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Tim Benz Columns category, Page 82

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Tim Benz: Adam Frazier’s unique skill set leads to a remarkable start in 2021
Monday night’s 3-2 Pittsburgh Pirates loss to the Washington Nationals was rare. Not because the Pirates lost. We’re all used to that. It was rare because it didn’t feature a hit from Adam Frazier. It was just the second time in his last 16 games that the Pirates second baseman...
Tim Benz: Pitt? Duquesne? Chatham? Who picks up the torch of Pittsburgh DI hockey if Robert Morris folds programs?
Hopes of saving the Robert Morris hockey teams are on life support. So the question needs to be asked if any other local universities might be interested in stepping up and filling the void for Pittsburgh area NCAA DI hockey that would be created if the Colonials can’t stay on...
Despite sweep by Dodgers, Pirates insist they have ‘good momentum’ heading into tough June stretch
Because the Pirates are, well, the Pirates, any analysis has to be done through the prism of what they are versus what they are not. What they are not is a Major League team with any goal of challenging for a playoff spot in 2021. What they are is a...
Tim Benz: College football playoff expansion idea is good, but don’t go too far
The new college football playoff proposal is a case of a good idea that’s going half a step too far. According to multiple national reports Thursday, the current four-team format would extend to 12 schools. It’d be composed of the six highest-ranked conference champions, followed by the six highest-ranked at-large...
Tim Benz: Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is certain about his uncertainty, and that’s OK with him
There’s one thing Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph can’t buy with his one-year, $5 million contract extension from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Certainty. Peace of mind? Maybe. To a degree, anyway. But certainty? No. All that contract means (announced an hour before the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29) is that Rudolph...
Levon Kirkland on his College Football Hall of Fame nomination, Super Bowl XXX, Bill Cowher’s book
Former Pittsburgh Steelers will be abundant at this summer’s Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions thanks to elections of safety Donnie Shell, coach Bill Cowher, guard Alan Faneca and safety Troy Polamalu (former scout Bill Nunn was already posthumously enshrined April 28). Canton, Ohio will be filled with Black and...
Tim Benz: Robert Morris hockey coaches must help players to transfer while maintaining hope programs can return
As supporters of Robert Morris ice hockey hold out hope that some sort of 11th-hour development may save the recently eliminated men’s and women’s programs, the coaches are taking on a gut-wrenching job. Men’s head coach Derek Schooley and women’s head coach Paul Colontino are tasked with dismantling their rosters,...
Tim Benz: What was Bill Cowher’s best Steelers team he ever coached? His answer is surprising.
One of the more surprising declarations in Bill Cowher’s new book “Heart and Steel” comes when the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach describes the disappointment of losing the 1997 AFC Championship game. “That 1997 team might have been the best team we had in my 15 seasons in Pittsburgh,” Cowher wrote....
First Call: Steelers’ Highsmith praised; RMU hockey players unload; Pitt, Penn State Hall of Fame nominees
Thursday’s “First Call” has an odd honor for Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith, Hall of Fame nominations for Pitt and Penn State greats and Marc-Andre Fleury back in the crease for the Vegas Golden Knights. Plus, the Robert Morris hockey teams get to air their grievances against the university president who...
Robert Morris president leaves little hope for salvaging hockey programs
If men’s and women’s ice hockey players at Robert Morris were hoping to hear a change of heart from university president Dr. Chris Howard, they didn’t get one Tuesday. During his first public question and answer session with media members since the school’s decision to eliminate those programs last week,...
Tim Benz: How bad was Tristan Jarry’s goaltending? So bad that it may confuse the Penguins’ offseason plans
OK, Penguins fans. Now you can say it. Goaltending really did cost them a series. This wasn’t Matt Murray getting outdueled by Carey Price or Braden Holtby. Or Marc-Andre Fleury losing to Henrik Lundqvist twice. Or the Tampa Bay Lightning advancing by Fleury in a series when the power play...
U mad, bro?: Penguins fans boil over following Tristan Jarry’s Game 5 flub
I had to strategize around Penguins games to figure out when to release “U mad, bro?” this week. If I planned to post it in its usual Thursday morning slot, I’d have to wait until Wednesday night’s Game 6 between the Penguins and New York Islanders ended. And I’d have...
