Brandy couldn’t help but feel a little leery as she pulled to a stop in front of the Pike Bar. She’d only been in the place a handful of times. The most memorable was when her older sister Jennifer did the video for an album there ten years in the past; that had been a good time, although the place had been technically closed for the day. The Pike was a log building, the timbers stained a deep brown by numerous layers of varnish and smoke. Most memorable was the century-old back bar that had been rescued from a tear-down in Camden, and that had been years ago, too.

The Pike just didn’t have the most savory reputation in town; it was known as a place where the cops had to make a run or three just about every Friday or Saturday night to break up the inevitable fist fights, and in Spearfish Lake, things didn’t change very quickly. She’d heard stories that the place had an equally rough reputation fifty years before, so it was hard to believe that things had changed as much as they reportedly had.

But the stories around town were that things were no longer like they used to be. The new owner reportedly was keeping a lid on fights, and most of the rough trade was no longer welcome at the Pike. The new owner had wanted a fun sports bar in hunting and fishing country, and he’d made it clear from the first that the old days were over with. Still, it wasn’t easy to live down a reputation like the Pike had, and as Brandy got out of the car she wasn’t sure how badly she wanted to go into the place. However, Phil’s idea was worth investigating, and there was no other way to do it but to do it.

Mable Hargraves, who had owned the Pike since General Motors was a second lieutenant, had been getting on in years and ready to sell for a while, or so at least the story went. Given the reputation of the place it wasn’t an easy sell, and the price had been pretty cheap when Rick Kulwicki came along.

Even with that degree of apprehension, nothing was going to get accomplished by just thinking about it. Brandy let out a sigh, and headed inside.

In some ways the place hadn’t changed that much. The huge Bubba Winslow banner, advertising a NASCAR driver long retired, still hung on the wall where her brother-in-law had hung it ten years before for the video shooting, obviously a memento of the most famous afternoon in the history of the place. Brandy had seen that banner in the video any number of times, and it always brought back memories of what had been a really long but fun day.

In a number of ways the place hadn’t changed much since then. It was still a big room, with open log rafters supporting a high ceiling. The walls were peeled logs, stained nearly black with decades of varnish mixed with cigarette and cigar smoke. On one wall, a huge flat-screen TV was on, with a football game playing, the volume turned down – probably a rerun of something from the previous year. No one was paying attention to it; in fact, the place was nearly empty; only a single table over in the corner had three guys sitting around it, obviously playing cards.

There was a big, wide, nearly bald guy about her age standing behind the bar, obviously trying to fill out some paperwork, and it was probably the guy she was looking for. She headed over to him and leaned up against the bar. “Can I help you, ma’am?” he asked.

“Could be,” she smiled. “Are you Rick Kulwicki?”

“I was the last time I looked in the mirror,” he smiled.

“How are you liking the bar business?” she asked.

“Pretty good,” he replied, putting his pen down and turning to look at her. He had a nice, sincere smile on his face, but from his size it was clear he could do what he needed to do to keep the peace. “It’s settling down now, but people really haven’t learned that this place isn’t what it used to be.”

“It’ll take a while,” she submitted. “Memories can be long in small towns like Spearfish Lake, and sometimes people change their minds slowly.”

“Yeah, I knew that was going to happen, but things are building up,” he said. “I’m making do while it happens, and it’s probably going to take a while. So what can I do for you?”

“Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty,” she said. “I’m Brandy Wine . . .”

“The basketball coach, right?” he grinned. “That’s got to be a tough name to live with.”

“It is,” she sighed. “I held off on marrying my husband for years because of it, and that was probably a mistake. Anyway, as of the first of the week, I’m also going to be the principal and athletic director over at the high school, and frankly, I need your help.”

“Football, right?” he nodded. “You know, you’ve got some problems over there. I hear a lot about it around this place.”

“It’s more than some problems,” she admitted. “I was recruited for the job with the stipulation that I clean up the football mess. Just between you and me and the gatepost, I’m going to be needing a new head football coach, someone who knows football and hasn’t been involved with the program.”

“And you’re asking me?”

