Heart attack tackles former Raider McGlockton

My heart goes out to the family of former L.A. Raider and four-time pro bowl defensive end Chester McGlockton.

I read a news release that said McGlockton had passed early Wednesday morning. The 42-year-old Whiteville, NC native was a defensive assistant at Stanford the last two years.

He was a high school All-American before starring at Clemson for three seasons. He was selected 16th overall in the 1992 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders and would go on to play 12 seasons in the league, making four Pro Bowls and finishing his career with 48.5 sacks.

He retired in 2003 after stints with the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. In 2010, McGlockton completed his undergraduate degree at Tennessee-Martin. Later that year, he took a coaching job at Stanford.

"The thoughts and prayers of the Raider Nation are with the McGlockton family during this difficult time,'' Raiders CEO Amy Trask said in a statement.

McGlockton is survived by his wife, Zina, and two children.

NFL player gains twenty-plus eating sandwiches

I read an interesting story on Yahoo sports today (Oct. 26). It was a little write up about Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. It talked about how he gained twenty pounds in two months.

I know you're probably thinking, "How did this guy gain so much weight in such a short period of time?" He apparently gained 2.5 pounds a week eating Philly cheesesteaks last year. The 2010 first-round draft pick tore his ACL last December and spent two months on crutches. His weight jumped from 270 to 290 during his recovery.

"You know what got me real big? The Philly cheesesteaks," Graham told PHILLY.COM. "Jim's. That's all I eat."

Ole buddy said he would eat a whole cheesesteak every time he went down the street to Jim's, the famed sandwich spot, which is mere blocks from where he lives. With no cardio and 1,000 to 1,200 calories a pop, it's easy to see how Graham packed on the pounds. That and admittedly eating two or three plates of food when he wasn't dining on the Philly classic.

Big Brandon is back down to around his fighting weight now. He changed his eating habits when he got off the crutches and has been more focused on his diet and exercise this year. He's still on the Eagles' Physically Unable to Perform list and will be until the team is sure he's all the way back, but he went through his first practice earlier this week.

That's good to know. But I still shake my head when I think about the weight gained simply from eating cheesesteaks. That's wild.

Life is truly a journey

I sat back and started thinking while I looked at some of my old friends and/ or old classmates (via facebook) earlier today.

It's amazing how much some of us have changed through the years. I know I have my share of alterations as well. But I would like to think that my changes fit me today. I am not simply talking about physical changes.

The bests football players I grew up around didn't make it to the league. A number of them didn't even make it out of college. One of those guys stick out in my mind more than the rest. I am not going to say his name. But he was the best running back I knew when I was younger. He and I used to always talk about how our lives were going to be different after we both made it to the NFL. Needless to say, neither one of us made it that far. His fall from glory is more of a surprise than my mine, though. Also, the best basketball player I grew up around ended up going to prison and gaining a lot of weight. He's living a normal, decent life now from what I can tell. But he's not in the NBA or balling like I imagined he would be when I was coming up.

Some of the prettiest girls don't quite look like they used to back in the day, to say the least. One of the smartest guys I knew turned out to be lose his way somewhere between high school graduation and his 22nd birthday. Today he's in a mental house. One reality that hurts me the most is to think about my little brother, who's everything to me. He's even made mistakes that have altered his life in ways I never could imagine. I never thought in a million years my younger brother would be in trouble with the law, be in prison or have a tough life.

It kind of makes me wish I could get in a time machine, go back to childhood and warn all of these people of the pitfalls they will face later. Give them advice on what to do to make it. Tell them all to stay focused and remain hungry for success.

There's so many examples that come to mind while I write this blog. Seriously. But there's no need to note everyone, or dwell on misfortunes. It's kind of one of those issues you wish you could bottle and deliver to younger people that may be dealing with things. You want to just show them the paths of some of the people from your life, and let them know that everything that glitters ain't gold, there's no guarantees or sure things. It also would help some of them realize that all things come to an end, no matter how great they may seem.

Everyone must make the proper audibles in life when things seem to be going the other way. Never give up or think things will change just because. DO SOMETHING. And, keep GOD first.

I want ALL of the love

I've been thinking. LOL.

Let me stop right there by adding that it's not my first time thinking. I actually think about a number of things all of the time. I'm talking about my love life in this particular blog. A friend of mine was asking me why I'm not married or something.

I immediately replied by saying that I haven't found or been in a relationship with a female that I would consider being with forever. The last time I met someone I felt so strongly about was probably college. So, my dude was like, "So, you're sayin' none of the ADULT women you've met through the years have made you consider marriage?" Of course some of them have. But when it was all said and done I realized that I didn't want them as much as I thought I did from the start.

My last two serious relationships ended due to me not completely being down with the fact that they had two YOUNG kids. I honestly don't think that's a problem. It's the fact that I don't have ANY kids and would be pushed into a large family from day one. I've tried it twice, and I noticed different situations causing me to back off during both relationships.

One situation is was the lack of discipline being administered by the mother. I didn't agree with a number of things and ways she handled her kids. But they were her kids, and I didn't feel comfortable giving my advice, especially when the times I've attempted to put my two cents in were shut down or simply ignored. That's the short version. But I didn't see a future in a relationship where I was having to hold my tongue or shake my head over the way she chose to raise her kids. So, I let her DO IT BY HERSELF.

Another situation cleared things up for me a bit more. In my second failed attempt at seriously dating someone with kids I saw that I would never be the MOST IMPORTANT person in HER LIFE. Her kids would always be number one. I understand that. But that doesn't take away from most people's desire to be the most important person to their significant other at ONE time or another. My time didn't seem like it would come until we ALL got older, and I am not trying to wait on that.

And... I would never be the father to anyone else's kids. Not for real, and definitely not to the kids involed. I wouldn't even get a chance to be the most important person to THEM. I'd either simply be their mom's boyfriend or the man that is taken the spot of their dad.

To make a long story short, I want to be the most important person in your life. I want to be the one you love the most. I want to be the one you think about more than anything. I want to be the one you want to share your life with and grow together.

I won't stop until we're TOGETHER.