Tim Benz stories, Page 149
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: Will a short season help the Pirates?
Our “Breakfast With Benz” Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training 2.0 coverage has built all week to this. We’ve posed one crucial question per day about the Pirates as they prepare for the 2020 shortened season. We looked at the batting order and the starting rotation. We analyzed the bullpen and tried...
U mad, bro?: The media is too mean to Matt Murray, Matt Feiler and Mayor Peduto
Some Pittsburgh Steelers fans feel the need to defend a player that was never even insulted. Some Penguins fans are ticked about the media trying to quell a goalie controversy that the same fans are claiming they didn’t want to see in the first place. And the mayor of Pittsburgh...
Pirates won’t be the only team using ‘piggyback’ tandem. How will it impact fantasy leagues?
If you’re already tired of hearing about the Pirates “piggyback” starting idea, too bad. They aren’t going to be the only team employing that type of tactic in this herky-jerky 2020 Major League Baseball season. That’s what Jeff Erickson tells us in this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” fantasy sports podcast....
Five big 2020 Pirates questions: How does the bullpen come together?
This week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we have isolated one major question surrounding the Pirates per day as they ramp up for the start of this delayed 2020 season. So far we have looked at the lineup, the starting rotation, and the future of first-round draft choice Cole Tucker. Thursday’s...
First Call: ‘Dave Parker Day’ is Friday. Celebrating the day The Cobra uncoiled.
You’re calling off sick on Friday, right? What? You’re not? How come? Did you forget it’s “Dave Parker Day”? Yup! Tomorrow is the 41st anniversary of “The Cobra’s” MVP performance in the All-Star Game, July 17, 1979. That’s when the Pirates right fielder gunned down two American League runners with...
Is Matt Murray struggling in net during Penguins training camp?
Our TribLIVE colleague Mark Madden had an interesting Penguins nugget about the goaltenders on his radio show on 105.9 The X Wednesday. Madden said that he has been getting Twitter direct messages and reports from some colleagues in the media who have been attending Penguins “Phase 3” training camp practices...
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: Can the starting rotation keep team afloat?
With the Pirates ramping up to their 60-game sprint of a season, each day this week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we will be examining the five most pressing questions facing the team. The Pirates open the season on Friday, July 24 in St. Louis. Tuesday’s question: What should the Pirates...
First Call: Which Steeler has best chance at making his first Pro Bowl in 2020? Devin Bush? Or someone else?
NFL.com came up with a list of players — one per franchise — poised to make their first Pro Bowl. The Steelers nominee was second-year linebacker Devin Bush. Devin. Bush.PLAYMAKER. @_Dbush11 : CBS: NFL app // Yahoo Sports appWatch free on mobile: pic.twitter.com/YjufHcm2hT— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2019 Good...
A look at how Toronto ‘hockey bubble’ will be set up for Penguins
As the Penguins get ready for existence inside the Toronto hockey hub, we tracked down a guy who could paint a picture for us of what the surroundings will be like for the team. Mike Zeisberger joins us for Wednesday’s podcast. He’s based out of Toronto and writes for NHL.com....
Penguins’ Kris Letang on why he decided to play, David Morehouse on NHL schedule for 2020-21
On Monday, the Penguins opened training camp to prepare for 2020’s rebooted “NHL in a bubble” format. The quest for the Stanley Cup officially resumed in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. But first there is the quest to escape practices without the whole team contracting coronavirus. Easier said...
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: What should be done with Cole Tucker?
The Pirates are ramping up to their 60-game sprint of a season at PNC Park’s “Spring Training 2.0.” The Major League Baseball schedule starts for the Pirates on Friday, July 24 in St. Louis. So each day this week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we will be examining the five most...
First Call: Praise for Steelers T.J. Watt, criticism of James Conner, odds on Washington’s nickname, NFL face shields
Tuesday’s “First Call” finds praise for Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, but criticism for running back James Conner. Also a peek at the new design for NFL faceguards in the covid-19 era. And betting odds for Washington’s new NFL nickname. My idea won’t win. But it is the best of the...
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: Can the Pirates hit their way to relevance?
