Am I Having Fun?
Been reading plenty of them book-learnin' books lately. More later, but for now a few choice quotes from Mark Kriegel's Namath that I picked up in SF:
Joe went to Alabama for college with renowned coach Bear Bryant. Bear prided himself on having tough linemen and made sure they were that way by the Kill or Be Killed Drill:
(Namath)"Three guys got in a circle and they just started fighting when the whistle blew. Literally fighting: kicking, slugging, anything." Namath was told it would toughen up the boys a bit. When the whistle blew again, trainers came for the kid on the ground, who'd been kicked in the mouth; the other two were excused. Then, another whistle, and three more boys went at it. While Namath thanked God he was not a lineman, he never questioned Bryant's drill or the effect it would have on the guys who'd be blocking for him. "I knew is ture as hell made 'em tougher, the guys who survived," he said.
Another great little anecdote from the book involved one of Joe's favorite drinking buddies, Mickey Mantle:
The 1969 Astrojet celebrity golf tournament, sponsored by American Airlines, was held in February at La Costa in Carlsbad, California. Namath was paired with his buddy Mickey Mantle. They were easy to spot out on the course; their cart was the one being followed by another, this one carrying two amply bosomed blondes and a cache of cold beer. " We're waiting for them to come off the course to interview them," recalls a reporter. " But, they make a turn, go up a hill, leave the golf carts and disappear with the girls for about an hour. Finally, they come back down, half-cocked. The girls are still with them. Joe goes into the press area to be interviewed. And the first question--it was classic: ' Joe, are you having fun?'
Namath almost spit up his beer. "Am I having fun?
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