38 Special

"So, what's 'The Catch'?"   Silence fell around the table.  Varying degrees of disbelief and pity played over the faces of the other four men sitting with him.  Stewart felt his face redden at the apparent indiscretion he just committed.  The situation was exasperated by the very real confusion he felt concerning their reactions to his question.  "What?"

Kent looked around at the others.  "Is he for real?"

"Sadly, yes he is.”   Trevor lowered his head, his hand held over his heart.  A twinge of annoyance went through Stewart.  Sometimes Trevor could be over dramatic.  It was equal parts annoying and endearing.  It was also one of the foundations for their lifelong friendship.  

Stewart turned towards the other two.  Gary, the one on the left, was decidedly uninterested in the exchange.  He slouched in his seat, a bottle of Budweiser held loosely in his hand as he scanned the crowded room, looking for potential hookups.  Seated next to him was the subject of the conversation which Stewart inadvertently derailed.  At nearly twice their age, Phil was in better physical shape than half his table companions.  His hair was shaved short, much like a new Marine recruit.  Small wrinkles hid around the corners of his eyes, exposing themselves every time he smiled.   Right now, a bemused smile twitched his lips, suggesting that this wasn’t the first time he had heard that question.  He glanced at Kent.  “Do you want the honors?”

Kent smiled broadly.  “Most definitely.”  Leaning back, he drank deeply, his throat working as he drained the rest of his beer.  Leisurely he leaned forward, arms on the table and fingers laced together.  “What you are about to hear is a true story, with absolutely no embellishments.”

Gary pulled his attention back to the table long enough to interject.  “That would be a first.”

“Agreed.”   Trevor pushed from the table and stood up.  “I’m gonna grab some more beers.”  He turned and headed towards the bar, weaving through the thick crowd.  The bar was packed tonight, more so than usual.  Stewart had been coming here since the second semester of his sophomore year, so he knew how hard it was to get a table on a game night, especially during football season.  The fact that this was the first winning season that the Blue Knights have had in nearly a decade didn’t help matters.

“Picture it.  Late October, the turn of the Century…”

Phil shook his head.  “Good God, Kent, that makes me sound old.”

Kent smiled.  “Just a little dramatic flair.  An epic story has to have an epic beginning.”

“Can’t fault the logic.”  Gary leaned in as well.  “Your delivery, though…” he see-sawed his hand back and forth.

“Plus it makes you sound like Sophia from ‘The Golden Girls’.”  Phil sighed at the blank stares directed at him.  “Never mind.”  He waved a hand towards Kent.  “Proceed.”

“It was the year 2000.  The world had let out a collective sigh of relief as the threat of Y2K came and went, and it was back to business as usual.  Flash forward to October.  The Blue Knights are struggling to stay above .500 as they enter the last half of the season.  Their star running back is taken out of the game a week earlier due to a knee injury; out for the rest of the season.  Enter number 38, a third stringer with practically zero time on the field outside of practice.”

Trevor sat down next to Stewart, placing five bottles in the center of the table.  “What have I missed?”

“Star running back out for the season.”   Gary reached for a beer.  He tipped it towards Phil.  “Oh, and Kent called him old.”

“Implied.  There’s a difference.”  He took a sip from his new beer.  “The game was a defensive battle the first three quarters, 9-3 in favor of the Badgers.  The Knights received the kickoff with 7:20 left in the game.  They needed to go the length of the field, nothing less than a touchdown would help them.   The first play from scrimmage was a run up the middle, for negative yardage.  The second was an incomplete pass out to the flats.  Things were looking bleak for the Knights.”  Kent paused, taking another swallow of beer.

Stewart looked towards Phil.  He was sitting back in his seat, his eyes closed.  He was smiling as he listened to Kent tell his story, reliving that night.

Kent’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he continued.  “It was 3rd and 11,  The Knights lined up for a halfback option.  The quarterback gave a hard count, trying to draw the defense off-sides, but they held fast.  With one second left on the play clock they hiked the ball.  Immediately the linebackers burst through the offensive line, nearly sacking the quarterback.  He spun to his left, flushed out of the pocket.  He scanned down the field, looking for an open receiver.  Then he saw number 14 break across the middle.  He didn’t hesitate.  He threw a bullet, the tightest spiral he had all night.  As he threw it he was knocked to the ground.  The pass went high, flying over the head of its intended receiver.  Then,  ‘The Catch’ happened.”

Stewart glanced around the table.  Even though this was clearly a story well known to everyone at the table, they all sat forward in rapt anticipation.  Except for Phil, who still sat back with his eyes closed, smiling.

“Out of nowhere, number 38 leapt up, reaching backwards as the ball sailed past.  It brushed the fingertips of one hand  before settling into the palm of the other.  He pulled it to his chest as he somersaulted backwards over a defender.  He landed on his feet, stumbled, regained his balance, then ran forward to midfield before being tackled from behind.  It electrified the team and the crowd.  Four plays later they were in the endzone.”

Stewart was impressed.  “It was the game winning play.”

Phil opened his eyes.  His smile widened as he shook his head.  “Actually, it wasn’t.  The Badgers came back on the next possession and scored another field goal.   We lost by two.”

Stewart wasn't sure he heard correctly.  "You didn't win?  What kind of story is that?"

"Nope.  The story was never about the game, or the season, for that matter.  We actually ended with a 6-5 record.  The story is about how one specific moment can bring everyone to their feet. Fans started calling it the '38 special'.  I think someone even printed off some t-shirts with that on it. The catch proved how certain moments can be magical, even in a world that doesn’t have time for magic.  Also, not to brag, but it was a pretty awesome catch."

Trevor nodded.  "Probably the best catch that never made it to a highlight reel."

Gary tipped his bottle towards his companions.   "I'll drink to that. "