After this years draft in Atlanta, I was able to go to my first Cauliflower Alley Club meeting in Las Vegas.  This was the 44th year of the convention.  It was started years ago by a wrestler turned actor, Mike Mazurki who was doing films in the 30's and 40's.  If you enjoy black and white movies, you probably saw him as a bad guy.  He started the club to bring together wrestlers, boxers and actors. The Iron Mike Award has gone to guys like Terry Funk, Harley Race and Brett Hart.  This year it went to a man who truly deserves an award of this stature, Nick Bockwinkle.  I flew in Tuesday afternoon and when I arrived, I looked all over for my driver who was going to take me to the hotel.  After walking all over the airport looking,  I called travel who assured me that the car was there to take me and Sgt. Slaughter to the hotel.  Slaughter, he got me again, told the driver that I was not coming and left me at the airport.  Another one for Sarge. I think it is time for a receipt.  Getting to the hotel, I noticed it was not one of the bigger named places. But as soon as I arrived, I knew it was the right place. Fans, not marks, were everywhere. Most of them were nice. But if you meet 100 people, you know you will run across at least one jerk.  The folks at the CAC (Cauliflower Alley Club) had just the right amount of security to intercept the ones looking for trouble.  That night at the dinner,  I saw some of the guys I saw in Houston at WM XXV, Harley, Bockwinkle and others.  Also there were many indi wrestlers, guys and girls with all kind of gimmicks and looks.  This is kind of a throw back to the days of the territory's. People that really love the business, most of them know that the chance to get to the SHOW the WWE is very slim, but they love wrestling and will do it at any level.  You can't help but wonder as you meet many of them which ones will make it to the big time. There is no set rule, no set criteria, some have it and some don't. You can't tell a book by it's cover.  Not a whole lot of people thought that I would still be on the WWE roster, but here I am after all these years.  You can't measure someones heart, determination and hard work. It all  goes a long way. At dinner, I had a chance to talk to Super Star Billy Graham and saw the Iron Sheik.  But mostly, there were guys that had not had the opportunity to work with in the WWE, Mid South, Dallas and Atlanta ( back in the real old days).  It was good to talk about things that you could never do now a days,  with camera phones and the internet, the guys now have to be on their best behaviour. You never know who is filming you and you will be all over the internet.  But, hay, it was the 80's.   Lots of time in the car driving from one part of the country to the other.  The guys were closer then, you had to be.  We would spend a lot of time traveling with each other,  and that's a good way to get to know someone. Lots of fights, lots of girls, lots of partying, boy, do I miss the old days.  Hey, it was the 80's! What a great time to be a wrestler.  Now many of us are older,  but not all, many are gone.  Many of my good friends and two of my best friends, Terry Gordy and Gino Hernandez, are already gone. But it was not from wrestling, it was a lifestyle choice and we all paid a price. Many are cancer survivors, divorced, and addicted to something.  But that's what we  did. It was our choice, we were all over 21.   But, also, their are many of us that are doing well. Guys still with their wife and family and  many doing  a regular job.  Life is what you make it.               Big party after the dinner at Ceasar's and before I know it, it is 3:00 am ,  7:00 am for my east coast time zone body.  Ouch!  Rough morning, but I was able to get in my workout at the hotel gym, and then a power nap.  The main banquet was coming up, so I needed to get some rest.   It was a nice dinner and the food was great, as always in Vegas.  After dinner, there were awards for some old friends Art Crews, Princess Jasmine and Reggie Parks, were remembered for what they did in the ring along with others. What a good group of folks, fans, wrestlers past, present and many hopefuls. Another night in Vegas, WOW,  and then I am off to Key West for my sixth World Sailfish Championship. Looking forward to seeing my friends Wade Boggs and Johnny Bench.  Don Shula and a real American hero General Swartzhopft will be there also.   Wrestlemania XXV,  Cauliflower Alley Club and World Sailfish Championship all with in a three week period. Like I said in my last post, a time only a WWE wrestler could have.  Oh, my best time of the whole trip to Vegas,  was after dinner, Sarge asked me if my desert tasted ok. Mine was fine Sarge, I don't know about yours. Wrestler's honor!