The Fan At Night

Nick Farabaugh, PennLive.com joins! Nick says that the only way he would spend ridiculous money on a sporting event would be if Pitt somehow made the national championship in football. Nick doesn't think there is much reason to be concerned about a potential Joey Porter Jr. contract, and that a deal will be in place eventually. He also thinks that Keanu Benton will get about $16–18 million a year when he re-signs with the Steelers. Nick thinks that Herbig will play more than he did last year, after signing his extension.

Pirates Insider Jason Mackey joins! The guys discuss Konnor Griffin's and Brandon Lowe's injuries, the team's reaction to being swept in the 404, and how they can rebound against the two-time defending champs. Did Bubba Chandler take a step forward yesterday? Can we expect Carmen Mlodzinski to follow Jared Jones in the foreseeable future? Can we expect to see more of Marcell Ozuna going forward too?

Donny reacts to the Pirates being swept in Atlanta. Has the second-half Mitch Keller arrived early? Are you at least a little encouraged that the Pirates seem to have the Dodgers' number lately?

Michael North, the man who helped create the NFL's Schedule joins the show! Did the NFL know that Aaron Rodgers would be back with the Steelers? Michael says that the NFL starts developing the next season's schedule the day after the regular season ends. "We are the ultimate reality show," Michael says while discussing the changing landscape of NFL broadcasts. Will the NFL leave broadcast television for specific streaming services? Michael talks about the decision to remove the Monday Night Football doubleheaders. He says that it just did not work. 

Alan Saunders, Pittsburgh Steelers Now joins! The guys discuss the schedule, the Steelers playing in France, and Pittsburgh's standing within the AFC North.

Nick Farabaugh; PennLive.com joins! The guys discuss the schedule, how many wins they can potentially reach, and what Patrick Graham will bring to the table for the defense.

The Steelers' schedule is out! Jack Hillgrove breaks it dahn.

Alex Stumpf of MLB.com joins! The guys discuss Endy Rodriguez's return from injury, and what it means for Henry Davis and Joey Bart (once Bart is back from the IL). Jack and Alex also discuss Ryan O'Hearn's breakout season, Jared Jones' imminent return, and Konnor Griffin's rookie season. The guys then dissect the Pirates' upcoming series with the cross-state rivals from Philadelphia.

If Endy Rodriguez starts to get rolling, what could it mean for Henry Davis?

Phone calls regarding the Steelers' schedule and whether Pittsburgh is a 'baseball town' or not.

What have you made of the early portion of the Steelers' schedule so far? Are you excited about them being in the first game in Paris, France?

We lead off the show with Chris Boswell, the best kicker in Steelers history, signing an extension with the team. He is now one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL. Why don't kickers get more credit for what they do? Donny wants Boswell to be paid as much as possible because Boswell is one of the Steelers' most important players, if not the most important. Donny did not tweet or post anything while he was on his honeymoon, but he kept an eye on some of the headlines coming out of Pittsburgh.

It doesn't seem like the Penguins are urgently trying to re-sign Evgeni Malkin. What do you think? Will the team and Malkin reach a deal? Is Malkin blocking someone from having a key role?

Pirates Insider Jason Mackey joins! The guys discuss Brandon Lowe sitting against lefties, Konnor Griffin's rookie season, and the ratio of games caught between Henry Davis and Joey Bart. The guys also discuss how Don Kelly could use Carmen Mlodzinski and Jared Jones once Jones returns from the IL.

Nick Farabaugh, PennLive.com joins! The guys first discuss Gabriel Rubio from Notre Dame and what he can bring to the team, before transitioning to how Germie Bernard and Eli Heidenreich can make an impact.

Former MLB pitcher and analyst Matt Clement joins! The guys discuss all factors contributing to the Pirates' five-game losing streak.

Donny Football, Doug Whaley, and Andrew Filliponi react to the Steelers selecting Max iheanachor from Arizona State.

PG Reporter Colin Beazley joins the show! Colin mentions how good the Texas food has been. Colin says Andrew McCutchen is missed. Colin praises the Pirates' starting pitching. Colin thinks this season's numbers may be the lowest of Konnor Griffin's entire career. Colin gives an assessment of Don Kelly so far this season. Jake Mangum audio. Austin takes some calls on the Pirates

CBS Sports' Garrett Podell joins the show! Could the Steelers select an Offensive Tackle after the Brodrick Jones news? Garrett says tackle is very much in play now. Garrett mentions the drop off in WR prospects. Garrett gives his prediction for the Steelers' first-round pick.

