STEELER NATION WITH MYRON COPE
Monday October 18th was a day for shopping. My family and I were going to meet my "old" Pittsburgh friend James Moran and his wife Mary Kay for the first time. Jim took us to an Outlet place in Somerset, about fifty miles east of Pittsburgh, where my daughter Jodie was in her element. We left the mall with enough time to get back to Pittsburgh for the radio interview with Myron.
Jim dropped me off at the studio that was about ten minutes from his house. Full of apprehension, I waited in the lobby of the studios of WTAE wondering what the people of Pittsburgh would make of my very fragile voice that had struggled through three classic sports games and had decided it would be better now to have a rest.
I was led to the ante room of Myron's studio where his producer was playing adverts and talking off air to Myron.
I patiently waited thinking thoughts of retreat through the nearest exit before appreciating that I was doing this for the club. Let the people in Pittsburgh know we exist. Let them know that Steeler Nation means Steeler World. The producer slotted the adverts and the seven o'clock news in while Myron came out to greet me and ask where the other fans were.
They were in their favourite watering hole, the Sports Garden, waiting to meet Greg Lloyd, who was making a guest appearance. Myron took me into his studio and my voice began to freeze so I asked for some water. Fortunately, he kept a flask of iced water at hand so I was able to draw on that golden nectar throughout the interview.
While we waited for the producer to come back, I asked Myron if there was anyone in the Penguins organisation that I could contact to ask whether we could attend a practice. 'Harry Sanders," came the reply, so another useful addition was placed in the memory banks for later use.
On air at lasts and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I know my voice nearly went on several occasions and Myron filled in a couple of times when silence, because of my bad throat, reigned. The unique nasal twang of Myron mixed together with my hoarse English dialect would have made for unusual listening for any Pittsburgher that evening.
Two people rang up while we were on the air. The first had a daughter at school in England and he wanted to know how she could join the club, so I gave my address out. With my creaky English accent I wonder how many understood me.
The second caller insisted that Myron make me a Cope-a-nut. It's an apparent honour that he bestows upon callers who make outstanding telephone calls to his show. So it came about that your editor felt a right Charlie, live on the radio as I succumbed to being a Cope-a-nut.
Myron told me not to wear Steeler colours to the Cleveland game because of what the Brownies fans would do when they saw the black & gold.
With the interview over, I waited in the lobby for Jim to pick me up. The security guard became concerned about a stranger parked outside and asked me if it was my friend. It wasn't, so he went out to see what was going on.
He brought the guy back with him and it transpired that he was driving passed the studios listening to Myron's show and decided that he had to pull over to meet me! He was a scout for the Kansas City Chiefs, living in Pittsburgh and he went over to London for his holidays because he loved it so much. There we were, two strangers united because of our travels. We both crossed the Atlantic Ocean to be in the cities we loved, but we went in opposite directions.
Jim arrived and I immediately asked him what had I sounded like, was I OK? Did I stutter? Did I seem hesitant? He said I had sounded fine and I felt a little better until he put the recording of the programme on in his car.
In the meantime, the boys down the Sports Garden met my man Greg Lloyd. They generously thought of me and brought a T-shirt for him to autograph.
The other feature of their night was the quarterback challenge played during the boradcast football game. Participates had to predict the next play. Andy won when he guessed everything on the final play of the game and he even predicted the direction the play would take. The atmosphere was conducive enough for the guys to consume vast amounts of IC Light.
Hangovers would prevail in the morning.