May 16, 2024 • 11 mins
THE PASS CATCHER is a cautionary tale for all of us who love the game.
A knee injury sidelined the pass catcher before the start of his third NFL season. But the damage had already been done. Four years of high school ball. Four years of college ball. Two years of pro ball.
Ten years of whacks to the head. Too many concussions to count. This is the once legendary pass catcher’s life today.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
Today's offering is entitled The pass Catcher, A cautionary tale
(00:48):
for all of us who love the game. A knee
injury sidelined the pass catcher before the start of his
third NFL season. Image had already been done. Four years
of high school ball, four years of college ball, two
years of pro ball, ten years of wax to the head,
(01:11):
too many concussions to count. This is the once legendary
pass catcher's life today the pass Catcher. See the pass
catcher on his afternoon walk, a slightly awkward gait from
(01:33):
that high speed tumble down Ajax all those years ago.
More than a dozen years now. Actually this winter, he
thinks it'll be fourteen years more less. Am I thirty eight,
thirty six, thirty nine or something else? At eight or
(01:55):
nine or maybe ten. He caught his first pass on
the beach during sunset. Nothing like catching passes on the beach,
the best and so soft, so so something. Go out
five steps and turn around and I'll pass it to you,
his father whispered in the huddle. His first huddle, a
(02:18):
secret meeting. God, how he loved those secret meetings. He
and dad that day against Mom and his big sister
Beverly Fiona Elizabeth, Huh, I'm not sure. He caught the
pass and ran like the wind down the beach under
the setting sun. Touchdown. He spiked the ball into the sand,
(02:42):
just the way he'd seen the big boys do it
on TV earlier. He took a nap, maybe another nap
after the walk. He likes his naps. Hard to sleep
at night in the dark, gotta leave the light on.
But the naps during the day feel good. Someone told
(03:03):
the pass catcher once that you can't have good without evil,
right without wrong, light without dark, day without night. It
was it was it was a coach, he thinks, maybe
the coach who told him this. Kid. Coach said you
got the three gifts, not one in ten thousand pass
(03:25):
catchers get all three gifts. But kid, you got them all,
three of them. The gifts, the three gifts. What what
were those gifts? Again? Damn it, that's right here, what
were those gifts? Good hands, definitely good hands. Forget being
a pass catcher if you ain't got the good hands.
(03:49):
He had exceptional hands, some of the best hands anyone
had ever seen. Soft but strong. He could catch a
hummingbird with those soft, strong hands. When he was in
high school, the scouts came from far and wide and
sat in awe on the cold metal bleachers as he
(04:09):
hauled in pass after pass, everything thrown his way. He
never ever dropped a pass ever, never once high, low, behind, way,
out front, right on the money. The pass catcher caught
them all. His wife, his wife, Yes, his wife, Fiona, Fiona,
I think yes, no, maybe, I'm not sure, says I
(04:33):
think we should head back. Your sister is coming to visit.
Did she say sister or sitter? He's not sure. The
pass catcher doesn't like visitors, but he has learned not
to say so. He has learned better to endure and
not raise his voice. Nothing good happens when he raises
(04:57):
his voice and gets mad and sometimes throws stuff, wineglasses,
beer mugs, lamps and then loses it completely and swings. Oh,
sweet Jesus, connects that that one time with my wife's
with my wife's jaw my wife's hopefully hopefully not my
(05:18):
wife's not. My wife's his high school sweethearts. He loves
his high school sweethearts. Jaw love, Oh Jesus, he signed
with State. Such a big day, a huge day, a
banner day. Everyone's so happy and proud. Parents and grandparents,
(05:38):
especially Pop Pop beamed speed right speed. That was the
second gift. Crazy speed from dead stop to full speed
in a split second, like like like a cheetah, like
a speeding bullet, like like Superman. Maybe maybe they'll let
me watch some Superman or some Batman after the after
(05:59):
the afternoon. Speed with moves, that's what he had. He
could explode off the line, go three yards, shake left,
boogie right, and blow by the corner so fast. The
poor bastard be standing there holding onto his jockstrap, totally bamboozled.
Hands speed and moves. The three gifts. No, no, no, wait,
(06:23):
something else, something something, definitely something else, But what damn it?
So hard to remember and getting harder even the simplest stuff.
At State, he broke all the records, well, almost would
have easily if not for the injuries. The knocks to
the head. He liked them at first, especially back in
(06:46):
high school. Whoa coach, He'd say, dizzy on the sideline,
that was some hit, I saw stars. Hell, kid, you
had your bell rung as all make a man out
of you. Now chin up and get back in the game. Yes,
sir coach, Yes, sir coach, Yes, sir coach. He could
catch them over the middle on the deep cross better
(07:07):
than any man alive, even knowing the free safety would
hit him at full speed like a locomotive and drive
him to the turf, his head smashing into the ground
like a coconut off the Empire State Building. Even then,
he would grab that ball and hold on for dear
life for the first down. Nothing in life so important
(07:31):
as the first down. Give it up for the first down,
preached coach. Give it up to hell with everything else,
your future, your sanity, your memory, your brain, god, damn it.
