When pro athletes need to get somewhere in a hurry, they had better know Al Palagonia, The Man Who Never Sleeps

WORDS BY john powell

Al Palagonia has a cell phone attached to his left ear and a landline attached to his right. It’s just before noon on a Friday, and Palagonia is helping a client find a quick flight today. He’s only been at it for five days with his new company, Apollo Jets, a company that helps athletes and executives avoid the hassles of commercial flights via private airplanes, and he’s hustling to make a deal. “You’re not a difficult customer,” he tells the man on the other side of the phone. “You’re making me work harder and I’m happy to do that to get you what you want.” Getting people what they want has made Palagonia very successful – and a lot of famous friends.

It’s not unusual to turn on an NBA game to see Palagonia sitting courtside. “I love basketball and I like being visible,” he says. Several people in his office laugh out loud. If you know Al, and everyone seems to know Al, you know visibility is part of the job. “This job is as much about who you know as it is what you know,” he says. “Yesterday, a guy called me to say he had a plane flying empty from Los Angeles to New York. It set the wheels spinning in my head. I remembered another guy who was flying the same route that day. I got the guy a better plane and a better deal. You can be smarter than me, or more handsome, or have more money, but I guarantee you, you will never outwork me.” And like many of the athletes Palagonia deals with on a daily basis, if you’re not hustling, someone is going to take your job.

To have a client base of professional athletes is to make yourself available 24 hours a day. When you factor in different time zones, night games, road trips, and the other factors that make an athlete’s schedule completely different than a 9-to-5 office worker, an athlete needs a contact that cannot just survive phone calls at irregular hours, but thrive on them. It’s one of the reason’s Palagonia has been accepted so quickly in the pro athlete community. It’s not uncommon for people to call him at 2 a.m. and get a call back at 2:01 a.m. “I have been flying private for over 10 years and never have a met anyone like Al Palagonia,” says Shaquille O’Neal, the future Hall of Fame center for the Phoenix Suns. “For the last 2 years, Al has provided me with the best planes, pricing, and service I have ever experienced.” Shaq’s not the only basketball superstar that has Palagonia on his speed dial. When the Redeem Team returned to the United States after capturing the gold medal in basketball, many of the players relied on Palagonia to get them from the USOC facility in Minneapolis to their homes quickly and safely.

How does Palagonia do it? “I don’t sleep,” he says. “I just take naps. If I get three hours, that’s a lot. On the weekends, I catch up.” At least some weekends. “Next week, Spike and I are going out to see the Lakers – Knicks play. I’m also going to meet with a few potential clients.” The Spike in question is Spike Lee, one of Palagonia’s best friends. They met through basketball, of course.

During the nineties, in a previous lifetime to Palagonia, athletes were coming to him to do some money managing for them, even the greatest, Michael Jordan. It was one night at a Knicks/ Bulls playoff game, where Palagonia made a friendship that would change his life. “I was sitting courtside for the game, Spike Lee was sitting about eight rows behind me. I asked him why he wasn’t sitting courtside. He said he didn’t know the right people to get courtside seats. I said ‘I’m the guy to know to get courtside tickets.’” Palagonia got Lee courtside seats for the next game.

They got along so well, Lee offered Palagonia a part in his next film at the time, Girl 6. Palagonia told Lee, “Spike, if you’re not going to pay me $500,000, it’s not wovbvrth my time.” And he meant it. As a financial broker, that’s how much Palagonia was making in a bad month. In a good month, he could clear a million. When Lee came to Palagonia with a part in his basketball classic “He Got Game,” it was an offer Palagonia couldn’t refuse. “Ray Allen was one of my favorite players,” he says. “The opportunity to play a sports agent trying to recruit him was too good to pass up.” Since then, Palagonia has had a role in seven other feature films, including “Summer of Sam” and Lee’s most recent, “Miracle at St. Anna.”

“It’s ironic,” Palagonia says. “Spike and I flew our first private flight together. We went to Indiana for the Knicks/Pacers playoff series. That was the series where Reggie Miller was trash talking with Spike during the game. At the hotel, Pacer fans were banging on our doors. I told Spike, ‘The next time we come here; I’m flying private and leaving the same night.’ It’s funny how things come full circle.

Indeed, since Lee and Palagonia escaped rabid Pacer fans in the dark of night, flying private has become a necessity for businessman who have to be several places in a day. “When you take into consideration the time it takes you to get through security, to check your baggage, to pick it up, to find your ground transportation, an executive is lucky he can visit two cities in one day. Maybe he’s out of the office two or three days to visit offices or plants around the country. By flying private, he saves so much time he can do it all in a day. When you consider how valuable that person’s time is in making the company money, flying private probably saves that company money, because they have a critical person where they are supposed to be—making money.”

If there’s one thing that Palagonia understands, it’s how to make money. He knew he was a good salesman even when he was six years old. “I remember my neighbors were having a yard sale,” he says. “I can still remember them holding the cash, making change for people.” Palagonia was inspired enough at age 6 to have a yard sale of his own. One day, while his parents were at work and his older sisters were watching him, he lugged everything he could carry out of the house down to the sidewalk—chairs, silverware, anything that he could carry. “When my parents came home,” Palagonia remembers, “they saw me sitting on the kitchen floor counting a wad of cash. I had sold the chairs. It was $167. My mother screamed at me, ‘Where did you get that money from.’ That wasn’t even the best sales job! The best sales job was getting people to give me the stuff back for what they paid for it.”

It was as a financial broker that Palagonia made his name and a lot of money. “My first year at D.H. Blair, I made a million dollars,” he says. “At my peak, I was making that in a month.” During that time, Palagonia lived a life that allowed him to understand what it is that a pro athlete goes through. “Like most of these guys, I came from a household where we didn’t have much. My father worked in sanitation, my mother was a nurse. I didn’t understand what real money was until I started making it myself. As soon as I did, everyone was reaching out for their share. I was buying people houses and cars.” After a mis-step on Wall Street, Palagonia left the industry. “Let’s just say I took a short cut and it came back to bite me in the ass.” Once he wasn’t earning at the same capacity, many of the same people for whom he had given so much turned their back on him. “That’s when you learn who your friends are. People like Spike Lee never turned their back on me. They were always there for me, and I’ll always be there for them.”

