Tim Benz Columns category, Page 112
Tim Benz: Ex-Pirate Charlie Morton accepts scorn for Astros’ cheating. More need to do the same.
In the wake of the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, one player I’ve been anxiously waiting to hear from is Charlie Morton. After his stint in Pittsburgh, Morton was traded to Philadelphia then to Houston where he ended up winning Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. It is that 2017...
Tim Benz: Antonio Brown’s interview was maddening. Now let’s talk about where he was right.
Antonio Brown’s first Pittsburgh radio interview since he left the Steelers was 22 minutes of rambling inconsistencies, inaccuracies and illogical denials. That being said, let’s try to do what you may think is impossible. Let’s talk about where Brown was right. Because, believe it or not, A.B. was actually on...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ Bryan Rust’s ‘foundation’ for his goal-scoring surge on full display
This is what Bryan Rust’s season has become. On a shift where the Penguins winger scored a goal, the actual scoring of the goal wasn’t the most impressive part of the play. And, during the same game, a play where he almost scored an overtime game winner may have been...
Tim Benz: I’m not ripping Peter King for his Troy Polamalu snub
“Football Morning in America’s” Peter King admitted that he didn’t vote for Troy Polamalu for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even though he felt Polamalu was worthy of being in the top five. His rationale? King felt Polamalu had the votes to get in anyway (which proved true), so...
Tim Benz: My bad, Troy. I could’ve done this better.
My bad, Troy. You deserved better for this. I dropped the ball. I was so busy being concerned about Steelers guard Alan Faneca getting into the Pro Football Hall of Fame — and mad when I found out that it didn’t happen — that I barely acknowledged your candidacy and...
Tim Benz: Pirates’ Josh Bell thinks he knows why his hot start faded in 2019
Pirates first baseman Josh Bell has an interesting philosophy on his swing. It’ll be worth tracking as this season progresses for him in Pittsburgh. Well, unless he gets traded for two prospects that are barely old enough to shave, as was the case for Starling Marte last week. Bell is...
Tim Benz: Cleaning up that list of 50 greatest Super Bowl momentsVideo
Longtime football writer Rick Gosselin compiled a list of his “Top 50 Greatest Super Bowl Moments” for the “Talk of Fame” network. He had the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl LI comeback against the Atlanta Falcons after trailing 28-3 as the top moment. It was followed by the David Tyree...
U mad, bro? Some Pirates fans bash Starling Marte trade. Others bash Tim Benz for bashing it.
This week’s “U mad, bro?” was easy. Everybody was mad about the Pirates trading Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks for two 19-year-old prospects, who are years away from making their big-league debuts. You are either mad about the trade. Or you are mad at those being critical of it....
Tim Benz: Steelers’ Alan Faneca has grown ‘wary’ of Hall of Fame process. Me too.
If former Steelers All-Pro Alan Faneca is feeling good about his chances of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, he’s hiding it. “I feel about it like I do every time,” Faneca told me Monday on 105.9 the X .“You are excited. You never know which...
Tim Benz: If Pirates are serious about getting a real MLB center fielder, here’s an ideaVideo
Here are the options for the Pirates in the outfield now that Starling Marte has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. 1. Move Bryan Reynolds to center field and have newly acquired Guillermo Heredia play left field. 2. Keep Reynolds in left field and have Heredia play center. 3. Move...
Tim Benz: Different melody, same lyrics from Pirates after Starling Marte trade
Ask someone more social media savvy than me. You know, one of “these kids today.” But I think now that Ben Cherington has made his first significant trade as Pirates general manager, this would be an appropriate time to go with the Spider-Man meme that I see on Twitter all...
Tim Benz: Duquesne coach shares his memories of playing in NBA against Kobe BryantVideo
How many charges do you think a guy takes by the time he makes it to the NBA? Hundreds probably. Thousands, maybe? Of them, how many do you think a player actually remembers? Well, Duquesne assistant basketball coach Carl Thomas certainly has one that stands out. Because it came from...