Just get the first down, son, for team and glory.
Exactly what was he wonders, walking unsteadily back to the
(07:52):
garden apartment. The first down again? What was that first down?
I think something to do with with possession, with sacrifice,
with victory, with glory. He went pro first round, ninth
pick overall, two seasons, thirty two games before the freak
(08:16):
skiing accident on Ajax destroyed his knee, and no matter
how hard he rehabbed, he never regained his speed or
his moves. Lose a step in the big Boy League
and you're finished, shot, cup, put forgotten. But yeah, hey,
(08:37):
he thinks, yeah, yeah, yea yea yeah yeah. That's the
other gift. That's the other gift I had. That's the
other gift. I had the grit, the guts, the gumption,
the balls to catch the ball over the middle, come hell,
compel or compell or high water, high water, high water mark.
He had the grit all right, great hands, terrific speed,
(09:00):
incredible grit. Ten fifty one hundred, two hundred, three hundred,
five hundred times over a decade playing ball, the pass
catcher raced down the field, hauled in the past and
made the grab and got clobbered, crushed, battered, entirely, destroyed.
(09:22):
A thousand times. His helmeted head impacted another head or
the cold, hard earth. Going up the steps to the
garden apartment partially paid for by the secret head injury fund.
He trips, grabs the wrought iron railing, curses, tries to
(09:43):
tear the railing loose, tear it right out of the
goddamned earth. Instead, he smashes his fist into the concrete wall,
and blood spurts, and he screams. The pass Catcher wants
to smash his head against the wall, but he knows
this will upset set the woman, maybe his wife, or
maybe his sister, or maybe or maybe the sitter coming
(10:06):
up the stairs behind him. She touches his arm gently,
and in a kind voice like you'd use with a
sick child, she assures him everything is all right, everything
will be just fine, even though he knows enough to
know everything is not all right and everything will never
be fine again. Ever, he sits on the step and
(10:32):
vaguely remembering some doctor somewhere sometimes told him his brains
were like scrambled eggs. The pass Catcher begins to weep.
Thanks for listening to this original audio presentation of The
(10:56):
pass Catcher, narrated by the author. You enjoyed today's story,
Please take a few seconds to rate, review, and subscribe
to this podcast. The ten Minute Storyteller is produced by
Andrew Pleglici and Josh Colodney and as part of the
Elvis Duran podcast Network in partnership with iHeart Productions. Until
(11:21):
next Time, This is Bill Simpson, your ten minute Storyteller,
Welcome to the ten Minute Storyteller. That's me Bill Simpson,
your host, narrator and author. We hear at the ten
minute Storyteller endeavor to entertain you with tall tales or
rendered swiftly and with the utmost empathy. We pledge to
(00:25):
pack as much entertainment, emotion, and exploration into the human
condition as ten minutes will permit mini novels on steroids.
Today's offering is entitled The pass Catcher, A cautionary tale
(00:48):
for all of us who love the game. A knee
injury sidelined the pass catcher before the start of his
third NFL season. Image had already been done. Four years
of high school ball, four years of college ball, two
years of pro ball, ten years of wax to the head,
(01:11):
too many concussions to count. This is the once legendary
pass catcher's life today the pass Catcher. See the pass
catcher on his afternoon walk, a slightly awkward gait from
(01:33):
that high speed tumble down Ajax all those years ago.
More than a dozen years now. Actually this winter, he
thinks it'll be fourteen years more less. Am I thirty eight,
thirty six, thirty nine or something else? At eight or
(01:55):
nine or maybe ten. He caught his first pass on
the beach during sunset. Nothing like catching passes on the beach,
the best and so soft, so so something. Go out
five steps and turn around and I'll pass it to you,
his father whispered in the huddle. His first huddle, a
(02:18):
secret meeting. God, how he loved those secret meetings. He
and dad that day against Mom and his big sister
Beverly Fiona Elizabeth, Huh, I'm not sure. He caught the
pass and ran like the wind down the beach under
the setting sun. Touchdown. He spiked the ball into the sand,
(02:42):
just the way he'd seen the big boys do it
on TV earlier. He took a nap, maybe another nap
after the walk. He likes his naps. Hard to sleep
at night in the dark, gotta leave the light on.
But the naps during the day feel good. Someone told
(03:03):
the pass catcher once that you can't have good without evil,
right without wrong, light without dark, day without night. It
was it was it was a coach, he thinks, maybe
the coach who told him this. Kid. Coach said you
got the three gifts, not one in ten thousand pass
(03:25):
catchers get all three gifts. But kid, you got them all,
three of them. The gifts, the three gifts. What what
were those gifts? Again? Damn it, that's right here, what
were those gifts? Good hands, definitely good hands. Forget being
a pass catcher if you ain't got the good hands.
