark.
Speaker 15 (32:12):
I actually have a quick thought in a question. I
think the speed of the NHL game have grown the rink. Personally,
I would love to see the game played on Olympic
size RNK to open up the game.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
No, it doesn't open up the game, bro, It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
What happens with a bigger rink, The puck stays away
from the nets more.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
They just play the team with the puck to the
sides to the n boards. It's further away from the net.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
It doesn't speed up the game and actually lessens the offense.
And that's been evident whenever, Like in the original couple
years when the NHL players went to the Olympics and
they used the Olympic size rinks, you saw that.
Speaker 15 (32:52):
Okay, do you think having a floating blue line would
create the same effect?
Speaker 1 (32:58):
What what do you like like like in ball hockey?
Speaker 2 (33:04):
I think you're just stupid. Let's go to a callback.
Speaker 12 (33:08):
Hey, Mark, with everything that's going on with the Ranges.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Will Mike Sullivan be fired after the season? He has,
like what a five or six year deal at a
jillion dollars a year, he might be.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I think I'm going to fire the GM first, Chris
Jory because he's done a horrible job. But Sally Man,
you look at him on the bench and you could
tell he doesn't know what to do, and you could
tell those guys aren't buying in. Does the ben a Jads,
the Panerians? Peneran's going to get traded.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
I bet it's not what Sally bargain for. But I
gotta be honest.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Like I said earlier, I think Salby's only a good
coach when he has the best team. I don't think
he can coach a lesser group up. I think he
proved that in the last how many years in Pittsburgh.
I think he's proven it now in New York, although
that was not expected to be a lesser group.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Let's go to a talkback from Ustralia.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
Yeah, with the World coming up this year, are you
as confident as some other American sports journalists about.
Speaker 10 (34:05):
The American chances in the World Cup?
Speaker 2 (34:07):
And I ghost soccer.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Rouse I am not the biggest USA soccer fan. I
just think Christian Polistic, who has been on this show,
I don't find him particularly likable. I think he's overrated
because he's America's best player but couldn't get a game
at Chelsea. That tells you all you need to know.
America's best player couldn't start in the endless Premier League,
at least not for Chelsea FC. And you know I'm
(34:34):
a big believer in club sports over international play. If
you offered me a choice between the Penguins winning the
Stanley Cup or the USA winning Olympic Gold, I take
the Penguins every time. If you offered me a choice
between Liverpool winning the Premier League or the US winning
the World Cup, he got picked Liverpool winning the League Cup,
the lowest trophy they try for, over the US winning
(34:55):
the World Cup. It's just my personal preference, although it
is my bucket list to see a World Cup game.
So I'm going to Morocco and Scotland in Boston in
a group stage game, and I'll be rooting for Scotland
because of Rod Stewart and Scottish captain Andy Robertson, who
won a bunch of trophies with Liverpool and still plays
(35:17):
for the club. Oh Andy, Andy, Andy, Andy, and Andy Roberts.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
And let's go to a talkback Mark.
Speaker 17 (35:25):
The peng was won pretty convincingly last night without Carlson
and Tang in the lineup. How prolemasing is that for
the future, Assuming Latang and Carlson are no longer with
the Penguins.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
I don't think either's going anywhere. I mean, they both
have contracts that extend beyond this season. I think it
was just one game. I think for this team to
make the playoffs, they need both those guys back asap.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You know, you can have guys play.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
I don't want to say Jack sat Ivany was out
over Skis last night with the way he played, but
he probably was. And you can't count on him to
do that every night. You know, Adrenaline, a burst, chance,
more ice, all that stuff. It can add up to
a better performance. But again, consistency is what you need,
and that's why you need Carlson and Latang back. Asaph
(36:13):
eight three three four one two wxdx to number to
call seriously, col and tell me what I want to
know about the Steelers coaching situation, because it is being
seen as the biggest decision made in Pittsburgh sports and
how long. I don't think who's hired's going to get
things done anytime soon, maybe not get things done at all.
(36:36):
I think the ownership and the organizational philosophy is outdated
and weak.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
So I ask you, how do.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
You think the coaching hire is going to impact what
they do next year? Buildingto a legit contender? What has
to happen? How much difference can the coach make in
the context of what they prefer to do and certainly
what they have on hand? And I maintain wholeheartedly the
best thing that could happen could be a four and
thirteen season and another one. Please, if you want the
(37:04):
team to get to where it needs to go, look
at New England. Look at New England. They lost Brady
in two thousand, two thousand and six. Boy, Mike, I'm
old and I forget dates even and can't pronounce numbers properly. Uh,
they lost Brady in twenty twenty and they're already six
years later rebuilt to being a legit contender with a
franchise quarterback.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
You know what the Steelers did in that time?
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Bupcus absolute Bupkus wasted those six years, wasted them. But
you know what you're saying, Well, we beat the patriage
this year.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
FU one oh five.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Note John Ducks Steelers dot Com joining me now after
travel difficulties. He is in Edmonton, fresh off the Penguins
win at Calgary last night. He is Josh, Joey Josh.
The Penguins don't dazzle, but they sure do hang in there,
don't they. Last night was like just two kind of
man teams and one just had a few bigger moments
and certainly played more fundamentally sound.
Speaker 8 (38:00):
Yeah, Mark, I would I would direct you back to
the first game of the season in Madison Square Garden.
That was not an entertaining hockey game by any stretch,
but I think it might be the template for when
these Penguins are at their best. They actually do boring
pretty well, and they still have enough talent upfront they
can generate offense without trying to force it. And the
(38:23):
second this team tries to force it is when it struggles.
And you know, we saw the last couple of games
is good professional victories. In my opinion. I know Calgary's
not a great team. In fact, they're one of the
least talented teams in the league upfront. So I guess
the Penguins did what a good team should do against them.
But they played well. And when they play more of
a conservative, just intelligent style, like that's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
What is amping up that Gino line with Novak and Chinikov?
U it just fell together and took off straight away,
all three guys with a goal a piece last night.
Speaker 8 (38:57):
Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. Chinakov's pretty good. We
know he's fast, and we know he can really shoot
the tuck. But I was watching him a lot last night, Mark,
and his overall game is much better than I had realized.
He does little things like there's a subtlety to his game.
He takes hits to make plays. He's pretty good defensively.
He's got a feistiness about him. Like I thought this
(39:19):
was kind of a raw talented player and I wasn't
really sure what to make of him. But I don't
know that that's the case. I think maybe Columbus is
just a terrible franchise and he needed to get out
of there, because I think this is a really good
hockey player. And I've mentioned this too before, but Gino
told the coaching staff and Kyle Dubis last summer that
he wanted to play with noteback that he liked his game.
(39:40):
He thought there might be some kind of chemistry there.
And I'll tell you what there is right now. It's
been really impressive and the final piece of the puzzle.
Malcolm just has his legs this season in a way
that he hasn't in two or three years. He was
flying last night.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Mark one thing. It really was something good, not a
last night. Besides to win. The Penguins don't get rattled
no more like they conceded with two point sevens seconds
left in the second period, got their lead have to
two to one, but they scored fifty seconds into the
third from two nil to two to one to three one.
(40:15):
I'm not sure the Penguins would have done that a
month ago.
Speaker 8 (40:20):
Funny you should say a month ago because I asked
a couple of guys in the room after the game
last night, why there's more composure, and every single one
of them said, Stuart Skinner, that's why when you have
a goaltender you can trust those things happen. And he
has been so good and I'm not suggesting he's the
long term answer because Like most goalies in the league,
(40:41):
his career has been pretty volatile, but when he's at
his best, there's a calmnist to his game. He doesn't
allow bad rebounds, he doesn't allow bad goals, doesn't allow
any rebounds right now, and he's given up eleven goals
in his last seven games, and he just has a
comming presence I think on the ice and off the
ice with this team, I think his impact cannot be overlooked,
and I think that's part of why they they responded
(41:03):
the way they did last night.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
I one hundred percent agree.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
You know what Skinner's biggest qualification might be, He's.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Not Tristan Jari.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
Getting rid of Jari was long overdue, you know, ever
since he blew that playoff series in twenty twenty one
against the Islanders, he was the face of failure. Getting
rid of Jari was not only a big change in goal.
