Let’s take a brief look at the back story. Elway started a brilliant NFL career in 1983 with the Denver Broncos. His career was noted for individual brilliance and cumulative heartbreak until the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXII following the 1997 season. In that 31-24 victory, Elway’s signature moment came in the fourth quarter on a third down play from the Green Bay 10-yard line, with a crucial first-down hanging in the balance. Elway ran a bootleg to his right and gained about six yards before viscously colliding with two Green Bay defenders. On contact, he went airborne and spun the remaining distance for the first down and sealing their victory over the heavily-favored Packers.

That title at the end of his 15th season cemented Elway’s status as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. He followed that by leading the Broncos to another Super Bowl win following the 1998 season against the Atlanta Falcons and then retiring from pro football.

Can’t Win the Big One

Prior to winning the Super Bowl, many pro football writers and critics would denigrate Elway’s achievements because he had not won “the big one”. Public criticism did not impact Elway in the least.

“I didn’t care what any of the writers or broadcasters were saying,” Elway said. “But I did want to win (a Super Bowl). That was why I was playing. That’s why I played my whole career. Something was missing and every player who is involved wants to win. My other Super Bowls hadn’t gone the way we wanted, so to end with back-to-back championships, it was quite gratifying.”

The criticism he endured meant nothing. “I know how I played and what I gave to the game,” Elway said. “It may not have always been perfect but it always was a full-out effort. I had no regrets going into those Super Bowls about what we had done.” Elway has been passionate about his business exploits as well. He sold his successful automobile dealerships in the Denver area for $87.5 million and still owns two car dealerships in California. His steakhouses in Denver are high-end, high-quality destination points for Denver residents and vacationers.

Off-Field

Interests In addition to his business success and his involvement with his family (he is the divorced father of two daughters and a son) Elway continues to put his athletic interest on display. He is the part owner of the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League and he is an avid golfer.

Not only does he hit the little white ball quite well, he is actually a scratch golfer who dominates when he plays with most ex-athletes. However, despite his success on the golf course, he has no designs on joining the PGA senior tour.

“I really do it for fun,” Elway said. “I think if I want to make it something else, I'd go crazy. I set my expectations too high with the amount of time I spend on the practice green and chipping and putting, all those kind of things. It's just a matter of, you set your goals. It takes a lot of time to play golf … so it's tough to do when you have a lot of other things going on. And besides, like I said, it’s just too much fun to make it a business.” Some of his opponents probably wished Elway had felt the same way when he had a football in his hand.  

Big John by the Numbers

John Elway was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2004 after a career, entirely spent with the Denver Broncos, which included team records:

90s Grunge Makes a Comeback

For a completely different look, some women will embrace grunge. Now that fashion has cycled through 80s styles, fashion forward consumers are giving plaid a chance. “Nineties grunge is key to fall ’08,” said Bobette Scott, principal of DesginSource. “It has left its mark on everything from deconstructed hems on pretty girl suits to accessories to the requisite knit cap and unbuckled motorcycle boots.” Crocheted snood hats will be hip, agreed Silvana Porceddu of Effie’s Heart. Its knit hats have appeared in the Tyra Banks show. “They work because they are light weight and soft,” she said. The colors include berry, ink and fawn. Bker chic (leather pants, jackets and vests in black) is also a look for the more adventurous that Scott recommends “sexing up” with what else, but a “sheer ruffle top.” Strappy heels instead of chunky boots “provide just the right mix of hard and soft.” That should ruffle a few feathers.

For a subtle yet sophisticated look, Laurel Denise’s line of in- spirational and fairytale phrases and quotations are each hand- made, so no two are exactly alike.

Laurel Denise Designs (www.laureldenise.com) came to Denise in a dream. “One night, I had a dream that I was creating glass jewelry with my small handwrit- ing and illustrations.”

Denise gets her in- spiration for her highly coveted Simply Stated Collection from anything that makes her feel a small bit of peace or hap- piness in this hectic life.It might be the shape of the pendant or the phrase featured within, but you can bet that whatever is enclosed means some- thing personal to the de- signer and the wearer.

These necklaces are small pieces of delicate art that Denise creates using translucent glass, small drills, thin paper, and her creativity.

Go Bold

For a bolder conversation piece, try one, or mul- tiple, Jessica Kagan Cushman bangles (www.jessica- cushman.com). As seen on celebrities such as Paris Hil- ton, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren and Brooke Shields, JKC’s resin bangles fea- ture unique sayings from hit movies, children’s po- etry, bumper stickers and pop culture references. Some of the sayings in- clude: “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?”; “Does this bracelet make me look fat?” ; and “Truly fabulous peo- ple never get dressed before lunchtime.”

Cushman practices scrimshaw—the art of intri- cately engraving on bone—on fossilized mammoth ivory, which was first practiced by whale fisherman to illustrate the scene at sea on pieces of whale bone. Each piece of fossilized mammoth ivory can be over 10,000 years old.

Fashionable alone or stacking a few, JKC bracelets and Denise jewelry are a fun conversation pieces and can be worn on any occasion

Stakes Races are special races where the owners have a “stake” in the race. These races require owners to put up money well in advance of the race. The fees paid are first done to nominate a horse for a race and then generally payments are made periodically to sustain a horse’s eligibility into a race.

Stakes races are generally for the best horses of a generation and the purses (prize money) raced for is comprised of money put up by owners of horses as well as additional money supported by the racetrack or the breeding fund.

In August Empire City will host several stakes races for horses that were bred in New York State. These races, known as New York Sire Stakes, feature the best crop of state-bred horses competing for significant money.

Various states throughout North America support similar racing programs. They have proven to be a solid foundation for the birth and development of breeding farms in these locals. The New York Sire Stakes program is in part supported by some of the money that passes through the video gaming machines.

