By Mark Madden
July 21, 2018
Refreshing sports notes equal hot fun in the summertime. Get out the cooler and chaise lounge, head to Latrobe, sit on the hillside, and pretend you can analyze what you’re watching.
• James Harrison says Bill Belichick is a better coach than Mike Tomlin. Well, duh. Harrison also said Belichick has more discipline than Tomlin. Hey, who would know better than the man who fell asleep in meetings and left the stadium before the game on days he wasn’t playing, facing no punishment (or even reprimand) for either? That’s no knock on Harrison. He proved his case before he stated it.
• Harrison accused Tomlin of “playing favorites.” Tomlin sure did, and Harrison was the favorite. Remember @CoachTomlin’s selfie with Deebo?
• Tomlin is a quality coach. But, given their talent, the Steelers have underachieved during his tenure. Sure, Tomlin is 45-19 over the last four regular seasons. That shouldn’t impress Pittsburgh. This isn’t a regular-season town. The Steelers haven’t been in a Super Bowl since 2011. That’s what counts.
• The rumored answer to the Steelers’ paucity of talent at inside linebacker is to instead use a plethora of safeties hybrid-style. But it’s tough to get enthusiastic about that idea when the Steelers don’t yet know who will start at free safety. Not much ability at safety, either.
• The reckoning is more than a year away, but remember this: Replacing Le’Veon Bell will be easy, and the Steelers will be a better team without him in 2019.
• Kennywood Park is adding a “Steelers Country” section featuring a Steelers-themed roller coaster, the “Steel Curtain.” Cue lots of eye-rolling, but it’s what’s best for business. Yinzer Nation will lap that up.
• Kennywood abandoned plans for a Pirates-themed roller coaster when designers pointed out coasters can’t go downhill 90 percent of the time.
• I have lived in Pittsburgh for all of my 57 years but never have been to Kennywood. Can you believe that? But I have had the park’s Potato Patch french fries on many occasions. When it comes to hardening my arteries, I simply can’t be stopped.
• The NFL has suspended and may revise its national anthem policy, which wasn’t a policy. For football’s sake, this controversy needs to go away. If it doesn’t, it will be the focal point of Week 1. The intent of the protests is admirable. But what tangible gains have been made? At this point, the players are fouling their own nest. Ultimately, any economic loss will trickle down to them. That’s how big business works.
• The NFL should offer to stop testing for marijuana in exchange for the NFL Players Association agreeing to a policy that requires standing at attention for the national anthem. Would the players take that deal?
• At Aliquippa High School, Pitt and in the NFL, Darrelle Revis was a truly elite performer. Only Mel Blount and Deion Sanders come to mind as his clear superiors at cornerback. He’s a nailed-on Hall of Famer and made more than $124 million in his 11 seasons. Not far from quarterback money.
• MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout isn’t a bigger star because he doesn’t engage enough opportunities to build his brand (see Brown, Antonio). That’s absurd and unfair. The reason Trout isn’t a bigger star is because he had charisma bypass surgery and because he only has been to the playoffs once in his seven seasons.
• MLB isn’t fading because of Trout. It’s fading because the game is a parody of itself. Too many home runs, walks and strikeouts. No action. The ball isn’t in play often enough. The All-Star Game featured 10 homers. Typical.
• If Trout wants, he could take a lesson from Sidney Crosby. Crosby’s stats, championships and sheer ability make him a star. But he rarely misses a chance to promote hockey. Never says no to the NHL. The resulting exposure burnishes Crosby’s brand. Think Brown without the ego.
• Austin Meadows feels like he “earned the right” to stay in the big leagues. He’s correct. But logic is prohibited in the Pirates organization. Meadows can come back in September and carry Sean Rodriguez’ bags.
• Signing Derek Grant gives the Penguins the NHL’s best sixth-line center. Think of the matchup problems that’s going to create.
• Sometimes Twitter wins: When Shaquille O’Neal pondered a name for his new yacht, somebody replied, “Call it Free Throw, so you won’t ever sink it.”
• At 19 and with plentiful gifts, Christian Pulisic of Hershey is America’s best soccer player. The anti-soccer crowd might even like Pulisic because he gets fouled like crazy but doesn’t dive. Pulisic and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund play Portugal’s Benfica on Wednesday at Heinz Field. It’s not a marquee matchup compared to others in the International Champions Cup quasi-tournament, but Pulisic is decidedly a marquee player.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on 105.9 FM.
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