The Beginning

Carter had never thought much about retirement. The game was fun, and sure you took a beating, but they paid you for it, and paid you well. He wouldn't say the game had passed him by. He would never say that. But it was hard to understand what drove the people on his team.

He'd seen his share of showboats. It was hard not to, playing on the same team as Harry "Hundred" Watt, the man whose ego was bigger than his talent, which was pretty impressive, considering his four Pro-Bowls in eight years.

Still, the characters that had made up the league of his past were few enough that they stood out. They may have had their problems, whining for more recognition, fighting for playing time, but nothing like this.

It seemed that every other player drafted now had personality problems. They liked to drink or they liked the smoke. Whatever it was, it didn't help the Anchors in what they were trying to do, which was building a dynasty.

With training camp about to begin and Carter's protesting body telling him it didn't like training camp, the first notions of retirement crept in.