December 19, 1947: Washington, DC:
"Brrr, I hate the cold," Dorothy Bates complained to her son, Charlie Barrell.
Rolling his eyes, Charlie reminded his mother, "You were born in Wisconsin, as Myrtle Bates, before becoming a Hollywood star. You should be used to the cold."
Dorothy waved her hand dismissively, saying, "That was a lifetime ago, Charlie."
Exiting the Capital Academy gymnasium, Charlie and his family celebrated his team's victory in the school's annual holiday tournament. Charlie had led Capital to victory against a tough team from New York City, scoring an impressive 20 points.
"That was some game, Charlie," his uncle Dan Barrell said, beaming with pride. His wife Gladys nodded in agreement. She was a former basketball scout who'd worked for Rollie Barrell's now-defunct basketball club in the old Federal league back in the late 1920s. Rollie was back in the basketball business with a new Federal league; this time his team was in his adopted hometown of Detroit and was called the Mustangs.
Curious about Dorothy's opinion, Gladys asked, "What did you think, Dot?"
"Oh, I suppose it was fine," she said. Then she added, "I don't know much about sports. Except football of course - Joe taught me all about that."
Charlie rolled his eyes again. He didn't remember much about his father, but he doubted his mother ever had taken much interest in football. She'd never bothered to come see him play.
Sensing Charlie's frustration, Dan decided to change the topic. "So, Charlie, I got a call from the FABL offices asking if you've decided on the draft. It happens next month, you know."
Charlie nervously chewed his lip, and Dorothy, showing her lack of knowledge about sports, asked, "FABL is baseball, right?"
"Yes, mom," Charlie replied with a hint of annoyance.
"They draft high schoolers?" she continued with her questioning.
"Yes, mom," Charlie replied again, trying to hide his exasperation.
Curious about the financial aspect, Dorothy inquired further, "What kind of money are we talking about?"
Dan took a moment to think before answering, "Well, in my opinion, Charlie's probably a high first-rounder right now. So, the signing bonus would likely be somewhere in the eight to ten thousand dollar range."
Dorothy merely replied with a thoughtful "Hmm..." before asking, "And if he goes to college? Football and basketball drafts happen after college, right?"
"Yes," Dan confirmed.
"And they would pay more or less?" Dorothy inquired.
Gladys answered this time, explaining, "Most likely less, depending on the circumstances. By 1952, both the football and basketball wars should be over. The competing leagues are driving salaries up, and if that continues, Charlie might get more than he would from FABL, even after college."
Deciding to offer her input, Dorothy declared, "Oh, you should absolutely go to college, Charlie."
"Ugh, more school," Charlie groaned.
"You could come home, go to Coastal or CCLA," Dorothy suggested.
"Maybe," Charlie conceded. "I do have some scholarship offers already. But I'm leaning towards Noble Jones."
"Isn't that in Georgia?" Dorothy asked, surprising her son.
"Yes. How did you know that?" Charlie asked her.
"Simple," she replied. "That's where your father played football."
Charlie's eyes widened. He had no idea she knew that. Dorothy saw his look and laughed. Though she was now forty, that famous smile lit up her face and Dan found himself openly staring. Though she'd been married to his oldest brother, she was actually several years younger than Dan himself - Gladys too. Unfortunately for Dan the latter saw him staring and swatted him on the arm.
Dorothy was oblivious to all this, having long been used to having men stare. She looked at her son, laughed again, and said, "I told you that Joe told me all about football."
Dan, feeling slightly embarrassed, agreed, "I think Noble Jones would be a great idea."
Gladys teased him, saying, "But Dan, you went to Chicago Poly. I'm surprised you're not campaigning for Charlie to go there."
Dan shrugged and replied, "Well, Poly's football team hasn't been doing great. Noble is probably the better choice if Charlie's going to play three sports."
Charlie confirmed, "Oh, I'm going to play three sports."
Dan stopped and put his hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Does this mean you're saying no to entering the FABL draft?"
Charlie turned and looked at his mother for a second. Then he said, "Yes, that's exactly what it means. I'm saying no to entering the FABL draft."
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Charlie Barrell, late 1947
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