Sports Then and Now

Lauren Gardner in her cheering days with the Denver Broncos

I confess. Despite being the most happily married man this side of the Rockies, I’m still a sucker for a pretty face. My wife Kate, allows me to look at the menu as long as I promise not to eat from the buffet. And I promise faithfully. Not so much as even a light snack.

So, when I saw that Lauren Gardner had joined the Linked-in group, A Glove of Their Own, I approached her to do a story before the ink even cooled. I was familiar with Lauren after seeing her cheer for the Denver Broncos in 2007 and remember her as a woman amongst girls.

No offense to the other members of the squad, but Lauren’s flaming red hair, flying crazy against the sea of orange and blue was a sight that few of the 70,000 plus football-hungry males at Invesco Field could ever forget.

Blessed with flowing red locks, a gorgeous white toothie smile, and abs that a forty something like me would die for, Lauren registers on the smoking scale somewhere slightly north of “mucho caliente.” Read the rest of this entry →

Karl Mecklenburg at induction ceremony for Colorado Hall of Fame

The following is part of a weekly series called “Through the Eyes Of…” In each segment, I share interviews with or stories about those that I view to be the “good guys.” “Through the Eyes of…” is a part of my personal crusade to present sports in all its beauty, splendor, and goodness, instead of through hashing and rehashing all that is broken with our national treasures.

I recently became acquainted with Karl Mecklenburg after being asked by his publicist, Julie Schoerke, to do a book review on Mecklenburg’s new book, “Heart of a Student Athlete: All Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families”.

I hesitated at first for a number of reasons. Aside from the book having the longest name to ever appear in the Dewey Decimal System, Mecklenburg gave my New England Patriots fits every time they ventured into Mile High. Why would I want to help the enemy promote his book?

Also, I confess that I’m not much of a reader and have truly struggled through my previous attempts to become sports literature’s version of Siskel and Roeper. Amazing that someone can pretend to be so learned and have hardly cracked a book since college at Syracuse circa 1983. If a book doesn’t grab my interest in about the first five pages it becomes a door stop. Read the rest of this entry →

Mecklenburg sizing up his opponent during his 12 NFL seasons

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is the often used cliche used by those who once sipped from a cup of swill only to rise and taste champagne.

Though not a direct quote in NFL-All-Pro Karl Mecklenburg’s new book, “Heart of a Student Athlete-All Pro Advice for Competitors and Their Families” it is the underlying theme between the covers of this wonderful new motivational manual.

Mecklenburg, who was once thought to be “too small, too slow and too stiff” to become a successful football player at any level, used his intelligence, his diligence and his refusal to accept defeat in countless stops along the journey to becoming a top NFL linebacker.

Frequently referred to as the “most versatile player in the NFL” for his ability to play all of the front seven positions, Mecklenburg recaps the many hurdles he had to leap throughout his life en-route to his famed NFL career. Read the rest of this entry →

It was about a year ago that I first learned about Twitter and started my own personal Twitter account (dhprguy). At the time I was working for a public relations firm and it was pretty obvious that gaining an understanding of the power of social networks was essential for people in the public relations field.

As a networking tool, I’m still not sold on Twitter. Most of the people that follow you and that you follow on Twitter are complete strangers and interactions seem to be a bit forced and trivial.

When you are following thousands of people, as many people do, and have thousands following you, I don’t see how you can expect to have a meaningful conversation or personal engagement with someone.

However, as a tool for disseminating information there is no question that Twitter has a ton of power.

Many companies are using Twitter to inform customers and potential customers about their products. It also is a great place for bloggers like myself to announce our latest post or share a great site or blog that we saw somewhere else on the web.

Many celebrities have figured out that putting something on Twitter before formally announcing it to the media helps ensure that the points they want to make can be told (140 characters at a time).
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Just as his injury did a year ago, the return of Tom Brady will have a major impact on the AFC.

Overview: The AFC has claimed five of the last six Super Bowls and the only one they didn’t win was when the Patriots were unable to complete a perfect season in 2007. While it appears that the top teams from the NFC have improved and is actually a deeper league top-to-bottom, the AFC still has a number of top teams that are legitimate Super Bowl picks. In addition to the perennial contenders in New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Baltimore, there are a number of other teams preparing to make a run at the top of the conference.
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The smile may finally return to Michael Vick's face now that he has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.

A team with a long tradition of mobile quarterbacks has added another one to the mix with the signing of Michael Vick by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Of course, the return of Vick to the NFL means the circus will be headed to Philadelphia for at least the next few days as the former top pick has become one of the more polarizing figures in the league following his conviction in 2007 on charges of conspiracy and running a dog-fighting operation.

Vick last played in the NFL in 2006 with the Atlanta Falcons, which originally made him the top pick in the NFL in 2001.

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