HOUR 1 - Cruz benched last night, Matt Clement, Tyler Kennedy

Oneil Cruz was taken out of the game late last night due to lack of hustle. We applauded the move by Don Kelly, saying it’s something we would not have seen from Derek Shelton. It’s a good sign to show accountability. We talked about how it would have been pretty easy to sit Cruz again today due to his plate approach for the last month or so. Chris is annoyed that we are still doing this with Cruz this far into his career. Former MLB pitcher and Butler boys’ basketball coach Matt Clement joined the show. As someone who knows plenty about WPIAL hoops, Matt talked about TJ McConnell and the presence he had in the NBA Finals. Matt brought up a player that he had going to Duquesne around the same time TJ was on his way to Arizona. Matt said TJ has become a cult hero everywhere he goes because he’s not supposed to be THIS good. Switching to baseball, Matt said there are very few players in MLB he would take over Paul Skenes. He compared Skenes to Mark Prior, who he played with in Chicago, but described him as a ‘step up’ from Prior. Matt said what Skenes is doing is unlike anything we’ve seen before because the game has not gotten faster for him like it should have. How does Matt think the Pirates can get things jumpstarted more for Oneil Cruz and is it frustrating that we are still seeing mental errors from him? Matt said they need to be patient with Cruz even if it wears off a bit with each mistake. Former Penguin Tyler Kennedy joined the show. TK said snakes are his biggest fear and he used to have nightmares about them. Tyler said Brent Burns used to bring snakes on a plane (like the movie title) when he would travel. TK made a funny comparison to The Liver King, who went off the deep end a bit. The Penguins hold the 11th and 12th picks in the NHL Draft this weekend – what should their plan be? Tyler wants to see the team sit back and make those picks then worry about that high pick next year. He said unless there is someone high up on their radar, there’s no reason to jump up. TK got into what the Penguins are missing right now and what they could look for in free agency. TK went back to the sandpaper well and said the Pens need to add some. TK reacted to the Panthers winning another Stanley Cup. Will Erik Karlsson be back next season? Tyler labeled Evander Kane as a ‘cancer’ as he was part of a deal earlier today.