December 15, 2025 • 35 mins
Mark dives into the Steelers Dolphins matchup tonight without Watt and JB joins the show to discuss the Penguins' latest collapse.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I was very sad to hear of Rob Reiner's death.
He appeared on this program a couple of years back,
and it was an honor to talk to him. Absolute
comedic genius, all time great filmmaker, Spinal Tap, Meathead, Princess Bride,
Wolfe of Wall Street, a few good men. The list
(00:22):
goes on and on, so great and so diverse. My
heart is breaking, Rob Reiner, r ip uh Tom got fired,
but he'll be back tomorrow. So you can call immediate
mont at a three three four one two w xdx.
(00:43):
That's a three to three four one two w xdx.
If you're going to the game tonight, tell me why,
I mean, why the heck would you? What's the attraction?
How could it possibly be fun in nine degree weather?
And while this is a big game in terms of
(01:03):
maintaining the division lead the AFC North, it's not a
very good Steeler team. So what would winning tonight lead to?
At best? And now Jalen Warren is questionable with illness
or maybe it's just too cold on maybe he's smarter
than those of you who are going. My idea for
(01:24):
you is to come watch the game with the super
genius at sidelines. In Millville. Great wings, and I'll be
fired up. It don't bother me that Jalen Warren's that.
I think he's a decent back. But I've wanted to
see more all year of the rookie Caleb Johnson, and
if this facilitates that, that's okay by me.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's a big game for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
It's a bigger game for Miami, who can only maintain
any mathematical hope of qualifying for a wild card by
winning this evening. I think the game tonight's a toss up.
Everybody says Miami won't want to play in the cold
because they're in Florida. What you think the Steelers want
(02:13):
to play a nine degree weather?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Nobody does.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I did a ran on Tim Benz's podcast last night
about how every NFL stadium should have a roof or
a dome, you know, retractable whatever. When the weather's bad,
Every NFL game should be played indoors. The NFL is
a multi billion dollar industry, all that betting on top
(02:38):
of that, and in cooperation with the league and its
broadcast partners, so make the playing condition standard and good
for every game.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
There's no.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Romance in those snow Globe games like people pretend not
in person, certainly maybe if you're watching on TV, and
you know who the biggest ass clowns in the world
are are the players on NFL teams who go out
to play on nights like tonight with no sleeves to
(03:12):
prove they're tough. They're not tough. They're just playing stupid.
And by the way, I bet TJ. Watt is gonna
sue the Steelers over this punctured lung thing, the dry needling.
There's some signs that definitely point in that direction, and
(03:33):
I'm gonna share those with you a little later on
this program. But right now, let's get to the quarterback reports.
Pat Mahomes's knee buckled towards ACL and Kansas City is
now officially eliminated from playoff content, And just like I
(03:54):
said would happen before the season started, so please do
bow down at the altar of the super Genius. I
knew it was too many extra games in all those
playoff runs, and now I think their dynasty is done.
Mahomes might not be ready for the start the next year.
Travis Kelcey's washed up. They had a great run one rings,
(04:17):
but now they're finished. Kenny Pickett, formerly of this parish.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
He started for Las Vegas yesterday.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
He was fifteen for twenty five for sixty four yards,
one pick, four sacks. Vegas lost thirty one meal at Philadelphia,
so that wasn't too good of a game for our Kenny.
He averaged two point six yards per passing attempt. Shador
Sanders for Cleveland was eighteen for thirty five for one
(04:47):
hundred and seventy seven yards, three picks, five sacks. The
Brons got killed, but I still see Chador as a victim.
He's just an oppressed urban youth having to cope with
a racist society. Philip Rivers, Grandpa, forty four years old.
He was eighteen for twenty seven for only one hundred
(05:08):
and twenty yards, one touchdown, one pick. He got sacked
once and didn't die, so there's that. But he was
used as a game manager in a terrified fashion. So
I'm not sure what the point is of him playing.
Although Seattle is very good, and Indy was at Seattle
(05:30):
and the Seahawks only beat the Colts by two eighteen sixteen.
Oh and today, after yesterday's result, Joe Burrow the Bengals quarterback.
He's even less happy boohoo for him because Baltimore killed
the Bengals and Burrow was terrible. But it could be worse.
He could be on the Steelers, and I'm not kidding.
If Burrow came to the Steelers, he wouldn't even get
(05:53):
stats and the Steelers still won't win playoff games. He'd
be trading Jamar and Ti for DK and well, I
guess stealing right now. But he'd be gone when Rogers
is gone, So I don't know DK and the fat Kid.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I guess a tight end.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Some Mark on Twitter said that the Bengals how they're
doing shows why you don't tank.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, I think they've shown why you do tank.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Einstein, I'd rather have Cincinnati's last six years than the
steelers last six years. Cincinnati played in a Super Bowl
and in an AFC Championship game in twenty twenty one
and twenty twenty two. If they set that up by
going too and fourteen and twenty nineteen to get Burrow,
it sounds like that plan got maybe not perfectly executed,
(06:47):
but fairly well. So you look at what the Steelers
have done in those six years, and it amounts.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
To boring, boring, boring. Yo. Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
The other thing somebody else tweeted was Kansas City now
with mahomes odd and having been mathematically eliminated, they're going
to play three meaningless games to end the year. And
this guy marveled that the Steelers have only played one
meaningless game in the Mike Common era. Actually, they've played
a ton of meaningless games. We just didn't know it
(07:22):
at the time. All this being in the mushy middle,
all this being man, all this being largely competitive, what's
it got him?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
What's it got him?
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I mean, needless to say, you'd rather have Kansas City's
run than the Steelers run. And I'd rather have Cincinnati's
run with Burrow than Tom Win's run with the Steelers
the last six years.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Let's go real quick to John down town. John, you're
on with Mark Mark.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Man?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm John.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Hey, I'm out here ready to tailgate. You're asking why
white people were coming out him.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I'm already hear, I'm ready to go.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
I'm getting fired up.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
So you're outside tailgating right now.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
I'm sitting in my car waiting, so I'm gonna let
me in three o'clock they.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Open up and you're gonna be outside then tailgating.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Yep, five hours. I got my heaters staying warm. I'm
ready to go.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
John, You're stupid and I hope you freeze the debts.
But thank you for taking the time to call. Uh
you can you can call now. Like I said, Tom
got fired, but he'll be back tomorrow. The number to
call his eight three three four one two WXDX. We
got Jonathan Bumbully talking hockey at the bottom of the hour,
and just around the corner, I will talk about the
(08:32):
problems the Penguins are having because they are many and
they are great. I'll also fill you in on my
notion the TJ. Watt is gonna sue the Steelers. What
five ninety X.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Here's the story.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I'm a bit behind on, but almost everybody else is ignoring,
both nationally and in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
TJ.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Watt is out for tonight and probably for the season,
I'm told because of that dry needling thing, the punctured
lun The definitive statement about what happened did not come
from the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
It came from TJ's brother JJ Watt.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Again not from the Steelers, even though it was a
team administered procedure. No statement from the Steelers except for
Wat's status for the game tonight, and when Tomlin was
asked about it, Tomlin said he didn't know.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Tomlin said he didn't know.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
That's a flat out, bold faced lie, a flat out,
bold faced lie. You're telling me that Tomlin, the Steelers
head coach, did he didn't know what's wrong with his
highest paid player. That's an absolute lie. And would it
surprise you if TJ. Watt winds up suing the Steelers
(09:55):
over medical malpractice. Would not surprise me a little bit.
