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Rob Ruck

Rob Ruck, Pittsburgh Sports Historian and Author of Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh and Rooney: A Sporting Life – (June 19, 2011):

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us Rob. First, can you let readers know about you – your sports history background and your research on Pittsburgh sports teams and culture?

I began studying sport as a grad student in Pitt’s History Department in the late 1970s.

History then was going through a radical change by focusing on the people whose stories had largely been ignored in favor of the rich and powerful. This ‘history from below’ focused on working people, immigrants, sharecroppers, and the like. I had been studying labor history with David Montgomery and thought I would write about the rise and fall of the steelworkers union. Instead, I began looking at what people did with their free time in addition to their working lives.

I began studying the role that sport played in black Pittsburgh prior to integration. My dissertation was about the old sandlot and Negro League teams and what they meant to people at a time when sport was not defined primarily by profit motives. It became “Sandlot Seasons: Sport in Black Pittsburgh,” and was the basis for “Kings on the Hill: Baseball’s Forgotten Men,” a documentary that uses Pittsburgh and its Negro League clubs to tell a national story.

What books and other research/projects have you done in these areas, and what projects are you working on now?

I began traveling to the Caribbean to study baseball after “Sandlot Seasons.” It was a logical next step from looking at the Negro Leagues, given that black players played in the winter leagues in the islands and Latinos played in the Negro Leagues if they were dark-skinned, in the major leagues if they were Caucasian or could pass for white. That work became “The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic.”

A few years ago, Dan Manatt and I made “The Republic of Baseball: Dominican Giants of the American Game,” another documentary.

My most recent book is “Raceball: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game.”

It came out in March. “Raceball” brings together the story of baseball in black America with that of the Caribbean and the major leagues, before, during, and after integration. It connects the work I’ve done in both areas and takes the story up to the 21st century. The story of African Americans and Latinos have been intertwined for over a century, first by major league baseball’s segregation, then by integration.

While baseball’s integration had profound social ramifications for the nation (and changed the game itself by bringing in the best waves of talent yet to play), it came at a cost to black America. African Americans lost control of their own sporting lives and institutions. Integration did not bring black owners, managers, and teams into the majors but took black players, often without compensation, and their fans.

As a result, the Negro Leagues collapsed without their owners, front office, or teams integrating into the majors. While peaking at over a quarter of all major league players in 1975, African Americans make up only about 8 percent of players today.

Latinos, however, have since remade the game. They comprise over a quarter of all major leaguers, about half of those in the minors, and are over-represented at the highest levels of play. They’ve put a new face on baseball and are its future.

Your 2006 documentary on Dominican baseball players (The Republic of Baseball: The Dominican Giants of the American Game) was highly acclaimed. What made you decide to focus on this subject?

In 2000, Dan Manatt asked me to work with him on a documentary about Dominican ball. He was a great collaborator and became a close friend. Doing an independent film is a difficult venture, because they’re so costly to make and because distribution is uncertain. But we felt that baseball had become the story by which Dominicans were able to tell their story to the world and that it was a great story at that.

We focused on the first generation of Dominicans to make it in the majors: Felipe Alou, Juan Marichal, Manuel Mota, Ossie Virgil, and Mateo and Jose Alou. They are tremendous guys and we felt privileged to tell their story. I try to stay as connected with baseball on the island as I can.

A recent New York Times article
(//www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/sports/baseball/clementes-3000th-hit-helmet-raised-to-a-sparse-crowd.html?_r=2&emc=eta1) brought forth the notion that Roberto Clemente was not appreciated in Pittsburgh until after he died due to the fact he was both Black and Latino. What are your thoughts on this – do you agree? It seems to contradict the research you did earlier on a more progressive Pittsburgh, or is this an “apples and oranges” comparison?

David Maraniss, who made that comment, wrote an astounding biography of Clemente, but I disagree with him on this point.

There certainly was (and is) racism in Pittsburgh but anybody who saw Clemente play had to acknowledge how brilliantly he played the game. It is true that Clemente, playing in Pittsburgh, was overlooked by much of baseball America until the 1971 World Series. I think it would have been different if he was in a larger media market or had not been such a principled advocate for civil rights for Latinos and African Americans.

It’s also true that the way he died elevated him to an iconic level and made him larger in death than he was in life.

Your book “Sandlot Seasons, Sport in Black Pittsburgh” showed how those Black sports teams in Pittsburgh helped the Black community realize its potential for self-expression. What made you decide to write on this subject – and do you feel Pittsburgh was more progressive than most cities in it’s acceptance of Black sports teams like the Pittsburgh Crawford and Homestead Grays baseball teams and Garfield Eagles football team?

I wrote that book because I saw sport as playing a very important role among African Americans and suspected that those historic roles were key to figuring out how and why.

African Americans in Pittsburgh embraced their teams and athletes but given that they had created those teams, their passion for sport should come as no surprise. I think that white fans and sandlot teams alsoappreciated the Grays, Crawfords, Eagles, and other black teams.

I’ve had any number of older white men tell me how proud they were to stand on the mound and pitch to Josh Gibson or bat against Satchel Paige. Of course, most said that Josh hit a long home run off them and that Satchel struck them out. But these games validated white teams, too.

If your question is whether there was less racism in Pittsburgh than elsewhere, I’m not sure that would have been the case. Certainly, the sporting arena brought out a less racist, more progressive set of relations in the city. The sandlots were more of a level playing field—more egalitarian. That was true for earlier generations of immigrants from Europe, too.

Nearly 20 years after the writing of the book, Pittsburgh has an African American football coach and an NFL team owner that was the driving force of the “Rooney Rule” requiring teams to interview African American candidates for head coaching jobs. Do you think the days of the “African American athlete” distinction in the Pittsburgh sports community/fandom is over? Or do you feel there are still big differences in how Pittsburgh fans view the African American versus white athlete?

I think that racial attitudes in sport, as in the nation as a whole, have improved immensely.

There is little doubt that African Americans and Latinos are center stage in American sport and have been so in this city for some time. The 1971 Pirates were an international squad, the 1979 champs were the “We are Family” Bucs with diverse line-ups.

The Steelers were as evenly integrated as could be during the 1970s and today they are led by a player of Samoan descent and one who is part African-American, part Korean. That matters, as does the way the Steelers operate—and have long operated due to Art, Dan, and Art II—when it comes to race.

I also think that each generation has a more progressive and tolerant set of views on race than previous ones. Having said that, there are enormous and serious issues regarding race and sport in Pittsburgh, especially pertaining to health, access to leisure and recreation, and in longevity. Socio-economics and class have much to do with that.

There are also important questions regarding ownership and power in sport that have yet to overcome a racial imbalance.

