Tim Benz stories, Page 88

Monday’s “First Call” reveals some deep local roots for one of the Pittsburgh Steelers general manager candidates. The Steelers are represented well on a list of HBCU all-timers. It was a busy day in the Metropolitan Division beyond the Penguins game in Columbus. Duquesne is sticking with Keith Dambrot, and...

It’s not often that the Pittsburgh Penguins have to wait until late February to play their Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers. Now that they get to do so, though, they may want to wait a little longer. After a rotten 6-1 loss to the last-place New Jersey Devils on...

According to ESPN.com, Major League Baseball will begin canceling regular-season games if the league and its players’ association can’t reach a new collective bargaining agreement by Monday. The games would not be rescheduled. Well, don’t threaten me with a good time. My first thought when I read that was, “Good....

We found out Thursday that Metallica is going to headline a concert at PNC Park on Aug. 14. The heavy metal band pumped out its first album in 1983 and has built up quite a library. So I thought I might help out by suggesting a Pirates-specific set list for...

Friday’s “First Call” starts with a former Philadelphia Eagles teammate who thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers may be a good fit for quarterback Carson Wentz. Steelers owner Art Rooney II speaks about two lingering topics surrounding his team. Thursday was bad all-around for the Penguins. And the Pitt hockey team is...

The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason doesn’t mean that the team is off the radar. At least not with Steelers fans who read “Breakfast With Benz.” As usual, this week my inbox and Twitter interactions are flooded with Steelers fans giving their opinions on all sorts of topics. You know, like JuJu...

A current Pittsburgh Steeler may be destined for a new address. Brian Flores doesn’t want to call out Bill Belichick. A former Steelers assistant coach has a new gig in college. And the Penguins have a great chance to gobble up two points Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. All...

Since Tuesday marked the 42nd anniversary of the 1980 Team USA hockey win over the Russians, maybe Duquesne basketball coach Keith Dambrot caught a rerun of the movie “Miracle” on television. Perhaps he can gin up a Herb Brooks-esque pregame speech. I mean the Dukes do wear red, white and...

Wednesday’s “First Call” features a possible free agent landing spot for JuJu Smith-Schuster. Ray-Ray McCloud is angling for a new contract to stay in Pittsburgh. Antonio Brown is back to sniping at Tom Brady. Jarvis Landry is getting itchy in Cleveland. And a local college hockey team is preparing for...

When Kevin Colbert leaves his post as Steelers general manager after this spring’s NFL Draft, he’ll leave behind a 22-year legacy of constructing teams that went to three Super Bowls, won two Vince Lombardi trophies and qualified for the playoffs 14 times. He’ll also leave behind a legacy of essentially...

Carolina Hurricanes center Jordan Staal apologized for the hit on his former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin. “That was my bad,” Staal said. “I saw him late. He was kind of coming the other way. I was going the other way. He’s a big, heavy boy. I’m glad that he...

Outgoing Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert held his annual offseason get-together with selected Steelers media members Tuesday. Many issues were discussed. The plans to replace him after he retires following the draft. The offseason gameplan about what will be done at quarterback to replace the retired Ben Roethlisberger. What...

Tuesday’s “First Call” has an update on that planned boycott of the NFL Scouting Combine. A former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback couldn’t cut it in the CFL. Troy Polamalu’s uncle gets a new gig coaching in the NFL. The Flyers can’t give the Penguins an assist. And one of Duquesne’s women’s...

Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes was the first of three between now and March 13. Who knows, maybe those three contests will be a precursor for a best-of-seven playoff series this spring. The teams entered Sunday’s affair tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division with...

Monday’s “First Call” features another former Pittsburgh Steeler doubting quarterback Mason Rudolph. There may be a boycott of the NFL scouting combine. A local NHL product hits a milestone. There was a fight between coaches in the Big Ten basketball ranks. And maybe Tampa Bay wasn’t all paradise for Tom...

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to hire former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores as a senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach attempts to address three things. Two of them appear to be about battles of perception. The other is about the battle to get the opposing team off the field without racking...

For Pittsburgh’s Janice Masters, the workload can sometimes be like a second full-time job. Except she’s not getting paid for this one. Roger Goodell gets between $50 million to $60 million per year to be commissioner of the National Football League. What Masters gets to be commissioner of the Women’s...

On a recent episode of Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast, the newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year disclosed that he has a wicked tree nut allergy. Tree nuts include the likes of almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts and Brazil nuts. Among the incidents that the Steelers linebacker has encountered is...

Friday’s “First Call” has a less-than-optimistic opinion on the Steelers offense from one of the team’s former players. We have updates on the post-Super Bowl retirement talk surrounding Sean McVay and Penn Hills alum Aaron Donald. A former Steelers assistant may factor into the Aaron Rodgers situation in Green Bay....

As the Penguins look to extend their winning streak to five games Thursday night in Canada against the Toronto Maple Leafs, many fans are still basking in the afterglow of Tuesday’s victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Not only was it an enjoyable 5-4 comeback win for the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins...

My inbox this week was stuffed with plenty of emails about the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback conundrum. Offensive line concerns. Journalism lectures. Penguins negativity. And hamburger commercials. I didn’t get any Valentine’s Day e-cards though. That was sad. But in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, “U mad, bro?” is like a...

It felt like a perfect night of Penguins hockey at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby scored his 500th goal in front of a raucous crowd of 18,385. A Sid-sational moment for a sensational player.Congratulations, Sidney! ???? pic.twitter.com/WrPh5R4qDx— NHL (@NHL) February 16, 2022 He did so against the hated Philadelphia...

When you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers compared to other NFL franchises, do these names pop into your head immediately? The Atlanta Falcons. The Washington Commanders. The Carolina Panthers. How about some other long-standing organizations with a history of winning Super Bowls that have fallen on hard times recently? Teams...

We’ve talked plenty about what the Steelers may or may not do on the trade market and at the draft. But what about free agency? ESPN has some guesses. They also have some suggestions for new homes for two current Steelers free agents. Pittsburgh was one of the best cities...

We can only assume that Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has done this on purpose, right? During the first game back from the All-Star break on Feb. 8, Crosby scored career goal No. 499 of his career as part of a 4-2 win over the Boston Bruins. Crosby then picked...