What JJ Watt said and what Toma didn't say, it's
all very lawsuiting. By the way, the contract extension given TJ. Watt,
like I said the day it was inked, that extension,
is one of the worst decisions in Steeler's history, maybe
(10:19):
the worst, and it came not long after the Steelers
drafted Kenny Pickett, another all time great faux pap. This
Steelers organization is a clown show. It doesn't even remotely
know what it's doing. And I know you don't want
to hear that, but I enjoy telling you that because
(10:40):
it's just so evident. If you want to admit it.
I'm gonna do my big Penguin's rant in just a
little bit. We will preface that by having JB on
Jonathan Bumbulli from the trib in just a few seconds.
But I also to point out it's a Josh Joey
(11:01):
tweet regarding tomorrow night's home game against Edmonton. We talk
about how dumb you are if you go to the
Steeler game tonight outdoors at nine degree weather, and you
are You're stupid if you go. But let me read
this Joey tweet about tomorrow night's game. Tickets are expensive
and the Pen's had a gruesome week, But go tomorrow
if you're able. Because Sid two points from catching Mario,
(11:23):
Mario will be in the building. McDavid's at his peak,
Dry Sattles one point from hitting number one thousand, Jari
is playing against the Penguins. I'm assuming Skinner will be
in goal for the Penguins against Edmonton.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
That's a big nights.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
And but if you go and they pull that crap
again blowing the leads, I'm not gonna blame you if
you boo yesterday when they blew the three Niel lead
at the end of two and ended up losing five
to four in overtime to Utah that third period. The
Penguin fans at home, we're as venomous as I've ever
heard them with the booing, and I can't say I
(12:03):
blame them. I'm normally for sticking with the home team,
but these are for sure mitigating circumstances. By the way,
with the bad weather and snow this weekend, the Akroscher
Stadium's groundkeepers have been temporarily replaced by pen dot workers.
(12:23):
The field's still going to be crap, and there's also
a two hour delay for the following school districts. Jonathan
Bmbully up next, one oh five to nine. The Penguins
are in a bit of a rut. I think that's understated,
joining me not to talk about it. He is the
assistant sports letter for the trip. Always a pleasure to
talk to. Jonathan Bombulli JB. Here's a weird yet simple question.
(12:47):
How do the Penguin stop choking? Because that's what it
is and it feels like it's in their DNA.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Now, Yeah, the stopping it is the hard part, Like
explaining it isn't isn't as hard as stopping it. Because
I really feel like they have a mental block at
this point, like it's it's it's like a Putter with
the yips or Steve Blast disease or something like that
where you know the scene and the Replacements where Shane
Falco they ask him what he's afraid of and he says,
(13:13):
quicksand do you know what I'm talking about?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Yeah, they're in quicksand like you can feel the choke
coming the minute the first goal thereof goes.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
In and the harder you try to get out of it,
the more you think in the Quicksand So I really
I think it's I really think it's a lot of
it is psychological.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
I mean you could draw you can draw.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Up x's and o's. Don't think there's anything wrong with
their x's and o's. And I think that the solution
might also be psychological, like this might be the kind
of problem that requires like a team meeting, a closed
door meeting or a or voodoo or something like. I
don't think it's it's something that Dan Music is gonna
break down video and fix. I think these guys just
have to get out of their own heads well and.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Ire somebody's gonna say something to JB. For example, after
the game yesterday, and I know you're gonna say stuff
to the meeting that's different than what you say in
the locker room. But since talking about breaks and bounces
and finishing the game, somebody needs to say, whether in
private or in public, this is horseman or and totally unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
There need to be some hard words.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Except that that just makes you think more into the
quicksand you need to just snap out of it.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
In JB. This way ain't working. I'd try the.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Other way, right, Yeah, you're right, something has to be changed,
Although I mean sid does have a point. I mean,
if Brian Russ puts that puck in the net instead
of hitting the post, it's a different.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Come right, right right right on Saturday, no question.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But still, like you look at this streak of choking
and stuff like that adds up.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
How much do you blame the goaltending?
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Because the bad defense is obvious and then you know,
feeling under pressure is as well.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
But you got to make a save?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely, gold Tang is definitely part part of the blame,
a large part. But here's what I'd say, Like all you,
this team has been like kind of stub standard, sub average, defensively,
they've been like a you know, I don't know if
they're a bottom five team in the league defensively, but
they probably bottom.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Tenk Here's what I will say.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I thought their defensive core before the year was for
sure bottom ten, and for a while it overachieved.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
But not right now.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Well, I think what happened to a large degree is
the goaltending overachieved. And it could be Jarry especially. I
mean that you traded away your hot goalie is what happened.
So I'm not saying that was a mistake. It's in
the big picture, it's definitely not a mistake. But in
the small picture, you got a hot goalie and you
traded him away, and now you know he's playing behind
the sub sub you know, like like I said, bottom
(15:45):
ten type of defense, and your hot goalie's gone. So
that's sort of the nuts and bolts explanation of what's
going on. Here's the thing that kind of gets to me.
There's a there's a photo that we use with your
column today, the tread mark, and there it's the Tofoli
goal that ties it against the Sharks, and there's three
(16:05):
penguins around the net in the photo and it's Shay,
and it's Weatherspoon and it's a Charie and those are
their three best defensive guys. I mean, if you're damn
mused and you're trying to protect a one goal lead
and you have everybody at your disposal, who do you
send over the boards to protect a one goal lead?
Like there's no great answers.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Chari gone Righty left you with the defense pair.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
That's one thing I didn't like in that game was
he went with Carlson Latang and then Shay and Watherspoon.
I mean, I get Shayan Watherspoon, but still left He
Lefty when they don't like to do it. And I
didn't understand it all. Carlson little Latang out there together
protecting a lead, and he's done that fairly frequently at
the end of games this season.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Well, I understand it in the sense that you want
two guys on the ice who have who are you know,
have been through situations and those two guys, Crystal Tang's
been on the ice protect leads in Stanley Cup finals
like these guys. Tive Oh, it's a different ballgame entirely.
I'm just saying that I don't think you have a
great option. There's nobody. There are no defensive stoppers on
(17:14):
that roster. Like I said, a Charie and Weatherspoon are
the closest thing, and those guys are not. You know,
Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey, you know what I mean.
Like that, those are those are their average defensive players,
and those are your best options here. I have a
question for you this this third period collapsing started really
(17:35):
bad when right after they lost two of their four
centers to injury in the same game. But it was
Malcolm and it was Lizott. Right now, there's no way,
there's no way Malcolm and Lazote's absence can cause this
kind of an impact, can it.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
I think it It disrupted their rhythm, the way they
roll lines.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
In the way those two lines play.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I mean, I'm not saying it's a major cause, but
I'm not sure anyone thing, honestly, besides the goaltending is
a major cause for this. I think it's a bunch
of little causes adding up disastrously. Well.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I would have said goaltending was the a plus number
one cause before when She Loves, because I think She
Loves has been pretty rough for about six weeks now.
But then the same thing happened to Mershov, who was,
you know, not in any sort of.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
A roam, and the bad goal in overtime, which happened
to him when he was here earlier this year.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Yeah, and he also, I mean, when they're trying to
protect the lead, I think we might disagree on this.