Your biography on Art Rooney. “Rooney: A Sporting Life” was a major undertaking. Can you tell readers what surprised you most about Rooney as you did your research on him?

I had known that Art was quite an athlete but I came away from the research realizing that he might have been the best all-around athlete in the city during the 1920s.

He was fast, tough, had great eye-hand coordination and had the ability to think ahead of the play. That combination made him a top baseball and football player as well as one of the top welterweights in the nation. He would have represented the US in the 1920 Olympics but did not enter the tournament because he had made money playing semi-pro baseball and did not want to have his amateur status questioned. He beat the man who won the gold medal before and after the Olympics.

The other surprise was just how critical Rooney was to the making of the NFL.

He was at the core of the decisions to create a league that operated on a one for all—all for one ethos. That approach—via the draft, equal distribution of broadcast revenues, recognition of the union, and in scheduling—has made the NFL the most successful pro league in American sporting history.

This approach, of course, is under great duress this summer. I think it’s also apparent how much Art’s son Dan and now his grandson Art II have continued to play this role of finding win-win solutions in the league and with the players’ union.

How did you go about the research – what sources were you able to tap into that really helped define who he was?

In addition to the standard tools of research—scrutiny of newspapers, public records, and the like—we (and there were two co-authors of Rooney: A Sporting Life. One was the late Michael Weber with whom I began the book; the other is Maggie Jones Patterson, Mike’s colleague at Duquesne and my wife who jumped in after Mike’s death in 2001) interviewed about 100 people, some, like Dan Rooney, many times.

That oral history is the only way to get at this sort of story, which is largely something that lacks written sources.

Much of your prior work covered the social/cultural elements of Pittsburgh sports. In your research on Rooney, how much of his work did you find influenced the culture of the city and it’s acceptance of minorities – and how so?

It’s at the heart of this story. No city uses sport more than Pittsburgh to tell its story to the world and to itself. It’s a story about people who work hard, but play harder; who lose but persevere and in the end become the city of champions. That story rings true because no city of comparable size had the sort of sporting record that Pittsburgh did across the board in sport in the 20th century.

African Americans and later Latinos were at the center of that story—the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords, Clemente, Stargell, Harris, Blount, Greene, Dorsett, and so many others.

What were some of the more interesting examples of Rooney’s behavior you unearthed in your research that helped you define Rooney’s character in the biography?

That he was at ease with a down-on-his-luck horseplayer, a guy from the neighborhood, or ex-pug as he was with Mayor David Lawrence and the Bishop. He was a regular guy who stayed that way all his life, even when he became a national icon.

What do you think Art Rooney would say about the state of Pittsburgh sports and sports culture today?

I’m sure he would be telling both sides of the NFL struggle to compromise and settle so that the working folks in the industry are not harmed by a lockout. And I think he would rue the amount of money and the influence of television in the game today.

And I believe he would be appalled at the pressure to extend the season to 18 games, given what we know about the damage football inflicts on the body and mind.

I also think he would know that the last decade has been a second golden age for sport in Pittsburgh and appreciate just how well the Steelers, Penguins, and Pitt basketball has done.

Bill Moushey

Bill Moushey, Author, Never Give Up (July 19, 2011):

First, what made you decide to focus a book solely on James Harrison?

I grew up in NE Ohio, went to Kent State (played football for a year) and knew of Harrison through those channels. I knew he also had a tough life. When he won the NFL Defensive Player of the year award, moved forward and learned he had a fascinating life of overcoming daunting odds to achieve success.

How reluctant was Harrison in working with you on the book – and did you experience those moments of intimidation that many sportwriters seem to when they interview him?

It took awhile to get him to loosen up, but I had the luxury of time.

He does have an intimidating demeanor, but once you pierce through that, he was engaging and Interesting.

In your research and discussions with Harrison, what surprised you most about Harrison “the person” versus the player?

He loves kids. He lights up whenever he’s around them.

That’s why he set up a foundation helping children.

Harrison struggled with his attitude early on in his career, making it difficult for him to stick with teams. How did he turn that attitude around – who/what influenced him?

I think he had a difficult transition from college to professional football on a lot of fronts.

I think he learned how to be a professional from folks like Jason Gildon and Joey Porter. I also think once he learned the complicated defenses, he quit thinking and started reacting, which helped him become all-pro.

Were you able to derive what the source was/is behind Harrison’s hard-nosed attitude in your discussions with him?

Early in his life, he created a wall around himself. It might have been because he went to schools outside his neighborhood (all-white) or maybe it was insecurity.

The bottom line is that he used that rough exterior to his advantage early and as life unfolded. I think the older he gets, the less hard-nosed he is.

If you offer up one experience of Harrison’s that best sums up the man, what would that be?

He works harder than anyone. His focus is unique. He plays through incredible injuries.

He faces adversity head on and, like the book says, he never gave up.

What do you make of his recent Men’s Journal interview and subsequent fallout?

What he said, in large part, is true. How he said it was indefensible.

My point of view is that he refused to bad-mouth coaches and teammates in the book (on the record). I wish he would have made public his inner thoughts in print, as it would have made the book better.

Many of the players supported Harrison after the interview – even ones he criticized. Does this surprise you, and how close is he with his teammates?

Not at all. He is very involved with his defensive teammates. They are a band of brothers.

You may have noticed the comments he made about the quarterback are the only negative words he has ever used to talk about teammates, or for that matter, anyone else in the NFL.

I still don’t get why he did it this time.

In your discussions with Harrison, were you able to tell just how important football is to him? Was he threat to retire last season credible in your opinion?

His children come first, his family second and then football take over. He works every waking hour on football. He does an incredible amount of things to keep him in the best possible position to be great.

What drives Harrison outside of football?

Children and family.

He will have to find a hobby or something after his playing days are over.

What else would surprise fans most about Harrison?

The fateful 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl was a complete improvisation by Harrison.

Any new books on the horizon?

I’m working on one about a corrupt U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency agent and keeping an eye on a few sporting folks with hopes of keeping it going.

Tim Gleason

Tim Gleason, Author, From Black to Gold (September 1, 2011):

First, can you tell readers about yourself and how you came to write the book From Black to Gold?

I am a die-hard fan from the early 1960s. I remember Bid Daddy Lipscomb and the heartbreaking 1963 season. I always wanted to write a book about a fan’s perspective of the Steelers.

That’s what makes this book rather unique. If you’ve ever worn a Jersey, screamed at the television or tailgated on the North Shore, this book is for you. Fans will relate to this book Because it was written by one of them.

What surprised you most about the organization as you researched and wrote the book?

