The Cook & Joe Show

The new league year is officially underway with the Steelers adding in areas of need, but they also lost others to free agency. Also, the Pirates continue to ramp up for the season.

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Donny Football and Austin Bechtold (behind the glass), from Friday, March 13th, 2026

Hour 1 with Donny Football: The Steelers signed safety Jaquan Brisker to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Brisker is a Pittsburgh native who played at Penn State and is a very tough, physical player. Calvin Austin signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants. Connor Heyward signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Gateway football coach Don Holl joined the show. Holl coached Jaquan Brisker at Gateway before Brisker played at Lackawanna and Penn State.

Hour 2 with Donny Football: Ray's favorite move is trading for Michael Pittman Jr. Every player from Kevin Colbert's final draft class is gone. Ray thinks Cam Heyward has earned his new deal. Ray thinks that Jaquan Brisker will play free safety and Jalen Ramsey will play the slot. Donny and Austin share their Top 5 moves the Steelers have made this offseason.

Hour 3 with Donny Football: Noah thinks that Konnor Griffin will make the Pirates Opening Day roster. He is not concerned with Griffin's spring training batting average. Noah gives us his win total. Mike Tomlin spoke at the Steelers Ireland Fund's gala and thanked Pittsburgh for his time. Miami (Ohio) STILL should make the NCAA Tournament!!

Hour 4 with Donny Football: Baseball six pack. Jesse thinks if the Penguins can take four or five points on this road trip that it will be a win. Bryan Rust has stepped up in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's absenses. Ben Kindel has been up and down since the Olympic break. Noah Hiles thinks Konnor Griffin will make the Opening Day roster. Noah said he can't see any reason for Griffin to start in AAA. Can we trust Mark DeRosa to manage Team USA to win?!

Baseball six pack. Noah Hiles thinks Konnor Griffin will make the Opening Day roster. Noah said he can't see any reason for Griffin to start in AAA. Can we trust Mark DeRosa to manage Team USA to win?!

Jesse thinks if the Penguins can take four or five points on this road trip that it will be a win. Bryan Rust has stepped up in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin's absences. Ben Kindel has been up and down since the Olympic break.

Mike Tomlin spoke at the Steelers Ireland Fund's gala and thanked Pittsburgh for his time. Rico Dowdle said Mike McCarthy being the Steelers head coach was a "major factor" in him signing. Miami (Ohio) lost in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, but they should still make the NCAA Tournament.

Noah Hiles thinks that Konnor Griffin will make the Pirates Opening Day roster. He is not concerned with Griffin's spring training batting average. Griffin is the best shortstop in the system. Noah thinks the catcher group has been bad. Noah predicts the Pirates to win 80 games.

Donny and Austin give their Top 5 moves the Steelers have put in motion this offseason!

Ray's favorite move is the Steelers trading for Michael Pittman Jr. Every player from Kevin Colbert's final draft class is gone. Ray thinks that Cam Heyward has earned his new deal and is a much better outcome this year with Heyward getting a full year guaranteed. Ray thinks that Jaquan Brisker will play free safety and Jalen Ramsey will play the slot. Ray thinks on paper the Steelers are better in the secondary. 

Holl coached Jaquan Brisker at Gateway before Brisker played at Lackawanna and Penn State. Brisker has his youth camp at Gateway every year. Brisker is a Swiss-Army-Knife defender who is capable of doing a multitude of tasks on the field.

The Steelers signed safety Jaquan Brisker to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Brisker is a Pittsburgh native who played at Penn State and is a very tough, physical player. Calvin Austin signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants. Connor Heyward signed a two-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The full Pomp and Joe Show, with Bob Pompeani and Austin Bechtold (behind the glass), from Thursday, March 12th, 2026

Hour 1 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: Stanley Cup Champion Tyler Kennedy joined the show. The Penguins lost to Carolina for the 10th time in a shootout. TK thinks if the Penguins win two of their next four games, they will be in good shape. Tyler Kennedy was stunned that Evgeni Malkin was suspended five games.