There were a lot of entrepreneurs who still knew about Palagonia’s work ethic and his Rolodex of fiercely loyal friends (many of whom had a lot of money and weren’t friends with Palagonia for what he could provide financially). A good friend, Greg Cohen asked him if he would consider the private jet business. After doing some research, Palagonia saw it as a great marriage between his ability to sell and his connections around the country and he has been grateful to Greg ever since. The rest is aviation history. “I never take no for an answer,” Palagonia says. “Every no I get is another step closer to yes.” As an example, he relates a story of an unnamed athlete who has told him that he would never leave his current private jet firm because he believes they are the safest jets to fly. “I’m going to prove to him,” Palagonia says, “not convince him. Prove to him why the jets we provide are as safe, if not safer. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I’m your friend or not; what matters is that I get you the safest, most comfortable flight at the best deal. If I can do that for you, I’m going to win.” And with that Palagonia has one more thing that makes him even more similar to his pro clients. Winning is everything.

Ultimate Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant Delivers A New Sophisticated Timepiece

The creative team at Nubeo is not fond of following pre-established rules. They prefer to create their own. With the arrival of the Black Mamba collection, Nubeo’s creative team has had the opportunity to invent a new concept – the jewel timepiece – exclusively masculine and sporty.

Both the Ultimate and the MVP versions master the setting of sapphires to express the combination of sport, masculinity and sophistication, terms which describe Kobe Bryant himself so well. The three choices of color express the three-fold personality of the Black Mamba: black is masculine, orange is sporty and whisky colored sapphires represent sophistication. This is a whole new take in the world of men’s watches.

To create the right image of the jewel timepiece, a number of features were included to strengthen the masculine identity of the Black Mamba. The luxury that precious stones bring to women’s timepieces, becomes a note of discretion in the Black Mamba. Sapphires are moved to the inner part of the dial, located around the outer ring. At first glance they almost go unnoticed since they merge with the black finish. But they show all their splendor given their exceptional ability to reflect light. The natural quality of sapphires is further enhanced by the trapezoid shape and baguette cut of the 48 gems in the ring. An accuracy of 0.02 millimetres was achieved to guarantee perfect finish of the pieces.

THE GEMS OF KINGS It is currently quite common to equate precious stones with creations designed for women. But this link has not always been so. Since the dawn of Humanity precious stones have been the object of male desire, when the heroes and warriors of Antiquity considered them to be sources of energy and power.

Sapphires are high on the list of precious stones most revered by mankind. They have traditionally been known as the jewels of Kings and Popes. Nubeo chose black sapphires instead of black diamonds because they are more suitable for a watch like the Black Mamba. The color of sapphires is more intense and their strength – 9 grades, similar to that of rubies – guarantees adequate setting in the inner ring. The unparalleled purity of the black sapphires used by Nubeo suggests that the market value of these stones is probably three times higher than that of black diamonds.

Jaime Edmondson Former Miami Dolphins Cheerleader moves to Playboy Magazine as Miss January 2010

Appearing in MOVES’ fall issue 2006, Jaime Edmondson hit the ground running. Formerly one of Boca Raton’s finest…police officer that is and Miami Dolphins Cheerleader, Ms. Edmondson gained national notoriety as ‘The Amazing Race’ 14th season runner-up this past May. Now taking her new found stardom to higher levels, this fiery red head is currently gracing the pages of Playboy Magazine as Miss January 2010. While Edmondson wasn’t a crowd favorite on the CBS reality show, demonstrating a beyond aggressive personality, she definitely exposed her assets and has converted male fans by the masses.

No Surrender

Oscar “Oz” Sanchez attributes his learnt attitude and dealings to his tragic twist of fate life to the motto, “No Surrender” instilled in him by his former employees, the USMC and Navy Seals. Having served six years in the toughest divisions of our armed forces under the harshest conditions and hotbeds around the world, Oz was dealt a cruel fate of life change resulting from a devastating motorcycle accident that caused irreversible spinal cord damage. Despite his devastating physical injuries and mental anguish, quitting was not an option for Oscar. He overcame numerous post operation bouts of depression and relentless grueling months of physical rehabilitation to earn the title, “worlds fastest man on a hand cycle”, thus grabbing gold and bronze medals in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.

Oz continues to do it all as a beacon for everyone to never surrender in achieving your dreams despite what life throws at you. He went on to receive a degree in business administration and minor in communications from SDSU back in 2006 and plans on returning to earn a masters degree. Aside from his current career in the Navy’s Department of Defense Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, Oz is the official spokesperson for both the U.S. Paralympics committee and the Challenged Athlete Foundation’s “Operation Rebound” program which provides post – rehab services to veterans who have suffered permanent injuries. His next goal is a whirl wind tour competing in triathlons and motivational speaking.

Oz’s life story has been brought to the silver screen in the movie, “UNBEATEN” by film maker Steven C. Barber and narrated by Dan Akroyd. For more info, check out www.unbeatenthemovie.com

Mark Wahlberg portray`s Irish Micky Ward in “The Fighter”

What started out as a lowbudget documentary project five years ago has now escalated into a major motion picture from Paramount Studios. “The Fighter” directed by David O. Russell, will portray the life and boxing career of famous former boxing champion Micky Ward, who will be played by Mark Wahlberg.

“This film has been in the works for over five years,” said Ward. “It started as a little documentary about me and my brother getting out of jail and training me. Then going over to London and winning the WBU Light Welterweight title (by TKO 8 over Shea Neary in 2000). I know the WBU is not recognized as one of the top three titles but what are you gonna do? It’s still a world title. With that and the three Arturo Gatti fights and all that went on, the film got going. And this is what it tuned into.”

Wahlberg, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his supporting role in “Departed,” trained at Freddie Roach’s Wildcard Gym in Los Angeles to prepare for the acting job he’s long sought. “I’ve been dying to do a boxing movie my whole career,” Wahlberg said in a previous interview. “I’ve been close to doing two and they kinda fell apart. But this is something I’m very excited about.” Brad Pitt and then Matt Damon were originally projected to play the part of Ward’s older half-brother and trainer Dickie Eklund, but Christian Bale eventually landed the role. Eminem, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo also star in “The Fighter.” Filming took place in Lowell, MA last summer and has been completed, except for final editing.