Surprise is probably not a fair word, but I was struck by how warm the Rooney family and organization is.

I met Dan a couple times and talked to me as if I were someone important. His son, Art II, also understands the importance of the connection between the team and Steeler Nation. I met him walking around the stadium before a game. You just don’t see that everywhere, or maybe anywhere.

And Art Jr., he actually called me on the phone a couple times and agreed to write the forward for the book. I took my daughter to meet him for lunch one day. It’s incredible. The Rooneys are just like the Chief. He taught everyone to be humble and grounded, and they are.

Every fan has a positive and negative perceptions of their teams. What about your research helped dispel any of those perceptions?

Steeler Nation has very high expectations. The fans don’t accept anything short of winning Super Bowls and that disheartens me a bit. It’s not about the end, but about the journey.

Sure, we all want to hoist the Lombardi at the end, but to me the joy is the Draft, the preseason banter, the tailgating and most importantly, the hope. I talk about this perspective in the book.

I urge fans to enjoy the ride.

How has the team changed organizationally over the years in its approach to team-building and it’s relationship with fans?

The team changed dramatically in 1969 and not ironically, my book is titled from Black to Gold, with 1969 being the watershed.

Up until then the Chief hired his cronies and locals to coach the team and we were never successful. In 1969, Dan took over and hired Chuck Noll. The Steelers have had only two coaches since then. Prior to 1969, the Steelers traded Draft picks like they were bubble gum cards. Since then, the team has relied on the single focus of building teams through the Draft.

They trust their Draft, give players a fair chance and then pay them well. Stability is the cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s success. There are many who read this who weren’t around when mankind first walked on the moon, and to think that since that day, the Steelers have hired only two head coaches and the second one is still young and hopefully will be around for a while. That’s pretty amazing.

What changed in the late 60’s and early 70’s to turn the team from sad sack to Super Bowl champions?

The undercurrent was the efforts of Art Rooney Jr. and the scouting department.

The Steelers hired Bill Nunn in the late 60s. He was the first African American executive hired in the NFL. Nunn was wired into all the Black southern colleges, so the Steelers were way ahead of the game in drafting talented players from relatively obscure colleges. Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White, Ernie Holmes, John Stallworth, Mel Blount, on and on, came from small Black colleges.

The trilogy was fascinating. While three rivers were converging at Point Park in Pittsburgh, another threesome converged in the front offices of the Steelers: Dan Rooney began running the team, Chuck Noll began coaching it and Art Rooney Jr. and his staff put together the best six years of drafting in NFL history.

What memories of the team, as a fan, most affected you?

All the losing in the 1960s. I fell in love with the team unconditionally. It made me appreciate the 1970s so much more.

I’ll bet the same could be said for younger fans who fell in love with the team in the 1980s. It made the 90s and 2000s that much sweeter. Anyone can love a winner, but show me the fan who can name the head coach of the team before Chuck Noll and I’ll show you the best fan in the world!

What do you think the Chief would say about today’s NFL and Steelers?

I don’t think the Chief would be comfortable today.

The NFL is a world of seclusion and lawyers and big money. The Chief was more of a regular people guy. He used to walk around with tickets giving them away to people on the streets. He would collect those little whiskey bottles on airplanes and give them to the grounds crew. He worried about whether the mailman had tickets to playoff games. The Chief went to racetracks all the time. Owners can’t do that
now.

I think the Chief would choose to live in the era that he did, though he would be very proud of his sons and grandson. Art II can’t be his grandfather. The world has changed too much, but he still understands the values that the Chief instilled in him. I talk about this a lot in the book, again, written by a fan for fans.

Where can readers buy your book?

Fromblacktogold.com

Any new books on the horizon?

No, this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me, a “bucket-list” goal of mine. I’ve been blessed to have so many great reviews. I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead

Any last thoughts for readers?

Enjoy the journey of being a fan. Never let the disappointment of not winning the Super Bowl supersede the joy of following and loving the team.

George Von Benko

George Von Benko, Witer/Author (August 25, 2011):

First , can you tell readers about yourself – how you got started in broadcasting/sports Journalism and where listeners can find your work now?

I started in radio at the age of 15 on WPQR radio in Uniontown, PA. Just turned 59 – so I’ve been around awhile. Various stops along the way in Morgantown, WV at WTAE during the heyday of sports talk radio.

It was Myron Cope, Stan Savran and then me at night. Play-by-play for football and basketball for the University of Cincinnati and color for Duquesne basketball up until last season. I still do a sports talk show on Saturday’s from 10:15 am to 12 noon on WMBS Radio 590 AM in Uniontown.

I do a lot of freelance writing for MLB.com and the Pittsburgh Sports Report and do a weekly column called Memory Lane every Tuesday in the Uniontown Herald Standard. I also run the Pirates website for
the Scout network and you can find that at pirates.scout.com.

You’ve covered the Western Pennsylvania sports scene for a number of years, including color commentary for Duquesne basketball. What have been some of your most memorable experiences you’ve had doing so?

Covering all of the Steelers Super Bowl appearances was a big thrill and the Penguins first Stanley Cup in 1991 really sticks out. Having covered the team from its first season in 1967 – I never thought I would see that.

Who were some of the athletes you covered that left the biggest impressions with you – and why?

The super Steelers of the 1970’s were great to cover, I really enjoyed working with those teams, just a great bunch of guys. Maybe the most memorable interview that I did was with Muhammad Ali at his training camp at Deer Lakes.

You’ve covered many teams across a number of sports. What sport/team have you enjoyed covering most, and why?

Doing play-by-play for the 1999-2000 Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team. They were number one most of the season until Kenyon Martin broke his leg in a meaningless Conference USA tournament game. It still hurts because I believe they would have won the national championship had that not occurred.

You’ve come out with a new book – “Memory Lane”. Can you tell readers about the book and what inspired you to write it?

Memory Lane is a compilation of some of my favorite Memory Lane columns about athletes from western Pennsylvania and in particular the area where I grew up in Uniontown. When I was unexpectedly let go by Duquesne before last basketball season my father said now you have time to do the book and I did it. Dad who passed away on June 26 was the driving force behind me doing the book.

What are some of the things that surprised you most as you researched the book – and why?

Since I had written the articles previously there were no real surprises, putting the book together and going through that process for the first time was an eye opener.

The book focuses much on some of the more under-appreciated athletes in Western PA. Who were some of the athletes that deserved more accolades than they received – and why in your opinion didn’t they get that attention?

The first black All American quarterback was Sandy Stephens and his disappointment at not being given an opportunity to try to play quarterback in the NFL still sticks with me. He passed away in 2000 and I think it is great that he was just elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, I just wish that honor had happened when he was still alive. T

he accomplishments of some of the black athletes illustrates what trail blazers they were. There are other forgotten gems like basketball player Sam Sims who put up some amazing point totals in the 1950’s and Dick Washington the first black athlete to score a touchdown in Notre Dame football history.

