Juice - Eric Walters [5]
“That’s good to hear. As coach, it is my responsibility to be right about everything all the time. I even know something about you that you don’t know,” he said, pointing at me.
“You do?”
“Yes. I know you’re going to be the hub of our entire defense. I also know that I’m standing here talking to one of the team’s captains.”
“Me? You want me to be one of the captains?” I gasped. The rest of the guys started clapping.
“I see they agree with my choice. You look surprised, Moose.”
“Well…”
“After the way you played this year, there was no other choice. Didn’t you think this might be a possibility?”
“I was sort of hoping, but whoever you named would be okay.”
“That’s the sort of attitude that your old coach told me about when he recommended you for the spot. He said you were a leader both on and off the field. He said that there was nobody who was willing to work harder, to sacrifice to get the job done.”
I felt like I was going to start to blush. I looked down at my feet.
“And when the offense is on the field, there will be two other captains on the field.” He turned to face Caleb. “The Squirrel is going to be one of the other captains.”
“Wow, cool, great!” Caleb exclaimed, and everybody, including me, clapped and cheered.
“Obviously two popular choices. My third captain isn’t even in this school yet. He’s a transfer student who will be starting in the fall.”
“Somebody new is moving to town?” Robert asked.
“Expect a couple of transfers. He might even be living with me,” Coach Barnes explained.
“You have a son?”
“I have two sons. One in grade two and the other in grade four. The older one has a heck of an arm, but I think he’s still a little young to be on the team. Sometimes my wife and I take in players with potential but a troubled home life. It’s my way of giving back. But right now it’s time for a tour of the school.”
“Sure, we can show you around,” Caleb said.
“No, I’m going to show you around,” Coach Barnes said.
“But we already know our way around here,” Caleb said, voicing the confusion that the rest of us were feeling.
“I’m sure you know everything that is here. I’m going to show you what is going to be here. Come.”
Chapter Four
We followed Coach Barnes out of the office and into the change room. He stopped and we all gathered around.
“This is your change room. Your old change room. By the time you return in the fall, this will be completely redone. It will be repainted. The lockers will be replaced with bigger ones. Ones that lock. Up there, one in each corner, there will be speakers to go with our new sound system. It will be incredible. Music helps to create mood, a winning mood.”
He walked over and opened up the door to the equipment room. The stink of stale air, sweat and mold came flowing out.
“This will be redone. There will be a massage table in that corner. I’ve arranged for a therapist to come out twice a week to treat your strains and injuries.” He turned to Caleb. “You know that hamstring injury that kept you out of three games this year? With the proper treatment you could have been back in one.”
“That would have been great,” Caleb replied. “I didn’t know massage could make that big a difference.”
“It can when you combine it with whirlpool treatments. That’s what’s going to be in the other corner—a new whirlpool tub.”
“Wow.”
“Unbelievable,” I muttered to myself.
“A winning team starts in the dressing room. Come.”
We followed him into the girls’ change room. That felt strange, but he had to know what he was doing. “This is being converted to an equipment and conference room.”
“Where will the girls get changed?” I asked.
“I don’t really know,” he said. “That’s not my worry. Oh, by the way, all of the football equipment, from sweaters to pads to cleats to jocks, will be brand-new. I arranged for us to be sponsored by a major manufacturing company that will remain nameless for now. In the back corner will be the conference area. Computer and projection system so that we can look at game film, do analysis and simulate plays. You’re going to be impressed with the software