Chuck,
I'll put my hand up. I like to think I'm a pretty good attitude flyer these days and I've had two flights where I had an ASI failure.
However, many years ago on my second or third lesson, when after having been carefully briefed on how to go from level-flight to a climb, I still ended up chasing the airspeed and my instructor had to take over!
So it can happen. I often think you could make a case for covering the ASI and VSI in early lessons.