How can readers purchase the book?

You can purchase the book at all Bradley’s Book Outlets, there are eight of them in Western Pennsylvania. Online the best place to get it is this link to buy the book on the front page of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame website on the right hand side of the page.

//www.fayettecountysportshalloffame.com/

Taking a step back and looking at the Western PA sports “scene” today versus years ago, how has the Western PA sports landscape changed over the years and what trends have you noticed

The biggest thing for me is the emergence of the hockey franchise. Years ago I couldn’t get any of my friends to go to a hockey game and when I covered a game it was a sparse press box. Now hockey is booming with the fans and the media coverage is amazing. The Steelers remain a constant, but I was a huge baseball fan growing up and the losing has been tough to take – I’m hopeful that the Pirates are on
the right track.

On sports journalism as a whole – how do you think the coverage of sports has changed over the years – and is it for the better now?

I have worked on both sides as a publicity director for the old Eastern Eight basketball conference and as a journalist and it is much more adversarial and contentious than it used to be. Also as far as the broadcasting business experience was the biggest factor in gaining employment. That has changed drastically and in a lot of cases experience can be a detriment – they don’t want to pay for experience these days.

Any predictions for Duquesne basketball this season?

I remain in contact with Coach Everhart and I am hoping he can continue to move the program forward. T.J. McConnell should continue to improve, but they will be hard pressed to replace Damian Saunders and Bill Clark.

Any last comments/thoughts for readers?

Just enjoy the sports scene and be thankful that we have been blessed with some tremendous athletes over the years and we are still lucky to be able to watch some of the talent that wear the uniform of the various Pittsburgh teams

Matthew Algeo

Matthew Algeo, Author, Last Team Standing: How the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia
Eagles–The ‘Steagles’–Saved Pro Football During World War II (July 15, 2011):

First, what made you decide to write the “Last Team Standing: How the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles-–The ‘Steagles’-–Saved Pro Football During World War II?”

In 2003 the Steelers honored the Steagles on their 40th anniversary before a pre-season game in Pittsburgh against the Eagles. I covered the event for the NPR program Only A Game. (You can listen to my story here: //onlyagame.wbur.org/2003/08/30/show-rundown-for-8302003.)

As an Eagles fan, I was vaguely aware of the Steagles, but I hadn’t really thought about them much until then.

How hard was it to track down and interview the surviving members of the Steagles?

I believe nine members of the Steagles were still surviving in 2003. Six were able to attend the ceremonies in Pittsburgh, and I interviewed each of them at that time. I also did follow-up interviews with them later.

I was also able to speak with the other three surviving Steagles on the phone. They weren’t that hard to track down. Between the Internet and an address list for autograph collectors that I bought, I found them all. And they were all very kind and generous with their time.

Who were some of the more memorable players and coaches you interviewed, and what made them so?

Al Wistert, an Eagles tackle, is a real character, and always fun to be around. He had a great career; he played on the Eagles championship teams in 1948 and 1949. He should be in the Hall of Fame. He was a rookie on the Steagles in 1943 and had plenty of memories to share.

Ted Doyle, a Steelers tackle, was also a lot of fun, a real no-nonsense guy with a great sense of humor. I spent a couple hours chatting with him at his home in Omaha.

During the 1943 season the players were required to work full-time in war jobs. Ted worked at a Westinghouse factory in Pittsburgh. Years later he realized he was helping build parts for the atomic bomb!

In researching the book, what surprised you most?

How different football was in 1943.

For the most part the players played both offense and defense. And they were tiny compared with modern players. But, since they played both ways, and even covered kickoffs and punts, they were in amazing shape.

I asked Al Wistert what would happen if the Steagles played a modern team, and he said something like, If we played by the old rules, they’d probably score ten touchdowns against us in the first quarter, but by halftime they’d all be dead.

Can you imagine today’s 300-pound linemen playing both ways as well as covering kickoffs and punts?

What types of characters made up the team – who were the standouts and “stars”?

Lots of characters on the team!

One was Bill Hewitt. He’d retired in 1939, but came out of retirement to play for the Steagles because he was offered something like $500 a game – more money than he’d ever earned playing football.

But he’d never played with a helmet before – they’d been made mandatory since his retirement – and he hated it. He’d throw his helmet off and say, “I can’t wear this!” But he was pretty washed up, and ended up quitting the team in the middle of the season.

The two biggest stars were probably an Eagles back named Jack Hinkle and a Steelers receiver named Tony Bova. Hinkle led the team in rushing, and would have led the entire league except for a scorekeeping error – one of his longest runs of the season was erroneously attributed to a teammate.

Bova led the Steagles in receiving – and he was blind in one eye!

How did the coaches and players mesh and get along as the teams merged? Any examples?

As the season went along, the players got along quite well. Not the coaches however.

The Eagles’ Greasy Neale and the Steelers’ Walt Kiesling couldn’t stand each other. Officially they were co-head coaches, but since they barely spoke to each other, Art Rooney suggested that Neale handle the offense and Kiesling the defense.

This is one of the earliest examples of separate offensive and defensive coordinators in pro football.

Who were the locker room leaders and how did they help unite these two teams?

The Steagles were an interesting mix of veterans and rookies.

In the book I describe an incident in one game that shows how the two teams managed to meld so successfully.

It was late in the game. Greasy Neale had ordered the Steagles quarterback, an Eagles rookie named Allie Sherman, to just run out the clock. (Sherman went on to become head coach of the Giants in the 1960s.) But in the huddle, Ted Doyle, the Steelers veteran, told Sherman, “Just follow me.” Doyle knew he could make a hole for Sherman to run through.

Sherman ended up running for a touchdown. Neale was furious because his order had been disobeyed. But that touchdown shows how the Steelers and Eagles were able to play as one team.

What role did the Rooneys play in the merger of the teams and in making it successful?

Art Rooney and Bert Bell were the co-owners of the Steelers at the time. (Bell, of course, would later sell his share to become NFL commissioner.)

The Steelers had just had their first winning season in 1942, but after that season their roster was decimated because so many players were inducted into the military. I think they had fewer than ten players under contract at one point in the summer of ’43.

Rooney and Bell were on very good terms with the Eagles owner, Alexis Thompson, so they Approached him about the possibility of a merger. Thompson agreed, but only if the majority of the games were played in Philadelphia.

Ultimately, what enabled the team to become successful?

A combination of good coaching and good players.

