Tim Benz stories, Page 3

I didn’t attend either of the Savannah Bananas events at PNC Park over Labor Day weekend. However, I know quite a few folks who did, and the reviews were all positive. If you are coming here looking for the old, fuddy-duddy, baseball purist “That’s not real baseball, so I’m not...

Sunday’s Steelers-Jets regular-season opener will undoubtedly feature one of the most unique Week 1 quarterback matchups of all time. Aaron Rodgers is going to make his debut with the Steelers one year removed from playing for the Jets. Justin Fields is going to make his debut for the Jets one...

If you’ve ever done the drive from New England to Pittsburgh, you know time has an uncanny way of slowing down. The minutes seem like hours. The hours feel like centuries. Regardless of which state you are departing, there really is no perfect route to take, and you are invariably...

The next time the Pittsburgh Steelers convene at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, it’ll be for a game-week practice. Sunday’s season opener against the New York Jets is officially next on the agenda. The phrases “offseason” and “preseason” will be shelved until next year. All that work from those months...

It looks like a recruiting effort from Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has come up short. Former free-agent receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling ended up signing with the San Francisco 49ers after being released by Seattle earlier this week. However, Valdes-Scantling insists Rodgers was trying to coax him into signing in Pittsburgh. “He...

Most of the attention on the Steelers’ secondary has been centered on new guys coming in and some key contributors heading out. Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Brandin Echols and Juan Thornhill are chief among the new additions. The likes of Minkah Fitzpatrick, Donte Jackson and Damontae Kazee are playing elsewhere....

Steelers fans are still hammering Cam Heyward. They are torching my takes on Mike Tomlin. And they are pounding the NFL preseason. Then we punctuate by punishing the Pirates. All that and more in this week’s “U mad, bro?” Mark is complaining about sloppy regular-season football over the first few...

Thursday’s “First Call” has the Miami perspective on the Dolphins’ big offseason trade with the Steelers. A pair of potential Steelers are heading to Cleveland and Cincinnati. Ex-Pirate Ke’Bryan Hayes had a rough night against Shohei Ohtani. And T.J. McConnell’s popularity in Indianapolis knows no limits. Swimming with the Dolphins...

In concept, the Steelers have spoken it into making sense. Sure, there was no outside addition to replace George Pickens at the wide receiver position. But the collection of tight ends on the roster — Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward — can make up for that....

The countdown clock in the Pitt practice facility hit exactly four days, zero minutes, zero seconds, just a few moments before linebacker Kyle Louis walked in for his interview session with local reporters on Tuesday. That’s all that remained before the Panthers’ long offseason ended and they would face Duquesne...

Wednesday’s “First Call” includes an interesting subplot to the Steelers’ punter decision. One of Aaron Rodgers’ former receivers just became available, while another did not. And an ex-Pirates pitcher is heading north of the border once more, while a recent Bucs’ farmhand had a huge night. Who wanted Waitman? Many...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has more evidence of Aaron Rodgers’ indecision on the notion of retirement following the 2025 campaign. There’s another wide receiver to monitor when it comes to trade rumors that may eventually get linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers. An ex-Steelers defensive back is looking for a new place...

Ready or not, here it comes. The starters in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ secondary didn’t have much of a chance to play together in August. Just a few snaps against Carolina early in the preseason finale last week, and that was it. Their time as a collective in training camp was...

Viva Las Vegas! Viva Kenny Pickett trades! The former Steelers quarterback is on the move again. This time he has been dealt to the Las Vegas Raiders from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. Vegas was in need of a QB after Aidan O’Connell injured...

On the outside, this looks like a bit of a lull in the schedule for NFL teams. The preseason ended over the weekend. The regular season doesn’t get going until the Sept. 4 opener in Philadelphia. Within the walls of NFL clubs, though, a lot is getting done. The Steelers...

In Monday’s “First Call,” we consider a quarterback trade for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It looks like Najee Harris could play Week 1 for the Los Angeles Chargers after all. The Pirates prepare for a series against a familiar rival. And two local schools square off in early-season NCAA soccer. Possible...

A theory I had about the Hoffmann Family of Companies potentially buying the Pittsburgh Penguins is that the story may have been leaked by Fenway Sports Group with the hope of prying a substantial offer out of Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse. That triumvirate ran the team during...

Duquesne defensive lineman A.J. Ackerman remembers the first time we spoke about the topic. What’s the level of excitement surrounding the Dukes’ 2025 season opener at Acrisure Stadium against Pitt? “I think the last time you asked me that question, I gave you a much more muted answer,” Ackerman said....

Friday’s “First Call” examines an odd omission from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason game in Carolina. Things are tense between Micah Parsons and the Cowboys. Ke’Bryan Hayes is heating up with the Reds. Also, the Pirates and Rockies clash in a meeting of … well, um, they are meeting. And there...

At the end of his club’s preseason-opening win in Jacksonville, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin applauded the fact that the players managed to avoid penalties, injuries and turnovers. Unfortunately, those matters all became concerns to various degrees over the last two preseason contests. The next one was a 17-14 loss at...

Some who cover or root for the Pittsburgh Steelers may call them explanations. Others may call them excuses. All are reasons why the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Last year’s daunting late-season schedule. T.J. Watt’s injury in 2022. Ben Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019. Missed field goals from...

The NFL regular season is not yet upon us. Hence, the level of anger from Pittsburgh Steelers fans is still at a preseason level. The Steelers haven’t lost a real game yet. Mike Tomlin hasn’t had a questionable coaching move yet. Cameron Heyward hasn’t held himself out of a regular-season...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has some fallout from that Pirates-Blue Jays scrum Monday night. We have an update on Vlad Guerrero’s injury from that game. An ex-Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back is now a Baltimore Raven. And we continue to watch the developments in Cincinnati regarding Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation. Discussing the...