Tim Benz stories, Page 151
First Call: Martavis Bryant wants back in NFL; Aaron Donald wants goal line touches
Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at the idea of Martavis Bryant returning to the NFL. A former Penguins brawler is retiring. A difference of opinion in Baltimore. And Aaron Donald wants to be a two-way player. Bryant back again? Sirius Radio contributor Rudy Carpenter says that Martavis Bryant wants back in...
Tim Benz: The intangibles behind great Pittsburgh sports memories
Full marks to my radio colleague Adam Crowley at ESPN Pittsburgh. On Monday, Crowley put up a web poll — clearly designed to tweak the masses. A tactic I fully embrace, by the way. More overrated Pittsburgh sports moment— Adam Crowley (@_adamcrowley) June 22, 2020 Psst! Adam, there’s a Mr....
First Call: Hall of Fame talk for former Penguins; Ravens in mix for big name trade?; Overlooking Chase Claypool?
Monday’s “First Call” takes a look at the Hall of Fame chances for a pair of former Pittsburgh Penguins. The Steelers first pick of the draft appears to be off the radar compared to some position peers. And the Baltimore Ravens may be in the mix for a big fish...
Tim Benz: Trump’s love-hate of NFL will continue for months
When you combine the National Football League, a pandemic, social upheaval, President Donald Trump, and an election year, you are going to see some rather odd intersections of reality. Such was the case over the weekend. Within the span of one tweet — and the span of 36 hours —...
Madden Monday: ‘Steelers making the playoffs this year is far from a sure thing’
Well, we’ve made it to triple digits. We are now beyond 100 days since major American team sports shut down. We’re at 103 now. So if you think it’s easy to do this job without melding the coronavirus and its surrounding society-wide quagmire into the mix, you are insane. During...
Cam Heyward: NFL Hall of Fame Game doubtful, thrilled about his dad’s Pitt honors
Defensive end Cameron Heyward is the Pittsburgh Steelers NFLPA union rep now that Ramon Foster has retired. And, given the coronavirus uncertainty, he seems dubious of the chances that the NFL can pull off the Hall of Fame Game between the Steelers and Cowboys. “It’s just my point of view,”...
First Call: Antonio Brown to 49ers? See NFL covid-19 helmet idea. Praise for Steelers defense
Friday’s “First Call” features yet another potential destination for Antonio Brown. High praise for Steelers stars Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt. Plus the mock-ups of the NFL’s covid-19 helmets are… …well…. Let’s just say we provided a photo. Have a nice weekend. A.B. to S.F.? Thursday afternoon, the San Francisco...
Tim Benz: On Mike Tomlin, Steelers playoff droughts, NFL comps, history lessons
Given the Pittsburgh Steelers’ track record since 1972, NFL fans in the city may have a slightly skewed vision of success versus failure. That’s my nice way of saying, “Yinz know, Stiller fans are spoiled, n’at, right?” Granted, if the Steelers fail to make the playoffs again in 2020, that’ll...
RMU’s Chris King delves into financial, logistical impact of conference moves
Thursday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast features Robert Morris athletic director Chris King. We talk at length about RMU’s move to the Horizon League from the NEC for basketball in 2020 and to the Big South from the NEC for football in 2021. Like many institutions these days, RMU is dealing...
U mad, bro? Fans fume about Pirates, MLB labor. Some Steelers angst sprinkled in, too.
I feel like we are experiencing a reverse Michel Therrien when it comes to apathetic baseball fans in Pittsburgh. “Dey prenten’ dey don’t care. But I know dey care.” Baseball fan anger wrapped in disillusionment in the wake of the ongoing labor dispute. That’s the theme for this week’s “U...
Tim Benz: If NFL players’ message about kneeling gets ‘hijacked,’ options exist
If athletes who kneel during the national anthem want their message against police brutality to be more firmly understood by a wider swath of America, they may want to try a different approach. Because the same script which led to a redirection of that message is playing out exactly as...
How hub cities and NHL’s ‘family dynamics’ could impact a reboot
From babies to bears. That’s what you get in this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast. Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network joins me to talk about the latest hurdle to the hockey reboot. Offspring. Not the band. The newborns. According to ESPN, numerous hockey players are dealing with...
