David Meeks

David Meeks

David Meeks has never hesitated to speak truth to power. He’s uncovered shady coal mine operators in Alabama, corrupt politicians in Louisiana and supported single fathers in Florida. When New Orleans flooded after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Meeks, then Sports Editor of The Times-Picayune, refused an evacuation order. He commandeered a newspaper truck, assembled a team of journalists and won two Pulitzer Prizes. He has worked for the Los Angeles Times, Associated Press, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and was the Managing Editor of USA Today Sports. He is Alabama-born and Michigan-raised, and today lives with his family in Washington, D.C.
Sports
David Meeks

Hank Aaron’s Power And Grace Live Forever

Watching Hank Aaron hit his record-setting home run from 1974, it almost means more to me now than it did then. Why? Because I am so glad I saw it as it happened. I was 10 years old when Aaron, in the national spotlight as the season opened amid his chase of Babe Ruth’s record, hit the 715 th home run of his brilliant career. When Aaron passed away at age 86 on Thursday, so many of us thought abou

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Sports
David Meeks

Don Shula: A Sports Photographer’s View Of The Legendary Coach

Don Shula, the winningest coach in National Football League history and hailed by his team as the “patriarch of the Miami Dolphins franchise for 50 years,” died on Monday at age 90, the passing of a legend who said he only wanted to be remembered as a coach who did things the right way. Of that, there is no doubt. Shula oozed integrity and class, universally respected and beloved. He is the person

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Humor
David Meeks

Diarrhea Is Your friend, So Stop Complaining

Our entire family came down with COVID recently and we’re all fine but I have a few observations.  The first is a serious public service announcement: Don’t put your health at risk, get the vaccines. All three of us were vaccinated, but I was the only one who had recently gotten the booster, as my wife and son were not yet eligible. So what happened? Our son recovered quickly because he is vaccina

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Sports
David Meeks

Team Guy With An Eye: Photos Of Some Of The NBA Greats

Florida Keys resident Marc Serota saw his share of future NBA Hall of Famers as the Miami Heat team photographer for more than a decade. Serota never missed a home game in his tenure. He was there for the franchise’s first game in 1988. He was behind the lens for all three of the team’s NBA championships. Along the way, he also captured memorable images of NBA superstars on the visiting teams, inc

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Humor
David Meeks

Mosquitoes: Should You Get Even – Or Give Blood?

Fall is such a beautiful season, but not because of the crisp air and lovely colors. It’s because I’ve finally got a chance against the mosquitoes. They’ve been mocking me since May, laughing at my efforts to keep them out of the house, feasting on family blood with reckless abandon – life’s been pretty good for the creature most of us regard as the worst part of summer living. Well, at least unti

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Sports
David Meeks

NFL ManoPicks: Eagles To Fly higher, Cowboys In Neutral In NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys last won the Super Bowl in 1996 and last season may have missed their best chance since to claim another championship, when a 12-5 campaign ended with a playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, most are tabbing Dallas as this year’s favorite to win the NFC East and on paper, it’s a sensible pick. From a statistics standpoint, Dak Prescott is the best quarterback in the divi

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Sports
David Meeks

NFL ManoPicks: Motivated Bills Are Clear Favorites In AFC East

The AFC East looks like a competitive division in 2022 and it will be – for second place. Defending division champ Buffalo should have gone to the Super Bowl last season and even in the brutal AFC, the Bills are my pick to represent the conference this year. Miami will be improved and New England is hard to figure, while the Jets will be more competitive than they’ve been in years. Here are my 202

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Meeks' Week
David Meeks

How To Achieve Life’s Important Goals – Go Big Or Go Bigger

This is a story about setting goals and achieving them, in this case my goal to acquire a new television. I’m sharing how I accomplished it in case you are a goal setter too. And I should clarify. It’s not just buying a TV when you’re married, it’s about bringing a new TV into the marriage. You always hear that as a devoted spouse you need to be regularly thinking of ways to keep your marriage int

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Sports
David Meeks

NFL ManoPicks: Ryan Brings What Colts Need To Take AFC South

Every season in the NFL there is that talented team that brings in the veteran quarterback in hopes of finally getting to a Super Bowl. It usually doesn’t happen, but never say never: It happened last year with the addition of Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, who persuaded the Detroit Lions (who else?) to take the uninspiring Jared Goff off their hands. L.A. went on to win it all and that

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Sports
David Meeks

NFL ManoPicks: Saints Will Topple Brady, Bucs In NFC South

Tom Brady led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43) at age 44, and he won’t care at all if an improved Tampa Bay running game in 2022 puts a dent in those numbers. After all, the man is 45. Tom Terrific is all about winning Super Bowls – he’s got six with New England, one with Tampa Bay – and last year the Bucs didn’t get there, getting out-dueled by the eventual champion Los Angele

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