HAMILTON, Ont. -- Some have mistaken it for a tattoo. Others have actually asked to touch it. The scar stretching from the base of Delvin Breauxs skull down his neck to roughly his shoulder blades is a constant reminder of how fortunate the Hamilton Tiger-Cats rookie defensive back is to be alive. "I thank God and am so blessed," Breaux said this week at the CFL teams training camp at McMaster University. "I appreciate football much more because a lot of people wouldnt take a chance on me. "Im just so glad to have the opportunity to play again." The 23-year-old cheated on death Oct. 27, 2006, just two days after celebrating his 17th birthday. Having already committed to LSU, one of the top programs in U.S. college football, Breaux was covering a kickoff during a high school game in New Orleans when the force of making the tackle broke the C6 vertebrae in his neck and caused both the C4 and C5 to dramatically shift. His right vertebral artery, which carries blood from the heart to the brain and spine, was also severely damaged. "I remember it like it was yesterday," Breaux said. "Scouts from LSU, everybody, was in the stands and I wanted to make a play. "So I ran down and led with my head. That was the wrong thing to do but I wanted to make a play and I wasnt using my eyes and being smart about it. There I was, lying on the ground, I was out." Amazingly, Breaux walked off the field and upon reaching the sidelines told his coaches he wanted back in. But he began experiencing neck and back pain, blurred vision and difficulty swallowing because one of the discs in his neck slipped into his throat. "(Trainers) tried giving me two ibuprofens but I couldnt swallow and it was hard to breath," Breaux said. "My dad asked how I was doing and I said, Im good but call an ambulance." It was at the hospital that Breaux realized just how lucky he was. "The doctor told me afterwards I shouldve died on the football field, " Breaux said. "When I was first hurt, I didnt take it too seriously because my adrenalin was pumping but when I found out how bad it was, I broke down. "My parents, everybody, were crying." The six-foot-one, 196-pound Breaux required two operations, the first to fix the broken artery and provide stability in his spine. A metal plate was inserted into his neck during the second procedure. Breaux, who wore a Halo Brace to support the muscles in his neck and keep his head from moving around, lost roughly 30 pounds. Surprisingly, doctors told Breaux afterwards hed likely be able to resume playing football if his recovery went well. Trouble was, it took nearly six years and while Breaux attended LSU on an athletic scholarship, he never got medical clearance to play football there. After university, Breaux worked construction and as a bouncer to make ends meet. He played flag football before catching on with the semi-pro Louisiana Bayou Vipers. Breaux began the 2013 Arena Football League season with the New Orleans VooDoo before signing with Hamilton as a free agent. "Hes getting better every day and were really pleased with how he has performed," Tiger-Cats head coach and general manager Kent Austin said of Breaux. "He has an unbelievable attitude, hes a great story." And a sobering one. "These players risk a lot to play the game they love," Austin added. "We try to do the best we can to take care of them in practice but unfortunately things happen. "Good for him that he was able to overcome that situation and get back on the football field." Breaux said he didnt have to overcome fear when he resumed playing because his injury made him a smarter player. "Im still physical but I just take more precautions," he said. "I dont go running in there with my head down, I dont just go running in there (blindly) and make tackles if I dont have to. "I play with my eyes, thats what I started doing more ... and it has helped me be more prepared. Its about being cautious and safe." In full pads, Breauxs athletic ability shines through. He has the quickness to stay with a speedy receiver but can quickly pivot on a dime to get back in on a running play. Off the field, hes very engaging and quick to flash an infectious smile. But when the pads come off and he turns away, the focus turns immediately to the horrific scar that runs down his neck. "When many people see it they ask if its a tattoo or if they can touch it to see if its real," Breaux said. "To me, its a sign of adversity and fighting through adversity. "Many people wouldve quit, it wouldnt have been in their heart anymore to keep playing. But Im a different breed, I want to keep playing." Throughout his long recovery Breaux never doubted he would one day resume playing football. "I always had the thought of coming back even though many people told me my career was over ... I should go back to school and get my degree," he said. "But I never thought about quitting football, I always knew Id come back. "When I was leaving the hospital one of the doctors said, Make sure you send me Super Bowl tickets when you make it. That was my motivation. It was like, My doctor believes, let me go take this chance again." But Breauxs dream now is to get his hands on the Grey Cup. And to do that, hell have to adjust to a new game thats played with one less down on a longer, wider field. "Man, the field is wide and big, especially coming from arena football," Breaux said with a chuckle. "But its just understanding the game and watching the veterans work the field. "Football is football. Whatever position the coach puts you in you have to make a play. If you play on this field and have a helmet and shoulder pads on, you must be an athlete." For rookies like Breaux, one of the best places to impress the coaches is special teams, a challenge Breaux readily welcomes. "Im ready," he said. "I want to remember that I broke my neck on special teams so let me go down there and try this again. "I cant wait." Air Max 95 Sale . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Air Max 95 Outlet . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. http://www.airmax95sale.com/ . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Wholesale Air Max 95 . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Wholesale Air Max 95 For Sale . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. SEATTLE -- Mariners manager Scott Servais was blunt in his assessment of his teams performance in a lopsided series-ending loss to Houston, the team directly ahead of them in the A.L. West.Seattle committed four errors, walked four, and left 10 runners on, including leaving the bases-loaded in the first and third inning, en route to an 8-1 loss to the Astros on Sunday.Thats the worst game weve played all year, Servais said. Messed up six or seven plays in the field today. We played a terrible ball game. Theres no way you can sugarcoat that.Jose Altuve homered among his four hits and drove in three runs and Collin McHugh escaped a pair of bases-loaded jams to pitch six scoreless innings to drop the third-place Mariners four games behind Houston.Altuve had a two-run homer and three singles in five at-bats to raise his American League-leading average to .346. McHugh (6-6) allowed four hits and walked four, striking out 10 to win for the first time in eight starts since his last victory on May 30.Carlos Gomez added his second career grand slam in the seventh inning off Nathan Karns to put the Astros up 8-0.Kyle Seager singled home Seattles only run in the eighth off Chris Devenski.Mike Montgomery (3-4), making his second start this season after 30 relief appearances, allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings, walking two and striking out seven.Altuve had the green light on a 3-0 pitch in the third and delivered his 15th homer to follow Marwin Gonzalezs leadoff double, putting Houston up 3-0.Altuves a good hitter, and he had some good swings on me today, Montgomery said. I didnt do a good job. Hes 3-0, hes going to swing. I gave him a pitch to hit. In that situation, its okay to put him on base there, and I kind of made a mistake there and it cost me.The Astros made it 4-0 in the fifth when Gonzalez again doubled to open the inning, took third on a throwing error by center fielder Leonys Martin, and scored on Altuves single to left.The Astros hustled across an unearned run in the first. Gonzalez reached on a fielders choice and Altuve singled. Gonzalez stole third and continued around on an error by third baseman Seager, who misplayed the throw from catcher Jesus Sucre.McHugh escaped a pair of bases-loaded situations without allowing a run.In the first, Seagers one-out drive to right with the bases loaded barely hooked foul. Seager then struck out and Dae-Ho Lee bounced back to the mound.The first jam we were in, Seagers balls a couple feet foul, otherwiise its a completely different game, Astros manager A.ddddddddddddJ. Hinch said. Fun win to say the least, but a unique way to do it.In the third, the Mariners loaded the bases with no outs on a walk to Martin, a pop single by Robinson Cano on an overturned call and Nelson Cruzs single to the base of the wall in right-center. McHugh struck out Seager and then enticed Lee into an inning-ending double-play bouncer to second.It was a long run for (center fielder Carlos) Gomez to get to that ball, Servais said. Its certainly a play where the ball hits of the wall you should score on.Seattle has lost six of its last seven against Houston and scored just five runs in losing two of three in this series. The Mariners failed to capitalize on seven walks by Houston pitchers on Sunday and hit into five double plays.Our offense needed to get it going today and get us back in the game. Unfortunately it didnt happen, Servais said. We had guys on base. ... We had (McHugh) on the ropes a couple times early, and just couldnt push anything across.ALTUVE MISSES FIFTH HITAltuve, who struck out in his final at-bat, has 17 four-hit games in his career, but never a five-hit game. The elusive fifth hit is hard for him, Hinch said, Its a funny thing to say, because the first four arent very easy for anybody but Altuve.TRAINERS ROOM:Astros: SS Correa was hit by a pitch in the seventh. He stayed in the game, but was replaced by a pinch-hitter A.J Reed in the eighth. Correas fine. I took him out because I wanted Reed to get an at-bat and steal a couple innings of rest for him, Hinch said.Mariners: SS Ketel Marte and OF Nelson Cruz both returned to the lineup after missing Saturdays game. Marte injured his ankle Friday night and Cruz fouled a ball off the top of his left foot.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Mike Fiers (6-3, 4.35 ERA) opens the three-game series at Oakland. Fiers allowed four earned in runs in 3 1/3 innings with a no-decision in his last start prior to the All-Star break, but he has not lost in seven starts since May 27.Mariners: LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 3.52 ERA) makes his fourth start since being acquired in a trade with Toronto to open the three-game series against the White Sox at Safeco Field. He pitched six innings in each of his first two starts, but allowed five runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings in his last start, a no-decision against the Astros. ' ' '