Tis the season for a comeback.
At least, that seems to be the mentality behind Freddie Jackson’s new album. After a seven year absence from the recording scene, the musical legend released “For You” just in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The album was helmed by well-known producer Barry Eastmond, who helped facilitate Jackson’s comeback effort. Consequently, Jackson focused his efforts on challenging himself creatively, and the new album already boasts the single “I Don’t Wanna Go.” The majority of the tracks are powerful ballads, designed to feature Jackson’s distinctive voice.
At age 53, Jackson has already had a storied career with hits such as “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” and “You Are My Lady.” His prolific career has spawned chart topping hits in the 80s and 90s, proving that this crooner has come a long way since his humble start singing backup in a Harlem nightclub.

Tis the season for a comeback.
At least, that seems to be the mentality behind Freddie Jackson’s new album. After a seven year absence from the recording scene, the musical legend released “For You” just in time for the holiday shopping rush.
The album was helmed by well-known producer Barry Eastmond, who helped facilitate Jackson’s comeback effort. Consequently, Jackson focused his efforts on challenging himself creatively, and the new album already boasts the single “I Don’t Wanna Go.” The majority of the tracks are powerful ballads, designed to feature Jackson’s distinctive voice.
At age 53, Jackson has already had a storied career with hits such as “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)” and “You Are My Lady.” His prolific career has spawned chart topping hits in the 80s and 90s, proving that this crooner has come a long way since his humble start singing backup in a Harlem nightclub.

A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who's going to the Super Bowl


If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team's fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday's 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.

But Buffalo's long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who's donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What's even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. "I haven't talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars," she says. "Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going." Looking for hope? Here's some.

ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a "Terrible Towel" kind of a silly thing to wave?

OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.

ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?

O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands... and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don't think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he's made a lot of great plays for us.

ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won't know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there's something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?

O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we've improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It's tough losing by close margins. The record doesn't show how well the team is doing.

ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?

O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don't know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.

ESQ: What's more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick's 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?

O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He's made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.

ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.

O: I think it's fun to switch it up every now and then. I don't mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.

ESQ: Buffalo's a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?

O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you're just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I'm an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.

ESQ: Which of the three teams you've lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?

O: I'm gonna go with Pittsburgh. They're probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that's sometimes what it takes.

ESQ: You have a master's degree in education. How important is it that a guy who's interested in you be, you know, not dumb?

O: Depending on their career path, they don't have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I'll take brains over looks.

A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who's going to the Super Bowl


If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team's fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday's 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.

But Buffalo's long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who's donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What's even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. "I haven't talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars," she says. "Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going." Looking for hope? Here's some.

ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a "Terrible Towel" kind of a silly thing to wave?

OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.

ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?

O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands... and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don't think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he's made a lot of great plays for us.

ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won't know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there's something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?

O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we've improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It's tough losing by close margins. The record doesn't show how well the team is doing.

ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?

O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don't know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.

ESQ: What's more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick's 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?

O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He's made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.

ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.

O: I think it's fun to switch it up every now and then. I don't mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.

ESQ: Buffalo's a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?

O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you're just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I'm an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.

ESQ: Which of the three teams you've lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?

O: I'm gonna go with Pittsburgh. They're probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that's sometimes what it takes.

ESQ: You have a master's degree in education. How important is it that a guy who's interested in you be, you know, not dumb?

O: Depending on their career path, they don't have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I'll take brains over looks.

Last season, New Hanover came away with the Mideastern Conference boys basketball title and sprinted all the way to the state quarterfinals in thrilling fashion.
This year, the Wildcats are hoping to put on an extra burst of speed.

Gone are the two low-post powers who led the Wildcats through much of the regular season, but the Wildcats still return point guard Freddie Jackson, a posse of athletic wings and a sophomore center who has already opened eyes.

All spent the summer and preseason getting back to the two ways coach Kirk Angel likes to play: fast and faster.

"That's what I started doing this summer," Angel said. "We're pressing every possession. We'd really like transition to get up and down really fast; just organized chaos."

It helps that New Hanover couldn't have a better floor general than Jackson for the fast break.

A 6-foot-3 point guard who has committed to UNC-Wilmington, Jackson burst onto the stage in the postseason last year. He led the Wildcats to the regional semifinals and posted 18 points and 10 assists in the loss to Fayetteville Terry Sanford last spring.

"Freddie's not your typical high school point guard," Angel said. "When you're 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan running the point, that's pretty special."

Jackson and the Wildcats got a chance to show what they can do Tuesdaywhen they opened the season in Fayetteville with a 74-68 loss to Terry Sanford in a state tournament rematch against the Bulldogs.

"When we play that game I think it will show me a lot," Angel said beforehand. "I've got six or seven seniors this year and they've been in the program. They went to a regional this year. They know what it takes to get back. I'm going to get some character revealed in a hurry."

The Wildcats will need to gel if they plan to survive a deep conference.

Hoggard returns its leader, point guard Stilman White; Laney returns most of its guard-heavy team and adds Ashley transfer Travis Keyes; Ashley fields a bevy of big men.

But Angel said he still likes his chances with Jackson and sophomore Nigel Holley, a 6-foot-7 center who can run the floor and wowed scouts at the Adidas Phenom 150 camp this summer.

"He's our only true center, so I've got to have him contribute," Angel said. "I'm telling him I don't need a lot out of him, just rebounds and guard people. We don't need him to score a lot of points – we're real guard heavy."

Last season, New Hanover came away with the Mideastern Conference boys basketball title and sprinted all the way to the state quarterfinals in thrilling fashion.
This year, the Wildcats are hoping to put on an extra burst of speed.

Gone are the two low-post powers who led the Wildcats through much of the regular season, but the Wildcats still return point guard Freddie Jackson, a posse of athletic wings and a sophomore center who has already opened eyes.

All spent the summer and preseason getting back to the two ways coach Kirk Angel likes to play: fast and faster.

"That's what I started doing this summer," Angel said. "We're pressing every possession. We'd really like transition to get up and down really fast; just organized chaos."

It helps that New Hanover couldn't have a better floor general than Jackson for the fast break.

A 6-foot-3 point guard who has committed to UNC-Wilmington, Jackson burst onto the stage in the postseason last year. He led the Wildcats to the regional semifinals and posted 18 points and 10 assists in the loss to Fayetteville Terry Sanford last spring.

"Freddie's not your typical high school point guard," Angel said. "When you're 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan running the point, that's pretty special."

Jackson and the Wildcats got a chance to show what they can do Tuesdaywhen they opened the season in Fayetteville with a 74-68 loss to Terry Sanford in a state tournament rematch against the Bulldogs.

"When we play that game I think it will show me a lot," Angel said beforehand. "I've got six or seven seniors this year and they've been in the program. They went to a regional this year. They know what it takes to get back. I'm going to get some character revealed in a hurry."

The Wildcats will need to gel if they plan to survive a deep conference.

Hoggard returns its leader, point guard Stilman White; Laney returns most of its guard-heavy team and adds Ashley transfer Travis Keyes; Ashley fields a bevy of big men.

But Angel said he still likes his chances with Jackson and sophomore Nigel Holley, a 6-foot-7 center who can run the floor and wowed scouts at the Adidas Phenom 150 camp this summer.

"He's our only true center, so I've got to have him contribute," Angel said. "I'm telling him I don't need a lot out of him, just rebounds and guard people. We don't need him to score a lot of points – we're real guard heavy."