Still Kids At Heart
Local Pros Say High Priced Toys No Match For Childhood Presents
By Scott Robertson

Tommy Maddox has proven quite the marksman since taking over as quarterback of the Steelers back on Sept. 29.

Maddox, though, should be a pretty good sharpshooter. He got his start, by his own admission, with the most memorable Christmas gift of his boyhood, which he received when he was 8-years old.

"I got a .22 over .20 shotgun rifle that year," Maddox said. "I still have it. I can't wait to give it to my little boy one of these days."

Maddox and his family did a lot of hunting back then, so the gift of a hunting firearm was just what he wanted. Nowadays, Maddox is capable of getting a different type of gift for himself. He, like many of the city's other professional athletes, now is in position to go out and buy himself the type of gift he has wanted almost since he can remember.

"I probably shouldn't say much about this," Maddox said with a grin recently. "But I just bought myself a Harley. I talked it over with my wife and she finally gave me the OK."

No Deions Here

Such is the lot in life of many professional athletes-as well-paid individuals, they can get what they want-provided, of course, they get the wife's permission first.

In the spirit of the holidays, PSR talked with members of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins, asking two simple questions. What was the favorite Christmas gift you received as a child? That was followed by asking each what kind of fun item they had purchased for themselves since becoming adults.

To draw many sociological conclusions from such an in-depth survey would be folly, but one thing can be said for sure- In most cases, the gifts the athletes received as kids mean much more to them than the things they have been able to buy for themselves more recently. While they are capable of extravagant purchases, most in Pittsburgh take a more conservative approach-unlike those of numerous athletes who flaunt their major buys.

The purchases of the Pittsburgh athletes, in many ways, reflect an identification with the profile the city holds for itself-hard-working and fiscally conservative, but with the occasional big-time flair.

Pirates' shortstop Jack Wilson and Steelers' defensive end Rodney Bailey remember the years when they received Nintendo games at Christmas.

"That had just come out and my brother and I asked for it," Wilson said. "It was so much better than Atari. Our dad spent the whole night before Christmas hooking it up, so when we got up early the next day, it was ready and we started playing. That was pretty smart, I guess since he and my mom got a couple extra hours of sleep that day."

Bailey has a similar memory.

"Nintendo was real popular back then," Bailey said. "I spent all Christmas Day playing Super Mario Brothers. You thought back then that was an electronic toy and it was the best thing to have."

Today, Wilson and Bailey are more practical. Bailey said he has not purchased anything of note for himself. He said family is what he cherishes most, and no material possession is worth getting overly excited about.

Wilson has concentrated on family, too. His prize possession is a game room he has built into his California home.

"I've always wanted a game room with a pool table," he said. "I bought a house in California where I grew up and got permission from my wife to do it. I took a three-car garage and laid down AstroTurf-I wanted AstroTurf because it was cheaper than carpet and I wasn't sure I was going to make the team. But now we have a nice pool table in there that converts to a ping pong table and a big screen TV with SurroundSound. That's my room, I guess. That's where I get away."

International Flavor

The Penguins' locker room is a cross-section of nationalities, with players from all over the world having experienced different holiday traditions and a wide variety of gifts. Many players from outside North America remember getting hockey equipment, which often was in short supply and, as a result, cherished.

Growing up in Russia, Penguins' star forward Alexei Kovalev said his most prized possessions at Christmas came in the form of hockey equipment, often hand-made by his father.

"When I was a kid, we were always looking for good skates, good sticks, any kind of equipment," Kovalev said. "My dad made a lot of our stuff with his bare hands. He made our skates.

"When you grow up, there are a lot of things you want in life, but they aren't that important. Back when I was a kid, it was a mistake to throw any equipment away. No one really knew how important it was. We never knew what would happen, and we never knew that we might get here someday."

Forward Martin Straka had similar experiences to Kovalev. Growing up in the Czech Republic, Straka said hockey skates and sticks were very valuable gifts. Today, he can afford as many sticks as he needs, and more.

