Your friendly neighborhood NFL player

  My dad's favorite athlete is Roberto Clemente,  former right fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The upstairs office in our house is full of baseball cards, signed balls, and books about the late Mr. Clemente. Growing up dad could only see his idol on TV, a baseball card, or the rare occurrence of in person at a game at Three Rivers Stadium. Whereas these days I can simply tweet my favorite player. Social Media has made a new kind of fan-player relationship possible. Like I said before, it's as if you feel like you know the player personally simply by following them on Twitter or liking them on Facebook. 

   Meet Ryan Clark: Starting Safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, 2011 Pro Bowler, 2009 Superbowl champion, and runs carpool for his three kids. Just follow Clark on Twitter, @RealRClark25, and you'll find out all kinds of fun facts about the football star and his life off the field. From tweeting about being seventh in the carpool line to hot tub night with his kids to people watching in the ATL airport during a layover Clark makes his personal Twitter just that, personal. I don't even know how many girls tweet to Justin Beiber on a daily basis but one thing I do know is Ryan Clark goes out of his way to reply back to fans. Just ask Caroline Laakso. 

   Just like Hines Ward is my dream man, Ryan Clark is hers. But unlike Ward, who has never replied back to my countless mentions (no hard feelings Hines), Clark replied back to Caroline Laakso. Of course Caroline RT'd it and that was the day I followed Ryan Clark on Twitter. It was the first time a Steeler had personally replied back to one of my friends and I must say I was impressed. Clark's tweets about his kids crack me up and his twitpics from the Pro Bowl were amazing! Clark's already a media darling in his own right. After surviving a brush with death at Mile High Field in 2007 and going from being undrafted to a Superbowl champion, Clark isn't your average NFL player. If you're watching Sunday afternoon football you can find Clark wearing #25. But if you're lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Steeler practice Clark will be sporting the #21. This number switch is to honor Sean Taylor, Clark's former teammate with the Redskins. But it's the simple fact that Clark would wave a Terrible Towel and honk his horn if he was first in the carpool line at the request of a Twitter fan that makes him not only a stand up player but a stand up guy.


  I'm sure there are countless other NFL players who reply back to fans and make an effort to reach out and connect with fans much like Ryan Clark does. So don't feel like a nerd the next time you mention your one of your favorite players in your tweets. Who knows they might reply back. When I started writing this blog Saturday night I tweeted about it and mentioned Clark. I wasn't even a paragraph in when low and behold I got a mention from Ryan Clark. My night/life was made. Let's just say Hines Ward has some serious competition for my jersey next year. Hope I was nice enough for you Mr. Clark! #blackandyellow #blackandyellow #blackandyellow