“Well, I’m exploring the idea with you,” Brandy smiled. “There are some other people I could go to, but for various reasons they’re carrying some baggage. When I took over the basketball program ten years ago there were a lot of problems going on, kid problems and parent problems, mostly political problems from the way people had been pissing and moaning with each other the previous few years. I’d been working out of town for a number of years and I hadn’t been involved with the crap that was going down. That made it a lot easier.”

“I know you’ve got some problems with the football team over there,” he nodded. “I hear enough bitching about it around here. There hasn’t been a lot of winning going on the last few years, has there?”

“They went four and five, I think it was four years ago, and that’s the best season they’ve had in ten years, at least. And at that, it was more good luck than it was good playing.”

“So what do you think the problems are?”

“The biggest one that I can see is that the coach and the kids have lost sight of what football is supposed to be about in high school,” she replied. “They see football as being a reason to be a big man on campus and look down on the other kids, bully them around if they happen to feel like it. In a school, football or any other sport has to come behind education – at least, that’s what I always taught my basketball kids.”

“I know how that works,” he smiled. “It was kind of that way when I was in high school. I slid through there on the strength of being an All-State lineman and never learned a whole hell of a lot. Fortunately, I got recruited to a college where they expect a football player to learn something, so I got that crap kicked out of me in a hurry.”

“Then you understand that my primary goal has to be to re-establish education as a priority. Some football winning would be nice, but I can understand that it won’t come overnight. I managed to turn both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams around in a single season, but I got lucky, at least partly because I had a lot fewer kids to deal with, and they mostly weren’t kids who’d been involved with the football program.”

“Yeah, that comes up in the discussions around here every now and then,” he grinned. “The Magnificent Seven, right?”

“I wasn’t the one who hung the title on them,” Brandy grinned. It was a pleasant memory, and it would be nice to repeat that sort of record with the football team, although it didn’t seem very likely. “But I thought it fit pretty closely. Those girls weren’t really all that good as players, but they caught onto the concept of what a team is supposed to be all about quicker than anyone I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t seven good players, but one good team. One of the problems we have with the football team is that there are too many kids on the football field who have never bothered to learn that. There are eleven guys on the field and a bunch on the bench, not a team.”

“And the coach allows that to happen? No wonder you’ve got problems.”

“I can’t say he allows it to happen,” Brandy said honestly. “If he even realizes it’s a problem he doesn’t know how to fix it. And it might be he encourages that kind of thinking because he doesn’t know anything else to do.”

“And you’re expecting me to fix that?”

“Well, hoping, anyway,” Brandy smiled. “I know I don’t know you, but I know that you have to understand what a team is all about or you wouldn’t have had the career you had. Plus, who you are and who you have been automatically starts you out with some respect. There’s a chance that respect will last long enough to at least get started on the fundamental changes that have to be made. I doubt that you or Vince Lombardi’s ghost could turn last year’s two and seven into a seven and two in one year. One of the problems I have with the current coach is that he didn’t emphasize having the kids start practice already in reasonable condition, or work on skills training in the off season, so you’d be starting practice already way behind.”

“Yeah, that is a problem,” he frowned. “It even gets to be a problem in the pros, sometimes, so don’t think you’re alone. But, while I’d like to help you out, I’ve got to tell you that I’ve got some problems with it, so I don’t want to say yes, at least just yet.”

“I can understand,” Brandy nodded. “Maybe they’re something I can help with. What do you see as problems?”

“First off, you have to understand that I’m not a coach. I’m a former interior lineman. I know lots about defense, but I don’t really understand much about offense except how to stop it, and then pretty much from the inside.”

“I never was a coach until I got named to the basketball job,” Brandy told him, “but I’d had a lot of good coaching, so I knew what it was about. I have to think that you had better coaching than I did, so you had to have learned something along the way. You know what worked on you and your fellow players, so all you have to do is do it from the other side. That really is the key, as far as I can see. It worked that way for me.”

“You might have a point,” he admitted. “A head coach has to depend on his assistants to do a lot of the detail work. I’m guessing that you’re saying that the assistant coaches aren’t much good?”