Greasy Neale was a brilliant coach. He was the second NFL coach to adopt the T formation after GeorgeHalas. And Walt Kiesling was an excellent defensive coach. And the Steagles had a core group of excellent players (like Jack Hinkle and Tony Bova).

Also, in all honesty, the level of play in 1943 was not very high. So many players had gone off to war that the teams the Steagles played weren’t nearly as good as they would have been otherwise.

How did two sets of rival fans come to accept this team? Did they – and if so, how and why did they?

Initially, the Pittsburgh fans were miffed because most of the Steagles’ home games were played in Philadelphia.

I think one pre-season and two regular season games were played at Forbes Field. But as the season progressed, and it became apparent that the Steagles were actually a pretty good team, interest in the team in Pittsburgh increased dramatically.

In Philadelphia, the Steagles produced the first winning season in the history of the Eagles franchise, and interest in the team was very high. The last game of the season, against the Packers at Shibe Park, was probably the best-attended game in the history of the Eagles franchise up to that point.

How was the game different then versus today’s game?

One word: Money.

Some of the players probably made as little as $100 of $150 a game. And the owners weren’t getting rich, either. Art Rooney constantly fretted about money.

Any other thoughts for readers?

Yes: Please buy my book! It’s on Amazon:
//www.amazon.com/Last-Team-Standing-Pittsburgh-Philadelphia/dp/0306815761/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3

David Maraniss

David Maraniss – Author, Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero

Tell us about your book and what attracted you to the idea of writing about Clemente?

I grew up in Wisconsin with the Milwaukee Braves, and loved the teams of Aaron, Matthews, Spahn, Burton, et al, but Clemente was always my favorite player.

There was something about the way he looked in his Pirates uniform, the way he walked, the way he worked out the crink in his neck, the way he threw bullets from right field, his outsiderness as a black Puerto Rican, all of that attracted me to him.

But I decided to write about him for other reasons beyond all of that, because he was that rare human being who was growing as his sporting talents were diminishing, and that he died a heroic death.

What surprised you most in your research of Clemente?

I never answer the question about what surprised me most. I look at the research of a book as an endless series of surprises. If you keep an open mind, it is all new.

What is the biggest misperception people have about Clemente, in your opinion?

Some people thought he was a complainer, lazy, the stereotypes of a Puerto Rican in that era unfortunately. He was the opposite. He was a perfectionist, and he was always worrying about his health, a hypochondriac of sorts, but he played more games in a Pirate uniform than any other player in history and always played hard, with a fury.

How was Clemente received early on by fans and players –and how did his race/ethnicity affect that acceptance?

It was not an easy entry for Clemente into the US.

The Pittsburgh sports writers condescendingly quoted him in broken English. None of them knew Spanish of course. And he did not have his first great season until 1960, five years into his time with the Pirates.

As the years went on, he had to overcome a lot of bias against him. I raised a fuss in Pittsburgh earlier this year by suggesting that not everyone who now say they loved him really did love him back then. I didn’t say that he wasn’t beloved – he certainly was, especially by young people, old people, anyone who came into contact with him. But it took a long time for all of Pittsburgh to accept him as a mythological beloved figure. Really not until he died.

You address Clemente’s health issues (from a 1954 automobile accident) as having a big affect on his approach at the plate. How so?

His soreness from the back and neck injury never left him.

It is one of the reasons he was always moving his neck as he approached the plate, trying to work out the kinks. It was not just the lingering injury but also the huge outfield at Forbes Field that affected him, and he molded his batting style, not trying to hit home runs, to compensate for that.

What were some of the major issues you attempted to address in the book and why?

The central themes are, first, the drama of the story of a black Puerto Rican coming to America to make his way, and succeeding, despite all he had to overcome as the first truly great Latino ballplayer, second, the beauty and frustrations of a true athletic artist, and third, the passion and commitment to humanity that distinguished him from most athletes yet led tragically to his death.

What is your impression of how Clemente was received during his playing days in Pittsburgh and how has that changed now?

When Clemente arrived in Pittsburgh he had to build his own sense of community. He felt somewhat apart from both the white community and the African American community and the city at the time had an extremely small Latino population. Over the years he was able to bring a diverse group of friends into his life to make him feel more comfortable.

There’s talk of a Clemente movie. What are your thoughts on how they should approach this?

I hope there is a Clemente movie. His story needs to be told to the largest possible audience. I would want the movie to be realistic, not romanticized propaganda, but present the real man with all of his talents and flaws, and base it in his Puerto Rican heritage, not so much in Pittsburgh.

Abby Mendelson

Abby Mendelson, Author, The Pittsburgh Steelers: The Official History :

First, can you tell readers about your new book The Pittsburgh Steelers: The Official Team History –– what it entails and how you went about deciding what to include and not include.

I started with Art Rooney’s birth, his life on the North Side, buying the franchise.

The new, Fourth Edition ends with the Super Bowl loss to the Packers. In between there are all the highlights, obviously more time given to the good years than the bad ones. That was part of what went into deciding what I would include.

The other part was largely keeping in mind that this is a fan’s book. I didn’t write it for specialists; I didn’t write it for people who like to read about dirt. Instead, it’s a fan’s celebration of a great football franchise — always written with a sense of humor.

So much has been written on Steelers –– was it hard finding new approaches and stories to tell?

Certainly, I tried to find new information, or new angles, on familiar stories — and of course new or untold stories. I relied a great deal on extensive personal interviews, always looking for something new or fresh.

When stories were unavoidably familiar — the Immaculate Reception, for example — I simply tried to tell them as dramatically as I could. After all, somebody reading this book will indeed be reading about that play, or Joe Greene, or Jack Lambert, for the first time. So making the narrative readable was paramount.

What was the most interesting discovery in your research?

Something that I had suspected but could never state with surety until I began doing many one-on-one interviews: the deep abiding respect and affection everyone in the Steelers organization has, and had, for the Rooney family.

I have covered a lot of professional sports, and written about any number of franchise owners, and this kind of reverence for owners is simply unique. I would add that the genesis of this feeling is the adult, mature, decent way the Rooneys treat their players. That is also very rare.

You covered the Steelers as a reporter in the 70’s. Who from those teams do you remember most – that stood out the most for you –– and why?

Frankly, they all do. For as regimented as football is, these players and coaches were encouraged to express themselves individually on and off the field. So that not only in doing the research for this book, but also in memory, the entire Steelers corps really comes to the fore.

And they were all excellent interviews as well!

Were those teams as close-knit as we hear? Were there rifts and cliques on those teams?

There are always rifts and cliques in any organization, in any group of highly motivated, highly skilled individuals. But that group set aside any possible disagreements because they knew there were on to something special — they were champions. As such, they would do anything to help each other to win.

