Tim Benz stories, Page 181
First Call: 1 Steeler loves his ‘Madden’ rating; Penguins legend Ron Francis gets new gig
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” at least one Steeler is happy with his EA Sports “Madden NFL 20” ranking. Brooks Koepka is big-timing Tiger Woods. And a new gig for a Penguins legend. Madden madness The EA Sports ratings are out for this year’s “Madden NFL 20” video game. And everybody...
British Open preview: Possible challenge for Koepka; McIlroy’s homeland pressure; Tiger lays low
As is always the case when we get ready for a major golf championship, Brian Taylor of Real Golf Radio joins us on the Breakfast With Benz podcast. Brian comes on to speak with us about the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Among the topics we outline:...
Tim Benz: Can Penguins coach Mike Sullivan be empowered by his contract extension?
It’s our final “money quote” post, looking at the interview Trib columnist Mark Madden conducted with Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan on 105.9 the X last week. Here, we examine Sullivan’s recent contract extension. Empowering the head coach rarely has been a priority for the Penguins. That’s not to...
Tim Benz: Pirates better off ‘living in the past’ than the present
If current Pittsburgh Pirates players are upset about their organization living in the past, I have an idea to fix that. Do something worth remembering in the present! A recent report stated some Pirates players asked management to stop showing a promotional video that was geared around them watching Willie...
First Call: Mike Tomlin likes that ‘Steeler Nation is (ticked) off’
Tuesday’s “First Call” features Mike Tomlin’s annual trip to Hampton Roads. Martavis Bryant may come back to the NFL. And the Pirates weren’t the only team in their system to have a rough night. Tomlin talks This is an annual tradition. Something to mark on the Steelers media calendar. Every...
Tim Benz, Stan Savran discuss Wimbledon and possibly ‘greatest tennis match of all time’
Tennis doesn’t get a lot of run in the United States anymore. After what we saw at Wimbledon, you can see why fans of the sport say it deserves more attention. And I’m glad to see that there was a little pop to the coverage given how much of a...
Tim Benz: NFL contract issues aren’t just for the Steelers anymore
I was in Ireland recently. At a pub. Shocker, right? I walked up to get a beer. An Irish guy was conversing with two Americans about sports. One of the Americans seemed to be talking about the differences between U.S. sports with and without salary caps, as opposed to transfer...
Tim Benz: Mike Sullivan admits Penguins had chemistry problems
We are three posts into our five-part series of “money quotes” from Mark Madden’s interview with Penguins coach Mike Sullivan on 105.9 the X. We’ve gotten Sullivan’s reaction to the Phil Kessel trade, his thoughts on getting Evgeni Malkin right again and his views on how to address some defensive...
First Call: Antonio Brown mad at Madden video game; competitive-eating scandal
In Monday’s “First Call,” Antonio Brown doing what Antonio Brown does. Perhaps the most impressive point Wimbledon has ever seen. Ranking the Steelers offensive trio. And a competitive-eating scandal. A.B. on brand This is right from the Mr. Big Chest playbook. Antonio Brown is mad that he didn’t get a...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss Pirates disaster vs. Cubs, Penguins chemistry, NFL schedule
In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Tim Benz and Mark Madden take a look at what went wrong with the Pirates during their disastrous series in Chicago to start the second half of the season. Not only did the Pirates come out of the All-Star break cold, they helped the...
Tim Benz: The potential issues that make NFL’s 18-game plan terrible
In recent days. there has been increased discussion over the prospect of an 18-16 split for the NFL regular season. In other words, every team would play 18 games. But individual players would be forced to sit out two of them. The hope is that the league could increase revenue...
Tim Benz: Penguins going younger, faster to mask issues on defense
This is the third of our five posts examining the “money quotes” from Mike Sullivan’s interview on 105.9 the X with Mark Madden last week. This entry looks at an admission from Sullivan about his team. Two, actually. Frankly, neither is groundbreaking. More or less, both corroborate opinions that many...
