As a team-building exercise, and to stay out of trouble, the undefeated 6 and 0 Wake Forest football spent this Saturday at a world-class tailgate party at the home of Sammy Sportface near their campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
As they walked to the sprawling backyard where the grills were burning goat (greatest of all time) meat, they noticed a 50-foot by 50-foot flat screen TV.
There all 103 players sat riveted in chairs watching a wicked game of electric football with both teams in Wake Forest old gold and black uniforms. Sportface took out his pointer out sharing instructions for how the Deacs should run offensive and defense plays in their next five games against Army, Duke, Carolina, State and Clemson.
“Hey Sportface,” said Wake quarterback Sam Hartman. “This is electric football. We play real football. How is this going to help us win our next five games for our first undefeated season in school history? Plus you don’t sound like you know football.”
“It’s not what you know, it’s how you feel,” said Sportface. “And I feel great about this football team.”
Sportface then instructs all the Demon Deacon players to line up outside his garage door in single file. He shows them the Sammy Sportface trophy case including his McDonalds Capital Classic basketball trophy, Pulitzer Prize for sports journalism, and National Sports Blogger of the Year Award.
As the players walk through, they each get a signed autograph on their new T-shirt gifted to them by Sportface with the new Sammy Sportface Baby Boomer Brotherhood logo.
“Hey Sportface,” said Hartman. “We’re not Baby Boomers. Why would we want this shirt and, plus, you’re not even a real person?”
“Reality doesn’t matter, Sam,” said Sportface, “as long as you believe in Sportface as deeply as I believe in you guys heading into Clemson’s Death Valley undefeated.”
Sportface keeps showing off his trophies and signing T-shirts as the Bojangles truck arrives with 400 pieces of fried chicken and the Cook Out truck pulls up with 200 milkshakes, a mixture of 45 different flavors.
Once all the players have fondled the trophies and gotten their autographs, Sportface directed them all to have a seat back in front of the colossal flatscreen.
Next to the screen on each side are two easels holding up John Wooden’s Success Pyramid, a blueprint for how to go undefeated in a football season.
“I have a special guest I want to introduce,” says Sportface. “He was a nobody out of Jacksonville, Florida years ago. From nowhere and total obscurity, he rose from the ground, got put into a Wake Forest football game early in his freshman year. From there it was utter madness and bliss. As shocking as the creation of the world itself, as mysterious as a Sammy Sportface blog, as wondrous as a Fall day in Winston-Salem, this guy lifted Wake Forest out of its football coffin into the blue skies above us into the clouds and towards Heaven for all eternity. He took us to the Orange Bowl. He is the almighty, the everlasting school hero, Riley Skinner, who is a winner.”
The players chant “Riley Skinner is a Winner” more than a dozen times.
Skinner steps out from behind the flatscreen.
“Back when I worked my magic and took Wake to the ACC title, the world was different. Those were different times. But the same common theme exists today with you guys. You were good last year, but now it’s time to be great. This is your chance, this is your hour. Don’t just be good. Be great.”
All 103 players roared. They mauled Skinner asking him to sign their Sportface T-shirts. They grabbed piles of chicken and milkshakes and the party was on.
On their way out, Sportface handed each player a copy of the book, Good to Great.
“Be great, like Sportface,” he said to each one. “I was once only good, but I read this book and now I’m great.”
To be continued…
Author Profile
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
Sammy Sportface Has a Vision -- Check It Out
Sammy Sportface -- The Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog -- Facebook Page
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