Over 2 years ago, I made the following observation regarding a certain sports talk shock radio host:
…does anyone really believe Mark Madden has “reliable sources” anywhere in college sports? Really? The Pens, sure. Maybe even the Steelers. But at Pitt? In basketball? He barely acknowledges the existence of the sport.
This came after Madden cribbed a piece from The Big Lead over the open Oregon job, only he repackaged it to claim he had “sources” telling him that Dixon was heading to Oregon after the Final Four.
So you would think everyone would learn a lesson from this. Mark Madden, however, would hope you would forget it when he teased this on Twitter yesterday.
Oh, boy can’t wait. Must have been juicy to want to go there on NFL Draft day, and a few days after the Pens got bounced from the playoffs.
Drum roll please…
The rumor: that Jamie Dixon was interested in the vacant LSU job and spoke to LSU’s AD about the position.
/pause
/wtf look
/ laughter
Forget that the position was filled last week. The more than 2-week old rumor itself was so quickly debunked that the reporter who started it — retracted it within 12 hours. How is it possible that Madden could miss all of that? Weren’t there some interns around for basic fact-checking? Did he think this was such a hot rumor that he didn’t tell anyone for fear of leak, so that it wasn’t checked? I have no idea. But he spent a whole segment going on about it.
Madden used that as a springboard to claim — once again through his sources in and around Pitt — that the reason was mainly because Dixon has no trust in AD Steve Pederson in light of the firing of Dave Wannstedt. A firing of some 15 months ago. You know, through two whole coaching carousel cycles that saw Dixon ignore overtures and interest in 2011 from Maryland, NC State, Tennessee and Mizzou. Express no interest in South Carolina and Illinois this year, along with his alma mater, TCU. All jobs in far better shape, willing to offer more money, and willing to support basketball. And in the case of the 2011 openings, were within a timeframe when it would be conceivable that the trust issue with Pederson could be realistic.
Of course, if those same sources were telling him that Dixon was talking to LSU, it is kind of hard to believe the rest of it. You may want to, because of your own dislike and distaste for Pederson. Confirmation bias is a seductive mistress. In fact Madden went with that to defend himself after screwing up so badly that nothing he says on the matter should be considered credible.
There might be some truth that Dixon may not fully trust Pederson. Simply based on the reality. But not because Madden claims knowledge — which of course circles it back to the point I made at the beginning of the post.
So after commercial, he came back and admitted to having the entire story wrong — though as you see above he stands by his contention that Dixon distrusts Pederson. It’s just that now he has nothing to base that claim upon.
Still, other than amusing the hell out of me yesterday, there is some potential good that came from this.
Promise?
With apologies to Barry Bonds, Mark Madden cannot carry Myron Cope’s jockstrap.
As for being in the “know” with the Pens, he makes himself out to be personal friends of the many people in the Pens organization. Ha Ha, that’s laughable.
Does he know them, yes, as a sports talk show guy, but it strikes me, that when he leaves the room, they probably all chuckle about him!!
He’s hanging onto something that isn’t there!!
I actually used to, I don’t if the work like would be appropriate, but listened to him. He was fresh, and at times funny, if not bombastic.
I can take bombastic, as long as you let the other people speak, which he did his first few years. Then, he got full of himself, and just started cutting people off, even if they had a good point, if they disagreed with him.
That was the end for me.
Any Pens fans or hockey in general fans on here, don’t sell yourself short, you know as much about hockey as he does.
He’s just a guy with a microphone.
To wit, when I used to listen to him a bit, the Friday before a college football weekend, when he might speak of Pitt, and even PSU and WVU, his whole knowledge of the weekend coming up, was like he went over cliff notes the night before.
I remember one specific comment. Was talking about Nebraska playing someone, and started talking about how the other team would have to play against the wishbone, and would have no chance because they never had seen it before.
Only problem??? Nebraska had moved from the wishbone offense years before!! LOL
Regardless, agree with Chas. If Dixon didn’t trust Pederson (and let’s be honest, who does at this point), he would have left already. If Jamie still trusts SP after these past few years, he’s not leaving for a while unless something really good comes up.
Please Mark Madden.
For the sake of Pitt fans everywhere.
Don’t talk about Pitt basketball. Or Pitt anything really.
Just stick to the Pens.
Mark Madden is a disgusting man-child with tiny little T-Rex arms.
Anyhow, regardless, we all have our opinions. I’ll tell you one thing, maybe the NHL doesn’t have as many fans, but, there are none more passionate!!!
By the way, I like them all. Well, except the NBA, have no interest in that what so ever.
Ok, I’ve become lost with baseball too.
Actually, I’m down to NFL, NHL, college football and basketball.
I guess I don’t like them all!!!
farts
Also just wanted to join the chorus of how much i dislike Maddden. I dont hate ’em, he’s not worth the energy and besides its what he wants. He’s the Rush Limbaugh of Pgh sports world. Full of bluster and says the most outrageous thing he can think of because he knows controversy gets some people to listen. Its one of the worst traits a person can have. Hate those guys.
You can say anything, about any sport really, if you don’t particularly like it.
EXAMPLES…even of sports I like, playing devils advocate……….