To me, it signified a change in culture.
Speaker 8 (41:27):
No, I think it did. And the one thing about
Jari for all of those physical gifts, but when things
got tight in hockey games, he couldn't really trust him.
And we know that. We've seen it over the years,
and Skinner it remains to be seen how things will
go with him. But sometimes when you just have a
guy with a clean slate, it makes a difference. And
this guy, I'm telling you, I've not been around many
(41:48):
goaltenders who had a personality like this. Everybody in that
locker room loves him already. They play hard for that guy,
and I think they really respond to his personality and
his style, and like I said, there's just a calmness
about him and that, and I think this team really
needs that.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I know about ever, Josh, because I think Flower fit
that mold as well. But I certainly get the idea.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
How did the Penguins get by without Carlson and La
Tang last night? That was pretty impressive. I'm not sure
they can do it a bunch of nights in a row.
Speaker 8 (42:16):
Though, No, No, I including tonight. It's a different ballgame tonight.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
Mark.
Speaker 8 (42:22):
They had a blue line last night that should be
playing at the TikTok Diner most nights not in the
National Hockey League got home.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
That's rank.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
But they pulled it off.
Speaker 8 (42:33):
You know how it is sometimes when a star player,
or in this case, a couple of star players are
out of the lineup, you can keep it together for
a couple of weeks and everybody kind of pulls together
and plays over their heads. I think that's part of it.
I don't think they could do a long term without them,
especially with the way Latang has been playing since Brett
Kulex been his defense partner. But it was a credit
to all those guys last night and sometimes during games
(42:54):
mark all this kind of focus on one individual player.
Parker Watherspoon was unbelievable last night. This guy is so
much better than I ever could have imagined. He played
a phenomenal game.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
I got to saying Ivan he did too.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
We're talking to Josh Joy Penguins at Edmonton tonight. Here
all the action right here on the X. Now about
this matchup with the Oiler. They've won nine of their
last ten against Penguins, very often slaughtered them. McDavid kills
the Penguins. This is the penguins second game in two nights.
The Oilers did not play yesterday. I'm not giving up
(43:26):
the ghost, Josh. But it's kind of ominous, ain't it.
Speaker 8 (43:29):
Yeah, it's certainly as a built in loss, if ever
there has been one. Although the Penguins are kind of
playing with house money tonight, Mark, They're two to zero
on the trip and they wrap up in Vancouver on Sunday,
where they should win. So this is kind of the
bonus game. And I've been on an airplane for a
couple of hours, so I actually haven't heard. I know
there's a chance Leon dry Title might still be out
this evening. He's been dealing with a family matter in Germany.
(43:51):
So if that's the case, that certainly helps the Penguins
cause a little bit. But as we all know, Connor McDavid,
when he sees Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, he just
lights up and it's just hard to contain him. That's
just the way it is. Especially Defeattager Carlson can't play
because they might not be great defensive players, but they
can skate with him, and I don't know that anyone
else on the Penguins blue line can.
Speaker 16 (44:12):
Well.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I got to say that I give McDavid credit, all
these years later for still be an extra psych to
play against sid If only he could apply that to
Game six, in Game seven in a final.
Speaker 8 (44:24):
That is the sad truth about him. But boy, he
is in some kind of a place right now. During
the last six weeks he's playing out of his mind.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Yeah, but no, no, no goals in the last six
I mean he's kind of cold a little bit. But yeah,
there was about a three week stretch where he was insane.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
But I don't know.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
I don't think he's got enough blame for not winning
the last two finals. But like Peter maguire said on
this program, it was easier to get rid of Skinner
than for their stars to look in the mirror.
Speaker 8 (44:52):
Well, that's right. And one thing that still bothers me,
and it makes people here in Edmonton mad because I
tweeted it once, but I thought it was astonishing that
mcday David was given the MVP of the playoffs two
years ago. And I understand that the total points he
put up, but his team didn't win and he didn't
have a point in the last two games of that
series against Florida.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
That will always bother me.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
I will never understand that one did news play Skinner
last night and Sheilloffs is going to go tonight to
make it so Skinner didn't play against his old team
and make the game more vanilla, less emotional.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
If so, I think that's a good move.
Speaker 8 (45:26):
I just think that he has made up his mind
that Skinner's his number one goalie, and as a result,
he decided he wanted to play him in three of
the four games on this trip. And I also don't
think Skinner had some incredible desire to play against his
old team. You know, he's from Edmonton. I there are
a lot of goalies who don't like John Gibson doesn't
(45:46):
like playing in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Martin mar playing against the balance.
Speaker 8 (45:51):
And I talked with Skinner the other day and I
didn't get the sense he was real enthusiastic about playing
in Edmonton. I don't think it matters that much to him.
And I think from a coaching standpoint, like, gee, let's
play our best guy against the two bad teams that
we have left on this trip and win those games.
And if we win at Edmonton with she LOFs, that's
a great bonus.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Jarry and goal for Edmonton. I feel like he should
allow a goal in the first shot, Josh. I think
he kind of owes us that.
Speaker 8 (46:17):
He certainly does. He's actually played fairly well since joining
the Oilers and mark when the playoffs come, it's going
to be fascinating because the Oilers are always you know
under the microscope, and he doesn't really handle being under
the microscope very well historically, So I'm actually totally fascinated
to see how he performs for them.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
I'm curs see how he performs tonight if he sees
is a challenge, if he's kind of kind of shaken
by the moment.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
I mean, he liked playing here, but I just think
he's I think he's.
Speaker 1 (46:44):
Like I'm compare to like a dog, Josh, not very bright,
not much of a memory. Except the lack of memory
hasn't really served him very well.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
I just think he's stupid and not very good.
Speaker 8 (46:57):
Well, you just describe Triston Jerry better than most. I
think that's probably it. He does have a real competitive
streak in him, though he does, I wouldn't be shocked
if he played well tonight that that this is a man.
The Penguins have played so many games in the last
two weeks, Mark, and now you've got to chase McDavid
around for sixty minutes. It's not a good matchup on paper,
(47:17):
and the schedule makers not helping them at all.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
But here's the one thing that does favor the Penguins
is that the Oilers ain't necessarily playing great. They've lost
six of their last eleven and they actually have and
I was shocked by this.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
They have less points than the Penguins.
Speaker 8 (47:31):
Yeah, how about that for a stat And if dry
Title doesn't play tonight, that's obviously an enormous deal. McDavid,
as great as he is, when you can focus your
entire approach to stopping him and not have to worry
about dry Tidle, who is obviously one of the great
players of this generation, that does make a huge difference.
And listen, the Penguins are feeling good about themselves right now, Mark,
(47:52):
and they should be. They are doing things that nobody expected.
They're in second place in the division, and knock on wood,
they're gonna be really healthy in the next few days,
when Latang and Carlson might both be back in the
Vancouver I think. So that's a really big deal.
Speaker 1 (48:07):
Well, yeah, they're nine two and two since the break,
they're second place in the Metro. They got the second
few as regulation losses in the Eastern Conference. Imagine if
they were and I'm not kidding when I say this,
imagine if they were even averaging the freaking shootout.
Speaker 8 (48:22):
Oh I know, And and for all. Every time I
bring this up, people always say, come on, the Penguins,
they might not even make the playoffs. They say, yeah,
they might not, but they're actually a pretty drunk good team,
far better than any of us could have imagined if
they get into the playoffs. Mark like the road that
in the playoffs might be the Islanders in Carolina in
the first two rounds. But they're in the worst division
in hockey. Why not take advantage of it that they're
(48:44):
in a really, really good spot right now.
