The Exception by Mickey Miller

Author:Mickey Miller [Miller, Mickey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-11-14T18:30:00+00:00

19

Reagan

The man who thought he would be starting quarterback for Chicago next year, Fred McGowan, is not happy with the news that he’s just been demoted to number two on the depth chart.

Jeremy sits to the side, and I sit behind my desk as Fred gestures wildly. “You signed fucking Dallas Connelly?” Fred fumes.

“And Vince,” I remind him. “They were a package deal.”

He slams a fist on the table. “What the hell? Where was the warning? I was supposed to be the starter going into this year! And now you’re telling me if I want to stay on this team just to keep the bench warm, I’ve got to take a pay cut?”

“The pay cut is a salary cap issue. And Fred, you’re going to be a good backup. A great backup, actually. Best backup we’ve had in years.”

“You think this is funny? This is my make-it year!” His eyes flash with anger. “I demand a trade, Reagan. I mean, Miss McKinley. Sorry. I don’t mean to disrespect you.”

I sigh. “All right. I’ll shop around and see if there are any takers. No guarantees, though.”

He shakes his head at me. “This is bullshit. Everyone knows Connelly is overrated. I thought with you and your special statistics”—he throws his hands in the air like jazz hands to make a point—“you would know better.”

“Connelly’s just got that special sauce,” Jeremy chimes in.

I don’t know why I thought this meeting would go cordially. I suppose I assumed Fred would take being demoted to backup quarterback as the only logical move since we just hired the biggest superstar in the league. I don’t want to inform Fred that I also think he’s correct. Dallas is a lot of hype, but it remains to be seen how he’ll go over in a new city, with a new team and organization. He’s got a lot of people to win over.

“What special sauce are you talking about?” Fred asks. “The one where he plays for three years straight on Seattle when they have the best defense in the league? Or the one where he gets lucky in the fourth quarter, and his receiver catches a pass that bounces off the defender?”

Jeremy holds a cocky smirk on his face. “I think we should ask Miss McKinley what she thinks about Dallas Connelly’s special sauce.”

I furrow my brow at Jeremy’s comment. Now, he’s rubbing it in and being inappropriate with that strange inuendo. I decide that the best route is to ignore him.

“Anything else, Fred?” I say. “I’ll keep you updated. I hope you know, this was indeed an unexpected move. Dallas’s people reached out to us, and we were as surprised as you, to be honest. But it was a move that will be good for the organization, and we have to do what’s best. You understand.”

“I do,” Fred says. He heads off without saying goodbye.

“Thanks for barging in,” I tell Jeremy. “Is it important?”

“What could be more important than dealing with the fallout from hiring the league’s biggest star? Guess we’re going to see what happens when we get new big egos in the room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.