TribLIVE Podcast Network - 'sportstalk' on TribLIVE.com Podcast

Wednesday's "Breakfast With Benz" podcast features Jason Mounts. The Army infantry captain from Washington County is a veteran distance runner. And he is targeting the Pittsburgh marathon for his return after a battle against leukemia.

In this week's "Madden Monday" podcast, Mark Madden joins Tim Benz to discuss the Penguins loss to the Canadiens in Game 1, the Pirates lineup is weak, Mike Tomlin is protecting JuJu Smith-Schuster.

RotoWire's Jeff Erickson joins me for our weekly fantasy sports podcast. We look at some disturbing early numbers for the Pirates, Joe Musgrove's first two starts, MLB pitching injuries, and ripple effects from the Marlins covid-19 situation. Plus how opt-outs are impacting the NFL, and the Antonio Brown to Baltimore talk.

Thursday's podcast previews the Penguins' upcoming play-in series against the Montreal Canadiens. TribLive hockey beat writer Seth Rorabaugh joins me. We examine the woes of the Penguins playoffs, the state of the Pens goaltending, bad ice concerns, Phil Kessel's absence, and an X-Factor not named Carey Price.

Like the rest of Major League Baseball, the Pirates are relying on live action, piped in crowd noise to fill PNC Park during games. And their broadcasts. Joe Klimchak is in charge. He tells us how the artificial crowd noise is executed in Wednesday's podcast.

Brian Metzer of the Penguins radio network joins me. We talk about the upcoming play-in series against the Montreal Canadiens, Sidney Crosby's health, goaltending, potential first-round upsets, the hockey hub model, and those in sports "rooting for leagues to fail."

In this week's "Madden Monday" podcast, Mark Madden and Tim Benz talk about the looming return of hockey, Sidney Crosby's health, the Pirates' opening weekend, and a busy week for Antonio Brown. Also, we announce the new "Hockey in the Hub" post game show which will air on "Facebook Live" following the playoff games in Toronto.

Baseball is back and so are fantasy sports. So what a perfect day to spend with Jeff Erickson of RotoWire. We discuss the impact of expanded playoffs on your fantasy league, how the Central division schedules will pan out, and Mookie Betts' mega contract. We mix in some football talk as well in advance of your drafts.

Duquesne basketball players are back at practice. So we catch up with head coach Keith Dambrot. He updates us on recruiting, the roster, coaching in the coronavirus era, building updates, and scheduling woes with Pitt off the calendar.

The Toronto Blue Jays may be coming to Pittsburgh for 2020 because of the covid-19 border issues. Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun joins me to tell us how the deal has be coming together, what kind of team the Jays may be bringing to Pittsburgh, and what reasons beyond proximity were in play.