You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Jason Mackey's sports chat: 11.21.24
powered byJotCast
Jason Mackey
11:01
Thanks for joining, everyone. Let's get started.
Billy
11:01
Each week I get stuck reading Pirate questions. I'm baffled that people care about a team that for 30+ years blatantly lies about plans to become competitive and literally uses people to make more money for the owner. Do you feel complicit in this ruse to the public by going along with the charade? I feel sorry for your souls.
Jason Mackey
11:02
Well here's a productive start ... Billy, I've been as critical as anyone of the Pirates. Would think the chatters here have read as much. So, no, I don't feel complicit. I also see our Pirates traffic. It's really good. People care. I/we wouldn't spend the effort if they didn't. I get that you're mad about the Pirates. That's fair. But to undermine the care factor of others, or how I do my job ... no time for it.
Seriously?
11:02
Is it normal for a goalie to be 5 feet out of the cage in OT?
Jason Mackey
11:03
Not really, no. Would not say that was some of Tristan Jarry's best work. To me, though, it shows a guy trying way too hard. They need to keep playing him to let him settle down and find a groove.
Cullen
11:03
Did the Pirates excellent job of handling Skenes rookie year create enough goodwill in Paul's camp to get some traction on a possible extension? Would 7/$140 get the talks started? Would be seriously neat to see the Pirates make a genuine run at extending Paul to make up for everything that happened with Cole. On Paul's side, he seems like a smart enough dude to acknowledge the sacrifices the Pirates made to do right by him, but I'd 100% understand if he wanted to bet on himself and get to free agency asap.
Jason Mackey
11:06
I don't think one relates to the other, honestly. I don't believe Skenes' camp had a huge issue with how they handled him. It largely fit within the norm of baseball these days. But as far as an extension,  think through your numbers. The Pirates would be  getting only two years that they don't already have. Objectively, as much as I wanna see Paul here, is the $140 million worth those two years? Especially when there could be an injury? I don't know the answer to that. Just floating a potential problem. With Paul, would he want to tether himself here or give himself every available shot at winning a World Series? I think that's probably the tougher one. Nobody needs to do anything now. I think if the Pirates are good and competitive, that would help a lot.
Cullen
11:06
What would a Penguins rebuild look like? Would Malkin and Crosby be pieces that would be moved or would they keep them and try to rebuild around them quickly for one more shot at a Stanley Cup run? I'm ngl it would hurt to see those two guys moved considering what they mean to the franchise...
Jason Mackey
11:07
I think they could go a couple different routes. I do find it hard to believe either would leave. I also don't know if you could get rid of everyone around them. Karlsson, Jarry and Graves, for instance. Who's trading for that? But they could move Pettersson and Rakell. Rust, too. I think the direction you'll probably see is more aggressively playing younger players. Anyone who's ready gets a chance. That said, if it gets really ugly, would imagine those guys still value winning and could potentially entertaining a conversation about doing that elsewhere.
PhilinCT
11:07
Once again, thank you for your time and attention. Enjoyed your Cleveland diner article today (what did you order?). Hot Stove question: With the seeming urgency of making the Pirates better next year, what to think of J. Suwinski? I admit I was not that high on him even in 2023 when he was hitting 26 HR but can/do they count on him for anything as they (hopefully) pursue trades and free agency? To me it seems that the Pirates need to have more comfort in the opening day 2025 OF than hoping he regains some of his earlier form.
Jason Mackey
11:10
Thanks, Phil. Glad you enjoyed it. Good reminder to tweet that, which I will do shortly. I ordered a western burger, which was essentially a burger with BBQ sauce, bacon, American cheese and onion straws. It was excellent. I think Jack could still be a part of this thing. I think there's a lot of power there, and the Pirates screwed him up by asking him to think through too much. If I was in charge, he would be your classic see ball/hit ball guy. I don't care about him working deep into counts. I'd live with some strikeouts. But there's power there. As far as next season, I think they need to do two things. 1. Don't block him (or other players vying for OF time alongside Cruz and Reynolds). 2. Basically bank slate what happened under Andy Haines and get him back to being more instinctual at the plate.
Guest
11:10
Other than Crosby and taking no-trade clauses out of the equation, which Pens are tradable, which are giveawayable (another team will take without giving up anything in return) and which ones are we stuck with due to poor performance and bloated contracts?
Jason Mackey
11:11
I'd say Rakell, Pettersson and Rust are easily tradable. At this point, don't know how you could move Karlsson, Jarry or Graves, without attaching assets (read: picks or prospects) to them. That would make any deal counterproductive. You could trade Crosby, Malkin or Letang. But I don't have any indication that they will entertain such a thing.
demosthenes98
11:11
On a scale of one to five dancing bears, how much did you enjoy the Penguins' Grateful Dead night?
Jason Mackey
11:12
I'll go with 2 1/2. Not enough Grateful Dead music during the game. The shirts and signage and logo stuff was cool. But it didn't "sound" enough like a Dead night, outside of some excellent work by theCAUSE. That said, they didn't allow them enough time to play and talked/screamed over them too much.
demosthenes98
11:12
Should Matt Hague and Brent Strom have taken jobs with the Pirates? Or would they have been better off working for the Blue Jays and being retired, respectively? At least they wouldn't be working for a team whose low-character management group lies publicly and openly without shame or consequences.
