The Steelers announced that they are giving the naming rights for Heinz Field to some company you’ve never heard of, from a city that isn’t Pittsburgh.

The Penguins are bringing back a team that won’t change at all from the team that has failed to win its last five playoff series.

And Le’Veon Bell thinks he’s a boxer now.

So you can guess how “U mad, bro?” is going to go this week.

George sent me a nice note in response to my column about Ben Roethlisberger’s reaction to the Heinz Field name change. I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as most people do.

But Big Ben isn’t happy. And neither is George.

“Go to hell Benz. So you’re one of them, trying to change the soul (sic.) purpose of the article on the name change. PEOPLE ARE UPSET. Of course, a touchdown is a touchdown. That’s not the subject of the article. Quit trying to spin it any other way. The name Acupuncture Stadium sucks and you know it. Ben being (angry) is understandable. He (expletive deleted) played there for close to 20 years!!! Let him vent.”

First of all, I don’t know if you wrote “Acupuncture Stadium” on purpose with sarcasm or if that was a major autocorrect error or if you really think that’s the name.

Whatever the case, I laughed out loud, and I will be exclusively referring to Heinz Field as “Acupuncture Stadium” from here on out.

Anyway, I’m not sure that I ever said “a touchdown is a touchdown.” But you don’t get to choose the subject of the article. I get to choose the subject of the article. You read it and agree or disagree.

That’s generally how this works.

In that column about the place formerly known as Heinz Field, I referred to Roethlisberger as “the most accomplished player to ever call that building his home workplace.”

Here is how Jeffery responded.

“I don’t think he was the most accomplished football player at Pittsburgh by any stretch.”

I didn’t say in all of Pittsburgh history. I didn’t say in Steelers history. I said in Heinz Field history.

Give me one guy that had a better career there. One.

This guy has a different perspective.

@TimBenzPGH I was secretly hoping the Steelers would be playing at “Chris Bickell 97 Home Football Field” this year

— VaLure Spinners (@v_helium) July 11, 2022

No. From what I understand, that’s what Pitt gets to call it for home games. The other 358 days or so per year it has to be called “Acupuncture Stadium.”

Joe G. passed along this idea for the stadium name.

I saw a clip yesterday and Rocky Bleier said it best. The stadium should be name Rooney Field, sponsored by INSERT ANY NAME.

— JoeG (@JoeGavlik) July 12, 2022

Well, that’s probably why Rocky went into stage performance and public speaking after his playing career and not advertising.

If it was called “Rooney Field at Acupuncture Stadium,” no one would ever refer to it as Acupuncture Stadium. Never. Not once. And the point of paying the naming rights would be defeated.

I mean, look at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Technically, it’s called “GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.” Do you know when I first learned that information? Yesterday. I was … yesterday years old when I learned that.

Because it’s always just called Arrowhead. That deal went in place in 2021. This is the first I have heard of it. Whatever GEHA is paying for its naming rights deal, it’s too much. Because they are getting no value out of it.

Neither would Acrisure if they swung a similar deal in Pittsburgh.

Related:

• Tim Benz: There's plenty of reasons to hate Heinz Field name change — but we're laying it on a little thick • Ben Roethlisberger sounds off on the Heinz Field name change • Le'Veon Bell hints at retirement, suggests he'd like 'a time machine' to handle 2018 divorce from Steelers differently • Tim Benz: Evgeni Malkin's decision to stay in Pittsburgh softens focus on Rickard Rakell's contract

Here’s a tweet about Evgeni Malkin from “The Real Mr StevieK 1984.”

I appreciate what Geno did for us but he hasn’t played a full season in at least 3 years his production is down and he has refused to adapt his game making him a legitimate defensive liability. I wouldn’t bring him back unless he takes a cut like Tanger did.

— The Real Mr StevieK 1984 (@sjkoch1984) July 10, 2022

First of all, who is “The Fake Mr StevieK 1984”? I bet that guy is a real jerk.

But I agree with “The Real Mr StevieK 1984.” I would’ve let Malkin and maybe even Kris Letang walk and would have used that $16 million in salary cap space to go get younger at center and bigger on the blue line.

They also kept Rickard Rakell for $5 million a year. Which I’m lukewarm about. He’s decent. I just don’t think he’s $30 million over six years kind-of-good. Especially since he is starting that contract at age 29.

Steve emails about how Malkin took his negotiations to the brink, just to settle for $6.1 million per year anyway just like Letang did.

“I knew this wouldn’t go smoothly. He reminds me of a middle child who needs constant coddling and praise to feel he belongs and is wanted, and this is his way of acting out and getting attention. ‘If you don’t love me enough, someone will.’”

Well, I guess he figured out very quickly that no one else did. So he ended up taking the deal.

Finally, Capt. EJ Smith on Twitter replied to Le’Veon Bell’s decree that he’s giving up football this year to concentrate on his boxing career.

I thought he gave of football after the 2017 season???

— Capt EJ Smith (@JoeyS1974) July 13, 2022

His stats indicate that’s true, yes.

But I can’t wait until someday — and it can’t come soon enough — when Bell fights Antonio Brown in the first-ever soldout boxing event in the history of … Acupuncture Stadium!

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