Commentary
Don’t be too quick to believe much of what Bradshaw says Terry Bradshaw is back in town.
He will be honored Monday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Indianapolis Colts, his first appearance on a playing field here since he retired after the 1983 season.
Feel free to cheer the most successful quarterback the Steelers have ever had. Just don’t be too quick to believe much of what he says.
Bradshaw has a book out, so he figures to be all over the media for the next 24 hours. This is a good time to be reminded that the gospel according to Terry has always been on loose-leaf paper.
Myron Cope, in his fabulous new book, “Double Yoi!” titles the chapter devoted to Bradshaw, “Lovable Liar.” While that may seem harsh at first blush, Cope has genuine affection for Bradshaw. He just points out Bradshaw’s habit of spinning different stories for different audiences.
Cope recounts a Nashville newspaper story in which Bradshaw said he refused to ride in the parade that followed the Steelers’ third Super Bowl victory because Pittsburgh fans booed him in the first two parades.
The facts: There was no parade after the third Super Bowl. Bradshaw was not booed in the first two parades. Otherwise, it’s a compelling story.
Bradshaw has shunned the Steelers for years, nursing a one-sided grudge. He chose broadcaster Verne Lundquist as his Hall of Fame presenter. He didn’t attend Art Rooney’s funeral and skipped the closing ceremonies at Three Rivers Stadium.
Maybe he’s softening. He came back for Mike Webster’s memorial, which was certainly classy.
Now he’ll step onto the field as an honorary co-captain to take a much-deserved and long-delayed curtain call.
Maybe he wants to have Pittsburgh and the Steelers as part of his life again. Or maybe he’s just trying to sell a book.
Either way, it’s nice to have him back.
Just know that you shouldn’t take what he says too seriously. History shows he usually doesn’t.
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Another prime time game means another hour-long pre-game show on WTAE-TV.
The last one, which aired before the Sept. 15 game against Oakland, had a gem.
Sally Wiggin’s detached anchor cool dissolves when it comes to the Steelers. She’s a fan.
Sally did a feature on Steelers’ assistant trainer Ariko Iso, the only female to hold that job with an NFL team. Sally decided to test Iso with a standard trainer task: ankle taping.
There was Sally, in plaid shorts and one sneaker, with her right anchor leg and bare foot extended on the bench for Iso’s magic with a tape roll.
“Look how fast you do it!” Sally said. “God, it’s perfect! It’s like wrapping a Christmas present.”
When Iso explained she was using a continuous heel lock technique, Sally said, “Oh my gracious.”
Moments like that are the reason the VCR was invented.
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It has become fashionable (and illogical) to complain that the Pirates are doomed because manager Lloyd McClendon’s contract has not been extended beyond the 2003 season.
The argument holds that Gene Lamont found himself in a similar circumstance in 2000 and the players quit on him.
The 2000 Pirates finished the season 69-93, the exact record they’d had in 1998 when Lamont had plenty of time left on his contract.
The 2000 team was 34-47 in the first half of the season and a game better in the second half, 35-46.
The Pirates’ best month was September. They went 16-13 at the time you’d figure a team that had quit would be in the tank.
So did the 2000 Pirates really quit on Lamont … or were they a bad team that had a record indicative of their talent level?
By the way, two of the players obliquely accused of taking Lamont down are Jason Kendall and Brian Giles.
In 2000, Kendall hit .320 with 14 home runs and 58 RBIs, 112 runs and 22 stolen bases while catching 152 games. Giles batted .315 with 35 homers, 123 RBIs and 111 runs in 156 games.
McClendon should hope for more “quitters” like that in 2003.
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Doesn’t gubernatorial candidate Ed Rendell look like a guy who would have been in a tag team match on Channel 11’s “Studio Wrestling” about 30 years ago?
Sports correspondent John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehno@lycos.com