Fantasy League Read Free

taking him to a location shoot of a new action movie starring Vin Diesel about some former L.A. cops who end up saving the city from the bad cops now running the police department. Karla Gaines would do that sometimes, to get Charlie into her world for a little while.
    And, just maybe, get him interested in something other than football.
    So they’d been in downtown Los Angeles for what was one of the last days of shooting, at Alvarado Street, near Dodger Stadium, watching this great chase scene between police cars and Diesel. Two police cars crashed into each other, one blowing up in front of Charlie’s eyes. Charlie’s mom tried to explain where they were in the story before realizing that Charlie had stopped listening.
    He was staring at one of the actors who’d just been running down the street.
    â€œDo you know who that is?” Charlie said.
    â€œLet me guess . . . Is he the one who used to play football?”
    â€œ
He
is Jack Sutton, Mom,” Charlie said. “He didn’t just use to play football. He was known as Sack Sutton when he was the best linebacker on the entire planet, before his knee exploded like that fake cop car just did.”
    â€œHow could I not have known these things?” she said.
    â€œSeriously? How could you not tell me he was in this movie? Did you see him go flying around that corner? Holy moly, he looked like he did when he was still playing, when you thought Jack Sutton could outrun cars. That was before his knee. When he retired, he said he’d probably be limping for the rest of his life.”
    His mom smiled. “I’m sure the producers will be very excited to hear useful information like that.”
    â€œHe even looks the same as he did when he was playing,” Charlie said. “Same crazy long hair.”
    â€œHe’s kind of cute,” Charlie’s mom said.
    â€œEwwww, Mom.”
    â€œJust sayin’.”
    â€œSack Sutton,” Charlie said. “Unbelievable.”
    â€œWhat is unbelievable,” Charlie’s mom said, “is that now I can’t even escape football at work. And you can’t escape it even for an hour.” She sighed. “Oh well, may as well make the best of it.”
    She walked him across Alvarado then, introduced him to Jack Sutton, who used to get into so much trouble off the field, had been suspended so many times, that he’d never played even one full sixteen-game season. That was before he wrecked his knee, getting hit low and hard after he’d made an interception.
    Charlie’s mom told Jack Sutton that her son was the star of his fantasy leagues. Jack shook Charlie’s hand and said, “I’m doing a different kind of fantasy now. And get to be a rookie all over again.”
    â€œFourteen and a half sacks your rookie year with the Jags,” Charlie said.
    â€œYou remember the half? Not bad, kid. They didn’t officially give it to me until the next year.”
    â€œThe boy’s pretty smart about football,” Karla Gaines said.
    â€œWish I’d been smarter,” Jack Sutton said.
    â€œI’d like to know what you just ran in the forty,” Charlie said.
    â€œToo little, too late,” Sutton replied. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time I got back to my new day job.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Later, Charlie was in the den at Anna’s house, having told her he couldn’t believe he got to meet Sack Sutton. Anna remembered that the Bulldogs had almost drafted him out of Miami, but passed because he was such a total wild man, her uncle Matt turning out to be right for once.
    â€œHe’s actually been right pretty often,” Charlie said.
    â€œNot nearly often enough.”
    Their game was starting at six o’clock L.A. time. It was one of the best parts about being a football fan on the West Coast, night games starting this early. It was even better during the regular season,