Get Him Off The Field...

    Wellington Rovers, was a sucker team that use to practice outside my home on what was known as top field. A high school friend of mine I use to make innocent fun of in school use to play left back for this 3rd division team that wore black and gold uniforms. My friend I called Tubba because of his head, gave me cause to wonder over to the team while practicing, only because I felt if he could make the team their standards must not have been that high. After a few visits, I was comfortable in pushing the ball between a few legs and was praised to the point I felt I had arrived, and was given new ammunition to terrorize Tubba with.
     Playing left back was no glorious position in my mind, so I reminded Tubba every time I saw him , which led him to call a truce by extending a good word for be to join the team. The gesture was enough to silence my lips and create new fears. For I had never been a part of any sucker team and knew very little about the games except putting the ball in the back of the net. Tubba brought me a uniformed pair of yellow sucks and I purchased a new pair of sucker boots and shorts to match my team mates and went top field to watch my first game, to get acquainted with the game and the players. 
     A team from the United States was playing against the Wellington Rovers that day, and I came prepared to watch. Little did I know that the team was a man short, and they welcomed me to take my position on the field. To my horror, I looked almost dumb founded and shocked while Tubba looked on with glee that his word gave rise to a star. The Captain of the team came to me and asked me what position on the field did I play, and all I knew about any position was the one i did not want to play and that was Tubba's position in the back. So I said in the middle, as if anywhere but back. I had no idea that a position was called middle, except they called it mid-field. The Captain gave us a little pep talk and then off we went to play a team from the United States. The crowd came out for this game only because a team from the USA was on showcase and everyone wanted to see how the Wellington Rovers would do. My boots were brand new, my short had to that point never seen play, as a matter of fact the only baler on me was the yellow sucks I was sure were familiar with the field for I knew someone else had worn them but they were not speaking to me on any how to's. Frighten out of my mind i stumbled to the field to a cheering crowd of fans.  
     I did not want to look at Tubba, for I knew if he saw my face, I would never be able to tease him again in life. I was not ready for this gig, and how could this have happen, all i wanted was to watch and learn, not play in this most prestigious match, the Wellington Rovers had up to that date every played. There I was standing in the middle of the Wellington Rover team on their side of the field, trying my best to go in the opposite direction of the ball and stay as far away from play as was humanly possible without drawing too much attention to myself. Every now and again the ball was passed to me, but passing the ball quickly was no problem and i did so with dispatch. I was the only player on the Wellington Rover side staying away from the ball so much so an old dude must have noticed me, I'm sure of it. Little did I know by having myself so open from the ball gave the goal keeper a person and a perfect place to kick the ball to. As soon as i was far enough away from the ball, the goalkeeper, kicked a high ball directly at me. I was in deep trouble and all eyes followed the ball and I felt it. There was no escape, all eyes were now on me as the ball made its way with perfect precision. I did not want to trap the ball with my feet, I had seen other guys do it and a few missed and the ball flew away and I was not prepared for that to happen to me, not now at least., trapping a high ball like this one coming was out of the question for I was not that good. All I could think to do was let the ball hit my chest. The ball all but took my breath away, as the crowd gasped and then eyes stayed on me from then on, for no one in their right mind would chest a ball from that high in the air. While I was catching my breath from that play, our team made a goal, and all was wonderful. A Wellington Rover goal against the USA was in the record books.  A few more minutes of play and our team scored another goal and then another.
     Just when I was about to get comfortable, there was a corner kick, that put me dead center the goal net for the other team. The ball was kicked perfectly, and came directly to me, all I had to do was tap the ball into the net, had I done that my life might have been different. I may have gone on to be the Premier of Bermuda or married a woman with money or just had an easy life but no! For some strange reason I had to show off a little, after all we were winning, and this goal would not make that much of a difference, so I felt optimistic and wanted to do a pretty shot and show off just a bit. I took a swing with such force I missed the ball one and a half times, meaning I swung and missed the ball and came back around again from the momentum and would have missed again had the ball still been there. It was so horrible, one man from way up on the cliff, that one that I knew saw me running from the ball, who saw my chested ball handling, and shouted out, "get him off the field". The Captain came to me and escorted me off the field in front of the visiting team who should have come with me for they weren't doing too hot themselves. My first chance to play sucker and one miss kick ruined my life as a baler. I did not look back at Tobber but gave him a gesture as if to say don't even think about it.  I pondered the nerve of that man on the cliff, he did not have to call me out like that, he could have given me a chance, after all, our team was out in front, his demand was not called for, besides, I had calmed down and was getting ready to make a goal myself. Ladies and Gentlemen, I could have been a great player if I was able to watch that game instead of being forced to play without notice. Never mind, the next day at school, Tubba tried to make light of me and my balling, but when he told them it was the Wellington Rovers, they laughed us both to scorn for the Wellington Rovers was in the last place on the third division  so both Tubba and I had to call it a truce cause we got off light with that crew of teasers...I got to thinking if Wellington Rovers were on the bottom of the 3rd division, how bad was that team from the USA. Of course I was worst then them all, and never put on a pair of boots again... nj