When they're trying to protect the lead, what I see
is a team that is so passive. They don't take
away the blue line, they don't try to prevent pucks
from entering the zone, they don't take away time in space.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I think they get pass them when it's too late.
I think I think they should have come into the
third period yesterday, in the third period Saturday trapping dump,
being trying to work down low and trapping. But instead
they did what the Penguins do, which is attack all
the time. And then when a couple goals went in,
that's when they got passive, but not in any way constructively.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Okay, I guess I'm talking about like the when the
five on six situation with the goalie pulled.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
They literally at the point it gets to five on six,
they're so far off their own backside they don't know
what to do.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
They look with the boxer who's so afraid of getting
counterpunched that they just stand there and get punched in
the face over and over again. That's the analogy that
I would use to describe them in the last couple
of minutes. But you're talking about in the first couple
of minutes of the third period when they gave up
those goals against Utah. Okay, then I don't think we
disagree at all. That was But here's the thing about trapping.
(19:41):
Trapping is something that you can do aggressively. You can
be no.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Question you can attack and trap at the same time.
It's just waiting for defense to turn into offense.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah. I mean they need to deny entries. They need
to you know, clear the front of them that they
need to do active things, not passive thing. I know
that's you know, easier said than done and also real
armchair analysis.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
But I wish, I wish I would have had that
line for my column. JB. Where were you when I
needed you?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
We're talking to Jonathan Bombulli the trib here on the
Home of the Penguins one oh five ninety X. Is
it worth keeping the roster together or would you start
trading off the veterans. I know what the standings say.
I know they're only one point out of a playoff Berth.
I know they have the fewest losses in regulation in
the conference, which is just crazy, JB.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
But I also know what I'm seeing.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
You know, they have at least one point in the
standings in nine of the next eleven games.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
It's unreal, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
It sounds like it sounds like a hot streak when
you say it that way, and it's anything. But I
think the answer to your question lies in how important
is it to you to sneak into the playoffs, Because
they can do that. It'd be very difficult to do
that if you trade it away a couple of you know,
your best pieces, especially your forwards, and they're not.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Going to do it for Sid's steak, which is another
debate whether that's good or bad.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah, but you think it's important to sneak into the playoffs,
and you know, maybe you lose the first round, likely
you lose in the first round. If that's important, then
I don't sell.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I gotta tell you, though, j B. Let me play
devil's advocate.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
If they do make the playoffs, I think it is
very likely they would lose in the first round. But
in this conference, I can't say I know that for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Well sure, if you get a goalie on a heater
like they had Jerry, then you can win a series
or two for two, I mean winning two series if something.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
I mean, the only team I would be fearful if
they played in the first round would be Carolina and
maybe not even them, because they're just not a playoff
style team, and I think Brenda Moore is a lousy
playoff coach.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Carolina looks like the only decent item in the Eastern
Conference if you look at the standings. Depending on how
you feel about Tampa, I mean, you know, I think
they're tool Yeah, and Vassilevsky needs to stay healthy. I
mean that's a huge part of it. But you know,
look at teams that.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Are holding down a playoffs far now.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Detroit's holding one down, the Islanders are holding one down,
Like I don't you say that the Penguins are just
out of the playoff spot. But it's like some of
the teams they'd have to catch aren't any good at all.
So and they have and they have games at hand,
so like they're in there's no chance they're out of
the playoff race by the trade deadline. So here, I'll
(22:20):
give you one one exception. Now, I think the guys
you got from Edmonton, you know, Kolak and I.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Think they're going to help.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I think Klak especially, I think he'll be a stabilizing
force on defense. And Skinner, I mean Edmonton, they blame
him for losing the last two Stanley Cup finals, but
he did get him there.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
And also every time something, every time he had a
bad game, it was like dredged up the ghosts of
playoff losses and stuff and that that won't happen here.
But I was gonna say those I mean they traded.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Edmonton traded who they perceived to be a bad big
game goalie for maybe the worst big game goalie I've
ever seen.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, this is a huge gamble on Edmonton's part. It's
not a huge gamble on the Penguins part.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
To gamble on Edmonton's part, don't you well?
Speaker 3 (23:06):
They had to do something. I mean doing nothing was
not an option. But I I'm not if you're looking
to get better in the playoffs and your answer is
trist and Jerry, I don't know. I'm a little skeptical
of that thinking. But what I was going to say, Mark,
is that they could move Skinner and cool act yes,
because those are expiring contracts. If you know, if those
are attractive to the team, I think you can do
(23:26):
that without disrupting your whole playoff push. If that's something
you were inclined to do. I think if you trade
Russell Raquel, you're disrupting the whole thing. You might as
well trade everybody.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Now, Edmonton's here tomorrow and not doing great either. I mean,
they've won six to ten, but they've been kind of
trading sewage. Where are the Oilers at and where's McDavid at?
Speaker 3 (23:48):
I don't like I've noticed something. I was looking at
stats in terms of like goals against forwards in the
league who have been on the ice for the most
goals against, because I was looking to see where Crosby
sits in that, you know, because he plays a lot
in Penglands, give up a lot of goals and he's
kind of he's on the leader board, but he's not
near the top. McDavid's near the top. He's he's way
(24:11):
ahead in terms of goals for when he's on the
ice and he's also way up top goals against when
he's on the ice. So that leads me to believe,
having not watched Edmonton closely this season, that they're doing
what they do, which is score goals and give up goals,
and and that'll get them through. That'll get you know,
that'll get you an art Ross, and that'll get you
(24:32):
deep into the playoffs. And whether that'll get you a
championship or not, everybody knows how it goes. I mean,
the Penguins had to do it in the nineties. Sometimes
you got to buckle down, and that's what they need
to do. But when I when you know when they're
coming in to play a game here, that's what I expect.
I expect that team that's going to score a lot
of goals and give up a lot of goals.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, it's funny.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I saw the Burrough speech from before this week and
then again after he played terribly yesterday. You know, the whiny, poor, poor,
pitiful me, it's no find any more speech. I'm expecting
that speech from McDavid at some point.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
That's possible. You're gonna get it from me because he
Burrows on my fantasy team got minus point five points
this is no fun. This fantasy league's no fun. Why
should I do it? Joe?
Speaker 1 (25:16):
But but what one guy who's a scapegoat for all
this is Crysala Tang because the fans have to narrow
it down to one guy they can blame, who a
lot of them didn't like in the first place, and
if we replace him, it'll get better.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I think that's absurd.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I think Latang and Carlson both got to be better.
I feel like pairing them in tight situations isn't a
good move. But like I always say, if you bench
one or both, who the frig plays in their place
and doesn't make the team better, the answer is obviously no.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, well I would say this first of all, Crystal
Tang at even strength this year has been on the
ice for I believe one more goal against than goals four,
So it's it's not like he's a train wreck. But
there are memorable players that are bad plays, turnovers that
lead to goals and things of this nature. And you know,
he has had his minutes I think scaled back a bit.
(26:08):
I think Carlson's playing the most minutes now and I
think Carlson has earned those by playing better this year.
