Got to Category

Tim Benz Columns category, Page 91

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Tim Benz: Sorry, Penguins fans. A 2020 NHL relaunch was never going to be perfect.
Let’s get this out of the way right now, Penguins fans. From everything we are hearing about the return-to-play format for the NHL, it does put the screws to your favorite team. It may result in the Pens being eliminated during a play-in round. This despite finishing the pre-pandemic regular...
Tim Benz: Gov. Wolf’s comments about sports fans were arrogant and inaccurate
While exploring the prospect of major sports events returning to Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf put his foot in his mouth. Even while wearing a facemask. Yup, for this guy, that’s possible. Apparently, Wolf isn’t satisfied telling Pittsburgh’s quarterback whether he can get his haircut. He’s also telling Pittsburgh fans whether...
Curtis Martin on Pitt Hall of Fame, advice for James Conner, beating Steelers in playoffs
Curtis Martin’s relationship with football has always been complicated. Especially since it seems like the sport chased him more than he pursued it. Martin’s mother, Rochella, essentially dragged her son onto the field to keep him occupied and out of trouble. So, for his senior year at Taylor Allderdice High...
Tim Benz: A link between the Rooney Rule and the NFL Draft is bad. What it says about the league is worse.
The NFL’s plan to expand the Rooney Rule is bad. The commentary the league is making about itself for even considering such a proposal is even worse. The NFL has only four minority head coaches (Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Brian Flores, Miami Dolphins; Anthony Lynn, Los Angeles Chargers; and Ron Rivera,...
Tim Benz: The ‘Dumb, Dumber, Dumberest’ of James Harrison’s envelope story
Back in a different lifetime — a fuzzy, faded memory known as 2014 — I used to host “The X Morning Show” on 105.9 The X. My cohost/producer, Bob McLaughlin, and I used to produce a weekly bit called “Dumb, Dumber, Dumberest.” It was essentially a collection of the dumbest...
Jackie Sherrill: ‘A lot of mistakes I’ve made in my life. Leaving Pitt was one of them.’
It’s been 39 years since Jackie Sherrill’s last game as head coach of the Pitt Panthers. After three straight 11-1 seasons, four bowl victories and a career record of 50-9-1, he now sounds like someone who wishes he had never left. “There’s a lot of mistakes I’ve made in my...
First Call: Ranking all 10 of Steelers first round picks of 2010s
NFL.com posted this ranking of the No. 1 overall picks in the draft from 2010-19. That’s what you do when you are in the midst of a coronavirus shutdown and you have no content to speak of. Hey, I’m not hatin’. I’m praising! Good job, Ali Bhanpuri. The check is...
Tim Benz: MLB owners are sneaky, but anti-cap paranoia makes players look worse
I’m not one who likes to compare big-time sports to everyday life. Matters of salaries and collective bargaining agreements and billions of dollars of revenue crop up quite a bit in professional athletics. When that happens, tune in to a sports talk radio show and invariably “Joe Working Class Hero”...
Tim Benz: Trying to answer ESPN’s impossible question about Barry Bonds and Pirates
Recently, ESPN.com put forth one overarching debate for every franchise in Major League Baseball. Not one they are currently facing. Rather on an “all-time” question for each club. Items such as: • Which member of the Red Sox belongs on the Boston sports Mount Rushmore: Ted Williams or David Ortiz?...
Former Duquesne and WPIAL Olympic hopeful now a front-line nurse battling covid-19
Softball and baseball aren’t on the list of athletic accomplishments for former Duquesne and WPIAL athlete Anna Simone. Track is. After a stellar stint with the Dukes track team, Simone made a push for the 2016 Olympics. She also played soccer and basketball at Mt. Lebanon. But in trying to...
Tim Benz: New people for an old idea. That could help Steelers figure out ILB void.
The line of inquiry for Steelers linebacker Devin Bush on Tuesday was not a surprise. Most of the questions had to do with how the defense will adjust to losing 750 snaps from fellow inside linebacker Mark Barron, who was released by the team as free agency hit. How the...
Tim Benz: Ideas for ESPN’s next docuseries after ‘The Last Dance.’ Cast your vote.
ESPN’s “The Last Dance” has been quite a hit. The 10-part documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Bulls of the 1990s is generating an incredible buzz. Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network host Brian Metzer joined me for our usual “Breakfast With Benz” hockey podcast, and we spun the conversation into...
