Chapter 27

The coaches had us up early for breakfast, checked out and on the road by eight am. The flight home to State College was quiet. I worked on my homework on the flight and listened to a few tunes on my MP3 player.

A few hundred die hard Penn State fans turned out to greet us when our buses brought us back to the Lasch Building Sunday morning. They cheered us even though we lost. The "football widows club" was out in force, each girl there to console her boyfriend.

Kelly and I walked down Hastings Road to Pollock Dorms together. Kelly seemed surprisingly upbeat.

"Didn't you hear?" Kelly asked. "Yesterday was the day for upsets."

"What happened?" I asked. "I know Note Dame lost. I feel bad for Jeremy."

"Missouri got trounced 38-10 by Oklahoma, Notre Dame lost 31-20 to Stanford, #7 Alabama lost to Florida 42-20 and #8 Auburn lost big to Kentucky 35-10," Kelly explained. "The only top ten teams that won yesterday were LSU, USC and of course, Ohio State."

"Really?" I asked.

"You guys may not have hurt yourselves as much as you think," Kelly explained. "Losing by four points in the final seconds to Ohio State looks a lot better than losing by ten or twenty points like the other teams did."

"That is good news," I agreed. Zack had been right last night. The ball was funny shaped and bounced in strange ways. I expected there would be a lot of my teammates in the player's lounge tonight when the latest BCS rankings were announced that evening.

Kelly and I stopped by the Mix and bought a Sunday newspaper on the way back to my room. We spent a couple hours digesting the day's paper and enjoying each other's company.

I received sympathy e-mails from Jeremy, Ed and Hal. I returned congratulatory e-mails to Ed and Hal, whose teams had won and a sympathy e-mail to Jeremy. Ed was happy. He expected Florida to return to the top ten this week. He had played the entire fourth quarter after Elijah was finished for the day. He went 4 of 6 for 57 yards and a touchdown.

The newspaper said my high school teammate Drew McCormick had half a dozen carries for forty yards when West Virginia beat Pittsburgh. Drew scored his first touchdown yesterday.

While I was reading and sending e-mails, one came from my brother Andy. He and Dad were home from Temple. The visit went OK but Andy decided he wasn't interested in being an Owl. The only college visit left was to the University of Delaware next weekend. Penn State was still his first choice for college next year. That was excellent news!

Andy also reported that Tex Johanson was looking forward to his official visit to Penn State next weekend. Andy kindly forwarded Tex's e-mail address to me. I sent off an e-mail welcoming him to campus and promising him that I'd spend some time with him over the weekend.

Andy also told me that Justin and Sherry Baer were going to use Dad's tickets to the Illinois game. I sent Justin an e-mail asking him to give me a call when he got to campus on Saturday. Hopefully Zack and I could hook up with them.

Other news in the sport section was grim for Philadelphia fans. The Red Sox beat the Phillies again last night while we were losing to Ohio State. They lost Game 3 5-4 in the eleventh inning.

Over half the team gathered in the player's lounge after dinner. We watched the tail end of the New York Giants / Denver Broncos game while we waited for Fox to announce this week's BCS standings. Our former teammate Antwaan Booker dominated his side of the line. We cheered both times he caught and sacked Eli Manning. Unfortunately Antwaan's great game was for naught. The Giants won 17-6. The Bronco's vastly improved defense needed an offense to go with it.

The top three teams in the BCS ranking surprised no one. USC was first, closely followed by LSU. Ohio State jumped up to number three as expected. Our cheers shook the building to its foundations when they announced #4 – us! The pollsters and the computer gave us due credit for a good game against another strong team.

USC scored a 0.9745 rating, LSU a 0.9630 and Ohio State a 0.9145 in the rankings. We had a 0.8467, closely followed by Oklahoma at 0.8311, and Florida at 0.8284. Missouri, Alabama, Notre Dame and West Virginia rounded out the bottom half of the BCS Top Ten.

Our team had picked a great weekend to lose, if we had to lose. Every Penn State fan on earth was going to be cheering for Wisconsin, Michigan State, Northwestern and Michigan – Ohio State's last four opponents. Maybe one or two of them could take Ohio State down and we could slip back into contention. Of course, we had to take care of our business too – beating Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan State.