The Micky Ward story is another classic ‘underdog conquers the world’ saga, but with a different twist. Ward’s older half-brother was troubled but talented Dickie Eklund, who once boxed the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard when he was just 21. When the prospects of his ring career began to take a turn for the worse, Eklund got involved in a life of crime and drug use. But he eventually turns it around and helps teach younger brother Micky how to become a world champion.

Ward says he actually didn’t play much of a part of the film-making process. “I really had nothing to do with it. The writer asked me some questions, that’s about it” says the 44-year-old Ward. “I had to be there for most of the boxing scenes. The acting was all up to them, you know?”

Ward, who was known for his devastating left hook to the body, has seen some of the film’s footage and isn’t complaining. “I looked good, I looked really good,” he chuckles. “Mark’s a great guy. I knew him before this. He’s a good kid.”

David O. Russell, the director of the film, also directed George Clooney in “Three Kings”, “Spanking The Monkey”, Flirting With Disaster”, “Hairway To The Stars”, and “I Love Huckabees.”

To have his life story chronicled onto the silver screen is the ultimate honor for a professional athlete and Ward says he’s not concerned with how the film performs with audiences at the box office. “It doesn’t really matter to me. Hopefully, they like it,” says the 42-year-old who boxed professionally from 1985 to 2003 and shared a ring with such champions as Zab Judah, Frankie Warren, Jesse Leija, Charles Murray, Vince Phillips and Gatti. “I have no expectations. I hope it brings good things. I just go with the flow, just like when I was a fighter. Roll with the punches. I just hope everybody likes it.”

A Million Miles for A Million Mementos

The power of sport is pervasive and timeless. Dating back to the Roman Coliseum in 80 BC sports have played a major role in the development of our society. It was the athletic contests originated by the dynamic Greek and Roman cultures that inspired individuals to reach beyond their limits and strive for excellence.

What makes an athlete immortal? Athletic prowess, of course, personal statistics, continuous excellence… these too, but beyond the sheer power of the performance, lies the individual… the man, the woman, who motivate all of us through extraordinary achievement and maximum effort. Babe Ruth, Mia Hamm, Lance Armstrong, Babe Didrikson, Jackie Joyner Kersey, Muhamad Ali, Jim Thorpe, Michael Jordan, Pele, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, the mere mention of their names conjures up images of greatness.

Sports Immortals is solely devoted to these and other super athletes, whose impact on sports never fades from our view. It is more than just a million sports mementos…more than paper and cloth and wood and leather. Featuring projects that will conjure up the roar of the crowd, the pinnacle of performance and the unmatched rapport between athlete and fan, Sports Immortals is the physical realization of the lifelong quest of one man to honor and enshrine the greatest athletes in sports history…That man is Joel Platt and I recently had the pleasure to spend the day with him.

Joel’s story is one of determination, perseverance and an unwavering willingness to succeed. It all started in 1943 when four-year-old Platt tossed a match into a gas tank of a car resulting in a towering inferno. Bedridden for more than a year after the accident, Platt’s parents provided baseball cards to entertain him during the long months of convalescence. Joel’s favorite card was a 1933 Goudey of Babe Ruth. One night after taking pain medication he had a dream that the Babe came to his bedside and said, “Kid never give up. You can get better and someday become a professional baseball player or build a museum to honor sports greats.” Inspired by his cards and the Babe’s words, Joel set out on a lifelong journey to accomplish these two goals. He became an outstanding shortstop, but his major league aspirations ended when he injured his throwing arm playing shortstop at Duquesne University. However, he has never lost sight of his other ambition and has literally traveled over one million miles to curate over one million mementos. Along the way, he had the unique opportunity of meeting thousands of iconic sports legends and their families listening to their anecdotal tales and learning of their secrets for success. Because of Joel’s passion and enthusiasm, together with his sincere desire to preserve the memories of the most famous athletes, more often than not he has been successful in securing priceless treasures for his museum collection. Platt reflects on some of his favorite encounters:

I visited Patricia Thorpe, Jim Thorpe’s third wife, multiple times over a five year period. She was always cordial, but never would part with any of her husband’s things. Then, out of the blue, in 1970 a telegram arrived at my house, “Come and get Jim’s things, am confined to bed…Patricia Thorpe.” I immediately flew to California and began packing mementos from the person many consider the greatest athlete of all time. Items included Thorpe’s football jersey from the Carlisle Indians, football helmet, cleats, shoulder pads, football pants, commemorative Olympic medal, trophies and his Olympic scrapbook with a congratulatory letter from President Taft.

Of all the athletes I have ever met, to me the greatest was Muhammad Ali. I visited with the champ on five occasions and each was an unbelievable experience. Over the years I acquired several of Ali’s fight worn boxing robes, trunks, shoes, gloves, championship belt, Olympic jacket, and the 14kt gold medal he won at the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament in 1959.

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Roberto Clemente was my favorite Pirate player of all time. We became friends and I promised to assist him, prior to his death, in developing a museum at the sports complex Roberto was planning to develop in Puerto Rico. Through my relationship with Clemente and the former vice president of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Joe O’Toole, I was able to secure several of Roberto’s mementos including his rookie bat and a bat from the 1971 World Series, Clemente’s 1968 Pirate uniform and his MVP uniform that he wore in the 1971 World Series, a game used autographed Pirate cap along with numerous autographed baseballs and photos.

During a business trip to Chicago I was able to locate Jesse Owens, winner of 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. I spent a delightful hour with Jesse and his lovely wife talking about his career. Jesse loved my concept of developing an International Sports Hall of Fame and Shrine that would honor the world’s greatest athletes. He went on to present me with a plaque, medals, his trophy when he was named track athlete of the 20th Century and a book from the 1936 Olympics with photos of Berlin and autographs of all of the 1936 Olympic champions.

