The food-stamp economy
On the last day of every month, shoppers at Walmart load their carts with food and household items and wait for the midnight hour. Is this the new normal in America? Full Article
Irvin is "humbled" by the Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Michael Irvin watched the Hall of Fame induction ceremony last year he pondered whether he would ever receive football's ultimate honor.
The man with limitless confidence on the field was riddled with doubts off of it.
"You've got to understand that class," he said. "John Madden, Troy Aikman, Harry Carson, Rayfield Wright, Warren Moon, Reggie White. That's what a Hall of Fame is.
"Those guys were great on the football field and off the football field. So to be honest with you, I doubted that I would ever do that."
Irvin's dream of stepping to the podium in Canton, Ohio will be realized Saturday when the former Dallas Cowboys receiver enters the hallowed hall with five other inductees.
He will be joined in the Class of 2007 by offensive linemen Bruce Matthews and Gene Hickerson, tight end Charlie Sanders, running back Thurman Thomas and cornerback Roger Wehrli.
EMOTIONAL CORNERSTONE
A five-times Pro Bowl receiver, Irvin was the emotional cornerstone for a Cowboys team that won three Super Bowls in a four-year span during the 1990s.
While few question Irvin's credentials as a receiver, his run-ins with the law over sex and drugs had many believing the only way he would get into the hall was with a ticket.
"I regret some of the things that happened off the football field," Irvin said this week during a conference call. "The things on the football field, I can't complain about."
In 1996 shortly after the Cowboys' third Super Bowl win, police arrested Irvin at a hotel while he was celebrating his 30th birthday with cocaine, marijuana and several strippers.
Other arrests over drugs occurred in subsequent years but Irvin said that was all behind him. In fact, the 12-year NFL veteran believes he may now be a role model.
"I will continue to live and try to do the right things," said the 41-year-old, whose 750 receptions ties him for 20th all-time.
"If that serves as an example, so be it and God bless it. Some of the mistakes I have made off the field, certainly when I go speak with some of the guys that are having problems, it helps lend an ear.
"They say, 'I know Michael has gone through it.' It's been pretty public. In their eyes I'm doing well and I am doing well. I'm blessed.
"So it gives people hope when they see someone else that has had struggles and they're doing fine."
Irvin, who retired in 1999, has a new respect for what it means to make the Hall of Fame. He concedes, however, he is not sure if he deserves the honor.
"It's funny, you know how I like to have fun and push the confidence button until it's bulging and cocky," he said. "But I really have been humbled."
