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Conner’s debut good enough

PITTSBURGH — James Conner’s preseason debut with the Steelers last Sunday served its purpose.

It gave him a chance to get on the field after missing a lot of training camp with a shoulder injury. It gave him a chance to work out any jitters or anxiousness he had at playing pro football (pre-season version) for the first time. And it gave him a chance to show what he’s learned from the stripped-down version of the playbook the Steelers used in that game.

So while it wasn’t spectacular, it wasn’t terrible, either. That gives a rookie something to build on in the final two preseason games.

Conner dropped a couple of passes. The first one seemed to be a clear case of focusing on where he was going to run instead of securing the ball first.

No doubt Conner wanted to make a positive first impression and show his teammates that he belongs. Every rookie goes through that.

Playing at Heinz Field, his home venue in college, probably added to his anxiety.

Conner at least got a taste of what it’s like to suit up for an NFL game (pre-season version) and that will help him as he goes forward.

He should get more work this weekend, and a chance to build on that first game.

Soon Le’Veon Bell will arrive, the Steelers will start game-planning for the season opener at Cleveland and it gets serious.

While pre-season games are a huge bore to most of the world, they’re a valuable learning experience for rookies like Conner.

Comeback?

After Lanny Frattare left the Pirates following the 2008 season, he made a clean break from baseball.

The Pirates offered him a chance to have a tribute ceremony at a 2009 game, but he turned them down. He told an interviewer he no longer followed the Pirates, whose games he called for 33 seasons.

Frattare took a job teaching communications at Waynesburg University. He also runs a summer camp for aspiring sportscasters and calls high school football games on radio for the MSA Sports Network.

Recently, Frattare told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he would like to re-connect with the Pirates. He said he would enjoy calling a few innings if the opportunity presented itself.

That’s probably not likely to happen.

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