Mildred “Babe” Zaharias was the greatest all around female athlete of all time. She was a former Olympic and golf champion. I visited with her famous wrestling husband, George Zaharias, shortly after her death in 1956. George presented me with several of Babe’s items, including a 1932 Olympic blanket, an autographed book and an autographed photo. However, the greatest item was a golf club that Bobby Jones used in numerous tournaments and later gave the club to Babe who used it to win several of her own tournaments.

One of my greatest moments ever was meeting Satchel Paige and his wife, Lahoma, in Kansas City. He told me stories about his playing days in the Negro Leagues, the Puerto Rican Leagues and ultimately the Major Leagues. He also told me about his rules for healthy living which included avoiding fried foods and never looking back. Satchel contributed his touring Negro League All Star uniform, his Cleveland Indian uniform, two gloves, several autographed baseballs and his spikes to the Sports Immortals Museum.

Over the last sixty years, Joel’s assemblage has grown from cards, autographs, programs and tickets to include actual mementos used by sports greats (uniforms, gloves, bats, balls, hats, etc.) When I asked him if he was “the King of the Collectors,” Platt winked and said I am not a collector, I consider myself a curator.

Currently, sports fans young and old can visit the Sports Immortals Showcase Museum and Merchandise Center in Boca Raton, Florida or online at www.sportsimmortals.com However, due to high security measures, very few individuals have been privileged to experience the over 200 security trunks that house the crown jewels of the Platt collection. Some of the lucky ones include an executive from the Smithsonian Institution who called Sports Immortals “Absolutely the most outstanding single collection on all sports.” Senator Bill Bradley exclaimed “A Great! Great! Great! Great! Sports Collection…now I know how Mel Fisher felt when he discovered the Atocha. NFL Hall of Famer, Franco Harris, calls it “A tribute to one man’s love and dedication to sports.” Josh Evans, Chairman of Leland’s Auction House vehemently called it “The finest sports collection in the world, bar none…” Marv L. said “It is absolutely mind blowing to think that one man has the time to collect these treasures.” Where was the time to eat, sleep and work!

Joel Platt has certainly been a man on a mission. But now he has a copilot, Jim Platt, who joined the team in 2001 after writing the book, Sports Immortals, Stories of Inspiration and Achievement. Together, father and son, have dedicated their lives to the preservation of sports history. What Joel has accomplished would seem to have taken ten lifetimes. Jim is onboard to see that his father’s efforts come to fruition so that future generations, including his seven year old twin boys, Roby and Marc, will remember the accomplishments of the greatest athletes in sports history and be motivated by their heroic tales of achievement.

The Platts’ ambition is to utilize their valuable Sports Immortals content, trademark and concepts, coupled with the latest immersive technology to develop cultural, historical, educational and entertaining projects that will be inspirational to mankind. Joel’s ultimate goal is to make enshrinement as a Sports Immortal be the greatest honor achievable in sports.

Presently, Orlando, Cleveland, Washington D.C. & Chicago are the four major areas under consideration for a Sports Immortals International Hall of Fame Complex, but until a final site is chosen, offers are also being considered from other major locations. Also in the works are a series of traveling exhibitions that would tour major museums and sporting events throughout the world. With their magnitude of content, the Intellectual Property possibilities are endless, but the Platts would certainly like to create a feature film and documentary series on the Sports Immortals and The Joel Platt Story, A Million Miles For A Million Mementos.

Joel Platt is quite a guy and Sports Immortals is quite a collection. I thanked him for the one-of-a-kind experience he gave me and wished him well in his business ventures. I am confident his Sports Immortals goals will come true for how can anyone doubt a man who has spent his entire life never losing sight of his dreams.

Journeyman Fighter Freddie Roach now Sits Atop The Boxing World

Life is not easy for the journeyman boxer, especially one that decides to hang up the gloves at the age of 26. Freddie Roach boxed 20 times on ES PN in the 1980’s and amassed a professional record of 39-13 (15 KO’s). Roach shared a ring with the likes of Darryl Tyson, Hector Camacho, Greg Haugen and Bobby Chacon, but never was able to land a world title shot. After a KO loss to Haugen when he was 25, his legendary trainer Eddie Futch saw the signs and told him the straight truth. Roach was slowing and it was time to quit the sport before he got hurt.

Roach refused to accept the wisdom of the man guided Joe Frazier and Ken Norton to wins over Ali, and resumed his pro career. But five more defeats including a final loss to David Rivello in October of 1986 convinced Roach it was time to end the dream. The native New Englander, Roach stayed in Las Vegas and worked menial jobs in telemarketing, selling coffee mugs and key rings by Journeyman Fighter Freddie Roach now Sits Atop The Boxing World WORDS BY SCOOP MALINOWSKI day. He eventually settled differences with the man he respected so much—Futch—and began to hang around the octegenarian’s gym.

Roach’s strategic eye detected some technical points he could fine tune in a boxer who was training there—the former Olympic gold medalist Virgil Hill – and Roach communicated his ideas. Hill bonded with Roach and a new career path beckoned. Within a year, Roach would become the right hand man of Futch and the trainer of Hill, who won his WBA Light Heavyweight championship by KO on national TV on September 5, 1987 in Atlantic City.

Roach continued to work with various boxers in Las Vegas until he decided to branch off on his own in 1991 to work with the actor Mickey Rourke, who was serious about initiating a professional boxing career at the age of 39. (Rourke boxed as a pro form 1991-1994 as a super middleweight and light heavyweight, compiling a record of 6-0-2 with 4 KO’s.) Rourke was so determined to master the art of pugilism that he built his own training facility, which was called The Outlaw Gym. Roach lived at The Outlaw before later taking over and renovating the little-known Wildcard gym which was also housed at Hollywood and Vine with a night club on the same property.

Roach devoted all his energies to cultivating The Wildcard, working 12 hour days, even living on the premises. The wellliked trainer’s work ethic and business acumen paid off and his gym became the place to train in Los Angeles. Eventually, Mike Tyson, James Toney, Michael Moorer, Oscar De La Hoya, Frankie Liles, Wladimir Klitschko and Manny Pacquiao—33 world champions in total—would find their way to train there. Celebrities like Mark Wahlberg, Mario Lopez, Danny Bonaduce, Aimee Mann and Buck Cherry would become regulars.