Than he has the last two years. So I think
you do have to monitor La Tang's you know, ice
time in now that he's in his thirties. But you know,
I don't I think, like I said, the raw numbers
tell you the story, the reason that the Penguins, and
(26:30):
this is the story of the whole team, and it's
also the story of Crys Latang. They blew a five
to one lead on Saturday. They had a five to
one lead, they had to get it and Latang's a
big part of getting that lead in addition to a
big part of giving up that lead. So that's always
the case with offensive defense, but it's been the case
since you know, Paul Coffee's days, or before him, Bobby
(26:50):
orr so, you know. But the thing is, the Penguins
have two of them, and they eat up a lot
of minutes, and they're the most experienced players on the
tee on the defense, and when you're Dan musing, you're
trying to protect the lead and you look down the bench,
those two guys look like better options than you know,
I don't know Jack Saint Ivany or Yeah, don't get.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Me wrong, I'd played Jack Saint Ivany ahead of Ahead
of Connor Clifton. But but I mean, yeah, people want
to bench people and they don't, and there's always the
siren song of the truly stupid JB.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Anybody would be better. Get anybody in there. Uh.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
And finally, one thing that I think has been underplayed
because it's a huge deal is Sid is about to
catch Mario for career points. I think we've known for
some time it's inevitable, but what an accomplishment, particularly with
a franchise like this one. Like, I don't think it
matters who the career points leader in say Carolina is.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I don't know, it's the top of my head. You
just asked a good turia question. By accident, I would say,
if they count the whalers, it is probably Ronnie Francis. Like,
I never thought to me that the most striking thing
about Sid passing Mario is you have to think back
to when Sid was just coming into the league, and
if someone had said to you, this kid is going
(28:08):
to end up with more career points than Mario Lemieux,
you would have said, hold your horses, let's not. I know,
this kid's a great prospect, let's not hold him to
that kind of standard. And in hindsight, it was perfectly
fair to hold him to that kind of standard. He
is that caliber of player.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, I never thought I would rate anybody in a
class with Mario or in Gretzky, but I do with Sid.
I'm making that a quartet. And I think he's a monument.
I think he's the most consistent hockey player of.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
All time, sure and competitives and you know, just a winner.
And honestly, you have to take there's a whole generation
of fans mark maybe two generations of fans who can't
really grasp how far ahead of any other player to
ever play for the Penguins that Mario was at one point,
(29:01):
you know what I mean, Like before Sid came around,
you know, the Gats, the Gulf from one to two,
you know, probably Yogurt. It was huge, Like we couldn't
conceive of the idea of somebody being in the same
sentence as Mary e Lemieux in nineteen ninety four. If
you had said that to me in you know, thirty
(29:22):
years from now, you will be mentioning someone else in
the same breath as Mary e Lemieux and I would say,
you're out of your mind, and we are, And that's
a huge testament to sit.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
JB as always terrific insight. We'll talk to you again soon.
That is Jonathan Bumbulli from the trip. We got a
lot of football talk today too. Alan Saunders will be
joining us. We got Phil Burke to talk hockey. Oh
our football guru Matt Williamson at three thirty. It's the
(29:52):
Mark Madden Show on one oh five ninety X. You
know what's really gaining a lot of momentum among the
Steelers stooge media is Kansas City playing three meaningless games
not to end their season after they've been eliminated mathematically
from playoff contention, and that the Steelers under Mike tom
would have only played one of those in his nineteen years. Okay,
(30:14):
but what did all that lead to no losing season streak?
The no meaningless game streak well won in his tenure. Anyway,
it means nothing if you don't accomplish on the back
of those and the Steelers have it.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
The Steelers have it.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
But leave it to the Steelers stooge media to say
everything Steelers do good. Kansas City, they're not as good
as the Steelers. They're playing meaningless games. Shut the frig
up the first hour of The Mark Mannon Show, brought
to us by Shandrorovich, Cenrorovic and Fisherman. They got your back,
(30:54):
not your wallet right now, even in the absence of
tom My, producer was fired. But we'll be back tomorrow.
It's the trifecta. And today the trifect is. Top three
most memorable things for me done by Rob Reiner in
show business Rob Reiner passing away yesterday tragically. Number three
(31:19):
is he played Michael Stivic Meathead on All in the Family,
and that was in the salad days of his career.
But it was an unforgettable show and an unforgettable character.
And the goodbye scene when he and Gloria moved to
California and he says farewell to Archie is one of
the best scenes in the history of situational comedy TV.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Number two stand By Me, which he directed.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
The movie just a classic film, a quintessential coming of
age tale.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
And number one, how could it be anything else? For me?
Certainly Vinyl Tap the original.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
There was a sequel just last year which was excellent
as well, but nothing could ever top the original movie,
The rocumentary, the mockumentary, the documentary. This is Spinal Tap
with Rob Ryaner not only producing but a character in
the film as documentarian Marty de Bergie. So that's my
(32:25):
top three for Rob Riiner. My trifecta, May he rest
in peace. Just off the list is Wolf of Wall Street,
which he played Leonardo DiCaprio's father in Mad Max. He
was just excellent in that showed his comedic chops and
timing which very few could match him for. So the
(32:46):
trifecta brought to was by Danny's pitern Hogies, Pittsburgh's original
oven baked hogy since nineteen sixty. That's Danny's en Route
eighty eight in Bethel Park. If you'd like the all
dial eight three three four one two wxdx. That's eight
three to three four one two wxdx at the top
(33:08):
of the hour. Just moments away, I'll be doing my
penguin rant. We talked to JB about the penguin's habit
of choking. I'll give you my full analysis of it
just from on the corner.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
We got the Steelers hosting Miami tonight. Come watch the
game with me at sidelines in Millville. Get wings, just
great wings and sidelines the Dolphins practiced outdoors late Saturday
night upon arriving in Pittsburgh. That was at RMU to
get used to the night and the cold. That's maybe
(33:41):
eighty percent prudent, maybe twenty percent thinking too much. The
Steelers have won twenty two straight Monday night football home games.
That's incredible. But Miami is playing better right now than
the Steelers. Four straight wins, running the ball very well,
very good defense, a lot of takeaways. A better coach
(34:01):
than Tomlin and Mike McDaniel, although they've played meaningless games,
so he must suck. Tomlin must be better, like Tomlin's
a better coach than Andy Reid because the Steelers only
played the one meaningless game in nineteen years and the
Chiefs are now going to play three. You Steeler Riders
for one moment, Dot stooge I might drop de of
(34:23):
a heart attack.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Same goes for Pirate Riders too.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
If the Steelers get to lead tonight and TUA has
to catch up two A loons, so I feel like
the game will be decided early and it's in the Steelers' hands.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
You got no TJ. Watt.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I don't think that's a big deal because you got
the other three guys. Rogers has been sometimes okay, sometimes shaky,
but he had things organized at Baltimore for that big win.
It's a winnable game. They very likely win, but it's
far from a lock. I just wish Firemouth and John
who would get involved. Put the fat kid on his
(35:02):
fat ass on the bench. But it's gonna be feeling
and MVS and the fat Kid because that's what Rogers wants.
And that's okay if it works, but not if it
doesn't Rogers. If this season goes awry and they don't
win a playoff game, Rogers should get more blame than
he's currently getting. Okay, just around the corner, I'll bitch
(35:25):
about the Penguins, and then we want calls on the fifteens.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Call now.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Uh eight three, three four one two w xdx's The
Mark Mann Show on one oh five to nine
I was very sad to hear of Rob Reiner's death.
