Madden challenges Riverhounds owner: http://www.espnradio1250.com/listingsentry.asp?ID=8744&PT=MARK+MADDEN
I loved to listen to MM when I lived in Da Burgh. He begins and ends his show with YNWA. During the WC he did a column in the Post-Gazette called "Mr. Soccer" or somesuch. The guy is an arrogant bastard, but he tells it like it is. Nothing better than when he bashes Stiller fans for their weak-ass "Here we go Stil-lurz, here we go!" chants. He despises the current Hounds organization because they have absolutely no connection to the city. He knows what he's talking about when referencing Strip Clubs. That's where you'll find him on any given night. I thought he was a Club Elite guy.
That was funny. Thanks for posting it. When I first saw this guy on a local TV station, I was ready for him to start bashing soccer (based on appearances, tone of voice, etc.). After about 5 seconds, I was thinking, damn, I wish this guy was doing commentary for ESPN soccer saturday.
I really think MLS/ESPN missed out during the World Cup they should have had him on the nightly recap shows every night. Or sent him to Japan/Korea as on site reporter or 3rd man in the booth for USA matches. He would have offered humor, passion for the sport and totally blown up sterotypical images of who can be a soccer fan.
Madden should be the third announcer in the national team broadcasts. His heel announcer schtick is passe in wrestling, but it shouldn't be too difficult to improve on Jack-Ty's shilling. If you're familiar with 1980s WWF, Madden could play Jesse "The Body" Ventura to Jack's Vince McMahon and Ty's Bruno Sammartino, laughing at US misplays and cheering opponent's goals while JackTy get incensed and self-righteous. Has Madden ever posted on BigSoccer? When he was doing Nitro, he flamed a wrestling message board.
He has a couple of times, using the rather obscure screen name "Mark Madden." But I believe the recent meltdown ate all his posts. I recall him posting on the EPL boards to ask a question about the availability of alcohol at English matches (research for a column he wrote in the aftermath of the bottle-throwing incident at a Cleveland Brown NFL game last fall).
However much I'd love to see this happen, MM would just be waaaay too over the top for the weenie ESPN and USSF soccer types. Some potential MM on-air quotes: "Hey Jack, why don't you shut your mouth for a minute to let me get a word in edgewise, you freakin' diarhea mouthed SOB. How about I smack you so hard that toupee-lookin doo of yours will need a Mexican yardboy to fix!" "Ty, you stunk as a player, and you're an even worse broadcaster. Why don't you save yourself the embarrassment, and the footy fans of this country the torture of having to listen to your crap, and just go hang yourself. Yeah, that's right. Or even better, why don't you play Russian Roulette with a fully loaded M16. You friggin loser." "This game sucks. But what do you expect from a crap league like MLS. What they need is to be more like the Prem, and specifically, like Liverpool Football Club. Now that's footy at its finest."