Today, The Wildcard is the most famous boxing gym in the world. And Roach may be the premier boxing trainer in the sport. He’s earned the prestigious “Trainer of the Year Award” three times from the Boxing Writer’s Association of America. The World Boxing Council bestowed a “Lifetime Achievement Award” to Roach in 2008. The high point of his career has been the extraordinary success of the amazing Manny Pacquiao, a champion in seven different weight classes and the pound for pound best fighter in the world today.

Now 49 and a millionaire, Roach must pay some price now for the lessons learned during the lean years. Roach has Parkinson’s Disease, and suffers from body tremors, elbow arthritis and neck muscle contractions. He must take three kinds of medication. But, still, Roach doesn’t complain. “I’ve got the best life in the world. I love my job,” he told Sports Illustrated last year. “I have a house, a car. I don’t want sympathy.”

Of his crowning success, Roach says, “Manny’s my best work I feel. I’ve had Manny from where he was kind of a raw, fast, hardpunching kid when he came in. Now he’s a much better fighter and more technical and we’ve spent a lot of time – we’ve gotten very close to each other. Manny’s my favorite figure for sure. I’ve worked with a lot of great guys. I’ve been fortunate to work with guys like James Toney and Mike Tyson. But Manny definitely is the hardest worker I’ve ever worked with and that shows.”

Manny Pacquiao, the world’s welterweight champion, has mutual high respect for Roach. “Freddie’s not my trainer anymore,” he said last year. “I call him ‘The Master.’”

Recently there has been quite a bit of chatter regarding whether performance enhancing mouthguards are capable of assisting athletes in reaching their peak physical capacity. Dr. Anil Makkar, 20 year dentistry veteran is at the forefront of this philosophy and has created a mouthguard that has been proven to increase an athlete’s performance with his revolutionary product, Pure Power Mouthguard (Makkar PPM ™).

While routinely treating patients for TM J (Tempro Mandibuliar Joint) dysfunction using specialized instrumentation, Dr. Makkar noticed that while his custom mouthguards effectively treated the headaches, dizziness and neck pain caused by TM J, it also increased balance, range of motion and flexibility. Because everyone has a unique jaw fingerprint, to get optimal results your mouthguard should also be unique. By consistently finding the correct position of the TM J, PPM ™ delivers accuracy every time! Although not everyone suffers from TM J, “the vast majority of the population is not in proper alignment” Makkar continues, “When the jaw is down and forward, the back of your neck starts aligning with the back of your spine. When there is total alignment you have increased strength, balance, and range of motion, endurance and flexibility.” This is how it works; when the jaw is in proper position there is less pressure against cranial nerves thus relaxing muscles attached to nerves. Because the articular disc is free from pressure increasing head range, actions such as the ‘over the shoulder look’ utilized by wide receivers and in basketball fast breaks are optimized, and even quarterbacks are impacted by a proven gain of three inches from their blind side.

Reproducible peak power output is also affected by using the custom fitting Makkar PPM ™. Proper alignment opens the windpipe increasing oxygen supply, this allows athletes such as boxers to produce as much energy in the 12th round as in the 1st. Golfers benefit from proper alignment by correcting posture, balance and range of motion, and for a sport like golf that doesn’t mandate the mouthguard for protection an undetectable lower guard can be fitted with the same results as a full PPM ™ mouthguard. PGA Tour Player and PPM ™ client Steve Elkington comments, “I’ve never had an aid that I thought could change my game until I tried PPM ™. It aligned my mouth perfectly helping me on and off the course with my sleep, TM J and golf.”

The results have been proven study after study. Researchers at Rutgers University gathered a group of 22 anaerobically- trained male professional and collegiate athletes ranging in ages 18- 34 who have trained at least 4 days per week for a minimum of two years. These men were screened for injuries and diets were assessed during testing. The blind study indicated that the PPM ™ mouthguard significantly improved performance compared to a traditional custom mouthguard in the vertical jump, peak power on the WAnt, average peak power and mean power for WAnt and intervals. Each of the tests administered required quick bursts of anaerobic energy at very high levels of intensity, all valuable to sports that require power-based movements and explosive strength such as football, baseball and boxing. It was also determined that the benefits in wearing this custom fitted mouthguard may also be relevant beyond the competitive arena improving the athlete’s overall capacity during training. The study reported a statistically significant result, which is a notable difference to Makkar PPM ™’s competitors. Dr. Anil Makkar exclaims with excitement, “I have been practicing dentistry for the last 20 years, and I have never seen anything this exciting in our profession in which we can contribute directly to the performance of an athlete, or any one that is involved in fitness.”

The procedure is short and painless. The custom fitting process takes 1.5 hours and uses the latest in neuromuscular dental technology. The goal is the precise alignment of the lower jaw. Using two key technologies, TENS and K-7, jaw muscles are relaxed, deprogrammed and jaw movement and position is tracked within a tenth a millimeter. Once the jaw is relaxed and the perfect jaw position is found, known as the “Sweet Spot” or “Fingerprint,” a dental impression is taken and sent to a PPM ™ certified lab where the mouthguard is made. Each client’s needs are determined based on their sport; an upper PPM ™ is ordered for impact sports such as football, boxing and hockey and a lower PPM ™ is used for non-contact sports such as golf, swimming and running.

With the undeniable immediate benefits Makkar PPM ™ offers athletes, industry notables are showing their support. Shaquille O’Neal is singing its praises, “If anybody wants to see their real game, they definitely need to get a PPM ™. Who doesn’t want to see their real game or true potential? PPM ™ works and it works immediately.” Terrell Owens also raves about the results, “This is the best product and only product that I have used that produced results immediately!”

Whether on the gridiron, golf course, basketball court or track, athletes are proving Dr. Makkar’s vision a reality, “My vision is to change the way sports will be played so we can unlock an athlete’s potential to reach a competitive level of sports in which every athlete deserves.”

Connecting Professional Athletes To Real Money On Their Terms!

