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Charlotte today gets a visit from a man who's widely considered the best in his field. And when you're talking about orthopedic surgeons, that's quite an accomplishment. Doctor James Andrews operates on some of the best known athletes in the U.S. CNBC sports business reporter Darren Rovell says if you've never heard of Dr. James Andrews, then you're probably not playing sports for a living. "Every athlete who's ever been hurt knows who Dr. James Andrews is," Rovell says. Among them, New Orleans Saints Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees. Four years before winning the Super Bowl in February, Brees' career was in jeopardy. A significant shoulder injury took him to Birmingham, AL to see Andrews. And after a 2-hour surgery, Brees' career was back on track. "It seems to be that going with Dr. James Andrews is this slam dunk," Rovell says. "This is the touchdown. This is the best way you can ensure yourself of the greatest chance to recover." Andrews started working on professional athletes in the mid 1980s. His client list reads like a who's who of American sports: Jack Nicklaus, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan and Troy Aikman. And it continues today. When college star quarterback Sam Bradford needed a shoulder fixed before this year's NFL draft, he called the 68-year-old Andrews. Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis consulted Andrews last week after his second knee injury in a matter of months. Andrews has performed so many surgeries - on both pro and recreational athletes - he's lost count. Andrews' best guess is about 40,000 surgeries. That's because he rarely says no. "There's one little simple rule, and that's answer the telephone," Andrews says. "So, I'm constantly talking to people. Yeah, Sunday night people call me about an injury from Sunday afternoon football game in the NFL. Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow morning." Jim Fleischli, a surgeon at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, trained under Andrews 10 years ago. "He's a very busy guy," Fleischli says. "He works harder than any other person I've ever worked with or been around in my life. Which is one of the keys to his success. He's a tireless worker. 14 hour days everyday. . . did as many as 20 surgeries a day with him." During football season, Andrews works seven days a week. Weekdays are spent between his offices in Birmingham and Gulf Breeze, FL. Saturdays are spent caring for Alabama and Auburn football players. (He uses a jet to get to both schools' games.) And come Sunday, Andrews is on the sideline at Washington Redskins games. But Fleischli says it isn't just Andrews' work ethic that stands out. It's also the way he handles his superstar patients. "He deals with them as real people as well, kind of gets to know 'em on a personal level," Fleischli says. "He slaps them on the shoulder and says 'How ya doin' man?' in that Southern accent of his, and just makes them feel at ease and comfortable, despite the fact that they have an injury that may be threatening their professional career he makes them feel comfortable and confident in the care that they're receiving." Former Carolina Panthers linebacker Dan Morgan twice suffered shoulder injuries that required surgery. Both times, he went to Andrews. "When you're messing with your body and your career you want to go to the best to make sure it's 100 percent done the right way," Morgan says. "And the only way to do - really do that is to go out to Dr. Andrews." But the ever-modest Andrews doesn't necessarily agree. He says many of the athletes he sees could get the same level of care from their doctors at home. "Absolutely. Matter of fact, I send a lot of athletes back. I try to get 'em back to the ones that I've trained, the ones that I know across the country, to the team physicians that are taking care of their own particular team. I try to get 'em back to 'em." Besides helping established athletes heal, Andrews is now focusing on preventing injuries in younger ones. He's helped Little League establish pitch counts for young throwers and asks that parents not push their kids to specialize in one sport year-round because, he says, young bodies can't take the abuse. Dr. Andrews today headlines a luncheon at the Westin hosted by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.