Tim Benz stories, Page 9

At the end of April, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller was sitting at 2-3 with an ERA of 5.18. The 2023 All-Star was supposed to be the stabilizing presence within a rotation that was otherwise going to be populated by rookies, a few bargain-bin veterans plucked from other teams,...

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” we look at an interesting Pittsburgh Steelers roster move. There’s more fallout from the Brandon Aiyuk drama in San Francisco. A former Steelers receiver is looking for work. A predictable target for Jake Guentzel’s free-agent services has come to light. And the Oilers are still alive...

Thus far in Paul Skenes’ Major League career, his highlight starts have largely been on the road. • Pulled with a no-hitter going and 11 strikeouts after six innings at Wrigley Field in Chicago. • Posting nine strikeouts in six innings of three-hit ball at Detroit. • Leaving to a...

As soon as it was announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to be part of an all-AFC North in-season edition of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” a wave of predictable responses emerged. ”Uh, oh! Mike Tomlin is going to hate this! All those extra cameras following him and the team around,...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has an interesting nugget about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ gameday television broadcast on Christmas against the Chiefs. San Francisco 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk seems jaded about his current team. Tee Higgins will at least play for Cincinnati on the franchise tag at least this season. We also give...

Pittsburgh Steelers draft choice Payton Wilson is already 24 years old. The first-year linebacker spent six years at NC State, redshirting in 2018 and playing parts of the next five seasons with the Wolfpack. So, Wilson has a bit more polish and perspective than the average rookie. That was evident...

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ lack of playoff success since 2016, the truth hurts. Well, unless you refuse to hear the truth. And a lot of that has been going on in Pittsburgh since news broke last week about head coach Mike Tomlin’s contract extension through 2027. The...

Cam Heyward has two messages for Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Antonio Brown has a new ax to grind with the Steelers. An ex-Steeler is arrested for the second time within a month. Gerrit Cole is well on the way to a comeback, and Tyler Glasnow finally gets back in the win...

Friday’s “First Call” has some encouraging Pittsburgh Steelers tidbits on a pair of last year’s rookies as minicamp wraps up. The Pirates head out to Colorado for a weekend series. And a former Pirates relief pitcher who has had a lot of success in 2024 stumbled on Thursday. Benton’s body...

To wrap up minicamp Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan conducted an interview on 93.7 The Fan. At times he said a lot without saying very much. Other times he spoke a lot of words without saying anything of substance at all. In other words, Kevin Colbert taught him...

So far, any word that I can come up with to describe new Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson is a positive one. Bright. Engaging. Friendly. Energetic. Accessible. Confident (without being too cocky). He’s also intelligently self-aware. He knows the situation that he has walked into upon being traded to Pittsburgh....

Thursday’s “First Call” has tons of minicamp news from Steelers headquarters. Cole Holcomb, Cam Sutton and George Pickens are all focal points of conversation. Plus, we examine Mitch Keller’s recent success for the Pirates. Hope for Holcomb For the first time in a while it sounds like there is some...

Everybody is excited about the Pirates’ pitching situation. The Penguins haven’t had a chance to screw up anything yet this offseason. And, as of now, Pittsburgh doesn’t have a WNBA team. So we’re a few steps removed from all the Caitlin Clark vitriol. As a result, I was a little...

Paul Skenes appreciated the love he received Tuesday night from St. Louis fans. When the Pirates starter was pulled from the game with one out and a man on second in the seventh inning, he did so to a standing ovation from Cardinals fans. Paul Skenes got a standing ovation...

Wednesday’s “First Call” has a hunch about what Mike Tomlin is making from the Pittsburgh Steelers on his newest coaching contract. Diontae Johnson is talking himself up in Carolina. And we celebrate another happy Penguins anniversary. What it took We know Mike Tomlin signed a contract extension on Monday to...

There is so much uncertainty about how the NFL’s new kickoff rules are going to play out, that NFL game officials have been informally calling special teams coaches on their own, just to make sure certain interpretations are being viewed the same way between the coaches and the men in...

Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy doesn’t even let the question end. What does he remember about Max Talbot’s game-winning goal in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final in Det… “I was wide (expletive) open,” Kennedy blurted out during a phone call Tuesday evening. On the 15th anniversary...

In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Mike Tomlin’s contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers is getting a predictable amount of praise from national media circles. An injured Cleveland Browns star may make a return in time to face the Steelers just before Thanksgiving. An ex-Penguin is lighting up the Stanley Cup Final....

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith recently sat down for an interview with Missi Matthews on Steelers.com. The video was posted Monday. He offered two rather quizzical answers to questions people have been asking about the Steelers offense. First of all, Matthews asked Smith if the Steelers might implement a...

In the big scheme of things, Mike Tomlin’s contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Monday isn’t the commitment it appears to be. Is there any coaching contract in pro sports that is? According to Forbes.com and the ProFootballNetwork, Steelers owner Art Rooney II is only 30th on the list...

As Steelers minicamp starts Tuesday, it’s a chance for the media to ask the assistant coaches about all the issues facing the team before training camp begins next month. Here are a few that should be on the agenda. Why can’t Dan Moore play right tackle?: I’m not even going...

Monday’s “First Call” has a celebrity boxing idea with a Steelers twist. A former Steeler is retiring at a young age. A Penguins free-agent target may not even get to the open market. There was a big baseball showdown in the Bronx with some Pirates connections. And we celebrate the...

Up until this point on the “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive has yet to fully embrace the idea that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ revamped quarterback position is going to lead to a significant change in productivity. However, during this week’s installment, Madden admits to some...

CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala was on a recent edition of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. She’s a veteran of covering the Steelers and the AFC North for the NFL Network. During the episode, one of the hosts advanced the opinion that the Cleveland Browns are criticized in that city less...

Friday’s “First Call” features a National Football League player who claims he was almost a Steeler in free agency, some wide receiver scuttlebutt, and a preview of this weekend’s series at PNC Park between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins. Plus, Mitch Keller tries to keep his recent hot streak...