Jul 24, 2011 3 min read

More on birthdays

Hey, Coach! I didn’t like your answer last week about the guy who forgot his girlfriend’s birthday.

You always try to be so nice with your answers instead of ripping someone when they screw up. Guys might be different, but a girl’s birthday is a big deal. If my boyfriend forgot my birthday, he would hear about it. If he didn’t make up for it in a big way, he wouldn’t be my boyfriend anymore. Signed…Hard Knox

Hey, Coach! OK. I get it. The guy forgot his girlfriend’s birthday, but he didn’t forget it on purpose. It was an honest mistake. Life’s too short to make such a big deal out of something like this. The guy took her out to dinner and spent money on her without remembering it was her birthday. She shouldn’t be complaining. Signed….Lighten Up

Dear Hard Knox and Lighten Up: As we can see, people are on both sides of this issue. The Coach understands and accepts Hard Knox’s harsh words, but since day one, the Coach has chosen to be kind and respectful, as opposed to going for the jugular in each column, and that’s probably not going to change any time soon.

Steeler Mania

Hey, Coach! The strike looks like it will get settled soon, but the Steelers have had a lot of off the field distractions in recent months. Mendenhall and Harrison need to keep their thoughts to themselves, and Roethlisberger is getting married.

My thinking is that a return trip to the Super Bowl seems highly unlikely because their heads will be elsewhere.

How much do these types of distractions come into play for a professional sports team?

Signed….The Fumbler

Dear Fumbler: The Coach was hoping that you would ask about the Pirates, who are doing very well after 18 years of losing. Let’s hope they keep it going. As for the Steelers, they have had their share of players in the news, and most of it was not for something good.

You mentioned a few players, and James Harrison badmouthed both Roethlisberger and Mendenhall.

Perhaps the most noticeable player was Hines Ward for his great performances in Dancing with the Stars, where he was a part of the winning duo.

Then after he received all of that positive pub, he gets pulled over in Georgia shortly thereafter for suspected DUI.

All of this drama is a part of professional sports all too often, and to answer your question, the feeling here is that none of this will have anything to do with their performance this year.

Of course, if the Steelers have a bad year, the media will be all over this stuff and say they were distracted by all of the negative things in the media.

Coach’s Comments: Action trumps talk every time. Be safe, and thanks for making the Coach a part of your weekend!