"Hey, Piccolo." "Any slower, you'd be going backwards." "What are you thinking about out there?" "The same thing I think about at all times, sir... how I can play my own small part in pushing this team to greater glory." "Try making believe you were in a hurry when you play." "That'll be a start." "Let's go." "Let's go!" " You really stink today, Piccolo." " Thanks, Bill." "Coming from you, that means, well, nothing at all." "That must be him." "That's the Kansas Comet." " Sayers?" " Yeah." "I heard the old man's paying him 100 grand for four years." " I also heard he's uppity." " Uppity." " What kind of word is "uppity" anyway?" " You never heard "uppity"?" "It sounds like something my kid says when she's reaching for something." " He thinks he's better than others." " I never understood "uppity."" "You'll understand it better when you meet Sayers." " Gale Sayers?" " That's right." "I'm Brian Piccolo." "We met at the All-American game last year in Buffalo." "Right." "I know you don't remember." "That's all right." "But I'll never forget it." "No way." "And that was one heck of a talk we had." "I came up to you and said, "I'm Brian Piccolo." "I hear we'll both be playing for the Bears." You said..." "I'll never forget it." "You said, "Uh-huh."" "Just like that. "Uh-huh."" "Whenever I'm feeling depressed or low, I think about that moment." "A lot of guys wouldn't have taken the time to talk to me, but not you." ""Uh-huh," you said." "Just like that." "You ever met Halas before?" "Just on the phone." "Let me tell you something." "He's totally deaf in his left ear." "He'll never admit it." "Stay in his right side or he won't hear a word you say." "Rookies got to stick together, right?" "What?" " Who are you?" " Sayers." "Well, why didn't you say so?" "Get in here." "How's your leg?" "I hear you hurt it." "It's goo..." "It's good." "It's healed up." "How's your head?" "It's okay." "Being in the All-Star game put you about three weeks behind everybody else." "It ain't gonna be easy." "I know." "Well, all I can do is promise you a fair shot at running back." "But you'll have to fight offJon Arnett, Ralph Kurek and Brian Piccolo." "A fair shot's all I want." "I'm gonna use my running backs a lot as receivers this year." "You do any pass catching in college?" "Usually safety valve stuff." "Sometimes we'd screen." "You got to pee, Sayers?" "Well, I expect my guys to work hard and never give up." " This ain't the AFL, you know?" " Yes." "Yes, I know." "Thanks for dropping by." "Now get the hell out of here." "Thank you." "I have perfect hearing in both ears." "Don't believe everything Piccolo says." "Look at that guy." "Doesn't even talk to his own people." "All right, listen up." "You fellas who just rolled in today, you haven't heard the drill." "Here it is." "Tomorrow you new guys are gonna be given a playbook." "This playbook is like the Bible." "Only the Gideons don't replace it for free and neither do the Bears." " Mind if I break bread with my brothers?" " Lose the playbook, it's a $500 fine." "No appeals, no exceptions." "Five-double-0." "Now, curfew." "You don't like it." "I don't like it." "It's too bad." "I have to be honest." "At first, I thought maybe you didn't like white people." "But now I'm thinking maybe you just don't like people in general." " Which is it?" " Stay out of my face, Piccolo." " I don't..." " Mr. Sayers!" "I was just mentioning the fine for talking in a team meeting." "Did you happen to hear what I was saying?" " No, I did not." " Well, the fine is $25." "And it's just been levied on you." "You dig?" "I just don't understand the name Gale." "I mean, I understand Terry or Randy." "Those can go either way." "But Gale?" "Why not Edith?" " OrJudy." " OrJemima." "Ready, hike!" "He's fast." "Real fast." "I'm dynamite till there's someone playing against me." "You're really impressed with yourself, aren't you?" "Ah, come on now." "It's all right." "I might be too if I ran that good." "I've known a lot of guys like you." "You're a natural." "And you don't even have to work too hard at it." "You're one of those guys that everything comes easy to." "You know, every time I look in the mirror..." "I see a guy that everything came easy to." "That is the longest string of words I've heard you say." "You must be exhausted." "I've known a lot of guys like you too." "Try to get by on smiles and jokes." "But that's usually all they have." "And they come and they go." " You're saying I'm a flash in the pan?" " I haven't seen any flash yet." "Jokes too." "Wow." "Wow." "Well, I guess you don't have too much to worry about." "Halas has got so much money tied up in you, he can't afford to cut you." "That's not why I won't get cut." "I know." "Ready!" "Break!" "Blue 80!" "Blue 80!" "Set!" "Hike!" " That-a-way, Butkus!" " Piccolo, you bonehead." "That was a fake draw screen right." "What is your assignment in a fake draw screen right?" "My assignment is to pick up the linebacker if he's coming." "Unless the linebacker is Dick Butkus." "In which case I simply notify the quarterback and send for a priest." "That won't be so funny when you got a mouthful of dirt because of Piccolo... you morons." "Let's do it again." "Huddle up!" "You can't stay in the past, George." " I