Hairy situation to arise in Tampa

[mesaSteeler]

Hairy situation to arise in Tampa
By Chuck Curti
Times Sports Staff
Published: Sunday, January 25, 2009 12:21 AM EST'
http://www.timesonline.com/articles/...d372841980.txt

In its four-decade history, the Super Bowl has come to be identified with many things. Unsung heroes. Lavish halftime shows. Outlandish TV commercials. And hair.

Bet you never thought of the latter, but, it’s true.

The Super Bowl has given us many memorable hairdos. There was Johnny U’s flat top and Terry Bradshaw’s comb-over. There were the smooth-shaven domes of Oakland’s Otis Sistrunk and Pittsburgh’s Mel Blount. No one in these parts (pun intended) can forget Ernie Holmes’ arrowhead look.

There was whatever Chicago QB Jim McMahon happened to be doing with his hair (and headband) that day.

And, of course, there was Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson’s immovable coif.

(Apologies to John Riggins, the hero of Washington’s Super Bowl XVII win. The Mohawk you sported in your early years with the Jets doesn’t get grandfathered into the conversation.)

Super Bowl XLIII will feature perhaps the greatest hair battle in the game’s history: Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu and Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Polamalu’s untamed, flowing locks make him easily recognizable on the field, while Fitzgerald’s “dreads” make him stand out almost as much as his sculpted frame and sticky hands.

Polamalu’s hair scores big points with some salon workers in the area.

“I want to run my fingers through it,” said Leigh Cirelli of Head Hunters at Beaver Valley Mall. “He needs to shave his face though.”

Cirelli’s co-worker, Jennifer Bender, echoed those thoughts — except for the part about the face.

“I just want to touch it, just once,” she said. “If he was my husband, I’d wash his hair every night. It’s very sexy.”

Both ladies approve of Fitzgerald’s dreadlocks as well, though Cirelli noted that she “wouldn’t run my fingers through them.”

Patty Owens of Great Clips in Center Township is less enthusiastic about Fitzgerald’s ‘do, both because of the dreadlocks themselves and the potential problems they could cause.

“It’s got to be hot and heavy under his helmet,” she said. “I like Troy’s much better.”

For the record, she wants to run her fingers through Polamalu’s locks, too.

The three aforementioned ladies said they would not change Polamalu’s hairstyle — and Owens said definitely no dreadlocks for him — but Tara Durinsky of Chantara’s in Hopewell Township finds both men’s hair frightening, calling them a “hairdresser’s nightmare.”

“Shave it off,” Durinsky said when asked what she would do if she had the men in her chair.

“A lot of Locks for Love there. I’m not a dreadlocks person. I can’t stand those dreadlocks sticking out of their helmets. I’d yank those suckers right off.

“That’s horrible for him,” she added about Polamalu’s mane. But Durinsky did make one concession.

“Maybe it’s good for the way he plays. He’s a wild man.”

It seems as though Polamalu is the clear winner when it comes to the hair battle. But besides the apparent sex appeal, there’s one more element that may tip the scales heavily in his favor: Both Durinsky and Owens suspect that not all of Fitzgerald’s hair is real but, in fact, contains extensions.

How about that for a football fashion faux pas?

The opinion of females is nice. But, let’s face it, football is a man’s game. So, it would be remiss to not include the views of a real, live barber. You know, one who works in a shop with a red-white-and-blue pole outside and a container of that mysterious blue liquid on the counter.

Enter Ron Rubino of Mickey’s Barber Shop in Brighton Township. For him, a person’s hairstyle is a simple matter of preference.

In his experience, men who sport such long hair rarely want it cut short, but rather have it trimmed and shaped to keep it under control. He admits he is not a big fan of dreadlocks either, but that they are “OK.”

As for Polamalu’s hair, Rubino said the Steelers’ All-Pro safety wouldn’t be the same without them.

“If he got his hair cut, you wouldn’t see him,” he said. “You’d wonder where he was at on the field. It’s his trademark.”

(I'll let the Steeler ladies comment on this article. I'm a old guy and I don't have bad hair days. As long as I have hair it's a good day. - mesa)

[Da Steeler Soprano]

Yeah this is starting to get ridic now, is it game time yet??

[stillers4me]

Who doesn't want to run their fingers trough Troy's hair?

[steelerdave1969]

Originally Posted by Da Steeler Soprano

Yeah this is starting to get ridic now, is it game time yet??

My thoughts exactly...

[Steelcitygal87]

Speaking of Troy's hair. I notice before the games, when he is warming up, he always has it pulled back in a ponytail and tucked under his uniform. I wonder why he just doesn't leave it that way? I would think it would make it a little more difficult for opposing qbs to spot him. They are used to looking for THE HAIR lol.

I agree though..all this week it is going to be the same thing rehashed over and over and over again. Everything that can be said about this game has been.. Match-ups have been analyzed to death. They know what we are about and we know what they are about. Time to play some FOOTBALL!!!

[lilyoder6]

troy knows how to work the ladies.. lol..

i love the fact that lady thinks that fitz has extensions

[drizze99]

LMAO... an article about hair? Is the media really this bored?

[BlackAndGold4Ever]

Wow hair talk huh? That one woman is full of sh#t Im sure if her husband grew out his hair she would be begging him to get a haircut not washing his hair everynight....give me a break lol

[Polamalu Princess]

Troy's hair???? Gotta love it!!!