Tim Benz stories, Page 197

It was quite a night at the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday. I was there for Duke`s beatdown of the Panthers. Zion Williamson lived up to the hype with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Jay-Z was in the house. Duke looks like the real deal, ranked second in...

"First Call" for Wednesday features Washington Capitals misery, an NFL overtime debate and a big night on The Bluff. Who has a quarter? A lot of football fans think that the NFL overtime rules are too reliant on who wins the coin toss. In other words, too many games —...

"U mad, bro?" this week features emailers who are just as mad at the Steelers players and front office as I am, supporters of Mike Tomlin, haters of me and those who despise Greta Van Fleet. I think Steve is being even more critical of Steelers president Art Rooney II...

Let`s focus on a pair of Pittsburgh athletes. The first player came to Pittsburgh in 2018. His acquisition was widely applauded as a solid move by management. The player`s arrival filled what had been deemed to be a significant hole for quite some time. He was going to get a...

Pitt coach Jeff Capel is extremely rare in one regard. He knows what it`s like to lose. At Duke. That doesn`t happen often in Durham, N.C. But during Capel`s sophomore season — when head coach Mike Krzyzewski was absent due to a medical leave — the Blue Devils went 13-18...

In "First Call" Tuesday, we look at Antonio Brown`s shopping spree, Starling Marte trade rumors, and Super Bowl MVP gambling odds. A.B.`s shopping spree Antonio Brown apparently isn`t worried about his earning power moving forward, even if he does get shipped out of Pittsburgh. TMZ reports he went on a...

It`s our weekly Sided.co "Breakfast With Benz" hockey podcast with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio network. Plenty of topics on the table this week. • The Penguins were very spotty on that 2-3 west coast trip before the break. How come? • How do the Pens currently compare to...

During NFL championship Sunday, Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort sent out this tweet. That`s true. In terms of points scored, Harrison Butker (Chiefs), Will Lutz (Saints) and Stephen Gostkowski (Patriots) were third, fourth and sixth in scoring this season. The Rams` Greg Zuerlein was 12th, and...

In Monday`s "First Call," Tom Brady drops an F-Bomb on TV. A player gets his pants pulled down during a tackle and Fox ditched the feed. A tennis player has a meltdown. Hit the dump button! It`s not often that these two quarterbacks are confused with one another. But Tom...

In this week`s Madden Monday, Mark Madden of 105.9 the X joins me to talk about the dueling overtime games in the AFC and NFC title round Sunday. Specifically, we discuss the officiating chaos and why the Patriots just won`t die. LISTEN: Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss AFC, NFC title...

A fistful of bitter karma with a coating of sweet schadenfreude dipped in black-and-gold righteous indignation. That was the recipe for Steelers fans who were watching the NFC Championship Game. With 1:48 remaining on a third-and-10 play from the Rams 13-yard line, the score was 20-20. Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman...

Boy, Art Rooney II sure is willing to die on this hill, isn`t he? Last week, the Steelers owner said he disagreed with the popular fan and media assessment that his Steelers are "a circus" and don`t have a "culture problem." Like many Steelers fans and Pittsburgh media members, I...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Last Monday, the basketball teams that played Saturday at the Carrier Dome took big steps forward. Pitt toward becoming a legitimate ACC program again by upsetting 11th-ranked Florida State at home. Syracuse toward being a legitimate Sweet 16 threat again by upsetting top-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium....

The worst thing about the NFL season ending way too early is that NFL Draft season starts way too early. But Steelers fans will likely enjoy this speculation to kick off the campaign. ESPN`s Mel Kiper has the Steelers drafting an inside linebacker in the first round. That`s a position...

In Friday`s "First Call," does Antonio Brown have a burner account? A first look at the draft for the Steelers. And an honor for Jarome Iginla. A.B.`s `burner` We all know Antonio Brown is a burner on the field. But does he have a "burner" account on his phone? One...

Pitt hosts Duke on Tuesday. But first Jeff Capel`s crew visits Syracuse on Saturday. Trib Pitt beat writer Jerry DiPaola and I discuss the prospects of the Panthers pulling off another ACC upset, as they did against Florida State on Monday. We dive into the nuances of attacking the Orange`s...

If you are someone like me, you embrace the idea of a Steelers head coaching change. And if you are someone like me, you would have preferred to see Mike Munchak get the job. But that ship has sailed. That`s not going to happen. It was never going to happen....

The chants of "We Want Duke" could be heard Monday throughout Petersen Events Center. A celebratory Pitt basketball crowd was basking in the glow of its rejuvenated program upsetting 11th-ranked Florida State. Yup. A game against mighty Duke on Tuesday night. That`s the next home tilt for new Panthers head...

In Thursday`s "First Call," another Steeler on "The Masked Singer." One wideout doesn`t want Antonio Brown on his team, Alexander Ovechkin channels his inner Mike Tyson and an NCAA hoops double-coach ejection. What am I missing here? When I saw Terry Bradshaw`s name trending in Pittsburgh on Twitter last night,...

Ooh! It`s a special "U Mad, Bro?" Normally, this weekly post is all about our beloved readers venting at me. But, here`s a new one. This week`s entry is all about Steelers getting mad at each other. As Mike Tomlin might say, "It`s Steelers vs. Steelers today." Well, a current...

In the wake of a nightmare collapse for his team, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II held his annual meeting with Pittsburgh-area beat writers. Joe Rutter was our representative for Trib. He joined me for our podcast. Rooney said one thing in particular that I couldn`t believe. I shared my...

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II had his annual season-ending powwow with the team’s local print outlets Wednesday. He made one comment that was so far from true, it couldn’t see the truth with the Hubble telescope. Rooney was asked about the perception that his team is a circus and...

The Penguins next play in Arizona on Friday night. And the Coyotes stink. That`s bad news for the Penguins. Wait. Huh? Well, as the Trib`s Jonathan Bombulie pointed out this week, "The Penguins have played seven games this season against the four teams currently occupying last place in the league`s...

In Wednesday`s "First Call," Tomlin tweets! Guess what it is about. Antonio Brown is not to be outdone. Plus, updates on two major WPIAL stars. Another interview threat Antonio Brown`s post-meltdown Instagram interview with James Harrison got scrubbed. But now the disgruntled Steelers wide receiver is teasing another interview. As...

Disgruntled ex-Steelers linebacker James Harrison is on his anti-Mike Tomlin kick again. Watch FS1`s "Undisputed" clip below. Then we`ll see where he`s right and where he`s wrong. • Regarding Tomlin`s relationship with Antonio Brown: Harrison is right when he says Tomlin is too lax when...