The Pomp And Joe Show

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Bob Pompeani, Joe Starkey, and Austin Bechtold (behind the glass), from Monday, June 1st, 2026

Hour 1 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: Where in the world is Carmen Mlodzinski? The Pirates put Mlodzinski on the restricted list and wasn't available to pitch against Minnesota. Ben Cherington said that they spoke with Carmen Mlodzinski about going to the bullpen on Wednesday and still believe he can be a starter, but this was best for the team. Cherington said Sunday that the Pirates made a l...

Hour 2 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: Dan would have kept Mlodzinski in the rotation. Dan thinks this makes the bullpen better, but that it makes the rotation worse. The Pirates have lost Bubba Chandler's last seven starts but are 8-3 when Carmen Mlodzinski starts. Dan would have moved Bubba Chandler to AAA. Comparing Dan Zangrilli's best rants. We hear from Pirates fans.

Hour 3 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: Pirates reporter John Perrotto joined the show. John would not be surprised if Carmen Mlodzinski was back in uniform on Tuesday. Yordan Alvarez's name has popped up as a trade candidate for the Pirates. John thinks it's very notable that MLB owners are willing to share all TV contracts in the CBA. Mary Kay Cabot is reporting that there are several teams in...

Hour 4 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: Tony Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland said he heard the frameworks of a Myles Garrett trade with the Rams has been done for a while. Could Cleveland actually trade Myles Garrett? BREAKING: The Cleveland Browns have traded Myles Garrett to the LA Rams for Jared Verse, a first round pick, and other compensation. Joe wishes this was the Steelers for T.J. Watt and they...

Myles Garrett's time in Cleveland was interesting. Joe thinks the trade is bad for the Steelers because it's good for Cleveland. The Browns are signing Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Tony Rizzo on ESPN Cleveland said he heard the frameworks of a Myles Garrett trade with the Rams has been done for a while. Could Cleveland actually trade Myles Garrett? The Rams would be a great spot. BREAKING: The Cleveland Browns have traded Myles Garrett to the LA Rams for Jared Verse, a first round pick, and other compensation. Joe wishes this was the Steelers for T.J. Watt and they would fin...

Mary Kay Cabot is reporting that there are several teams interested in trading for Myles Garrett. It seems a Garrett trade is very possible. The Rams are a team interested in Myles Garrett. Tony Rizzo of ESPN Cleveland heard that a big rumor! Adam Schefter reported the Browns have been "adamant" they're not trading Garrett. 

Pirates reporter John Perrotto joined the show. John would not be surprised if Carmen Mlodzinski was back in uniform on Tuesday. Yordan Alvarez's name has popped up as a trade candidate for the Pirates. John talked to six players over the last week who all said that they do not want a salary cap. John thinks it's very notable that MLB owners are willing to share all TV contracts. A salary cap and...

Comparing Dan Zangrilli's best rants. We hear from Pirates fans who feel bad for Carmen Mlodzinski. Leslie from the YouTube chat thinks Paul Skenes is the one who made the decision to keep Bubba Chandler in the rotation. 

Dan would have kept Mlodzinski in the rotation. Dan thinks this makes the bullpen better, but that it makes the rotation worse. The Pirates have lost Bubba Chandler's last seven starts but are 8-3 when Carmen Mlodzinski starts. Dan would have moved Bubba Chandler to AAA.

Ben Cherington said that they spoke with Carmen Mlodzinski about going to the bullpen on Wednesday and still believe he can be a starter, but this was best for the team. Cherington said Sunday that the Pirates made a lot of progress with Mlodzinski and he will pitch soon, but wasn't ready to Sunday.

Where in the world is Carmen Mlodzinski? The Pirates put Mlodzinski on the restricted list and wasn't available to pitch against Minnesota. Jared Jones has the higher ceiling and the Pirates can manage his injury recovery. Mlodzinski has not been happy about being moved to the bullpen and has seemingly made a selfish decision that is currently not helping his team.

The Pirates bullpen continues to frustrate and cost the team games. It seems they’re close to breaking through… one way or the other.

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Donny Football and Austin Bechtold (behind the glass), from Friday, May 29th, 2026

Hour 1 with Donny Football: Donny is absolutely irritated, like the rest of us, about Ian Happ dominating the Pirates almost every single time they play. Happ has reached base in 41 games in a row at PNC Park, dating all the way back to 2021. Jared Jones makes his return tonight for the first time since September 2024. Carmen Mlodzinski is going to the bullpen. Derek Shelton is back managing the T...

Hour 2 with Donny Football: From rookie minicamp to the first few days of OTAs, Ray thinks Germie Bernard has really stood out. Jalen Ramsey is going to play slot, play safety, and bounce around the defense as a roaming defender in the Steelers defense. Donny and Austin reflect on how quickly time passes.

Hour 3 with Donny Football: Tom Arth said that Will Howard is "exceeding expectations" and doing everything he can this offseason. We hear from Germie Bernard, who has been compared to Deebo Samuel by some. MLB has proposed a salary cap and salary floor, a cap of $245 million and a floor of $171 million. This could save the sport for small market teams.

Hour 4 with Donny Football: Pirates broadcaster Bob Walk joined the show. Bob thinks Jared Jones will pitch well and is good to have Jones back, starting on Friday. The bullpen is a real problem that needs addressed and Mlodzinski being a reliever is best for the Bucs to do that. Bob threw over 200 innings as a rookie and was in a four man rotation. We hear from Pirates fans about the series again...

Jared Jones is back and Derek Shelton returns managing the Twins. Hear from Pirates fans before the start of Pirates-Twins on Friday.

Bob thinks Jared Jones will pitch well and is good to have Jones back, starting on Friday. The bullpen is a real problem that needs addressed and Mlodzinski being a reliever is best for the Bucs to do that. Bob thinks if the Pirates didn't keep Bubba Chandler in the rotation, they would send him to Triple-A instead of going to the Pirates bullpen.

The Bechtold Breakdown - MLB has proposed a salary cap and salary floor, a cap of $245 million and a floor of $171 million. This is something that Bob Nutting has to be in approval of. TV money would be shared universally between all teams and would be equal sharing. This could save the sport for small market franchises.

Tom Arth said that Will Howard is "exceeding expectations" and doing everything he can this offseason. Donny thinks the Steelers will try and trade one of Mason Rudolph or Will Howard. We hear from Germie Bernard, who has been compared to Deebo Samuel by some. We hear from Riley Nowakowski on how he can be a factor in the offense. 

Donny and Austin reflect on how quickly time passes. The guys recap memories of going to Pirates and Steelers games as a kid. We discuss how important it is to try and live your best life. 

From rookie minicamp to the first few days of OTAs, Ray thinks Germie Bernard has really stood out. Ray thinks Bernard is a very solid receiver and a different type of receiver they needed. Kaleb Johnson is not at risk of being cut and the Steelers will give him every right to try and prove himself. Eli Heidenreich is learning to play running back and wide receiver in the NFL. Jalen Ramsey is goin...