"Oh they'll come lapping up whatever I say. They always do. See what they do to my annual reports on the law school and med schools".

"That's true. Quite clever of you".

"Well, what I'll do is is start quietly leaking the problems you guys are having down there. I'll low-key it, but make sure they come snooping around, maybes tell'em to look a little closer at your athletic program. By the way, I don't think I ever told you that I thought that was a great speech you gave a few years back to your alumni Really told'em off about sports. If you and Ryan can keep your teams losing for the next ten years, we'll be golden".

"Well we said from the beginning that this is an all-fronts attack I mean, what real school would practice winter sports in a cathedral?"

"That's right. And you told Carm about today, no more than 10 points today. Tops And yours front line are all members of the Elizabethan Society right?"

"Sure, sure . Buts what about your promise to me, Derek? You guaranteed that, and are you goings to back out now?"

"Bart, what did I tell you when I convinced them to make you president? As long as our plan works I'll go ahead with it."

"Promise?"

"Scout's honor. Me and Sissela --we talk about a lot, and we don't like it. You make sure to send us 10 more of your chi professors. And then in two years or so, once we see declining admissions in New Haven, and a few more years of losing sports teams-to go along with this strike-we'll go ahead with it. Won't the Times be bullshit. "A, Bartlett Giammatta To Become "Harvard Faculty Dean, Bok Announces".

"I like the sound of it".

The preceding article is only in the Spirit of The Game and is the work of the author.