Jason Mackey
11:13
None of my business to say that for those guys, but I don't see the problem here. It's a logical next step for Hague, who has some familiarity with the organization. You can also look at the Pirates and say there's another level of production many hitters can reach. That bodes well for any hitting coach. Strom is very highly respected, and the Pirates actually have a solid group of young arms: Skenes, Jones, Keller, Ortiz, Falter, Burrows, Oviedo, Harrington, Chandler and Ashcraft. Again, I understand being mad about the Pirates. But I don't get taking it out on those guys for taking jobs in Pittsburgh.
TomNotJarry
11:14
Maybe Jars should have spent another month gorging on Italian food and talking about how good he was going to do this year. I am so surprised that he isn't having his best year as a Pen. It's such a completely perfect off-season plan.
Jason Mackey
11:15
Do you think that all players don't have some sort of getaway? Geez. Still plenty of season ahead, but I do get the frustration surrounding Jarry. Not going to discount. I'll also own my preseason prediction to this point with Jarry. It hasn't looked good. Yell at me all you want for that, but I wasn't the only one who expected far better based on how he looked.
little flounder
11:15
Tonight has all the makings of a Tomlin special
Jason Mackey
11:15
They need to win this game. I agree with you that this setting has not been good. However, the Browns are a gigantic mess. I still think the Steelers win.
Dj
11:15
Who do you think the next penguins to be shipped out will be?
Jason Mackey
11:16
Pettersson or Rakell.
Dj
11:16
What would it take to get rid of karlsson or Jarry? Would you have to package a draft pick or more thought after player?
Jason Mackey
11:16
Yeah, probably premium draft picks, which wouldn't make sense. And I guess if then ... they just haven't been good enough relative to their salaries. Puts the Penguins in a tough spot.
epiballo
11:16
For all the criticism Tomlin gets for game management, he is getting praise for the timeout he took right before the 2-point attempt. It changed the play, but neither had Derek Henry on the field. Any idea why that was?
Jason Mackey
11:17
I can't tell you, sorry. I don't have much intel on the Baltimore side. It was odd, though. I do know they like that pop pass near the goal line a lot, the play they were seemingly going to run before Tomlin's timeout.
epiballo
11:17
While with Tampa Bay, Winston was a turnover machine. If the Steeler D gets good pressure on him, what is your over or under for 2 interceptions?
Jason Mackey
11:18
I'd take the over. That might be the biggest key tonight: Forcing Jameis into mistakes. Believe I've watched Winston twice this season. He forces stuff a lot when he's pressured.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
11:18
How many packages or series does Fields get tonight? I'm hoping for a blowout to keep Russ healthy and to get Fields more reps besides the 1 carry per game.
Jason Mackey
11:19
I think he gets more than one carry. And I don't know if I would use Fields for a whole series. I'd do it sporadically, which I think is what they want to do. I want Wilson and the entire offense to get/stay in rhythm. If they finished with a half-dozen or so plays for Fields, I'd be fine with it.
epiballo
11:26
A reminder: the Browns beat the Ravens. Is this more an indication that the Browns are not as bad as their record or the Ravens aren't as good? Or is it just 'on any given Sunday?'
Jason Mackey
11:27
I think it's the third thing. Which should obviously concern the Steelers tonight. I don't think the Browns are good. But they are capable of being the Steelers, if they don't stop Chubb, get pressure on Winston, score in the red zone, protect the football, etc.
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
11:27
When would you blow up the Pens Jason? They are crazy close to the worst team in the league but only a few points from the final wildcard spot. I am seriously torn on this subject since we have Sid Geno and Letang still playing at a high level.
Jason Mackey
11:28
I'd fire Sullivan and see how it looks for the next 20-30 games. If that still doesn't do it, if I'm Dubas, I'd be willing to do it. But I don't understand why they don't want to get a look or a read on this team with a new coach.
Dan N
11:28
Do the Pirates trade pitching prospects for legitimate young hitters to fit into this 3-4 year plan or wait till January and see what the cat drags in ?
Jason Mackey
11:29
No! No, no and no! Why are we trading pitching prospects? I don't understand this line of thinking. A team like the Pirates should keep all the young pitching it can. If it's a younger guy, fine. But I'm not trading Chandler. They can improve their offense through free agency or another type of trade where they're not giving up MLB or close-to-MLB starting pitching.
epiballo
11:29
How much direct/indirect influence do the big three of Crosby/Malkin/LeTang in firing Sullivan? It seems to me that all four will ride out of town together.
Jason Mackey
11:30
I don't know about that. Hey, we know FSG loves Sullivan. You probably agree with that, but it's not just those guys. Honestly, I don't know how much those guys want to continue doing this. It could just be a poor roster, but there are nights where I swear it looks like they're trying to get him fired.
epiballo
11:30
Read an article about the Pirates having three baseball pitching prospects in the top 100, with speculation that they could be the best starting rotation in MLB. Skenes speculated that another ROY might be coming to Pittsburgh in 2025. Isn't that enough to fuel Pirate fan enthusiasm?
Load More Messages
Connecting…