It’s time to bring back a feature we haven’t done much here on MSF over the past few weeks: the link of the day.
Today, the choice is easy.
Our very own Ron Clements is the newest sports writer for The Telegraph, based in Illinois. Not only do I want to express MSF’s most sincere congratulations and publicly wish him the best of luck, but he’s already written a great piece worthy of LOTD status.
Tuesday night, Ron posted a terrific profile of Jacksonville Jaguars QB David Garrard.
In the article, Ron traces Garrard’s career journey, including: the incredible bowl game he participated in while at East Carolina; his struggle with Crohn’s disease; his battle to climb to the top of Jacksonville’s depth chart; and, how he’s dealing with the franchise’s current struggles.
Here as an excerpt of Ron’s work:
Garrard played in just six games during his first two seasons. Then in the spring of 2004, his NFL career nearly came to an abrupt end.
Garrard had been complaining of stomach pains, but figured it was just an upset stomach. When the pain persisted, he saw the team doctor.
The diagnosis he received was an unexpected one.
Garrard had Crohn’s Disease, an ailment he didn’t fully understand.
“A lot of times it takes an individual many years to figure out what it is,” Garrard said. “If you’re not having true signs or symptoms you can kind of write it off as irritable bowel. Luckily for me, I was able to get treatment right away.”
Crohn’s disease is a form of inflammatory bowel disease, which involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract because of an overactive immune system. It’s an often-misdiagnosed disease, and if left untreated can become fatal, as the body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs to function.
Garrard approached his battle against Crohn’s like any other opponent.
“I wanted to defeat it,” he said. “I couldn’t let Crohn’s take over my life. A lot of pro athletes think they’re invincible. This brought me back to reality. It gave me a gut check, literally.”
Now, you might say, “what the hell does David Garrard have to do with Midwest sports?” True, he’s from the North Carolina, played college football in Carolina, and now is in Jacksonville.
But he’s also one of the keys to two of my fantasy teams.
I have Garrard in two of the two-QB leagues I play in. Many times, matchups in two-QB leagues are decided by whose second QB performs better. It should come as no surprise to you that I lost last week when Garrard and the Jags lost 41-0.
So I need David Garrard to rebound and have a huge season from here on out. Hence, he matters here at MSF.
More importantly, the article represents great work from Ron, whose contributions to MSF have been greatly appreciated. We hope he’ll continue to grace us with the occasional article or two, and I certainly will bring you links to his work done outside of MSF.
Well done Ron, and best of luck with the new gig!
**********
* – David Garrard photo credit: Bill Frakes via SI.com
About Jerod Morris
