Tim Benz stories, Page 139

For “First Call” Wednesday, we try to help out renowned horror writer Stephen King. And the Watt brothers take over “The Tonight Show.” The offseason of the Watt brothers continues. Steelers T.J. and Derek Watt joined older brother J.J. Watt during a segment on “The Tonight Show” Tuesday. It was...

No one in the baseball world is happy right now. No season to start. No games to be played. Everyone is just sitting around idle. Although sitting around idle is still better than having your entire offseason of work go up in smoke. Then having to do it over and...

“Inglourious Basterds” is one of my favorite movies. It’s got an alternate outcome to World War II at the end. The device of an alternate-outcome premise is popular on television lately. HBO’s “The Plot against America” is along those lines. So was Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle.” Perhaps our...

We go down memory lane in this week’s “Essey Tire” hockey podcast with Brian Metzer of the Penguins Radio Network. In lieu of actual hockey, the NHL Network is running an all-day marathon on Tuesday of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators. So...

The latest model to lay out some version of a potential Major League Baseball season in 2020 appears to be an improvement over the first one we saw. But it is still fraught with specific problems, unavoidable pitfalls and significant overarching questions about health during the coronavirus pandemic. Please don’t...

Tuesday’s “First Call” takes a look at how Steelers legend Rod Woodson entered the fray regarding the recently spicy Ben Roethlisberger versus Terry Bradshaw debate. Steelers Hall of Famer Rod Woodson appeared on FS1’s “Speak for Yourself” on Monday. He was asked if Terry Bradshaw was right when he deferred...

Coming off of Easter Sunday, this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast looks at a different kind of resurrection. That of the entire sports world. When will we see it? And when we do, will we recognize it? Mark and I aren’t just talking about the mechanics of the leagues getting off...

In “First Call” on Monday, the Watt brothers latch onto National Siblings Day. One of them speaks out for snubbed Steelers star Cam Heyward. Another national voice pipes up about the Jameis Winston-to-Pittsburgh talk. And an update on the socially distanced NFL Draft. Friday was National Siblings Day. With so...

You’ve probably heard the phrase “these are strange times” a lot in recent weeks. They sure are. So strange there is even some weird stuff happening beyond the entire shutdown of the planet thing that’s been going on for the past month. For instance, Terry Bradshaw’s interview on 93.7 The...

The biggest fantasy in the sports world right now is getting through this global pandemic and getting real games back on the field of play. But in lieu of that, Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and I do our weekly fantasy sports podcast anyway. We talk about how golf could lead...

The longer this coronavirus quarantine goes on, the angrier people are getting. Myself included. As you will find out shortly. I can’t blame myself. Or anyone else. This stinks. No sports. No movies. No shows. No concerts. No outdoor gatherings. And for me, no escape from Twitter. Which makes me...

When I think of how the Steelers will approach this month’s NFL Draft, I want to stand by one of my usual credos. Don’t out-think the obvious. In 2019, the Steelers defense was good. The offense was bad. Hence, help the offense as much as you can, as soon as...

Wednesday’s “Essey Tire” hockey podcast features Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer, as we flashback to the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. Because, well, there are no 2020 NHL playoffs to discuss right now. Thanks for that, covid-19. So the best we can do is look to the past. And AT&T...

Try to keep up, baseball fans. Because you are reading a column that’s being written while stuck in “fast forward.” In an effort to avoid a covid-19-induced shutdown, Major League Baseball is considering playing the 2020 season exclusively in a league-wide, semi-quarantined state of existence throughout the Phoenix, Az., area....

In Wednesday’s “First Call,” the Steelers player most hurt by the absence of an offseason program. Rashard Mendenhall is still touchy about his Super Bowl fumble. Kevin Colbert wants a 10-round draft. Shutdown hardest on whom? ESPN.com came up with a list of one player per team that is going...

On Friday night, the MLB Network replayed the painful seventh game of the 1992 NLCS. "I was hoping those people in left field were blowing on my back to give me some tailwind." - Sid BreamWatch the @Braves' thrilling 1992 NLCS Game 7 win at 10pm ET on MLB Network...

As you may have heard by now, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick “is” the Steelers’ first-round choice in this month’s upcoming NFL Draft. At least that’s what people keep demanding that I say. Does that mean Derick Brassard “was” the Penguins’ first-round pick in 2018? You never hear that trade presented in...

Tuesday’s “First Call” features a big name joining the “Jameis Winston to Pittsburgh” bandwagon. Antonio Brown found someone insane enough to be his agent. And how Kiya Tomlin is helping the battle against covid-19. Joining the Jameis bandwagon Over the past few weeks, I’ve given you a few endorsements from...

I’m no longer simply bored with the coronavirus-induced sports desert of the moment. I’m now in full-blown depression. My blues extend well beyond sports and into just about every avenue of how people have politicized and polarized the pandemic. It started with the chorus of people insisting sports “weren’t important”...

This week’s Madden Monday is… …well, what can I say? It’s pretty bleak. Mark Madden and I are both pretty bummed out over the covid-19-induced state of affairs influencing the sports world. It’s feeling more and more like every sport — including football — won’t be allowed to resume for...

Monday’s “First Call” features a draft candidate for the Steelers. Some props for the Steelers cornerbacks. Donnie Shell announces his Hall of Fame presenter. And the walls may be closing in on former Pirate Jason Kendall. Is Kendall crazy? Perhaps the covid-19 shut-in has made Jason Kendall a little nutty....

One idea to help Major League Baseball get as many games as possible onto the schedule in 2020 is to play a lot of scheduled doubleheaders. According to Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, via ESPN one of the ideas being floated around is playing those doubleheaders as seven-inning...

Friday’s “First Call” illustrates ESPN’s unending desire to shine up Myles Garrett. Stephen A. Smith lowers the boom on Mr. Business is Boomin’. Check out Tom Brady’s new place in Tampa. We may have a 100-game Major League Baseball season. And O.J. Simpson gives us his review of “Tiger King.”...

This week’s “U mad, bro?” is pretty intense. Especially about the idea of Jameis Winston coming to Pittsburgh. I mean, for something that is probably never going to happen, boy, are people fired up about it! Also, Steelers fans spit fire about the NFL Draft, Minkah Fitzpatrick and the crazy...

Since NFL free agency started, we’ve tried to drill down for a little extra insight on each of the new players. • We learned Stefen Wisniewski may have been an even more positive on-field addition to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl run than originally thought. • Based on his...