As the worldwide web continues to change the game of nearly every industry, Jason Kyle, long-time NFL veteran seized the opportunity and made the connection for thousands of professional athletes and businesses using the internet’s global reach. With millions upon millions of marketing dollars designated by corporate America only going to 10 % of all professional athletes, how do the other 90% procure major corporate riches…the answer is ProPlayerConnect.com. Founder and C.E.O. Jason Kyle explains, “Gaining access to business opportunities can be a real challenge, especially for retired athletes. The only way most pros find opportunities off the field is by wordof- mouth, this involves random phone calls from unknown business guys peddling shady deals…until now!” The concept is simple but genius, Pro Player Connect is a nonobtrusive online marketing and branding platform that centralizes opportunities between businesses (national and local) and players, and vice versa.

With over 1000 professional athletes matched by almost as many companies, ProPlayerConnect.com is the ultimate money match-maker. Each company is verified and legit, spanning from regional businesses to fortune 500 companies. Athletes, both active and retired, are screened in a simple and painless process to make sure each profile is authentic.

A four-tiered concept, the site joins business to athlete, athlete to business, athlete to athlete, and athlete to fan; this lends an infinite opportunity for appearances, complimentary and discounted products, employment, and branding. In reverse, athletes are able to contact registered businesses for sponsorships, charities, as well as other philanthropic activities. Kyle elaborates,

Few athletes are famous nationwide, there is often a local angle that is ignored. No matter who you play for, you have a home field somewhere and local businesses have a strong desire to connect with you. This site is a place where it would be easy for companies to contact players with legitimate offers and where all professional athletes could enhance their brand.

And the NFL Players Association recognizes this value, “By delivering genuine business opportunities to authentic pro athletes, Pro Player Connect provides a vital service to all members of the professional sports community,” Keith Gordon, acting President of NFL PLAYERS continues “We are proud and pleased to support ProPlayer Connect in its mission to create incremental opportunities for all players.”

While reaching the masses and creating opportunities are the ultimate goals, creating a secure site was first and foremost. Kyle took precautions by building safeguards to ensure the privacy of its members. Athletes must create their own online profiles. All personal data is stored in a high security database and is never released to businesses or the public. Offers are submitted online by companies, which are then scrutinized then forwarded by ProPlayer Connect to players via email and in some cases through a phone call. Athletes are able to adjust their personal settings to automatically filter out offers that don’t meet their criteria, making the process even more expedient. Long-time sports agent Frank Murtha, “The site does the work 24/7, weeding out the bad offers before they get to us. We, the agents, are able to retain control of negotiations, allowing players and agents to increase their exposure to the business community exponentially.”

And while ProPlayerConnect.com continues to assist in getting offers signed, 76,586 and counting, they have tackled another issue that has riddled these athletically gifted professionals…Worker’s Compensation; a process that has been coined by some as “grueling and confusing.” Kyle explains the process,

ProPlayer Connect ‘scrapes’ a site that reports injuries throughout the sports world and gathers information, the system then tries to make a match based on our member list, if the system detects a match based on the information filled out by the athlete in the membership process, a message is auto-generated. From there the athlete fills out a few additional pieces of information and everything is sent to ProPlayerConnect.com’s attorney specializing in worker’s compensation for athletes to get the ball rolling.

This service is complimentary to its members, no fees, no gimmicks. “I recommend ProPlayer Connect as a great way to manage your injuries throughout your career,” comments Drew Brees.

And because this site is founded and supported by athletes, it really caters to the business needs of these professionals. Retired Heisman Trophy winner and investor in ProPlayer Connect, Vinnie Testaverde explains the sites importance. “I played for over a decade and I saw firsthand the need for this kind of a site from my teammates, most of whom did not have access to the sponsorship opportunities I did. This is a great system that’s helping athletes at all levels.”

The list of both high profile and up and coming member athletes like Curt Schilling (MLB), Jeremy Shockey (NFL), Heather Mitts (Olympic and Professional Soccer Player), Steve Smith (NFL), Shane Battier (NB A), and Mike Commodore (NHL), only further solidifies the need for ProPlayerConnect.com. And by adding a social networking component enabling athletes to interact with their colleagues as well as their fans, these professionals are given additional branding opportunities. “Our members are able to further branding prospects by allowing them to communicate the message they want to send to their fans. They share information about their lives via live chat or through other vehicles ProPlayer Connect offers,” exclaims Kyle.

With additional features and opportunities for Pro’s to create and manage their own brands online in the pipeline, this is only a start for the site. Real players, real businesses, real deals, and real money being made, ProPlayerConnect.com isn’t a concept; it’s a proven effective branding solution created for athletes by athletes!

It’s a fall day on the campus of the University of Southern California, a little over 7 years ago. Inside Heritage Hall is a meeting consisting of the entire USC football team and staff. Enter head Pete Carroll, the mastermind head coach who would go on to win national championships, produce a veritable NFL football factory, and give USC a seat high atop the storied football programs of all time. Coach Carroll kicks off the meeting, as the Trojans prepare to play Oregon State.

“Does anyone know what a Beaver is? What’s a Beaver anyway?” the coach quipped, referencing their opponents mascot. A young but muscular freshman jumps up out of his seat. “Coach, the Beaver is the most diligent worker in the animal kingdom. It has an intricate network of incisor molar teeth optimal for the mastication process of wood”, and with that proceeds to sit back down. Needless to say, the entire room was dumbfounded by the spot-on retort. They whooped it up and cheered the freshman as if he has just scored a game winning touchdown.

Meet Brandon Hancock, the Buff Bookworm.

Yes, he was watching Jeopardy the night before, but this certainly wasn’t just your typical jock. Hancock was dubbed “the crazy aberration anomaly”, as he combined his skills as a lead blocker with the brains to amass a better than 3.9 GPA and an induction into the Order of the Laurel and the Palm, an honor reserved for the top 25 students of each graduating class. “I do my cerebral sit-ups too”, the gregarious former fullback attests.

Sure, he earned his stripes on the field. Hancock paved the way for two different thousand-yard rushers (Reggie Bush and LenDale White), one the all-time leading scorer in USC history (White), and the other a Heisman trophy winner (Bush). He also served as a receiving threat for the Trojans, catching several critical 4th quarter touchdown passes from Matt Leinart, another Heisman winner. He started in a national championship game, and was a dedicated leader in the weight room.

But his work off the field is what continues to progress and impress.