First Call: Redskins’ Josh Norman leaps over bull; Jagr trade anniversary; stealing 1st base
In Friday’s “First Call,” an NFL player tries “bull jumping.” A dumb rule change is on trial in minor league baseball. And an unhappy Penguin anniversary. Is this covered in his contract? There is a leaping penalty in football. But I don’t think this is it. Redskins cornerback Josh Norman...
Hockey News writer says Penguins will miss playoffs in 2020. Hear why.
The Penguins missing the playoffs in 2020? Pfft! That’s not going to happen. I mean, they haven’t missed out since 2006. Then again, the Penguins made the playoffs by only four points in 2019. And it took until Game 81 to clinch a berth. And they couldn’t win a playoff...
Tim Benz: What Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn’t say about Phil Kessel is telling
This is the second of our five posts examining the “money quotes” from Mike Sullivan’s interview on 105.9 the X with Mark Madden this week. On Thursday, we focused on what the Penguins head coach had to say about Evgeni Malkin. On Friday, we look at his comments about the...
Tim Benz: Cubs’ Joe Maddon hints at tense series vs. Pirates. Do they deserve it?
There’s a growing opinion about the Pirates across the National League. They throw up-and-in too much. This isn’t really a new thing. That reputation has been attached to the Pirates for a while. Going back years. There was the beanball war with Arizona in 2018. And there was one between...
First Call: Pirates’ price for Felipe Vazquez becoming clear; robot umpires debut
In “First Call” Wednesday, we catch wind of what the Pirates’ asking price is for Felipe Vazquez. It’s “Tacko Time” in Boston. And robot umpires make their debut. Fishing for Felipe We’ve talked about what it would take for the Pirates to get Madison Bumgarner if they stay in the...
Tim Benz: Mike Sullivan nails Evgeni Malkin’s biggest problem. Now fix it.
We do a lot of “Take 5’s” around here. Five takes on the Steelers’ loss to the Broncos. Five takes on the Steelers’ loss to the Raiders. Five takes on the Steelers tying the Browns. Five takes on why the Steelers can never get a win against a lousy team...
Tim Benz: What Pirates could offer to get Madison Bumgarner
Picture it. Madison Bumgarner pitching at PNC Park in October again. I mean, for the hometown team this time. You might remember him from the wild-card game five years ago as a member of the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants. Right. That guy. Well, the 2014 World Series...
Podcast: MLB’s weak explanation on baseballs; Pitt’s Kenny Pickett bulks up
A lot happened during Major League Baseball’s All-Star week in Cleveland. Much of it had nothing to do with the game. Our Jerry DiPaola was on hand to cover all the angles. He’s back in Pittsburgh after the American League’s 4-3 win. We discuss commissioner Rob Manfred’s double talk...
First Call: Steelers Hall of Fame locks; 1 prediction has Penguins missing playoffs
Hall of Fame talk dots “First Call” today. Will the Penguins really miss the playoffs in 2020? And a look at how baseball financial inflation is out of control. Who besides Ben? This isn’t the most scientific NFL list of all time, but it may be worth a debate. The...
Andrew McCutchen’s wife, Maria, throws him an All-Star partyVideo
Former Pirate Andrew McCutchen went to the All-Star game five times during his years in Black and Gold. He hasn’t been back since 2015. And he probably wouldn’t have made it this year either as a member of the Phillies. Even though McCutchen had 10 home runs through June 3,...
Pirates players insist their July output is sustainable
During the All-Star break, we discussed how Pirates management may view the recent surge by their players now that they are within 2 1/2 games of first place in the National League Central. They sound optimistic. But I bet the jury is still out. It should be. Because for as...
Tim Benz: Cubs manager Joe Maddon thinks he’s figured out Pirates, NL Central
When the All-Star break ends, the second half of the season will resume the same way the first half ended for the National League Central. Division rivals will be jockeying for position as all five teams reboot the schedule within 4 ½ games of each other in the standings. The...
Tim Benz: How Alison Riske nearly seized opportunity at Wimbledon
There was no raising of the Jolly Roger at Wimbledon’s Centre Court. No one waved a Terrible Towel. And “Renegade” was never played. London ain’t ready for that much Pittsburgh n’at, anyway. Peters Township product Alison Riske gave it her best against Serena Williams during the Wimbledon quarterfinals. But the...
