Joe Starkey: Valley Brook buzzing over Jake Sollon and his ‘Bucco’ cap, headed for U.S. Open
Mike Papson, the head golf pro at Valley Brook Country Club in McMurray, remembers Jake Sollon when he started out — and he recalls Sollon loving nothing more than cracking a tape-measure drive. “A little, skinny left-handed kid who loved to swing hard and hit it far,” Papson recalled Saturday...
Beyond the Bylines: Pirates problems; Steelers signings; Shohei Ohtani debate; Pitt memoriesVideo
Joe Starkey and I opened up this week’s “Beyond the Bylines” talking about the recent problems for the Pittsburgh Pirates. They dropped five of six games to the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers — the two best teams in the National League. Now they welcome the Miami Marlins,...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): 2 ridiculous, thrilling comebacks on the same night are why we love sports
Man, am I glad I didn’t go to bed early Wednesday or bitterly shut off the television. I thought about both. Some of you probably followed through, to which I can only say this: I’m sorry for your loss. You missed one of the greatest sports nights of all-time. One...
Joe Starkey: The Marcell Ozuna experiment has reached critical mass for Pirates
Granted, Marcell Ozuna is hitting 57 points higher than Henry Davis. But that only puts him at .195 — and Ozuna isn’t Paul Skenes’ personal designated hitter, so his place on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster isn’t guaranteed. It shouldn’t be, anyway. This guy is making Rowdy Tellez look like Aaron...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: Who are the Pirates’ All-Stars?
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 last week’s mailbag, we suggested the Steelers sign Nick Herbig. Within hours, they did. Our...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Wait, was that weekend more good than bad for the Pirates?
Stay with me here. I realize the Pirates just got swept by the Atlanta Braves. I also know that bad experiences in Atlanta stir up horrifying memories of Sid Bream and Jerry Meals. But what did you expect? I’m not among those pretending the Pirates are better than they are....
Joe Starkey: The Pirates need a better Mitch Keller, and maybe another starting pitcher
Do you think Mitch Keller would balk at pitching out of the bullpen? I’m just asking, in case that question ever arises. I’m also wondering if the Pittsburgh Pirates could use a reliable veteran starter, preferably a lefty, as they continue to hover too close to .500 given their powerful offense....
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Somebody fix the Pirates bullpen before the season is ruined!
Me: “Hello, 9-1-1? I have an emergency! The Pirates bullpen is on fire!” 9-1-1: “You again?” Yes, me again. And I’ll keep calling until general manager Ben Cherington cleans up his mess. Today would be good, after one of the Pirates’ most devastating losses in a decade. You probably know...
Joe Starkey: In prioritizing Nick Herbig, Steelers didn’t let 1 mistake become 2
Quick question for those who think the Pittsburgh Steelers were nuts for signing outside linebacker Nick Herbig to a $103.67 million extension ($42 million guaranteed): What was the rational alternative? Tell me what you would have done with the team’s youngest and in some ways most prolific pass rusher going...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: The Steelers should trade T.J. Watt and sign Nick Herbig … 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. Let’s gooooooo … Art, sell the team, @de6658: Should the Steelers trade Watt? That would make...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Wait, so Carmen Mlodzinski ‘wasn’t ready’ to pitch Sunday because he wanted to help the Pirates?
It sure sounded like Carmen Mlodzinski quit on the Pirates for a day, that they expected him to be ready to pitch in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins and that Mlodzinski told them he would not. That’s why they withheld his pay for the day, right? I would defy...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Jacob Misiorowski and Brewers upstaging Paul Skenes and Pirates so far
The most electrifying young pitcher in baseball might not be Paul Skenes anymore. Not at the moment, anyway. Jacob Misiorowski holds that honor, after yet another mind-blowing display Sunday. Five days after unleashing 57 pitches of 100 mph-plus, Misiorowski threw 39 more in a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros,...
