Visit Autograph Alley…If Only to See the Spectacle of It

For anyone who has gone to a Major League Baseball spring training, there are a lot of parallels between it and training camp. The atmosphere is more relaxed—every team is still undefeated—and there is no better opportunity to get close to the players.

That makes autograph alley a must-stop for fans if only to see it.

Autograph alley is a roped-off corridor that runs from St. Vincent’s locker room to the football fields. Players pass through the throng of fans on the hillside as they descend the steps that take them to practice.

The Steelers make room at the top of the steps for special-needs children and they make sure rookies know the importance of signing for kids well before the players report to camp. Rookies attend an orientation session at St. Vincent every June and Taylor leads it, showing them around campus and where they can pray or simply find somewhere peaceful to reflect and decompress. Taylor also encourages players to reach out while they are at St. Vincent—and not just during their first season.

“They have an opportunity to sign some autographs and make some fan’s day,” Taylor said. “There may be a kid struggling with a lot of issues. All of the sudden that kid is a friend to one of the Steelers whom they look up to. That friendship gives that child a reason for hope, a reason to fight, a reason to be happy about something in their life, so it’s a great opportunity for the players, and the Steelers and the Rooneys look for that opportunity to do that.”

Players and coaches sign autographs for fans before practice and after it and most of the established players are good about making time for this. A couple of etiquette suggestions here: if you are an adult, don’t push your way in front of a kid if that autograph is for you. Also, don’t lose sight of the fact that the players and coaches are there for a job. They can’t sign for hours after practice because they have to get treatment, eat dinner, and attend meetings at the end of what is an already long work day.

Pranks Are Part of the Fabric of Training Camp

Kicker Jeff Reed and Steelers head of security Jack Kearney teamed up in 2009 to pull off one of the best pranks in training camp history. The two chartered buses one day near the end of camp and had them parked along a stretch of road that overlooks the football fields. Players couldn’t help but see the buses as they made their way to a morning practice. Just as noticeable was their excitement over the anticipation that coach Mike Tomlin would have them stretch and then call it a morning and take the team to the movies. That break never came as Tomlin put the players through a full practice. “It was great,” said Doug Whaley, then the Steelers’ director of pro personnel. “The players are jumping around having a good warm up, thinking they’re going to get out of there and we’re all just sitting there laughing.” Reed and Kearney had cleared their, ahem, plan with Tomlin and then told everyone else but the players about it. The originality and creativity of the prank left the players laughing about it afterward.

Brett Keisel, meanwhile, made his 12th and final training camp a memorable one for something he pulled off away from the playing fields. Keisel was in a meeting with his fellow defensive linemen when they heard a distinctive roar outside. It came from the Ferrari driven by Lawrence Timmons. And after the linebacker parked it, Keisel decided to take it for a test drive.

“I knew Lawrence was in meetings and maybe his keys were accessible,” Keisel said. “He was sitting in a meeting and he heard that car take off because I punched it pretty good. He thought his car had been stolen.”

Timmons ran outside where he was informed that Keisel had taken his ride. When Keisel returned, Timmons started giving him the third degree, asking if he had done anything to the car.

“Ship shape,” Keisel told Timmons. “I just wanted to see if I wanted to buy one of these.”