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Tim Benz Columns category, Page 81

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
U mad, bro?: Penguins fans fret about expansion strategy; Pirates fans still prickly about draft; Steelers’ forgotten past
This week’s “U mad, bro?” is all over the map. Penguins hockey. College hockey. Baseball drafts. Steelers from the 1930s. And English lessons. This is what they call the “dog days” of summer. I don’t have a dog right now. But based on the emails I received this week, if...
Tim Benz: 4 reasons why this year’s Steelers training camp may be more important than most
Training camp is a high priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as it is for the rest of the NFL’s franchises. That importance is increasing with players frequently balking at in-person offseason workouts these days and with the reduction of the preseason schedule to three games. The Steelers are “lucky” (if...
Tim Benz: Robert Morris hockey teams want to play games. On the ice, not with their own administration
If Robert Morris University truly wants its recently resuscitated hockey programs to play games this season, the school should stop playing games with the student-athletes who remain on the teams. Immediately. The decision makers in Moon Township should reinstate both the men’s and women’s programs right now and let them...
Tim Benz: Pirates-Mets was far from perfect, but plenty of fun
My plan coming out of the All-Star break was to go to PNC Park Sunday in case New York Mets ace pitcher Jacob deGrom spun a perfect game against the normally putrid Pirates. Instead, what we saw was a 7-6 Mets win that was as far from perfect as you...
First Call: Troy Polamalu planning Pittsburgh return; Dwayne Haskins breaks tooth in Las Vegas incident
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu may return to Heinz Field. Backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins reportedly lost a tooth during an incident in Las Vegas. An update on when Pirates fans may get to see Jacob deGrom. And we’ll let you know how WPIAL and Pitt product Cam Johnson did in...
Robert Morris reverses course, eyes path to resurrect men’s and women’s hockey programs
Robert Morris hockey might have a path back to existence. Three months after university officials said they were eliminating the men’s and women’s hockey programs, the school announced Wednesday it had reversed course and is hoping to resurrect the programs. University officials said they would work with the recently formed...
Tim Benz: Just enough for Pittsburgh sports fans to get you through the mid-summer lull
We are still about two weeks away from Steelers training camp. The Stanley Cup Finals are over. So is the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Home Run Derby and the draft. Besides the Pirates grinding toward a potential 100-loss season, what can Pittsburgh sports fans watch to get their fix...
Tim Benz: 20 years after the Jaromir Jagr trade, former Penguin Kris Beech has found peace
If the call had come on the 10th anniversary of the Jaromir Jagr trade, Kris Beech may have had a different reaction. He probably still would’ve done the interview. Just with a little less enthusiasm and a lot less perspective. But after 20 years of reflection, the former Penguins forward...
Tim Benz: Sports Illustrated reporter sees 2 teams out front in the Adam Frazier trade sweepstakes
Wednesday’s 14-3 Pirates loss to the Atlanta Braves featured another multi-hit day for All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier. Pirates fans better enjoy those moments while they can because there likely won’t be too many games between the All-Star Game next week and the July 30 trade deadline before the team...
U mad, bro?: Pirates fans sound off about big picture, fret about future
The Pirates have won three of their last four, but that doesn’t seem to matter in this week’s “U mad, bro?” inbox. Buccos fans are fretting about the future, bummed about the big picture and “on tilt” about ownership. Get back to me when they’ve won 10 in a row...
Tim Benz: Pirates can embrace the future without so obviously spitting in the face of the present
It was just one thought from Ben Cherington during an 18-minute interview. And it was said in almost a throw-away fashion by the Pirates general manager. But I hope he was paying attention to the words coming out of his own mouth. On 93.7 The Fan Thursday, host Andrew Fillipponi...
Sean McDonough on his new NHL play-by-play role, the league’s move to ESPN and hockey broadcasting history
When news broke in March that the NHL was heading to ESPN and Turner Sports next season, many hockey fans had two consistent questions: • How will broadcasts change, if at all, from NBC’s approach? • Will ESPN really prioritize hockey coverage more in its highlight-intensive sports news shows and...
Tim Benz: Numbers from Tampa Bay Lightning postseason run are replicating Penguins’ Stanley Cup success
As the Tampa Bay Lightning march through their Stanley Cup title defense, they are clipping along at a rate reminiscent of past Pittsburgh Penguins achievements. Coach John Cooper and his team are up 1-0 over the Montreal Canadiens in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. That’s the result of a 5-1...
