Breakfast With Benz category, Page 122
First Call: A former Steeler retires; is Ben Roethlisberger tipping off plays before the snap?
Monday’s “First Call” gives us news of a former Steeler retiring. We examine the details of Ben Roethlisberger allegedly tipping plays pre-snap. Pirates All-Star Adam Frazier is in pretty exclusive company. Ex-Pirates pitchers in the Bronx are finding a better rhythm. And we had some sassy tempers in a Pirates...
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...
First Call: ESPN analyst sees Ben Roethlisberger benched by midseason; Eagles CB recruiting Steven Nelson
Friday’s “First Call” brings us a Doomsday scenario prediction for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, the Eagles may still be in play for Steven Nelson. We’ve got some Steelers birthdays, a bold prediction from a Steelers rival and Home Run Derby gambling odds. Big Ben ‘is going to be bad’ Former...
Tim Benz: NCAA needs to be fixed, not eliminated. Focus on solutions, not fake outrage
This happens from time to time at “Breakfast With Benz.” I get an email, tweet or a post in the comments section that I want to use for “U mad, bro?” However, sometimes that comment itself gets me mad enough that I find myself writing a response so long, it...
Marcelo Mayer’s coach compares Pirates’ potential top draft pick to another former No. 1 from the same high school
As Sunday’s Major League Baseball draft approaches, all signs continue to indicate that the Pittsburgh Pirates will choose Eastlake High School (Chula Vista, Cali.) shortstop Marcelo Mayer with the No.1 overall pick. For some people (yours truly included) who believe that drafting Vanderbilt pitcher Jack Leiter is a better route...
First Call: Steelers’ Devin Bush says he is being monitored, ‘fined’ for Twitter activity; Benny Snell welcomes roster challenges
Thursday’s “First Call” gives us more odd Twitter ramblings from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush. Benny Snell discusses the crowded Steelers running back room. We look at a potential oversight of the Steelers in the new Kurt Warner movie. And there are some interesting numbers heading into this weekend’s Pirates-Mets...
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...
First Call: A Steeler who might get cut; a player the Steelers should sign; unique WPIAL showdown at PNC Park
A running back the Steelers might cut. An offensive lineman the Steelers might sign. And high praise for Najee Harris, Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Plus, a WPIAL alumni showdown at PNC Park. All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.” Bye-bye, Benny? ESPN.com found one NFL veteran from each...
Tim Benz: No, Twitter. Tampa Bay Lightning don’t need an asterisk if they win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Regardless of what happens the rest of the way in the Stanley Cup Final, the Tampa Bay Lightning are about to accomplish something monumental. They’ll either eliminate the Montreal Canadiens with their next victory to become a rare squad that can boast back-to-back championships. Or they’ll blow a 3-0 series...
New Steelers guard Trai Turner thinks return to Pro Bowl form is on the horizon
Newly signed offensive lineman Trai Turner is talking about his decision to join the Pittsburgh Steelers. Turner joined the NFL Network Tuesday. The 28-year-old guard seems confident that he’ll return to the Pro Bowl form he flashed throughout much of his career. “I believe in my game. I think I’m...
First Call: Steelers’ MLB 1st-pitch fun; T.J. Watt deemed NFL 2nd-best pass rusher
According to ESPN.com, T.J. Watt is the second-best pass rusher in the NFL. In Tuesday’s “First Call,” we’ll tell you who finished atop the voting. Also, some Steelers first-pitch fun. Highlights for a current Pirate and a former Buccos star. Plus, Tampa Bay’s mayor gets her wish. Now let’s see...
Madden Tuesday: Steelers leadership, or lack thereof, on display through Devin Bush’s Twitter ramblings
To the best of my knowledge, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush didn’t go on a midnight treadmill rant. Nor did he dye his mustache blonde. Come to think of it, does he have a mustache? Maybe he could dye that ponytail of his blonde instead if he still has it....
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...
Unfiltered: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss Steelers’ Devin Bush, Pirates’ rough weekend, Stanley Cup FinalVideo
Mark Madden and Tim Benz open up this week’s edition of “Unfiltered” on TribLIVE’s Facebook page discussing the scuttlebutt on social media following Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush retweeting a video of a cat falling from a hotel balcony. Bush also made news on social media this week when he...
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...
First Call: Will Steven Nelson come back? More talk of discipline for Steelers over handling of David DeCastro’s injury
Thursday’s “First Call” raises a red flag for the Steelers when it comes to the release of David DeCastro. Former Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree gushes about his time in Pittsburgh. Could Steven Nelson come back to the Steelers secondary? The Pirates have their work cut out for them with the...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans push back against offensive line concerns; misplaced Pirates rage; poor Paxton Lynch
This week’s “U mad, bro?” sees some Steelers fans pushing back against criticism of the offensive line. Some misdirected Pirates fan rage. A sarcastic farewell to a Steelers free agent. And flat-out disdain for this column. I had an angry email exchange with Chris, who is a Pirates loyalist to...
First Call: Troy Polamalu now at ease with end of career; Steelers outside linebacker depth questioned; Najee Harris for team MVP?
Wednesday’s “First Call” shares an in-depth conversation with Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu. We find an odd prediction for the 2021 Steelers team MVP. Concerns about the Steelers depth at outside linebacker are extending beyond Pittsburgh. And the Robert Morris women’s hockey program had a banner night. Even if the...
Steelers alum Ike Taylor responds to Demaryius Thomas’ retirement in typical swaggin’ fashion
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor acknowledged the retirement of Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas in a way that only Ike Taylor could. Thomas is perhaps best known — well, at least in Pittsburgh — for burning Taylor on the first play of overtime in an AFC playoff game...
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...
First Call: New home for Steelers’ Paxton Lynch; a look at NHL TV plans for drafts on ESPN
Tuesday’s “First Call” gives Steelers fans a Paxton Lynch sighting. We get one more look at Jack Leiter before the Pirates pass on him. A local guy goes yard in the NL Central. And we get our first glance at ESPN plans for the upcoming NHL drafts. Lynch looks north...
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...
Unfiltered: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss Steelers offensive line, ‘Purge’, Stanley Cup Final, PiratesVideo
Mark Madden and Tim Benz open up this week’s edition of “Unfiltered” on TribLIVE’s Facebook page comparing the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line and the latest “Purge” movie. The way the Steelers offensive line is going to play this year should be a felony, says Madden. “A crime against football.” “It...
