Tim Benz stories, Page 184

Tim Benz: This decade of Steelers football isn’t what numbers suggest

This was an interesting find by TribLive’s Chris Adamski. He came across this table compiled by German stats guy René Bugner. No commentary from Bugner. Just the numbers. It’s a list of the best decades ever compiled by NFL teams. His numbers outline the best combined regular-season and playoff win-loss...
First Call: Penguins trade chip besides Phil Kessel?; blown call stings Bruins

In “First Call” Friday, there may be a trade chip on the Penguins besides Phil Kessel. The Bruins got screwed in the Stanley Cup Final. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge should be fantastic. Who else besides Phil? The Athletic listed its top 20 trade candidates. Two Penguins made it. Writer Craig...
Fantasy sports podcast: Andrew McCutchen’s injury, Pirates trade rumors

It’s our weekly fantasy sports podcast with Jeff Erickson of Rotowire. One of our big topics of conversation is Andrew McCutchen’s injury. How will the Phillies adjust? And how should fantasy owners of McCutchen adjust? There’s been some talk of the Phillies perhaps being interested in Starling Marte. We kick...
Tim Benz: Could Phillies replace Andrew McCutchen with Starling Marte?

Part of the reason the Pirates traded Andrew McCutchen is that they had Starling Marte. Now that McCutchen’s newest team has lost him for the season, might the Phillies try to replace him with Marte? That seems to be a percolating possibility, if you believe what is being written about...
Tim Benz: NFL playoff expansion actually makes some sense

In a perfect world, the National Football League would trim its preseason by at least two games, keep its regular season at 16 games and leave the playoff bracket alone. But it’s far from a perfect world, even in the NFL. The collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2020 season....
Pirates draft pick Blake Sabol discusses being Troy Polamalu’s cousin, JuJu Smith-Schuster’s friend

Remember how quiet and shy Troy Polamalu was when he was first drafted by the Steelers? Now picture the exact opposite. That’s his second cousin, Blake Sabol. And that’s who the Pirates drafted in the seventh round out of Southern Cal. If the catcher-turned-outfielder is as comfortable at the plate...
First Call: Could Clint Frazier-to-Pirates talk heat back up?; analyst picks Bills over Patriots

Thursday’s “First Call” includes a Penn State alum making a crazy NFL pick. A Penn State commit staying true to State College. And a reason why the Yankees may be shopping Clint Frazier to the Pirates again. Say what?! NFL Network analyst — and Penn State product — Michael Robinson...
U mad, bro? Raging Reds fans, puking Pirates fans, Le’Veon Bell defenders

There is a disturbing lack of “Phil DePhense Phoundation” emails in “U mad, bro?” this week. Don’t they know “the media is trying to run Phil out of town” again? But their absence has been filled by angry Pirates fans, raging Reds fans and NFL fans who want to call...
Tim Benz: Attacks on Pirates’ Steve Blass are shameful, unwarranted

I’m not going to defend Steve Blass. Mainly because the Pirates broadcaster’s six-decade-long reputation in baseball should stand on its own. It’s a reputation of being an ambassador of the game, rooted in his ability to be well-liked and respected by those of many different races and nationalities. For 36...
First Call: Browns drama starts to emerge; bunt breaks up no-hitter

In “First Call” Wednesday, the Browns are dealing with some drama of their own. Arizona is still mad about Super Bowl XLIII. And a team broke up a no-hitter with a bunt. Browns drama The Steelers have had their share of drama in recent years while attempting to win the...
Tim Benz: Le’Veon Bell’s praise for Jets QB Sam Darnold a little much

So how was Le’Veon Bell’s first day at his new school? The former Steelers running back went through his first minicamp practice with the Jets on Tuesday. Bell says he can already tell that he is going to be more of a leader in New York than he was in...
High school coach dismisses arm worries for Pirates 1st-rounder Quinn Priester

The Pirates selected Quinn Priester in the first round of the MLB Draft on Monday. In this podcast, I interviewed his coach, Ryan Passaglia. Passaglia coached Priester at Cary-Grove High School in Illinois and has been working with the right-hander since he was in middle school. Priester has committed to...
Pirates draft Troy Polamalu’s cousin in 7th round

We haven’t seen Troy Polamalu at Heinz Field in quite some time. But maybe he’ll be at PNC Park soon. To watch his cousin. The Steelers legend has a second cousin named Blake Sabol, who’s a standout baseball player at Southern Cal. And he just got drafted by the Pirates....
Tim Benz: NFL preseason long overdue for change. Some Steelers agree.

I’ve long been an advocate of ditching the NFL’s preseason. Or at least cutting it back to two games. The risk associated with core roster players participating is massive, even if their reps are limited. By extension, their snaps are usually so few that the reward of playing a couple...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden talk JuJu’s prom, Phil Kessel trade, Pirates pros and cons

I know. This has become a trend. It’s another “Madden Monday” podcast on a Tuesday. Between Memorial Day weekend and concert activities, Mark Madden and I have had a few three-day weekends of late. We’ll get on a proper schedule again eventually. Or, if not, no big deal. It’s summer....
Tim Benz: Bryan Reynolds’ tools are fixing 2 Pirates trades at once

The defense of the Chris Archer trade always has been, and always will be, its intent. It was a rare moment the Pirates went for it. A rare instance when they sacrificed prospects to get an established veteran, with a willingness to absorb salary in the process. Criticism of that...

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