[legendsport]

Augusta, GA: October 11, 1913:

With the baseball season now over (Rufus' former employers, the Washington Eagles, had defeated the Baltimore Cannons in five games to win the World's Championship), Rufus was back in Georgia and had taken the opportunity to spend some quality time with a few of his sons. Rollie was busy with his golf clubs, Jack was still in Canada and Joe was off somewhere (presumably training for his next fight), but Rufus had convinced Alice to allow him to take Jimmy, Danny and Fred to a football game at Noble Jones College in Augusta. Rufus had, from time to time, seen the game while traveling - especially in the Northeast and Midwest where it had really taken root on college campuses. It was a rough game, but thrilling in its way, and Rufus suspected his rambunctious sons would appreciate the Saturday diversion from life on the Barrell farm.

The Noble Jones team, whose nickname was the Colonels, filed onto the field with the school's band playing a somewhat discordant marching song along the far sideline. The opponents, the Atlanta Teacher's College, weren't expected to put up much of a challenge. The Noble Jones players wore blue and gray striped sweaters and pants that resembled baseball pants, except these had ridged padding in the thighs. Their high socks and spiked shoes were also familiar to Rufus and aside from the long-sleeved jersey and padded pants, looked very much like baseball players.

Jimmy pointed to one of the Noble Jones players and said, "That one kind of looks like Joe."

Rufus squinted - his eyesight wasn't what it used to be. He could make out the shape of the young man, but not much else. "If you say so, Jim... It's hard for me to tell," he admitted.

Danny stood up and yelled, "Hey Joe!"

Rufus grabbed Danny by the shoulders and forced him to sit, with the youngster groaning, "Aw, Pop!" as he plopped back onto the bleacher.

Jimmy noted, "He turned around when Dan yelled, Pop."

Fred, not to be left out and going through a stage where he sided with Rufus on just about everything, said, "Heck, half the players looked when Danny opened his big mouth."

Danny glared at his little brother as Jimmy said, "I still think that guy looks like Joe."

Rufus sighed and said, "I'm pretty sure Joe's in Atlanta with Cooter, training."

Jimmy frowned, unconvinced.

It turned out that the guy who looked like Joe was one of the better players. While none of the players wore any kind of identifying item - like baseballers, their uniforms were just that: uniform - the guy stood out. He was large, fast and strong and often ran right over the smaller fellows from the teacher's college.

Jimmy, undeterred in his quest to figure out the identity of the big, strong Colonels back, asked one of the college students nearby, "Hey, do you know who that guy is?"

The college kid frowned a bit at the directness of the 13-year-old Jimmy, but replied, "Sure, I know him. That's Buck Barnwell - he just started school here and boy, is he a heck of a player too."

Jimmy shook his head, saying, "Buck Barnwell? That's a weird name."

Rufus patted his son on the shoulder, "Let it go, Jim. Maybe that guy does look like Joe, but it's clear that it's just a resemblance, that's all."

Rufus and his boys watched the game, enjoying it although it wasn't much of a contest. Barnwell and his fellow Colonels ran roughshod over the outmatched Teachers-to-be and won easily, 61-0. The highlight for Rufus came when Barnwell threw a spiraling pass thirty yards to a team mate - the forward pass was a relatively recent addition to the game, and Rufus enjoyed watching it performed perfectly.

As the game ended, Rufus stood up and brushed peanut shells off his pants, before he noticed that he was short a boy. As he opened his mouth to ask where Jimmy had gone off to, Danny pulled his sleeve and pointed towards the field.

Rufus gave a little groan as he watched his son slip through the gate at the end of the stands and dart onto the field.

Fred jumped up and down, shouting, "Jimmy's in trouble! Jimmy's in trouble!" over and over again.

As Rufus watched, after shushing Fred and realizing there was no way he could catch Jimmy, he saw his son run over to Barnwell and start talking.

He saw Barnwell turn his head towards the stands, and then motion with his right hand, pointing towards the bleachers and then saw Jimmy nod. Barnwell patted Jimmy on the head and started walking off the field (shaking his head all the while) as Jimmy headed back towards the stands, looking quite pleased with himself.

"I told you!" he shouted when he came within earshot as he climbed the bleachers.

"What was that?" Rufus asked.

"That was Joe! I told you so!"

Rufus was confused. "I thought that fellow's name was Buck Barnwell," he sputtered.

Jimmy had now arrived, and grinning, explained, "Joe's a professional boxer, and I guess the college people don't like anyone who's not an amateur playing sports, so he lied about his name."

Rufus raised his eyebrows and said, "So... Joe's going to college now?"

Jimmy laughed, and nodded. "Yep, he sure is. Edna put him up to it, saying she wouldn't marry him unless he got a education."

Now Rufus laughed himself and said with a smile, "I knew I liked that girl."

"He asked us to keep this a secret, so the college doesn't find out," Jimmy added.

Danny, munching a peanut, exclaimed, "Wait til Mom hears about this!"

Rufus wondered if Alice would be able to keep the secret.