In addition, the Rooneys, and Chuck Noll, were so focused, were so intent that all distractions be kept to a minimum, that the players could not help but follow suit. Put another way, I’ve never seen another team with that kind of cohesiveness.

What would surprise readers most about those 70’s teams?

Just how smart those players were.

As a group, they were the smartest, most articulate, most motivated group of men I’ve ever known. In many cases their on-field personae might have indicated something else, but they were incredibly precise in their thinking and execution. They simply didn’t make mistakes!

The Steelers went from being a poor team to a Super Bowl team quickly under Coach Noll. What did he do to get the team to believe in its ability to win — and was there resistance to his methods by many of the players?

Certainly, there was resistance — and those who resisted were cut.

If memory serves, only three pre-Noll players lasted into his Super Bowl years. Noll drafted very carefully — once again, he wanted smart, motivated, coachable players. If players proved otherwise, they were let go.

In terms of getting his team to believe in his vision, from his first day he never lost sight of what he wanted, and never let his players lose sight of it, either.

In addition, for as tough as he could be, he always inspired them to do better — and coached them every step of the way in game skills, strategy, and technique. To this day, no player has ever lost sight of that.

Conversely, how did Coach Noll manage to keep the team grounded and hungry once it found success?

There are some sports theoreticians who feel that is the hardest thing in sports — not making it to the top, but in keeping players focused on the team goals once they have made it. Noll, to his great credit, never let his team focus on anything but the game in front of them.

They all enjoyed the experience of it, the sheer playing of football on that very high level, so that they maintained the Steelers corporate culture. Once again, newcomers and veterans who didn’t fit were cut.

Where there players that struggled more with Coach Noll and with success? Who, and can you describe those struggles?

Of course, the stories about Terry Bradshaw’s struggles with his coach are legion. Bradshaw discusses them with great candor in my book, chalking his troubles up to immaturity and chronic depression. (He masked the latter very well during his playing days.)

Noll was not a man to tolerate what he called distractions, and if players fought with him they found themselves on the outside looking in. It is a tribute to these men that as a group they’ve had very few, if any, post-football difficulties.

Sadly, one cannot say that about every star player in sports.

How would you compare Coaches Noll, Cowher, and Tomlin? How did they differ ––and what common traits did they have that enabled all three to find success with the Steelers?

Certainly, there were differences of style. Cowher’s rah-rah sideline pep talks — no, not what the stern, steely Chuck Noll would ever do. Nor would he joke the way Tomlin does.

But in the main, they are cut from the same cloth: extremely focused on the task at hand, interested more in teaching, in creating a finely tuned mechanism, than in berating players or fault-finding.

In identifying each player’s strengths, and in using them to great advantage, each of these coaches had achieved extraordinary results. Incidentally, it’s hardly an accident that Mike Tomlin’s mentor was Tony Dungy, who was a student of Chuck Noll. The Steelers have created a Dynasty in more ways than one!

Who have been some of the more under-appreciated Steelers players/coaches/front office personnel over the years, in your opinion. And what makes them so?

In any given news report there is only so much time for Steelers coverage — even though we seem to be drowning in it these days. And in Steelers coverage, it’s hard not to focus on what Mike Tomlin calls the “splash plays.”

So rightfully so, Roethlisberger and Polamalu, Bettis and Lambert, Swann and Greene, get — or got — the lion’s share of the coverage. There are countless players who do all the little — and not-so-little — things who deserve recognition. Start with virtually anyone on the offensive and defensive lines. Move to the coaching corps — most Steelers fans would be hard-pressed to give a good accounting of who Tomlin’s assistants are and what they do. And so on.

As one historical example in my book, a lot of the Steelers’ Steel Curtain defensive success came through ideas propounded by assistant coach George Perles. If any fans say “who?” that’s exactly my point.

No team has rivaled the success of the Steelers over the past 40 years. What do you attribute that success to? What characteristics of this organization have led to this success ––and why can’t other teams seem to emulate this with close to the same degree of success?

Success starts at the top. The Steelers are justifiably legendary for their patience — the Rooneys choose a coach and leave him alone. That kind of confidence, that kind of focus on stability and excellence, is all-too-rare in professional sports.

Most teams operate on win-it-all-now or how-little-can-we-spend-and-still-keep-our-profits-high? The Steelers are interested only in excellence, and it’s reflected all throughout the organization. Anything less is not tolerated. I have not found this kind of corporate culture anywhere else in professional sports.

I have heard whining, excuses, fault-finding (notably with the fans), and the braying of fast-buck artists who own franchises to fleece the public or get their names in the media. But I have never heard the kind of self-effacing, responsible, mature vision of running a professional sports franchise as I have heard from the Rooneys — and everyone in the organization.

Any last thoughts for readers?

I like to think I’m like the Rooneys, at least a little. I like to take the long view of things. Too much sports reporting focuses on the daily controversies, the minutiae, the trivia that dominates talk radio.

My book avoids all that pettiness. My book instead celebrates greatness, telling stories in a clear, positive, often humorous way. It’s a fan’s book. I highly recommend it. It makes a great holiday gift item. What holiday? Any holiday!

John Steigerwald

John Steigerwald, Sportscaster and Author “Just Watch the Game” :

In your book, you detail how you started and how you got to the level of prominence you are at today. How hard was that initial struggle to “make it” and did you ever see yourself finding this level of success then, and did you even want it?

The chapter in the book is called “Look out, Curt Gowdy.” I started out with the intention of becoming Curt Gowdy, who was the top guy at NBC at the time and doing all the major events –World Series, Super Bowls, Rose Bowl etc. I wanted to do play-by-play because, for me, it’s always been about going to the games.

It was a struggle in the beginning but I was thrilled to have every job that I had, including my first one at a Cable TV station in Sharon, Pa. that paid me two bucks and hour. I didn’t make much money doing play-by-play in the minor leagues but I loved every second of it.

People often look back at their struggles to “make it” as some of the best times of their career. Is that the case for you –why/why not and what experiences really helped to motivate you and shape your career?

I can’t think of any specific experiences that motivated me. I was always confident in my ability and – justifiably or not–always felt that I could be good at anything that I put effort into.

In the same vein – what people motivated and inspired you most, and how so?

I was motivated by Bob Prince. Listening to him doing Pirates games beginning when I was five or six years old, made me want to be a baseball announcer…as soon as I realized I wasn’t going to be a Major League Baseball player.

Your book reflects your “no pulling punches” style of broadcasting. How has that helped you over the years and have you ever experienced regret at any point for potentially going “too far”? If so, when?

