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BONUS EPISODE: Pgh Sports Current Events - Mar-Apr 2025 · Pittsburgh Sports Memories

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh hello, it's Steve Work joined by my co-host Tim Hannon.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna do a Pittsburgh Sports current events episode.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is for the current events of I don't know, February into late March.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's March 29th.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: And um I feel like every episode of this so far, we've had the same topic, Tim, over and over and over again.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Although I didn't expect it with this name.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean I I can't believe this is happening.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um is it happening?
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Who knows?
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't know.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Is Aaron Rodgers going to be a Steelers quarterback?
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I in my mind, in my opinion, it's not gonna make a difference.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He's in the he's like Mike Thomas.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: He hasn't won a playoff game in like how long?
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: He like he's lost every playoff game he's played in for like the last 10 years.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And it's I I I don't even know what to say.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: If they get him, it's gonna I this is gonna be like being a fan of the team when Brown was on the team.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Or I don't know.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: He's not as bad as Brown.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, his political views don't bother me.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's just he just seems like very anti-team.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's a head case.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: Well, just say that.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's not so much about what he believes or doesn't believe, it's just he's a head case.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And it he's like a cancer in a clocker locker room in a different way than Antonio Brown.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: He's not like disruptive.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: He is disruptive, but in a weird sort of passive-aggressive way.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: I I yeah, I I don't know, like you said, about what difference is it gonna make.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they they signed Mason Rudolph.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: I I I get why maybe they don't think he's a number one quarterback, but but again, the the plan at this point should be for 2026.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: You have you're gonna have all these uh compensatory draft picks, that's what they're projecting.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: You have the opportunity to trade up.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Just just it's supposed to be a deep quarterback draft next year.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Target your quarterback for next year and have a one-year plan for this year.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I guess that's that's an argument both but I guess that could also be an argument for Rodgers, right?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Well, if you just need a one-year plan, why not, you know, Aaron Rodgers?
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I guess you could go that way.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I I don't know.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: I just I'd rather root for Mason Rudolph just as a fan.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Fan.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe he goes on a roll like Nick Foles at the end of the year, and we I mean, that's the only way I see the Steelers winning a Super Bowl the next five to ten years, is like they catch like a quarterback that's like super hot at the end of the year and their defense is still good enough to hold teams.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: And like I don't see them like being a dominant or even they're not even a Super Bowl contender with or without Aaron Rodgers.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: Kind of like uh what's his name?
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Ralph Kiner.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: We can lose in the playoffs in the first round with or without you.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: I I I don't I don't know.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he he's also 42 years old.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it it it's one thing to get a guy that's like you know, like Russ last year, who's kind of at the tail end of his career.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Rogers is really old, but but okay, I'm gonna just do like a bunch of devil's advocate stuff here because he he he did play really well uh in the second half of the year for the Jets last year.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: I I think the other argument is you're gonna have to pay him something, you know, 20, 30, whatever million dollars.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: But it's only a singular cap hit, right?
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: And and and like and I've heard people say, well, you could use that money on other stuff.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Well, what?
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, free agency at this point is pretty much over.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: All the all the big names are gone.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: So what are you gonna use the$30 million on?
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: You know, uh I I don't know, Steve.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm I'm I don't want Rogers, but I'm kind of resigned to the fact that that's probably what's gonna happen.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd rather see I don't think it's I don't I I still think this is 50-50.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think this could go either way.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I I could see him just retiring.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's true.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: That's true.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: Could happen too.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: Or or like Minnesota swoops in last second or some some other team.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: I he's a prima donna enough where he would he likes this too.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: He likes, you know, so well the other thing he could do is wait.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Just wait to see who gets hurt.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah who wants him in week four or five.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: At what point did he turn into Jeff George?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: Jeez.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's like goodness, it's not worth the trouble.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think with Rudolph, I think we all want to root for Mason Rudolph, number one.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think number two, if if he plays well, like if you do have something there, like you had at the end of that 2023 season.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: He has two pretty good wide receivers to throw to.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: I mean Right.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_01: And if he and if he plays well, then you don't have to go all in on a quarterback on a rookie in 2026.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you do go all in on a quarterback, but you can sort of bring him along more slowly.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: With Rodgers, you know for sure you're not gonna have a quarterback next year, period.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: So uh And I'm just getting tired of this, like it very much feels like the Redskins did this for years.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Baltimore at the end of Bell, Bellick, Bell, Brian Bellick's career did this.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Like, this kind of feels like this might be the end of Mike Tomlin's career here, like, is just very much desperation moves to me.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: It it's it's it all goes back to we we talked about this in other some of our podcast episodes.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: It all it all goes back to they didn't have a succession plan for Ben.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and and they made all these draft picks that were trying to to eke out one last year out of Ben.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: At some point, you have to just say, okay, we have to rebuild.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_01: The Penguins, the Penguins did the exact same thing.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Finally, this year, the Penguins have gotten to the point where they're like, okay, it's over, time to rebuild.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: The Steelers need to get to that point too.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And and they don't have to, they don't have to stink.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_01: Again, Mason Rudolph would probably win eight or nine games.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: They wouldn't stink, but they're not but they're you you're not gonna win a Super Bowl.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're just not gonna win a Super Bowl in 2025 with Aaron Rodgers or Mason Rudolph.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Unless you get completely lucky, unless you can't capture lightning in a bottle of like Nick Foles, something or other.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, which could happen, but you're not gonna beat Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes in a playoff game.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: You're just not gonna do that under normal circumstances.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: So if so if if that's the ceiling, why not just stick with Rudolph?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of where I'm at.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you you mentioned the Penguins.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they suck.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: I I saw a game where they gave up uh, what was it, five goals in the second period to Buffalo?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't think Buffalo's even in the playoffs.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: And Lindy Ruff is coaching Buffalo?