Joe Starkey: Pirates owe it to themselves to give Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler some runway
I get it. This is about now. The Paul Skenes window likely won’t be open for long. But it’s also overwhelmingly obvious why the Pirates have pulled an effective starter from their rotation: They must mine the vast potential of Jared Jones and Bubba Chandler, and the best way to...
Beyond the Bylines: Spirited rants about Evgeni Malkin’s contract, Pirates pitching, cafeteria ice cream
“Beyond the Bylines” streamed early this week because Joe Starkey is heading on the road for a few days. So he joined me from the comfort of his car in a high school parking lot before coaching basketball. The two of us got going quickly as we exchanged heated volleys...
Joe Starkey: There’s another QB project the Steelers could target, red flags and all
What’s one more? The Mike McCarthy Quarterback School already has two enrollees in Drew Allar and Will Howard. Why not try to add a 6-foot-3, 235-pound, dual-threat, first-round talent for the price of maybe a second-round pick? Actually, there might be one big reason to steer clear — we’ll get...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Teams that fire successful coaches looking pretty good these days
The Pittsburgh Steelers should have fired Mike Tomlin long before he fired himself, just as the Pittsburgh Penguins should have moved on from Mike Sullivan a few years before they did. If championships are the goal, it really is OK to fire a successful coach who can’t get to the...
Joe Starkey: Steelers desperately need Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers to deliver downfield
Mason Rudolph said the magic words the other day when asked about Mike McCarthy’s impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive scheme. “(He’s) opening it up quite a bit,” Rudolph said. Man, it’s about time. We’ve been talking about why the Steelers are unable (unwilling?) to “open it up” since the...
Joe Starkey: Carmen Mlodzinski has earned Pirates rotation spot, but here’s the dilemma
Jared Jones is nearly ready to return. Be sure that when he does, it will be in the Pirates’ rotation rather than the bullpen. Jones is coming off a serious arm injury. The Pirates can better manage his innings, recovery time, etc., if he is in the rotation. That is...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: What will the Steelers do with Mason Rudolph?
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. Let’s gooooooo … Josh Howard, @jhow2687: Barring any injuries in the QB room, how do you...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Oh no, Buffalo. Not again
Late in regulation of Monday night’s Game 7, I texted another damaged Buffalo sports watcher the following: “I absolutely cannot wait to see what form of torture lay ahead.” His response: “That’s all I can think about. OT loss?” At the very least, I thought. And he was right: OT...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Pirates got a look at NL elite — and they’re not it
Well, that was eye-opening. I don’t care what the full-season stats show in comparing the Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re irrelevant. The Phillies have heated up like the Pittsburgh spring since their managerial change. They totally outclassed the Pirates over the past three days, sweeping them by a combined...
Joe Starkey: The Pirates bullpen is in shambles. It’s time for Ben Cherington to fix it
Ben Cherington did a marvelous job fixing the Pittsburgh Pirates lineup this season. Now it’s time to fix the bullpen. I sort of defended the Pirates bullpen recently. There is no defending it now, in the wake of the towering inferno that was the 11-9 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies...
Beyond the Bylines: Pirates attendance; Steelers schedule release; Penguins offseason thoughtsVideo
“Beyond the Bylines” returns this week with Joe Starkey and Tim Benz breaking down the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers schedule. The guys also get into the Pirates-Phillies series. Plus, they delve into concerns about attendance at PNC Park, especially on days when Paul Skenes pitches. There’s also an extended discussion about...
Joe Starkey: Henry Davis is hitting .151. How long can the Pirates live with this?
If one could work his way into becoming a good major-league hitter, Henry Davis would be Henry Aaron by now. Nobody doubts the diligence. Davis is committed. He’s on the job 25 hours a day, 366 days a year. He shocked the world by willing himself into becoming a good...
Cup of Joe (Starkey): Pirates ace Paul Skenes probably won’t win NL MVP — but he could own postseason
As long as Shohei Ohtani stays healthy, the National League MVP award likely is on lockdown — although it’s also possible that voter fatigue could emerge. So could Paul Skenes with 20 wins and something ridiculous like a 1.80 ERA. Still, Ohtani remains the greatest athlete in the world and...
