'Real Sports' hits new highs with NFL special

Peter King

HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" is always good but this month's episode is especially noteworthy.

The piece on Peter King is good, and captures some -- not nearly all -- of the manic pace King keeps in producing his weekly stories, columns and blogs for Sports Illustrated, as well as TV and radio appearances. (If you'v enever experienced his "Monday Morning Quarterback" column, start now.

But more illuminating are three other pieces:

Short-Changed

1) A disturbing examination of two former NFL players who are broke after burning through millions of dollars in a few short years. What's crazy is more than half of NFL players go broke after they retire. Why? Simply living like kings while they're in the league, unwilling to accept the fact their careers are the shortest of any pro league.

Troy Aikman

2) An illuminating profile of Troy Aikman, who is earning respect in his second career as a TV analyst, following his playing career as a three-time-winning Super Bowl quarterback.

Supersized Linemen

3) A sad update on a previous look into the post-career health problems experienced by the growing number of players who weigh more than 300 pounds. You couldn't script a story where one of your subjects dies just five days after you interview him. But here you have it.

I was heartened to read recently that B.J. Raji, the fearsome Green Bay defensive tackle who weighs in at about 350 pounds, saying his retirement planning includes a full-time chef who will keep him on a healthy diet. Raji knows his big weight is a part of his job, but also smart enough to know that he'll need to plan to ensure he doesn't become just another casualty among linemen whose weight earns them short-term glory but long-term pain, let alone early death.

Hockey up close and personal

I've been out of town so just finished watching the third of four installments of "24/7 Pens/Caps: Road to the NHL Winter Classic."

The series culminates with the NHL's outdoor New Year's Day Winter Classic game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in front of 60,000-plus fans at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, normally the home of the NFL's Steelers. The HBO series itself is a spinoff of the network's successful "Hard Knocks" series tracking an NFL team each preseason.

But this is the first time HBO has followed two NHL teams around the clock leading up to the big game and as a hockey fan I've been glued to each episode. A bum hip forced me into retirement from beer-league hockey but each episode has my adrenaline pumping to the point I feel like lacing up the skates again. 

If you're a newcomer to hockey, this is a great introduction to a beautiful sport and some of the greatest athletes in the world. If you're already a hockey fan, "24/7 Pens/Caps" is a no-brainer. I know what happened on the ice today but come Wednesday's final episode that documents today's action, I'll find out what really happened.

"The Promise" delivers new light on Springsteen

HBO has been showing a 90-minute documentary on the making of Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town" that puts Bruce, at least for me, in a new light. 

I've always been a passing but not passionate fan of Springsteen. I own a half-dozen Springsteen albums, including "Darkness," but I haven't listened to any in more than a decade. 

However, after watching "The Promise: The Making of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town," I've come away with a new appreciation for the persistence and passion that fueled an arduous recording process from 1976-78. Springsteen comes across as an egotistical control freak, but in a good way as he chases the perfect phrase, the ideal snare sound, the right mix of songs. It's his name on the brand -- it's interesting to see that he already knows he's building a brand way back in 1978 --  so he goes over the top in chasing down the details, often to the disgust/respect of The E Street Band. 

Hardcore Boss fans no doubt have already seen this show, but I encourage casual fans to give it a watch. The story behind the story often seems straight out of Bruce's own lyrics celebrating hard work, heartache and the American Dream.