Tim Benz stories, Page 13
U mad, bro?: Midsummer cynicism from Pirates fans, preseason sass from Steelers fans
This is the slowest week in sports. The NFL hasn’t started training camps yet. It’s All-Star break time for Major League Baseball. The NHL and NBA are in an offseason lull. You’d think that would lead to a lull in angst from Pittsburgh sports fans too. You’d be wrong. Here’s...
Penn State hockey coach discusses the responsibility, attention that goes with guiding Gavin McKenna
Men’s hockey coach Guy Gadowsky and his staff got NHL uber-prospect Gavin McKenna to commit to Penn State. Now, Gadowsky has to coach him up. Or does he? 17-year-old hockey phenom Gavin McKenna is heading to Penn State to continue his career ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qrxxfILu9P— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 8, 2025 The...
Tim Benz: Mario Lemieux can’t be the Penguins’ savior this time, even if he does reacquire the franchise
Mario Lemieux doesn’t need to save the Pittsburgh Penguins this time. That’ll make his possible return to the franchise different from his previous reincarnations with the team. But, oddly, this one could be just as difficult. If Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse eventually reacquire the organization (as reports from...
First Call: Arch Manning avoids question about NFL future; surprising Steelers breakout candidate
Wednesday’s “First Call” has Paul Skenes’ response to Oneil Cruz’s big show in the Home Run Derby. Arch Manning eludes a question about his NFL plans. One outlet is pumping up Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Calvin Austin. And a former Pitt player may be suspended until he faces the Steelers in...
Tim Benz: Oneil Cruz’s HR Derby explosion, Paul Skenes’ All-Star start highlight ‘cognitive dissonance’ of Pirates’ fandomVideo
Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz may not have won this year’s Home Run Derby, but he may have emerged as the biggest star of the night. Seattle’s Cal Raleigh added another chapter to his magical season by winning the event. The Mariners’ catcher was every bit a worthy champion. The...
First Call: Report claims NFL teams ‘don’t really expect’ a T.J. Watt trade; update on Najee Harris’ eye injury
Tuesday’s “First Call” examines the latest news on T.J. Watt’s contract. We have an update on Najee Harris’ eye. Paul Coffey has a new gig with the Edmonton Oilers. And a Pitt baseball pitcher gets picked in the MLB Draft. Waiting on Watt For T.J. Watt, the roadblock in his...
Pirates are being leveraged by both sides in MLB’s economics debate
As is usually the case around the All-Star break, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred pops up quite a bit with annual “state of the league” media interactions. Often, his quotes come with some sort of player-salary cost control messaging. Equally as predictable are retorts from the MLB Players Association,...
First Call: Aaron Rodgers wants to ‘finish it the right way’ with Steelers; high school of Pirates’ 1st-round pick sets record
Monday’s “First Call” features Aaron Rodgers’ comments about his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers so far. The Pirates’ first-round draft choice, Seth Hernandez, talks about the idea of eventually pitching with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. Hernandez’s high school made history on Sunday night during the draft. And we catch...
Madden Monday: About the idea of the Penguins tanking for Gavin McKenna; Sunday’s trade for a goalie
If you think that the Pittsburgh Penguins are tanking for newly signed Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X disagrees. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden said the Penguins may end up putting themselves in a great draft lottery position for McKenna...
Tim Benz: If the NCAA still wants to expand March Madness, at least fix one flaw along the way
It appears that the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments will not expand. For now. Thankfully. Although it does seem like just a matter of time before that happens. “The still viable outcomes include the tournaments remaining at 68 teams or expanding the fields to either 72 or 76 teams in...
First Call: Cam Heyward cracks NFL top 100; Gavin McKenna already shifting NCAA hockey betting
Friday’s “First Call” finds the first Pittsburgh Steeler to make the NFL’s top 100 list. We examine the chances of the Steelers signing a high-profile safety. We take a look at the Pirates-Twins series. And we see exactly how much Penn State’s Gavin McKenna is already impacting the NCAA hockey...
Former Pirates 1st-round pick says Oneil Cruz’s greatest strength may also be ‘his biggest detriment’
If there’s anyone who can empathize with struggling Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz, it’s Cole Tucker. Like Cruz, the former Pirates shortstop was asked to make a move to the outfield early in his Major League career. Like Cruz, the former first-round pick knows the weight of expectation when you...