He appeared on this program a couple of years back,
and it was an honor to talk to him. Absolute
comedic genius, all time great filmmaker, Spinal Tap, Meathead, Princess Bride,
Wolfe of Wall Street, a few good men. The list
(00:22):
goes on and on, so great and so diverse. My
heart is breaking, Rob Reiner, r ip uh Tom got fired,
but he'll be back tomorrow. So you can call immediate
mont at a three three four one two w xdx.
(00:43):
That's a three to three four one two w xdx.
If you're going to the game tonight, tell me why,
I mean, why the heck would you? What's the attraction?
How could it possibly be fun in nine degree weather?
And while this is a big game in terms of
(01:03):
maintaining the division lead the AFC North, it's not a
very good Steeler team. So what would winning tonight lead to?
At best? And now Jalen Warren is questionable with illness
or maybe it's just too cold on maybe he's smarter
than those of you who are going. My idea for
(01:24):
you is to come watch the game with the super
genius at sidelines. In Millville. Great wings, and I'll be
fired up. It don't bother me that Jalen Warren's that.
I think he's a decent back. But I've wanted to
see more all year of the rookie Caleb Johnson, and
if this facilitates that, that's okay by me.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's a big game for the Steelers.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
It's a bigger game for Miami, who can only maintain
any mathematical hope of qualifying for a wild card by
winning this evening. I think the game tonight's a toss up.
Everybody says Miami won't want to play in the cold
because they're in Florida. What you think the Steelers want
(02:13):
to play a nine degree weather?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Nobody does.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I did a ran on Tim Benz's podcast last night
about how every NFL stadium should have a roof or
a dome, you know, retractable whatever. When the weather's bad,
Every NFL game should be played indoors. The NFL is
a multi billion dollar industry, all that betting on top
(02:38):
of that, and in cooperation with the league and its
broadcast partners, so make the playing condition standard and good
for every game.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
There's no.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Romance in those snow Globe games like people pretend not
in person, certainly maybe if you're watching on TV, and
you know who the biggest ass clowns in the world
are are the players on NFL teams who go out
to play on nights like tonight with no sleeves to
(03:12):
prove they're tough. They're not tough. They're just playing stupid.
And by the way, I bet TJ. Watt is gonna
sue the Steelers over this punctured lung thing, the dry needling.
There's some signs that definitely point in that direction, and
(03:33):
I'm gonna share those with you a little later on
this program. But right now, let's get to the quarterback reports.
Pat Mahomes's knee buckled towards ACL and Kansas City is
now officially eliminated from playoff content, And just like I
(03:54):
said would happen before the season started, so please do
bow down at the altar of the super Genius. I
knew it was too many extra games in all those
playoff runs, and now I think their dynasty is done.
Mahomes might not be ready for the start the next year.
Travis Kelcey's washed up. They had a great run one rings,
(04:17):
but now they're finished. Kenny Pickett, formerly of this parish.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
He started for Las Vegas yesterday.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
He was fifteen for twenty five for sixty four yards,
one pick, four sacks. Vegas lost thirty one meal at Philadelphia,
so that wasn't too good of a game for our Kenny.
He averaged two point six yards per passing attempt. Shador
Sanders for Cleveland was eighteen for thirty five for one
(04:47):
hundred and seventy seven yards, three picks, five sacks. The
Brons got killed, but I still see Chador as a victim.
He's just an oppressed urban youth having to cope with
a racist society. Philip Rivers, Grandpa, forty four years old.
He was eighteen for twenty seven for only one hundred
(05:08):
and twenty yards, one touchdown, one pick. He got sacked
once and didn't die, so there's that. But he was
used as a game manager in a terrified fashion. So
I'm not sure what the point is of him playing.
Although Seattle is very good, and Indy was at Seattle
(05:30):
and the Seahawks only beat the Colts by two eighteen sixteen.
Oh and today, after yesterday's result, Joe Burrow the Bengals quarterback.
He's even less happy boohoo for him because Baltimore killed
the Bengals and Burrow was terrible. But it could be worse.
He could be on the Steelers, and I'm not kidding.
If Burrow came to the Steelers, he wouldn't even get
(05:53):
stats and the Steelers still won't win playoff games. He'd
be trading Jamar and Ti for DK and well, I
guess stealing right now. But he'd be gone when Rogers
is gone, So I don't know DK and the fat Kid.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I guess a tight end.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Some Mark on Twitter said that the Bengals how they're
doing shows why you don't tank.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Yeah, I think they've shown why you do tank.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Einstein, I'd rather have Cincinnati's last six years than the
steelers last six years. Cincinnati played in a Super Bowl
and in an AFC Championship game in twenty twenty one
and twenty twenty two. If they set that up by
going too and fourteen and twenty nineteen to get Burrow,
it sounds like that plan got maybe not perfectly executed,
(06:47):
but fairly well. So you look at what the Steelers
have done in those six years, and it amounts.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
To boring, boring, boring. Yo. Uh.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
The other thing somebody else tweeted was Kansas City now
with mahomes odd and having been mathematically eliminated, they're going
to play three meaningless games to end the year. And
this guy marveled that the Steelers have only played one
meaningless game in the Mike Common era. Actually, they've played
a ton of meaningless games. We just didn't know it
(07:22):
at the time. All this being in the mushy middle,
all this being man, all this being largely competitive, what's
it got him?
Speaker 2 (07:31):
What's it got him?
Speaker 1 (07:33):
I mean, needless to say, you'd rather have Kansas City's
run than the Steelers run. And I'd rather have Cincinnati's
run with Burrow than Tom Win's run with the Steelers
the last six years.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Let's go real quick to John down town. John, you're
on with Mark Mark.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
What's up?
Speaker 3 (07:50):
Man?
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm John.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Hey, I'm out here ready to tailgate. You're asking why
white people were coming out him.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
I'm already hear, I'm ready to go.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
I'm getting fired up.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
So you're outside tailgating right now.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
I'm sitting in my car waiting, so I'm gonna let
me in three o'clock they.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Open up and you're gonna be outside then tailgating.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Yep, five hours. I got my heaters staying warm. I'm
ready to go.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
John, You're stupid and I hope you freeze the debts.
But thank you for taking the time to call. Uh
you can you can call now. Like I said, Tom
got fired, but he'll be back tomorrow. The number to
call his eight three three four one two WXDX. We
got Jonathan Bumbully talking hockey at the bottom of the hour,
and just around the corner, I will talk about the
(08:32):
problems the Penguins are having because they are many and
they are great. I'll also fill you in on my
notion the TJ. Watt is gonna sue the Steelers. What
five ninety X.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Here's the story.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
I'm a bit behind on, but almost everybody else is ignoring,
both nationally and in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
TJ.
Speaker 1 (08:54):
Watt is out for tonight and probably for the season,
I'm told because of that dry needling thing, the punctured
lun The definitive statement about what happened did not come
from the Steelers.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
It came from TJ's brother JJ Watt.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Again not from the Steelers, even though it was a
team administered procedure. No statement from the Steelers except for
Wat's status for the game tonight, and when Tomlin was
asked about it, Tomlin said he didn't know.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Tomlin said he didn't know.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
That's a flat out, bold faced lie, a flat out,
bold faced lie. You're telling me that Tomlin, the Steelers
head coach, did he didn't know what's wrong with his
highest paid player. That's an absolute lie. And would it
surprise you if TJ. Watt winds up suing the Steelers
(09:55):
over medical malpractice. Would not surprise me a little bit.