Speaker 1 (48:48):
Two things that we can we can we can tack
onto this conversation. Josh, did you see how the Flyers
lost last night?
Speaker 8 (48:55):
I sure did. I thought of you immediately break away.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
The Flyers had a one goalid that you breakaway on
an empty net that half the way guy who sucks
got caught from behind and stripped you tall. Those back
don scores wins it in overtime. It was more glorious
indeed day And they just keep losing.
Speaker 8 (49:11):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (49:11):
They've lost seven out of eight.
Speaker 8 (49:15):
They stink And by the way, the Capitals aren't much better.
It's it's unbelievable how these teams are struggling.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
Capitals have run out of that ov chasing Gretzky energy.
Speaker 8 (49:27):
Yeah, and well, I think Obie's run out of energy too.
Look at his numbers in the last twenty games. I
really think he might be out of gas. I'm telling you,
this is quite an opportunity for the Penguins right now.
It's not their problem or their fault that their division stinks.
Speaker 5 (49:41):
Awesome, They've really got it.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Do you see Brett Hart at the game?
Speaker 1 (49:45):
And isn't it great that there's a giant banner of
Brett Hart like a Stanley Cup banner at the Calgary.
Speaker 8 (49:49):
Saddle dough there is I probably sent you that picture
last night. I did not see the excellence of I
did not see the excellence of execution. Unfortunately, I looked
for him. I've seen him many times beside the Penguins
locker room after games. Did not sit him around. I
was going to tell him, you said hello. I was
disappointed that I didn't have the chance.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
Yeah, I got to get a hold of Brett Hart.
Like he's one of the guys.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
He might be the classiest guy I worked with, except
for certain comments that we both know. Josh, great, great stuff,
And I will talk to you next week, all right,
Mark sounds good.
I'm serious about that. You know I would use replacement players.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
After a year.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
It'd be like the old players never existed. In for sure,
ninety percent would cross the picket line after not even
a full year. If you started a baseball season with
replacement players, I'd say half the rank and file would
across the picket line by June first.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
For sure, those guys want paid.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
They're not a union in the teamster sense, in the
steam fitter sense. There are a bunch of rich guys
who just want more money. It's a union founded in greed,
giving way to greater greed. F the Baseball Union, F
the baseball players, F Baseball. Again, not to be critical.
(00:50):
We're doing a thing tomorrow, me and Tom. Tom's gonna
give me a list of athletes and coaches he feels
I've been unduly hard on, certally disrespectful to. If you'd
like to chime in and add to that list right now,
feel free call eight three three four one two w XDX.
This segment brought to list by eighty four Lumber Dynasty,
(01:11):
partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Let's go to Brian and South Hills. Brian, you're all
with Mark, Hey, Mark.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I want to ask you.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
I'm gonna revert back to the discussion about Robertson and
the possible trade there. I know it's just rumors, but
if we do go for him, do you think it's
gonna matter in the sense of not fixing our goalie.
Speaker 5 (01:33):
Situation At this moment.
Speaker 6 (01:34):
You can pull roberts in, but you know, what's it
going to do if we don't have a solid, at
least number one goalie.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Well, you're not making the trade for this year. It
would help this year, no doubt about that, But moorshoffs
your long term number one, and they are very confident,
as am I that he can fill that role quite
nicely and maybe be an All star that level goalie.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Berber a, Hi, thank you, thank you. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
You always wrote and he'll talk to me about this
at the bottom of the hour that the Penguins might
be looking to trade for Jason Robertson because Dallas is
cap strapped, they can't sign him long term, and Pittsburgh
has the cap room and Robertson's twenty six. You could
trade for him now before he hits restricted free agency.
(02:20):
And I wouldn't trade for him unless he signed a
long term deal in advance, that's for sure. Or you
could wait till he gets the restricted free agency and
sign him to an offer seat, which rarely happens, but
you could do it. And getting a guy like a
Robertson a younger star, I mean not rookie level, but
this guy's twenty six, he's in his prime. That has
always been a part of the Dubis play, although easier
(02:42):
said than done.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Let's go to Dick, Dick. You're on with double M
So Bill Garon may not be the end. I'll be
all of GMS.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
But when you are third in the hot National Hockey
League in goal scorer and you get you don't get
picked for the Olympic team, something's wrong.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I gotta tell you.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
I love I love Billy, I love Billy g and
I and I and I like Mike Sullivan and respect
what they both did for the Penguins. Their their selection
of that roster for the US team was clueless. It's
big and tough and they're living vicariously and it ain't
going to work and leaving roberts noof Heck, they had
a chance when Seth Jones got hurt to right or
wrong and and get Lane Hudson, that great defenseman who skates, skills,
(03:25):
shoots everything from the Canadians and and instead they they
named some plugger to replace that Jones. Let call m
I mean, I think those guys have lost their minds
as regards picking the Olympic team.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Let's go to Jim. Jim, you're all with.
Speaker 7 (03:43):
Mark Hey so, uh, I think I'm taking crazy pills
because I mean Mike McCarthy, I realize that he's you know,
a little bit older, but he has the clear resume,
like the clear best resume. And I just worry that,
you know, the same old woke Steelers they're gonna.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
They're gonna in terms of in terms of right this second.
Well you heard Jerry, he says woke has nothing to
do with it.
Speaker 8 (04:09):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
But but McCarthy sixty two, Bro, I mean, you could
run it back with him and maybe go ten and
seven again. But at what point do you lay a
foundation to not just have a team that scrapes into
the playoffs by the skin of its teeth, but it's
building toward a championship. Because Mike McCarthy wouldn't do that.
Mike McCarthy sixty too, He'll be he'll be dead soon.
He'll try to win right now.
Speaker 7 (04:32):
So instead of getting a good coach, they're gonna get
someone that's unproven just to ap prove some kind of
woke democrat agenda.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
Oh that's just stupid and f you. F everything about you,
you piece of trash. Goodbye. This is football, not the
McLaughlin group. Actually, the McLauchlan group would have been intelligent. Yeah,
they might serve the Rooney rule, but that doesn't mean
the coach would be unqualified.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Maybe the Rooney rules a tiebreaker.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
I don't know, But but this this notion's gonna come
down to politics and just using that demeaning terminology like
that asshat did. What a freakin' jag off. But McCarthy's
sixty two. I mean, at what point is it about
more than just the next game in the next year.
At what point do you do what the Penguins are doing,
(05:17):
which is laying the foundation to try to be a
legitimate championship team.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
At what point do the Steelers do that?
Speaker 1 (05:23):
At what point do they think but they don't because
they won't because Art is so desperate just to win
a playoff game, So friggin' desperate just to win a
playoff game, and he can't even do that, not so far.
By the way, I'm not kidding about the replacement players
for baseball. I got a bunch of tweets saying that
(05:43):
people wouldn't. Yeah, they would, they might not go in
the same numbers and right away, but baseball's baseball, and
the players would cross the picket line. They're making millions, millions,
They're gonna cross the picket line. Replace players with a
chance to get the MLB minimum. They're gonna be scaps.
(06:05):
It would be easy to break that strike. There would
be a lot of acrimony, but it could be done.
The NHL lost the whole season because of a workstopage
because the owners demanded a salary cap. And now hockey's
stronger than ever, albeit not as strong as I'd like
it to be, still an each type thing, and more
(06:25):
money is being paid to the players than ever before.
As I keep saying about the potential for a baseball
work stoppage, a salary cap would benefit the entirety of
the rank and file. There would be more money paid
to the players as a group with the salary cap.