You’d think winning a Rose Bowl would be a career defining moment, potentially the moment of a lifetime. And it was for Hancock, but for a much different reason than he intended. The goal was the NFL , and he was on his way after finishing a successful sophomore season with a bang, beating Michigan. He became the unquestioned starter on a team that just grabbed a share of the national title. But as he walked off that field a winner, he also walked off with a torn ACL that went completely undetected. Because of a pre-existing MCL sprain going into the bowl game, the ACL tear was overlooked, due in large part to Hancock’s fitness.

“I had more muscles than a New England clam bake,” Hancock boasted. “I was a freak, super big, very strong. And even though I didn’t have an ACL – it was completely shredded – a bro adcast ing “The Buff Bookworm” WORDS BY Doug Mortman week later, after the swelling went down, I was a fully functional athlete. Engaged in winter training, squatting 500-plus pounds, I didn’t even notice something was really wrong till March.”

If he had gone for an MRI after the Rose Bowl in January, surgery and rehab would have corrected the tear in time for the 2004 season. But while USC was destined to go undefeated and win another national championship, Brandon would have to take a redshirt going into his junior year.

At the time, Hancock was already the mouthpiece of the team. Coach Carroll would lean on him to speak at the player portion of press conferences with the media, because as Brandon admits, “I could do the spin doctor treatment,” and tackle all the issues without giving too much up. And there certainly were plenty of juicy issues surrounding the Southern Cal program at the time. Matt Leinart and Paris Hilton, other teammates getting arrested, there wasn’t a shortage of good stories. And Hancock was the de-facto press secretary. He had all the tools to be a media star – articulate, personable, a current player with the ultimate access to the team, couldn’t play because of injury, and was already great with the media…and by the way, he was a scholarship athlete who couldn’t get paid because of NCAA rules.

ESPN 710 AM in LA knew all about Brandon, as he had been interviewed many times on the station during his first couple seasons, and they loved him. So why not bring him into the fold on a more regular basis. It made too much sense; who would have better access to the Trojan locker room? He had the time, he had the personality, and he didn’t cost a dime. So as Brandon calls it, “Chalk Talk with Hancock” on 710 AM began. This unpaid internship of sorts was the defining time in his professional career, the experience that pushed him to make a career in sports media.

Believe it or not, the buff bookworm actually was a skinny kid. As a 9th grader, Brandon was no more than 5’10” 155. Girls made fun of his skinny legs, and his dad even had the audacity to suggest that if he wanted to be a scholarship athlete, he should concentrate on baseball. “More than anything, this pissed me off. I wanted to be the Big Man of Campus”. So to stick it to everyone including his dad, he bunkered up for nearly a year and became an obsessive weightlifter.

“It was a positive addiction. Kept me away from slacking off, (the drug scene), and the hard work paid off”. He’d work out at 4 am before the school lifting program started, because he didn’t think the school program was challenging enough. As a 16-year old, Hancock competed in and won his only bodybuilding competition, and was featured in Men’s Health and Muscle & Fitness magazines. He gained 20 pounds each year of high school till he went from a 155 pound freshman to a 6’1”, 240 pound senior. Take that, pop.

It was no sure thing that Hancock would even end up at Southern Cal, or meeting his future mentor. He had committed to Stanford, but had one recruiting visit still left and wanted to honor it. Realistically though, he was signed, sealed, and delivered in Cardinal red. Until he met Pete Carroll.

“He’s the consummate mentor, a leader, a father figure, he’s a friend,” Hancock gushed. “A seasoned speaker and rhetorician. Can relate to everyone – and make you believe in his vision, his concepts, his passion”.

And once he met Carroll, Hancock did a complete 180 and signed his letter of intent to go to USC. The mitigating factor was Carroll and how he was able to communicate his plan to Brandon. The more he got to know his coach, the more he was impressed by the little things.

“One day I walked into his office, and he was watching himself give a speech to a charity like he was watching game tape. I said ‘Coach, what are you doing?’ And he said he’s watching it to see how he can communicate the message better so it has greater resonance.”

And that’s what Hancock admires most about his former coach. “His inspirational attitude, his commitment to people who don’t have a voice, people who are stereotyped inappropriately. He wants to argue on their behalf.”

Let’s not make it seem like Brandon was the SportsCenter darling or the best player on the team. Far from it. Playing time was precious enough, considering Hancock had not 1 but 2 season- ending knee injuries. But try fitting in amongst the Bush’s, Leinart’s, Carson Palmer’s, Lofa Tatupu’s, and Troy Polamalu’s of the world. Not an easy task, considering how much like rockstars his more readily recognized teammates were. But Brandon just has a way of fitting in.

As much as Hancock revered the down-to-earth Palmer (who went on to win the Heisman in Brandon’s freshman season), respected the gentle warrior Polamalu, and admired the all-world Bush, his most interesting retrospective was on his second teammate who won the Heisman during his career – Matt Leinart.

“There has never been a more famous college athlete than Matt. Competing for the Heisman 2 years in a row. Dating Paris Hilton, such a polarizing situation. The team and its’ greatness. I mean, he had his own security guards following him to class!”

Talk about standing out in a crowd, try getting into study hall with your own security detail. According to Hancock, there was a definite shift in Leinart’s priorities, and in his mentality. He became bigger than the team. But ever the self-motivator, Brandon used that as inspiration.

“It motivated me to play harder, study harder, to make sure I didn’t miss that blitz pickup. Cause if he ever got a blindside sack because I didn’t read the defensive blitz package in time, and the corner came and blew out his season, I’d be devastated, I didn’t ever want to be that guy”.

Hancock and Leinart also shared the same game which took their college careers to the next level. The Trojans had just lost to Cal in triple OT, and were going into Arizona State early in the 2003 season. A second loss would have been devastating to their national championship chances. To make matters worse, Leinart missed the 1st half after getting rocked early in the game, or as Brandon called it, “he got chin checked”. A green Matt Cassel entered and couldn’t hit the broadside of a barnyard door. USC was tied at the half, and down a score early in the 3rd quarter.