Was Stuart Skinner the reason the Pens lost Game 1? Dan Muse Postgame audio. Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joins the show from PPG Paints Arena! Jeff thinks the Penguins need to play physical hockey tonight. Jeff gives the vibe check of the locker room. Jeff says Crosby needs a big game tonight for the Penguins.

Justin LaCertosa of Devilsdigest.com joins to share everything Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State would bring to the Steelers, should they pick him. The guys also discuss Hines Ward's role in developing Tyson into such a major prospect.

Aren't you glad the Penguins acquired Stuart Skinner? If the Pens lose the series, do you still view this season as a success?

Dan Kingerski, Pittsburgh Hockey Now joins! The guys discuss the goaltender situation, how the Penguins can take advantage of Philadelphia, and Rick Tocchet's coaching job after the Olympic break.

Former MLB pitcher and analyst Matt Clement joins! The guys discuss everything from today's game and the upcoming weekend series with the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays to the Bucs' season as a whole.

Was that the most frustrating series split ever between the Pirates and the Nationals? The Bucs could've easily swept the series. Jack breaks down what went wrong, primarily Nick Yorke pinch-hitting for Brandon Lowe in a huge situation from Tuesday night. He then discusses today's game where Pirates third base coach Tony Beazley seemingly botched sending in the winning run, which fielded a good handful of calls into this segment!

Garrett Podell joins Austin Bechtold to talk about what could happen at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh for the Steelers. Who does Garrett see the Steelers taking in the first round? Could wide receiver be a possibility in the first round?

THE PENGUINS ARE PLAYOFF-BOUND! So, the question now is how the goaltender situation might unfold?

Nick Farabaugh, PennLive.com joins! The guys discuss the Steelers' offseason and thoroughly examine which prospects at key positions of need could be in play for the Steelers' first-round pick. Could they trade back up for Ty Simpson?

Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joins! The guys discuss the Buccos' first 12 games, Konnor Griffin and what he brings to the team on and off the field, as well as Marcell Ozuna's struggles to start the year.

Chris Halicke, DK Pittsburgh Sports joins! The guys discuss the latest with the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers with the NFL draft two weeks away!

The list of NFL draft prospects who'll be in attendance for the draft has been released! How many have a chance to be selected by the Steelers?

Dan Kingerski, Pittsburgh Hockey Now joins! The guys preview tonight's game in New Jersey, the goalie situation, and their imminent playoff berth.

There's optimism in the Penguins as they're about to make the playoffs. There's optimism in the Pirates after 12 games in Don Kelly's first full season. What kind of optimism surrounds the Steelers?

Jesse Marshall joins the show! Jesse says that teams are behind the Penguins but they won't catch up to them. The Penguins should feel safe about making the playoffs. Donny tells Jesse about his Elmer Soderblom bet with Poni. Jesse says Blake Lizotte may not return in the regular season and he may do it for Donny! Jesse says he feels "good" for Donny. Should the Penguins worry about a potential first round matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers? Where will Dan Muse finish in the Jack Adams race? Besides Lindy Ruff, no other clear cut names come to mind for Coach of the Year. The Penguins went from being in the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes to hosting a playoff round.

Nick Farabaugh joins the show! Nick says his first-round pick for the Steelers is Omar Cooper Jr. Ty Simpson is a quarterback linked frequently to the Steelers. What does Nick think about Simpson? What is his ceiling and what is his floor? Nick says his development won't reach its potential in Pittsburgh. Nick says there are many similarities between Simpson and Shedeur Sanders. Nick says he does not feel the Steelers would take Simpson in the first round. What would be the ideal first two nights of the draft for the Steelers?

Colin Beazley joins the show! He says that the Griffin extension developed quickly over the last few days. Buster Onley had it earlier and Colin is not disputing Buster's reporting, only saying it was not close until the last day or so. Donny and Colin break down the contract. Colin says that it is a great day for the Pirates and their fans. Pirates fans do not have to worry about buying a Griffin jersey and fear he will be traded anytime soon. Colin talks about the 'hoist the cone' story and if the city of Pittsburgh will start to have a shortage of traffic cones. 