The salary floor would facilitate that. It would guarantee that
literally guarantee it. Then again, I've seen the cap might
(06:49):
be one hundred and forty mil. I mean, this floor
might be one hundred and forty mil. Nothing would sell
the team infore pay that. That might be the one
thing that could happen to finally get Bob Nodding to
sell the team a salary floor of one hundred and
forty millers somewhere they're abouts. But as I've said repeatedly,
sports unions aren't run by the rank and file.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
The voting doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
It's the stars and their agents, and they convinced the
rank and file to do things their way because the
rank and file, the lower level guys are marks for
the stars. You know, really has done more to ruin
baseball than anybody. Scott Boris the super agent. He's done
a lot for his clients, but he's ruined baseball, no
question about that.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Let's go to lou On Neville Island, lou your own
with double.
Speaker 5 (07:31):
M mark and Robertson deal. Would you give up, say Kendall,
no hell and a first round pick for him?
Speaker 1 (07:39):
I would not give up my an eighteen year old.
It's already proven he can play in the league. Absolutely not.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Wow, you straight, No.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
No, I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't No, I wouldn't.
Speaker 9 (07:52):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (07:53):
What would you give up? Can you be a little specific.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Like I want to give up maybe a couple first
round picks?
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Okay, so you would give up say two first in Raquel.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
No, I wouldn't want to give up Raquel, because if
you're getting Robertson for this year, then you're trying to
win a playoff series this year. I would talk to
them about it, but I wouldn't be eager to do it.
It's probably a better way to put it, but I'd
give up too far.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
They want some roster players that can help them this year,
if they're less interested in the young stuff. That's why
I no, No.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
You're you're you're right, You're you're right about that. They
would want guys who could help them this year. And
for that reason, maybe you wait till Robertson gets the
restricted free agency. That said, somebody else could jump in,
gazump the Penguins in and and get Robertson themselves. I
don't think they're going to get roberts And I just
think it's a possibility. And I think the fact that
they appear to be investigating indicates the franchise is intent
(08:48):
and what Dubas wants to do, because I do know
it's always been part of Dubas's plan to get a
young star, a guy who's a star right when you
get him, somehow, some way.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Let's go to Dawn what mine.
Speaker 9 (09:03):
Hey, you were just talking about the salary cap in
the MLB, and I think a perfect example of that
is the Bryce Harper contract. I mean, what a bad
example of how guaranteed money does not guarantee success for
a franchise.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Well no, but but the Phillies have been successful there.
You know, they won a World Series in recent memory.
I mean, I respect them for doing their best, which
the Pirates don't. But then again, the Phillies are in
a bigger market with more revenue. But here's what the
Bryce Harper contract. It does be lie without a cap,
star players get long term deal so long that they
(09:40):
can never stay at the performance over those salary dictates
for the length of the contractor or even for half
of it. Very often and h but the teams that
can afford it will basically pay the guy ten years
to get five good years out of him.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Yeah, absolutely one other what the molky Bets. Mookie Bets
is the biggest example. The ram Socks were right to
trade Mookie Bets. It turned out to be a great
trade because the Dodgers gave him this huge deal and
the deal is not even half over and he's already mediocre.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Let's go to Corey and Bloomfield. Corey, what up Man?
What hey?
Speaker 5 (10:22):
Mark?
Speaker 10 (10:23):
You know understand this year is the rebuild year, you
know what mirror show and stuff, and he is the
goalie in the future. So for this year, do you
think Skinner is just a Renoalds? And then you know
next year is going to be Mirrorshofs.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
I would be surprised if Skinner's back, given his contract
runs out, and given that Shilloffs has time on his
deal beyond this year. But but you see, i'd call
moreshof up now, I'd wave Shilloffs and try to try
to use a combination of Skinner Morishof. It would be
a bit of a risk, but I think it could
rep reward because Morrischev, I've been saying he's the best
(10:55):
goalie in the system until he proves that at an
NHL level, that's probably wrong.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
On my part, but he is the.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Biggest talent in the system, and I'd take the gamble
that that can that can pan out coming up now.
Speaker 10 (11:10):
You know, and with the Penguins being this tight in
the playoff race, you know, what do you think they
should be? Buyers or sellers? What would you what would
be your opinion.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
The Penguins right now, they would be They would do nothing.
They would not give away any future to get somebody
who could help now. They might trade like a six
or seven round pick for a usable veteran to try
to like plug a hole in the bottom six or
the bottom pair, but they would not trade for the future.
They would not trade future for now, and they would
(11:40):
not trade much now for future. They would not, you know,
be a seller in the classic sense. Thank you for
the call. Okay, we went from calls there to calls,
more more calls. I guess h next for calls on
the fifteen broken equipment, upset by schedule, but still I persevere,
So call now eight three, three, four one two w XDX.
(12:00):
And I'm serious about the replacement players. I'm telling you,
if baseball doesn't get a cap, the whole sport's ft
it's probably f now and the Pirates f no matter what,
because well, again just talking out loud like I did before.
If the flour was one hundred and forty mil, like
some people are saying, Nutting might sell the team, he
(12:22):
just might sell the team. In fact, I gotta be
honest before that high is something that parts really can't afford,
and most teams have their market size couldn't. And if
it means the end of baseball, then damn it. I'm
all for that. I'd rather have no baseball than a
rotten team in Pittsburgh like we've had for decades.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
And I'm only half kidding.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
One oh five ninety X find yourself needing a little
post holiday cash?
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Did you pay the gas bill? The X as your
shot at extra cash? O money? I can't even quote
the big o'bowski right, goodbye the X.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
At one nine, I'm gonna see it beyond Purple tonight
at Jurgles, a great deep Purple and Family tribute band.
They do Purple, they do Rainbow, they do do O,
they do white Snake. My only worry is what if
some stupid with a flare gun shows up time for
(13:13):
calls on the fifteens. We just did calls it on
the top of the arms. The show got disrupted by
equipment failure before I'm thinking of suing.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
I don't know who to sue, though, sue everybody.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Oh, by the way, the Post Gazette has changed its
union leadership, and now the new leadership has come crawling
to the Block family begging to negotiate again.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
And I get it. The union was in the wrong
hands in the first place.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
And some of the union leaders who got voted out
or calling the new leader scabs on Twitter. Yo, don't
blame the people who can do math because you didn't.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
You couldn't. You're too dumb.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
When the paper is losing hundreds of millions of dollars,
and let's say the blocks are lying, which they do do.
Let's say they were losing tens of millions of dollars.
It's kind of tone deaf to ask for a raise
anyway and then sue when you don't get it, and
cry when the paper folds when the court forces you
to get it, or to get your old contract back anyway,
(14:16):
and and work toward a new one. Just just it
was an entirely stupid situation. You had greedy bastards on
one side in the Blox. Not greedy, they were losing money, but.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
Just just I have no respect for the box.
Speaker 1 (14:30):
They're not good people against idiots who wanted to raise
when none was possible.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
They union.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
I hope it gets saved. I if I were the
blocks and tell them to go screw.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Let's go to Jim. Jim, you're all with Mark.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
What's up?
Speaker 11 (14:46):
Double Penguins a little bit, really liking their attention to
detail doing some of the smallest things that add up.
As an example, but the middle of the second period
last night, Gino has the puck down in the corner
and he hits a wide open Ryan Shay, who's activating,
(15:07):
creates a real nice scoring opportunity with which Calgary repelled.
They have an outlet pass and I'm like, uh oh,
this isn't good, and camera pans out and voila, there's
chinikof who has assumed Shay's defensive spot on the ice,
And well.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
Yeah, you're supposed to do that, Jim.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
I don't want to go crazy showering praise on somebody
for doing what they're supposed to do.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
But you know, it wasn't long ago.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
You just wouldn't see that you didn't see the F
three where he should be.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
They were all done low.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Correct.
Speaker 11 (15:45):
Do you think they're the defense is pinching West this
year or yeah, the.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Defense is pinching Wess.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
The big change that mus has made, the biggest that
I can see, is the defensemen are still able to pinch,
but they're told to be more judicial about it. And
the F three, like you said with Chinnikoff, is always
where it should be in case of an unsuccessful pinch.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
They've they've conceded less odd man breaks than in a
long time, not least during this nine to two and
two streak.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Uh since the holiday break.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Let's go to our good friend, the Hebrew hammer hammer
yuk shamash.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Yeah, yuk shamash.