The Pirates are ramping up to their 60-game sprint of a season at PNC Park’s “Spring Training 2.0.” The Major League Baseball schedule starts for the Pirates on Friday, July 24 in St. Louis. So each day this week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we will be examining the five most...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘won’t be very good, then he’ll leave,’ Notre Dame should ‘kick rocks’
If you listen to our “Madden Monday” podcasts weekly, then you know Mark Madden’s strong affection for Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Obviously, Mark is JuJu’s biggest fan. So when Smith-Schuster celebrated subscriber No. 1,000,000 to his YouTube channel, you knew Mark would be the first one in line to...
First Call: Antonio Brown gets $5 million settlement from Patriots. Look how he celebrated for his birthday.
Former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown fell into some money and celebrates in style. That’s how we kick off Monday’s “First Call.” Also, ESPN gives a little love to two Steelers stars. And Yasiel Puig is getting some interest. Guess what. It’s not from the Pirates. I know. You’re shocked, right?...
Former WPIAL star Terrelle Pryor interested in joining Steelers, has talked to Patriots
Former WPIAL superstar Terrelle Pryor wants to get back into the National Football League. And the Jeannette Jayhawk alum says he’d prefer to play with either New England or his hometown Steelers. Pryor tells TMZ that he’s been in touch with approximately five teams. The free agent wide receiver and...
First Call: How the Big Ten’s decision may impact Pitt, Notre Dame, West Virginia and others
Sometimes this job requires you to act like you have all the answers. All the time. Immediately. Even if you don’t. Saying “I don’t know” feels like a cop-out. But when it comes to asking what the football ripple effects will be from Thursday’s decision by the Big Ten to...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Cam Heyward, Zach Banner strong voices after DeSean Jackson comments
In June, when Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he couldn’t condone players protesting the national anthem, he was excoriated by athletes throughout the sports world. By the media. And on Twitter. He went from one of the most popular players in football to a national pariah overnight. To be clear,...
Fantasy Sports: Pirates pitching sleepers, sneaky saves, home run totals, NFL signings and trades
This week’s Fantasy Sports podcast takes a look at potential Pirates surprises in a shortened season. Jeff Erickson of RotoWire has a few. He says Joe Musgrove and Mitch Keller have a chance to pop in the pitching rotation. Musgrove may outperform his average draft ranking. And if Keller can...
Can Edmonton support being an NHL hub city? Will it be jeopardized by recent coronavirus cases?
As Penguins fans ready themselves for the playoffs in the coronavirus era, the presumptive hub cities for the NHL’s return to play are Edmonton and Toronto. Part of the reason Edmonton was chosen is because Canada has contained its covid-19 outbreak much better than America. And Las Vegas — the...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s pandemic problem, NHL TV schedule, robot fans, no Cleveland for Clowney
Thursday’s “First Call” features a pandemic problem for Gerrit Cole. Might we see robot fans at games? The potential rebooted NHL television schedule is interesting. And the Cleveland Browns appear to be out when it comes to Jadeveon Clowney. Covid conundrum for Cole Former Pirate Gerrit Cole made a simulated...
U mad, bro? Readers fed up with NFLPA gripes, DeSean Jackson, Pirates, umpires
In this week’s “U mad, bro?”, fans are fired up about NFL players balking at a return to play. Also, emailers are growling at DeSean Jackson, MLB umpire Joe West and the Pirates. Most importantly, we mourn the absence of Enrico Pallazzo in this time of great American need. Jim...
What life in the NHL bubble may look like. And what the Penguins’ roster may look like.
We’ve been waiting for months to see what life within the NHL bubble is going to be like. Now we are getting an idea. The National Hockey League has released its return-to-play protocol for Phase 3 and Phase 4. That’s training camp and the ensuing restart of the season on...
First Call: DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic post, Joe West’s coronavirus confusion lead ‘week of dumb’
We need games back. Now! Because we need to start talking about dumb decisions by players, coaches, executives and officials on the field. Those things are a lot easier to digest than what they are saying in quotes and on social media. Wednesday’s “First Call” takes a look at this...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Mitch Keller has 2 specific ways he can become … Mitch Keller
In 2020, the Pirates might be able to hit enough to stay in contention over the looming 60-game sprint of a season. However, their pitchers may get hit around the yard on a nightly basis just as hard. Or worse. One X factor in how the starting rotation performs is...