Zack Hayes put a damper on our celebration when he announced we were having a team members only meeting immediately after dinner on Monday. Zack seemed to be in a bad mood considering the good news we had received that evening.

Only a few guys were hanging out in the player's lounge later Sunday night after I finished my daily workout. Game 4 of the World Series was on. I stopped to watch just as Boston's pitcher walked Jimmy Rollins. The Phils were down 2-0 and it was the fifth inning. I hung around a little to see if the team had any life left after two straight defeats. Jimmy managed to steal second while the pitcher was dealing with a pesky Shane Victorino. The unsettled pitcher ended up walking the Flyin' Hawaiian too. Chase Utley followed up by hitting a single to load the bases.

Everybody in the room was glued to the TV now. Ryan Howard came up and took two quick strikes. He settled after that, battling back to a 3-2 count. Big old Ryan clobbered a fastball the pitcher served up to him on the next pitch, sending the ball deep into the stands.

I had to get back to my room to finish homework for Monday, so I left with the Phillies leading 4-2. It was 7-2 when I got back to my room and Boston had a new pitcher. Damian and I watched the rest of the game as we finished our homework. The Phillies won 7-3, giving them breathing room and a realistic shot at winning the series again.

--oooOooo--

The coaches were harder on us than I expected when we did our video review of the game on Monday afternoon. I got chewed out for a couple of my run blocks. I wasn't sure why. My technique looked proper. Damian was chewed out for dropping a pass late in the game. Zack, Karol, Evan and Jake reminded everyone at the end of practice that we had a mandatory team meeting immediately after dinner.

I asked Zack what I was to do. I had my scuba class from 6:00 to 7:30 that evening. Zack's response? "Get your ass to the damn meeting! You can go play in the pool later."

Fortunately I had Mr. Coleman's cell phone number since he was my boss when I guarded at the Natatorium. When I called him he allowed me to report for class when my meeting was over.

Damian and I walked back to the Training Table together. The coaches' comments about my blocking still stung.

"What is the problem with my blocking?" I asked. "I've watched the film. I think I'm using the technique they've taught me."

Damian chuckled. "It's not technique, Kyle."

"What then?"

"You don't shy away from contact when you have the ball," Damian replied. "You seem to enjoy hitting people then."

"OK, yeah," I agreed.

"When you're blocking it's like you're dancing with them," Damian explained. "Blocking is partly technique, but more it's attitude. You gotta try and knock them on their asses. Be MEAN! Don't just stand in their way."

"OK," I agreed.

"I've seen you knock people over when you have the ball," Damian said. "Block that way too."

"OK, I'll give it a try," I replied.

"Now it's your turn to give advice," Damian said. "Why am I such a poor receiver?"

I chuckled. "It's not attitude, it's technique. You need more practice, buddy."

"More practice?" Damian asked. "When do I find time for that? The coaches never give me much time to work with the quarterbacks."

"Do you remember me last fall?" I asked. "I begged Steve, Andrew, Coop and Mitch for time after practice so I could learn to catch punts and kickoffs. How'd that work out for me?"

"OK, I get your point," Damian agreed.

"Talk to Zack, Chip, Glenn or Colin," I said. "I'm sure they'll give you some extra work. If they won't, talk to me. I'll be happy to throw you some balls and help you improve your technique."

"You?" Damian asked dubiously.

"I've taken some snaps under center," I insisted. "I won't make a living doing it, but I can play quarterback in a pinch." Both of us got a good laugh out of the image of me lining up under center in the Big Ten. Not in our lifetimes! The two of us agreed to coach each other in blocking and pass catching as we walked to dinner.

Zack, Jake, Karol and Evan read the riot act to the team at our meeting Monday night. Coach Burton had prepared our captains with information on what had happened to Penn State previously when our team was in this situation.

The 1982 National Championship team overcame a loss. They explained how the 1999 team had let a loss to Minnesota get them down. They lost the rest of the games in that season. The 2005 team had overcome a loss to Michigan. The 2008 team managed to overcome their loss to Iowa too.

Our captains demanded that we put in extra study time to prepare for our last four games. They promised that we would "kick Illini butts from here to Boalsburg and back on Saturday," to quote Jake's colorful description. Everyone understood in no uncertain terms what was expected when the meeting was over.

