Game Changers--A Benchwarmers Novel

by John Feinstein

  They parked with the valet in front of the restaurant, which was at the spot where Broad Street emptied into City Hall Square, at exactly five p.m.—the time the valets came on duty and the time of the reservation. Dunphy was waiting inside the front door.

  The restaurant manager—who screamed, “Dunph!” when he spotted the old coach—led them to a corner table. Jeff had filled his dad in on what was going on with the girls’ team on the drive to the restaurant. As soon as they sat down and ordered drinks, his dad began telling Dunph the story.

  “Never knew sixth-grade sports could be so intense,” Dunph said with a smile. He looked a lot younger than seventy, his hair graying but still flecked with brown, his eyes alive, his smile easy. “There’s really no one who will step in and coach them? I mean, if the two assistant coaches understood the woman wasn’t being fair to the kids, why wouldn’t they want to help?”

  “It’s political,” Jeff said. “No one wants to be seen as not supporting another faculty member.”

  “What about supporting the kids?” Dunph asked. “Shouldn’t they be more important than a teacher’s ego?”

  It was a good question. An idea flashed through Jeff’s head—a bad one, or at the very least an impossible one.

  “Coach Dunphy?” he said.

  “Come on, Jeff, I’ve known you since before you could walk,” the coach said. “It’s Dunph or Fran.”

  Jeff knew that, but in this context, he wanted to emphasize the word coach. “Okay, fine, sure, I mean, Dunph, why don’t you coach them? It’s just eight games and I’ve seen you quoted in the papers as saying you’ve got too much free time…”

  “Jeff, don’t be ridiculous,” his dad said. “Dunph coaching sixth-grade girls? Come on.”

  “I’d have no problem coaching sixth-grade girls,” Dunph said, stunning Jeff. “Coaching is coaching. And if the point of coaching is to help kids out—which is what it’s supposed to be—why wouldn’t I coach a group of girls who need a coach?”

  “You mean you’ll do it?” Jeff said.

  Dunph held up a hand. “Slow down, Jeff. The easy part right now is finding time. I’ve got charity commitments on some weekends and I have class every Wednesday night and Friday morning, but right now, that’s about it.” He smiled. “It’s too cold to play golf.”

  “So, what’s the hard part?” Jeff’s dad asked.

  Dunph shrugged. “You think the principal would let me do it? Sounds like he’s pretty much with the coach and against the girls. And, even if he did let me do it, I’m sure there would be an insurance issue and maybe a union issue since I don’t work for the school.”

  Jeff and his dad were both nodding.

  “But if we could figure that part out?” Jeff asked. “Would you do it?”

  Fran Dunphy smiled as a waiter arrived carrying drinks. “Absolutely,” he said. “In a heartbeat.”

  Five minutes later, after everyone had ordered dinner, Jeff excused himself to go outside to call Andi. Naturally, she didn’t answer. He texted: Call me ASAP! Really important.

  He paced up and down on Broad Street for about two minutes before the phone rang.

  “What’s so important?” she said.

  He told her.

  “Seriously, Fran Dunphy would coach us?” she practically screamed into the phone.

  “Yes, but there’s the insurance issue and the union issue.”

  “Let me talk to my parents. They’re lawyers. They’ll know what to do.”

  Jeff went back inside, just as Dunph’s linguini with shrimp, his dad’s stuffed lobster, and his New York strip were arriving.

  He reported back on what Andi had said about talking to her parents. That sounded like a good idea to both men.

  Dunphy had a big smile on his face as he dug into his dinner. “If we can pull this off,” he said, “I think it could be fun. A lot of fun.”

  Jeff’s father raised his glass. “You finished with five hundred eighty wins, right?” he said as Dunphy nodded. “Here’s to five eighty-one.”

  The three of them clinked glasses—two of them holding white wine, one Coke. Jeff was completely fired up.

  * * *

  Once Andi had explained everything to her parents—and had convinced them she wasn’t kidding about Fran Dunphy being willing to coach their team—it was her mother who spoke first.

