I�m a �slug� and damn proud
of it.� Most folks are thinking that I
just insulted myself.� A �slug� in
Northern VA is nothing more than a person who legally hitchhikes to work.� You stand in a line, marked by signs to
different designations, and wait for a driver to pick you up so they can get in
the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes which require three or more people.�
Typically I nap or read the
paper for the hour drive, one way.� This
year I decided to read something different, thanks to longtime Stillers.com
reader StillDrink.� He recommended a
book called Lost Sundays.�
I�ve heard about it and never read it.�
I ordered it and quickly read it.�
I decided that when I�m �sluggin� I �m going to read or re-read many
Stiller books I�ve acquired over the years and give a book report, if you will.
Lost Sundays, by Sam Toperoff, was published in 1989 and
describes the Pittsburgh Steeler season of 1988.
His thesis is how the City
of Pittsburgh embraced the Steelers through tough times economically but was
rejuvenated with football.� And there
was something that came out of the soil that made football one of the most
important staples in Western PA.
The author is a Pittsburgh
outsider coming from New York.� He, like
many were mystified about the Pittsburgh Steelers, mainly due to their four
Super Bowl wins in the �70�s and the incredible fan base.
The book begins by
discussing Western PA, the glory days of the �70�s and a quick history of the
Stillers.� I�m using the word �Stillers�
because that is how the author spelled it.�
Toperoff got a rare inside
look at the Stillers beginning with the 1988 training camp and chaptered each
game.
He talked a great deal about
the media and their perception with the team.�
The book has some great stories from long-time Stiller followers and is
really a great nostalgic look at the team we all support.
The author is not so
interested in the game itself or why they lost games when he traveled with the
team.� It was about the mystique of
Pittsburgh and their football.� Not just
the Stillers, but high school and local colleges.� He makes reference to one reporter covering a high school game in
Greensburg on a Friday night and finished the article around 5am Saturtday, in
time to travel with the Stillers on their charter plane.� He couldn�t believe a reporter was giving
high school football that amount of time or coverage.
The book will give you an
inside look to the 1988 team, Chuck Noll and some of his assistants named Tony
Dungy and Joe Greene.� You�ll read about
old vets getting cut like Robin Cole and Mike Merriweather holding out and
never wearing the black and gold again.�
You�ll read about new
players like Bubby Brister, Delton Hall and Rod Woodson and their struggles,
similar to what we see today.
The book was a good read for
me because I grew up in PGH in the 70�s & 80�s, as most of you have.� It was a good read, because it showed how a
simple game could bring faith to a small city.��� Perhaps, the 70�s spoiled us.�
We complain about the Stillers all the time and this site is criticized
for it all the time.� The truth is,
nothing has changed from the mediocre 80�s horrible 40� s-60 and now 2000.� Pittsburghers have always complained.� It is easy to do when you win four silver
trophies in a decade.� I remember many a
men drinking the shot of whiskey and Iron City in the tavern calling for Chaz
Noll�s head or Franco Harris�s knees.�
The difference is nobody else heard that except your local bar.� Today, the Internet is the local bar and
more people come to it.� My point
is:� We can bitch and bitch about what
is going on now.� Nothing has changed
though.� We just bitch too a bigger bar
and some like it and some don�t.� We all
just want the Trophy, every year.�� We
are all Stiller fans, for whatever the reason.�
We just want to win.�
Recommend the book and you
can find it easily on www.amazon.com
Lost Sundays, A season
in the life of Pittsburgh and the Steelers by Sam Toperoff, Random House Inc, 1989.