Speaker 6 (16:23):
Marque is Joe Block the Pirates announcer related to the
post of that blocks.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
No, okay, fair enough?
Speaker 6 (16:31):
Hey uh McCarthy Uh for the steelers Hire, I've been
hearing an anti sentiment for McCarthy.
Speaker 5 (16:40):
They're referring to it as McCarthyism.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
That's your true.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Two jokes in about thirty seconds. I respect that. Not
good ones.
Speaker 12 (16:52):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
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Speaker 2 (17:05):
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Bet Parks is the only app I recommend to bet
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You must be twenty one and in paight, New Jersey,
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oh five nine.
Speaker 13 (18:03):
It's the Woody Show weekday mornings at six.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Of course, X Music.
Speaker 14 (18:07):
On the X from the one oh five nine the
ex Weather Center.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
This report is sponsored by Flynn's Tire and Auto Service.
Scottiskey Right, goodbye the X at one.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Well, we can't get hold of Yoey and we had
the equipment fail earlier.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
So just ask Mark anything for the rest of the show.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
I mean, if you're if you if you're preparing, prepare
and preparing, it falls apart. What the frig you're gonna do?
So just calling out and ask Mark anything the rest
of the show. I don't give a crap. A three
three four one two w XDX A three three four
one two w XDX. I guess I can just regurgitate
some stuff I've talked about earlier. Uh Now, for some reason,
(18:50):
my headset's gone really loud on me. We got the
Penguins and Edmonton tonight at Edmonton Penguins with the win
of Calgary last night. Any of you see Sid versus
McDavid is destination viewing. I think it says something about
McDavid that I would guess that people not just in
(19:11):
Pittsburgh but everywhere, even though they're both old, would see
Sid versus Ovechkin as the bigger rivalry, and they play
more being in the same division, and they played playoff
series that were important, and Sid's won three cups, Ovi's
won one. I think people in general hockey fans see
(19:31):
Sid versus OVI has still the bigger rivalry. And part
of that is because McDavid and Sid rarely play, being
in opposite conferences. But a part of it is too
that McDavid he's a sour puss and he's never won,
and you combine those two things. Even though his stats
are overwhelming, people don't just want stats. People want charisma,
(19:54):
they want liability, they want championships to validate all of
the above. So even though this is the two well
not the two best players in the league right now,
pretty close, but McDavid's the best guy and Sid was
the best guy. But people don't cling to a game
like tonight. It's not even on national TV. Minnesota in
(20:16):
Detroit is on national TV. Quinn Ues against Dylan Larkin
is on national TV. That makes absolutely zero sense to me,
and it makes zero sense from an NHL perspective. Why
wouldn't Gary Bettman be pushing this game tonight between Sid
and McDavid to be on national TV, maybe because the
(20:37):
Oilers almost always beat the Penguins. Edmonton nine and one
in their last ten games against the Penguins, the Penguins
won eight and one. Sid has two goals and five assists.
He's minus fourteen in those ten games. McDavid's plus twenty
three and he has eight goals and sixteen assists. The
latest installment, it was deceptively close. Edmonton won at Pittsburgh
(20:59):
in December sixth four. McDavid had two and two. Sid
had a solitary apple, but the game wasn't as close
as that score. Edmonton just skated circles around the Penguins,
as Edmund can do to anybody and certainly McDavid can
do to anybody. But McDavid is obviously extra psyched to
(21:21):
play against Sid. There's no hatred there. I mean they
were teammates on Team Canada. McDavid got the golden goal
in that GOOFY four Nation's thing and said was the captain.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
But McDavid.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Is this megafast cheat code playing against the guy who
knows how to play hockey better than anybody ever, the
best ever at painting inside the lines. But for some reason,
the NHL and the fans organically just haven't latched onto that.
And don't get me wrong, they ain't all McDavid is
and ain't all sid Is. But as I said earlier,
(21:58):
if McDavid and Sid played in New York and LA,
they'd be making movies about it. But they're at Edmonton
and Pittsburgh. Like I said, don't play often and often.
Ovi's the all time goals leader. He's more charismatic and
McDavid is a sour puss.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
I keep using those words.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
If you've ever seen him talk, you just know he's
a friggin sour puss. But I'm totally looking forward to
the game. I just think everybody should be. Everybody nationally,
every media outlet, every hockey fan should be looking forward
to this game. I also want to reiterate what I
(22:35):
said about the the replacement players thing for baseball, because
Kirchion said that baseball's gonna have a workstopping in twenty
twenty seven.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
I know that's true.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
The players won't accept the cap, like Kirkchian said, but
they're gonna have to if they want to play baseball again,
if the owners have any gumption, which just talking out loud.
Maybe they don't, but the union will always lose the
if the owners are strong. If the owner just say
no baseball until you agree to a salary cap, there
(23:05):
will be a salary cap because they own the stadiums,
they have the money. What are the players going to
just start their own league. I'd love to see that
Scott Boris could be committionioner since he's the one ruinning
MLB more than anybody. He really is. Let's go to
Franken Westmoreland. Frank what do you want?
Speaker 12 (23:23):
Hey, Mark, you know you're right. We don't see Edmonton
too much. But I was just thinking, like, do you
think McDavid's ever gonna win a Cup in Edmonton or
is there just like like being in Toronto, just so
much thinking pressure in trying to win a Cup up.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Well, I don't think there's the pressure in Edmonton there
is in Toronto. I think there's more pressure on the
Leafs to win a Cup than there is on any
team in any market to win a championship because it's
the largest hockey market in the world, the best hockey city,
and they haven't won a Cup since nineteen sixty seven.
So I don't think it's quite the same with McDavid.
I think the pressure is on McDavid more because he's
(23:59):
this great individual. So maybe, yeah, maybe he's an individual
the pressure is greater on him. But do I think
he's gonna win a Cup at Edmonton? No?
Speaker 2 (24:06):
I don't, certainly not this year. Uh.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
He the Oilers have less points than the Penguins. It's
turned out that Tristan Jarry hasn't solved the problem and
goal and I just don't think so. I think he's gonna.
I didn't make David Will asked to be traded at
the end of this year.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
I do.
Speaker 12 (24:24):
That's insane. It's so it's like when these Canadian teams
get in the whole country, it's just like they're expected
to perform. And I don't know who's gonna break that
streak eventually, but hopefully nobody.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Let's go to Greg. Greg're oning with double.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
M hey mark common question. First of all, I saw
you a couple of weeks ago at the basketball game,
and you don't need me to tell you from probably
man the weight loss. You look great?
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Keep what at North Hills?
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (24:51):
Okay, yeah, because that's uh, that's the only basketball I want.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (24:55):
I just tell you what they're up Marks. A quick
question on the on the salary. I think if the
baseball puts a salary cappen on the floor, all you're
gonna do is bring the sledge up from what you
have now. It's not going to make the game anymore competitive.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
Because yeah, it absolutely will.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
It absolutely will.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
The if you had a salary cap, the l A
Dodgers wouldn't have eight players that are better than than
Pittsburgh's best in the lineup.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
And they do the worst, the worst, the worst.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
The worst l A player in their regular lineup is
better than Pittsburgh's best player.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Yeah, I agree, But wouldn't that be a ceiling cap then,
not a not a floor, it would be a ceiling cap.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
No, there has to be There has to be both.
A cap doesn't work without a floor and vice versa.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Okay, I agree. I thought you were just talking about
just a floor, and I just don't think that would work.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
Oh no, why would Why would why would the why
would the MLB want just the floor that the spending
would even more go through the roof.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Let's go to Seth. Seth. You're on with Mark, did they, sir?
I said, good day.
