PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Pittsburgh Sports Author Jim O'Brien joined Kevin Gorman Sunday night to discuss his new book "Franco, Rocky & Friends: It Pays To Be A Good Guy". The book is Jim's 30th Edition of the Pittsburgh Proud series and his 14th book on the Steelers.
"Well Kevin you're a good guy so you'll be able to appreciate it," said O'Brien. "When I listen to the news today about the NBA free agency signings, I covered a lot of pro basketball in my time, the ABA, the ABL, the NBA, but I wouldn't want to cover it today because the players' are making such unreal money that it's difficult for them to be real and they really don't need to be good guys or nice guys with the media."
"People like Franco Harris and Rocky Bleir, they remain two of Pittsburgh's most popular sports figures and for good reason, they embrace the people," said O'Brien.
Jim shares some stories with Kevin about Rocky Bleir and Franco Harris and how they interact with fans to understand why they are still so beloved by Pittsburgh sports fans. He says there are stories in the book from Bleir, Harris and other former Steelers that fans will not have heard before.
Kevin asks Jim about how he does not use a recorder when conducting interviews, he just takes notes by hand and maybe that helps the person he's talking to open up more.
"I tried a tape recorder once upon a time and I found that it took me twice as long to write the stories in the notes as it did if I just wrote it down as I'm listening," said O'Brien. "I didn't want to be a stenographer, I'm a writer, everyday I wake up I'm looking for stories and it's funny, I'm 76 years old now and I can remember scenes 50 years ago with the Steelers, I can still see them, I can see the backdrop. Roy McHugh always told me, "Make sure you set the scene", put the player in a place that people can relate to."
Jim talks about how when he writes his books he wants to take the reader's behind the scenes and make it feel like they are there with him listening to the player telling the story directly from their mouth.
The former Steelers that he interviewed in this book did also weigh in on Antonio Brown, Le'veon Bell and the legacy of the Steelers.
"Those Steelers that I write about in Franco, Rocky and Friends, they comment on Le'veon Bell and on Antonio Brown," said O'Brien. "John Banaszak puts it straight forward, he says Antonio Brown is a spoiled brat. Some of these players, such as Mike Wagner, they're protective of the Steelers legacy, of the Rooney's mark on Pittsburgh and it offends them that some of today's players don't respect the title of the Pittsburgh Steelers, to be a member of that team."
Jim goes on to share more stories about his conversations with Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, his interactions with Myron Cope over the years and more.
Listen to Jim O'Brien's entire conversation with Kevin Gorman Sunday Night Below:
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