  “The only way this is complicated is if Block decides he doesn’t want to get into some kind of fight with his faculty,” she said. “The easy part is the union. There are plenty of people who work at that school who aren’t part of the teachers’ union. They just have to give Coach Dunphy a contract that meets all the requirements of a non-union employee.”

  “What about the insurance?” Andi asked.

  “Same thing,” her mom said. “As long as he’s a school employee, he can coach the team and they’re covered.”

  Andi’s mind was going in about a hundred directions at once. In a period of about eight hours they had gone from taking on their coach, to their coach quitting, to being told by the school principal that no one would coach them, to an apparent offer from Fran Dunphy to coach them.

  Fran Dunphy.

  Andi didn’t follow college basketball as closely as Jeff, but she knew enough about it to know that Dunphy was known as “Mr. Big Five.” He had played on very good LaSalle teams in the late 1960s, had gotten a master’s degree at Villanova, and had been hugely successful coaching at Penn and Temple. The joke around town was that St. Joseph’s needed to hire him in some capacity to complete the sweep.

  And now he was willing to coach a sixth-grade team?

  Jeff had told her he would be home at about nine after he and his dad attended Dunphy’s class. She texted him and asked him to call before he went to bed. He called her back from his dad’s car.

  “So, did your parents have any ideas?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said, and explained.

  “So, the key then is Block being willing to do it—or to let Coach Dunphy do it.”

  “Exactly. Do you think there’s any way he can come with us to meet with Block? If he’s actually there, I think it’ll be harder for Block to say no.”

  “I agree. When should we ask him to come?”

  “I’ll get to school early in the morning and ask for another meeting with him at lunch. If Coach Dunphy can come in then—perfect.”

  “Let’s hope,” Jeff said.

  There was silence for a moment, until Andi asked, “Jeff, who came up with this idea?”

  More silence. Then Jeff said, “Well … I did.”

  “Then let me tell you something, Jeffrey Daniel Michaels, if we pull this off, I’ll forgive you for going to Coach Crist.”

  “Seriously? I’ll be off the hook?”

  “Close,” Andi said. She had a big smile on her face. She suspected Jeff did, too.

  * * *

  When Andi walked into the principal’s office the next morning, she was surprised to see Mr. Block standing at Ms. Dumas’s desk talking to her. When he saw Andi, he frowned instantly but said in a polite tone, “Can I help you with something, Ms. Carillo?”

  “Mr. Block, I know how busy you are, but do you think you could meet with us at lunch again today?”

  “What’s the subject?” Mr. Block asked, clearly skeptical.

  “Our basketball team,” Andi answered.

  “I don’t know that there’s anything more to discuss,” he said.

  “Well, sir, we do and we’d be grateful if you could give us just a few more minutes,” Andi said, keeping her voice as soft as possible.

  Mr. Block sighed and looked at his watch for no apparent reason.

  “Fine,” he said, after what seemed like a long silence. “Come straight here after your fourth-period classes. I can give you about ten minutes.”

  Andi suspected they’d need more than that. She also suspected he had more than that.

  “Thank you, sir,” she said, turning to leave before he could change his mind. />
  Andi called Jamie to explain what was going on so she could help spread the word with the team. Then she texted Eleanor, Maria, and Lisa to fill them in. Like her, everyone had been disbelieving.

  “Talk about going from bust to boom,” Jamie had said.

  Next, Andi texted Coach Dunphy directly—Jeff had given her his cell number—to confirm an eleven-thirty meeting in the principal’s office. Just before she turned her phone off for first period, he texted back: See you there.

  It had been decided that Jamie and Andi would again represent the team. Last night, Jeff and Andi had discussed the idea of one of her parents coming in to explain how Coach Dunphy could take over the team without breaking any school or conference rules. They had decided against it. If Block needed to talk to a lawyer, Andi’s parents would be available. Meanwhile, Jeff had promised to get his dad to bring Coach Dunphy up to speed about her parents’ advice.

  The morning crawled by. Andi was asked several times about the team, “firing” Coach Josephson, and the season being over. She’d just answered with a smile, “It’s never over till it’s over.”

  When the fourth-period bell finally rang, she dodged the hallway traffic and ran all the way to the principal’s office. She hoped Coach Dunphy would be on time. She arrived at the same moment as Jamie. Together, they walked into the school office.

