Starkey & Mueller

Happy Anniversary, Paul Skenes! It’s been 2 years since the Pirates drafted him and they have gotten worse in the process. How is that possible? Does Skenes deserve any blame? It’s enraging to see what the Pirates have done so far with one of the best pitchers in baseball.

PM Team FULL Show 7-8-25

Some serious, but funny Pirates Top 25 since 2000 lists.

Some serious, but funny Pirates Top 25 since 2000 lists.

ESPN is continuing to put out potential Paul Skenes trade packages with a few weeks to go before the trade deadline. It feels like they are filled with names that we have, mostly, never heard of. We also looked at the no-trade list for Bryan Reynolds and it’s a little confusing. Is he afraid of taxes? Donny Football Debrief – Happy Birthday, Jack Lambert. Is there a more popular Steeler all-time? Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown joined the show. Greg told the doubters of Oneil Cruz in the HR Derby to watch him take BP sometime. Greg said it’s good for baseball and the Pirates having a player in the Derby. Greg said he plans on asking Don Kelly about Cruz taking part and if he’s worried about him going into a second half slump. Greg talked about a few big prospects that flopped with the Buccos. The guys wanted to get Greg’s reaction to the Cruz throw home from Sunday afternoon. Greg reiterated that Ben Cherington will take a pretty big swing at the deadline. Does Greg believe the Pirates are ‘close’ to being

Pirates broadcaster Greg Brown joined the show. Greg told the doubters of Oneil Cruz in the HR Derby to watch him take BP sometime. Greg said it’s good for baseball and the Pirates having a player in the Derby. Greg said he plans on asking Don Kelly about Cruz taking part and if he’s worried about him going into a second half slump. Greg talked about a few big prospects that flopped with the Buccos. The guys wanted to get Greg’s reaction to the Cruz throw home from Sunday afternoon. Greg reiterated that Ben Cherington will take a pretty big swing at the deadline. Does Greg believe the Pirates are ‘close’ to being a playoff team? The guys asked Greg about Paul Skenes getting pulled after 5 innings the other day and if he was on-board with it.

We also looked at the no-trade list for Bryan Reynolds and it’s a little confusing. Is he afraid of taxes?

There’s a feeling that a handful of teams are waiting on TJ Watt and seeing what happens with his negotiations with the Steelers. Poni listed the Eagles, 49ers and Lions as the teams that feel like the most likely to make a move. Which team would be the best to make a deal with? Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt gave his thoughts on Paul Skenes named to his second straight All Star Game and the idea that the Pirates are limiting his innings so he can pitch in the mid-summer classic. Skenes is 4-7 and he might start the ASG – Matt doesn’t think the players are worked up with his usage so far. The guys asked Matt how much the mentality has changed with some players when they get pulled, but he also pointed out that Skenes likely knew of his workload before the start. Matt said that is a conversation for behind closed doors. Matt said the HR Derby is a ‘fan’ event and they got it right by adding Oneil Cruz to the festivities. Matt told the guys he would go out and watch select players durin

Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joined the show. Matt gave his thoughts on Paul Skenes named to his second straight All Star Game and the idea that the Pirates are limiting his innings so he can pitch in the mid-summer classic. Skenes is 4-7 and he might start the ASG – Matt doesn’t think the players are worked up with his usage so far. The guys asked Matt how much the mentality has changed with some players when they get pulled, but he also pointed out that Skenes likely knew of his workload before the start. Matt said that is a conversation for behind closed doors. Matt said the HR Derby is a ‘fan’ event and they got it right by adding Oneil Cruz to the festivities. Matt told the guys he would go out and watch select players during his era take batting practice because it was that entertaining. Matt got to see a young Miguel Cabrera in his early days. The guys asked Matt about any pitchers that could rake while he played.

There’s a feeling that a handful of teams are waiting on TJ Watt and seeing what happens with his negotiations with the Steelers. Poni listed the Eagles, 49ers and Lions as the teams that feel like the most likely to make a move. Which team would be the best to make a deal with?

Oneil Cruz is in the HR Derby. But does he deserve it? Does it matter? All Star games are mostly a joke, but apparently there’s belief that Cruz shouldn’t be in because he’s had a disappointing season. Is it about entertainment or about deserving? That latter hasn’t mattered in years. One caller said he had as much talent as Cruz, just didn’t have the size. Do callers think Oneil Cruz deserves to be in the HR Derby? Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. TK told the guys why Gavin McKenna going to Penn State for a year makes sense before he becomes the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Tyler said it will help McKenna get ready for the league in a less grinding way than playing in Juniors would. Tyler said there weren’t many guys from his era that went to college if they were already playing outside of America. Will this set a trend for big-time NHL prospects playing a year of college hockey?

Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. TK told the guys why Gavin McKenna going to Penn State for a year makes sense before he becomes the top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Tyler said it will help McKenna get ready for the league in a less grinding way than playing in Juniors would. Tyler said there weren’t many guys from his era that went to college if they were already playing outside of America. Will this set a trend for big-time NHL prospects playing a year of college hockey?

Oneil Cruz is in the HR Derby. But does he deserve it? Does it matter? All Star games are mostly a joke, but apparently there’s belief that Cruz shouldn’t be in because he’s had a disappointing season. Is it about entertainment or about deserving? That latter hasn’t mattered in years. One caller said he had as much talent as Cruz, just didn’t have the size.

PM Team FULL Show 7-7-25

Ben Cherington said the Pirates need to have an open-minded approach to the trade deadline. Does anyone trust Cherington to operate things well at the deadline? It’s difficult to. The Nationals fired their manager and general manager yesterday – what is stopping the Pirates from doing the same thing? MLB insider Maury Brown from Forbes joined the show. Maury tried to figure out if MLB was pushing for the Pirates to save Paul Skenes for the All Star Game next week. Maury said people will come out and watch Skenes pitch, but the Pirates have not done a good job whatsoever of building around him. Maury said it feels like the Pirates are in a ‘perpetual rebuild’ since they made the playoffs a decade ago. The guys asked Maury about the Pirates longevity with great players given how the game is skewed toward the top markets. Maury thinks a salary cap and floor could come into play if a large part of the season is lost due to a lockout. Is there more unrest within the ownership around baseball than there usually i

MLB insider Maury Brown from Forbes joined the show. Maury tried to figure out if MLB was pushing for the Pirates to save Paul Skenes for the All Star Game next week. Maury said people will come out and watch Skenes pitch, but the Pirates have not done a good job whatsoever of building around him. Maury said it feels like the Pirates are in a ‘perpetual rebuild’ since they made the playoffs a decade ago. The guys asked Maury about the Pirates longevity with great players given how the game is skewed toward the top markets. Maury thinks a salary cap and floor could come into play if a large part of the season is lost due to a lockout. Is there more unrest within the ownership around baseball than there usually is? Maury got into the weeds on what could be on the table to avoid a labor stoppage in 2027.

Another moment of Terry Bradshaw defending Kenny Pickett in his time with the Steelers. But the guys wondered if it was more of a shot at the head coach than a defense of Pickett. Deshaun Watson got married this weekend, which was the cause for a few jokes on social media. There was also a defense of Sam Darnold in the interview with Bradshaw, which the guys think is a little bit comparable to Pickett even though Darnold was a former 3rd overall pick. Now with Pickett in Cleveland, how is the talent around him supposed to be good enough? A chart is going viral with the final 5 drafts under Kevin Colbert. Colbert may be a Hall of Fame GM, but this painted a picture as to how things were left for Omar Khan. The chart is split into a few categories and only 1 player is labeled as a ‘great’ draft pick (Alex Highsmith). Donny Football Debrief – The Athletic ranked the Top 25 college football rivalries and there is a glaring omission.

A chart is going viral with the final 5 drafts under Kevin Colbert. Colbert may be a Hall of Fame GM, but this painted a picture as to how things were left for Omar Khan. The chart is split into a few categories and only 1 player is labeled as a ‘great’ draft pick (Alex Highsmith).

Another moment of Terry Bradshaw defending Kenny Pickett in his time with the Steelers. But the guys wondered if it was more of a shot at the head coach than a defense of Pickett. Deshaun Watson got married this weekend, which was the cause for a few jokes on social media. There was also a defense of Sam Darnold in the interview with Bradshaw, which the guys think is a little bit comparable to Pickett even though Darnold was a former 3rd overall pick. Now with Pickett in Cleveland, how is the talent around him supposed to be good enough?

Paul Skenes is an All Star again. He was also pulled after just 78 pitches yesterday in one of the more dominant outings of his season. The sad thing is – did it matter? The guys wondered why Skenes wasn’t publicly vocal about it. Skenes could have pitched a complete game and the Pirates still weren’t scoring a run. Is there an amount of media pressure that could open Bob Nutting to making a significant change? Is the plan for Paul Skenes to go light leading up to next Tuesday to make sure he is eligible to pitch in the All Star Game? Is it bad on the Pirates to admit to getting Skenes ready for an exhibition game? Did Rob Manfred or someone from the league step in and ask them to do it? Would it be treated differently if the Pirates were in a playoff chase? BREAKING: Penn State hockey has landed Gavin McKenna, the top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft. Weekend Review.