The following was submitted by Chargers center Nick Hardwick.
So I’m not even sure who’s going to be reading this blog, but I want to say hi to everybody. Maybe my parents are going to read this…that would be fun! Hi mom and dad, I’ll facetime you later this week!
I really love San Diego. I’ve got great, unbelievable neighbors. We look out for each other and each other’s homes. We spend a lot of time together. I found a great little nook over in the Point Loma and Ocean Beach area, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have that for the last nine years we’ve been there.
But overall, I just love this place. I mean shoot, it’s one of the only places in America you can go out and go to football practice and wear shorts and a t-shirt every day of the year. Everyone else is in a bubble or wearing sweatpants freezing, and we’re just incredibly lucky out here. I truly love this place.
I’ve got a young son who is almost one named Hudson Harold Hardwick. Triple H. My dad’s a triple H named Herman Harold Hardwick the third, but my wife wouldn’t approve Herman so he’s Hudson and is starting his own lineage. He’s become my life. Once you accept the fact that you’ve got a child and you’re responsible to take care of him, it’s just an extension of you. He’s a part of me, and I’m a part of him. I love going home and taking care of him and spending time with him. He’s walking now which is unreal. Everything’s just going so fast. It’s been a really fun time and amazing watching him grow. It’s given me a new lease on life. I’m 31 years old, but I feel like a kid again. Every day I’m excited to come to work, have a great time here and bust my butt, and then come home and bust my butt at home. I’m just having a great time.
We’re on the road this weekend in Pittsburgh. Road trips for me consist of a lot of sleep on the plane and a lot of food. Then it’s all about honing in and getting your mind right for the game. Pittsburgh feels like the home of football. It truly is a great place to play and they are a great team with a strong history. They know exactly what they’re doing. It’s going to be a tough task but we’re up for it. I’m really excited to go there and so are the rest of the guys to go and raise hell in Pittsburgh.
One of my favorite things going on the road is seeing all the Chargers fans that follow us. That means a lot to see them traveling to other cities to see us, spending their hard earned money to take a little vacation to watch us play football. It’s pretty amazing and makes you feel really special. It’s a good feeling.
So that about does it. Keep cheering hard for us. We’re busting our tails at work and hopefully this week we can come out of this slump we’ve been in. That would be great for us. The San Diego Chargers have never beaten Pittsburgh at home in the regular season and we hope to do that this weekend.
Nick
