Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Is Aaron Rodgers good enough to bring the Steelers a playoff win?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. In the mailbag three months ago, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Where’s the Steelers’ overpaid defense?
Silly question: Would you have taken a large part of the $172 million earmarked for Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton and given it to Joey Porter Jr., then used the rest to sign another player or two? Wouldn’t you still have plenty of defensive linemen and still have T.J. Watt,...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): When did the Steelers become the Dallas Cowboys’ Triple-A farm team?
Congratulations are in order, on so many fronts, after the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Joey Martyr Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys late Wednesday night. I almost feel like popping champagne: • Congratulations to all of us for not having to endure this sickening soap opera any longer. I don’t know that...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): A’ja Wilson’s television defenders failed viewers after incident
What did he say? That seemed like an important question. It was the only question that mattered, actually, after Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson aggressively confronted a male fan at Gainbridge Arena in Indiana on Tuesday night, late in a WNBA playoff game against the Indiana Fever. It was...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Is this definitely Patrick Queen’s last season with the Steelers?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. In the mailbag three months ago, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): The Steelers did what they should have done to overrated Bengals defense
There were several reasons I predicted the Steelers to beat the Cincinnati Bengals by a field goal Sunday. One stood far above the rest: The Bengals is the Bengals. This will undoubtedly be viewed as a “negative” slant on the game, but honestly, it’s the angle I chose before the...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Horrific Penn State collapse emphatically ends Matt Campbell’s honeymoon
STATE COLLEGE — Fire Franklin! Whoops. Sorry. James Franklin doesn’t work here anymore. Matt Campbell does. Here’s hoping he rented and didn’t buy, because he won’t be around long if he loses many more like this. Yes, we’re only four games in, but the 24-20 homecoming loss to a highly...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Erik Karlsson a figure of great fascination as Penguins prepare for takeoff
Seven months ago, Erik Karlsson saved the Penguins’ season when he suddenly became a superstar again. If that didn’t happen, the Penguins probably would have missed the playoffs, and the offseason might have had a radically different tone. Would Evgeni Malkin still be here? Would Rickard Rakell or Bryan Rust...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): ‘Mean’ Joe Greene is 80. Where have all the years gone?
“I thought when I was 50, time was going by really, really fast,” Joe Greene was saying Thursday. “But now? Heck, I think I wake up in the morning at about 9, and before I know it, it’s 6 p.m. “My goodness, what happened?” Good question. And when it comes...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Here’s 1 way Pirates can prove they’re pursuing playoffs next season
I can’t name all the universal laws. But I know four. Like attracts like. What goes up must come down. Life moves in cycles, and Bob Nutting will choose the cheaper alternative. That is why I have zero confidence the Pittsburgh Pirates will make an honest attempt to re-sign slugging...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Steelers should be keeping a close eye on Trinidad Chambliss, right?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. In the mailbag three months ago, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Mike McCarthy’s Steelers offense a total dud so far
The excuses were flowing like free beer after Week 1. Everybody wanted to defend a Steelers offense that had produced a meager 13 points against the Atlanta Falcons. The process was good. They finally used the middle of the field. Freiermuth is back! If it weren’t for all the drops,...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Finally at peace with plight of Pitt football
It is what it is. That might be the most annoying cliche in sports history. But it’s practically perfect as applied to Pitt football. Pitt is what it is. It’s a program that usually wins more than it loses and every now and again competes for a conference title. “It’s...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Congratulations, Pirates, on one of the most humiliating nights in PNC Park history
We finally saw another champagne celebration at PNC Park. Sadly, and sickeningly, it was the Milwaukee Brewers who staged it — on Roberto Clemente Night, no less. What must Pirates owner Bob Nutting have been thinking as the Brewers — who play in the smallest market in MLB — clinched...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Should Steelers waive contract policy if Joey Porter Jr. agrees to their offer?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. In the mailbag three months ago, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Is Joey Porter Jr. using the Jalen Ramsey plan to force a trade?
Bailin’ like Jalen? I’m rarely one to accuse a player of faking an injury, but if he’s not doing that, Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is doing a wonderful impression of somebody who would. Somebody like his teammate, Jalen Ramsey, who forced his way out of Jacksonville (can you blame...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): The Pirates are done, because Don Kelly pulled Paul Skenes after 82 pitches
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ season pretty much ended Saturday at Wrigley Field, thanks to an astonishing decision by manager Don Kelly. At least I think it was astonishing. I can’t tell anymore. I’ve become so numb to pitchers getting pulled in the middle of excellent starts — all around baseball —...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Pirates need to sign Oneil Cruz to long-term deal
Oneil Cruz has been a polarizing player, to put it mildly, during his five-year tenure with the Pittsburgh Pirates. But he has also become a better player, possibly an MVP-level player if his current trajectory continues. And that makes him a player the Pirates must make every effort to keep....
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Cam Heyward should probably sit out all Steelers contract disputes
Give Cam Heyward some credit, I guess. After two years of alienating Steelers fans over his contract disputes, he’s sounding off on somebody else’s. If the Steelers and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. do not reach an agreement before kickoff Sunday, the franchise tag becomes a real possibility for next year....
Cup of Joe (Starkey): ‘They can’t catch me.’ Granddaughter of WPIAL great runs past the boys on football fieldVideo
Her hair flows out the bottom of her helmet, all the way past her shoulder pads, which sparks a question: Has anybody ever tried to pull it during a game? “No,” Mya Law tells me. “ ’Cause they can’t catch me.” I saw that for myself Saturday night in Monaca....
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Spare me the outrage over the LSU football ‘scandal’
I guess I’d be more outraged by the prospect of professional athletes playing amateur sports if it wasn’t already happening. Quinn Ellis, as an example, is a 23-year-old point guard who played professional basketball in Europe and now is committed to St. John’s to play for Rick Pitino. I’d also...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Steelers’ season depends on Aaron Rodgers proving he can still beat good teams
Last we saw Aaron Rodgers on a football field, he was throwing a beautiful 50-yard touchdown pass late in a playoff game. Unfortunately, Calen Bullock of the Houston Texans was the recipient. Let’s be honest: Rodgers looked like a beaten man in that 30-6 loss — the most lopsided home...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): The mysterious slide of Pirates ace Paul Skenes continues
Well, that was a mirage. In his previous start, Paul Skenes looked as if he’d solved some things. His six shutout innings against the San Diego Padres had some believing he was back. In retrospect, however, even that outing was dotted with caution signs. Broadcaster Greg Brown touched on it...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: How much will Patrick Graham help Steelers defense?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. In the mailbag two months ago, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Who are the Steelers’ young stars? Do they have any?
The Pittsburgh Steelers just released their first 53-man roster. It looks pretty good. That’s the problem. It always looks pretty good. It never looks really good, let alone great. Pretty good gets you 10-8, an ugly first-round playoff exit and middle-of-the-pack drafting position. I probably don’t need to tell you that...