I think being willing to “tell it like it is” sets you part…especially now when there are so many generic people working in radio and TV. I haven’t really expressed at going to far, but I’ve had several episodes when I had to defend myself against viewers, listeners or readers who thought I went too far. I really can’t think of any one example when I went farther than I wanted to.

In your two-plus decades with the Steelers, who were the people –players, coaches, front office people – that really symbolized for you how the game should be played, and what made them so?

Chuck Noll is the most impressive person associated with the Steelers that I met. He exuded authority, toughness, intelligence and class. There aren’t a lot of people in sports who have as much of all those qualities as Noll had.

The Chief, Art Rooney, was one of the nicest, most unassuming guys I’ve met in sports. No player on the Steelers impressed me more than Joe Greene.

Of all the sports media people you’ve worked with, who were some of the most –and least –enjoyable – and what made them so?

There are too many people who I worked with still working in the media now for me to answer that question.

What do you think Bob Prince would think of today’s Pittsburgh Pirates-and would you agree with him?

Bob Prince would think that this year’s Pirates team was exciting.

He would have become disillusioned and fed up with Major League Baseball a long time ago. I can’t imagine him having any patience for the economic disparity and what it has done to the Pirates.

In your book you discuss the pleasure – and sometimes displeasure –of the hundreds of interviews you’ve gotten to do over the years. Who were some of the most and least enjoyable Pittsburgh sports figures to interview – and what made them so?

Most enjoyable interviews: Terry Bradshaw, Bubby Brister, Chuck Tanner, Kevin Stevens, Joe Greene, Phil Garner, Dwight White, Jerome Bettis

Least enjoyable: Tom Barrasso, Tom Barasso, Tom Barrasso, Barry Bonds, Greg Lloyd, Tom Barrasso, Bill Cowher.

What’s wrong with professional sports today?

The biggest problem in professional sports today is a lack of perspective. Fans and media have assigned way too much importance to sports.

There’s no better example than the violence between grown men wearing opposite replica game jerseys.

In your book, you discuss the “Demise of the pick-up game”. What’s to blame for this –and can it be turned around, in your opinion?

The pickup game is dead. Air conditioning was one of the early reasons for its demise. Overprotective parents and too many kids whose fathers are either not around or too busy to teach them how to play ball and the overemphasis on organized sports at a young age are also major contributing factors.

Video games haven’t helped.

I don’t think it can be turned around. Parents have become convinced that their kids can’t play sports unless they’re involved. It’s sad and pathetic.

What’s the one thing you would like most for readers to take from your book – and why?

I would just hope that people would get a laugh from some of the stories and maybe some insight into the behind the scenes aspects of sports and the media. It’s not exactly ” The Brothers Karamazov.”

How has the venture with Trib Total Media/TribLive Radio going? What have been some of the successes and frustrations so far of being part of Pittsburgh’s first internet radio station?

I’m having fun doing internet radio. It’s a new venture and I’m just glad someone is still willing to pay me to spew my BS. So far, no frustrations.

Jim O’Brien

Jim O’Brien, Steelers Author and Sports Columnist (July 15, 2011):

You’ve covered Pittsburgh sports for over 40 years and won numerous accolades across your journalism career. What stands out as the greatest accomplishment for you, and why?

I am proud that I have had two publishing ventures in Pittsburgh and that I always paid my bills.

Beano Cook and I began publishing and editing Pittsburgh Weekly Sports in the fall of my senior year at Pitt in 1963. and we continued to publish this lively and sometimes controversial tabloid for another five and a half years.

We closed down when Beano went to New York to work as a publicist for ABC TV and I went to cover The Dolphins for The Miami News in 1969. We made good on all our subscription orders and we paid all our bills. That almost never happens in such ventures.

I started publishing and editing books on Pittsburgh sports scene, the first two with publisher and Graphics artist Marty Wolfson, and 18 more on my own in 1980. The books met the test of the market place and have been popular the past 30 years. I have not borrowed any money in either venture and do not owe anyone a dime.

I was the smallest kid in my neighborhood in Hazelwood yet I managed to make it to the major leagues in every sport you can name.

You’ve written a number of books on Pittsburgh sports –Lambert, the Man in the Middle and Other Outstanding Linebackers, The Chief, Fantasy Camp, Pittsburgh Proud and so many more. Which of your books are you most proud of, and why?

My favorite book out of the twenty-three I have written, twenty on Pittsburgh topics, would have to be MAZ and The ’60 Bucs.

That is a coming of age book for me. I entered Pitt as a freshman in September of 1960 and one month later the Pirates were playing the mighty New York Yankees in a World Series less than two blocks from the Pitt Student Union.

I thought I couldn’t have picked a better place to go to college. I would later (1966) meet my future wife Kathleen Churchman, who had an apartment on Oakland Avenue a block from Forbes Field when we were both in grad school at Pitt.

Any new books from you that fans should be waiting for?

I have outlined at least seven future books, but have the next one on hold because the book business has been in a state of flux for the past three years, with Borders declaring bankruptcy and Barnes & Noble being up for sale, and payments not being made on product sales.

I hope to write some more books when the retail market scene improves and the book store chains are paying their bills. Right now, I am concentrating on selling the seven books in my series that are still available. The rest are out of print.

Which of them surprised you most in terms of the learnings derived from the research you conducted to complete them – and what about that research surprised you?

Some of my favorites to interview through the years, who were good ballplayers and know how to tell a story, are J.T. Thomas, Dwight White and Mike Wagner of the Steelers, Bob Friend, Ron Necciai, Frank Gustine Sr. and Frank Thomas of the Pirates, Eddie Johnston , Jack Riley and Pierre Larouche of the Penguins, Joe Gordon who worked as a publicist for the Rens, Hornets, Penguins and Steelers, and I have always appreciated what down to earth guys Bill Mazeroski and Arnold Palmer have remained through the years.

On every successful team there are stars, and Pittsburgh has had numerous ones over the years. But there are also the unsung heroes. Who have been some of the more under-appreciated Pittsburgh athletes/coaches over the years, and what made them so, in your opinion?

Dwight White’s death was a real tragedy. He was doing so much good in our community. He called me “Bookman” and he was real passionate during our interviews. He came from humble beginnings and was a real success story. He often said, “I had to come up to hit bottom.”

What has been your favorite Pittsburgh sports teams to cover over the years, and what made them so?

I liked covering the Steelers because Art Rooney Sr. created a culture that still rings the right bell. I always knew Mr. Rooney was special and I welcomed opportunities to sit and talk with him.My grandfathers were dead before I was a year old, and Mr. Rooney was the grandfather I never had. I learned a lot from the man and I still respond to situations by first asking myself, “What would Mr. Rooney do?”