Tim Benz: Ben Roethlisberger, his draft peers and QB mortality
On Wednesday, I got this text from someone who covers another NFL team besides the Steelers. He was at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala. “(Mike) Tomlin is standing right here watching quarterbacks pretty closely.” Sure. I admit it. Upon reading that, my brain went places for a cheap...
Tim Benz: Penguins better come back sharp from break. And fast.
That didn’t go as hoped. Aside from the obvious goal of grabbing two points against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game before a 10-day break, the Penguins had some other items on their agenda. “We want to put a full game together,” captain Sidney Crosby said after Sunday’s exciting...
Tim Benz: Let’s break down this list of potential Steelers free agent targets
The Steelers don’t have a first-round draft choice this year. No, Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t count. Again. So will they try to fill some holes via free agency instead? We should hope. My colleagues at USA Today’s Steelers Wire listed a few potential candidates. Let’s see which ones make sense. Teddy...
Tim Benz: Who cares if Penguins crowd jeers Matt Murray? What matters is how he responds.Video
In the wake of the derisive cheers aimed at Penguins goaltender Matt Murray Sunday, there was quite a showdown on Pittsburgh sports talk and online. In the Black corner, you had the “It’s my money. It’s my ticket. I’ll boo if I want” crowd. In the Gold corner, you had...
Tim Benz: Hard to find sympathy for ‘cheated’ Astros rivals who stood silent
For the past week, the news cycle surrounding the Houston Astros sign-stealing controversy has been constant. And so has the bloodletting. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow have been fired. Because they were formerly members of the Astros, Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Mets manager Carlos Beltran...
Tim Benz: Steelers inductions part of needed debate for Hall of Fame changes
Many debates have popped up this week over who should — and shouldn’t — get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a result of the 2020 “Centennial Slate.” I default to one self-reflective question: “What makes me more angry? Borderline guy who gets in? Or those who are...
Ex-White Sox catcher, Pitt star Kevan Smith at center of Astros’ sign-stealing: ‘We knew they had something’
A former WPIAL baseball star is speaking out about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. He was a first-hand witness to it and was prominently featured in the exposure of it. I spoke with Seneca Valley alum and former Pitt quarterback Kevan Smith on Thursday. You can hear the entire conversation...
Tim Benz: Is Tony Romo, or any NFL analyst, worth $14 million?
A report from Front Office Sports states that ESPN is preparing to offer CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo somewhere between $10-$14 million annually. Let’s split the difference and say it’s $12 million. If Romo were to sign that deal, he’d make more cash in 2020 as a broadcaster than: •...
Tim Benz: The complicated case of Steelers RB James Conner
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Mike Tomlin and his dealings with the media, it’s this: If he doesn’t want to answer a question directly, he won’t. He’ll no comment. He’ll respond but not really answer. He’ll talk around an inquiry. He’ll say a lot without saying anything. If...
U mad, bro? Readers trash NFL overtime, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Tom Brady. But mostly Tim Benz.
Most of the heat in this week’s “U mad, bro?” comes down on me because of my thoughts on Tom Brady and NFL overtime. Well, me and Brady himself. And JuJu Smith-Schuster. And James Conner. And Mike Tomlin. Ok. Maybe it’s not all me. Anyway, let’s see who the readers...
Tim Benz: There’s no perfect NFL overtime fix. So stop complaining.Video
Another round of NFL postseason games. Another round of overtime results. Another round of whining from people who think the tiebreaking system is unfair. In other words, whining from New Orleans. Or people who bet on New Orleans. OK, maybe Buffalo, too. This is becoming an annual event, much like...
Tim Benz: Even Steelers fans would forget hatred of Tom Brady if he lands in PittsburghVideo
It’s the opposite of what any Steelers fan wants to envision. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is working out over the next two months. He looks down at his surgically repaired elbow and says, “This thing ain’t healing right. I’m not close. It’s getting worse. Not better. I’m not going to be...
Tim Benz: Don’t kid yourself. Steelers never could’ve done what Titans did to PatriotsVideo
Yeah. It crossed my mind, too. Watching the New England Patriots crumble at home against the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the AFC playoffs. Could this have been the year? What if the Steelers didn’t fall apart down the stretch and had managed to scratch their way past...
