Tim Benz stories, Page 61

In theory, newly acquired Pittsburgh Penguin center Mikael Granlund meets the description of what Penguins fans have been asking for over the last few weeks in a pre-deadline trade by general manager Ron Hextall. • Granlund is a third-line forward that can play center or wing. • He had 64...

Thursday’s “First Call” has an admission from Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan about Kenny Pickett’s concussions. Notre Dame coach Mike Brey celebrates beating Pitt. Duquesne gets some help. Late-night Metropolitan Division results. And Connor McDavid is just unstoppable. Khan on Kenny’s concussions Appearing on ProFootballTalk’s “PFT Live” at the...

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are tired of free agent speculation. Penguins fans are sick of living in the middle. And college basketball fans don’t want an NCAA Tournament that’s watered down with too many teams. March is coming in like a lion for this week’s “U mad, bro?” This person didn’t...

The Pittsburgh Penguins are being linked to a third Vancouver Canuck trade option. Free agent offensive tackle Taylor Lewan may have moved on from targeting the Steelers. Two former Pirates pitchers have been injured in spring training. And Damar Hamlin is still searching for a way to get back on...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are quite the conundrum, aren’t they? It’s a team that seems to have tons of needs every offseason. Yet, at the same time, the front office always seems so desperate to retain as many players on the roster as possible. You know, all those great rosters that...

In Tuesday’s “First Call,” could Tee Higgins go from one AFC rival of the Pittsburgh Steelers to another? We consider some NFL rules changes. Connor McDavid is on a Mario Lemieux-esque scoring pace. And the Pitt Panthers are enjoying success on the ice as well as the hardwood. Rules are...

Over much of the past 40 years, betting on the Pittsburgh Pirates has been a good way to lose a lot of money. But based on some early movement this season, the Pirates are a popular pick among baseball gamblers. According to Max Meyer of Caesars Sportsbook, no one is...

Here’s an idea emerging from meetings at the NFL scouting combine that could make some Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players very happy. Particularly defensive captain Cameron Heyward. I just don’t want Heyward to get too excited too quickly. According to NFL.com’s Judy Battista, one team in the league has proposed to...

You had to love the irony surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins giveaway for fans attending Sunday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a puzzle. Yes, a 500-piece “Paint the Ice” puzzle kit. Based on head coach Mike Sullivan’s “our roster is our roster” comment from last week, the...

When Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim took a swat at Pitt and a few other ACC schools for “buying a team,” it didn’t go over well in Pittsburgh. It didn’t go over well elsewhere. Like, in Syracuse. Brent Axe is a radio host at ESPN Syracuse and a columnist for...

Friday’s “First Call” looks at two recently released veterans that could fit positions of need for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alex Ovechkin is back for the Capitals. Aaron Rodgers has left his darkness retreat. And the Duquesne men’s basketball team hunts for win No. 20 on Sunday. Taking another run? The...

One thing that is wonderful about Pittsburgh sports fans is that they do not discriminate when it comes to their angst. The Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt, college basketball … even the XFL! This week’s “U mad, bro?” illustrates how all-encompassing of a community we truly have in this great city....

There has been a lot of chatter this offseason about the prospect of the Pittsburgh Steelers cutting or trading quarterback Mitch Trubisky. If that were to happen, would the Steelers entertain the prospect of keeping free-agent third-stringer Mason Rudolph? And would Rudolph even entertain that idea after he was bypassed...

Thursday’s “First Call” has a free agent name to track at linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cam Heyward kicks around the idea of Martavis Bryant returning to the NFL. More hype for Oneil Cruz. We check in on the Islanders as the Penguins rest up for their game against Connor...

Saturday’s 90-85 Atlantic 10 conference loss at St. Louis (18-9, 10-4 conf.) featured some numbers in the box score that are hard to ignore for the Duquesne Dukes. As much as they’d probably like to do so. • At one point, Duquesne (18-9, 8-6) led by 15 in the first...

As we outlined in Monday’s “First Call” post, former Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler Hines Ward lost his XFL coaching debut over the weekend 18-15 to the St. Louis BattleHawks. Ward’s San Antonio Brahmas blew a 12-3 lead, yielding 15 points in the final 90 seconds of the game. But the...

Pittsburgh is listed as a top destination for one NFL free-agent defensive back, while a current Pittsburgh Steeler may want to consider heading west. The Steelers are one of many teams intrigued by an HBCU star pass rusher. An infamous name in recent Steelers history is looking for work. Connor...

For the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night, simply getting Tristan Jarry back in goal seemed to cure a lot of the ills that had been plaguing them of late. Until he caught the germs. On Monday night, the Penguins’ top netminder played his first game since Jan. 22 against the...

For fans of the Pitt Panthers basketball team, complaining about the poll voters has proven fruitless. Blaming flawed computer-ranking models — or at least flawed interpretations of them — is doing no good. Jeff Capel’s attempt to take a jab at the ACC Network for weak promotion on Monday was...

At least one Pittsburgh Steelers free agent sure sounds like a guy who wants to stay in Black and Gold. The Florida Panthers and New York Islanders are making waves in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins continue to dominate atop the NHL standings. And the Penguins...