On The Menu

New York has been the birthplace of many great standardbreds of the past and present. Many of the featured players from the June Yonkers Trot final are likely to return on August 22 and August 30. Yonkers Trot champion Napoleon and runner-up Make It Happen could be joined by Ace High Hall and Big Apple Deli in some spirited contests at the Yonkers oval.

The string of New York Sire Stakes will also see three other divisions compete during the end of August. The top three-year-old trotting fillies are scheduled to race for $240,000 on August 26. A day earlier, August 25, fans waiting to see if they have won the top prize in the $350,000 Play Off Your Mortgage sweepstakes at Empire City, can witness the best the Empire State has to offer in the way of two-year-old trotting fillies.

An elite group of two-year-old pacing colts will be in action with nearly a quarter-million dollars on the line on August 19.

Just Desserts

There are eight divisions of races for New York Sire Stakes horses. Each division competed for points during the season with trainers and owners hoping to gain enough points to qualify for the season-ending final. Mark down September 13 as the date of the $1.4 million New York Night of Champions, hosted by Empire City. That evening will showcase the stars of this and the next generation in New York. The program has emerged as one of the finest in the nation. Although there will be eight stakes races vegetarians are welcome.

The machines are relatively new to the expansive gaming floor, but the excitement and multiple ways to win, a staple of any Spielo machine, is always there.

These are classic video gaming machines featuring stacked wilds and free games bonus rounds. Also, five-reels and 40 lines give players more ways to win—every time they spin. Here are just a few of the features.

Antique Treasures

• Discover a fortune in old antiques and heirlooms.
• Opal Ring is wild at all times and is also the jackpot symbol
• Three Platter symbols trigger “Free Games Bonus Feature”
• Stacked Wild Opal Ring symbols in main game and bonus rounds

Wild Ones

• Every spin is a wild one
• Wild 1’s jackpot symbol is wild at all times
• Stacked Wild 1’s symbol available on all reels in main game and bonus feature
• Three dollar symbols trigger the “Free” game feature.

So, the next time you are inside Empire City, ask one of the many attendants where you can find one of these two games; you’ll be glad you did so.

The first question that has to be asked is how did the man determine which 50 rated so high. Even though the hands are in no particular order, his uncanny abil- ity to recall even the smallest details is interesting.

This is the sixth book that the Las Vegas native has written, and he even admits that it puts him at a disadvantage because the players around the table know much more about him, than he will ever know about them.

One of his most memorable hands was in 1983 as he attempted to win his third WSOP bracelet. He came close in ’80 and ’82 and entered the fourth day of the ’83 tournament as the chip leader at the final table. Down to three players, Brunson felt confident—not overly so—against two relatively untested players, Rod Peate and Tom McEvoy.

Brunson entered the hand with a jack and nine of diamonds in a raised pot. The flop was a nine of clubs, three and 2 of diamonds. “Red Peate made a small bet at the pot and I thought he was stealing. Even if he did have a legitimate hand, my hand was very strong with the top pair and four diamonds. So I moved in on him. To my dismay, Rod said, “I’ve got the top trips’ and turned over the other two nines. Without a diamond, Brunson finished third. What is most revealing and refreshing about that hand is that he is unafraid to talk openly about a large defeat. And that is only one of 50.

In late June, Eric William Berard, 38, became the 32nd MegaJackpots winner at McCarran Airport since 1996, one of the nation’s busiest airports only five miles from downtown Las Vegas. Berard, a San Antonio resident in the U.S. Army, took home $1.42 million after investing about $20 while waiting to board a flight home.

The winner, who was in Las Vegas visiting friends, intends to use the money to pay off bills and use the rest for retirement after he is finished with the service.

A Cut Above

Ottawa barber Mike Detorre got the best tip of his grooming career recently when long-time client Samir Haddad split the winning ticket in a $32 million lottery. The two friends had been sharing lottery tickets since the early 1970s. After getting his hair cut, Haddad offered to buy the lottery tickets in lieu of a tip. Detorre agreed, and turned a $1.50 into $16 million.

“I told Mike that day, `I’ll splurge,’ ” Haddad told CasinoGaming.com. “I’ll buy it with the Encore.” This is the first time the pair had won since beginning the habit dating back approximately 30 years.

“I went to Mike and I gave him heck,” Haddad said. “I said, `When are you ever going to call me to say we’ve won something?’ He said, `It’s when you buy the winning ticket.’”

This was the first time the friendly pair had ever won. They plan on sharing their good fortune with family

Strawberry Fields a Foursome

Daryl Strawberry was known for many things, mostly for hitting 400-foot home runs for the New York Mets and Yankees during the ‘80s and ‘90s. Today he has turned his attention to combating autism and other developmental disorders by establishing the Daryl Strawberry Foundation, a non-profit group that he runs with wife Tracy.

As part of the program to raise awareness and funds, the Daryl Strawberry Foundation for Children and Families Affected By Autism will hold its second annual golf outing at Bethpage State Park (Red Course) on Monday, Aug. 25. Registration begins at Noon, with tee-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Last year’s event was attended by many of Strawberry’s former teammates, including Mets Ron Darling and Howard Johnson and Yankees Jim Leyritz and Bernie Williams. The outing is followed by a dinner where there are many sports memorabilia items and services auctioned off.

Last year’s auction was hosted by former New York Giants running back Otis Anderson. For more information on this fun afternoon go to www.darrylstrawberry.net.]]> http://www.theplaybookpub.com/features/2008/07/legends-making-headlines/ http://www.theplaybookpub.com/features/2008/07/legends-making-headlines/ Articles Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:18:15 -0500