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Monday, January 21, 2002

Dan Dierdorf admired the Steelers' savvy in the wake of losing Jerome Bettis to the pin prick of a doctor's needle. He was awestruck by the time of possession tilted heavily toward the home side. He appreciated the defense's domination.

In all, the CBS color commentator loved the show yesterday at Heinz Field ... except for one thing.

What was with the intermission disappearing act?

"My question is, where was everybody at the start of the second half?" Dierdorf said after this 27-10 Steelers flexing in the AFC divisional playoffs. "It was like everybody stayed at the hot dog stands -- and the Steelers weren't there, either.

"I would tell the fans to make a quicker trip at halftime and get back to their seats, get ready for the third quarter."

Time to work into AFC championship game shape, people. Six practice days left.

Other than a little special-teams snafu -- "The mistake was kicking to Jermaine Lewis; it's not like that was his first kick return for a touchdown." -- Dierdorf figured everything else he witnessed in the Mustard Bowl yesterday was flawless. His word.

"I thought the Steelers were sensational. I thought the disappointment at the beginning, finding out Jerome wasn't going to play, wasn't even obvious. To me, that's a sign of a team that's awful sure of itself. Man, they didn't even miss a beat.

"From an emotional level, from an intensity level, Baltimore was never able to compete with the Steelers. Normally, that's not the case. Baltimore is a team emotionally ... that carries the day against anybody they play. But they weren't even in it today.

"The Baltimore defense, as prideful as they are, as talented as they are, they had no gas left at the end of that game. They'd flat been worn out by the Steelers. That's one of the most lopsided time-of-possession games I've covered."

Two more points Dierdorf wanted to make:

"I'd like to remind everybody around the NFL -- and I did it at the end of the show today -- Bill Cowher a couple of years ago was 6-10 and 7-9. In places other than Pittsburgh, he might have been out. Dan Rooney should be admired for his belief and his continuity."

The Patriots, "they've got some perseverance, don't they. [Trailing Oakland] 13-3, the way they were playing, I didn't think they had a shot. You hear the 'team of destiny' and all that. All I know is, if the Steelers come out at the same emotional and physical level they did today, the Patriots are going to be hard-pressed."

Picture in picture

C'mon, you knew I couldn't resist ...

HBO tonight airs a special entitled "Picture Perfect," and the show is just that. Pittsburgh sports fans will find this hour devoted to the elegance of sports photography particularly spellbinding.

The special, among other famed frames, details how Sports Illustrated's Marvin Newman captured the glorious Bill Mazeroski shot from the 1960 World Series -- the ball, the scoreboard, the Longines clock at 3:36 p.m., everything falling into place for "a fluke" photo, Newman said.

It also tells the tale of the memorable Y.A. Tittle picture by the Post-Gazette's Morris Berman.

Berman admits in the show that he missed the interception and touchdown return that resulted from the Steelers' John Baker brutal sack of Tittle on Sept. 20, 1964, at Pitt Stadium. (HBO has game film of the play.) So when he presented the photo of the bloodied, bowed Giants quarterback to Post-Gazette sports editor Al Abrams later that day, Berman remembered Abrams asking, "Well, what else do you have?"

The sports section went with action shots instead. This Tittle picture only achieved celebrity later -- after Berman entered it into an array of contests. It was most recently used Aug. 24, accompanying a Bob Smizik column about the Steelers.

"I think it might have been a Pulitzer Prize [winner] if the paper had used it," Berman told HBO of the shot that made SI's edition celebrating the sports photos of the 20th century. "Here it is, the picture of the century. Why wouldn't I be proud of it?"

Take it from this Picture: There's nothing more moving in the media than still photographs. A photograph can provide the same artistry as a painting, the same magic as a symphony -- all without words. It's a snap, but, then again, it isn't.

For that gift, I will forever remain envious of a lens.

In addition to The Big Picture, Chuck Finder writes a general-sports column exclusive to the http://www.post-gazette.com/ every Tuesday. He can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com