What JJ Watt said and what Toma didn't say, it's
all very lawsuiting. By the way, the contract extension given TJ. Watt,
like I said the day it was inked, that extension,
is one of the worst decisions in Steeler's history, maybe
(10:19):
the worst, and it came not long after the Steelers
drafted Kenny Pickett, another all time great faux pap. This
Steelers organization is a clown show. It doesn't even remotely
know what it's doing. And I know you don't want
to hear that, but I enjoy telling you that because
(10:40):
it's just so evident. If you want to admit it.
I'm gonna do my big Penguin's rant in just a
little bit. We will preface that by having JB on
Jonathan Bumbulli from the trib in just a few seconds.
But I also to point out it's a Josh Joey
(11:01):
tweet regarding tomorrow night's home game against Edmonton. We talk
about how dumb you are if you go to the
Steeler game tonight outdoors at nine degree weather, and you
are You're stupid if you go. But let me read
this Joey tweet about tomorrow night's game. Tickets are expensive
and the Pen's had a gruesome week, But go tomorrow
if you're able. Because Sid two points from catching Mario,
(11:23):
Mario will be in the building. McDavid's at his peak,
Dry Sattles one point from hitting number one thousand, Jari
is playing against the Penguins. I'm assuming Skinner will be
in goal for the Penguins against Edmonton.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
That's a big nights.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
And but if you go and they pull that crap
again blowing the leads, I'm not gonna blame you if
you boo yesterday when they blew the three Niel lead
at the end of two and ended up losing five
to four in overtime to Utah that third period. The
Penguin fans at home, we're as venomous as I've ever
heard them with the booing, and I can't say I
(12:03):
blame them. I'm normally for sticking with the home team,
but these are for sure mitigating circumstances. By the way,
with the bad weather and snow this weekend, the Akroscher
Stadium's groundkeepers have been temporarily replaced by pen dot workers.
(12:23):
The field's still going to be crap, and there's also
a two hour delay for the following school districts. Jonathan
Bmbully up next, one oh five to nine. The Penguins
are in a bit of a rut. I think that's understated,
joining me not to talk about it. He is the
assistant sports letter for the trip. Always a pleasure to
talk to. Jonathan Bombulli JB. Here's a weird yet simple question.
(12:47):
How do the Penguin stop choking? Because that's what it
is and it feels like it's in their DNA.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Now, Yeah, the stopping it is the hard part, Like
explaining it isn't isn't as hard as stopping it. Because
I really feel like they have a mental block at
this point, like it's it's it's like a Putter with
the yips or Steve Blast disease or something like that
where you know the scene and the Replacements where Shane
Falco they ask him what he's afraid of and he says,
(13:13):
quicksand do you know what I'm talking about?
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Yeah, they're in quicksand like you can feel the choke
coming the minute the first goal thereof goes.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
In and the harder you try to get out of it,
the more you think in the Quicksand So I really
I think it's I really think it's a lot of
it is psychological.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
I mean you could draw you can draw.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Up x's and o's. Don't think there's anything wrong with
their x's and o's. And I think that the solution
might also be psychological, like this might be the kind
of problem that requires like a team meeting, a closed
door meeting or a or voodoo or something like. I
don't think it's it's something that Dan Music is gonna
break down video and fix. I think these guys just
have to get out of their own heads well and.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Ire somebody's gonna say something to JB. For example, after
the game yesterday, and I know you're gonna say stuff
to the meeting that's different than what you say in
the locker room. But since talking about breaks and bounces
and finishing the game, somebody needs to say, whether in
private or in public, this is horseman or and totally unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
There need to be some hard words.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Except that that just makes you think more into the
quicksand you need to just snap out of it.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
In JB. This way ain't working. I'd try the.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Other way, right, Yeah, you're right, something has to be changed,
Although I mean sid does have a point. I mean,
if Brian Russ puts that puck in the net instead
of hitting the post, it's a different.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Come right, right right right on Saturday, no question.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
But still, like you look at this streak of choking
and stuff like that adds up.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
How much do you blame the goaltending?
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Because the bad defense is obvious and then you know,
feeling under pressure is as well.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
But you got to make a save?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, definitely, gold Tang is definitely part part of the blame,
a large part. But here's what I'd say, Like all you,
this team has been like kind of stub standard, sub average, defensively,
they've been like a you know, I don't know if
they're a bottom five team in the league defensively, but
they probably bottom.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Tenk Here's what I will say.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I thought their defensive core before the year was for
sure bottom ten, and for a while it overachieved.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
But not right now.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
Well, I think what happened to a large degree is
the goaltending overachieved. And it could be Jarry especially. I
mean that you traded away your hot goalie is what happened.
So I'm not saying that was a mistake. It's in
the big picture, it's definitely not a mistake. But in
the small picture, you got a hot goalie and you
traded him away, and now you know he's playing behind
the sub sub you know, like like I said, bottom
(15:45):
ten type of defense, and your hot goalie's gone. So
that's sort of the nuts and bolts explanation of what's
going on. Here's the thing that kind of gets to me.
There's a there's a photo that we use with your
column today, the tread mark, and there it's the Tofoli
goal that ties it against the Sharks, and there's three
(16:05):
penguins around the net in the photo and it's Shay,
and it's Weatherspoon and it's a Charie and those are
their three best defensive guys. I mean, if you're damn
mused and you're trying to protect a one goal lead
and you have everybody at your disposal, who do you
send over the boards to protect a one goal lead?
Like there's no great answers.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Chari gone Righty left you with the defense pair.
Speaker 1 (16:31):
That's one thing I didn't like in that game was
he went with Carlson Latang and then Shay and Watherspoon.
I mean, I get Shayan Watherspoon, but still left He
Lefty when they don't like to do it. And I
didn't understand it all. Carlson little Latang out there together
protecting a lead, and he's done that fairly frequently at
the end of games this season.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Well, I understand it in the sense that you want
two guys on the ice who have who are you know,
have been through situations and those two guys, Crystal Tang's
been on the ice protect leads in Stanley Cup finals
like these guys. Tive Oh, it's a different ballgame entirely.
I'm just saying that I don't think you have a
great option. There's nobody. There are no defensive stoppers on
(17:14):
that roster. Like I said, a Charie and Weatherspoon are
the closest thing, and those guys are not. You know,
Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey, you know what I mean.
Like that, those are those are their average defensive players,
and those are your best options here. I have a
question for you this this third period collapsing started really
(17:35):
bad when right after they lost two of their four
centers to injury in the same game. But it was
Malcolm and it was Lizott. Right now, there's no way,
there's no way Malcolm and Lazote's absence can cause this
kind of an impact, can it.
Speaker 1 (17:50):
I think it It disrupted their rhythm, the way they
roll lines.
Speaker 2 (17:54):
In the way those two lines play.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
I mean, I'm not saying it's a major cause, but
I'm not sure anyone thing, honestly, besides the goaltending is
a major cause for this. I think it's a bunch
of little causes adding up disastrously. Well.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
I would have said goaltending was the a plus number
one cause before when She Loves, because I think She
Loves has been pretty rough for about six weeks now.
But then the same thing happened to Mershov, who was,
you know, not in any sort of.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
A roam, and the bad goal in overtime, which happened
to him when he was here earlier this year.
Speaker 3 (18:28):
Yeah, and he also, I mean, when they're trying to
protect the lead, I think we might disagree on this.