But back in came the quarterback to save the day, with a little help from his backfield. Leinart returned threw darts all over the field, LenDale White rushed for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns, and USC knotted the score at 17 late in the 3rd. Cue Hancock, who caught a pass in the f lat and rumbled 33 yards to the house for the game-winning score.

“I went from being nobody to somebody over night. It was the defining moment in my history at USC. That game solidified Leinart as the starting QB, that was the first game that started our 30-something game win streak, and that was my claim to fame”.

That ability to play a role, but to star when needed, has helped Brandon later on in his career. Currently, Hancock works for ESPN Rise – the cable network’s new high school event platform – as an operational assistant.

“I can be the rock star and the rodeo. I can be same guy who helps unloads the truck because I’m the big buff guy, help lug tables around, even refill water for high schoolers. But in the same day, I can go from being the guy who’s picking up the cups after an event, to having to sprint over to a studio and go address the country on what happened. I equate it to being a rookie on an NFL team or a freshman on a college team, you just gotta shut up and earn your stripes and pay your dues.”

The job is not always glamorous. But Hancock has come a long way, and from his weekly reports on ESPN News, to his previous work for ABC 7 in LA and the Trojans Radio Network, he’s continuing to move closer to his goal. “I wanted to stay involved and thrive in media, and it’s been my passion to be an on-air guy since leaving the sport of football”. So the guy with the nearly perfect GPA and numerous academic awards – a person who could excel in any f ield in America – is the same person that wants to cover the next wave of scholar-athletes.

“Even though I’m not making the league minimum even, 380-something grand a year, I feel that the potential upside longterm (in sports media) will be there. As long as I take the same mind set, dedication, work ethic, and discipline that I used as a football player on the field, and I can apply that to the way I approach my life, then I have 100% confidence that I can take this ship as far as I want to sail it. You can’t rely on football forever, you have to have a backup plan. At a moments notice, it can be taken from you”.

You can count on Brandon having a strong plan – and he’ll be the first to tell you about it.

“The Mercury Girl” Making Her Mark In Hollywood

You might have seen her on Maxim’s list of Hot 100 Women or possibly in FHM, perhaps you recognize her face from the Lincoln Mercury commercials; regardless of where, Jill Wagner standing at 5’ 8” is hard to forget! A North Cacalacky native, Jill graduated Sigma Cum Laude in Business from North Carolina State, which means, yes gentlemen she is more than just a pretty face. Packing her bags and heading to Los Angeles on gut feeling, Jill quickly made her mark in Hollywood. Initially signing with friend and modeling agent Alex Fox from CSD, Jill realized the modeling world was not for her. Going on calls, walking into a room full of hundreds of women that looked just like her, seemed pointless. Luckily it only lasted a short while, after landing a job on MTV’s hit television series Punk’d, as the shows first female regular sketch performer, Jill began her acting career. Her charm and incredible sense of humor kept opportunity knocking, and soon guest star roles on series such as Monk on USA, Quintuplets on Fox, and a recurring role on Dr. Vegas for CBS began to open up.

Although Wagner was making steady strides forward checks were not steadily rolling in. As thoughts of returning to North Carolina began to cloud her head, a call from her manager sealed her stay in LA. On her way to the airport Al Hassas, current manager urged her to go on an open call for Lincoln Mercury who was on the search for a spokeswoman. “Typically I wouldn’t go on an open call, they just seemed like a waste of time, but since it was on the way to the airport I decided to stop. I was a little concerned because Al told me they were looking for a bilingual spokeswoman, which I am not! His advice? ‘Fake it!’” Wagner giggles. Needless to say she went in there, all American and nailed it. There were a series of cuts, from 100’s to 50 to 10 to Jill Wagner as the final pick for Lincoln Mercury’s 2005 Spokeswoman, which she continues to hold as of today. Jill comments, “It’s a good thing it came through, with only $150.00 in my bank account I was ready to go home.”

Taking her first stab in a lead role, Jill embarked on a new challenge in acting. Transforming herself into Krista Starr in Blade: The Series, she played the role of a woman trying to find her brother’s killer and in her quest was infected with vampire blood. Wagner confesses it was “the toughest role” she’s had to play thus far. “I say this because it was the first time I had to carry a series.” Although it only aired for one season, Jill was on the rise, even winning Spike TV’s 2006 honor of “Woman of Action.”

Fast forward two years and Jill Wagner has now become a household name. A feature film with a starring role in the science fiction thriller Splinter, released this past Halloween and currently out on DVD, and perhaps even more exciting is her co-hosting position on the ABC primetime competition reality series Wipeout, proclaimed this summer’s biggest splash! Her play by play commentary along with her contagious laugh has definitely played a significant role in the show’s success.

If you missed out while you were barbequing, no need to fret. Jill, along with special guest Michael Irvin, will co-host a special themed Super Bowl edition that will air during half-time and a post Super Bowl full episode in which cheerleaders will compete against male couch potato sport fans; primetime exposure showcasing Jill’s likeability.

Making all the right moves, Jill Wagner is rapidly becoming a household name and America’s next sweetheart.

Created from the rarest and most exclusive whiskies in the world, Johnnie Walker Blue Label has the authentic character and flavor of a traditional nineteenth century blend, just like those that John Walker and his son Alexander developed for their most valued customers.

Blue Label is made from exceptional whiskies with powerful flavors. Each contains a rare taste and gives an intense experience. Blue Label is the ultimate luxury Scotch Whisky and supplies of Blue Label are limited by the rarity and expense of the whiskies used in the blend.

Known as the rarest and most exclusive blend from the House of Walker, Blue Label represents the art of distillers and blenders working together at their highest level of expertise. Many of the whiskies come from distilleries that no longer exist, making the rare blend even more special. Additionally each bottle is individually numbered.

The smooth taste gently caresses the tongue. The nose has hints of smoke, sherry and fruitcake, while the body is soft and mellow with sherry, honey and vanilla notes. It has a bold intensity of peatiness with dark chocolate overtones.

Retail Price:

$200 (750 mL)

$500 (1.75 L)

Serving Suggestion: The perfect serve of Johnnie Walker Blue Label is to cool the palate with a glass of ice cold spring water and then take a slight sip of the cherished whisky from a snifter. Serving not to exceed 1.5ozs.