DALLAS — There’s nothing worse than the dead-fish handshake. That is except for the left-handshake. That’s like the guy facing the wrong way in the elevator or something. So when I introduced myself to Dallas Clark and he extended his left hand, I almost ended the interview right there.

That’s when I noticed the long scar on his right hand and remembered that the Colts tight end’s season was cut short after just six weeks with a wrist injury.

Fair enough. Interview on. How’s the wrist?

“Two weeks into rehab and it’s going great,” said Clark, whose wrist was in a cast for three months after surgery. “It’s a slow process, but getting better every day.”

Clark said the fact that the injury took place in Week 6 will allow him to make a full recovery in time for next season.

“It’s good to get it done early and get back,” he said. “I’ll be back ready to go next year.”

Clark is in Dallas to support the American Heart Association — more on that in a second — but almost didn’t make it because of all the wintry weather.

“This is unbelievable,” he said. “I didn’t know it did this. And obviously by the reaction of everyone else, I don’t think it does. It is definitely taking everyone … by storm.”

Good one. Almost as good as Dallas in Dallas.

Clark is as nice as they come in the NFL and he’s here with the American Heart Association, dressed in a bright red sweater, to support an important cause — the annual “Go Red For Women” awareness campaign. The cause hits close to home for Clark.

“My mother passed away three days before I graduated high school in ’98,” Clark explained. “It just sent a huge ripple through my family and was really awful.”

He understands the NFL’s demographic and that most people reading this probably won’t be of the female variety. But he encourages everyone to tell their loved ones — male or female — to go to Goredforwomen.org to educate themselves on the No. 1 killer of women in the United States.

“It’s preventable,” Clark said. “And I’m honored to be out here to get the word out for a great cause.”

– Aron Angel

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