Friday’s “First Call” gives us some sassy Pittsburgh Steelers who are speaking out about the NFL’s schedule change. An ex-Steeler is surprised about JuJu Smith-Schuster’s quarterback comments. Duquesne basketball is getting some love. And a stroll down Pirates memory lane.

Bye-bye, bye

Some of the Steelers are less than thrilled about their shuffled schedule thanks to the Tennessee Titans coronavirus outbreak. This Sunday’s game in Nashville has been postponed until a future date, likely Week 7. Thus, pushing the team’s game against the Ravens to Week 8 and gobbling up the team’s bye week.

Instead, the Steelers are getting their bye spontaneously thrust upon them this week. Well, Friday through Sunday anyway. They went through regularly scheduled practices and meetings Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Team captain Cameron Heyward wanted some answers about that from the NFL Players Association and the league.

Man is this a bye week or not? @NFLPA @NFL

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) October 1, 2020

And tight end Eric Ebron is ticked, too. He tweeted, “I’m confused on how this became our problem. My son’s birthday party was (the) bye week. Now I’m missing his birthday & bad enough I don’t even see my kids. (Expletive deleted).”

To an extent, I get where Ebron and Heyward are coming from. It stinks that the Steelers’ schedule is being reconfigured in a less than advantageous way because some other team got sick. Losing their bye in this fashion isn’t necessarily fair.

Being separated from your kids is rotten. Especially for the players that might be dealing with extenuating circumstances or special needs.

But it’s a pandemic. Stuff happens. A lot of people in 2020 have stories like that. It’s the trade-offs like that you have to make to be a multi-millionaire player in the NFL.

Deal with it.

Cringeworthy comment

On a podcast with former Steeler Bryant McFadden, JuJu Smith-Schuster said of New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, “If we could get him to Pittsburgh, I would.”

When I heard about that, I scratched my head.

When former Steelers guard Ramon Foster heard about that, he had a more extreme reaction.

“I saw that and cringed, I’m not going to lie,” Foster told 93.7 The Fan. “I cringed because when you have a franchise guy in Ben (Roethlisberger) — who said he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon — and JuJu’s up for a contract year that says a whole lot about. I don’t know. I wouldn’t have said it.”

Yeah. Me either. But at least Smith-Schuster tried to couch his comment, suggesting his affinity for Darnold was about their college playing days at USC.

“But I love Ben. So, it is what it is. I’m just saying, man, (Darnold) a great kid. I played with him, so he’s one of my boys. … I wouldn’t mind playing with him again,” Smith-Schuster said.

Foster’s candid response suggests three things. First of all, it appears Foster thinks Smith-Schuster could’ve chosen his words better.

Second, Foster appears acutely aware of how sensitively Roethlisberger may interpret Smith-Schuster’s comment.

Third, who the heck is thinking about Sam Darnold when you have Big Ben??!!

Misty, water-colored memories

Here’s a melancholy moment.

Thursday, Oct. 1 marked the anniversary of the Pirates wild-card win over the Cincinnati Reds in 2013. That was the first Pirates playoff game since 1992 and the first one ever at PNC Park.

And I think we all remember how that turned out.

Yup. Marlon Byrd homered. Johnny Cueto dropped the ball. Russell Martin homered. And there was much rejoicing.

It was only seven years ago, but based on how things have gone since 2016, it feels like 70 doesn’t it?

This is what I’m talking about

When I gripe about sports leagues making rules concessions just for the sake of coronavirus optics, this is what I mean.

According to Rick Westhead of The Sports Network, the Ontario Hockey League may have to ban fighting and even body-checking.

The Ontario Hockey League may have to ban fighting and even body-checking as a condition of resuming games, provincial sport minister Lisa MacLeod told me in an interview.(The OHL has said it hopes to open training camps in mid-Nov and begin its regular season Dec. 1.)

— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 1, 2020

Oh, for crying out loud. Just don’t play then!

So what are we saying? Body-checking is a no go, but battles in the corner, along the boards, and faceoffs are OK?

Sure. That makes total sense.

Also, I can think of 100 reasons to ban fighting. This ain’t one.

Getting some shine

The “Basketball Times” came up with a list of five “under the radar” players to watch this upcoming season in college hoops.

Duquesne’s Michael Hughes is one of them.

Hughes is the only Atlantic 10 player to lead his team in blocks and steals last season. He is one of four returning Division I players 6-foot-7 or taller who led his team in both categories in 2019-20.

Previous members of this list include Portland Trailblazers teammates Damian Lillard (Weber State 2011) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh 2012). Former NBA guard Jeremy Lin (Harvard 2009) was mentioned, too.

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