I arrived at my scuba class half an hour late. I asked if there was anything I needed to make up but Mr. Coleman said no, not to worry about it. Most of the time I missed was used to get people comfortable underwater and Mr. Coleman wasn't concerned about a "water rat" like me getting comfortable.

I caught up with the other receivers after class for our Monday night receivers' meeting with Coach Adams. Coach went over what I missed while I was at class when the receivers' meeting was over. It was close to 8:30 by then and I was going to be late getting to Kelly's room for our planned History 20 study session.

I was in a quandary. I wanted to spend time with Kelly that evening but after the team meeting and receivers' meeting, I knew I needed to study more video to get ready for our game against Illinois. I gave Kelly a call on my cell phone.

"Honey, I'm sorry," I said when Kelly answered. "I've got to stay over here at the Lasch Building tonight. The captains and the coaches are after more work from everybody. I have to study video to get ready for Saturday's game."

"Ooohh ... I was looking forward to spending time with you this evening sweetie," Kelly said. From the tone of her voice I knew my girl was pouting. "We hardly have any time together now."

"I know, honey," I agreed. "I wish I had more time during football season but I don't. Four more weeks and I will have free time."

Kelly sighed and answered, "Yeah, I guess. Can you stop by on your way back to the dorm? I'd like to see you a little tonight."

Absolutely," I promised. "I'll stop by so we can cuddle a little. How's that sound?"

"Good. I love you, Kyle." Kelly said.

"I love you too," I replied.

I headed over the film room and studied video of Illinois for an hour. I had a brain storm as I was finishing my study. I had met some of Penn State's most successful receivers in the past year. Why not tap them for suggestions to improve my game? I made a list of receivers that I wanted to talk to – Glenn Walker, Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, Joe Jurevicius and Bobby Engram. Unfortunately I didn't know how to get a hold of most of them, except for Bobby.

I had put Bobby's phone number in my cell phone a few weeks ago when we met. I wanted to be able to contact him back then so I could beg for money for the Thon. I glanced at my watch and saw it was twenty to ten. I almost stopped dialing until I remembered Bobby lived on the West Coast. It wasn't even seven o'clock where he was.

Bobby answered the phone himself. He seemed pleased to talk after I explained what I was looking for. The two of us must have talked for a half hour, discussing ways for me to be a more effective receiver. Bobby had one final thing to say when we wrapped up our conversation.

"I'm 5-10," Bobby explained. "I've given you the perspective of someone my size. You need to talk to some of the big receivers too. I'd suggest you call Joe Jurevicius or Glenn Walker. They may be able to give you some ideas that fit your height."

"Both of them are on the list of receivers I plan to call," I replied. "I don't know how to reach either of them. I think I can get Glenn's number from Zack Hayes. Would you happen to have Joe's number? I've never met him."

"I'll go one better Kyle," Bobby replied. "Joe and I went to school together. I'll call him for you and have him get in touch with you. Joe can give you a lot of insight into how a big receiver can use his body size to dominate a DB. What's your phone number, Kyle?"

I gave Bobby my number and thanked him for all his help. I gave Kelly a call as I walked back to the dorms. It was after ten o'clock and was pretty late for me to visit. Kelly agreed when I talked with her. We exchanged "good nights" and said we'd see each other at breakfast time.

--oooOooo--

At breakfast Kelly told me about Game 5 of the World Series, which I missed the previous night. She had watched it with Bev, Cindy and Jen, all die-hard Phillies fans. The Phillies had won a tight game 3-2 with a Jimmy Rollins solo homer in the eighth. Game 6 was going to be big when the two teams returned to Boston to play on Wednesday night.

I spent as much time as possible with Kelly on Tuesday before she had her golf class in the afternoon.

Coach Burton had this week's recruit guides come in fifteen minutes before practice. Zack, Damian, Yasin, Colin, Mitch Jackson and I were assigned the duties this week. This week's recruits included Tex Johanson from my high school; Robert Huber, a quarterback from Lebanon, Pa.; Caleb Fuller, a punter from CD East High School outside Harrisburg, Pa.; Etienne LeBlanc, a running back from Montpelier, NH; and John Crosby, a wide receiver from Damian's high school in Erie.

