KANSAS CITY -- New Royals hitting coach Terry Bradshaw has become accustomed over the years to fans doing a double-take when they see or hear his name.
Virtually all of his adult life, Bradshaw, 48, has had to deal with people assuming he might be the famous Hall of Fame quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But Bradshaw says he doesn't mind sharing the name of the football icon.
"I never wished I had a different name," Bradshaw said, laughing. "Not really.
"It's been fun. I've had the UPS truck show up at my house with packages full of stuff I'm supposed to autograph -- footballs, football cards, photos, jerseys. I've gotten calls to speak at conventions. You name it.
"It's fun having the same name as a Hall of Fame quarterback."
Bradshaw says he has never met the other Bradshaw, now a network studio analyst, though he admits it would be enjoyable to share his stories.
And now that Bradshaw has his first big league coaching job -- he was hired in November to replace Dale Sveum, who was elevated to bench coach --- he expects the mistaken identity to reach new heights, at least for a while.
Bradshaw is just grateful for his present opportunity. He has been in the Royals' system since 2000, serving as a hitting coach at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha, and for the past five seasons as a roving Minor League hitting coordinator.
Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore promoted Bradshaw because he has worked with several of the current Royals players in the Minors, from Salvador Perez to Whit Merrifield. Moore also raves about Bradshaw's loyalty to the organization.
"He's had opportunities to go elsewhere, and he didn't," Moore said.
Bradshaw shrugs off the praise.
"Only three other opportunities to my knowledge, and that was kind of early on," Bradshaw said. "But Kansas City has always been my home, so to speak. It's the people and it's how I've been treated. It all starts with Dayton Moore.
"I've always felt like they've treated me like family. That's where my loyalty comes from. This is where I need to be. I never considered leaving."
Bradshaw said his hitting philosophy is fairly fundamental.
"There are no magical solutions," he said. "You just have to find your best pitch to hit and attack it. That's what we'll concentrate on. I think we've got a lot of talent to work with."
Bradshaw said there is one common denominator to being a successful hitting coach -- work ethic.
"My mentality when I walk through the door is to do the best job I can every single day," he said. "I have to be my best every day I walk through the door. That's it."