Tim Benz: The Penguins lost a game they couldn’t possibly lose. And maybe the series as a result
It was a game the Penguins couldn’t lose. • A game where the Penguins had leads of 1-0 and 2-1. • A game that saw them outshoot the Islanders 50-28 (20-4 in the second period). • A game that featured a 36-17 Penguins’ edge in scoring chances through the first...
Tim Benz: Beatdown from Braves a warning of what’s to come for Pirates
Even when the 2021 Pirates got off to a surprisingly decent start by going 12-12 in their first 24 games, there was a tangible sense in Pittsburgh of, “Is this as good as it is going to get?” Well, the way things have gone lately, the answer appears to be...
Tim Benz: No Penguins panic yet, but reasons to grouse
I suppose if you predict a series to go seven games, the team you predict to win is going to have to lose three times. I said the Pittsburgh Penguins would beat the New York Islanders in seven games in their opening-round playoff series. So, at 2-2 after four games,...
First Call: Injury preventing Antonio Brown from finalizing Tampa contract; trio of dominance from ex-Pirates pitchers
Thursday’s “First Call” features a snag in Antonio Brown’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We celebrate a happy anniversary with Evgeni Malkin. You can already bet on who may be next year’s Trevor Lawrence in the NFL Draft. And a trio of former Pirates dusted their competition. A.B.’s knee...
Tim Benz: Evgeni Malkin’s health, Islanders goaltending just scratch the surface for Game 3 topics
Many thoughts are sticking with me from Game 2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins East Division playoff series against the New York Islanders. I’m wondering how much of that result will carry over to Game 3 on Thursday night after the Penguins evened the series at a game apiece with a...
Tim Benz: Tristan Jarry’s bounce-back win wasn’t the only important Penguins rebound in Game 2
The turnaround performance by Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry wasn’t the only bounce-back storyline between Game 1 and Game 2 of the East Division first-round series. Let’s talk about Jeff Carter’s, too. I won’t put Carter’s rebound effort during the Penguins’ 2-1 win over the New York Islanders Tuesday in the...
Tim Benz: Islanders goal-scorers were on point while Penguins’ Tristan Jarry was off the mark
When New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz casually described the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltending as “inexperienced” in the week leading to the playoffs, it was an easy critique to dismiss. While Trotz was accurate — given the combined one playoff appearance between Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith — the easy response...
Robert Morris women’s lacrosse team looks for huge upset at Notre Dame in NCAA Tournament debut
According to Robert Morris women’s lacrosse coach Katrina Silva, you can’t see Notre Dame’s “Touchdown Jesus” from Arlotta Family Lacrosse Stadium. And she’s glad. “I don’t think they need any more luck,” Silva insisted during Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. Based on how the Fighting Irish handled Silva’s Robert Morris...
First Call: Steelers assign rookie jersey numbers; more spice for Tom Brady’s return game in New England
Friday’s “First Call” tells you what number to order for your favorite Steelers rookie jersey. JuJu Smith-Schuster reveals his list of circled games for 2021. Jameson Taillon gets touched up by an ex-Pirates teammate. And even more spice has been added to Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough. Got the digits?...
Tim Benz: This version of Penguins may have changed more than Islanders expect
Interesting comments about the Penguins from New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz didn’t stop with his noteworthy quote regarding their inexperience in net. During his postgame remarks Monday night after his team lost to the Boston Bruins in its final regular-season game, Trotz was asked what might be different about...
Tim Benz: Penguins must parlay surprising regular season into extended playoff run
The 2021 Pittsburgh Penguins have significantly exceeded expectations. A lot of people — both inside of Pittsburgh and beyond — saw this season as a potential fallback year for the Pens. In a best-case scenario, many thought they’d claw their way into the playoffs as the fourth team from a...
Madden Monday: Biggest reason to restrain your optimism about Penguins before playoffs start
The Pittsburgh Penguins have clinched the NHL’s East Division. The regular season has been better than any Penguins fan ever had a right to expect. But what does any of it mean if the franchise fails to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs for a third straight year?...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans are fired up about Steelers draft. ‘More linemen! Why take a running back? And … a punter?’
The NFL Draft has Pittsburgh Steelers fans in a tizzy. Why did the team take a running back in the first round? Should they have taken more linemen earlier in the draft? Was their judgment clouded by some Steelers who stayed in free agency? And, good God, what was with...


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