Tuesday and Wednesday's practices were tense. The coaches and the captains demanded that we run things to perfection. If it wasn't right, we did it again, and again and again. Morale improved in spite of this. We grew more confident that we would be ready on Saturday. The Fighting Illini had better watch out.

I got an e-mail from Jay on Tuesday evening. He had come home from the hospital in Birmingham a couple days earlier. He talked his mom into getting a wireless router for their house and setting it up. Jay was able to us his laptop to keep in touch with the world from his bed.

Dr. Andrews said the operation on Jay's leg went well. Jay wasn't allowed to put any weight on it for a few weeks, so he was stuck in bed, probably until Thanksgiving. With extensive rehab in December the doctors expected him to be able to get around with crutches in January when the next semester started. He'd see us then.

Game 6 of the World Series was on Wednesday night. Kelly had a big paper due in Comm 260 on Thursday that she hadn't finished. I offered to watch the series on her little TV and stay with her while she worked. Kelly gave me a hug and kiss and sent me to the Lasch Building to watch the game with my friends. I would be too much of a distraction to her.

Coach Burton had Ryan Reynolds run a TV feed into the projection system in the team meeting auditorium. More than three quarters of the team turned out to watch the game in comfortable theater style seats on the big screen. The university and the athletic department did take good care of us.

Damian and I found seats with Trevor, Shawn Byrd, Christian, and G. J. – our usual group of friends. The team captains brought in popcorn and sodas. This night was an excellent way to relax during a hard week.

Brett Myers pitched the game of his life that evening. He held the powerful Boston lineup scoreless through six innings. Ryan Howard scored the only run of the game in the third inning with a solo home run. Things continued going well for the Phillies into the seventh inning. J. C. Romero retired three batters with two strike outs and an out on a pop-up.

Disaster struck in the eighth inning. David Ortiz got a single. J. D. Drew, to the accompaniment of boos from all the Phillies fans in the room, hit the ball over the Green Monster. The chorus of boos continued as he rounded the bases to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Drew had been hated in Philly since the day years earlier that the Phillies had drafted him and he refused to play for them.

The Phillies were too spunky to let that get them down. Jimmy Rollins worked the pitcher to get a walk to start the ninth inning. Jimmy deviled the pitcher, threatening to steal on every pitch as the pitcher tried to get Victorino out. Jimmy beat the catcher's throw on the third pitch to steal second base. Victorino scorched the next ball past the pitcher into shallow center field for a single. Rollins was stopped at third by the coach.

Chase Utley stepped up to bat but had to wait when Terry Francona called time so he could talk with his pitcher. Everyone in the room expected the pitcher to be pulled. Terry talked for a minute, patted the pitcher on the back and walked back to the dugout.

Chase watched the first pitch go by for a ball. Shane took a commanding lead off first, further flustering the poor pitcher. After a couple half hearted pickoff attempts he delivered the first ball to Chase. Chase stroked through the slightly misplaced pitch and blasted it up and away.

The auditorium erupted in cheers as Harry Kalas, the Phillies announcer, exclaimed, "That ball is outa' here!" Chase rounded the bases as my friends and I exchanged high fives and cheered.

"He's amazing," Trevor exclaimed as the Phillies met Chase at home plate to celebrate their 4-2 lead.

"Did you hear the rumor?" Shawn Byrd asked. "I overheard the coaches talking about Chase Utley visiting one of our games in a few weeks. Maybe we'll get a chance to meet him."

"Yeah, Chase is visiting," I acknowledged. "He's coming to visit for the Michigan State game."

"Yeah, like you'd know that," Trevor answered sarcastically.

"I know Chase," I answered.

"Right! You're bullshitting us, Kyle," Trevor declared. "There is no way you know Chase Utley."

"No, it's the truth," I responded. "I met Chase at a game in Pittsburgh last May when I went out to visit Kelly. I met him when I went down for his autograph."

"Autograph?" Trevor replied. "OK, I believe you met Chase Utley, but there is no way in hell you KNOW him. Utley wouldn't know you from Adam if he showed up here to visit one of our games."

"Wanna make a bet?" I said, smiling. "I'll bet you a month of laundry that Chase Utley will walk up to me in the next month and greet me by name."

