“First Call” is back on Monday with Todd Haley’s return to being a head coach. There has been a Mike Tomlin sighting.

We get a look at how Ben Kindel may track in the Calder Trophy voting. We have a transfer portal update for Robert Morris and Duquesne.

And you get a preview of the matchup with Washington for Paul Skenes on Monday night at PNC Park.

Grounded Aviators

Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley lost his Columbus Aviators head coaching debut. They fell 28-23 to the Dallas Renegades in United Football League action Sunday.

Haley was thrust into head coaching duty when Ted Ginn Jr. was arrested for DUI on Saturday.

One of the more bizarre things that happened in that game was a penalty flag wound up stuck on an overhead camera.

Haley was originally hired as the club’s offensive coordinator under Ginn. Haley was previously the head coach of the UFL’s Memphis Showboats. He had been a head coach the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs (2009-11) before becoming the Steelers offensive coordinator (2012-17).

Meanwhile, Haley’s former boss in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin, was spotted in Atlanta at a Braves game. He was featured on the team’s broadcast.

During the telecast, it was mentioned that Tomlin was at Augusta, where the Masters golf tournament was being held. His daughter also attends Georgia.

Knowing the Nats

Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes pitches for the fourth time this season on Monday. He’ll throw against the Washington Nationals, who have won three games in a row.

The Nats just swept the Milwaukee Brewers in Wisconsin, scoring 18 runs along the way. James Wood is particularly hot. He’s notched 12 hits in his past six games, including this moonshot of a homer Sunday.

Like Oneil Cruz, Wood has five homers on the year now.

C.J. Abrams is another National who is on fire to open the season. With at least one hit in 12 of 14 games, he is hitting at a .321 pace with four homers and 16 RBIs. Only Andy Pages of the Los Angeles Dodgers has more in the National League.

Skenes is scheduled to be opposed by Cade Cavalli. The right-hander is 0-0 with an ERA of 2.51. After a rocky season debut against the Mets, Skenes has allowed only two earned runs over his last two starts. He’s 2-1 with a 5.25 ERA.

Where he ranks

NHL.com surveyed 16 people in the Professional Hockey Writers Association to get a gauge on who may win the Calder Trophy. Fifteen of them voted for New York Islander’s star Matthew Schaefer. Montreal’s Ivan Demidov got the other first-place vote. He finished second in the poll.

Pittsburgh’s Ben Kindel got some recognition too. He finished in seventh place with five points (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis for top-5 voting).

Kindel is ninth among NHL rookies with 34 points and tied for seventh in goals with 17.

The 18-year-old has slowed lately. He has just one goal since March 26 and has been held without a point in his last five games. Kindel didn’t play in either game against Washington this weekend.

Aiming for Ames

We know where Ryan Prather is heading in the transfer portal. It’s Iowa State.

Robert Morris’ leading scorer in 2025-26 is joining the Cyclones for next season, along with four other transfers. That’s according to ESPN.com.

Prather’s arrival will help offset the potential departure of Milan Momcilovic. He was Iowa State’s leading scorer and the nation’s most accurate 3-point shooter in 2025-26. He is also entering the transfer portal and declaring for the NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

Last year, RMU finished second in the Horizon League and went to the conference’s semifinal. The Cyclones lost in the Big 12 semifinals and got to the NCAA Sweet 16.

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Iowa State is also losing starting point guard Tamin Lipsey and All-American forward Joshua Jefferson. They have both exhausted their college eligibility.

As for Duquesne’s Jimmie Williams, he is getting a lot of attention from big-name programs.

A 6-foot-5 junior, Williams averaged 15.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Dukes last year.