Speaker 13 (26:02):
You hit the nail on the head about side McDavid,
I mean, honestly, like you're right about the sour push
stuff like Bettman's just not good with marketing NHL stars
in general. My question is like, how, like how was
it back in the day when Gretzky and Lemiu would
face off, Like was there any build up to that
when Gretzky was with Edmonton and Barrio here?
Speaker 1 (26:24):
Honestly not like there should have been, because when gretz
was still in Edmonton, the Penguins weren't very good and
hockey never pushes the French guy like the English guy,
and anybody who's been around hockey for any amount of
time knows that to be absolutely true.
Speaker 13 (26:43):
Yeah, yeah, if I can definitely see that.
Speaker 5 (26:45):
I just I don't remember I said.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
A short tripped because he's from Nova Scotia. The people
who on the NHL thinks hockey is Ontario and Western
Canada and that's it.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
That's the list.
Speaker 13 (26:58):
And what's funny is if said was a Mapela, they
would love him.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
Yeah, Sid wouldn't love being a maple leaf. I don't
think Sid.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
I think Sid, at one time when he was a kid,
might have thought he'd loved being a Canadian, but he's
done just fine being in Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh's done just
fine by Sid being here. But yeah, I just can't
believe tonight's game between Sid and McDavid isn't on national TV.
I forget if the game in December was on national TV,
but not. None of it makes sense to me. Thank
(27:29):
you for the call.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
You know what I've been doing is blocking people on
Twitter that even slightly annoy me.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
I blocked over fifty today.
Speaker 1 (27:43):
Them is the rules. I'm in the home stretch. Ain't
gonna change don the doll. They're just talking about the
coaching search. You can go there if you don't like it.
A three three four one two WSDX. I guess we're
gonna as Mark Anything. Like I said for the rest
of the show, No idea what happened to Yoey? But
eight three three four one two w XDX Ask Mark
(28:04):
Anything one O five nine.
Speaker 14 (28:06):
Time now to send in your questions for Ask Mark Anything,
use the talk back Mike on your free ieart radio
app and record your question for the super genius.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Tonight's the Pens go head to head against the Oilers.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
Game time is nine.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Pregame starts at eight.
Speaker 15 (28:26):
Listen to every game and the best Pens coverage on
your home in the Pittsburgh Penguins one O five nine DX.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
This honor the Mark Madden Shows, brought to you by
Mickli Baltrom probably Madden.
Speaker 13 (28:38):
Hey, Mark, great show is.
Speaker 16 (28:39):
When you got a young trophy White, Oh's money to
I can't even quote the big o'bowski White Goodbye DX
at one O five nine.
Speaker 1 (28:56):
This song was everywhere when I was in I think
seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Deep Purple got.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Beyond Purple the tribute group Tonight at Jurgles, I'm gonna
be there. Smoke on the water Baby. We all went
down to Mantra. Now it's time to ask Mark anything.
What a great story told in this song, Just tremendous.
Deep Purple recording an album in Montro, Switzerland. They were
doing it at the casino and the casino burned down,
(29:25):
so they had.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
To find another place. Swiss. Time was running out. It
seemed that we would lose the race.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Uh Anyway, if you see me at Gurgles, don't say
a word to me, least of all when the music
is playing. We got this big snowstorm coming. How do
we feel about that. I'll tell you we feel about that.
Every idiot in Pittsburgh, and that's most of you, will
be in Giant Eagle tonight and tomorrow getting milk and
toilet paper and I don't know what else, and the
(30:00):
storm will fizzle. You know what I do when there's
a big snowstorm coming, I don't go out and get anything.
If I have to all live by my wits, if
I have to all use well, there's no newspapers anymore.
The Post Gazette. I mean, that's where they let people down.
It would be perfect for toilet paper, no offense to
toilet paper. Actually, I'm I'm sad the Post because that's
(30:22):
probably gonna fold. The way the union handled it with
just you couldn't have done it worse, couldn't have done
it worse. And the union leaders that got voted out
now still think they're rights, which.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Is just pathetic. The whole thing was pathetic. Never should
have happened.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
But so anyway, this snowstorm Sunday, I can't wait. I
hope it snow's like fifty seven inches. I hope we
are paralyzed for days, weeks, months, years, and then I
hope the Aliens invade after you know what's a big
game in hockey. We got tonight, we got the Penguins
in Edmonton sit against McDavid. But tomorrow night, for the
(30:59):
first time since even Toronto, Mitch Marner goes back there
with the Vegas gold Knights to play the Leafs. And
I don't know how he became a villain in Toronto,
but he seems.
Speaker 2 (31:10):
To be because he left. Why wouldn't he leave?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
No matter how good he did, it wasn't enough, not
for the fans, not for the team. He was the
team's best player, but they didn't realize that until now
he's gone.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
I'm a big Mitch Marner fan.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Here's another thing I want to say about the Steelers
coaching search, which we've talked about minimally today and thank god,
because until something happens, it doesn't happen.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
How good do you think they're going to be next year?
Speaker 1 (31:41):
How close to being a legitimate contender do you believe
they are to even winning a playoff game? Because they
didn't look real close when Houston sodomized them a week
ago this past Monday, didn't look real close. And how
much impact do you think the new coach is going
to have on accelerating the Steelers path back to being
legit no matter who that coach is.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Your thoughts and.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
End of your all of that eight three three four
one two w xdx. Let's go to seth.
Speaker 12 (32:11):
Ty Mark.
Speaker 15 (32:12):
I actually have a quick thought in a question. I
think the speed of the NHL game have grown the rink. Personally,
I would love to see the game played on Olympic
size RNK to open up the game.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:23):
No, it doesn't open up the game, bro, It doesn't.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
What happens with a bigger rink, The puck stays away
from the nets more.
Speaker 2 (32:31):
They just play the team with the puck to the
sides to the n boards. It's further away from the net.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
It doesn't speed up the game and actually lessens the offense.
And that's been evident whenever, Like in the original couple
years when the NHL players went to the Olympics and
they used the Olympic size rinks, you saw that.
Speaker 15 (32:52):
Okay, do you think having a floating blue line would
create the same effect?
Speaker 1 (32:58):
What what do you like like like in ball hockey?
Speaker 2 (33:04):
I think you're just stupid. Let's go to a callback.
Speaker 12 (33:08):
Hey, Mark, with everything that's going on with the Ranges.
Speaker 2 (33:11):
Will Mike Sullivan be fired after the season? He has,
like what a five or six year deal at a
jillion dollars a year, he might be.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
I think I'm going to fire the GM first, Chris
Jory because he's done a horrible job. But Sally Man,
you look at him on the bench and you could
tell he doesn't know what to do, and you could
tell those guys aren't buying in. Does the ben a Jads,
the Panerians? Peneran's going to get traded.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
I bet it's not what Sally bargain for. But I
gotta be honest.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
Like I said earlier, I think Salby's only a good
coach when he has the best team. I don't think
he can coach a lesser group up. I think he
proved that in the last how many years in Pittsburgh.
I think he's proven it now in New York, although
that was not expected to be a lesser group.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
Let's go to a talkback from Ustralia.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
Yeah, with the World coming up this year, are you
as confident as some other American sports journalists about.
Speaker 10 (34:05):
The American chances in the World Cup?
Speaker 2 (34:07):
And I ghost soccer.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Rouse I am not the biggest USA soccer fan. I
just think Christian Polistic, who has been on this show,
I don't find him particularly likable. I think he's overrated
because he's America's best player but couldn't get a game
at Chelsea. That tells you all you need to know.
America's best player couldn't start in the endless Premier League,
at least not for Chelsea FC. And you know I'm
(34:34):
a big believer in club sports over international play. If
you offered me a choice between the Penguins winning the
Stanley Cup or the USA winning Olympic Gold, I take
the Penguins every time. If you offered me a choice
between Liverpool winning the Premier League or the US winning
the World Cup, he got picked Liverpool winning the League Cup,
the lowest trophy they try for, over the US winning
(34:55):
the World Cup. It's just my personal preference, although it
is my bucket list to see a World Cup game.