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: What what what is going on in the world, Tim?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, he's back with Buffalo.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: What year is this?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Is this 2025?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: Am I crazy here?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, so what what do the penguins do?
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: They need a goaltend there.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_00: They they it it they're in the same boat the Steelers are in.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: The most critical position on the ice or field they don't have.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: And when you don't have that, you're either mediocre to bad, and the penguins have gone bad.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: They I think Crosby still has some mileage in it.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think Malkin's probably done.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Letang's probably getting there if not done.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: And they they have, I think I read 14 picks in rounds one through three in the next three years.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: So you're not gonna use all those picks.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: You couldn't possibly do that.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: So they have a lot of trade capital.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: So they could trade up in the draft, or they could trade and get a free agent.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: I would go for goalie.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: I would they gotta find a goaltender.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, well, they have they have BlumQuist.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: I remember he was a high draft pick, and he's still pretty young, right?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: I I want to say he's maybe 22, 23.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I wouldn't give up on him yet.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would definitely give up on Jari.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, they tried to give up on Jari and nobody would pull him off of waivers.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then they have that that other guy who's just like tall.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: So so uh Blumkiss might turn off to be like goalies usually bloom late.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_01: So so Blumkiss being being 20, 22, 23.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_00: They don't even just somebody serviceable at this point.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody of NHL mediocrity, and they probably make the playoffs this year.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it it it's I'm just glad that they are there, they at least have a strategy, right?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: They like it, yes, it's gonna be rough probably next year too, but at least they have a strategy, and we're moving forward.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: We're not just trying to we're not just playing the the eight and eight game, which is what the steelwars have are kind of doing at this point.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that's not what the Steelers are trying to do, but that's that's what they're doing.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: Like at some point you have to invest in the future.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: And like I said, that's what I think the Steel Wars are gonna do with a quarterback next year, and I think that's what the Penguins are gonna do with all those draft picks.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the future, I don't know if it'll work.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it doesn't mean that that's automatically gonna work, right?
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: When the Steelers drafted Ben Rothesburger, he could have ended up being you know the next you know, Blaine Gabbard or whatever.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so you never know if it's gonna work, but I'm glad that that the future has some hope to it.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Are they gonna fire Mike Sullivan?
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I don't know.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great question.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think so.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think they would have done it by now.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: He's a good coach, but it's just well, I don't know.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: Then you got Lindney Ruff.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, Lindy Ruff has been in Buffalo.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: This is his second stint after a 20-year, I think it was a 20-year stint this first time.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: I I I don't know.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: I I seems like the Fenway people like Sullivan is what it seems like to me.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and I'm not saying he's a bad coach, but maybe sometimes you just need it seems in hockey, especially, you just need to shake things up.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's it's we're in this odd era of Pittsburgh sports where we've got these very entrenched coaches, you know, and uh on both of those teams, it just seems like neither of them are ever gonna be fired.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I I'm less concerned.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, I I'm less concerned about Tomlin or Sullivan.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm more concerned about the front office management of the pieces because I it I think we overrate how important the coaching is.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: If you don't get the right pieces in there, and if you're gonna keep going from you know Kenny Pickett to Russell Wilson to Aaron Rodgers to whatever, you know, you're just not gonna win no matter who the coach is.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: Well, speaking of firing coaches, uh pick pit basketball.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they gotta get rid of him, right?
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_00: Capel's gotta go.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he totally collapsed, and it's just they they're not making the tournament.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: They've made the tournament once since he's been there.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think I just saw the twins are transferring, everybody's transferring.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_00: People are he's had NBA players and he still can't make the tournament.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: I it's gotta be time for Jeff Capel to go, right, Tim?
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, probably.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I really like Jeff Capel.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: I was a big 90s Duke fan.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like, I've always been a fan of Jeff Capel.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, I don't know.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: They were projected in January, they were projected to be a six-seed in the tournament.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: How do you go from projected to being a six-seed to not even making like one of those meaningless tournaments, like the NIT or CBA or whatever?
