Hanging with Hines

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Welcome everybody who chooses to sit a spell and peruse my website. This blogging thing is kind’a interesting because it gives a different format to communicating all the chaos I get to encounter on this crazy ride called life.

I have so many varied interests and I love to put thoughts down about everything from football, which is what I’ve loved since I can remember, to boxing and mixed martial arts.

In kicking off this blog I wanted to share this morning’s activities as I had the opportunity to visit the Banksville Elementary School and be the MC as part of the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association’s promotion for healthy eating and healthy activities.

The big cheese of the day was Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. Hines got up and shared the importance of healthy eating and getting exercise with a group of kids that were energetic and revved up. Besides learning that Hines’ favorite breakfast cereal was “Coco Puffs,” what really caught my attention was when Hines had all the kids mimic what he does first thing in the morning…a “primal scream” at the top of his lungs. Somehow I can see Hines doing that; he’s a different dude to be sure.

I like working with Hines. He’s sincere, easily approachable, and he flashes the famous grin all the time. Fans clamor around him like he was giving away free money. I sat in for Tunch one night with Hines on his radio show he has on WDVE and he told the southern version of Santa Claus who rode around in a ’67 Chevelle with the “Check oil” light on. I almost pulled a fat pad laughing so hard.

Hines is an amazing guy. Back in the day of John Stallworth and Lynn Swann we (the offensive line guys) used to refer to the wide-outs as “China Dolls.” Easily broken and not real threatening if you catch my drift. Hines is anything but that.

When you think about players that have impacted the game so much they cause rule changes, such as Mel Blount manhandling receivers to the point that they had to put in a 5 yard bump rule, you know they are special players. Hines fits right in. Most receivers in the modern day are divas that require pampering and a lot of attention. Not so with Hines. That cat is a special breed. Tunch Ilkin likes to say Hines is as tough as “Woodpecker lips.” I sure can’t disagree.

When you get voted to the NFL’s dirtiest players list as a wide receiver, as Hines has, it should be a badge of honor. NFL defensive backs rant about Hines being a dirty player but I think that’s because they are normally the predators in the secondary. Hines turns the tables on them and gets in on the hunt. I really believe that Hines gets into their heads. The hunter becoming the hunted is not a normal occurrence come Sunday at 1:00. But it is if you’re on the field with #8-6.

The next time you watch a Steelers game, check out #86 when he’s not catching the ball. He’s probably “slobber-knocking” somebody silly.