Tim Benz stories, Page 196

In Monday`s "First Call," Michael Keaton`s dubious Pittsburgh Steelers tweet during the Super Bowl. Would the Steelers really transition tag Le`Veon Bell? And Antonio Brown may be changing his mind about wanting to stay in Pittsburgh. Super Bowl bombshell Before the New England Patriots plunged the rest of the NFL...

Here`s one of those "hockey is a small world" kind of stories — with an ironic twist that I hope makes Pittsburgh Penguins fans smile. I was doing ESPN Pittsburgh play-by-play for the Robert Morris hockey team as they played Sacred Heart this weekend. One of the Pioneers` leading point...

So now what? You can`t blame Pitt basketball fans — and even the program itself — if it has that question at this juncture of its mammoth rebuild. First-year head coach Jeff Capel received — and deserved — high marks for the initial stages of the salvage mission. His energy,...

In Friday`s "First Call," would Terrelle Pryor be a fit with the Steelers? Tom Brady is campaigning for Ty Law. And the Jets may not want Le`Veon Bell after all. Well, if AB is leaving... Jeannette`s Terrelle Pryor is one of the greatest players in WPIAL history. Now he wants...

Check back here weekly for Friday Penguins chats with Jonathan Bombulie, our Penguins beat writer at the Trib. The Penguins get another last place team at PPG Paints Arena on Friday night when Ottawa visits. Can Mike Sullivan`s team finally take care of business against lesser competition after losing eight...

Antonio Brown is speaking again publicly. So that`s a recipe for disaster. Forget the big interview reveal, Brown is starting to do a bunch of little ones. Although Brown is not saying much. Mainly because I don`t know how capable he is of doing so. For those thinking there has...

I had a pretty good NFL playoffs as far as making picks. I won`t say who. I won`t say where. I won`t say how much. But I`ll just say I went 8-4. So stick with me, kid. You`ll make some money. Here`s my advice on the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl. Take...

Super Sunday is this weekend. Without the Pittsburgh Steelers. Again. But that doesn`t mean we haven`t had our fair share. Eight of `em, in fact. So, it`s time for us to do what we do best in Pittsburgh when the Super Bowl doesn`t involve the Steelers. We just flash back...

"First Call" for Wednesday features a state of the Steelers from Jerome Bettis, a soccer assault, Pitt problems and Pro Bowl ratings that were stunningly high in Pittsburgh. The Bus on A.B. On Fox, Steelers great Jerome Bettis referred to the 2018 club as a disappointment. He described it as...

The Tampa Bay Lightning come to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night with the best record in the Eastern Conference. By far. They are the easy choice as Stanley Cup front-runners at this point. The Bolts have 76 points. That`s 13 better than anyone else in the conference. The have the best...

This week`s "U mad, bro?" is all about emotional transference. Y`all are angry about the Pirates payroll, Antonio Brown`s behavior and the Steelers` chaotic failures. And instead of dealing with it yourselves, you are taking it out on me. Poor, sweet, innocent me. We open with Nick and his ad...

In recent years, the path to Penguins improvement during the season has been clear. In 2016, it was to fire the coach and improve speed throughout the lineup. So the team swapped out Mike Johnston for Mike Sullivan and traded for the likes of Carl Hagelin, Justin Schultz and Trevor...

Wednesday`s "First Call" features Evgeni Malkin`s issues. Jerome Bettis thinks he`s getting a new job with the Steelers. A few WPIAL stars are on display at the Super Bowl. And the cost of washing off "Steeler stank." Who wants to tell him? Over the weekend Jerome Bettis posted a poll...

Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer joins me for our weekly hockey podcast. The Penguins played a stinker in their first home game back from a week off. New Jersey beat them 6-3. We talk about Evgeni Malkin`s struggles, the team`s inability to beat bad teams and another short-handed goal...

At PiratesFest over the weekend, Pirates President Frank Coonelly gave Pittsburgh baseball fans a rah-rah speech. It appears his goal was to build on some late season momentum from the club, which got itself above .500 for just the fourth time since 1992. I`d suggest the time to do that...

If you think you`ve heard the name Nickell Robey-Coleman before, you have. He`s the Los Angeles Rams defensive back who was deemed to have had perfectly legal coverage on this play in the NFC Championship Game. Like I said. Perfectly legal. Not a hint of...

In today`s “First Call,” Antonio Brown is flirting with a team besides the 49ers. JuJu Smith-Schuster is trying to woo a player to Pittsburgh ... even though that player can`t leave. And a WPIAL star is staying put at Penn State. So what are you trying to say, A.B.? After...

Well hockey fans of Pittsburgh, you wanted it. Now, you got it. The Penguins are about to become Topic A in Pittsburgh again. The all-star break is over, the Steelers are done and we won`t see baseball until late March. So it`s almost all hockey, all the time around these...

Sunday`s Pro Bowl was its usual comedy show of listless play, halfhearted blocking, quarter-speed tackling and zero sincerity. It was like a Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl in Bethel Park with less effort and more rain. For the record, the AFC won 26-7. Let`s hope the NFL never forces the AFC squad...

The present state of the Steelers is a mess. They`re a non-playoff team with a dysfunctional locker room, a defense that can`t get the job done consistently, a neutered coach and an owner in a state of denial over how bad things have gotten. The future doesn`t look so good...

Friday`s "First Call" features a look the Watt brothers and which one is better. Pitt looks to get back in the win column. And Duquesne is red hot. T.J. > J.J.? Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward said Thursday that linebacker T.J. Watt could end up being better than J.J. Watt....

Major League Baseball fantasy drafts are getting going soon. In our weekly fantasy sports podcast, Rotowire`s Jeff Erickson joins me to talk some strategy, especially as it relates to the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado conundrums. We also dive deep into what you can expect from the Pirates infield. Plus,...

It sure sounds like the Steelers players are trying thaw the cold war between the organization and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Take a look at some of these quotes coming from the Pro Bowl. JuJu Smith-Schuster endorsed the idea of...

In "Friday Football Footnotes," a Jets player takes out the Patriots mascot. The Browns may not be as far along as we think. And they aren`t Another reason to abolish the Pro Bowl? I thought no one was physical at the Pro Bowl? New York Jets safety Jamal Adams was...

Trying to interpret what Antonio Brown`s tweets mean is nearly impossible. Whenever I try, I feel like I`m Indiana Jones attempting to translate ancient hieroglyphics. Almost everything Brown tweets is: • Nonspecific • Open-ended • Contradictory • Or all of the above For example, look at this gem. [embed width="350"...