mean, it's 196" " I know what year it is." "We don't need any distractions." "We don't need any trouble." "How can it hurt us?" "Come in." "You just gonna stand there and stare or are you gonna say something, Gale?" " You asked to see me." " Damn right, I did." "Get in here." "Look." "We're gonna start a new policy around here." "It's gonna start with you." "My brain trust tells me... that it's time that the Bears started rooming together by position... that maybe it's not a good idea anymore... that the guys be split up by race." "You follow?" "That maybe if we mix everybody up... we'll get some understanding on this team." "And that's a good thing, right?" "So, you got any problem rooming with a white man?" "You have any problem rooming with Brian Piccolo?" "Well, look, I..." "I guess not." "You better be sure, Gale." "It's gonna make a lot of people mad." "And it ain't gonna be fun when we play down in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston." "You can say no." "No, it's okay with me... if it's okay with him." "He'll be fine with it." "Trust me." "Excuse me." "I thought this was my room." "It's mine now too." "You gotta be kidding me." " They didn't tell you?" " What, we're rooming together?" " Me and you?" " That's right." "What, for tonight, this week?" "For the season." "What?" "Why didn't anybody ask me?" "Listen." "I'm not happy about being with you either." "So if you wanna find another roommate, please, be my guest." "Man, you must be a racist." "Well, you make a good argument for it." "You are real hilarious all of a sudden, aren't you?" "It doesn't matter anyhow." "The old man's gonna cut me any minute." "You saw the kind of day I had out there." "You're not getting cut." "What, you're psychic now too?" "Psychic comedian, is that it?" "Why would they have us room together if you didn't make the team?" "Well, damn." "I always liked you, Sayers." "Okay, listen up, guys." "To the Chicago Bears' new backfield." "Best offensive team ever laced them up." "Hear!" "Hear!" "Kiss me." "Here's to Pic's new roommate." "The Kansas Comet." "That's funny, guys." "That's really funny." "Could be an interesting year." "Maybe you'll learn something." " What do I have to learn?" " Brian's never known a colored person." "Wait." "No." "That is a total lie." "Who?" "You're on your own, man." "How about the guys on the team at Wake Forest?" "I'm talking about somebody you actually had a relationship with... not somebody you slapped on the butt every once in a while." "All right, maybe I haven't." "So what?" "I don't care what color he is." "I really don't." "It's just he is so... aloof." "Aloof." "Aloof." "You know, it's this whole "I'm better than you" attitude." "He is better than you, Pic." "He's better than all of us." " Thanks for pointing that out, Ralph." " Honey, leave him alone." "What?" "Give me a kiss." "How you doing over there?" "Like the biggest, baddest... meanest, fastest... most scared to death, phony football player you've ever seen." "Oh, shut up." "You're the real deal, Brian." "Everybody knows it." "Well, as long as you know it." "I love you." "Me too." "Don't do it." "Don't room with a white guy." " Why not?" " Why?" "What's it gonna prove?" "It's only gonna cause you trouble down the line." "Like the Mason-Dixon line." "Well, it's gotta happen sooner or later, okay?" "Honey, people aren't ready for it." "I'm just trying to watch out for you." "What do you want me to do, baby?" "It's not like I have a choice in the matter." "You don't have to do everything they say." "I don't do everything they say." "All right?" "I'm part of a team." "How will it look if I don't wanna room with a white man?" "Like you're smart." "I could care less about rooming with a white man." "I just really wish it wasn't this white man." "Okay." "Well, don't go crying to me when you go out on that field one day... and there's a burning goalpost in the end zone." "All right, that was a little much." " Why do you talk like that?" " You worry me sometimes." "I worry you, huh?" "Is that all you got?" "Butkus, come in here." "Do something." "How does it feel playing in the NFL, Gale?" "It's okay." "Well, you must feel pretty good." "You had a really good day." " Yeah." " Excuse me, guys." "Maybe you'd like to have a word with the man who really won the game today." " You're Brian Piccolo." " Yeah." "Two C's, one "L."" " You never left the bench." " I am pleased you noticed my strategy." "That's very observant." "You see, it's my mental game that makes us winners." "The team looks at me and then I call the plays with my facial expressions." "Mr. Halas is trying to get the NFL to make it an official position." "Offensive full bench warmer." "And I plan to be the first Hall of Famer in bench-warming." "Or benching, you know, as the pros call it." "You and Sayers are the first black-and-white roommates in the NFL." "How is that going?" "It's fine." "Except he never shuts up." "Do you have to air our dirty laundry in public?" "How come you never talk to me about your feelings?" "I bet you have plenty to say to your friends down at the bar." "I am sick and tired of staring at those four walls... while you're out till all hours." "We're gonna work through it, though." "Yeah." "As