Rob in North Versailles says he got emotional seeing Bob Nutting talk, something he thought would never happen. He says that the Griffin contract is the most important contract extension in his lifetime as a Pirates fan. Donny had an issue with how Mitch Keller was utilized. He was pulled earlier than some people preferred. After Keller had a great outing, the bullpen blew the game and the Pirates lost the series. We listened to Don Kelly after the game to hear his reasoning for pulling Keller and what the Pirates saw from Padres starter Michael King. 

The Pirates fell 8-2 today to the San Diego Padres, taking two out of three games at PNC Park. But the biggest news of the day was the official extension of Konnor Griffin. The Pirates continue the trend of extending top prospects without their having real major league experience. Colt Emerson of the Mariners was the latest player before Griffin to sign a long term contract. With the extension news, has Bob Nutting become the best owner in town right now? His approval rating skyrocketed just a year later after planes carried messages urging him to sell the team. Donny takes a few calls from excited Pirates fans.

After making his MLB debut, the number one prospect in all of baseball joins Dan Zangrilli to recap the memorable day.

Nick Farabaugh; PennLive.com joins! The guys discuss the latest with the Steelers, the NFL owners' meetings, and what Rico Dowdle, Michael Pittman Jr., and other new Steelers will bring to the 412. Jack and Nick then transition to the upcoming NFL draft and the directions the Steelers could take.

Noah Hiles; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joins! The guys discuss Konnor Griffin joining the ballclub, when his extension could become final, and where Griffin might fit into the lineup against Baltimore. The guys also discuss the pitching matchups, new city connect jerseys, and new concessions at the ballpark.

Former MLB pitcher Matt Clement joins! The guys discuss Konnor Griffin joining the Bucs, their weekend series against Baltimore, and the Buccos' rotation.

Jackson Prep HS baseball coach Brent Heavener joins to discuss coaching Konnor Griffin, what Griffin will bring to the Buccos, and being teammates with Jake Mangum, who also attended Jackson Prep.

Jack discusses Konnor Griffin's incrinculent day, spanning from getting the call to the majors to receiving a massive extension. Griffin is one of a handful of reasons why Ben Cherington deserves recognition. While the Pirates still have more work to do to become a true problem for the rest of the league, they're at least taking steps in the right direction.

4-1 Donny Football Full Show

The Borges Hockey Roundup: The Penguins swept their crucial back-to-back games against the Islanders and Red Wings. They currently sit three points ahead of the Islanders for second place in the Metro division. How confident should the Penguins be in securing a playoff spot? All they really have to do is outplay the Islanders.

Jonas King joins the show! Jonas, a local product at Mercyhurst and an NFL hopeful, has many connections to Donny. Both of his parents taught Donny at one point at Greensburg-Salem. He talks about all the sports he played, highlighting what made football stand out and why he fell in love with the game. Is there a sibling rivalry between Jonas and his sister, who is currently a near-Olympic swimmer? Jonas discusses the difference between Division II and Division I football. He said the size and speed were clearly different. Jonas gained 60 pounds during his time at Mercyhurst. He says he is very tired of eating eggs. Jonas talks about the process of potentially becoming a late-round pick or an UDFA.

Anthony Mantha is a 30 goal scorer! He is also a pending free agent. How much should the Penguins be willing to spend to retain Mantha? The Penguins have the money to spend for the next few years so why not extend him? If fans are not sold on the long term deal, would Penguins fans be comfortable with a shorter term deal and a higher salary?

Brendan Howe joins the show! He wrote a story about Will Howard detailing the two schools of thought Steelers fans have regarding the Steelers QB. The first thought is that he is an Ohio State Championship-winning QB who should start for the Steelers. The other thought is that he is a sixth-round pick who has never played a snap in the NFL. What does Will Howard think about his current situation with the Steelers? He thought he was a Day Two pick but that didn't happen; however, he ended up exactly where he wanted to be.

Mike McCarthy spoke from the General Managers' meetings. McCarthy answered another Aaron Rodgers question. He says that he talks to Rodgers every day, as much as he does with his wife. Donny says that Rodgers' options are the Steelers and retirement as the other options are gone. Mike Florio says that Rodgers to the Broncos might be a possibility but Donny thinks it is more of an April Fools' joke than an actual possibility.