PITTSBURGH-Warren Sapp said the Pittsburgh Steelers are "old, slow and it's over."
This shows Sapp is a smart man.
Not because of the analysis (time will tell, and don't discount the possibility that he's right), but because he knows his role.
Sapp is one of the analysts on Showtime's "Inside The NFL" and part of his job is to make people interested in watching the show.
There are a lot of NFL shows out there, so how do you stand out?
You say provocative things about one of the NFL's marquee franchises. You don't do that breaking down the Detroit Lions' depth chart.
One of the reasons Jerome Bettis didn't last on NBC was he didn't distinguish himself as an outspoken observer.
Maybe Bettis was still too close to his playing career to unload on other players.
Distance takes care of that problem.
Sapp also said that his 13-year-old daughter could cover Hines Ward.
About half of the NFL teams immediately set up a scouting file on her.
Signing off
There's one less place for middle-aged men to scream about sports.
WTAE-TV has dropped its Sunday night discussion show, which was never more than a sorry rip-off of the classic KDKA-TV Shoutfest.
The original is usually the best, and that was the case with these shows. KDKA pioneered the idea of putting the talking heads in Brady Bunch-like boxes, and WTAE could never effectively play catch-up with its awkward library table.
Meanwhile, the phone lines were sizzling last week as displaced WTAE regulars were angling for spots on the KDKA Shoutfest.
It's not just the $100, it's the exposure, especially for radio types.
Thanks, Yanks
Anyone who thinks that promotions are exclusive to small market baseball hasn't been paying attention.
The mighty New York Yankees had Hand Sanitizer Keychain Day when the Baltimore Orioles visited Yankee Stadium on Sept. 5.
Yes, the first 18,000 through the gates were given a key chain with a tiny dispenser of anti-bacterial gel attached.
That came in a five-day stretch when the Yankees also had Poster Night, Student Binder Day, Calculator Day and $5 Ticket Night.
For those who missed Yankees Key Ring Bottle Opener Night on June 24, Hand Sanitizer Keychain Day was a godsend.
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com