Tim Benz: Steelers fans, did you like this year’s draft? Good. Because next year could get weird.
Here’s a odd thought for Steelers fans. Let’s say the franchise drafts Ben Roethlisberger’s successor at quarterback next year. Then all of Pittsburgh sits down to watch him suit up … … in his college bowl game. What?! Weird, right? But not entirely out of the question. Given the uncertainty...
How a Steelers rookie saved the life of someone he never even met
It was probably just a spam call. Christian Montano saw a New York area code on his phone that he didn’t recognize. Now a Steelers rookie free agent, Montano was in his apartment near Tulane’s campus when the phone rang. The offensive lineman was anticipating his grad transfer year with...
Tim Benz: Messages sent to Steelers defensive players after the NFL Draft
Defense wins championships! It also closes out our 2020 NFL Draft coverage. On Monday, I gave you a list of messages sent to Steelers offensive players directly from the coaching staff and the front office. At least, that was my interpretation after the NFL Draft last weekend. Today we look...
Tim Benz: Steelers front office, coaches send messages to offensive players
Who says we’ll never return to normalcy, Steelers fans? We’re there right now. For weeks my Twitter timeline, email inbox and column comments have been littered with vitriol from both sides of the coronavirus debate. For every 50 people that want us to storm the state capital building with machine...
Tim Benz: You know who the Steelers got in the draft. Now let’s look at who they didn’t get.
You know what the Pittsburgh Steelers got in the draft. A huge wide receiver from a big school. A Conference USA reserve outside linebacker. A couple of Maryland Terps at running back and safety. And a trash-talking guard who might moonlight as a bouncer at a bar on the South...
Tim Benz: Best wide receiver available? Or best player available? Opinions vary.
A lot of years in the NFL Draft, the Steelers say that they are taking the best player available when they pick. A lot of years I don’t believe that. A lot of years I think they take the best possible player at the position of the highest need. Actually,...
NFL Draft analyst: Draft ‘sets up really nicely’ for Steelers’ offensive needs
The Steelers haven’t been without a first-round draft pick since 1967. But with the way things are lining up for this week’s NFL Draft, 2020 may not be a bad year for that to be the case. That seems to be the assessment of at least one draft analyst I...
Tim Benz: Ripple effect of Steelers going with a WR or RB early in draft
What I’m about to give you is just my anecdotal observation. It’s far from scientific data. That being said, considering what we’ve learned over the last two months, we all tend to pick and choose scientific data based on the numbers we prefer to believe anyway. So let’s stick with...
Pitt doctor leading covid-19 battle discusses lessons learned through sports, optimistic for football’s return
Not much has made me smile since the covid-19 shut-in. Tiger King. Bert Kreischer’s new comedy special. Oh, and this dog video. Good boy’s reaction...?pic.twitter.com/OK3t2x1VJU— Rex Chapman? (@RexChapman) April 15, 2020 C’mon! You gotta laugh every time, right? There was one other thing that gave me a chuckle. It was...
Gov. Wolf won’t commit to Steelers, Eagles hosting games to start 2020 season
In recent days, President Trump and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease director, have each talked about the prospect of America’s sports world getting back on track after the nation’s battle against covid-19. All sports were effectively shut down during NCAA basketball conference championship week...
U mad, bro? Shut-in readers gnash teeth about Ben Roethlisberger; Mike Tomlin vs. Bill Cowher; MLB’s future
It appears the longer we stay locked inside because of coronavirus fears, the angrier our audience is getting. Yeah. Me, too. This week’s readers go after Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, spitting baseball players and me. Mainly me. And I’m getting a little too pent up to let it go. “Treston”...
Tim Benz: OK, ESPN. Here’s your ‘alternate reality’ path for Steelers to draft a QB.
“Inglourious Basterds” is one of my favorite movies. It’s got an alternate outcome to World War II at the end. The device of an alternate-outcome premise is popular on television lately. HBO’s “The Plot against America” is along those lines. So was Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle.” Perhaps our...
Tim Benz: New MLB idea to save season is better, but some flaws can’t be fixed
The latest model to lay out some version of a potential Major League Baseball season in 2020 appears to be an improvement over the first one we saw. But it is still fraught with specific problems, unavoidable pitfalls and significant overarching questions about health during the coronavirus pandemic. Please don’t...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >