We’re Talkin’ About PRACTICE!

 A Spec-Taters Tale

      “OK, Chip.  Last play of the game.  Receivers right, run left!”  Coach Potato shouted out the play to Chip Murphy, his star quarterback.  The Tooberville Root Hounds had just used their last time out and were on the Maizetown Stalkers’ five yard line, down 26 – 20 with time for just one more play.
      “Got it Coach!”  Chip called over his shoulder as he ran back to the huddle.  Chip was confident that he was going to be able to get the ball in the end zone.  Chip was a very good athlete, and was easily the best player on his team.  Coach Potato must have felt that way too, because the play that he called had Chip running the ball instead of him handing it off to someone else.
      “All right guys,” Chip said as he got to the huddle, “Receivers right, run left.  Julien, clear a path for me!”  Julien was Julien Frye, one of Chips best friends and the biggest boy on the team.
      “Just follow me Chip!” said Julien.  “I’ll get you in there!”
      “Ready… Break!”  The boys broke the huddle and lined up for the last play.  The whistle blew and Chip yelled, “Set!  Hike!”  The ball was snapped and Chip backed away from the center.  He glanced at his receivers on the right, and the defense started to move that way, thinking that he was going to throw to them.  Then he tucked the ball under his arm and darted to the left, following the blocks that Julien was making in front of him.  When he got to the two yard line he dove, and he was just able to make it into the end zone before he was hit by one of the Stalkers linebackers.  Chip had scored!  The game was tied!
      “Yes!” shouted Chip, but he didn’t have much time to celebrate.  They still needed the extra point to win, and he was the holder.  Chip looked up to see Candice Yam trotting onto the field to kick the point after.  Candy was a great soccer player, and had one of the strongest legs in Tooberville.  She had already kicked two extra points and two field goals in the game, and now she needed to make this kick for the Root Hounds to win.
      “Let’s kick this one and go home!” said Chip.
      “You got it!” responded Candy.
      The ball was quickly snapped to Chip.  He set it on the ground and Candy stepped up, kicking the ball squarely through the uprights.  It was good!  The Root Hounds had won the game!
      Everyone on the team cheered and came running out to congratulate Candy and Chip.  They both had great games and were big reasons why the Root Hounds had won.
      “Great game Chip!”  Jimmy Grotton came running up, clipboard in hand.  Jimmy was the smartest kid in their class and was team manager.  He wasn’t very good at sports, but he knew everything about them and was always able to provide Coach Potato with statistics on the opposing teams’ tendencies. “You too Candy and Julien!”
      “Thanks Jimmy!” the three friends all said at once as they walked off the field together.

      Next Monday at school everyone was still talking about the great game that Chip had.    The more he listened, the more Chip started to agree with all of the kids at school.  He was the best player on the team.  He should get the ball more often!  When the school bell rang, Chip was in the process of telling a group of kids exactly what was going through his mind on the last touchdown run of the game when Julien and Jimmy came up.
      “C’mon Chip, were going to be late for practice!” said Julien.
      “Yeah, let’s get going!” said Jimmy.  “We’ve got the Mellon Ballers coming up on Wednesday and they play a totally different kind of defense than the Stalkers!  We’ve got to work on…”
      “Don’t worry guys, I’ll be there in a second,” interrupted Chip.  “I’ve just got to finish telling this story.”
      “OK, but hurry up!  We need to practice!” pleaded Julien, and they ran off to the practice field.
      Maybe you need to practice, thought Chip, but I’m easily the best player on the team.  MVP!  I can beat those Ballers with one hand tied behind my back.  Chip turned back to the crowd and continued his story on how he just knew if he didn’t dive he wouldn’t make it in to the end zone… Before Chip knew it, he had been standing outside the school telling football stories for an hour!  He had missed practice, but he still could make it home at the normal time if he hurried.

      As Chip was jogging home, he started to feel a little guilty about missing practice.  Then he thought, What are you worried about?  You don’t need the practice, they do!  You always do well in the games anyway.  The more he thought about it, the more he decided that it just wasn’t a big deal at all.  It was just practice.  It’s not like he missed a game or anything, it was just practice.  He was the best player on the team!  He’d be ready for the game on Wednesday…

      The next day at school, all the kids on the team kept coming up to Chip and asking him why he missed practice.  “We went over a lot of new plays,” exclaimed Candy.  “The team is getting together again after school today to practice them some more.  We really need you there Chip!”
      “Oh, don’t worry about it Candy,” chuckled Chip.  “I’ll be ready for the game.  You know I always come through!”
      “Well, here is a copy of the new plays.  Look them over and meet us at the field at 3:00 pm.  Coach Potato is going to run us through the plays again to make sure we have them down.  You’d better be there!”  Candy shoved some papers into Chip’s hands and ran off to class.
      What a joke, thought Chip as he looked through the papers that Candy had just handed to him.  I’ll be ready for the game.  They’re the ones who need the practice!
      When school ended, Chip was about to head over to the field to practice when one of his friends from math class asked him if he wanted to go see the new scary movie that had just come out – The Peeler.  Chip had been looking forward to seeing that movie for weeks!  He really wanted to see it with Julien, Jimmy and Candy, but he just couldn’t resist.  Instead of heading towards the fields, he took a quick left turn and headed toward downtown and the movie theater.  Man, I just can’t wait to see The Peeler, thought Chip…

      Wednesday at lunch Chip was telling everyone all about the movie, and how scary the Peeler was, and how they would never guess at the end of the movie who the Peeler was when Julien, Candy and Jimmy walked up.
      “Where the heck were you Chip?” asked Julien, clearly upset.  “We had to run through all the plays with Smash at quarterback!”  Smash Brown was one of the meanest kids in school, and he and Chip did not get along at all.
      “Smash?  I’m sorry guys, I know that must have stunk.  But you wouldn’t believe how scary The Peeler was!  We’ve got to go see it together!” Chip said excitedly.
      “Smash actually wasn’t that bad,” said Jimmy.  “He’s not as good as you, but he did run the new plays well.  I think Coach Potato is planning on starting him.”
      “You’ve got to be kidding!” laughed Chip.  “This is a big game… Coach Potato isn’t going to sit his best player.”
      Candy rolled her eyes.  “You may be our best player Chip, but you didn’t practice.  You don’t know the plays!  How are you going to be able to quarterback the team if you don’t know the plays?”
      “Oh, you leave that to me Candy.  I’m ready.  When the time comes, I’ll get the ball into the end zone.”  Chip said confidently.
      “I hope so,” said Candy as she, Julien and Jimmy walked off.
      After the guys left, Chip started to worry a little bit.  Maybe I should take a look at some of those new plays, he thought.  Then the bell rang and Chip had to rush off to his next class.  I’ll get a chance to look at the plays after school.

