Tim Benz stories, Page 177

Wednesday’s “First Call” looks at the benefits of Stephon Tuitt’s reworked contract with the Steelers. Good news for the Ravens. And Larry Fitzgerald loves his new quarterback. This could help The Steelers reportedly are restructuring Stephon Tuitt’s contract. Source: the Steelers have converted $5.195M of DL Stephon Tuitt’s $6M base...

Here lies Chris Kunitz’s NHL career. Began: January 17, 2004 (Anaheim) Ended: April 6, 2019 (Chicago) Epitaph: You can’t win a Stanley Cup without a guy like Chris Kunitz. At least one. And it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more. I know this much. Four teams won Stanley Cup...

The Pirates and Reds had another skirmish in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s 11-4 Bucs win. But, at least, this one had some punches thrown as opposed to the chest-puffing pillow fights that occurred earlier in the season. In case you missed it, the two teams clashed on the...

You’ll like the fact that Le’Veon Bell apologized — until you find out who he is referencing. Also, a weird hidden ball trick. And an under-the-radar rules enforcement in the NFL. All that and more in “First Call” for Tuesday. An apology … to whom? Le’Veon Bell has finally apologized....

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell made this, uh, “throw” in the bottom of the second inning Monday night in Cincinnati. Let’s see if it looks any better on replay.... pic.twitter.com/vQGli0awub— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) July 30, 2019 Yuck! The Reds TV broadcast described that throw from Bell as looking like...

I’m moving this week. So I took Monday off. Eventually, I emerged from a sea of boxes, cable wires, duffel bags and clothes I should’ve thrown away a long time ago to record Madden Monday. Sorry it’s a day late. Mark Madden and I caught up in his studio at...

This probably shouldn’t have hit me the way it did. It was late Saturday night on the set of the CW “Nightly Sports Call.” So maybe I was a bit testy. With the July 31 MLB trade deadline looming, a call came in asking if it was time to “just...

In “First Call” Friday, Phil Kessel is taking on some added responsibility in Arizona. Another team in the mix for Felipe Vazquez. The worst Pirates trade of all time. Role change for Phil Phil Kessel: Leader! Yeah, I couldn’t type it with a straight face either. But that’s the picture...

In this edition of Friday Football Footnotes, a first look at Le’Veon Bell in Jets green. Larry Fitzgerald keeps drinking from the fountain of youth. And the Browns keep making you take notice. Browns business is boomin’ Not that Brown. The Cleveland Browns. It sure seems like NFL fans are...

Most of the questions on the first day of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp last year were about Le’Veon Bell, his contract status and the state of the running game in his absence. James Conner answered many of those questions and rendered many of the concerns moot with a Pro Bowl...

It’s the first of many “Breakfast With Benz” podcasts from Saint Vincent College over the next three weeks. Steelers 2019 training camp is underway. Fellow Tribune-Review columnist Kevin Gorman and I talk about the upcoming practices as the Steelers prepare for the season ahead. The players reported. The first run...

In “First Call” Thursday, three Pirates pitchers could be traded. Hue Jackson won’t try to bury the hatchet with Baker Mayfield. Emmanuel Sanders is improving. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is on full tilt. Pirates on the move? If reports are right, the Pirates are trying to trade a few players....

In “U mad, bro?” this week, readers disagree about Mike Tomlin. They feign disinterest over Le’Veon Bell. And they find the real root of the Pirates’ problems. Richard sent me an email responding to my column about Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s denial of distractions impacting his locker room last year....

Jeff Erickson is off this week for our fantasy sports podcast. Kevin Payne, also of Rotowire, pinch hits. NFL training camps are underway. It’s time to start thinking about your fantasy draft. Payne tells us whether JuJu Smith-Schuster or Antonio Brown will have a bigger year. His answer may surprise...

We sure are big on the concept of addition by subtraction around these parts, aren’t we? The Steelers will be better because Antonio Brown is gone. Ben Roethlisberger won’t force the ball to a single receiver anymore. Brown’s ridiculous social media behavior will be happily absent. The game-planning to help...

In “First Call” Wednesday, one former Steeler may become a Patriot. Another is out for the year. A baby shark. A sinkhole horse. And a second cycle. New life in New England? Pittsburgh Steelers fans kept waiting for athletic wide receiver Justin Hunter to morph into a decent weapon for...

Seattle is getting an expansion NHL franchise. And they are getting a Penguins legend to run it. Hall of Famer Ron Francis is getting a second crack at being a general manager. This time it’ll be in the Pacific Northwest for the yet-to-be-named expansion team. Francis went 0 for 4...

I feel like I’m alone on this. I know why. But I can’t come off my island on this one. Based on nothing but anecdotal conversations with some of my colleagues in the media and fans who follow the Pittsburgh Steelers, I get the sense there is heightened curiosity for...

It could’ve been really bad. A blow to the face after a Little League game. Right around the eye. He got knocked out. “I was walking home, drinking my apple juice,” said Franklin Park’s Luca Mars, describing the worst injury of his life. “And a girl on the swings with...

In this week’s “Madden Monday,” Mark Madden of 105.9 the X joins me to preview the 2019 Steelers training camp. Are we relying too much on “addition by subtraction” for hope this year? We also kick around a few position concerns such as cornerback, safety and kicker. Then we get...

In “First Call” Monday, I have so many questions about that fan who got on the field at PNC Park. Also tarp terrors and a Big Ten coach should just keep preachin’ on. I’m so confused A fan casually walked up to home plate in the middle of the Pirates-Phillies...

Did former Pittsburgh Steeler Le’Veon Bell just have a “Mr. Big Chest” moment? It sure looks that way. OK, he didn’t dye any of his facial hair blonde. Nor did he rant on a treadmill during a midnight workout session. But at least Antonio Brown did that stuff in the...

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is still spinning the same yarn. Circus? Distractions? There was never anything crazy about the Steelers locker room! When speaking to ESPN last week, Tomlin made the following statement when asked if he expected a “calmer locker room” this year. “I don’t know that our...

Friday’s “First Call” features Ron Francis’ introduction in Seattle, power from a former Pittsburgh Pirate, injury issues with the Ravens, Aaron Boone’s fully translated fit of rage in New York, and emotions getting out of control from Philadelphia’s bullpen. Francis fans Former Penguins star Ron Francis made his debut in...

It’s a strange—but highly entertaining—collection of entries for this week’s “U mad, bro?” Some attack the Pirates. Others defend them. And I get attacked for being negative toward Mike Tomlin … in a column that I authored intending to defend him. Oh, also, some guy thinks Deshea Townsend was a...