When they're trying to protect the lead, what I see
is a team that is so passive. They don't take
away the blue line, they don't try to prevent pucks
from entering the zone, they don't take away time in space.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
I think they get pass them when it's too late.
I think I think they should have come into the
third period yesterday, in the third period Saturday trapping dump,
being trying to work down low and trapping. But instead
they did what the Penguins do, which is attack all
the time. And then when a couple goals went in,
that's when they got passive, but not in any way constructively.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Okay, I guess I'm talking about like the when the
five on six situation with the goalie pulled.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
They literally at the point it gets to five on six,
they're so far off their own backside they don't know
what to do.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
They look with the boxer who's so afraid of getting
counterpunched that they just stand there and get punched in
the face over and over again. That's the analogy that
I would use to describe them in the last couple
of minutes. But you're talking about in the first couple
of minutes of the third period when they gave up
those goals against Utah. Okay, then I don't think we
disagree at all. That was But here's the thing about trapping.
(19:41):
Trapping is something that you can do aggressively. You can
be no.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Question you can attack and trap at the same time.
It's just waiting for defense to turn into offense.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah. I mean they need to deny entries. They need
to you know, clear the front of them that they
need to do active things, not passive thing. I know
that's you know, easier said than done and also real
armchair analysis.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
But I wish, I wish I would have had that
line for my column. JB. Where were you when I
needed you?
Speaker 1 (20:09):
We're talking to Jonathan Bombulli the trib here on the
Home of the Penguins one oh five ninety X. Is
it worth keeping the roster together or would you start
trading off the veterans. I know what the standings say.
I know they're only one point out of a playoff Berth.
I know they have the fewest losses in regulation in
the conference, which is just crazy, JB.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
But I also know what I'm seeing.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
You know, they have at least one point in the
standings in nine of the next eleven games.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
It's unreal, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
It sounds like it sounds like a hot streak when
you say it that way, and it's anything. But I
think the answer to your question lies in how important
is it to you to sneak into the playoffs, Because
they can do that. It'd be very difficult to do
that if you trade it away a couple of you know,
your best pieces, especially your forwards, and they're not.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Going to do it for Sid's steak, which is another
debate whether that's good or bad.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Yeah, but you think it's important to sneak into the playoffs,
and you know, maybe you lose the first round, likely
you lose in the first round. If that's important, then
I don't sell.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I gotta tell you, though, j B. Let me play
devil's advocate.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
If they do make the playoffs, I think it is
very likely they would lose in the first round. But
in this conference, I can't say I know that for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Well sure, if you get a goalie on a heater
like they had Jerry, then you can win a series
or two for two, I mean winning two series if something.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
I mean, the only team I would be fearful if
they played in the first round would be Carolina and
maybe not even them, because they're just not a playoff
style team, and I think Brenda Moore is a lousy
playoff coach.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
Carolina looks like the only decent item in the Eastern
Conference if you look at the standings. Depending on how
you feel about Tampa, I mean, you know, I think
they're tool Yeah, and Vassilevsky needs to stay healthy. I
mean that's a huge part of it. But you know,
look at teams that.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Are holding down a playoffs far now.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Detroit's holding one down, the Islanders are holding one down,
Like I don't you say that the Penguins are just
out of the playoff spot. But it's like some of
the teams they'd have to catch aren't any good at all.
So and they have and they have games at hand,
so like they're in there's no chance they're out of
the playoff race by the trade deadline. So here, I'll
(22:20):
give you one one exception. Now, I think the guys
you got from Edmonton, you know, Kolak and I.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Think they're going to help.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I think Klak especially, I think he'll be a stabilizing
force on defense. And Skinner, I mean Edmonton, they blame
him for losing the last two Stanley Cup finals, but
he did get him there.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
And also every time something, every time he had a
bad game, it was like dredged up the ghosts of
playoff losses and stuff and that that won't happen here.
But I was gonna say those I mean they traded.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
Edmonton traded who they perceived to be a bad big
game goalie for maybe the worst big game goalie I've
ever seen.
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Yeah, this is a huge gamble on Edmonton's part. It's
not a huge gamble on the Penguins part.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
To gamble on Edmonton's part, don't you well?
Speaker 3 (23:06):
They had to do something. I mean doing nothing was
not an option. But I I'm not if you're looking
to get better in the playoffs and your answer is
trist and Jerry, I don't know. I'm a little skeptical
of that thinking. But what I was going to say, Mark,
is that they could move Skinner and cool act yes,
because those are expiring contracts. If you know, if those
are attractive to the team, I think you can do
(23:26):
that without disrupting your whole playoff push. If that's something
you were inclined to do. I think if you trade
Russell Raquel, you're disrupting the whole thing. You might as
well trade everybody.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
Now, Edmonton's here tomorrow and not doing great either. I mean,
they've won six to ten, but they've been kind of
trading sewage. Where are the Oilers at and where's McDavid at?
Speaker 3 (23:48):
I don't like I've noticed something. I was looking at
stats in terms of like goals against forwards in the
league who have been on the ice for the most
goals against, because I was looking to see where Crosby
sits in that, you know, because he plays a lot
in Penglands, give up a lot of goals and he's
kind of he's on the leader board, but he's not
near the top. McDavid's near the top. He's he's way
(24:11):
ahead in terms of goals for when he's on the
ice and he's also way up top goals against when
he's on the ice. So that leads me to believe,
having not watched Edmonton closely this season, that they're doing
what they do, which is score goals and give up goals,
and and that'll get them through. That'll get you know,
that'll get you an art Ross, and that'll get you
(24:32):
deep into the playoffs. And whether that'll get you a
championship or not, everybody knows how it goes. I mean,
the Penguins had to do it in the nineties. Sometimes
you got to buckle down, and that's what they need
to do. But when I when you know when they're
coming in to play a game here, that's what I expect.
I expect that team that's going to score a lot
of goals and give up a lot of goals.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Well, it's funny.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
I saw the Burrough speech from before this week and
then again after he played terribly yesterday. You know, the whiny, poor, poor,
pitiful me, it's no find any more speech. I'm expecting
that speech from McDavid at some point.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
That's possible. You're gonna get it from me because he
Burrows on my fantasy team got minus point five points
this is no fun. This fantasy league's no fun. Why
should I do it? Joe?
Speaker 1 (25:16):
But but what one guy who's a scapegoat for all
this is Crysala Tang because the fans have to narrow
it down to one guy they can blame, who a
lot of them didn't like in the first place, and
if we replace him, it'll get better.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I think that's absurd.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
I think Latang and Carlson both got to be better.
I feel like pairing them in tight situations isn't a
good move. But like I always say, if you bench
one or both, who the frig plays in their place
and doesn't make the team better, the answer is obviously no.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Yeah, well I would say this first of all, Crystal
Tang at even strength this year has been on the
ice for I believe one more goal against than goals four,
So it's it's not like he's a train wreck. But
there are memorable players that are bad plays, turnovers that
lead to goals and things of this nature. And you know,
he has had his minutes I think scaled back a bit.
(26:08):
I think Carlson's playing the most minutes now and I
think Carlson has earned those by playing better this year.
