Tim Benz stories, Page 180

Penguins fans finally have an answer to a pressing question: “Will the Pens eventually trade Phil Kessel?” On Saturday night, that answer became “yes.” The club hammered out a deal to send its 82-point winger, prospect Dane Birks and a draft pick to the Arizona Coyotes for forward Alex Galchenyuk...

One of the easiest guys to root for in the Steelers dressing room is offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins. Unfortunately, fans of the team have barely had a chance to do that during actual games. The affable fourth-year offensive lineman has spent most of his first three years in Pittsburgh either...

Most football fans have been rooting for it. I’ve made it a mission to advance the cause. And now it’s official. HBO’s all-access training camp show, “Hard Knocks,” will be covering the Oakland Raiders. This isn’t just the “Hard Knocks” season we wanted. This is the “Hard Knocks” season we...

The comment from Ben Roethlisberger resonated. Clearly, JuJu Smith-Schuster was banged up during the season finale. That’s part of the reason why the Steelers’ passing offense was so lackluster en route to an ugly 16-13 victory over a last-place Bengals team. An even bigger reason, though, was the absence of...

For Thursday’s “First Call,” Trace McSorley expands his horizons. Can the NHL do what the NFL can’t? A youth umpire brings about parental chaos. Max Scherzer’s black eye is a golden moment. What’s next? Penn State product Trace McSorley may be returning punts for the Ravens. McSorley has always wanted...

Last week, Pitt announced its Athletics Hall of Fame class for 2019. The list was quite esteemed. It included the likes of All-Americans in football and basketball such as Don Hennon, Mark May, Jimbo Covert, Joe Schmidt and football head coach Johnny Majors. Also highlighting the marquee is Sam Clancy,...

In this week’s “U mad, bro?” readers pop off about Pirates pitching, defend Jim Rutherford, and attack instant replay. Greg wasn’t a fan of my thoughts on Jim Rutherford’s mixed messages about any more potential trades. A GM isnt being honest with the media and fans..this is a stunning event....in...

It wasn’t a conversation we meant to have. It just kind of wound up happening. On a recent edition of the KDKA Sports Showdown, I was on the panel with Rich Walsh (KDKA-TV), Chris Mueller (93.7 The Fan), and Will Graves (Associated Press). And an overarching discussion about the Pirates...

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” there’s news about two rivals of the Penguins. “He Hate Me” has been found. And Trevor Williams isn’t the only guy making a comeback Wednesday at PNC Park. What are they up to? The Flyers are making moves. Philadelphia acquired San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun...

We’ve moved up our Rotowire fantasy sports podcast for the week. Good timing. There’s a lot to get to in the fantasy sports world with Jeff Erickson. That record-setting Padres-Rockies series over the weekend was reason enough. Then there is the injury to Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard and the improvement...

Sixth-round draft pick Sutton Smith is as engaging and energetic an interview as the Steelers have drafted in years. Can we give “The Chief Award” to a rookie? What if he doesn’t make the team out of camp? Does that matter? During minicamp, the Northern Illinois product — and St....

In the NFL this offseason, we heard a lot of wailing on behalf of Le’Veon Bell because he was a victim of that mean ol’ franchise tag. And some even praised Antonio Brown for forcing his way out of a valid contract in Pittsburgh. Because, you know, those nasty owners...

In “First Call” Tuesday, the Pirates need to get fat against the Tigers. Josh Bell still leads in All-Star voting at first base, but not by much. Draft picks are good currency in the NHL. And Lavar Ball continues to act like a moron. Terrible Tigers Boy, the Tigers are...

I’ve given a wholehearted endorsement of the Penguins-Blackhawks trade. It feels like most fans and media types in Pittsburgh have, as well. Are we perhaps overrating Dominik Kahun as the return for Olli Maatta, though? Well, if you are expecting Mark Recchi circa 1991, maybe. But if you are buying...

We can all be critical. And we often are. But it’s not like Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is blind. Nor are head coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Keith Butler. Certainly, Dick LeBeau wasn’t either. They saw this coming. The Steelers realized where offense was going in the NFL,...

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is sure sending a lot of smoke signals. Either that or Rome is burning. Maybe both. For the first time since 2006, a Penguins season ended without the team securing at least one playoff victory. And after the season ended, Rutherford said changes needed to...

For “First Call” Monday, the Stanley Cup celebration in St. Louis was quite a show. There were a few hockey signings of note for Penguins fans. And another WPIAL star is heading to South Bend. Home for Haggy Carl Hagelin is staying with Washington. The former Penguin played in Pittsburgh,...

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden and I discuss whether Jim Rutherford did the right thing by trading Olli Maatta to Chicago. We also investigate the quality of the return in Dominik Kahun. Maatta took a lot of grief in Pittsburgh. We debate whether it was warranted. Another...

My first reactions to Saturday’s trade of Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta to Chicago for forward Dominik Kahun were: • What am I missing? • Are the Penguins absorbing a lot of the salary? • Is this part one of a two-part deal? So far, the answers to those questions appear...

I don’t want to get too crazy. Simply file this one under “credit when it’s due.” But let’s give a mild golf clap to the Pirates bullpen for helping to win the series in Miami over the weekend. Boy, it’s amazing how much facing the Marlins’ bats can help, right?...

In this week’s fantasy sports podcast, we are once again joined by Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. We start off talking about how fantasy owners had to navigate through a tricky week, dealing with some risky pitchers making multiple starts. One of those guys was the Pirates’ Joe Musgrove, courtesy of...

Friday’s “First Call” features NBC’s Seth Meyers talking Pirates. Emmanuel Sanders actually saying something nice about Antonio Brown. And inconsistent odds for the Penguins and other NHL teams winning the 2020 Stanley Cup. Sliding scale The Penguins are usually one of the top offseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup....

Leave it to the NFL to block itself from doing the right thing when it comes to pass-interference replay. The league was about to do something that showed eminent good sense. Now, it’s going to screw it up. Bear with me through this winding road of missteps and stupidity as...

A change is coming for Pirates 2019 first-round draft pick Quinn Priester. Already. And that’s a good thing. Because the high school pitcher needs one. No, he’s not changing positions. Or going to back to football. The “change” I’m talking about is the one Priester is adding to his pitching...

In Thursday’s “First Call,” Charles Barkley loves him some Sidney Crosby! Mike Rupp eats his shoe. And Jenna Fischer has the last laugh. Sir Charles on Sir Sidney For reasons still unknown, the NBC hockey crew decided it would spend the first intermission of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup...