Tim Benz stories, Page 149
Penguins’ Kris Letang on why he decided to play, David Morehouse on NHL schedule for 2020-21
On Monday, the Penguins opened training camp to prepare for 2020’s rebooted “NHL in a bubble” format. The quest for the Stanley Cup officially resumed in Cranberry at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. But first there is the quest to escape practices without the whole team contracting coronavirus. Easier said...
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: What should be done with Cole Tucker?
The Pirates are ramping up to their 60-game sprint of a season at PNC Park’s “Spring Training 2.0.” The Major League Baseball schedule starts for the Pirates on Friday, July 24 in St. Louis. So each day this week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we will be examining the five most...
First Call: Praise for Steelers T.J. Watt, criticism of James Conner, odds on Washington’s nickname, NFL face shields
Tuesday’s “First Call” finds praise for Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, but criticism for running back James Conner. Also a peek at the new design for NFL faceguards in the covid-19 era. And betting odds for Washington’s new NFL nickname. My idea won’t win. But it is the best of the...
5 big 2020 Pirates questions: Can the Pirates hit their way to relevance?
The Pirates are ramping up to their 60-game sprint of a season at PNC Park’s “Spring Training 2.0.” The Major League Baseball schedule starts for the Pirates on Friday, July 24 in St. Louis. So each day this week at “Breakfast With Benz,” we will be examining the five most...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ JuJu Smith-Schuster ‘won’t be very good, then he’ll leave,’ Notre Dame should ‘kick rocks’
If you listen to our “Madden Monday” podcasts weekly, then you know Mark Madden’s strong affection for Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Obviously, Mark is JuJu’s biggest fan. So when Smith-Schuster celebrated subscriber No. 1,000,000 to his YouTube channel, you knew Mark would be the first one in line to...
First Call: Antonio Brown gets $5 million settlement from Patriots. Look how he celebrated for his birthday.
Former Steelers receiver Antonio Brown fell into some money and celebrates in style. That’s how we kick off Monday’s “First Call.” Also, ESPN gives a little love to two Steelers stars. And Yasiel Puig is getting some interest. Guess what. It’s not from the Pirates. I know. You’re shocked, right?...
Former WPIAL star Terrelle Pryor interested in joining Steelers, has talked to Patriots
Former WPIAL superstar Terrelle Pryor wants to get back into the National Football League. And the Jeannette Jayhawk alum says he’d prefer to play with either New England or his hometown Steelers. Pryor tells TMZ that he’s been in touch with approximately five teams. The free agent wide receiver and...
First Call: How the Big Ten’s decision may impact Pitt, Notre Dame, West Virginia and others
Sometimes this job requires you to act like you have all the answers. All the time. Immediately. Even if you don’t. Saying “I don’t know” feels like a cop-out. But when it comes to asking what the football ripple effects will be from Thursday’s decision by the Big Ten to...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Cam Heyward, Zach Banner strong voices after DeSean Jackson comments
In June, when Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he couldn’t condone players protesting the national anthem, he was excoriated by athletes throughout the sports world. By the media. And on Twitter. He went from one of the most popular players in football to a national pariah overnight. To be clear,...
Fantasy Sports: Pirates pitching sleepers, sneaky saves, home run totals, NFL signings and trades
This week’s Fantasy Sports podcast takes a look at potential Pirates surprises in a shortened season. Jeff Erickson of RotoWire has a few. He says Joe Musgrove and Mitch Keller have a chance to pop in the pitching rotation. Musgrove may outperform his average draft ranking. And if Keller can...
Can Edmonton support being an NHL hub city? Will it be jeopardized by recent coronavirus cases?
As Penguins fans ready themselves for the playoffs in the coronavirus era, the presumptive hub cities for the NHL’s return to play are Edmonton and Toronto. Part of the reason Edmonton was chosen is because Canada has contained its covid-19 outbreak much better than America. And Las Vegas — the...
First Call: Gerrit Cole’s pandemic problem, NHL TV schedule, robot fans, no Cleveland for Clowney
Thursday’s “First Call” features a pandemic problem for Gerrit Cole. Might we see robot fans at games? The potential rebooted NHL television schedule is interesting. And the Cleveland Browns appear to be out when it comes to Jadeveon Clowney. Covid conundrum for Cole Former Pirate Gerrit Cole made a simulated...
