Starkey & Mueller

Poni and Mueller react to the Steelers extending Omar Khan, and discuss what his best move was as the GM of the Steelers. Jason Mackey joins the show to talk about the investigation of Luis Ortiz and the Pirates current hot streak.

PG columnist Jason Mackey joined the show. The guys asked Jason about the story brewing about Luis Ortiz and a potential gambling investigation. Investigators are looking 2 individual pitches in this story that apparently altered betting markets. The red-hot Pirates have won 6 straight games, but how long can they keep this going? Jason said this run does not change his mind about the current landscape of their front office. At what point should Ben Cherington be vindicated for his work? Jason does not trust Cherington to make notable trades involving Mitch Keller or David Bednar if those opportunities arise later this month. Jason fully expects Don Kelly to be back next season, but how much credit should Cherington get for that? Going back to the Derek Shelton firing, Jason believes it was a Bob Nutting call to make that change 38 games in. What should the expectation be for Spencer Horwitz?

BREAKING: The Steelers have extended Omar Khan through the 2028 season. The guys are having a tough time ultimately judging the job done by Khan so far in his role. How much of a say does he have on big decisions? We hear so many say Mike Tomlin holds iron fist, but how true is that? The offseason acquisitions have notably been more exciting with Khan at the helm, but there were a few key variables as to why Kevin Colbert didn’t always need to be.

Aditi Kinkhabwala discusses Mike Tomlin, Dan Zangrilli talks Pirates, newest edition of Judge Donny, and more.

PM Team FULL Show 7-2-25

Pirates pre-post game host Dan Zangrilli joined the show. Dan said it’s clear the team is responding better to the Don Kelly style of managing than they did to Derek Shelton. The overall vibe is much better too. Dan pointed out how good the team has been, at home especially, since Kelly has taken over. Dan would prefer not trade Mitch Keller, calling him the ‘safest’ guy in your rotation. Dan said trading Bailey Falter or one of the younger arms is more attractive to him than trading Keller. Chris, unbelievably, asked Dan about the Pirates possibly contending enough to be buyers at the deadline.

Aditi Kinkhabwala joins the show to discuss Jalen Ramsey trade, impending TJ Watt contract, and more.

Aditi reiterated her push for the team to re-sign TJ Watt. The conversation turned to the legacy of Mike Tomlin and why he wants to win his way given how he has been treated over the last almost 20 years. If the Steelers DID trade Watt, which team would be most likely to make the best call?

Aditi asked how much longer we can ask ‘what’s going on with the Steelers?’ instead of declaring that these are the ‘new’ Steelers. Aditi thinks the Steelers are ‘all-in’ on the season and trading TJ Watt wouldn’t make sense. Aditi doesn’t think Watt wants just one penny more than Myles Garrett, saying he’s not that petty. The guys think it is a little bit about his pride and ego against a player like Garrett. Aditi talked about how things have changed since the last Watt contract was signed going into the 2021 season.

Audacy Baseball insider Bob Nightengale says the Pirates manager is “smack dab in the NL Manager of the Year race.” Poni and Mueller react.

Mike Florio joins the show to discuss Ramsey/Minkah trade, Pirates make history with 6-game winning streak, Matt Clement joins the show to discuss Don Kelly/Pirates.

Former MLB pitcher and high school hoops coach Matt Clement joined the show. Matt talked about why a strong personality in a manager can be important and brought up the 3 great managers he played for in the majors. He said the attitude shift is clearly different under Don Kelly, which is showing on the field. Matt lauded a Kelly for his management of the bullpen to this point, noting that it can be very difficult as a manager. Matt also credited Kelly for how he has handled Oneil Cruz in the last week since his tough series against Milwaukee. Back-to-back wins for Mitch Keller in a year where he has impressed despite what the record shows. The guys asked Matt a few questions about Greg Maddux and some other great pitchers he played with. Matt told an old Jack Wilson story.

Mike Florio from Pro Football Focus joined the show. Mike kept it simple with the TJ Watt saga – the Steelers would be going down the road of dysfunction if they move on from the player right now. Since the Browns paid Myles Garrett, should other teams be falling in line, like the Steelers with Watt? Mike doesn’t rule out Watt waiting around until Micah Parsons gets his deal, which will almost surely be higher than Garrett’s deal. The guys asked Mike about team spending and why moving Watt could actually put them in a spot to spend enough cap space. Mike gave his reaction to the massive trade between the Steelers and Dolphins, which has him curious about how things went down with Minkah Fitzpatrick. Mike said it’s a net gain in this trade. Mike questioned where Jalen Ramsey will play in this defense.

Are the Penguins really trying to compete, or are they tanking? Rod Woodson thinks Jalen Ramsey can play safety. Sean Gentille joins the show to discuss the Penguins plan.

NHL writer Sean Gentille from The Athletic joined the show. When it came to the Penguins offseason plan – Sean said if it looks like tank and sounds like a tank, it’s a tank. He thinks it is crystal clear what the plan is. Sean said most of the league is ‘done being bad,’ so the Penguins are one of the few sellers around the NHL. He mentioned Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell as the two biggest names approaching the season. Sean said Erik Karlsson has interest around the league, but it’s all about the price.

The Penguins are clearly embracing the tank. The guys looked at why it’s actually beneficial for fans, for now. A ticket that has been very hard to get for years is becoming quite easy. The Pens are basically signing warm bodies to fill out their roster. It won’t be as ugly as it got just over 20 years ago, but it could be close. Chris said if you have a kid that is into hockey, but usually can’t afford to attend games, this is your year to do it.

PM Team FULL Show 7-1-25

Joe Rose from WQAM joined the show. Joe talked about the Steelers-Dolphins trade from the Miami perspective. He said it’s been a mostly negative reaction from fans even though it felt like Jalen Ramsey was heading toward a divorce with the Dolphins. Joe thinks Ramsey can play inside or outside corner and wouldn’t be stunned if he could play a little safety, trying to fill the void left by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Joe is optimistic that the pairing of Ramsey with Mike Tomlin will work. Joe said something went south with Ramsey and Mike McDaniel, but it’s mostly water under the bridge. Joe is interested in how that first press conference goes for Ramsey in Pittsburgh. Joe played tight end in the league, so the guys didn’t think there was a better person to ask about Jonnu Smith. Joe said Smith is ‘as good as any pass receiving tight end as anyone in the league.’ Joe raved about Smith’s YAC numbers. Even at 30-years-old, Joe said Smith is entering his prime and could not say enough good things about him. This whole c

Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown joined the show. Greg said Ke’Bryan Hayes was the player he thinks is leading this offensive charge the most, after hitting .300 in June. The Pirates ended the month in a historic way en route to a 4-0 final 4 games. How will things change with this team over the course of the next month with the trade deadline 30 days away? Greg reiterated to the guys that Ben Cherington and a few others in the front office don’t believe they are too far away from competing. Greg doesn’t think they will move everyone and start from scratch. Greg pondered which guys could be on the move anyway. The guys wanted to spend some time on Dave Parker, including the comments from Nick Gonzales, who suggested the number 39 (the one he wears) to be retired by the team. Pomp gave the Steelers an A for the offseason. The guys tried to hypothesize how he came to that grade. We pointed out that Pomp pushed hard for the Steelers to bring back Justin Fields, but the grade didn’t reflect that. Donny Football

Pomp gave the Steelers an A for the offseason. The guys tried to hypothesize how he came to that grade. We pointed out that Pomp pushed hard for the Steelers to bring back Justin Fields, but the grade didn’t reflect that.