NBA. What the hell is that sport. get across the half court line, there are only 14 seconds left in the possession?? There are no plays, no time for plays. Like a playground game, throw it to someone and let them take 3 steps to the hoop. No loyalty to fans, head coaches have about as much power as a bankrupt candle company. Thuggery glorified!!!
MLB. What kind of sport, has grown men, throwing a hard object at someones head, just because he hit a home run off of a guy the last at bat?? Not to mention, always several bench clearing brawls during the season??
Add to that, 160 some games, that each last about 4 hours a piece?? I mean, I can watch a couple innings, get the house painted, and still get back in time to watch the 8th and 9th!!!
And just for kicks, ever watch a football or hockey game for awhile, change the channel to a baseball game, it’s like going into some kind of
Star Trekkian time warp, where time screeches to a halt, as if the teacher from Charlie Brown has taken over in ultra slow motion…”wah wah wah, ra , ra, wah wah wah”
NFL. Geez, what has this become, friggin’ touch football?. Every hit analyzed, and over analyzed, with a suspension policy, that a cold war Russian nuclear scientist couldn’t even figure out. Penalty on this hit, but no suspension. Not even a penalty on this hit, but on Monday the league gives the guy 4 games??? This guy gets one game, this guy gets six???
Not to mention a team in New England who taped other teams practices, a team in New Orleans who had bounties out to injure other players, and apparently even bugged the coaching booth of the other team???
NHL, as said above, fighting, and some people may not like 5 on 4’s or 5 on 3’s. And I’m sure there are some other things people don’t like. Won’t say much more, like I said, a couple big points have allready been made.
NCAA football. Geez, is there a more effed up system of determining the “champion” of any sport on earth??? Total chaos at the end, where over the last 10 years, I believe twice, if not three times, a team has finished 12-0 and have been determined not worthy enough to play in the championship game???
The hypocrisy of the leaders saying, a playoff system would weigh on the “student athlete”??? It’s ok that every other NCAA sanctioned sport has a playoff and determines a true champion. Including, the 4 or 5 other divisions, of the actual sport of football, but, somehow Division 1 football cannot have a playoff because it would be too difficult, and again, hinder our “student athletes”???
NCAA basketball Is there a more whorish, seedy, dirty entity than what is college basketball recruiting??? Make the red light district of New Orleans look like St. Patricks cathedral.
The cess pool of what goes on behind the scenes, can only be imagined, but from what we see on just the surface, we would have to turn our childrens heads and cover their eyes and ears so as they don’t turn to stone.
Players coming to play for one year, and one year only, having no intention of ever going to class, and the idea of staying for 4 years to get their college degree is about as foreign idea to them as being dropped out of the blue on to a mountain in Nepal. A subject that must be dismissed and probably not even spoken of on the initial recruiting visit. “look, you’re only gonna be here a year or two, so, we don’t even need to talk about a class schedule”. “coach, what’s a class schedule??” “don’t worry about that, we don’t even need to waste time on that topic son”
A sport that has taken the word contract, and made it one of the most laughable words in the English dictionary. On top of that, not only are contracts broken by coaches, but, they are allowed to leave on a whim, yet the player if so desires to transfer, has to sit out a year???????
Anyhow, playing the devils advocate, one can see all sports can be picked apart, and we should respect the fact that all of us like different things.
All of the above, that I typed as the devils advocate, suprisingly too you possibly, does not affect my love for the sports I enjoy, NFL, NHL and college football and college basketball.
They are problems, for discussion, but not even thought about when the particular seasons starts for me.
One caveat, my favorite sport of all if I had to pick one, college football…..the lack of a playoff does bother me at the end of the year.
That, is probably the most bizarre of them all. Playoffs in every other college sport, including the 4 or 5 other football classifications, the overwhelming majority of millions upon millions of college football fans (who pay the bills) clamoring in pretty much unison for a playoff, only to be quickly dismissed by the leadership when asked about a playoff, with a quick wave of the hand, next question.
LOL!!! I promise I won’t post again………for at least another hour!!!!!!!! LMAO!!!
Comment by Dan 04.27.12 @ 11:46 am
Dan-o my man. I had to chime in. Nebraska has NEVER played the wishbone. I think your thinking about Oklahoma. Nebraska until Bill Callahan ALWAYS played the I-Formation, with their many famous I-Backs since way back in the Bob Devaney era, which was pre-Tom Osborne.
As far as Madden, never listened to him since I haven’t lived in Pittsburgh for 2 decades. I do occasionally listen to The Fan during Pitt’s baskteball & football season. From what I can tell,most all these guys on the radio are blowharts and are extremely rude to most of their callers.
Why ppl even call them to be ridiculed, abused and hung up on, boggles.
Haven’t been “Scotched” in awhile!!!!
The problem with the hard liquors, is, many times you really don’t feel like you’re getting anywhere, then, suddenly, you’re there!!!
LOL!!! Good day to you fellas!!!
I’m being left alone again tonight, I’ll try not to turn the computer on!!! LOL
@Big Bill, being compared to DRW may just be the wake up call I need!!!!
Have a good weekend guys!!!
He’ll talk about Pitt BBall again. It’s in his blood. He believes in Eric Bischoff’s mantra that “controversy creates cash.”