Tim Benz stories, Page 104

This week’s “U mad, bro?” is all over the map. Penguins hockey. College hockey. Baseball drafts. Steelers from the 1930s. And English lessons. This is what they call the “dog days” of summer. I don’t have a dog right now. But based on the emails I received this week, if...

If you are dubious about the Pittsburgh Steelers signing Melvin Ingram, Wednesday’s “First Call” may put you at ease. We also look at Steven Nelson’s future. Strange odds surrounding which Penguin may get selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. And T.J. Watt’s wedding engagement is getting some...

Leading up to Wednesday’s expansion draft, a lot of Pittsburgh Penguins fans have advanced the hope that the Seattle Kraken would select winger Jason Zucker. If every team besides the Vegas Golden Knights is going to lose someone, why not him? In the wake of his acquisition from the Minnesota...

Training camp is a high priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as it is for the rest of the NFL’s franchises. That importance is increasing with players frequently balking at in-person offseason workouts these days and with the reduction of the preseason schedule to three games. The Steelers are “lucky” (if...

If Robert Morris University truly wants its recently resuscitated hockey programs to play games this season, the school should stop playing games with the student-athletes who remain on the teams. Immediately. The decision makers in Moon Township should reinstate both the men’s and women’s programs right now and let them...

Many observers of the Pittsburgh Penguins entered this offseason thinking the organization’s biggest need was to improve the goaltending. Others stressed a desire to add more size and physicality. Some want increased scoring for the playoffs. The front office probably agrees with all of the above. This is why it...

Tuesday’s “First Call” gives us the numbers behind Melvin Ingram’s new contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pitt’s odds of winning the ACC football conference have been released. We found a prediction from Seattle regarding which Penguins player will go to the Kraken via the expansion draft. Also, a Steelers preseason...

Are you struggling to grasp the Penguins’ strategy when it comes to the expansion draft? Yeah, me, too. Over the weekend, NHL teams were required to submit their protected lists for Wednesday’s expansion draft. Among those left unprotected in Pittsburgh were forwards Brandon Tanev and Zach Aston-Reese. Meanwhile, Jeff Carter...

Monday’s “First Call” gives us reason to think that the Steelers may bolster their pass rushing depth. Kevin Dotson’s pitching mechanics need work. The hype surrounding Tom Brady’s return to New England is building already. And the Pirates actually have reason to believe that they are much better than their...

My plan coming out of the All-Star break was to go to PNC Park Sunday in case New York Mets ace pitcher Jacob deGrom spun a perfect game against the normally putrid Pirates. Instead, what we saw was a 7-6 Mets win that was as far from perfect as you...

One of the things that made Ryan Shazier’s career-ending spinal injury so sad is that, for Pittsburgh Steelers fans, they could sense a little Troy Polamalu in what he brought to the field. Shazier (a linebacker) played a different position than Polamalu (a safety), and the defense around him wasn’t...

This time of year, Pittsburgh Steelers fans spend a lot of time getting fired up over lists and rankings published by various NFL media entities. Where Ben Roethlisberger ranks on the list of quarterbacks in the AFC North. Where T.J. Watt stands on the pass rusher rankings. Where Mike Tomlin...

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu may return to Heinz Field. Backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins reportedly lost a tooth during an incident in Las Vegas. An update on when Pirates fans may get to see Jacob deGrom. And we’ll let you know how WPIAL and Pitt product Cam Johnson did in...

Pittsburgh Pirates fans reminded me of a valuable lesson this week. Media members are not allowed to pass negative judgement on any aspect of a Major League Baseball draft for at least five years. You can, however, declare it a spectacular, franchise-altering, paradigm-shifting success overnight. That’s how things went this...

For Robert Morris men’s hockey coach Derek Schooley, it sounds like he’s employing some good ol’ fashion hockey cliches. Right out of Hockey Media Relations 101. One play at a time. One shift at a time. One period at a time. One game at a time. For Schooley, though, there’s...

Wednesday’s “First Call” features a Steeler ripping the New England Patriots, on-air hosts singing very different tunes about Ben Roethlisberger and a few nuggets about the Robert Morris hockey teams. Cassius chimes in Steelers linebacker Cassius Marsh is taking another swat at one of his former teams: the New England...

We are still about two weeks away from Steelers training camp. The Stanley Cup Finals are over. So is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Home Run Derby and the draft. Besides the Pirates grinding toward a potential 100-loss season, what can Pittsburgh sports fans watch to get their fix...

Tuesday’s “First Call” takes a peek at potential Steelers who could make their Pro Bowl debuts. One Steeler almost missed Mike Tomlin’s draft day phone call. Remembering “Mr. Wonderful’s” football career. And a new job in the NHL for Pierre McGuire. Sounds like a good idea Last week, NFL.com compiled...

Congratulations on the Pittsburgh Pirates clinching a 2027 World Series berth. Okay, maybe 2028. Regardless, order your tickets now! By that point, all of the guys the Pirates drafted in the first few rounds of this week’s 2021 Major League Baseball draft should be with the big league club. Most...

Now that the 2021 Stanley Cup has been awarded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s time for Pittsburgh Penguins fans to focus on what moves their team may make in the offseason. Or according to our Mark Madden, what moves they won’t make. “I think we’ll be amazed by how...

Monday’s “First Call” gives us news of a former Steeler retiring. We examine the details of Ben Roethlisberger allegedly tipping plays pre-snap. Pirates All-Star Adam Frazier is in pretty exclusive company. Ex-Pirates pitchers in the Bronx are finding a better rhythm. And we had some sassy tempers in a Pirates...

If the call had come on the 10th anniversary of the Jaromir Jagr trade, Kris Beech may have had a different reaction. He probably still would’ve done the interview. Just with a little less enthusiasm and a lot less perspective. But after 20 years of reflection, the former Penguins forward...

Friday’s “First Call” brings us a Doomsday scenario prediction for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, the Eagles may still be in play for Steven Nelson. We’ve got some Steelers birthdays, a bold prediction from a Steelers rival and Home Run Derby gambling odds. Big Ben ‘is going to be bad’ Former...

This happens from time to time at “Breakfast With Benz.” I get an email, tweet or a post in the comments section that I want to use for “U mad, bro?” However, sometimes that comment itself gets me mad enough that I find myself writing a response so long, it...

As Sunday’s Major League Baseball draft approaches, all signs continue to indicate that the Pittsburgh Pirates will choose Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Cali.) shortstop Marcelo Mayer with the No.1 overall pick. For some people (yours truly included) who believe that drafting Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter is a better route...