Than he has the last two years. So I think
you do have to monitor La Tang's you know, ice
time in now that he's in his thirties. But you know,
I don't I think, like I said, the raw numbers
tell you the story, the reason that the Penguins, and
(26:30):
this is the story of the whole team, and it's
also the story of Crys Latang. They blew a five
to one lead on Saturday. They had a five to
one lead, they had to get it and Latang's a
big part of getting that lead in addition to a
big part of giving up that lead. So that's always
the case with offensive defense, but it's been the case
since you know, Paul Coffee's days, or before him, Bobby
(26:50):
orr so, you know. But the thing is, the Penguins
have two of them, and they eat up a lot
of minutes, and they're the most experienced players on the
tee on the defense, and when you're Dan musing, you're
trying to protect the lead and you look down the bench,
those two guys look like better options than you know,
I don't know Jack Saint Ivany or Yeah, don't get.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Me wrong, I'd played Jack Saint Ivany ahead of Ahead
of Connor Clifton. But but I mean, yeah, people want
to bench people and they don't, and there's always the
siren song of the truly stupid JB.
Speaker 2 (27:19):
Anybody would be better. Get anybody in there. Uh.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
And finally, one thing that I think has been underplayed
because it's a huge deal is Sid is about to
catch Mario for career points. I think we've known for
some time it's inevitable, but what an accomplishment, particularly with
a franchise like this one. Like, I don't think it
matters who the career points leader in say Carolina is.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
I don't know, it's the top of my head. You
just asked a good turia question. By accident, I would say,
if they count the whalers, it is probably Ronnie Francis. Like,
I never thought to me that the most striking thing
about Sid passing Mario is you have to think back
to when Sid was just coming into the league, and
if someone had said to you, this kid is going
(28:08):
to end up with more career points than Mario Lemieux,
you would have said, hold your horses, let's not. I know,
this kid's a great prospect, let's not hold him to
that kind of standard. And in hindsight, it was perfectly
fair to hold him to that kind of standard. He
is that caliber of player.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Yeah, I never thought I would rate anybody in a
class with Mario or in Gretzky, but I do with Sid.
I'm making that a quartet. And I think he's a monument.
I think he's the most consistent hockey player of.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
All time, sure and competitives and you know, just a winner.
And honestly, you have to take there's a whole generation
of fans mark maybe two generations of fans who can't
really grasp how far ahead of any other player to
ever play for the Penguins that Mario was at one point,
(29:01):
you know what I mean, Like before Sid came around,
you know, the Gats, the Gulf from one to two,
you know, probably Yogurt. It was huge, Like we couldn't
conceive of the idea of somebody being in the same
sentence as Mary e Lemieux in nineteen ninety four. If
you had said that to me in you know, thirty
(29:22):
years from now, you will be mentioning someone else in
the same breath as Mary e Lemieux and I would say,
you're out of your mind, and we are, And that's
a huge testament to sit.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
JB as always terrific insight. We'll talk to you again soon.
That is Jonathan Bumbulli from the trip. We got a
lot of football talk today too. Alan Saunders will be
joining us. We got Phil Burke to talk hockey. Oh
our football guru Matt Williamson at three thirty. It's the
(29:52):
Mark Madden Show on one oh five ninety X. You
know what's really gaining a lot of momentum among the
Steelers stooge media is Kansas City playing three meaningless games
not to end their season after they've been eliminated mathematically
from playoff contention, and that the Steelers under Mike tom
would have only played one of those in his nineteen years. Okay,
(30:14):
but what did all that lead to no losing season streak?
The no meaningless game streak well won in his tenure. Anyway,
it means nothing if you don't accomplish on the back
of those and the Steelers have it.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
The Steelers have it.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
But leave it to the Steelers stooge media to say
everything Steelers do good. Kansas City, they're not as good
as the Steelers. They're playing meaningless games. Shut the frig
up the first hour of The Mark Mannon Show, brought
to us by Shandrorovich, Cenrorovic and Fisherman. They got your back,
(30:54):
not your wallet right now, even in the absence of
tom My, producer was fired. But we'll be back tomorrow.
It's the trifecta. And today the trifect is. Top three
most memorable things for me done by Rob Reiner in
show business Rob Reiner passing away yesterday tragically. Number three
(31:19):
is he played Michael Stivic Meathead on All in the Family,
and that was in the salad days of his career.
But it was an unforgettable show and an unforgettable character.
And the goodbye scene when he and Gloria moved to
California and he says farewell to Archie is one of
the best scenes in the history of situational comedy TV.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
Number two stand By Me, which he directed.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
The movie just a classic film, a quintessential coming of
age tale.
Speaker 2 (31:55):
And number one, how could it be anything else? For me?
Certainly Vinyl Tap the original.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
There was a sequel just last year which was excellent
as well, but nothing could ever top the original movie,
The rocumentary, the mockumentary, the documentary. This is Spinal Tap
with Rob Ryaner not only producing but a character in
the film as documentarian Marty de Bergie. So that's my
(32:25):
top three for Rob Riiner. My trifecta, May he rest
in peace. Just off the list is Wolf of Wall Street,
which he played Leonardo DiCaprio's father in Mad Max. He
was just excellent in that showed his comedic chops and
timing which very few could match him for. So the
(32:46):
trifecta brought to was by Danny's pitern Hogies, Pittsburgh's original
oven baked hogy since nineteen sixty. That's Danny's en Route
eighty eight in Bethel Park. If you'd like the all
dial eight three three four one two wxdx. That's eight
three to three four one two wxdx at the top
(33:08):
of the hour. Just moments away, I'll be doing my
penguin rant. We talked to JB about the penguin's habit
of choking. I'll give you my full analysis of it
just from on the corner.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
We got the Steelers hosting Miami tonight. Come watch the
game with me at sidelines in Millville. Get wings, just
great wings and sidelines the Dolphins practiced outdoors late Saturday
night upon arriving in Pittsburgh. That was at RMU to
get used to the night and the cold. That's maybe
(33:41):
eighty percent prudent, maybe twenty percent thinking too much. The
Steelers have won twenty two straight Monday night football home games.
That's incredible. But Miami is playing better right now than
the Steelers. Four straight wins, running the ball very well,
very good defense, a lot of takeaways. A better coach
(34:01):
than Tomlin and Mike McDaniel, although they've played meaningless games,
so he must suck. Tomlin must be better, like Tomlin's
a better coach than Andy Reid because the Steelers only
played the one meaningless game in nineteen years and the
Chiefs are now going to play three. You Steeler Riders
for one moment, Dot stooge I might drop de of
(34:23):
a heart attack.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
Same goes for Pirate Riders too.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
If the Steelers get to lead tonight and TUA has
to catch up two A loons, so I feel like
the game will be decided early and it's in the Steelers' hands.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
You got no TJ. Watt.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I don't think that's a big deal because you got
the other three guys. Rogers has been sometimes okay, sometimes shaky,
but he had things organized at Baltimore for that big win.
It's a winnable game. They very likely win, but it's
far from a lock. I just wish Firemouth and John
who would get involved. Put the fat kid on his
(35:02):
fat ass on the bench. But it's gonna be feeling
and MVS and the fat Kid because that's what Rogers wants.
And that's okay if it works, but not if it
doesn't Rogers. If this season goes awry and they don't
win a playoff game, Rogers should get more blame than
he's currently getting. Okay, just around the corner, I'll bitch
(35:25):
about the Penguins, and then we want calls on the fifteens.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Call now.
Speaker 1 (35:32):
Uh eight three, three four one two w xdx's The
Mark Mann Show on one oh five to nine
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!