First Call: ‘Madden Curse’ for Lamar Jackson? Reliving Jaromir Jagr’s draft. Pro Bowl to Vegas.
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we relive the Jaromir Jagr draft of 1990. The Pro Bowl has a new home. Will the Madden Curse strike Lamar Jackson? And looking at Tom Brady as a Buccaneer. On Tuesday, the Penguins celebrated the 30th anniversary of drafting legendary winger Jaromir Jagr. On this...
Tim Benz: Congrats, MLB! You’ve somehow made me enraged at my own apathy.
I’m angry about my lack of anger at Major League Baseball. Does that make any sense? On Monday night, I watched MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on ESPN. He was attempting to tap dance through an explanation over the game’s flailing attempt to reboot from the covid-19 shutdown. He did so...
RMU coach Andy Toole discusses jumping to Horizon League, recruiting challenges, travel
That Robert Morris Northeast Conference championship game back on March 10 was a send-off in a number of ways. The Colonials 77-67 victory over St. Francis (Pa.) not only was the final sporting event in Pittsburgh prior to the covid-19 shutdown. It also turned about the school’s last game in...
First Call: Lamar Jackson vs. a jet ski, NHL hub city sleeper, Pirates’ Jameson Taillon lashes out
Tuesday’s “First Call” looks at Lamar Jackson’s sand football/jet ski mishap. Belief in the Browns. And an update on the NHL hub city discussion. This must’ve gone over big in Baltimore How quickly do you think John Harbaugh passed out after watching this? First of all, it’s star quarterback Lamar...
Tim Benz: Saints open old wounds for Steelers fans
One of the most painful regular season losses in Steelers history was the team’s Week 16 defeat in New Orleans back in 2018. You remember. • The awful pass interference call against Joe Haden in the end zone. • The other awful pass interference call later in the game. •...
Tim Benz: Jake Guentzel, RMU announcement provide ‘pure sports’ jolt
Guess what I’m doing today. I’m going to a press conference! Woo-hoo! What do I wear? A coat and tie? A tux?! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Tim, what’s the big deal? You do this for a living. How many thousands of press conferences have you gone to over...
First Call: ESPN’s McGwire-Sosa documentary heavy on nostalgia, light on substance
Monday’s “First Call” is going to be a review of ESPN’s Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa documentary “Long Gone Summer.” I looked at the clock for about the fourth or fifth time Sunday night. It was 10:45 p.m. “Are they going to get to the steroids topic or what?” I asked aloud....
Madden Monday: Which sport will return as close to normal as possible?; John Harbaugh’s complaints
The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball are all in various states of uncertainty regarding potential returns to play. In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I discuss which league is most likely to return in a form familiar to its viewers. I say it’s the NBA. That...
New Pirate Carmen Mlodzinski: Old school. Old soul. No to Twitter. Yes to Rock N’ Roll.
New Pittsburgh Pirates draft choice Carmen Mlodzinski is just your typical 21-year-old. No Twitter. No Instagram. Listens to Led Zeppelin, Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. Doesn’t play video games. Prefers baseball, golf and playing guitar. Like I said, a typical 21-year-old. If he was 21 back...
Fantasy Sports podcast: MLB frustrations, running back contract woes, Ryder Cup
We bust out the time machine for this week’s fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. First, we go into the future, forecasting what fantasy strategies may be like in a baseball season that lasts between 48 to 80-plus games. The big variable seems to be pitchers. With the...
First Call: Even Steelers fans may agree with Ravens coach John Harbaugh on this one
For “First Call” Friday, we talk about why Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh may win over the hearts and minds of some Steelers fans. It’s been three months since the phrase “social distancing” became common in the American vocabulary. I’m just as dubious of some of the measures being implemented...
U mad, bro?: Readers irate with protesting players, Al Villanueva column, politics and sports
We don’t need to ask the rhetorical question. I know that “U are mad, bro.” Everybody is mad at something — and mad at each other — these days. So, I’ll just let all of you focus your anger toward me. That’ll make it easy. Here are some responses to...
Tim Benz: AFC North has the best chance to produce 3 playoff teams
I saw an interesting question posed by the folks at Pro Football Focus. The football stats site asked, “Which AFC division, if any, is most likely to send three teams to the playoffs this season?” Keep in mind, there are seven potential spots this year because of the new wild-card...