So I'm going to Morocco and Scotland in Boston in
a group stage game, and I'll be rooting for Scotland
because of Rod Stewart and Scottish captain Andy Robertson, who
won a bunch of trophies with Liverpool and still plays
(35:17):
for the club. Oh Andy, Andy, Andy, Andy, and Andy Roberts.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
And let's go to a talkback Mark.
Speaker 17 (35:25):
The peng was won pretty convincingly last night without Carlson
and Tang in the lineup. How prolemasing is that for
the future, Assuming Latang and Carlson are no longer with
the Penguins.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
I don't think either's going anywhere. I mean, they both
have contracts that extend beyond this season. I think it
was just one game. I think for this team to
make the playoffs, they need both those guys back asap.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
You know, you can have guys play.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
I don't want to say Jack sat Ivany was out
over Skis last night with the way he played, but
he probably was. And you can't count on him to
do that every night. You know, Adrenaline, a burst, chance,
more ice, all that stuff. It can add up to
a better performance. But again, consistency is what you need,
and that's why you need Carlson and Latang back. Asaph
(36:13):
eight three three four one two wxdx to number to
call seriously, col and tell me what I want to
know about the Steelers coaching situation, because it is being
seen as the biggest decision made in Pittsburgh sports and
how long. I don't think who's hired's going to get
things done anytime soon, maybe not get things done at all.
(36:36):
I think the ownership and the organizational philosophy is outdated
and weak.
Speaker 2 (36:40):
So I ask you, how do.
Speaker 1 (36:42):
You think the coaching hire is going to impact what
they do next year? Buildingto a legit contender? What has
to happen? How much difference can the coach make in
the context of what they prefer to do and certainly
what they have on hand? And I maintain wholeheartedly the
best thing that could happen could be a four and
thirteen season and another one. Please, if you want the
(37:04):
team to get to where it needs to go, look
at New England. Look at New England. They lost Brady
in two thousand, two thousand and six. Boy, Mike, I'm
old and I forget dates even and can't pronounce numbers properly. Uh,
they lost Brady in twenty twenty and they're already six
years later rebuilt to being a legit contender with a
franchise quarterback.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
You know what the Steelers did in that time?
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Bupcus absolute Bupkus wasted those six years, wasted them. But
you know what you're saying, Well, we beat the patriage
this year.
Speaker 2 (37:36):
FU one oh five.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
Note John Ducks Steelers dot Com joining me now after
travel difficulties. He is in Edmonton, fresh off the Penguins
win at Calgary last night. He is Josh, Joey Josh.
The Penguins don't dazzle, but they sure do hang in there,
don't they. Last night was like just two kind of
man teams and one just had a few bigger moments
and certainly played more fundamentally sound.
Speaker 8 (38:00):
Yeah, Mark, I would I would direct you back to
the first game of the season in Madison Square Garden.
That was not an entertaining hockey game by any stretch,
but I think it might be the template for when
these Penguins are at their best. They actually do boring
pretty well, and they still have enough talent upfront they
can generate offense without trying to force it. And the
(38:23):
second this team tries to force it is when it struggles.
And you know, we saw the last couple of games
is good professional victories. In my opinion. I know Calgary's
not a great team. In fact, they're one of the
least talented teams in the league upfront. So I guess
the Penguins did what a good team should do against them.
But they played well. And when they play more of
a conservative, just intelligent style, like that's pretty good.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
What is amping up that Gino line with Novak and Chinikov?
U it just fell together and took off straight away,
all three guys with a goal a piece last night.
Speaker 8 (38:57):
Yeah, well, I'll tell you what. Chinakov's pretty good. We
know he's fast, and we know he can really shoot
the tuck. But I was watching him a lot last night, Mark,
and his overall game is much better than I had realized.
He does little things like there's a subtlety to his game.
He takes hits to make plays. He's pretty good defensively.
He's got a feistiness about him. Like I thought this
(39:19):
was kind of a raw talented player and I wasn't
really sure what to make of him. But I don't
know that that's the case. I think maybe Columbus is
just a terrible franchise and he needed to get out
of there, because I think this is a really good
hockey player. And I've mentioned this too before, but Gino
told the coaching staff and Kyle Dubis last summer that
he wanted to play with noteback that he liked his game.
(39:40):
He thought there might be some kind of chemistry there.
And I'll tell you what there is right now. It's
been really impressive and the final piece of the puzzle.
Malcolm just has his legs this season in a way
that he hasn't in two or three years. He was
flying last night.
Speaker 1 (39:54):
Mark one thing. It really was something good, not a
last night. Besides to win. The Penguins don't get rattled
no more like they conceded with two point sevens seconds
left in the second period, got their lead have to
two to one, but they scored fifty seconds into the
third from two nil to two to one to three one.
(40:15):
I'm not sure the Penguins would have done that a
month ago.
Speaker 8 (40:20):
Funny you should say a month ago because I asked
a couple of guys in the room after the game
last night, why there's more composure, and every single one
of them said, Stuart Skinner, that's why when you have
a goaltender you can trust those things happen. And he
has been so good and I'm not suggesting he's the
long term answer because Like most goalies in the league,
(40:41):
his career has been pretty volatile, but when he's at
his best, there's a calmnist to his game. He doesn't
allow bad rebounds, he doesn't allow bad goals, doesn't allow
any rebounds right now, and he's given up eleven goals
in his last seven games, and he just has a
comming presence I think on the ice and off the
ice with this team, I think his impact cannot be overlooked,
and I think that's part of why they they responded
(41:03):
the way they did last night.
Speaker 2 (41:04):
I one hundred percent agree.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
You know what Skinner's biggest qualification might be, He's.
Speaker 2 (41:09):
Not Tristan Jari.
Speaker 1 (41:11):
Getting rid of Jari was long overdue, you know, ever
since he blew that playoff series in twenty twenty one
against the Islanders, he was the face of failure. Getting
rid of Jari was not only a big change in goal.
To me, it signified a change in culture.
Speaker 8 (41:27):
No, I think it did. And the one thing about
Jari for all of those physical gifts, but when things
got tight in hockey games, he couldn't really trust him.
And we know that. We've seen it over the years,
and Skinner it remains to be seen how things will
go with him. But sometimes when you just have a
guy with a clean slate, it makes a difference. And
this guy, I'm telling you, I've not been around many
(41:48):
goaltenders who had a personality like this. Everybody in that
locker room loves him already. They play hard for that guy,
and I think they really respond to his personality and
his style, and like I said, there's just a calmness
about him and that, and I think this team really
needs that.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
I know about ever, Josh, because I think Flower fit
that mold as well. But I certainly get the idea.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (42:08):
How did the Penguins get by without Carlson and La
Tang last night? That was pretty impressive. I'm not sure
they can do it a bunch of nights in a row.
Speaker 8 (42:16):
Though, No, No, I including tonight. It's a different ballgame tonight.
Speaker 5 (42:22):
Mark.
Speaker 8 (42:22):
They had a blue line last night that should be
playing at the TikTok Diner most nights not in the
National Hockey League got home.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
That's rank.
Speaker 5 (42:31):
But they pulled it off.
Speaker 8 (42:33):
You know how it is sometimes when a star player,
or in this case, a couple of star players are
out of the lineup, you can keep it together for
a couple of weeks and everybody kind of pulls together
and plays over their heads. I think that's part of it.
I don't think they could do a long term without them,
especially with the way Latang has been playing since Brett
Kulex been his defense partner. But it was a credit
to all those guys last night and sometimes during games
(42:54):
mark all this kind of focus on one individual player.
