Page 32 of Dump and Chase

“And this is your office,” he said, pointing to the tiny cubicle with a small desk and a few chairs. There were a few older plastic file totes as well as a laptop. “The team swung for a new laptop this year, probably because the old one was a dinosaur. It’s yours to use and do whatever you want with them.”

“And the totes?”

Allan groaned. “Our old physio liked to keep hard copies. He wasn’t big on technology or computers, so you’re going to have to decipher what’s in there and decide what we need to keep and then create files that can be easily shared. We have some a program set up that the Kodiaks like to use, so you’ll be using that too.”

“Okay. Good to know. And I’m good with technology.”

“And about hours, you know we work pretty much nonstop.”

I remembered that from the interview. “Yes. Right.”

“You will have some time off while the Ravens are on road trips, but you will be rehabbing with the injured players. So keep that in mind. We work long hours, so you’re sure you’ll be fine?”

In my condition is what he meant to add. “I’ll be fine.”

“Good. You’ll be working with Jim most of the time, but we do have weekly meetings to see where players are at. I try to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

“Of course.”

“Training camp started yesterday, but don’t worry about that. Over the course of the next few weeks your job will be to meet one-on-one with every player to get a feel for what’s going on with them. You’ll also be working with Brandon Warde. In case you don’t know, he tore the hell out of his ACL last season and had surgery early last spring. But to be cautious, the Kodiaks want him to start the season with us for a few games to get him back in shape. But that’s at least a few months out. He still needs more rehab.”

“Got it. And he’s not doing that with the Kodiaks?”

“Long story, but while he’s with us, he’s our responsibility.”

I should have brought a notebook along, but so far I’d kept track of all this.

“Anything else I should know?”

“Jim is going to have more to talk to you about, but in the meantime, why don’t you get started on the files. The program is pretty easy to figure out, and all your passwords and such have been set up for you. They are with the laptop. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Jim will be here soon. And we have a short team meeting to introduce you at nine thirty. That’s in the locker room.”

“I think I’ve got a good idea where to start. Thanks, Allan.”

He marched off toward the dressing room, and I went into the cramped office. I got the laptop going and set up my profile with the passwords the team had given me. I took a look at the present training camp roster and figured it was a good place to start with the totes. Jim wandered in a half hour later and plopped some black shirts on the desk, sending some of the paper files flying off the desk.

“Sorry,” Jim said gruffly. “Brought you some shirts. All kinds of sizes. That’s our official uniform. I also brought you some jackets and sweat tops to try. We don’t care what you wear for pants, but I’d make it comfortable.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He looked at me through his thick glasses and frowned. “Yeah, you’ll need to change before the team meeting. There is a washroom down the hall. It’s unisex.”

I got the hint and riffled through the shirts. All men’s shirts. Oh well. I grabbed a size small and headed for the washroom. I put it on and while it was still too big, it would do. I tucked it in where I could to make it a little less boxy. Jim was still in the office where he’d pulled out his own laptop.

“I’m sharing my files,” he said without looking up.

Either he didn’t like having me around or he was a grump. I wasn’t sure which. “Okay. I just got started with the old hard copies. I’m cross-referencing between what the roster looks like. Do you recommend that?”

He looked up now, his brown eyes staring at me, possibly evaluating me? “Sure. Good idea.”

“Anything else you recommend?”

“No.”

I had another forty-five minutes until my grand introduction, so I worked on the files. Jim came and went, and fifteen minutes before the meeting, he sank down in the other chair and stared at me. I looked up from my laptop to meet his gaze.

“You weren’t their first choice.”

Okay, he didn’t like me.

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