long as we keep talking, we'll be okay." "I like this one." ""You must have been raised with pigs... to stay in the same room with one of those darkies." "You must have crawled out from under a slimy rock."" " Is that it?" " Just the usual." ""Love, Mother."" "Doesn't any of this bother you?" " Those letters don't bother you?" " I've been hearing it all my life." " I just keep my mind on the game." " I don't believe you." " I don't care what you believe." " If I were you..." "I'd wanna rip somebody's head off." "And as you can see, you are not me." "That's it." "That's the thing about you." "You are so arrogant." "You are." "Somebody tries to be nice, even just make conversation, you turn your back." " You don't know me, Piccolo." " That's for sure." "Nobody does." "The whole team thinks you're uppity." " Uppity?" " I don't get what it means either." " But it seems to fit in your case." " You better be careful now, Piccolo." "You don't talk to anybody." "Even when you score, you just walk away." "You don't do the "ass pat" thing." " That is un-American, son." " I am not here to make friends." "I don't expect you to do anything radical." "But this is a team." "It wouldn't hurt to make a few acquaintances." " It wouldn't hurt if..." " Come on." "Hungry." "Food." "Now." "We go eat." "I want red meat and I want it now." "You just ate lunch five minutes ago." "What's wrong with you?" "You..." "You wouldn't want to come with us." "We promise not to talk to you or anything." "You know what?" "I would actually love to come with you guys." "Thanks." "Let me just get my jacket and my wallet." "Where is this thing?" "You know, the other thing we can do is just order in, you know?" "Maybe pizza... or Chinese." "Look, I'm kidding." "This is Georgia." "Of course I'm not going with you guys." "I have my own friends to hang out with in an hour." "All right." "All right." " See you, Gale." " Later, Gale." "Come on, Pic." "Tonight." " Catch me!" " Lori?" "Traci?" "Guys." "Guys, have you seen Traci or Lori?" " No, Pic, I haven't seen them." " They were just here a second ago." "I don't get it." "Honey, have you seen the girls?" " You check their room?" " Yeah." "Yeah." "The closets too." " Beats me." " That's so strange." "I know." "Maybe I left them in the dryer." "Of course." " Pic." "Pic." "Look." " In other sports..." "Chicago Bears running back Gale Sayers has been named NFL Rookie of the Year." "The Kansas Comet has the most points in a rookie season: 132." "Coming up next, Betty Driscoll has the rest of the football highlights... and then Fast Louie Kline has the Play of the Week." "All right, let me check that dryer." "I hope I didn't turn it on." "Oh, boy." "I hope I didn't turn it on." " How you doing over there?" " Great." "We're gonna need more beer, though." "I only got four kegs." " What was I thinking?" " You know what I mean." "Oh, you mean Sayers." "Hey, good for him." "No, really." "I'm not gonna begrudge it to him." "Sure, he is arrogant, and, sure, I work ten times harder than him... and he is ten times better than I am." "Sure, he tops it off in seconds what takes me weeks to get good at." "Other than that, you're fine with it." "Exactly." "The man deserves it." "Case closed." "You would too if they let you play more." "I will have my day." "Great soup." "I love you." "This is the part where you say you love me too." " You know I do." " Will you pull a tendon if you say it?" "If you don't know it by now, it doesn't matter how many times I say it?" "That's probably Butkus." "I better butter the doorway so he'll get through it." "Come on." "Time to eat, baby." "I think I should be out there doing something too." "Oh, baby, you are doing something." "And what you do on the field, people look up to it." "It lets them know that they can make it too." "I hope so." "Can I ask you a question?" "Do you think I'm arrogant?" "And now, ladies and gentlemen... to accept the award for Rookie of the Year, Gale Sayers." "Football is a..." "It's a team sport." "He's not arrogant." "He's shy." "Thank you very much for this." " Thank you." "Thank you very much." " You're welcome." "All right." " You got a fan." " Come on." "Stop that." " It was nice tonight." " Yeah, it was nice." "Nice speech." "Especially when you said, "Football is a..."" "Really hit me where I live with that." "Hi." "I'm Joy Piccolo." "I'm married to Mr. Manners." "I'm sorry about that." "I'm Gale." "This is my wife..." "Linda." "Nice to meet you." "I was thinking about asking to be traded." "Not that I don't love being offensive full bench warmer." "But I'm starting to dent some of them." "It doesn't seem fair to the benches." "But then I decided no." "No, I like Chicago." "I like the team." "What I don't like is playing second string." "Maybe next season I got a shot at fullback." "But I don't believe the old man thinks I'm big enough." "Probably go with Ronnie Bull." "The other spot is yours." "That's the job I'm gunning for." "See, I'm a better blocker than you, and I'm as good a receiver." "I can't run like you, but I can still get 10.6s... and it all adds up the same way." "I'm coming back to camp next year in the best shape ever... and I'm gonna do everything I can to blow you out of the