Chapter 2

We had returned home (the New York Apartment) and if you have ever flown 10 hours or more, you will know what I mean by being tired. Our flight stopped in LAX but all that was open was the ‘Wolfgang Puck’ place. You also know how nutritious those peanuts in-flight are.

Sleep was the imperative even before ‘the’ talk.

There was no ‘feeling of dread’ for anyone yet we all slept in one bed that night; knowing it could be our last together.

In the morning, I think everyone was awake but no one was saying anything. I had to say something.

“This has been quite the ride. (A Silent Pause) I just want you all to know I have never, ever been as happy and content as I have with you all here these last months. Thank you!”

There were so many openings with that statement for all to gracefully exit the strange relationship of ours; yet nothing was said.

“Since last week or so your fearless leader is officially unemployed. I do not think we will be forced out onto the street nor to eat beans and franks, but we may have to limit the number of ‘pig-outs’ for a while.”

That got a laugh. It also got a serious response, one I never expected.

First was Bobby. “When ‘Mutt’ (Trish) and I visited my brother he had some suggestions for us. We have been thinking about them and since Mandy now seems to fit in, what he said makes a lot more sense with her on the team and hopefully as you say more ‘cents’ for all of us in the future.”

Trish continued now. “The three of us together can just about do anything that one of those agents can for you and more even. When we need to, we can hire a specialist, like an attorney. Even at that, our needs will change as various teams in different states make their offers and we want the best deal for you to take. What do you think?”

I was amazed. My fear was this would be the last I would see of them, however, they decided to help and do something so unique and different that I was blown away.

“Does that mean I will not have to pay you the 15% commission?”

Now it was Mandy who said, “We are going to make you so happy you will want to pay us more.”

Based on a couple of giggles she put a hand to her face and realized how what she had said could be interpreted.

I took a page out of Mel’s book. “You had better make me happy, ‘or else’, got it my not so little harem?”

They looked at each other then I got three very wide ‘Cheshire Cat’ smiles.

It was pretty daring of me to say what I did, but I realized no one else would care about me as much and now I had to correct that to ‘us’. They were wrapping their future with mine.

I became the housekeeper while the ‘Terrific Threesome’ threw themselves into being the best agents any player would want. Mandy contracted for a professionally done web site then started the inputs.

Bobby went over each team, proposed coach, owner and where we might live should the right offer be made. She went to each city guide, bookmarked it asked for maps, brochures and real estate markets. I told her what I had been told was a minimum dollar amount for me, what I wanted to get in a contract and where I would not play under any circumstance.

Trish started living on the internet. Every stat, ranking, league record and where I stood against them since being drafted became indexed, cross-referenced and summarized as though it was a CV/Resume, in many ways it was.

Something made me realize the impact of what my agents had done. It was a listing of various teams, their record over time, what they paid their players and the League issued rankings of both the Offensive and Defensive starters. What came out was that every long-term winning team had balance, paid the players well and did not have to rely on only 1 or 2 super-stars.

Then they went another step. They constructed a list of NFL teams who they thought needed my services based on record and commentator analysis on ESPN and NFL game reviews, then plugged in my competition, what they had been previously paid and what it was expected they would ask for.

Wow. As far as I knew, no one had ever compiled such a dossier and comprehensive analysis for a specific position before. When they handed me another printout, showing ‘their’ proposed ‘best places’ for me to play; I stood up, kissed them all and said “Whatever you are going to charge you are worth more my loves!”