"Seriously?" Trevor asked, incredulous. "You'll do my laundry for a month unless Chase Utley comes up to you and greets you by name?" I nodded my head yes. "He has to know your name, right? He can't be introduced to you first and then call you by name."

"That's right, by name without introduction," I answered. I nodded my head for emphasis.

"You're such a bull-shitter, Kyle," Trevor answered. "I'll take that bet." We shook hands on it. Of course I didn't tell Trevor that Coach Burton had given me Chase's tickets after practice that day. They were in my pocket and I was writing him a letter and mailing him the tickets later that evening. Trevor didn't need that information.

My friends and I turned our attention back to the TV when that was settled. Brad Lidge came in for the ninth inning and nailed down the win by getting three batters out in order. Our auditorium echoed with cheering as we celebrated the Phillies' second World Series championship in the 21st century.

Chase Utley was selected the MVP for the series, based on his .323 batting average, 4 home runs and 9 RBI's. He had been spectacular fielding at second base and had turned some beautiful double plays with Jimmy Rollins.

I wrote a nice congratulations letter to Chase when I got back to my dorm room and enclosed the two tickets for him and his nephew. I invited him to meet me at the Lasch Building Saturday morning before the game. I offered to give him and his nephew a tour and to let them meet some of the players on our team.

Half the students on campus were groggy Thursday morning. The game and post game ceremonies hadn't ended until well after midnight. It was worth it. The repeat championship was just as much fun as the first one in 2008.

The football team's hard work over the week seemed to pay off. Thursday's practice was the best practice I had seen since I had joined the team fifteen months earlier. Illinois was in for a tough game when they arrived at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Zack, Chip, Ryan Reynolds and I spent half of Thursday night studying video and reviewing the game plan to get Chip and Zack ready to play. Coach Burton wanted Chip to play in the fourth quarter if we had a ten point lead or better so he could get experience. Chip was ecstatic at the prospect.

My ever generous roommate agreed to spend an hour over at Billy Robinson's room after I returned from video study that evening. Kelly came over for our normal Thursday night tryst. Both of us were satisfied by the time Damian came back a little before ten o'clock. Kelly had excellent news for Damian and me when he returned. Jen planned to stay overnight at Darrell's apartment on Saturday night, so I would spend the night with Kelly and Damian would have privacy in our room.

Coach Burton had us walk through the game plan at Friday's practice instead of playing full tilt. The rest from the hard week was welcome. The team had dinner at the Training Table, did a team meeting at the Lasch Building and then took buses over to Toftrees for the night.

Damian and I got together with Trevor, Shawn Byrd and G. J. in Shawn's room and played some poker for an hour or so. The game broke up about fifteen minutes before our eleven o'clock curfew. Damian and I headed back to our room.

I was curious about how my brother's football game went that night. The Wolverines were playing the Braves, one of the top teams in our league. The Wolverines' chance of making the playoffs required them to win every game for the rest of the season. I hoped they could continue their string of wins. I logged onto Channel 8's website and went to the sports section.

The top headline on that page reported "Wolverines Flog Braves 55-0". The report said Andy had returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and had caught three more touchdown passes in the game. Tex Johanson had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. I certainly looked like I'd be able to see my high school team in a playoff game when I got home for Thanksgiving.

--oooOooo--

Damian and I were packing our travel bags Saturday morning when my cell phone rang. It was a little after 9:30 am. It was Justin Baer. I gave him directions to the Lasch Building. He and Sherry would meet me there. I had permission from Coach Burton to give them a tour of the facilities before lunch.

Damian and I headed downstairs, checked out and loaded our things on a bus. We were dropped off outside the Lasch Building a little after ten o'clock. Zack, Chip and I studied our game plan together while we waited for Justin, Sherry and the recruits to arrive.

The intercom in the locker room crackled and Ann Marie, our receptionist, announced, "Kyle Martin, you have a Mr. Baer to see you in the lobby."

"Justin?" Zack asked, grinning. I nodded yes. "What's he doing here?"

"Justin and Sherry are using my dad's tickets today," I explained. "Dad and Andy are visiting the University of Delaware this weekend."

"Cool!" Zack exclaimed. "Do you mind if I visit them too?"

"Sure, be my guest," I answered.

The two of us headed out to the lobby. We greeted Justin and Sherry warmly. Justin looked Zack in the eye as they shook and exclaimed, "Dude, I didn't expect you'd have time to visit this morning. You've got a game to prepare for."

"The game is almost five hours away," Zack replied. "I can spare a few minutes for old friends."

"I'm surprised," Justin answered. "Your brother was borderline obsessive about quiet time to prepare before a game. I expected Sam's little brother would be at his locker studying the playbook before the game."

I laughed and added, "You nailed him, Justin. That's exactly what Zack was doing before you came."

"And it's what I'll be doing in a few minutes when we're done visiting," Zack said. "I will have plenty of free time after the game."

"Justin Baer?" The four of us turned to see who was calling for Justin. We were surprised to see Coach Burton standing near us.

"Yes?" Justin replied.

"Didn't I try to recruit you to play for me when I was at Lehigh?" Coach Burton asked.

"Yes sir, you did," Justin agreed.

"I thought I remembered that name," Coach Burton said. "Baer is an unusual name. I assume you are the football coach Kyle is showing around."

"Yes, sir, I am. I work part time for Walt Caffrey," Justin explained.

"Walt is a very good coach," Coach Burton said. "I've always been impressed his work – obviously..." Coach Burton gestured toward me. " ... Hayes, Kring, the Martin brothers, Johanson. His young men are always well prepared."

"Justin had a part in that too," I interjected. "He is the one who taught me to follow my blockers."

"Uh-huh ... did you teach him that?" Coach Burton said. Justin nodded in agreement. "That was good work. Where did you end up going to college? I never heard"

Justin chuckled. "Penn State." He paused to watch Coach Burton's surprise. "I did night school at Capital Campus. My wife and I had our first son while we were still in high school."

"What was that? Something like seven or eight years ago?" Coach Burton asked. "I bet your son is a real chip off the old block."

"Billy is eight," Justin replied. "He started pee wee football this fall. He plays running back."

Coach Burton chuckled. "If he has any of your God given talent, I'll be calling him in about ten years."

"Who knows?" Justin answered. "Maybe that will happen. Thanks for letting Kyle give my wife and me a tour of the facilities."

Coach Burton headed back to his office. After Coach Burton left Zack asked, "Do you two want to join Kyle and our girlfriends for dinner downtown after the game?"

"We'd love to but we can't," Justin replied. "Sherry's mom is watching the boys. She needs to get home at a decent time tonight so she can be ready to teach Sunday School tomorrow morning. We plan to book as soon as the game is over."

"That's too bad," Zack said. "What's new with the two of you?"

The four of us talked about what was happening back home and here at school for a few minutes. Zack apologized for not staying longer, but he had to get back to his game preparations. I took on Justin and Sherry on a tour of the Lasch Building facilities. We found Zack studying the game plan with Chip Brinton when we popped into the video room.

Justin and Sherry were suitably impressed with the facilities our team had. We were walking back to the lobby when I commented, "Kelly is going to be disappointed that you can't stay for dinner. She was looking forward to seeing you tonight."

"Kelly?" Justin said, looking surprised.

"You're still with her?" Sherry added. "Not many teenage couples stay together for long. The kids in the Venturer Crew are change partners so often that I can't keep up with them. Are you and Kelly serious?"

"We barely qualify as teenagers anymore. Kelly turns twenty in January and I do the following July," I replied. "And yes, our relationship is very serious. Don't be shocked if you get a wedding invitation in two or three years."

"Really?" Sherry asked. "That's good. The two of you make a nice couple."

"Thanks for the compliment," I said as we walked into the lobby.

"Coach Baer?" a familiar voice said from behind us. "What are you doing here?"

Justin, Sherry and I turned to find Tex Johanson sitting in the reception area with his parents.

"Michael! Just making sure you keep out of trouble," Justin said as he winked. "Actually Kyle was giving us a tour of the facilities. Kyle's dad is going on a recruiting visit with Andy this weekend. We're using his tickets today."

"That's cool," Tex agreed. We spent a minute introducing Sherry to the Johansons and the rest of us greeting each other.

When the introductions were done Tex asked, "Could you give me a tour of the football building, Kyle? I'd like to see the facilities."

"Patience," I explained. "You and the other four recruits will meet with Coach Burton first. He'll introduce you to the rest of the guides for the weekend."