lineup." " Good night now." " Good night." "Good night." "Now, he's arrogant." "What's that, Coach?" "It's the starting lineup for the exhibition." " Who's backfield?" " Buchanan, Bolt and Sayers." "It's quiet out here." "Except when the planes fly over." "You know, you play a real good game." "So do you." "On three." "Ready!" "Break!" "Set!" "Hike!" "You should eat something." "Can I get you anything?" "Something to read." "I can get a magazine." " The doctor said you..." " Will you leave me alone?" " I'm just trying to help you..." " I don't need any food." "I don't need any damn magazines." "Just leave it alone, okay?" "Can you do that?" "Can you?" "Bad time?" "Yeah, I'm gonna go get you that magazine." "Don't be alarmed, but I just heard your surgeon ask someone what year it is." "Not today." "I'm not in the mood." "I also heard you're under the impression you're not playing the game anymore." "Please." "You gotta be kidding me." "Is this why you came down here?" "Give me some pep talk?" "This is being installed in your garage as we speak... courtesy of George Halas and the Bears." "You're gonna make me puke." "Six months ago, you're gunning for my job." " Now you're my guardian angel." " You're not finished playing football." "It's over!" "Even if I could come back, I wouldn't come back the same." "I don't even care." "Anybody who cries in front of 45,000 people cares." "You shut up, okay?" "You shut up!" "Why doesn't everybody just leave me alone?" "I don't need your pity." "And I don't need all this "be nice to Gale" garbage, especially from you!" "Nice?" "No, I'm not being nice to you." "Don't flatter yourself." "Look, when I was in high school, I was one of the best backs in the state." "Unfortunately for me, the best back in in the state was Tucker Frederickson." "So when the big colleges came to watch us play, who do you think they picked?" "Is this gonna be a long story?" "I worked my butt off in college." "I lead the whole nation in rushing and scoring, but nobody drafts me." "Not the AFL, not the NFL." "So I figure I'll try out as a free agent." "Guess what." "I make the Bears." "Guess what." "Gale Sayers decides to come to the Bears... and I'm number two all over again." "Well, you're number one now." "Yeah." "And if you don't come back and come back 100 percent... people are always gonna say I got in on a pass, a lucky break." "And I won't have it that way." "I am gonna beat you... but it won't mean a thing unless you're at your best." "Not one second slower, not one bit weaker." "So I'm gonna work your butt off getting you back in shape again." "And believe me..." "I'm not doing this for you." "So there's really no need to puke." "I am not going to humiliate myself... so that you could feel better about yourself." "There are five games left in this season." "That's how long you have to feel sorry for yourself." "'Cause after that, you're mine." "Feel better." "A beautiful 15-yard touchdown run by Brian Piccolo." "That's 112 yards in 21 carries." "He has just dominated this game." "We want to thank the Chicago Bears... on behalf of the Family Day Care Foundation." " Ladies, over here." "Smile." " Don't forget." "We have refreshments... as well as games for the kids." "Thanks for coming." "Go Bears!" "Hi." " Football wives saving the world." " That's us." " Is your car this way?" " Sure." " Brian says he's doing great." " That's more than he's telling me." "We're now entering month three of the long, bad mood." "What's your gut?" "Is he gonna be okay?" " Can I be honest with you?" " Unless it's about my hair, sure." "I love Gale." "I really do." "But I am sick to death of talking about him." " No, I'm serious." " I know." "I know what you mean." "Is it me or does everyone treat us... like we're these little satellites just orbiting around the men?" "It's like we're army wives, except with a nicer house." "Don't you just wanna say, " Look, it's a damn game." "Just shut up"?" "If only they move as fast with the garbage as they do with the ball." "He can twirl Dick Butkus over his head, but ask him to pick up his underwear..." "So how come you didn't go to Kansas City?" " Didn't they want you?" " Yeah." "The Chiefs made me an offer." "But I figured a black man had a better chance in Chicago." "That must be nice to pick and choose." "Must be nice not to have to worry about what city... a white man has a better chance in." "Still, it has to be good to be you." "I'd love to know what that feels like." "What are you talking about?" "What's it feel like to go to sleep at night and know you're there?" "And know you got the talent and everybody sees it." " What's it feel like to have that?" " I don't know what you mean." "Yeah, you do." "You're not just waiting for your chance." "You got your chance." "You're out there doing it." "Breaking records." "Last season, six touchdowns in one game." " I didn't break a record." " Yeah, but you tied it." "It's no big deal, Pic." "Don't do that, Gale." "Don't trivialize it." "It's insulting." "Yeah, I just wonder if I missed something somehow." "Was I supposed to zig instead of zag somewhere?" "You wanna know the truth?" "Maybe." "I don't feel like I've gotten anything." "If I do, I'm just renting it for a while." "See, you're