  Ms. Dumas was standing at her desk, mouth open. Coach Fran Dunphy, dressed in a blue pinstriped suit, was standing in front of her with a wide smile on his face.

  Andi and Jamie introduced themselves.

  “The leaders of the revolution,” he said with a smile.

  The door to Mr. Block’s office opened. When the principal saw Coach Dunphy, his mouth dropped open, too.

  “Mr. Block, thanks for taking some time,” Coach Dunphy said, extending a hand. “I’m Fran Dunphy.”

  Block took the offered hand and stared. Apparently, he’d forgotten his own name.

  31

  Once Mr. Block recovered his composure, he invited Andi, Jamie, and Coach Dunphy into his office. Ms. Dumas came in and asked if anyone would like anything to drink—a first in Andi’s previous visits to the principal’s office.

  Mr. Block asked for some coffee—Andi suspected he might prefer something a lot stronger—and Coach Dunphy said a bottle of water would be nice. Ms. Dumas scurried out.

  Mr. Block looked at Coach Dunphy and said, “Coach, it’s an honor to meet you, I’ve followed your career for a long time…”

  “Too long,” Coach Dunphy said with a smile.

  Mr. Block laughed uncomfortably at the joke, then continued. “That said, with all due respect, what are you doing here?”

  Coach Dunphy looked at Andi and Jamie to make sure they didn’t want to answer the question before responding.

  “I understand you need someone to coach your sixth-grade girls’ team the rest of the season,” he said. “As you know, I’m retired, and my weekday afternoons are free right now. So I’m here to offer some help.”

  “You mean coach the team?” Mr. Block said—in a tone that made it clear that if Coach Dunphy had said he was here to buy the school he wouldn’t have been any less stunned.

  “Yes, exactly,” Coach Dunphy said.

  Mr. Block was about to answer when Ms. Dumas returned with a mug of coffee for Mr. Block and a bottle of water for Coach Dunphy. Mr. Block took a sip of the coffee, leaned back, and said, “I’m curious, how exactly did you hear about our problem?”

  He was looking at Andi when he said it.

  “Well, Tom Michaels and I have been friends for years,” Coach Dunphy said. “Tom came to speak to my class at Temple last night, and he and his son Jeff filled me in on what was going on here. Very unfortunate situation, obviously. I’m sure you don’t want the girls to lose their season, so I said I thought maybe I could help.”

  “If the season ends, it’ll be the girls who brought it on themselves,” Mr. Block said, the ice that had been in his voice a day earlier returning.

  Coach Dunphy shrugged. “I’m not here to judge that,” he said. “I’m here to see if I can help a bunch of kids out.”

  Mr. Block took another sip of his coffee, then folded his hands on the desk. Andi sensed he was stalling.

  “Well, it’s very generous of you to want to help out,” he said finally. “But, unfortunately, it’s impossible for a nonemployee to supervise students in any capacity.” He shrugged as if to say “end of story.”

  Coach Dunphy smiled. “I understand that. But I’ve talked to a couple of lawyers who tell me that I can sign a contract—you can pay me one dollar—making me an employee.”

  Block seemed surprised by the quick response, but rallied: “There’s also the union issue. You can’t possibly join our teachers’ union.”

  “You have lots of employees on staff—your assistant out there, I’d imagine for one,” Coach Dunphy said, nodding in the direction of the outer office, “who aren’t in the union.”

  Mr. Block was silent. He sat back in his chair, leaned forward, picked up the coffee again, drank, and sat back one more time.

  “I’m going to have to give this some thought,” he said. “I need to talk to the superintendent of schools and see what she says.”

  He stood up to end the meeting.

  Coach Dunphy didn’t move.

  “The girls have a game tomorrow,” he said. “They didn’t practice yesterday. I’d like to be able to meet them and get to know them a little as players before coaching a game. I understand they practice at four fifteen. Can we try to get this done by then?”

  Mr. Block shook his head. “Well, even if we get approval, even if I decide to go ahead, I don’t see how it can be done by then.”

