09-13-2021, 04:52 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-24-2021, 03:12 PM by Tesla. Edited 2 times in total.)
The sound of 70,000 fans milling about the stadium reverberates through the concrete walls of the locker room as Wasrabi Gleel wraps athletic tape around his left knee. The tape helps keep the pain to a minimum, and oftentimes he’ll even go as far as to tape his knee when he is at his house, as the climb up the stairs is no longer a pain-free experience to take for granted. Six seasons competing in this game have battered his body, yet for now he knows he has the upper hand. Pundits say he’s playing his best ball right now, and he’d agree--but that window is closing fast, like the first truly cold breeze invading a warm autumn night. The scissors slide through the tape with a satisfying sound.
Gleel stands up and shakes his body loose. Kickoff will be soon. He takes a look around the locker room and appreciates the squad. The beauty of playing your whole career in one place is you get to be a vested veteran and watch the team grow as new players come to fill the shoes of the ones who came before them. Gleel wonders who will take his place and secretly hopes he’ll remain a tough act to follow when he retires to be with his wife and son back home in Vermont. He’s leveraged his money to a point where it makes itself, and he hopes to spend his retirement running a small diner in his hometown--a second chance to get to know the friends he’d left behind when he came to Minnesota as a rookie six seasons ago.
-------------------
Inside the tunnel the Chicago Butchers await to take the field. There is a kind of nervous excitement in the air, as is always the case before the first game of the season. Gleel looks over his shoulder at the new Chicago QB, Kazimir Oles, and notices his demeanor. Undoubtedly he is feeling nervous, but if he is he doesn’t show it. The black and white patch that reads simply “C” on his jersey is an indicator to the faith the Chicago Front Office has in the young player. After all, he is no stranger to big games and big lights, having won back to back DSFL championships with Minnesota. Gleel wonders if the arrival of this QB will bring about some overdue success for the Chicago Butchers, and he wonders still if he’ll be around to see it.
An announcer's voice booms through the stadium P.A. system, his words lifting the crowd to their feet with uproarious applause:
“Introducing your hometown heroes, put your hands together for THE Chicago Butchers! ! !”
The players begin streaming out of the tunnel as fast as they can, their hoots, hollering, and exultation beginning as reverberant echoes in the tunnel only to be lost in the overwhelming volume of 70,000 people on their feet in Meatgrinder Stadium. Gleel shouts but cannot hear his own voice as he waves his arms over his head to pump up the crowd. A veritable sea of black and red surrounds the field, marred occasionally by the blue and white speckles of Liberty fans that made the trip from Philadelphia to cheer on their team.
The Liberty players are already on their sideline stretching, and down by the opposite end zone Gleel can see quarterback Ryan Negs warming up with his receivers. Gleel smiles, and thinks that he’d like to swap jerseys after the game. Negs and Gleel played together in Minnesota what seemed like a lifetime ago, and they’ve done battle against one another in the ISFL ever since, trading victories and defeats every year. Chicago quarterback Oles Jr. is jogging past Gleel before Gleel shouts to him, “Hey man, battle of the Duck QBs! Let’s show up today, baby! Wooo!”
Kickoff will be soon, and the coach calls over the defense to go over the day's gameplan. For now Gleel must remain in the present, and give it his all this season if he has any hope of leaving a legacy behind him when he finally hangs up his cleats. He tries to pay attention to the coach, but is distracted by the lingering of a single word rattling loudly through his head like a dime in a mason jar:
When? When? When?
718 words
Gleel stands up and shakes his body loose. Kickoff will be soon. He takes a look around the locker room and appreciates the squad. The beauty of playing your whole career in one place is you get to be a vested veteran and watch the team grow as new players come to fill the shoes of the ones who came before them. Gleel wonders who will take his place and secretly hopes he’ll remain a tough act to follow when he retires to be with his wife and son back home in Vermont. He’s leveraged his money to a point where it makes itself, and he hopes to spend his retirement running a small diner in his hometown--a second chance to get to know the friends he’d left behind when he came to Minnesota as a rookie six seasons ago.
-------------------
Inside the tunnel the Chicago Butchers await to take the field. There is a kind of nervous excitement in the air, as is always the case before the first game of the season. Gleel looks over his shoulder at the new Chicago QB, Kazimir Oles, and notices his demeanor. Undoubtedly he is feeling nervous, but if he is he doesn’t show it. The black and white patch that reads simply “C” on his jersey is an indicator to the faith the Chicago Front Office has in the young player. After all, he is no stranger to big games and big lights, having won back to back DSFL championships with Minnesota. Gleel wonders if the arrival of this QB will bring about some overdue success for the Chicago Butchers, and he wonders still if he’ll be around to see it.
An announcer's voice booms through the stadium P.A. system, his words lifting the crowd to their feet with uproarious applause:
“Introducing your hometown heroes, put your hands together for THE Chicago Butchers! ! !”
The players begin streaming out of the tunnel as fast as they can, their hoots, hollering, and exultation beginning as reverberant echoes in the tunnel only to be lost in the overwhelming volume of 70,000 people on their feet in Meatgrinder Stadium. Gleel shouts but cannot hear his own voice as he waves his arms over his head to pump up the crowd. A veritable sea of black and red surrounds the field, marred occasionally by the blue and white speckles of Liberty fans that made the trip from Philadelphia to cheer on their team.
The Liberty players are already on their sideline stretching, and down by the opposite end zone Gleel can see quarterback Ryan Negs warming up with his receivers. Gleel smiles, and thinks that he’d like to swap jerseys after the game. Negs and Gleel played together in Minnesota what seemed like a lifetime ago, and they’ve done battle against one another in the ISFL ever since, trading victories and defeats every year. Chicago quarterback Oles Jr. is jogging past Gleel before Gleel shouts to him, “Hey man, battle of the Duck QBs! Let’s show up today, baby! Wooo!”
Kickoff will be soon, and the coach calls over the defense to go over the day's gameplan. For now Gleel must remain in the present, and give it his all this season if he has any hope of leaving a legacy behind him when he finally hangs up his cleats. He tries to pay attention to the coach, but is distracted by the lingering of a single word rattling loudly through his head like a dime in a mason jar:
When? When? When?
718 words