waiting for something to come." "I'm wondering when it's all gonna go." "And I don't know which is worse." "Still, I envy you." "I can't lie." "Maybe I envy you." "Look at you." "You wash out of football, you can do anything you want." "You can sell yourself." "You can make speeches." "I didn't even graduate college." "Signed to the Bears right out of..." "My knee goes, my game goes." "What else do I do?" "Well... you have to scratch stand-up comedian from the list right off the bat." "No cheating." "It's attractive, ain't it?" "Why don't you try a lozenge or something?" "I always get a cough in the winter." "I wanted to..." "I wanted to..." "I wanted to tell you something." "The suspense is killing me, Gale." "What?" "I was ready to give up." "I appreciate everything you did for me." "That's it." "I owe you." "You don't owe me anything." "I was..." "I was just fatting the calf." "Now, he... he owes me." "I have been putting this..." " in Kirk's deodorant stick." " Come on, Pic." "It's a miracle the man can even raise his arms at all." " You're bad, man." "You are bad." " You check yours?" "Looking good, Gale." " Looking real good." " Thanks, Coach." "Well, we're gonna have a scrimmage on Friday, see how it stands up to contact." "Good." "What are you looking at?" "Just your fine chiseled face, sir." "Have you noticed how good the rookies look this year?" "That Ross Montgomery." "Very impressive." "And he talks very nicely to me." "I wouldn't be surprised to see him replace you as number-two halfback." "Because I'm gonna make you number-one fullback." "You and I, starting backfield." "Hey, Coach." "Coach." "Look at him." "He actually has nothing to say." "Can you believe it?" "It's a first." "That's right." "You and I." "Yes." "Come on." "Give me some skin." "Come on." "I've never seen someone eat so much and never gain a pound." " It's disgusting." " Well, I consider it my job." "Last week, I was down two pounds." " Time for another cannoli." " It's disgusting." "I wanna lose a pound, I have to eat cottage cheese for a week." " All he has to do is go to bed." " I gotta keep up with this guy now." "I need all the red meat and pastry I can get." "Well, here's to the number-one fullback." "And hey, thanks for putting Gale back on his feet." "And for putting up with him so I didn't have to." "And, wait, wait." "Here is to the number-one running back." "I'm glad they let me join him 'cause I know I could never beat him." "Come on, now." "What do you say we go stretch our legs?" "In other words, the World Series is on at the bar." "Go!" "Oh, really?" "Oh, then we'll be right back." "Okay." "So, how are you doing?" "Okay." "Better." "He's a human being again." "I was asking about you." "Yes, this thing with his knee, you know, really turned me around." "One night in the hospital, Gale said his career is over." "And just for a minute, I believed him." "He was so convinced." "Then I had this thought:" "Who am I now?" "If this thing with his knee ends his career, does it end who I am too?" "I mean, I'm Mrs. Gale Sayers." " That's what all of my mail says." " Oh, come on." "Just because the press trivializes us, treats us like walking hairdos..." "No." "It's different for you." "You used to be a nurse, right?" "I mean, that's a career." "That's something you could go back to if something..." " I guess." "I mean..." " Did you mind giving it up?" "I wanted to be with Brian." "That was the bottom line." "When you're in football, you travel." "You don't know what city you're gonna be in next year... so I agreed to ride sidecar for now." "I mean, who knows what's gonna happen ten, twelve years from now." "All I know is I don't wanna be asking myself, "Who am I?"" "When those ten, twelve years are up." "Ready, set, hike!" "I used to drive a Volkswagen that weighed less than you, Butkus." "I'm a fortress, Piccolo." "The rest of you guys are mere shacks." "Come on, come on." "Take the comedy routine somewhere else." "Is it true you've been tapped to be the NFL goodwill ambassador?" " Shut up and stand still." " Is that your thumb on the scale?" "Need a lot more than a thumb for you." "You're down another pound." "Yeah, but what's there is choice." "Admit it." "You're the skinniest fullback in the league." "Coach, you run the fat off of us, then you complain we're too skinny." " You're a hard man to please." " Beat it." "And eat a sandwich!" "You oughta tell your Italian friend, "Load up on the pasta."" "Don't worry about him, Coach." "He's just trying to be quicker than me." "Well, he's ten pounds down overall and a half-second slower in the forty." "He's slower, lighter." "I'd say the plan ain't working." "Beat it." " Sorry if I woke you." " Are you okay?" "Just won't quit tonight." "It's been hanging on for a long time." "Come on, I've had a cough and a cold every winter since I'm a teenager." "Not this bad." "Allergies." "I'm all clogged up." "Come on, Brian, who do you think you're talking to?" "It's time to call a doctor." "Now, are you going to do it or am I?" "No one is calling any doctor!" "The team has had me poked and prodded from head to toe... and I'm not about to let the old man know I'm getting winded." "It'll pass, Joy." "What's the matter?" "You all right?" "There