Hour 2 with Bob Pompeani and Mark Kaboly: Steelers insider Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show joined the show. Mark said that Maxx Crosby failing his physical after an agreed upon deal has happened before, but not to this level. Mark thinks it's definitely shady. Mark thinks the Steelers will still add a guard and a depth wide receiver.

Hour 3 with Bob Pompeani: The World Baseball Classic is gaining in popularity. Team USA will play Canada on Friday night in the semifinals. Lou in Staten Island doesn't understand why the Steelers are contingent on Aaron Rodgers coming back. How much should strength of schedule matter in college basketball? Miami (Ohio)'s strength of schedule is poor but should get in the tournament.

Hour 4 with Bob Pompeani and Jeff Hathhorn: Is Konnor Griffin ready to make the major leagues? Jeff agrees that Miami (Ohio) should be in the NCAA Tournament. We still don't know when we're going to get an answer on Aaron Rodgers. Kirk Cousins may make more sense for the Vikings than Kyler Murray. Jeff wants Arturs Silovs to be the Penguins goalie in the postseason. How will the Penguins play down the stretch?

We still don't know when we're going to get an answer on Aaron Rodgers. Kirk Cousins may make more sense for the Vikings than Kyler Murray. Jeff wants Arturs Silovs to be the Penguins goalie in the postseason. How will the Penguins play down the stretch?

Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Is Konnor Griffin ready to make the major leagues? Jeff agrees that Miami (Ohio) should be in the NCAA Tournament. Do people care about conference tournaments anymore? The A10 Tournament is here this week. Jeff thinks that we are going to see fewer and fewer upsets with NIL. 

How much should strength of schedule matter in college basketball? Miami (Ohio)'s strength of schedule is poor but because no Power 4 team would schedule them. Tom Izzo is going back to the tournament for the 28th year in a row.

The World Baseball Classic is gaining in popularity. Team USA will play Canada on Friday night in the semifinals. Lou in Staten Island doesn't understand why the Steelers are contingent on Aaron Rodgers coming back.

Rick in Pittsburgh thinks Aaron Rodgers is trying to continue his brand and will eventually have a TV future. Bob used to crash weddings! Mark thinks the Steelers will still add a guard and a depth wide receiver. He would bring Connor Heyward back as a special teamer.

Mark said that Maxx Crosby failing his physical after an agreed upon deal has happened before, but not to this level. Mark thinks it's definitely shady. What will Chris Boswell want in his next contract? The Steelers have brought back punter Cameron Johnston.

Tyler Kennedy was stunned that Evgeni Malkin was suspended five games. Buffalo has won eight in a row and Toronto has lost eight in a row. We think Buffalo and Pittsburgh are two of the most invested hockey towns, as shown by the Gold Medal ratings. TK would be cautious with Sidney Crosby.

Tyler Kennedy joins! The Penguins lost to Carolina for the 10th time in a shootout. The Islanders are the first team in NHL history to start 10-0 in overtime. TK thinks if the Penguins win two of their next four games, they will be in good shape. The schedule is very difficult moving forward. 

The Pomp and Joe Show 3-11-2026 full 3459 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:15:00 +0000 lsfocIE973ZAyOghSa8trwYJA0RmEsZo sports The Pomp And Joe Show sports The Pomp and Joe Show 3-11-2026 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey. © 2024 Audacy, Inc. Sports False https://player.amperwavepodcasting.com?feed-link=https%3A%2F%

Hour 2 with Bob Pompeani and joe Starkey: Stanley Cup Champion Jay Caufield joined. The Penguins lost in yet another shootout. The Penguins have very important points on the table to take! Pitt basketball has now won four of their last six games. Should the Panthers bring back Jeff Capel?

Hour 1 with Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey: The Raiders announced that the Ravens "backed out" of the Maxx Crosby trade. The Ravens turned around and signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal. Team USA Baseball lost 8-6 in the World Baseball Classic to Italy and manager Mark DeRosa didn't know that Team USA hadn't clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. Bam Adebayo scored 83 points against the Wizards, the second most in NBA history. Jeff Patton of Baseball Card Castle joined the show.

