Cope Wasn't All Schtick

As we remember Myron Cope it's easy to remember the distinctive accent, his knack for nicknames and making up words to suit his broadcasting style. He was a showman who had no problem dressing up like MC Hammer or Flavor Flav to make a joke work.

But before he became the voice of the Steelers, it's worth remembering that Cope was also a helluva writer. He wrote for Sports Illustrated, where he quickly became known as one of the better sports writers in the country. For an example of Cope's gift with the written word (which may have been even better than his gift as a radio broadcaster) check out this piece about Roberto Clemente from Sports Illustrated in 1966. For all the talk of Roberto Clemente the hypochondriac, Cope dug deeper:

For all his exertions, Roberto is perpetually unfit, because, as Dr. Busó goes on to explain, he has a low threshold of pain, which causes him to take minor ailments for crippling debilitations. "If his back hurts he worries," says Dr. Busó, "and then it becomes a vicious circle, leading to more things. If he has a little diarrhea, he worries that he has a serious stomach difficulty." Roberto is endowed with an exceptionally supple musculature that enables him to race full speed into a base and then stop cold on it -- which he likes to do instead of rounding it. But even he pulls muscles, twists ligaments and generally raises hell with his supple musculature that way. "It's his natural style," sighs Dr. Busó.

But he was also good at schtick, as this clip points out.