Tim Benz: Pirates have no one to blame but themselves for newest chapter of ESPN Paul Skenes trade chatter
There were a couple of rounds of media-created Paul Skenes trade talks earlier this season. They were driven by a number of national outlets, baffled by how little the Pittsburgh Pirates had done to surround Skenes with any offensive talent to speak of. Thus, the presumption was that instead of...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans fume over criticism of Paul Skenes’ pitch count, Steelers fans say, ‘Pay T.J. Watt!’
There are very few reasons to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates these days. One of them is Paul Skenes. So, when he is pitching great and gets pulled early, I get mad. As I wrote on Tuesday, in the wake of that occurrence happening in Seattle over the weekend, I was...
First Call: Rooney family member pans Steelers roster and rips idea of paying T.J. Watt big money; Reds honor Dave Parker
Thursday’s “First Call” has some harsh words about the Pittsburgh Steelers from someone within the Rooney family. Dave Parker is honored by one of his former teams. We’ve also got Pirates’ draft speculation and roster building from the Duquesne football team. Family matters If someone named Rooney is unloading their...
Tim Benz: Debate over Oneil Cruz’s Home Run Derby invitation is unnecessary
Oneil Cruz has been named to the roster for the Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday night. That seems to have stirred a debate on sports talk radio and in social media circles as to whether Cruz “deserves” to be in the competition. Personally, I’m not sure...
Theories why the Steelers and T.J. Watt are so ‘far apart’ in contract talks
The Pittsburgh Steelers and disgruntled outside linebacker T.J. Watt still have a lot of ground to cover on contract renegotiations, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “They’re far apart right now, and there have been other teams that have mulled the idea that maybe they would approach the Pittsburgh Steelers about...
First Call: Dak Prescott heaping praise on George Pickens; WR or safety debated as Steelers’ weakest position
Wednesday’s “First Call” has early praise for former Steeler George Pickens thanks to his new quarterback. We look at soft spots on the Steelers’ depth chart. The odds of Pittsburgh getting an NBA team are dubious. And Duquesne’s top receiver is getting some national run. Pumped up for Pickens For...
No history lessons necessary for Penguins prospects as they shape the franchise’s future
For the expansive list of new Pittsburgh Penguins prospects at their recent development camp, there was a lot to be learned. They got to meet their coaches, the staff and each other. They were able to learn their way around the UPMC Lemieux practice complex in Cranberry and put on...
Tim Benz: Load management for Paul Skenes heightens ‘whipped-puppy syndrome’ for some Pirates fans
The only thing worse than the Pittsburgh Pirates’ restriction on Paul Skenes’ innings Sunday was the support of that action from a (far too large) segment of the team’s remaining fanbase. A segment that is apparently even more brainwashed than I suspected. It’s certainly not all Pirates fans. In fact,...
First Call: Royals’ mound opponent for Mitch Keller under similar trade watch; 2 young Steelers getting national notice
A pair of young Pittsburgh Steelers are getting interesting recognition. Mitch Keller’s mound opponent in Kansas City has something in common with him. An ex-Duquesne Duke is receiving a look from an NBA club, and the Doak Walker Award odds feature some local running backs. All that in Tuesday’s “First...
Tim Benz: The Pirates keep trying to tell us who they are. We should just listen
If you ever forget who the Pittsburgh Pirates really are, give them five minutes. They’ll remind you right away. Just three days after completing a sweep of St. Louis in which the Bucs shut out the Cards in all three contests (7-0, 1-0, 5-0), manager Don Kelly’s team countered that...
First Call: Skepticism over T.J. Watt yielding a 1st-round pick in a trade; Larry Fitzgerald’s son chooses college
We wrap up an extended holiday weekend with Monday’s “First Call.” It features a schism between T.J. Watt’s trade value and his contract demands. A former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver is trying to find a way back into the NFL. A renowned Pitt alum has a son who will be attending...
Madden Monday: Timing of Omar Khan’s extension an example of Art Rooney II’s ‘lazy’ approach to Steelers’ ownership
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is getting a three-year contract extension, even though the team has yet to win a playoff game under the first three years of his stewardship. Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X thinks that’s a bit curious. “I don’t understand why now,” Madden...
First Call: Jonnu Smith’s thoughts on trade to Steelers; Aaron Rodgers’ photo of workouts with pass catchers
“First Call” for Thursday gets us into the holiday weekend by giving you a look at Jonnu Smith’s perspective after being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rodgers is working out with his new teammates during the offseason. The Pirates are hoping to stay hot against Seattle. And we examine...