must be 90 million pounds of pollen in the air." "Hey, Doc, you got anything for Pic?" "Says he's got allergies." " I already gave him his spray." " Hey, Doc!" " Coach." " Gale, good game." "Thank you." "So, what's with your roommate?" "What do you mean?" "All right, he's got allergies." " I don't know what it is." "It could be..." " I'm gonna send him back to Chicago." "Ralph Kurek is gonna play in his place." " Why?" " It's always the same on this team." "Best player plays." "No exceptions." "Look, Coach, a lot of guys take a while to get back on track after a season." " Slow starters..." " Piccolo's never been one of those guys." "He's always been in shape." "He's always played his heart out, even if he made mistakes." "He's not doing that anymore." " It's not fair, Coach." " Don't give me that high school crap." "There's what's fair to the team, and that's all." "Maybe it's something physical with Piccolo." "Maybe it's something personal." "But whatever it is, he better straighten it out in Chicago." "He's too good to sandbag himself like this." "When's he gonna find out?" "Abe is telling him right now." " Can you believe this?" " Calm down, all right?" "It's just two games." "When you get back..." "I lose some weight, I have a couple of off-games... and this team tells me to take a walk." " What is that?" " Just go see the doctor back home." "I have been to the doctor here!" "He tells me I don't have allergies." "So why can't I breathe?" "Why am I coughing up a lung all day long?" ""Oh, you know, could be a virus, could be a staph infection." "Could be a million things." "Have an aspirin, kid."" "I get better advice from my waiter at Lento's." "Look, just go fix it and come back." "You know, it's a waste of time, Gale." "I know exactly what's wrong with me." "I think I'm pregnant." "I don't know who the father is." "It's a mess." "That's not funny." "Could you not play with that?" "That's okay." "Okay, now I'm gonna ask you to..." "Arms up." "Why can't it be done here?" "The location of the tumor makes the operation a little trickier." "We've never done it here." "You'll be better off in a place like Sloan-Kettering in New York." "This..." "The tumor, what do you call it?" "Embryonal cell carcinoma." "H-How can I just have it all of a sudden?" "Actually, you've had it all your life, or at least the beginnings of it." "Sometimes at birth, embryonic tissue is left behind somewhere in the body." "In this case, near your heart." "Somehow, that tissue is triggered and becomes a foreign invader." "We don't know why." "To tell you the truth, I don't know how you've kept playing with that in you." "Anyone else would've been in bed two months ago." "What happens post-op?" "We check the surrounding nodes." "Usually, a course of chemo." "Look, I know this is scary." "Let's just take it one step at a time." "Let me get you set up in New York." "We'll schedule this for early next week." "Come on in." "Close the door, please." "Gale, I don't know how to say this any other way... so I'm gonna say it straight out." "We got a phone call from Chicago." "Brian Piccolo has cancer." "They found a tumor in his chest." "He's on his way to New York to have it removed." "Is he gonna be all right?" "If they caught it in time." "But nobody knows that for sure." "He'll be out for the rest of the season." "We still got a game to play." "Who's gonna tell the guys?" "I will." " Get them together..." " I'll tell them." "I'll tell them." "All right, guys, listen up." "Sayers wants to say something." "You all know that... that we give the game ball to the best player." "I want to change that a little today." "We just got word that Brian Piccolo is sick." "Real sick." "I think that we should all just dedicate ourselves to... to win this ball game and give the game ball to Pic." "I mean, we could all sign it and-and... and go down to the hospital and give it to him." "Let's just win, okay?" "When you dedicate a game to somebody... the idea is to then actually go ahead and win that game." "Hey, come on, we had no one playing full offensive bench warmer." "Make sure you count all the instruments and everything after the operation... 'cause my cousin had a sponge and a pair of tweezers left in him." "That's sick!" "They can leave a bicycle in there for all I care... just as long as they take everything out that they're supposed to." "If I could take this to the bar with me, I'd never have to get up." "What's going on?" "Get out of here right now!" "What do you think this is, happy hour?" "Out!" "Out!" " See you, Joy." " Out!" "Have fun with my mom." "Be right back." " I'll see you tomorrow." " Yeah." "I'll see you on the other side." "Sorry." "See you downstairs." "How bad is it?" "We don't know until we see if it's spread." "Is he gonna be okay?" "He's scared." "How are you?" "I'm scared too." "He keeps saying I can't cry." "It's a league rule." " How are the kids?" " They're with my parents in Atlanta." "They don't know anything." " Place to stay?" " They have housing across the street." "Okay, well, what else do you need me to do?" "Oh, just tell me I'm gonna wake up and he'll only have bronchitis... and when I walk out the door, we'll be on my street." "It's gonna be all right." "It's gonna