(03:49):
He had exceptional hands, some of the best hands anyone
had ever seen. Soft but strong. He could catch a
hummingbird with those soft, strong hands. When he was in
high school, the scouts came from far and wide and
sat in awe on the cold metal bleachers as he
(04:09):
hauled in pass after pass, everything thrown his way. He
never ever dropped a pass ever, never once high, low, behind, way,
out front, right on the money. The pass catcher caught
them all. His wife, his wife, Yes, his wife, Fiona, Fiona,
I think yes, no, maybe, I'm not sure, says I
(04:33):
think we should head back. Your sister is coming to visit.
Did she say sister or sitter? He's not sure. The
pass catcher doesn't like visitors, but he has learned not
to say so. He has learned better to endure and
not raise his voice. Nothing good happens when he raises
(04:57):
his voice and gets mad and sometimes throws stuff, wineglasses,
beer mugs, lamps and then loses it completely and swings. Oh,
sweet Jesus, connects that that one time with my wife's
with my wife's jaw my wife's hopefully hopefully not my
(05:18):
wife's not. My wife's his high school sweethearts. He loves
his high school sweethearts. Jaw love, Oh Jesus, he signed
with State. Such a big day, a huge day, a
banner day. Everyone's so happy and proud. Parents and grandparents,
(05:38):
especially Pop Pop beamed speed right speed. That was the
second gift. Crazy speed from dead stop to full speed
in a split second, like like like a cheetah, like
a speeding bullet, like like Superman. Maybe maybe they'll let
me watch some Superman or some Batman after the after
(05:59):
the afternoon. Speed with moves, that's what he had. He
could explode off the line, go three yards, shake left,
boogie right, and blow by the corner so fast. The
poor bastard be standing there holding onto his jockstrap, totally bamboozled.
Hands speed and moves. The three gifts. No, no, no, wait,
(06:23):
something else, something something, definitely something else, But what damn it?
So hard to remember and getting harder even the simplest stuff.
At State, he broke all the records, well, almost would
have easily if not for the injuries. The knocks to
the head. He liked them at first, especially back in
(06:46):
high school. Whoa coach, He'd say, dizzy on the sideline,
that was some hit, I saw stars. Hell, kid, you
had your bell rung as all make a man out
of you. Now chin up and get back in the game. Yes,
sir coach, Yes, sir coach, Yes, sir coach. He could
catch them over the middle on the deep cross better
(07:07):
than any man alive, even knowing the free safety would
hit him at full speed like a locomotive and drive
him to the turf, his head smashing into the ground
like a coconut off the Empire State Building. Even then,
he would grab that ball and hold on for dear
life for the first down. Nothing in life so important
(07:31):
as the first down. Give it up for the first down,
preached coach. Give it up to hell with everything else,
your future, your sanity, your memory, your brain, god, damn it.
Just get the first down, son, for team and glory.
Exactly what was he wonders, walking unsteadily back to the
(07:52):
garden apartment. The first down again? What was that first down?
I think something to do with with possession, with sacrifice,
with victory, with glory. He went pro first round, ninth
pick overall, two seasons, thirty two games before the freak
(08:16):
skiing accident on Ajax destroyed his knee, and no matter
how hard he rehabbed, he never regained his speed or
his moves. Lose a step in the big Boy League
and you're finished, shot, cup, put forgotten. But yeah, hey,
(08:37):
he thinks, yeah, yeah, yea yea yeah yeah. That's the
other gift. That's the other gift I had. That's the
other gift. I had the grit, the guts, the gumption,
the balls to catch the ball over the middle, come hell,
compel or compell or high water, high water, high water mark.
He had the grit all right, great hands, terrific speed,
(09:00):
incredible grit. Ten fifty one hundred, two hundred, three hundred,
five hundred times over a decade playing ball, the pass
catcher raced down the field, hauled in the past and
made the grab and got clobbered, crushed, battered, entirely, destroyed.
(09:22):
A thousand times. His helmeted head impacted another head or
the cold, hard earth. Going up the steps to the
garden apartment partially paid for by the secret head injury fund.
He trips, grabs the wrought iron railing, curses, tries to
(09:43):
tear the railing loose, tear it right out of the
goddamned earth. Instead, he smashes his fist into the concrete wall,
and blood spurts, and he screams. The pass Catcher wants
to smash his head against the wall, but he knows
this will upset set the woman, maybe his wife, or
maybe his sister, or maybe or maybe the sitter coming
(10:06):
up the stairs behind him. She touches his arm gently,
and in a kind voice like you'd use with a
sick child, she assures him everything is all right, everything
will be just fine, even though he knows enough to
know everything is not all right and everything will never
be fine again. Ever, he sits on the step and
(10:32):
vaguely remembering some doctor somewhere sometimes told him his brains
were like scrambled eggs. The pass Catcher begins to weep.
Thanks for listening to this original audio presentation of The
(10:56):
pass Catcher, narrated by the author. You enjoyed today's story,
Please take a few seconds to rate, review, and subscribe
to this podcast. The ten Minute Storyteller is produced by
Andrew Pleglici and Josh Colodney and as part of the
Elvis Duran podcast Network in partnership with iHeart Productions. Until
(11:21):
next Time, This is Bill Simpson, your ten minute Storyteller,
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