LAST YEAR, IT WAS JACKSONVILLE; THE YEAR BEFORE, HOUSTON. THE TRUTH IS, HE'S REALLY FROM HOBOKENPITTSBURGH - By now everyone in Pittsburgh, from the most ardent Steeler fan to folks who don't know the difference between a field goal and a touchdown, has heard the heartfelt tale about how Jerome "the Bus" Bettis pleaded with his teammates before last Sunday's AFC Championship game to "take me home" to Detroit, where Super Bowl XL is being played.
What the good folks in Pittsburgh don't know is that Bettis pulls this same stunt every year. He's not from Detroit. The only time he's ever been there is when the Steelers have played there. He was born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, on the same street as Frank Sinatra.
Last year before the AFC Championship, Bettis also pleaded with his teammates to "take me home" -- but it was to Jacksonville, which is where the Super Bowl was being played. The year before, it was Houston, and so on, going back to his first year as a Steeler. One Steeler, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Bettis must have more homes than Prudential Realty.
Oh, and that lovely elderly couple that the TV commentators constantly identify as Bettis' parents? You guessed it. They are equity actors hired by Bettis' agent. Bettis has never even met them. And they're not from Detroit, either. After football season, they go back to their real home to act in summer stock theater -- minutes outside London.
