Competitive Edge rehabs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Safety,
Cody Grimm

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' wideout, Arrelius Benn talks about rehabbing
his knee at Competitive Edge during the NFL lockout

Oldsmar, Fla. -- Arrelious Benn was having a strong second half in 2010 when he suffered a torn ACL in December. He says to expect a better Benn once the 2011 off-season - and hopeful season - begin after the lockout. "I know I'm gonna come back stronger," Benn said. "I've learned a lot about my body.. (and) know the little things that I need to do for my body to be better and have that edge."

Working at Competitive Edge in Oldsmar, Benn is rehabbing his surgically repaired left knee three days a week. He also worked out with his teammates during last week's player-organized three day minicamp.

The fact that the number of players was above 50 was a good sign for the Bucs' second-year wide receiver. "Just to have all the guys out there... that just shows you how hungry we are," Benn said. "where we want to be and the strides we want to take for this next year coming up."

That's what pushes Benn. He expects the team to live up to the expectations that follow a 10-win season, and he wants to continue being a part of the young, explosive offense. "I'm ready for (the lockout) to be over," Benn said. "I'm ready to be around the coaches and the guys and that type of atmosphere. I'm ready to be on edge. I haven't been on edge in a while."

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You have to hole a lot of putts to get to 20 under par, John Huston's winning score Sunday at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. To be in position to make those putts, however, you have to hit the ball close, something Huston said would likely not have been possible if not for a visit with a trainer whose efforts were "pretty miraculous."

Huston, 43, had been bothered by a sore left elbow and shoulder most of the year, and while they did not cause excruciating pain, they affected his swing. After missing the cut at the PGA Championship, Huston, who lives in Clearwater, decided to take a prolonged break. He also sought the help of Hap Hudson, a physical trainer in the area who has worked with the Philadelphia Phillies and came highly recommended by Scott Rolen, now with the St. Louis Cardinals.

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Waz started in October as Ewing and Thomas' new chief executive and immediately began crafting his vision. He's leading the company through an $800,000 expansion that will take the practice into fast-growing Trinity and Oldsmar.

Thomas said she likes Waz because he's a visionary, not a yes man.

"I think when you look for a successor, outward appearance isn't important," Thomas said. "We are as different as night and day, physically, in gender and in age. And yet if you talk to Jason for even a short time, the core values of what we want for the business are the same. Isn't that just the neatest thing to find such a match in values? That's the beauty of a small town."

Waz recruited David "Hap" Hudson, a former athletic trainer with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Philadelphia Phillies. Hudson now spends a lot of time training local high school athletes and helping them recover from injuries and surgeries.

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How in the world were the St. Louis Cardinals able to pull off one of the most underappreciated feats in baseball last summer, winning 100 games while playing most of the season without their star third baseman? ...

... "I'm feeling good now, like a normal shoulder. I can't tell you how much respect I have for Dr. Kremchek, and Hap Hudson (the long-time trainer and physical therapist who rehabbed Rolen). There's no better man than Hap Hudson.

"I can't thank both of them enough. Doc put me back together and Hap got me playing baseball again."

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NEW PORT RICHEY - Mike DeGennaro was concerned. The River Ridge High School football coach has read stories of steroid use in professional sports. He has seen reports of professional athletes failing drug tests. He has seen the ads for athletic supplements in bodybuilding magazines. He knows his kids have seen the same things.

That's why Hap Hudson, a trainer for 20 years in Major League Baseball, was at the River Ridge gym on Tuesday lecturing football players about the risks of using so-called performance-enhancing steroids and supplements. But, Hudson asked the more than 50 football players assembled, what are they really enhancing?
"How is bigger going to help me?" Hudson said. "Because it doesn't guarantee better.

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Eckstein, Pujols, Rolen and Carpenter have all been to the All-Star Game before, so the event doesn't necessarily carry much in the way of novelty for the Cards. But for Rolen, getting to this stage in '06, just a year removed from major shoulder surgery, was an achievement worth savoring.

"This is a special All-Star Game for me," he said. "You know, [the Mets'] David Wright was voted in and certainly earned that. I kind of had to earn my way on this one, which is great."

When he went under the knife, Rolen had no guarantee that his career would ever be the same. But a season in which he's hit .331 with 14 homers and 57 RBIs has again established him as one of the game's premier third basemen.

"I had a pretty extensive surgery on my left shoulder, and you never know what's going to happen the following year," Rolen said. "All I can say is that I have thanks that I need to hand out to people -- Dr. [Timothy] Kremchek in Cincinnati and [athletic trainer and physical therapist] Hap Hudson, who was training me for a lot of years. They helped me from the beginning and did an unbelievable job. They worked as hard or harder than I did and gave me an opportunity to be here today."

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Hap Hudson wants to help. That's what David Kelly "Hap" Hudson is all about. The 43-year-old has spent 20 years helping injured athletes from Venezuela to Japan using what he learned as an athletic trainer with the St.Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies.

During his time in the major leagues, Hudson worked with - or worked on - Willie McGee, Terry Pendleton, Ozzie Smith, Curt Schilling and Darren Daulton.

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