Highly-regarded Pittsburgh sports historian Robert Ruck in a recent interview (//www.pittsburghsportsdailybulletin.com/page106.html) stated that Pittsburgh has come a long way in regards to improving racial attitudes in sports, but still has a way to go. What are your thoughts on this –what differences do you see between the attitudes of fans towards Pittsburgh athletes now versus 30-40 years ago?

I never had a problem as far as racial relations were concerned in my career in sports.

I started my own track team in Hazelwood when I was 12 years old and I recruited young blacks from another neighborhood to compete for my team. When I worked in Philadelphia, Miami, New York and Pittsburgh, I always thought I enjoyed an edge in interviewing black athletes because they trusted me with their stories. I always thought they had more interesting stories to share.

Wilt Chamberlain was one of my boyhood heroes, and I enjoyed great time in his company and got along well with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier and other great boxers, and Dave Parker of the Pirates.

More than half the athletes profiled in my books are black, and it bothers me that so few blacks – Maybe one per thousand books – ever buys one of my books. If someone is going to have racist tendencies – and that works both ways – sports will not solve their problems in that respect.

You’ve encountered scores of memorable athletes over the years. What players have stood out to you most over the years, and why?

I’ve been fortunate in my lifetime to meet and spend time with some marvelous athletes, and I never took it for granted.

I had one of the four best seats in the house at Madison Square Garden for the first Ali-Frazier fight, billed as “The Fight of the Century.” I have met and interviewed Ali and Frazier, Joe Louis, Joe Greene, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Namath, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Johnny Unitas, Willis Reed, Bill Bradley, Michael Jordan, Mike Ditka, Danny Marino, Joe Montana, O.J. Simpson, Billie Jean King, Olga Korbut, Mary Lou Retton, Chris Evert, Donna de Verona, Bruno Sammartino and I once met and shook hands with former President Harry S. Truman in Kansas City.

How have you passed along your experiences outside of your various books and columns?

I am proud that I mentored and helped develop and get jobs for a dozen interns who have become really outstanding public relations executives, sports information people, and writers during my time as the public relations director for the athletic department at Pitt from 1984 to 1988.

I always thought of myself as a teacher disguised as a sports writer.

What are some of your greatest Pittsburgh sports memories –encounters with athletes, interviews, observances…..can you name a few that have stood out to you most, and why you think they have done so?

I attended the 21st birthday party for Muhammad Ali when he was in Pittsburgh prior to his fight with Charley Powell at the Civic Arena in January of 1963.

Myron Cope was there and he had written a story for a national magazine on Ali, who was then Called Cassius Clay. Clay kept calling Cope “Mickey Rooney” during the press conference at the old Sherwyn Hotel, now the main building for Point Park University.

By the way, I met Myron Cope for the first time when I was fourteen and serving as the sports editor of The Hazelwood Envoy. We were both covering the Golden Gloves Boxing Tournament at the Pitt Field House.

I asked him, “Mr. Cope, what do I have to do to become a writer?” He replied, in that wonderfully unique voice of his, “Kid, you gotta sit down and start writing!” It’s still the best advice I ever received.

I came back to Pittsburgh in 1979 after a year in Miami and nine more years in New York in time to see the Pirates win the World Series and the Steelers win their fourth Super Bowl in six years. Talk about good timing!

The Steelers were beating the Houston Oilers in the AFC championship game at Three Rivers Stadium, and Rocky Bleier had just scored a touchdown to clinch the contest.

I was standing with the other members of the media in the end zone, so we could get a headstart on getting to the dressing rooms after the game. I think I had a tear in my eye and Joe Gordon,the team publicist, spotted it and recognized my quiet mood. “You OK?” he asked me, and I nodded in return.

But I was emotionally moved because I was thinking, “I’ve come home to Pittsburgh and now I’m going to the Super Bowl with the Steelers? Can it get any better?”

What are your thoughts on sports journalism today with blogging, tweeting and other forms of social media creating a rush to get stories out so quickly, and often creating friction between journalists (as we’ve seen between some in the Pittsburgh sports media industry)?

There’s too much media today for sports, world news, business news, entertainment news and modern technology permits too many people without credentials to write about these things and some unreliable and unreal stuff gets out there.

There are too many tape recorders and cameras everywhere and a lot of irresponsible reporting.

Journalistic judgment is lacking. Sportswriters and sports media don’t care about their personal appearance. Check out the contrast between the media and the athletes. I was told once that if you dress like the equipment manager the ballplayers will treat you in kind. I was told a long time ago to save the tough question for last so you don’t end up with an empty notebook.

Pittsburgh sports journalist Jim Wexell and others have lamented the fact that sports journalism (and to an extent fans as well) has lost the appreciation for getting to know the athletes as people, instead of just their contributions to the team. What are your thoughts on this? Is there truth to this in your opinion? If so why do you think this?

I used to love to spend a few weeks with the Steelers at St. Vincent College during summer training camp. You really got to know the players, coaches and other members of the media, and some great fans as well.

You had great access to the players. You could schedule interviews with them one-on-one and visit them in their rooms.

Now there are too many ropes, too many restrictions, too many rules regarding inter-action with coaches and players, and too many sound-bites gotten on sidewalks outside cafeterias and the like.

I loved to write stories about the players more so than reports on the games. I was able to introduce a lot of great athletes to the readers. There are no true sports publicists anymore. No one offers story ideas. Most of those p.r. people from my early days in the business were former newspapermen and recognized a story when they saw one. There are a lot of good guys in the business, but their roles have changed dramatically.

Any advice for young, aspiring sports journalists?

I would advise anyone interested in being a sports journalist to keep their options open and to be versatile.

The business is going out of business in too many ways. Newspapers and magazines are going out of business. People tell me they don’t have time to read anymore. I feel a little smarter every time I read a book, magazine or newspaper.

If you can write well and speak well you can always get a job. I was a Journalism major for one year at Pitt and then switched majors to become an English major. It was a wise decision. I have worked in every possible form of sports media. Using proper English will still set you apart from the pack.

Any last thoughts for readers?

Some Pittsburgh sports media knock New York, but it was a great place to work when I was in my late 20s. There were twice as many teams in every sport, and I covered some great champions in my day.

But I am glad I am now in Pittsburgh, a great sports town. I enjoyed going to PNC Park and being with good friends and baseball fans in a beautiful ballpark before the Pirates were winning more often than losing.

I always thought going to any kind of game was a good way to spend one’s time. My daughters tell me I never had a real job, and for that I remain grateful. My family is my favorite team.

That’s it. Jim O’Brien

You can get a information on Jim and his books on his website at www.jimobriensportsauthor.com