be all right." "Hi." "Let me have it." "Good arm!" "Good arm." "You know what?" "I think it's time to ask Daddy for a new one." "Chew it, boys." "Don't just swallow it whole." "I haven't eaten this good since the Halas dinner." "Yeah." "I just can't think of the old man retired." "End of an era." "We missed you there." "The old man mentioned you." "What, I'm gone a few months, everything falls apart?" " You look good, Pic." " Yeah?" "Compared to what?" "Compared to the first day you found out we were gonna be roommates." "Hey, funny thing, Brian." "Ever since you've been gone, I can lift my arms way up over my head now." "Wanna see my scar?" "Gonna get me some meat." " So, talk to me." " They got it." "They found some in a couple of nodes, but they got it." "Good." "Good." "They said I'd never be home for this." "The doctors, they don't know anything." "Must make you look at things, you know, different." "That's what everybody says." "You know, "You made it through." "You must really appreciate life now."" "You know what?" "I was appreciating life just fine." "I never took anything for granted." "I didn't need to get sick to suddenly love a sunset." "Hear that." "Time for the pinata." "All right, Dad, come on." "Put the burger down." "Eat my hamburger." " You got daddy duties." "Come on." " Okay, everybody!" "Dad's gonna hit the pinata!" " There!" " Oh, right there!" "Gimme some of that candy!" "It's bad for you." "It'll rot your teeth!" "You're gonna wake 'em up if you keep staring at them like that." "Yeah." "You got through it, Brian." "You came out on the other side." "It's okay." "We have it all back now." "Time to sack out." " What is it?" " What the hell do you think it is?" "This..." "This thing you wanna do..." "I thought it was only done to women." "Radical mastectomy is an equal opportunity operation." "But, yes, it is more common in women." " I thought you got all the tumor." " We did." "This is a new lesion in the pectoral muscle." "Now, the good news is it seems to be contained." "So by removing the entire left pectoral, we should be okay." "Then what?" "More chemo." "Yeah." "All right." "Listen up, Doc." "You do what you gotta do." "You get in there, you cut me up whatever way you have to... but you leave enough of me left to get back on that field... because I am playing football again." "Do you understand me?" "I will play again." "I understand, Brian." "And in the future, I would appreciate it if you didn't make my wife cry." "Yes, of course." "Don't tell me." "I've died and gone to heaven, and the first thing I see is Coach Halas." "You're not gonna go anywhere, kid." "And if when you crap out and you see me, you know you didn't get to heaven." "Thanks for coming, Coach." "I'm sorry I missed your dinner." "A lot of crocodile tears." ""Here's your hat." "What's your hurry?"" "It was my time to go, that's all." "So... how's it going, kid?" "I hear they roughed you up pretty good." " No worse than you did last camp." " Well, the worst is over now." "You miss it, Coach?" "Yeah." "You know, I've been..." "I've been thinking." "I've been thinking that with... with Gale's knee looking good and Kurek healthy..." "I'm gonna have a tough time getting back in that lineup next year." "So maybe I can come back as a kicker." "I mean, why not, you know?" "Probably don't need a lot of speed, you know, not a lot of wind." "What do you think?" "I can see that." "I can definitely see that." "And I'm gonna be watching you sitting under an umbrella somewhere... with a drink in my hand and one of those hula broads dancing all around me." "I know I scream and holler a lot, but that's just me." "But you guys... you're like sons to me, all of you." "So I'm here to take care of everything." "You're never gonna see a bill." "You're never gonna put your hands in your pockets." "I'm gonna take care of your contracts." "And I'm gonna pay your bonuses." "If you have to go back and forth, I take care of that." "If your kids have to be put on a plane, that's what Ed McCaskey's there for." "You're not to worry about anything." "You're not to worry about anything but getting better." "I can't..." "I can't let you do all that, Coach." "Hey, I still own this team." "You'll make it up to me on the field, right?" "So, that's the last order you're gonna get from this coach." "Don't drop the ball." "All right, Coach." "I'm going to London next week to have my hips replaced." "Something new they have over there." "That's why I had to retire." "I couldn't chase those officials up and down the field anymore." "You tell anybody about this, I'll kick your butt." "How are you doing over there, really?" "No football metaphors, no winks and nudges." "It's hard to tell with all this pain crap they have me on." "I'm sore, and I can't feel my chest too much." " But I have this feeling." " What?" "I have this feeling like everything's gonna be all right." "Like I made it." "Like we made it." "There's been enough tears." "No more." "League rule, remember?" "I know." "I'm just so happy." "I can't wait to get out of here." "So far, I'm not getting the whole New York, fun city thing." "So, should I go and get the girls from Mom?" "Let's wait." "Let's wait till I'm out of here." "I want them to see