"Hockey skates were the best thing," Straka said. "That's got to be the first thing. Getting skates is the thing I remember best."

That was then. This is now. While skates might have helped Straka develop the speed with which he covers NHL ice surfaces today, he has chosen another mode of transportation for covering Pittsburgh streets.

"I bought myself a Mercedes," Straka said with a grin. "They're great cars. That's the kind of car I've always wanted to have."

Defenseman Marc Bergevin grew up in Montreal. His favorite Christmas gift was a Montreal Canadiens' jersey bearing the No. 26 of Mats Naslund, one of the league's top players in the 1980s and Bergevin's personal favorite.

"I think the best thing I bought for myself was my first car," Bergevin said. "I think I was 18 or so. I really wanted that. It was a fun car."

Guy Stuff

Cars also were in the future for Steelers' linebacker James Farrior-but not for long. He and teammate Kordell Stewart said the Stretch Armstrong doll was their favorite Christmas gift.

"You couldn't break it," Stewart said. "You could bend it and stretch it all over the place. I don't know how it stayed together."

Farrior's didn't.

"I broke mine," he said. " I just wanted to see what was in there after a while. It had all this purple jell in there that came out."

Farrior got rid of his most-prized adult possession in fear it would break him.

"I had a Corvette a few years ago," he said. "That was a fun car to have. It was fast and sporty -too fast, really. I had to get rid of it because I thought I would end up killing myself."

Steelers' offensive lineman Oliver Ross and Penguins' defenseman Ian Moran remember getting bicycles for Christmas. Things haven't changed much for either since they became adults-Ross collects cars and Moran owns, for the time being at least, a Harley.

"I had a bike-a Diamond Back bike," Ross said. "They were the fastest bikes you could get. Every kid in my neighborhood had one. We used to ride those things all over the place.

"Now, I have a ‘68 Chevelle I really like. I have a ‘56 truck, too. I really like working on those things."

Moran remembers a BMX "Super Goose" bike from his youth.

"I remember that Christmas it didn't snow at all," Moran said. "I went out with my dad and rode that bike all over the place. I was doing jumps and all kinds of stuff. That was a great day. Now, I have a Harley-it's a ‘99 and I'm trying to sell it, if you're interested."

Steelers' guard Alan Faneca and running back Jerome Bettis also have fond Christmas memories. Both revolve around the same kinds of things.

Faneca remembers a toy train and a G.I. Joe set.

"When I was little, I got this huge train set," Faneca said. "I can't really tell you how big it was, but it was pretty big. I remember playing with that set quite a bit. The other thing I remember is one year I got a whole bunch of G.I. Joe stuff. I had a great time with that stuff, too."

As an adult, Faneca has been conservative with purchases for himself.

"I can't say that I've bought anything major for myself," Faneca said. "I can't think of anything off-hand, anyway."

Bettis also remembers an army-related toy that he said helps him to this day.

"One year, I got a whole set of Army men," he said. "I played with those things for hours. I really started to learn to develop strategies with those guys. I had a lot of fun with them."

Today, Bettis' prize is more practical. He recently bought himself a Patek Philippe wristwatch, among the finest made.

"It's great," he said. "It keeps great time. It does the job I got it for."

Stewart also takes the practical approach with adult purchases-perhaps moreso than any other athlete in the city. Asked what was the best thing he had bought himself since he became a professional athlete, Stewart answered without hesitation.

"That's an easy one," he said. "The best thing in the world is a No. 2 value meal at Wendy's. With a Biggie Size fries and a Dr. Pepper. That's as good as it gets."

True Gifts

Moran and left wing Ville Nieminen share another Christmas treasure. Nieminen's son, Viljami, was born last Dec. 28. Moran's daughter, Mattigan, was seven months old last Christmas.

"Our baby was four days late, but he's our best Christmas gift," Nieminen said.

Added Moran, "That's the best. Last year, our little girl started having fun with the presents. That was really neat to see."