Tim Benz: Robert Morris leaders would be wise to avoid legal brawl with hockey players’ new lawyers
After communicating with 15-20 different Robert Morris hockey players, coaches and alumni in the month since the men’s and women’s programs were cut on May 26, I think one player summed up the tone of the administration best. “It’s like they just think we are more trouble than we are...
Robert Morris hockey players now represented by lawyer who beat the NCAA in Supreme Court, represented Tom Brady
A coalition of members from the recently eliminated men’s and women’s hockey programs at Robert Morris University is now being represented by Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney perhaps best known in Pittsburgh as Tom Brady’s lawyer in his legal battle against the NFL in “Deflategate.” Kessler — who has served as...
First Call: If David DeCastro wants to keep playing, many teams may want him; Jameson Taillon’s gem for New York
If former Steelers guard David DeCastro has any interest in pursuing his NFL career outside of Pittsburgh, he may have some suitors. A former local high school hoops star is keeping his career going. Robert Morris hockey alumni want to keep the sport alive at their alma mater. And Jameson...
Tim Benz: Worry about why David DeCastro was released later; worry about what remains of the Steelers’ offensive line
When the Steelers released starting right guard David DeCastro for non-football-injury-related reasons Thursday afternoon, a torrent of questions was raised. How did he get hurt? What’s the injury? Is he actually injured? Is this somehow money-related? Is he sick? Out of shape? Beat up? Worn down? Depressed that his buddies...
AFC preview with Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr: Steelers 3rd in North; Browns legit Super Bowl contenders
The latest BetOnLine.ag odds (21/20) have the Steelers most likely to finish third in the AFC North behind the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. That’s a bet I’d make. And it sure sounds like Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated would as well. Orr joins us for Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz”...
Sports law expert: Potential for big NCAA changes exist but are ‘not going to happen overnight’
Monday’s Supreme Court loss for the NCAA in the Alston case got a ton of attention nationally. But it could be years before a substantive change comes as a result. Michael McCann is a sports legal analyst for Sportico and was a longtime contributor to Sports Illustrated. He’s also a...
Tim Benz: Supreme Court mocks notion of NCAA ‘amateurism;’ now let’s mock goal of ‘fair’ NCAA economics
Pick a topic. Not just sports. Any topic. Now pick a handful of conservative people you know and a handful of liberal people you know and have them discuss. See if you can get all nine or 10 of them to agree. On anything. Let me know how that goes....
Tim Benz: Major League Baseball has no one to blame for ‘sticky situation’ but itself
As Major League Baseball plans to transition into the post-Spider Tack era on Monday, controversy is sure to follow. Arguments. Social media flame wars. Whining pitchers. Beanballs — accidental and retaliatory. Slower games thanks to incessant spot checks, more walks, wild pitches and deeper counts. And the game will have...
As bad as Pirates are, another team is playing even worse; both could be losing for a long time
Pirates fans should circle the dates of July 19-21. It’s the second series coming out of the All-Star break. That’s when the Pirates (23-44) visit the Arizona Diamondbacks (20-50). So unless Major League Baseball implements ties between now and then, one of those teams is guaranteed to claim a victory....
First Call: Some confidence in Steelers’ Chuks Okorafor; an award for Sidney Crosby as his coach is snubbed
Friday’s “First Call” has some faith in Steelers tackle Chuks Okorafor. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby gets a little love while his head coach does not. Plus, a confusing look at the future of NHL divisional play. And a milestone for a local hockey program. Take a chance on Chuks One...
Tim Benz: More money, more responsibility, but Steelers’ Cameron Sutton is still moving around so others can flash
Even as he ascends the Steelers depth chart at cornerback, Cameron Sutton’s role may not be changing all that much. For now, he’s still the guy who plays in the secondary wherever he’s asked based on whoever else is on the field at a given time. That’s not exactly untraveled...
Stats show Matt Canada’s approach and Ben Roethlisberger’s preferences even further apart than Steelers may have thought
For those of us in the media suggesting Matt Canada’s offense will be a big change for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, we were wrong. It’s actually going to be gigantic. Well, it will be if Canada decides to incorporate many of his tendencies and preferences from his college coaching days...


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