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: QBC, I don't know.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: I will say, Steve, it'll it'll probably say a lot about this new athletic director to see what what the move is here.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: Because Heather Like, I think, ran the program much like the Rooneys run the Steelers and like the FSTs running the Penguins, where it's like, well, stability matters more than anything.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's why Narduzie's been there forever and and Capel's been there for quite a while now.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have a problem with Narduzzy.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: I I think basketball is more like like um hockey, where you can change coaches and still have a lot of success in your program.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, although I mean North Carolina and Duke had their long-term coaches too, but I I I nobody's gonna confuse Jeff Capel with either of those guys.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: So unfortunately not.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um, all right.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, shifting to our last topic here, the old baseball season started, what, two days ago?
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the Buccos had a lead.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh Skeens pitched uh five and a half innings, had three hits, seven strikeouts, left with a three-run lead, and the pirates go on to blow it.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: The pirates did win yesterday under Mitch Keller, four to four to three, I think.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: They lost this game five to four on a walk-off.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I don't know.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: I guess people just go see Skeens whenever he's pitching.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, I'm I'm trying not to.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think Jared Jones has gotten hurt now, hasn't he?
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: With uh Tommy John, maybe.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I mean the the the the pirates do have a window here.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: They do have a window with with having Jones Keller and and especially Skeens.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's a window where they could actually at least make it to the postseason.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_01: And they they'll they'll they won't do anything with it because they're the pirates.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: They won't invest any kind of effort or money into it, and then we'll just all be disappointed.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: The only honestly, the only hope I have for the future of the Pirates is that the CBA is expiring in 2026, and you know, will there be a push for a salary cap?
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And everybody's like, oh, that yeah, every time that comes up, no, no, that'll never happen in baseball.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: But now with like all the like what happened these last couple offseasons with the Dodgers and the Mets and and just it's like why even have a league of 30 something teams when there's only four that can compete with each other?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you just might as well make it a different league.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: So um in baseball their ratings are down, the attendance is down, like they ESPN let them go.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_01: ESPN let them go because there's there it's not a competitive league anymore.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's like watching the SEC play the the Mac every week, right?
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what's the point?
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: So uh maybe, maybe, maybe the owners will get smart and say, no, we've got to have competitive balance.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: And if that happens and there's a salary floor in addition to a salary cap, yeah, that changes the entire landscape of the game, and it changes everything for the pirates, and it changes everything for the prospect of being able to keep a guy like Paul Skeins.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um or at least having to spend money to get yes, and I don't I I still don't understand why any like run-of-the-mill player would be against the salary cap.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I can see why what's his name um and what they did, the Dodgers and Otani, you know, he's only getting paid two million a year because they backloaded all his pay.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: How is that how is that even legal?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: Like, so they could get around the uh luxury tax, they're not even paying the luxury tax.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: So this is just this is stupid.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's like baseball, it's just they let it it's like the Premier League in a lot of ways, where there's only like two or three teams that have enough money to really compete on a level, and they tried to make a super league over there, and everybody kind of freaked out.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_00: So I I don't know what's gonna happen.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_00: I I I I I don't see baseball changing, and I don't know how baseball stays.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like, do you have the regional sports network, Fox Sports?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have it, right?
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: No, I don't have it.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know anybody who does.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: So their way, that was baseball's big way of making money, was that was their moneymaker, that in attendance, and attendance just doesn't get it done anymore, not in this market.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: So they're they're in trouble that way.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like something's gotta be done about these regional TV networks.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: That's gonna that's gonna really force the issue of baseball, and that might bring about a salary cap or something, because they have to figure out a different way to negotiate their TV contracts.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, again, and and then if you tie it all back to the pirates, that's that's literally the only hope.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: If that doesn't happen, then to me it's not worth investing any of my time or heart into because I'm just gonna get this.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna watch this guy that the schemes that's a once like he's he's Sidney Crosby, he's Ben Rothesberger, he's the once-in-a-generation.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And they're not gonna be able to keep him, yeah.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_01: And they're not gonna be able to keep them, and they're gonna waste the time that he does have here.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: So why would I why would I put my heart and soul into any of that?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, knowing that it's just gonna turn out poorly.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: So uh, but if but if they can if baseball can fix itself, that's a that's a whole different conversation.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it took a whole year for hockey to figure it out.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we'll see.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thanks for tuning into our current sports, and you can put your whole heart and soul into me and Tim.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: We'll never uh we'll never sell you down the river.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: But uh check us out on Facebook, comment on our pages, get out of anything controversial.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: If you're just a big Aaron Rodgers fan and don't want to get don't like vaccination.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: All right, well, thanks for tuning in.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_00: Check us out on all the social media stuff, and uh, we'll catch you next time.