  “Why not?” Coach Dunphy said. “You must have a standard employee contract that just needs to be filled in with my information, dates, salary. That shouldn’t take long.”

  Mr. Block was clearly taken aback by Coach Dunphy’s aggressiveness. Andi was surprised, too. The Fran Dunphy she’d always read about was about as polite as anyone in sports. Clearly, though, he didn’t have much patience for bureaucratic stalling tactics.

  “Leave me your cell phone number,” Mr. Block said. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Soon, I hope,” Coach Dunphy said.

  He stood up, put out his hand, and said, “Look forward to working with you.”

  After shaking hands with the principal, he led Andi and Jamie out of the office.

  * * *

  The word that Fran Dunphy had been in the principal’s office volunteering to coach the sixth-grade girls’ team spread through the school like wildfire. The entire cafeteria knew before lunch was over, and so did the faculty—tipped off, apparently, by Ms. Dumas.

  As soon as last period was over, Jeff went to find Andi. There was a text from Coach Dunphy waiting for him when he turned on his phone: Nothing yet.

  Andi had gotten the same text. She and Jeff were talking in front of her locker when both of their phones buzzed. A new text from Coach Dunphy.

  Block just asked me to come to his office—alone. I think you and Jamie should be there.

  Andi looked at Jeff. “What do you think?”

  “I think he’s right,” Jeff said. “It’s your team.”

  Andi texted back asking when the meeting would take place.

  Five minutes. I’m right down the street at the Madison Diner.

  See you there, Andi texted back, and then called Jamie to loop her in.

  Getting to the principal’s office was a challenge, since it seemed as if everyone in the hallway wanted to know what was going on.

  She was—unfortunately—the first to arrive.

  “I believe this is a private meeting,” Ms. Dumas said when she walked in. “Adults only.”

  Before Andi could respond, Coach Dunphy walked in with Jamie right behind him.

  “I asked the girls to join us,” Coach Dunphy said. “It’s their team.”

  “Well, we’ll see what Mr. B
lock has to say about this,” Ms. Dumas said, just as Mr. Block—right on cue—appeared in the doorway.

  “It’s fine, Ms. Dumas. Come on in, everyone.”

  They sat in the same three seats they had occupied earlier.

  Mr. Block got right to the point. “I’ve talked to the superintendent of schools and I’ve also talked to counsel and I’m told that we can do this,” he said. “I’ll be honest and tell you, Coach Dunphy, I’m not thrilled by this. I understand you want to do this for the girls, but I’m not a big believer in rewarding misbehavior.”

  “The misbehavior here was Coach Josephson’s,” Jamie said, surprising Andi—especially since she was thinking the exact same thing.

  “We’ll agree to disagree on that point, Ms. Bronson,” Mr. Block said, waving a hand.

  “Mr. Dunphy, I’m going to allow this—at least for now. I know my faculty won’t be happy, but for the moment I will say I made the decision for the sake of the players.”

  “That’s the only reason for you to make it,” Coach Dunphy said quietly.

  “I’ll need you to fill out paperwork before practice today, which I’m told is at four fifteen. Ms. Dumas will give you what you need.”

  He stood up. The meeting was over. He didn’t extend a hand, just waved in the direction of the door—and Ms. Dumas.

  Andi didn’t care. They had a coach—a real coach.

  * * *

  Jeff had wondered if Coach C would have anything to say about the possibility of Fran Dunphy coaching the girls. By the time the boys gathered for their three-fifteen practice, the entire school was aware of what was going on, so there was no reason to pretend otherwise.

  He didn’t have to wait long for an answer.

  “I know you guys have heard about what’s going on with the girls’ team,” Coach C said when they got to center court for their prepractice talk. “I can tell you the faculty isn’t going to be happy if Mr. Block allows Fran Dunphy to coach the sixth-grade girls. The support for Coach Josephson is pretty close to unanimous.”

  Then he smiled. “On the other hand, we’re talking about a Hall of Fame coach and I’m sure he is doing this for good reasons, not bad ones. But we’ll see if it happens. Right now, we’ve got a game at King of Prussia tomorrow and they’re the only unbeaten team in the league. We beat them, we’re a game out of first place. So, let’s focus on that.”