First Call: Diontae Johnson discusses facing the Steelers soon; Juan Soto says he'll listen to 'all 30' MLB teams

Friday’s “First Call” features former Pittsburgh Steeler Diontae Johnson speaking about his return to the AFC North. Juan Soto insists he’ll listen to free-agent offers from every Major League Baseball team. Presumably, that includes … the Pirates?

The Penguins hope to finally gain traction with a second straight win Saturday. The football teams at Pitt, Penn State, Robert Morris and Duquesne are all looking to extend hot streaks.

And RMU’s men’s and women’s hockey teams are both in action over the weekend.

See you soon

Former Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is back in the AFC North. He has been traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens.

In advance of his first game with Baltimore, Johnson spoke with the media about the prospect of facing Pittsburgh twice before the end of the regular season.

“I’m looking forward to that game,” Johnson said. “But I’m focused on right now. Whatever game comes first before we get to that point, I’m going to do my job and just keep appearing.”

That first game is Sunday at home against the Denver Broncos (5-3). Johnson did admit anticipation about returning to the division.

“Once I found out where I was going, I was excited,” he said.

“It still (doesn’t) seem real to me. It’s a blessing for me to get another opportunity to come back to the AFC North.”

.@Juiceup__3 on joining the Ravens: pic.twitter.com/0y6MeK2HXL

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 30, 2024

The Steelers are in the midst of their bye week. They don’t play again until a road game at Washington next Sunday. The Ravens’ bye is in Week 14. The teams play each other in Pittsburgh on Nov. 17 and in Baltimore on Dec. 21.

Currently, the Steelers lead the North at 6-2, with Baltimore in second place at 5-3. Johnson joins the Ravens’ receiving room with 30 catches, 357 yards and three touchdowns.

He was traded to Carolina from Pittsburgh in March in exchange for starting cornerback Donte Jackson.

30-for-30?

I’m curious to see how serious Juan Soto is about his declaration that he is willing to listen to all 30 teams about a possible contract in free agency.

The New York Yankees All-Star is hitting the open market after belting 41 homers and driving in 109 runs.

“I’m really happy with (New York), with the team, but at the end of the day we will see,” Soto said via ESPN.com. “We’re going to look at every situation, every offer that we get. I don’t know what teams want to come after me, but, definitely, I’ll be open to listen to every single team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that, so we’re going to be available for all 30 teams.”

So Soto may not have any closed doors. But the Pirates will have to open one to begin a dialogue, and I’d love to see how long that conversation actually lasts.

The 26-year-old Scott Boras client made $31 million last year. The Pirates’ entire payroll for 2024 was $57.1 million.

Turnaround time?

The Penguins ended their six-game losing streak with an overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. Sidney Crosby scored both goals.

Sidney Crosby is scary good at hockey. pic.twitter.com/ITUmQlgUrw

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 1, 2024

CROSBY SERVES UP A HALLOWEEN TREAT! ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/ePDG7bpGEI

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 1, 2024

Now, the Pens (4-7-1) will attempt to win consecutive games for just the second time this season. They host Montreal at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Crosby and company already beat Montreal once this season. That was a 6-3 decision in Canada on Oct. 14. Lars Eller scored twice, and Evgeni Malkin had three points.

Montreal is 4-6-1 to start the season. The Habs have lost six of eight. They are allowing 4.18 goals against. That’s tied with Colorado for the worst rate in the NHL this season. The Penguins are barely in front of them at 4.00.

No team is allowing more shots than the Penguins, with 413. The Canadiens are allowing the third-most at 359. They are coming off a 6-3 loss in Washington on Thursday.

More sports

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• U mad, bro?: Fans want Penguins to wake up, suggest moving Erik Karlsson to wing
• Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi says his players don't feel disrespected, are singularly focused on SMU

Dueling underdogs

Pitt (7-0) and Penn State (7-0) are unbeaten heading into their games this weekend. However, they both are underdogs.

The third-ranked Nittany Lions host No. 4 Ohio State (6-1) at noon Saturday. The Buckeyes are favored by 3½ points. OSU won this matchup 20-12 last year.

The 18th-rated Panthers are at No. 20 Southern Methodist (7-1). SMU is a 7½ point favorite. That game begins at 8 p.m.

On the FCS level, Duquesne and Robert Morris are both looking to stay hot in advance of their showdown against each other next weekend.

The Dukes (5-2) host Mercyhurst (2-6) at noon Saturday. They have won five in a row and are 3-0 in Northeast Conference play. Quarterback Darius Perrantes is the reigning NEC player of the week after a five-touchdown performance at Stonehill last week.

Highlights from our win at Stonehill today ???? pic.twitter.com/JKXDozzWrc

— Duquesne Football (@DuqFB) October 27, 2024

The Colonials are 5-3 with a 3-0 record in the NEC. They welcome Merrimack at noon Saturday. RMU has won three in a row.

Neither game will count toward the team’s NEC record. They are the only two unbeaten teams in the conference. The two teams will renew their local rivalry at Arthur J. Rooney Field on Duquesne’s campus next Saturday.

The teams haven’t faced each other since 2019. The Colonials joined the Big South for football that season, but they returned to the NEC this year.

Keep it rolling

This weekend, the Robert Morris men’s hockey team looks to continue its strong play to start 2024-25. The Colonials host Lindenwood for two games Friday and Saturday at the RMU Island Sports Center.

So far this year, coach Derek Schooley’s club has two regulation wins and a shootout victory in four games. Defenseman Michael Craig leads the way with six points. Walter Zacher has four goals, plus the shootout game-winner over Niagara on Saturday.

Zacher gets the Colonials the extra point in the SO???? pic.twitter.com/Op8dDARRv1

— RMU Men’s Hockey (@RMUMHockey) October 27, 2024

Lindenwood comes in at 2-4, with one of those wins coming Oct. 9 at ninth-ranked Wisconsin.

As for the RMU women’s team, they are coming off of victories of 7-1 and 6-1 over St. Anselm. They visit RIT for two games this weekend. They are 5-5-0 to start the year.