      Before Chip knew it, it was game time!  Where did all the time go?  Chip thought as he put on his pads.  The locker room was full of energy.  Everyone was excited for the big game.  A big kid came up to Chip and bumped him…
      “Hey!” exclaimed Chip, almost falling over.  “Watch out!”
      Smash Brown just smiled and looked back, “I was.  Hope you enjoy the bench today Chip!  Coach is definitely going to be playing me!”
      “Please!”  Chip laughed.  “Coach Potato isn’t going to play you instead of me!  I’ll…”  Chip had no time to finish his sentence when he heard Coach Potato yell, “MURPHY!  Get in here!”
      Chip walked into Coach’s office and he shut the door.  “Now Chip,” Coach began, “This is a big game and we missed you at both practices… What happened?”
      “Sorry Coach,” started Chip.  “I had some things come up – but don’t worry, I’m ready for the game!”
      “We changed some of the plays though,” continued Coach. “You’ve got to be on the same page as the team or else there’s no way we can win.”
      “Don’t worry Coach, just leave it to me,” said Chip confidently.  “We’ve got this in the bag!”
      “OK,” said Coach.  “I’m starting you.  But I’d better see that you know the plays or Smash is coming in…”
      “Yes Sir!” said Chip.  “Don’t worry, I’ve got the plays down cold!”  Chip had looked over the plays, and he was confident that he could run them.
      “All right then, let’s go get them!” shouted Coach.  They left his office and joined the other kids in the locker room.  After some yelling and cheering they all ran out on to the field, ready to play the Mellon Ballers.
      The Root Hounds got the ball first.  As Chip headed in to the huddle, Coach called out to him “Artichoke formation!  Hearts left!  Drawn butter!”  
      Huh?!? Chip thought to himself.  What the heck was that!  He remembered something on the pages that Candy had given him about Artichoke.  It was a two-back formation with wideouts on each side.  As he got to the huddle, he shouted out “Artichoke!  Hearts left!  Drawn butter!  On two… Break!”
      The rest of the team looked at him confidently and went to line up.  As Chip walked up behind center, he realized that he would have to guess the play.  He didn’t even know if it was a run or pass!  Chip figured that it must be a play to the left, so he would go in that direction and if it was a run, he’d hand it off.  If not, he’d just pass the ball.  No problem!
      “Set…. Hike… HIKE!”  The ball was snapped and Chip started going to the left, ready to hand the ball off to the left back.  But the left back was running away from him, not toward the ball!  Before Chip could turn to throw one of the Mellon Ballers was on him.  He got sacked!
      When he got back to the huddle, Smash yelled “Where the heck we’re you going?  That play was to the right!  You stink!”
      “Pipe down Smash!” yelled Julien.  He looked at Chip.  “You do know the plays, right Chip?”
      “Sure I do!” said Chip, not looking so sure.  A player ran into the huddle, calling out the next play.  “Zamboni!  Blue Line!  Slapshot!”  Chip repeated the phrase then yelled “ On one…Break!”  As he headed to the line, Chip had no idea what play he had just called.
      “Set… HIKE!”  Chip got the ball from center and dropped back to pass, running right into Smash, who was expecting to receive the handoff.  The ball popped loose as they both fell to the ground.  Fumble!  A Mellon Baller fell on it – they lost the ball!
      As Chip ran back to the sidelines, he could hear Smash yelling at him once again.  When he looked up, Coach Potato was standing right in front of him, and he didn’t look too happy.
      “Chip, I made a mistake,” said Coach.  “ I never should have started you at quarterback after you missed all the practices.  It’s just not fair to the team.  Take a seat.”
      Chip looked at Coach and begged, “Please Coach, I’ll get it together.  Give me another chance!  I’m your best player!”
      Coach looked a Chip for what to Chip seemed to be a long time.  Then he said, “Chip, you’re a great player and an important part of this team, but you are not more important than the team.  When you missed those practices, you didn’t just let yourself down, you let your teammates down.  They worked hard and deserve a quarterback that works hard with them.”  Chip looked down at his feet.  “I’m sorry son,” continued Coach Potato, “but you’re out.  Smash!”
      “Yes Coach!” yelled Smash.
      “You’re in at quarterback next possession!”
      “All right!” screamed Smash.  “Take a seat Murphy, ‘cause Smash Brown is in charge now!”
      Chip sat on the bench and sulked.  As the game went on around him, Chip got more and more depressed.  Finally, Candy came over and sat next to him.
      “Have you noticed there’s a game going on here?” Candy asked.  “Don’t you think it would be a good idea to get up and cheer on your team?”
      Chip just sat quietly.  After a couple of seconds Candy said, “Chip, this is exactly why you’re not playing right now.  If you would just realize that we are a team, and that no matter how good you are, you can’t win… heck, you can’t even play without the rest of us, we’d all be better off.”  
      As Candy walked away, Chip knew she was right.  He needed to cheer on his team, and more importantly, he needed to make sure that he showed them that he knew they were important to him.  By missing those practices, Chip knew that he was telling his team that he was more important than them – that he didn’t need to practice.  “Looks like I was wrong,” Chip said to himself as he jumped up off the bench and ran to the sidelines.
      “C’mon Smash, let’s go!” screamed Chip as he jumped up and down, cheering on his team.  Moments later, Smash ran in the game winning touchdown and the stadium went wild!  Chip, Candy and Jimmy jumped up and down on the sidelines as Smash and Julien came running off the field with the rest of the team.
      “Great game guys,” said Chip.  “Way to get it done!”
      “No thanks to you,” snorted Smash as he ran by him.
      “Aw, don’t listen to him,” said Julien.  “I hope you will find a way to get to practice this week, ‘cause if I have to listen to him telling us how great he is in the huddle next week, I just might take up knitting instead!”  Everyone laughed.
      “Well, I’ll be at practice,” said Chip.  “I’m going to be the first one there and the last one to leave.  I hope Coach will give me another chance.”  Chip paused for a moment.  “I’m sorry guys, I let you down.  I wasn’t thinking of the team when I missed those practices, just myself.  It won’t happen again.”
      “It sure won’t,” said Candy, “because we won’t let it.  You may be good Chip, but without practice you aren’t any good to us.  We’ve got a good shot at winning the championship this year, but we ALL have to work hard to make it happen!”
      “You won’t have to worry about me,” said Chip.  “Practice is my middle name!”  Everyone laughed again as they headed off to celebrate the win.

THE END

Copyright 2009 by Richard D. Tierney III
All Rights Reserved