Country star lauds Roethlisberger, Pirates
While Garth Brooks was taking swings at Pirates spring training, a couple of Ben Roethlisberger’s former teammates were busy taking shots at the Steelers quarterback.
Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and much of the national media have spent ample time this offseason assaulting Roethlisberger’s character and questioning his ability as a leader.
Stopping by Heinz Field Friday to promote (discuss?) his sold-out show Saturday, expected to draw more than 75,000, Brooks did something nobody else has done around here in what seems like months: He said nice things about Roethlisberger.
“I’m in love with Ben Roethlisberger,” said Brooks, sporting a Pirates hat, Life is Good sweatshirt, jeans and bright-tan Nike boots in front of a backdrop advertising his ‘Legacy’ tour. “He’s my guy. Anytime I get down, I look in the mirror and say, ‘I am Ben Roethlisberger.’”
Now would not be one of those times for Brooks, the biggest-selling solo artist in U.S. history, someone who could break (shatter?) Heinz Field’s attendance record — 69,983 for Pitt-Penn State on Sept. 10, 2016.
Given his higher-than-high status, Brooks need not use these types of events to promote his brand. Yet he had no problem doing so anyway, taking questions for more than 37 minutes in a group setting then flitting through a series of one-on-ones.
Peppered throughout the hourlong event was a trail of breadcrumbs that led us all to a single conclusion: Brooks, a 57year-old native of Tulsa, Okla., truly and kind of strangely loves Pittsburgh sports.
“Where I’m from, everybody was a Dallas Cowboys fan,” Brooks explained. “If I’m going to go against the grain, the two teams that went against Dallas at that point were the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Redskins had Sonny Jurgenson, kind of an older crew, and Pittsburgh had [Jack] Lambert. Oh my God. If you’re a little kid and you see those guys, that’s who you want to be.”
It wasn’t just football. Brooks’ first Pittsburgh sports love has always been Roberto Clemente and the Pirates.
“I collected all of his cards from my older brothers,” Brooks said. “He became a god to me.”
That’s one reason Brooks was like a kid in a candy store in spring training, which was a promotional event for his charity — Teammates for Kids — that seeks to improve child welfare.
What made this experience different from spring training stints with the San Diego Padres (1999), New York Mets (2000) and Kansas City Royals (2004), however, was how emotionally attached Brooks has always been to Pittsburgh sports teams.
That feeling is something Brooks has developed through multiple conversations with Roethlisberger.
“Ben always told me the difference between this city and others is that they expect you to get up here,” Brooks said. “If you get knocked on your [ass], you’re in the game, which means you’re living. You’re getting to tour at 100 years old, you’re getting to come back after raising your babies, you thought your career was over and these people show up like this, you get up. You get out and you get in the game.
“I think that’s why I like Ben. I like the people here. They’re the people I want to be.”
If Brooks ever put out his Pittsburgh sports personality rankings — don’t laugh, he might — expect Clint Hurdle and Brett Keisel to challenge Roethlisberger for the list’s top spot.
One of the most memorable spring training stories for Brooks occurred the day of the first full-squad workout. With everyone gathered around, Hurdle delivered a speech that resonated with Brooks, who knows a thing or two about how to captivate an audience.
“The first thing out of his mouth was, ‘You’re going to be a former player longer than you are a player, and the kind of man you are here means something.’” Brooks said. “I’m sitting there going, ‘[Shoot], I love this guy.’
“Here I am, 100 years old, on the other side of these young guys, and that’s the one thing I would tell them.”
Among the topics Brooks discussed Friday afternoon:
• He thinks we’ll soon have an NBA team. “I’m thinking that last piece is going to fall into place,” he said. “You’re going to be the city that has all the same colors.”
• Brett Keisel is cuddly … or something like that. “Brett Keisel might be one of the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. At the same time, he’s one of the most feared guys I’ve ever seen. You put him around children, he just becomes this Teddy bear. That’s the kind of guy I want to be around. It’s pretty cool.”
• This weird, wild offseason for the Steelers — specifically Roethlisberger — won’t be any big thing, Brooks said, so long as they and he enjoy a strong start. “In our industry, a hit cures everything,” Brooks said. “In the football world, if they rack up some wins, that’s how it is. I’m pulling for him. Hard.”
• Brooks and Roethlisberger apparently text regularly, and No. 7 is actually Brooks’ favorite number, too. “To see a Steelers player wearing No. 7, and it turned out to be Big Ben, it just makes me love him more.”
• Brooks still hasn’t recovered from spring training. Every single part of him is sore. “My [ass] still is sore. Everything is sore — even my ears. It was fun, but it was tough.”
• At 21-20 entering Friday’s game in San Diego, the Pirates have certainly exceeded expectations. Brooks thinks there’s more to come. “We know down the stretch hasn’t been our strong suit,” Brooks said. “Like all Bucs fans, this year is going to be different. This year, down the stretch is going to be our thing. I’m just proud of how they’re fighting. Love them.”