Steelers fan to the end

James Henry Smith was a zealous Pittsburgh Steelers fan in life, and even death could not keep him from his favorite spot: in a recliner, in front of a TV showing his beloved team in action.

Smith, 55, of Pittsburgh, died of prostate cancer last week. Because his death wasn’t unexpected, his family was able to plan for an unusual viewing Tuesday night.

The Samuel E. Coston Funeral Home erected a small stage in a viewing room, and arranged furniture on it much as it was in Smith’s home on game day Sundays.

Smith’s body was on the recliner, his feet crossed and a remote in his hand. He wore black and gold silk pajamas, slippers and a robe. A pack of cigarettes and a beer were at his side, while a high-definition TV played a continuous loop of Steelers highlights.

“I couldn’t stop crying after looking at the Steeler blanket in his lap,” said his sister, MaryAnn Nails, 58. “He loved football and nobody did (anything) until the game went off. It was just like he was at home.”

Longtime friend Mary Jones called the viewing “a celebration.”

“I saw it and I couldn’t even cry,” she said. “People will see him the way he was.”

However, Smith’s burial plans were a bit more traditional – he will be laid to rest in a casket.

Small talk

Former NFL coach Hank Stram, who died Monday, had also worked as a broadcast announcer. For a time, he was teamed with play-by-play man Vin Scully. Scully recalled that Stram was quite a character.

Scully remembered Stram’s once telling him one of his sons was a good college quarterback.

“I asked him, ‘Good enough to make it as a pro?’ ” Scully said. “Hank replied, ‘No, he’s too small,’ and then in the blink of an eye added, ‘His mother is very short.’ “

And that’s not a good thing

Baltimore starting pitcher Bruce Chen got shelled in the first inning of Monday’s game against the New York Yankees.

He didn’t throw one pitch that reached 80 mph until after giving up two home runs and four runs.

Said commentator Dave Campbell, calling the game for ESPN Radio: “Remember the punter for the Oakland Raiders, Ray Guy? Chen’s pitches have had more hang time than a Ray Guy punt.”

Have to know your limitations

George Steinbrenner announced last week that his son-in-law, Steve Swindal, would eventually succeed him as the boss of the Yankees.

Steinbrenner did not say when this would happen, but it is hard to imagine him relinquishing authority to anyone.

John McMullen, a limited partner of Steinbrenner’s in the Yankees when he bought the Houston Astros in 1979, explained the move by saying, “Nothing is more limited than being a limited partner of George’s.”

The last word

The Yankees have won four in a row, but last week David Letterman said: “You know what they start doing this time of year down in Washington, D.C., at the White House? It’s the big T-ball tournament on the White House lawn. Yeah, the big T-ball tournament, and yesterday a team of 6-year-olds took a doubleheader from the Yankees.”