RIP Myron Cope

Excellent idea. I've been looking for a new team name for one of mine and I think Cope's Cabana would be perfect.

 

One more great piece of Americana lost. But Mr. Cope will never be forgotten. A winner on two journalistic planes.

RIP.

 

Beat me to it; thanks for posting!

 

Another reason I liked Cope ...

http://www.avs.net/terribletowel.cfm

 

Really fine writer, although that part of his life seems to be forgotten by many.

 

Among other things in Pittsburgh tonight....

Wheel of Fortune was pre-empted for a half-hour special on Cope.

All fans going to the Pitt men's basketball game tonight were asked to bring Terrible Towels.

 

NOW WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE....?

Great find, Mile.

R.I.P. to a true character, the likes of which are nearly extinct.

 

My favorite Cope soundbite is him talking about how if you aren't waving a Terrible Towel at a Steelers game, you're a yago who will be looked down upon by the people sitting near you.

I've got it on my iTunes, but I can't find it online.

 

favorite Myron story that's been passed down by others and him:

Cope was covering the PGA CHampionship at Laurel Valley (so youcan imagine how long ago this was) and he, along with the rest of the writers, are pressing on deadline. Cope, who wasn't known for the best hearing, is sitting in the back of the press area and there's a loud speaker in the front. While he's typing away an announcement comes over. "we regret to inform you that Pope Paul has passed away." Dead silence throughout the place, due in part to deadline and the announcement, until Cope's voice is heard saying, "what???? Boog Powell died???? He just retired from baseball a couple of years ago!"

Needless to say that group assembled lost it.

 

Three guys died, Wednesday.

And given what I do, Heinz is my heroic figure.

But I'm only tearing up over one.

 

When I spent some time in northeast Ohio in the early 90s, some unhinged song he sang on Pittsburgh radio before a Browns-Steelers game got a lot of play in Cleveland as it included the line, "Leroy Hoard ... hang him with a cord!", among other anti-Brown epithets (I wish I could remember what, if any, Belichick ones he had).

Somehow, it came off as funny ... not ... disturbing ... or ... racist.

RIP to an original.

 

Somebody on the Post-Gazette's reader forum about Cope referred to him as the favorite crazy uncle of every Pittsburgher. That's a great line, and it completely captures the essence of this guy and what he meant to that city.

One of my favorite memories of him was the Steelers divisional playoff game in Denver at the end of the 1984 season, which they weren't expected to win, but did. The buzz on Denver was how their defense was like a rubber band -- bend but don't break. The Steelers drove down the field and scored a touchdown at one point and Cope went off, screeching at the top of his lungs, "they talked about the Denver defensive rubber band and the Steelers just broke it ... TUH-WAAANG, and it broke."

Jack Fleming was still the play by play guy -- completely understated delivery compared to Cope, and he says very flatly: "Uh, what rubber band was that, Myron?"

Myron: "That's that Denver defensive rubber band .... TUH-WAAAANG!"