'Four of them,' Neely said. 'Completely ruptured the ligament, busted the kneecap.'
'So the helmet got you?'
'The linebacker went for the knee asNeely was stepping out of bounds,' Paul said. 'They showed it a dozen times on television. One of the announcers had the guts to call it a cheap shot. It was A&M, what can I say?'
'Must've hurt like hell.'
'It did.'
'He was carried off in an ambulance and they wept in the streets of Messina.'
'I'm sure that's true,' Silo said. 'But it doesn't take much to get this town upset. Rehab didn't work?'
'It was what they sadly refer to as a career-ending injury,' Neely said. 'Therapy made things worse. I was toast from the second I tucked the ball and ran.Should've stayed in the pocket like I'd been coached.'
'Rake never told you to stay in the pocket.'
'It's a different game up there, Silo.'
'Yeah, they're a bunch of dumbasses. They never recruited me. I could've been great, probably the first nose tackle to win the Heisman.'
'No doubt about it,' Paul said.
'Everybody knew it at Tech,' Neely said. 'All the players kept asking me, 'Where's the great Silo Mooney? Why didn't we sign him?' '
'What a waste,' Paul said. 'You'd still be in the NFL.'
'Probably with the Packers,' Silo said.'Making the big bucks.Chicks bangin' on my door.The life.'
'Didn't Rake want you to go to a junior college?'Neely asked.
'Yeah, I was headed there, but they wouldn't let me finish school here.'
'How'd you get in the Army?'
'I lied.'
And there was no doubt that Silo had lied to get in the Army, and probably lied to get out. 'I need a beer,' he said. 'You guys want a beer?'
'I'll pass,' Paul said. 'I need to be heading home soon.'
'What about you?'
'A beer would be nice,' Neely said.
'You gonna stay here for a while?' Silo asked.
'Maybe.'
'Me too.It just seems like the place to be right now.'
* * *
The Spartan Marathon was an annual torture run created by Rake to inaugurate each season. It was held the first day of August practice, always at noon, for maximum heat. Every varsity hopeful reported to the track in gym shorts and running shoes, and when Rake blew his whistle the laps began.