Parker Watherspoon was unbelievable last night. This guy is so
much better than I ever could have imagined. He played
a phenomenal game.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
I got to saying Ivan he did too.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
We're talking to Josh Joy Penguins at Edmonton tonight. Here
all the action right here on the X. Now about
this matchup with the Oiler. They've won nine of their
last ten against Penguins, very often slaughtered them. McDavid kills
the Penguins. This is the penguins second game in two nights.
The Oilers did not play yesterday. I'm not giving up
(43:26):
the ghost, Josh. But it's kind of ominous, ain't it.
Speaker 8 (43:29):
Yeah, it's certainly as a built in loss, if ever
there has been one. Although the Penguins are kind of
playing with house money tonight, Mark, They're two to zero
on the trip and they wrap up in Vancouver on Sunday,
where they should win. So this is kind of the
bonus game. And I've been on an airplane for a
couple of hours, so I actually haven't heard. I know
there's a chance Leon dry Title might still be out
this evening. He's been dealing with a family matter in Germany.
(43:51):
So if that's the case, that certainly helps the Penguins
cause a little bit. But as we all know, Connor McDavid,
when he sees Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, he just
lights up and it's just hard to contain him. That's
just the way it is. Especially Defeattager Carlson can't play
because they might not be great defensive players, but they
can skate with him, and I don't know that anyone
else on the Penguins blue line can.
Speaker 16 (44:12):
Well.
Speaker 1 (44:12):
I got to say that I give McDavid credit, all
these years later for still be an extra psych to
play against sid If only he could apply that to
Game six, in Game seven in a final.
Speaker 8 (44:24):
That is the sad truth about him. But boy, he
is in some kind of a place right now. During
the last six weeks he's playing out of his mind.
Speaker 1 (44:33):
Yeah, but no, no, no goals in the last six
I mean he's kind of cold a little bit. But yeah,
there was about a three week stretch where he was insane.
Speaker 2 (44:40):
But I don't know.
Speaker 1 (44:41):
I don't think he's got enough blame for not winning
the last two finals. But like Peter maguire said on
this program, it was easier to get rid of Skinner
than for their stars to look in the mirror.
Speaker 8 (44:52):
Well, that's right. And one thing that still bothers me,
and it makes people here in Edmonton mad because I
tweeted it once, but I thought it was astonishing that
mcday David was given the MVP of the playoffs two
years ago. And I understand that the total points he
put up, but his team didn't win and he didn't
have a point in the last two games of that
series against Florida.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
That will always bother me.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
I will never understand that one did news play Skinner
last night and Sheilloffs is going to go tonight to
make it so Skinner didn't play against his old team
and make the game more vanilla, less emotional.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
If so, I think that's a good move.
Speaker 8 (45:26):
I just think that he has made up his mind
that Skinner's his number one goalie, and as a result,
he decided he wanted to play him in three of
the four games on this trip. And I also don't
think Skinner had some incredible desire to play against his
old team. You know, he's from Edmonton. I there are
a lot of goalies who don't like John Gibson doesn't
(45:46):
like playing in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
Martin mar playing against the balance.
Speaker 8 (45:51):
And I talked with Skinner the other day and I
didn't get the sense he was real enthusiastic about playing
in Edmonton. I don't think it matters that much to him.
And I think from a coaching standpoint, like, gee, let's
play our best guy against the two bad teams that
we have left on this trip and win those games.
And if we win at Edmonton with she LOFs, that's
a great bonus.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Jarry and goal for Edmonton. I feel like he should
allow a goal in the first shot, Josh. I think
he kind of owes us that.
Speaker 8 (46:17):
He certainly does. He's actually played fairly well since joining
the Oilers and mark when the playoffs come, it's going
to be fascinating because the Oilers are always you know
under the microscope, and he doesn't really handle being under
the microscope very well historically, So I'm actually totally fascinated
to see how he performs for them.
Speaker 1 (46:35):
I'm curs see how he performs tonight if he sees
is a challenge, if he's kind of kind of shaken
by the moment.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
I mean, he liked playing here, but I just think
he's I think he's.
Speaker 1 (46:44):
Like I'm compare to like a dog, Josh, not very bright,
not much of a memory. Except the lack of memory
hasn't really served him very well.
Speaker 2 (46:53):
I just think he's stupid and not very good.
Speaker 8 (46:57):
Well, you just describe Triston Jerry better than most. I
think that's probably it. He does have a real competitive
streak in him, though he does, I wouldn't be shocked
if he played well tonight that that this is a man.
The Penguins have played so many games in the last
two weeks, Mark, and now you've got to chase McDavid
around for sixty minutes. It's not a good matchup on paper,
(47:17):
and the schedule makers not helping them at all.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
But here's the one thing that does favor the Penguins
is that the Oilers ain't necessarily playing great. They've lost
six of their last eleven and they actually have and
I was shocked by this.
Speaker 2 (47:28):
They have less points than the Penguins.
Speaker 8 (47:31):
Yeah, how about that for a stat And if dry
Title doesn't play tonight, that's obviously an enormous deal. McDavid,
as great as he is, when you can focus your
entire approach to stopping him and not have to worry
about dry Tidle, who is obviously one of the great
players of this generation, that does make a huge difference.
And listen, the Penguins are feeling good about themselves right now, Mark,
(47:52):
and they should be. They are doing things that nobody expected.
They're in second place in the division, and knock on wood,
they're gonna be really healthy in the next few days,
when Latang and Carlson might both be back in the
Vancouver I think. So that's a really big deal.
Speaker 1 (48:07):
Well, yeah, they're nine two and two since the break,
they're second place in the Metro. They got the second
few as regulation losses in the Eastern Conference. Imagine if
they were and I'm not kidding when I say this,
imagine if they were even averaging the freaking shootout.
Speaker 8 (48:22):
Oh I know, And and for all. Every time I
bring this up, people always say, come on, the Penguins,
they might not even make the playoffs. They say, yeah,
they might not, but they're actually a pretty drunk good team,
far better than any of us could have imagined if
they get into the playoffs. Mark like the road that
in the playoffs might be the Islanders in Carolina in
the first two rounds. But they're in the worst division
in hockey. Why not take advantage of it that they're
(48:44):
in a really, really good spot right now.
Speaker 1 (48:48):
Two things that we can we can we can tack
onto this conversation. Josh, did you see how the Flyers
lost last night?
Speaker 8 (48:55):
I sure did. I thought of you immediately break away.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
The Flyers had a one goalid that you breakaway on
an empty net that half the way guy who sucks
got caught from behind and stripped you tall. Those back
don scores wins it in overtime. It was more glorious
indeed day And they just keep losing.
Speaker 8 (49:11):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (49:11):
They've lost seven out of eight.
Speaker 8 (49:15):
They stink And by the way, the Capitals aren't much better.
It's it's unbelievable how these teams are struggling.
Speaker 1 (49:22):
Capitals have run out of that ov chasing Gretzky energy.
Speaker 8 (49:27):
Yeah, and well, I think Obie's run out of energy too.
Look at his numbers in the last twenty games. I
really think he might be out of gas. I'm telling you,
this is quite an opportunity for the Penguins right now.
It's not their problem or their fault that their division stinks.
Speaker 5 (49:41):
Awesome, They've really got it.
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Do you see Brett Hart at the game?
Speaker 1 (49:45):
And isn't it great that there's a giant banner of
Brett Hart like a Stanley Cup banner at the Calgary.
Speaker 8 (49:49):
Saddle dough there is I probably sent you that picture
last night. I did not see the excellence of I
did not see the excellence of execution. Unfortunately, I looked
for him. I've seen him many times beside the Penguins
locker room after games. Did not sit him around. I
was going to tell him, you said hello. I was
disappointed that I didn't have the chance.
Speaker 2 (50:06):
Yeah, I got to get a hold of Brett Hart.
Like he's one of the guys.
Speaker 1 (50:09):
He might be the classiest guy I worked with, except
for certain comments that we both know. Josh, great, great stuff,
And I will talk to you next week, all right,
Mark sounds good.
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