me on my feet, complete with some hair." "I love you." "Me too." "Me too." "They found more cancer in his lung." "They want to take his lung out." " Oh, no, honey, let me do that." " No, it's better I keep moving." "I'm so sorry to call you like this and make you come all the way out here." "Just tell us what you need us to do." "They're gonna tell him tomorrow." "I don't really know how he's gonna handle another blow like this." "I really don't." "Would you be with him, Gale, when they tell him?" "Of course." "When I think about what must be going through his mind..." "I should be over there." "I know exactly what to do." "I should be doing it." "He wouldn't want that, Joy." "I can't lose him." "I can't lose Brian." "The protest then turned violent as the National Guard came in." "There were arrests, and there were some minor injuries." "I don't even recognize the world anymore." "It's like it's all happening on some other planet." " It is." " All I ever thought about was football." "The rest was just some din going on outside the stadium." "Well, there's one good thing though:" "I don't think I have to worry about the draft anymore." "You know, you do look for things you can check off the list... and that one is a goner." "Where is this guy?" "I want him to check me and get me out." "There's too many sick people around here." "So, what, do you feel strong enough to go home?" "No." "I'd rather stick around for another week or two." "Why is everyone talking to me like I'm a child?" " I want people to talk straight to me." " Look, I can understand why you're mad." "Look how mad I was, and it was just my knee." "Well, sure, but that could've been a career killer." "What's going on, Gale?" "Nothing." "You're a lousy liar." "Hello, Brian, Gale." "Well... here comes some of that straight talk right now." "And the winner of the George S. Halas Award... for the most courageous player in pro football is Gale Sayers." "I just..." "I want to say a few words... about a friend of mine tonight." "His name is... is Brian Piccolo, and... he has the heart of a giant." "He has the..." "the best and... maybe the rarest form of courage... which... which allows him to laugh at himself... at life... and at his opponent, which, today, is cancer." "He makes me proud to have a friend that spells out courage... twenty-four hours a day, every day of his life." "You flatter me by giving me this award, and... and I thank you." "But I tell you, here and now..." "I accept this for Brian Piccolo." "It's mine tonight, but... it's Brian Piccolo's tomorrow." "I love Brian Piccolo, and..." "I want you to love him." "And tonight when you... when you hit your knees... please ask God to love him too." "All of a sudden, you're giving speeches at the drop of a hat." "Now nobody can shut you up." "What is that?" "Well, I gotta be obnoxious for both of us now." "Don't think it's easy." "So how'd it go?" "Good." "Good, I guess." "I do recommend two lungs... when performing simple tasks, however." "Like breathing." "Yeah, well, I hear breathing's overrated anyway." "Yeah, yeah." "Pollution and all that." "They told me you gave blood." "Just a little." " That explains it." " What?" "Well, my cancer's gone... but my knee is totally screwed up." "Gale, I gotta go." "All right, man." "You hang in there." "I'll see you tonight." "I ain't going anywhere." "Hi." "How's he doing, Joy?" "Really." "Hurry, Gale." "I love you, Joy." "What?" "I love you." "I love you." " It's okay." " I love you." "I know, I know, I know." "I love you too." " I love you so much." " I know." "I love you too." " I love you." " I know." "It's okay." " I love you." "I love you." " I know." "It's okay." " Joy, you okay?" " Yeah." "They're changing his dressing." "He doesn't like me to be there." "It's in his liver now." "Does he know?" "No one's told him, but he knows." "If you only knew how much he talked about you." "How much he wanted to be like you." "Joy, there's gotta be something that we can do." "Go." "Go and see him, okay?" "Okay." " Have you had anything to eat?" " No, I don't want to." "You have to." "I'd feel like I was betraying him." "You should see your face." "You should see yours." "You want a laugh?" "Okay." "The doctor... he told me I was never gonna play football again." "You're kidding." "I'm sorry, Pic." "The thing is..." "I don't care." "I don't even care anymore." "It's birthday parties I'm onto now." "Yeah." "If I could just get a few more of those in." "Just a few more pinatas with my girls." "You know anyone who could arrange that for me, Gale?" "You'll have plenty more." "Yeah." "Yeah, I know." "You taught me a lot about running, Gale." "I appreciate it." "More than you know." "I wouldn't be running if it wasn't for you... pushing me, busting my chops." "Well, I'll get you next training camp." "I'll be waiting." "I'm gonna sack out for a while, okay?" "Yeah." "That's good." " I'll see you in the morning." " Yeah." "Okay, I'll see you in the morning." "I see you in the girls' faces." "They're so much of you in them." "They won't forget you, Brian." "I won't let them." "And they won't let me forget." "Every time I look at them... or I listen to them... or I dream about them..." "I'll see you." "I'll always see you."