Penguins analyst Jay Caufield joins us. The Penguins lost in yet another shootout. Jay doesn't understand how the NHL determines fines compared to suspensions. The Penguins have very important points on the table to take. Pitt basketball has now won four of their last six games and will play in round two of the ACC Tournament.

Adam Schefter said that multiple doctors, including the Cowboys' doctor, examined Maxx Crosby. The Ravens backed off and decided not to follow through with the Maxx Crosby trade. The NFL is contemplating scheduling a game on Thanksgiving Eve. Jeff Patton of Baseball Card Castle joined the show for Starkey's Card of the Week.

The Raiders announced that the Ravens "backed out" of the Maxx Crosby trade. The Ravens turned around and signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal. Team USA Baseball lost 8-6 in the World Baseball Classic to Italy. Manager Mark DeRosa didn't know that Team USA hadn't clinched a spot in the quarterfinals.

The full Pomp and Joe Show (10-1:30pm), with Joe Starkey and Austin Bechtold, from Tuesday, March 10th, 2026

Hour 1 with Joe Starkey: Would you disagree with trading Patrick Queen for a mid-to-late-round pick? Grading the Steelers on the first day of free agency. Assessing the Steelers' defense. Is the Steelers roster better than we all think? We hear from Steelers fans on the roster.

Hour 2 with Joe Starkey: Nick gives the Steelers a B for their free agent moves. He thinks the Steelers overpaid Michael Pittman, but thinks he's a perfect fit with Aaron Rodgers. Nick thinks Rico Dowdle is a brusing, in between the tackles runner. He thinks Jamel Dean might be the best tackling corner in all of football but has trouble with his ball skills. John Smoltz said on the Fox Team USA World Baseball Classic broadcast that it's past due to win with Paul Skenes.

Hour 3 with Joe Starkey: MLB Analyst Matt Clement joined the show. Paul Skenes dominated in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night. The WBC is playoff baseball in March. If Griffin isn't extended, he would understand the Pirates keeping him in the minors for contractual reasons. Henry Davis is 0-15 in the spring. Why didn't Kyler Murray sign with the Vikings yesterday? Trey Hendrickson is the best player available.

Hour 4 with Joe Starkey: Will Konnor Griffin make the Opening Day roster? Griffin hasn't ever failed in the minors and he needs to be mentally right. Henry Davis hit well the last two spring trainings, but Michael thinks he's using this spring differently to work out adjustments. What can Pirates fans expect from the Pirates young rotation, including Skenes and Bubba Chandler this year?

Michael can see it either way with Konnor Griffin being on the MLB roster to start the year. Griffin hasn't ever failed in the minors and he needs to be mentally right. Henry Davis hit well the last two spring trainings, but Michael thinks he's using this spring differently to work out adjustments. What can Pirates fans expect from the Pirates young rotation, including Skenes and Bubba Chandler this year?

There have not been any free agent signing today. it's been quiet. Why didn't Kyler Murray sign with the Vikings yesterday? Trey Hendrickson is the best player available. Aaron Rodgers is a free agent. Joey Bosa is available. Odafe Oweh signed a four-year, $100 million contract. Tyler Linderbaum signs with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Paul Skenes dominated in the World Baseball Classic on Monday night. We dive into how Skenes continues to have success. The WBC is playoff baseball in March. The tournament has grown substantially this year and people care, which should continue every tournament. Matt shares with us his thoughts on what Henry Davis and Bubba Chandler need to do.

Devin Lloyd signed with the Panthers. Should the Steelers have signed Lloyd and trade Queen? John Smoltz said on the Fox Team USA World Baseball Classic broadcast that it's past due to win with Paul Skenes. It made us think about what the Pirates could look like in the postseason. RMU basketball lost to Detroit Mercy in the Horizon League semifinals.