He knows the ropes

When he hears the oft-uttered phrase ''uncharted waters" referring to a professional athlete returning to a physical sport after a stroke, Smith chuckles.

''I've seen it done before," Smith says. ''So I believe, without a doubt, that Tedy Bruschi will be fine."

Smith's opinion is based on another case of an athlete returning to his profession following a stroke -- a champion calf roper named Stran Smith.

Two and a half years ago, Smith, then 32, faced an incident similar to the one Bruschi experienced a couple of days after returning from his first Pro Bowl. As was the case with Bruschi, who turned 32 in June, Smith's mild stroke was caused by a blood clot that passed through his heart via a small hole, known medically as a patent foramen ovale (PFO). Both Smith and Bruschi had a plug implanted to repair the congenital heart defect.

About the only significant variants between the cases are Bruschi's symptoms, and early aftereffects of the stroke included some numbness, difficulty walking, and loss of vision in his left eye, although Smith could not speak.

Another difference is Bruschi has waited seven months after the heart procedure to return to competition. Smith returned to the rodeo circuit in just two months, and in 2004, his first full year back, he finished second in the overall standings, a career best.

''Since he had the stroke I've been watching -- and I have never spoken with Tedy Bruschi -- but later, when I heard it was caused by a PFO, I wasn't worried about him at all," Smith said. ''I knew that he would want to come back, and I knew that he would come back. Because once they fix it and your heart accepts the device, within two months your heart has completely healed over and you're fine.

''I feel like my story was better told in the rodeo world than Bruschi's has been in the football world. People are so uneducated about it that they think there's a chance he could go through that again.

''All the doctors I've spoken with said once the device is accepted in your heart and the skin grows over it, there's no chance that that would be the cause of another stroke. There's not even a chance of it."

Despite its seriousness, Smith now laughs about his stroke.