Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, son! Come sit on Santa's lap. What's your name?""Jack.""Jack what?""Jack Morris.""Ho, ho, ho! There's a famous baseball pitcher named Jack Morris.""I know, I'm him.""I'll be darned! Say, you're a little heavy.""That's my wallet.""Oh. Well, Jack. Have you been a good boy?""Good? I've been great. Didn't you watch the World Series, old man?""Well, I . . .""I was MVP. The big cheese in Minnesota. I just got a new contract. Over $5 million a year.""How nice. They appreciate you."
Snow is falling. I hear a knock. I open my door. And look who I see doing their sports Christmas carols . . . Wayne Fontes, "Silent Night" Silent night, roster is light, This one's injured, that one's tight Down went Rodney, and Jerry and Mike Eric and Cofer, they're riding the bike Could we get a delay-ayyy and do the playoffs next May?
Jerry Ball wanted somebody dead. He knew what had happened, he'd seen it a million times, only this time it had happened to him, this nasty football trick, one guy holds you up, the other chops you low, and now it was his knee that was throbbing and his turn to sit on the motorized cart that would drive him off the field and into his street clothes and damn it, he wanted no part of this. Better a crane should lift him through the roof than to ride off like some wounded soldier in front of the enemy with its cheap trick garbage.
Jerry Ball wanted somebody dead. He knew what had happened. He'd seen it a thousand times. Only this time it had happened to him, this nasty football trick: One guy holds you up, the other chops you low. And now it was his knee that was throbbing and his turn to sit on the motorized cart that would drive him off the field and into his street clothes, and, damn it, he wanted no part of this. Better a crane should lift him through the roof than to ride off like some wounded soldier in front of the enemy with their cheap trick garbage.
Mitch Albom writes about running an orphanage in impoverished Port-au-Prince, Haiti, his kids, their hardships, laughs and challenges, and the life lessons he’s learned there every day.
