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• The Americans make it to the second round of the WBC. U-S-A! U-S-A!

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• Amos Zereoue: From Steelers RB to Manhattan bistro runner.

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When he was a backup running back for the Steelers, Amos Zereoue started teaching himself how to cook just so he wouldn’t eat McDonald’s and microwave dinners every single night. A decade later, he’s helping make dinner for hundreds, the owner of a popular Affican/French bistro in New York’s Midtown district.

(Famous Amos, now with chef’s hat.)

Zereoue’s shift to restaurateur is one of the more unique transitions for former NFL players, though his transition is unique because of the restaurant’s style. Make no mistake, Zereoue — the restaurant, not the former player — is a four-star joint that caters to an elite clientele, not a sports bar near a football stadium, its proximity to Madison Square Garden not withstanding.

“We have to be different,” said Zereoue. “What’s new, what is different from the rest. I thought that was different. I didn’t want a sports bar with just burgers. I wanted something classy, high end type of thing. I didn’t want them to think from the name that it had just a sports theme. I wanted to get away from that.”

The approach is different and, so far, the results seem to be different, too. Rather than a significant portion of the sports bars opened by former stars, Zereoue’s bistro is succeeding not because of who he is, but because of what the restaurant is itself.

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