Tim Benz stories, Page 85

The epic Super Bowl XLIII interception return for a touchdown by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison lasted 13 seconds. For South Park High School graduate Reggie Wells, his memory of it will last a lifetime. And, as an offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals that day, part of his role...

I’ve got nothing to be angry about this week. I’m taking off a day early. I’m going to Boston for the Frozen Four. I’ll see some of my family that I haven’t seen since the pandemic hit. I cleaned up at the casino on some Final Four and hockey bets....

Thursday’s “First Call” starts with more news about the Pittsburgh Steelers safety position. Pitt’s coach shares some details about Kenny Pickett. We have a look at the Penguins game against the New York Rangers. And another local college athlete is getting into business with the WWE. Search still on One...

For Duquesne football player Roman Macek, he figured it was worth a try. What’s the worst that could happen? They laugh him out of Texas? He’d only be gone for a few days. His coaches and teammates were behind him. The flight would land early enough Saturday that he could...

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn’t think that his team’s 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver deserved too much disappointment. “It was just a really good hockey game. It was a well-played game on both sides,” Sullivan said after the defeat. “It was a real competitive hockey game.”...

Tuesday’s “First Call” sees some possible movement soon at the safety position for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and movement in front of them on the draft board may influence the quarterbacks available. We check in on the health of the Penguins and Avalanche in advance of Tuesday night’s game. And there...

As the North Carolina Tar Heels ride into Monday night’s NCAA Tournament Championship game against Kansas, they are in one of the most unique sports positions in recent memory. A blue-blood, high-profile, historically elite college basketball team. Yet it’s somehow in the underdog, “playing with nothing to lose” role at...

During many of our “Madden Monday” podcasts throughout this NFL offseason, Mark Madden and I have both expressed our skepticism about the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022. But in this week’s edition, Madden advanced an optimistic scenario. And it has to do with new quarterback Mitch Trubisky. “Do you know the...

Monday’s “First Call” shows us how former Pittsburgh Penguin Phil Kessel took over the NHL’s consecutive games streak. A pair of Metropolitan Division teams suffered home losses. The Eastern Conference has its first team locked into the playoffs. And the Pirates will be facing a familiar opponent on Opening Day...

In Friday’s “First Call,” the Baltimore Ravens miss out on a star free agent signing. A Pitt basketball legend may be getting his first head coaching gig. Robert Morris’ head coach is no fan of the hype surrounding Mike Krzyzewski’s last trip to the Final Four. And we recap another...

Mike Eruzione’s friendship with Penguins legend Mario Lemieux started decades ago. Back to when he got to know the Hall of Famer through golf tournaments Lemieux set up with one of Eruzione’s Massachusetts hockey pals, former Penguins goalie Tom Barrasso. It’s no surprise the two men remained close over the...

It’s not in the nature of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to feed media hype. Generally, the more spin a story is getting, the more Tomlin tends to downplay it. Not when it comes to the team’s ongoing study of this year’s draft-eligible quarterbacks, though. During NFL owners meetings interviews, Tomlin...

Tuesday night’s loss against the New York Rangers began a seven-game stretch for the Penguins exclusively against opponents that are currently in playoff slots. The next such challenge comes against the Minnesota Wild Thursday. And they are the hottest team of the bunch. Under the eye of former Penguin Bill...

A big-name free agent reveals that he has been in touch with the Steelers. We debate the reasons behind Bruce Arians’ latest retirement. Lamar Jackson is getting testy in Baltimore. Alex Goligoski just keeps on playing. And the New York Rangers just keep winning. All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”...

We have quite the cornucopia of Pittsburgh sports fan complaints this week in “U mad, bro?” Folks are angry about NFL overtime and the new “Monday Night Football” booth. Pitt fans are getting defensive about Kenny Pickett. Steelers fans want to defend the wall when it comes to second guessing...

Even though Tuesday was “Ben Roethlisberger Night” at PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins couldn’t finish off a late comeback. The Penguins were beaten by the New York Rangers 3-2 despite a heart-stopping onslaught of 6-on-5 shots against New York goalie Igor Shesterkin. All the while, the Rangers were narrowly missing...

Wednesday’s “First Call” introduces us to an off-the-radar quarterback that may be of interest to the Steelers. We’ve got updates from Baltimore and Cleveland on their QB situations. Eastern Conference chaos wasn’t restricted to the Penguins and Rangers Tuesday. And a familiar football name is coming back to Pittsburgh to...

I suppose Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won’t be happy with the NFL rule change altering overtime in the playoffs. Then again, based on his comments Monday, Tomlin wasn’t all that happy with the rule as it stood last year anyway. Tomlin wanted to go back to old-fashioned, pre-2010 “sudden death”...

In Tuesday’s “First Call,” Mike Tomlin answers questions about his long-term future with the Pittsburgh Steelers. An ex-Steeler was spotted helping out a potential draft choice at his pro day. A wild game atop the Metropolitan Division. And Chris Archer has a new home. No focus on future For 50...

As the NFL seems to be scrambling for a new way to conduct overtime, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has an idea. Make everything old, new again. The current NFL overtime rule is that if the winner of the overtime coin flip goes down the field and scores a touchdown...

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust had a succinct assessment of his team’s turnaround from a 5-1 loss in New York against the Rangers on Friday night to an 11-2 drubbing of the Detroit Red Wings at home Sunday. “Tonight was substantially more fun than the other night,” Rust assessed. Indeed....

For former Robert Morris women’s hockey coach Paul Colontino, the emotions were easy to sort out. It was natural for him to back Ohio State in their 3-2 NCAA championship game win over Minnesota-Duluth on Mar. 20. “You couldn’t be cheering harder. You’re excited and elated for them to have...

Monday’s “First Call” checks in on Mason Rudolph’s state of mind as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback position remains up for grabs. One college coach thinks his quarterback could be Pittsburgh bound. Marc-Andre Fleury’s debut in Minnesota was a success. And there was no rest on Sunday for the NHL’s Eastern...

Halfway through March, it was shaping up as a forgettable month for Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin. On March 16, Malkin was riding a six-game pointless streak and had just one goal and two assists in the seven games to start the month. But now, Malkin is in the midst...

Friday’s “First Call” features a Pitt transfer shining in the NCAA Tournament. Deshaun Watson will not face another criminal charge. High praise for new Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky. And the Carolina Hurricanes extend their lead on the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. Hog wild Pitt transfer Au’Diese Toney put his...