U mad, bro? Readers fed up with NFLPA gripes, DeSean Jackson, Pirates, umpires
In this week’s “U mad, bro?”, fans are fired up about NFL players balking at a return to play. Also, emailers are growling at DeSean Jackson, MLB umpire Joe West and the Pirates. Most importantly, we mourn the absence of Enrico Pallazzo in this time of great American need. Jim...
What life in the NHL bubble may look like. And what the Penguins’ roster may look like.
We’ve been waiting for months to see what life within the NHL bubble is going to be like. Now we are getting an idea. The National Hockey League has released its return-to-play protocol for Phase 3 and Phase 4. That’s training camp and the ensuing restart of the season on...
First Call: DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic post, Joe West’s coronavirus confusion lead ‘week of dumb’
We need games back. Now! Because we need to start talking about dumb decisions by players, coaches, executives and officials on the field. Those things are a lot easier to digest than what they are saying in quotes and on social media. Wednesday’s “First Call” takes a look at this...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Mitch Keller has 2 specific ways he can become … Mitch Keller
In 2020, the Pirates might be able to hit enough to stay in contention over the looming 60-game sprint of a season. However, their pitchers may get hit around the yard on a nightly basis just as hard. Or worse. One X factor in how the starting rotation performs is...
First Call: Carey Price returns to Canadiens practice, Derek Shelton seems set on Pirates’ middle infield
In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Carey Price is back at practice with the Montreal Canadiens in advance of their series against the Penguins. The Pirates have a plan for their crowded middle infield. And Terry Francona is speaking out about the Cleveland Indians nickname. Bonjour! Carey Price joined the Montreal Canadiens...
Tim Benz: Health complaints from NFL players are mix of spot on and ridiculous
National Football League players have recently expressed some concerns about a return to play. In some cases, they have a point. And, in some cases, they absolutely do not. In the coronavirus era, the analysis on every level is about risk versus reward. And in the NFL’s attempt to launch...
Mark Madden on Steelers: ‘The offense will be fine. It’s the defense I’m more worried about.’
No fireworks at the Point over the Fourth of July weekend. And no “Madden Monday” podcast either. I can’t do anything about the first problem. The other one I can rectify right now. We post our weekly conversation a day late because of the holiday weekend, but Mark Madden and...
Fantasy sports podcast: What a short season means for Josh Bell and Bryan Reynolds, Cam Newton impact
Is this for real? A fantasy sports podcast where we can actually talk about sports!? Will wonders never cease? Major League Baseball teams are reporting for spring training 2.0. So, fantasy leagues that never ended up drafting are finally doing so. Jeff Erickson of RotoWire joins me to discuss strategy...
Tim Benz: Did the Patriots get off easy for Spygate 2.0? Will Cam Newton recruit Antonio Brown?
For our Thursday post, we bring in TribLIVE Radio founding father Ken Laird for a bonus podcast. He now works at WEEI-FM in Boston. And he is a go-to guy for us this morning. Because there are a ton of topics surrounding the New England Patriots that need to be...
U mad, bro?: Readers emote about fans at games, protests, anti-maskers, Cam Newton and … Dan Marino?
There’s no reason to ask if you were mad this week. Everybody got mad at something at some point. Coronavirus numbers spiked. Bars were shut down again. A partial travel quarantine went back in place. Worst of all, the New England Patriots upgraded at quarterback! Yuck! What a terrible week....
NHL draft lottery may have been flawed, but so are the conspiracy theories
There’s one question I have after every “Breakfast with Benz” hockey podcast that I record with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network. How is it that we spend 20 minutes solving all the world’s problems, yet every week we reconvene, and the world is still an ungodly mess? It’s...
First Call: Antonio Brown, Tom Brady rumors in Tampa bubble up. Happy Bobby Bonilla Day!
In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we look at some rebooted rumors about Antonio Brown going to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Former Steelers legend Rod Woodson has an interesting take on how the coaching world works. And Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is ready for the Cam Newton era in New England....
Tim Benz: How Cam Newton going to the Patriots will impact … the Steelers?
It used to be that this time of year Steelers fans would be focusing on two things. 1. How can we talk ourselves into believing the Steelers are going to be better than the year before? And 2. How can we talk ourselves into thinking the Patriots are going to...