“I honestly can’t say, since I haven’t been involved at all with the football team,” Brandy admitted, “but they have certainly gone along with the mindset that the current coach has given the varsity team over the past few years. As far as I’m concerned I’d like to replace them as soon as possible, and if I can get things worked out in that time, that means Monday.”

“Do you have anybody in mind to replace them? I really don’t know anybody around here I could ask.”

“A little,” she admitted. “I haven’t talked to anybody but you, yet, since this only got dropped in my lap this morning. I’ll be honest, if you don’t take the head coaching job I’m going to ask my little brother. I say little, he’s almost as big as you are and played in Division I for Athens for a while before he hurt his knee. But I don’t want to twist his arm about being the head coach, first because he hasn’t played any football in twenty years, and more important, he’s my little brother, so that could set the gossip mills going. If he’s some sort of assistant, I don’t think people are going to mind too much.”

“What did he play?”

“Running back, mostly,” she replied, “but back in the day here he played both ways. He has to have forgotten more about offense than the current offensive coach ever knew.”

“Do you think he can remember anything about it?”

“It’s not impossible,” she said. “I’ve heard him complain about stupid, simplistic plays the football team has been running over the years, so he must still know something about it. More importantly, without talking to him yet I know he understands how football should relate to school, because he was here when things were still in the right perspective under Coach Hekkinan.”

“What’s his name?”

“Danny Evachevski.”

“Down at the furniture store?”

“Yeah, it’s a business that’s been in the family for about forty years.”

“I know him. He had to come over and fix my washer at the house, and we must have spent a couple hours talking football. He seemed to know what he was talking about. You got anyone else in mind?”

“Yeah, and I haven’t talked to him either,” Brandy smiled, realizing that the fish was taking a real good sniff at the bait. “Danny’s best friend Josh Archer used to be a pretty good football player here, too. He hasn’t played football in about as long, but he trains sled racing dogs for my husband. He has a real good sense for conditioning dogs to peak at the right time. But he understands football and could probably be a big help with the conditioning.”

“Might be,” Rick conceded. “The problem with those two and me as I see it is that all of us are outsiders, at least as far as the school is concerned. You don’t have anyone who knows the kids in the school.”

“True,” Brandy said. “I didn’t know any of the kids when I started coaching basketball, but it was a lot smaller group. I suppose I can find someone who’s currently on staff to help out, even if he doesn’t do anything more than stand around and tell you what a kid’s name is. The current boys’ basketball coach might be a possibility, but I’d have to ask him about it. But then, I haven’t talked to Danny and Josh yet either.”

“Well, that might work,” he shrugged. “I can’t tell right now, it’s all gas, but given that much I could probably handle the defensive side myself. Looking at the long run, I suppose the junior varsity has about the same problems?”

“Pretty much,” Brandy agreed. “I mean, they take their lead from the varsity, so that’s polluted them for years. I’d love to clean them out too, so there’d be a better feeder system, but I’m afraid I can’t do everything at once. I suppose I could get away with sticking Danny with that job, but that means I’d have to come up with assistants for him, too. I went back over the football roster from when Danny was playing, and there aren’t many of the kids from those teams still in town, and most of those I know I don’t think very much of. Like I said, we have to do one thing at a time since we can’t do everything at once. If we can get started fixing the varsity I can at least hope that some of the lessons learned will trickle down to the JVs.”

“Yeah, well, maybe,” Rick replied doubtfully. “But you’re right, first things first. Let’s talk about a couple other problems I have. Like you said earlier, this is a small town and word gets around fast. I’m new here, which for your purposes is good, but I want to be here for the next thirty years or so, so I don’t need to be causing problems that are going to hang around my neck for all that time.”

“That’s a problem,” Brandy agreed, “and you’re going to take a lot of shit over the bar until you can build a pretty solid team. But this is a football-crazy town. Most people are disappointed over the way things have gone the past few years, so hopefully people will see it as a step in the right direction. You’ll especially catch some shit from people who like things the way they are or have personal relationships involved, there’s no doubt about that. But somehow I don’t think you’re going to get a lot of shit if you can make it look like you’re trying to build a winner. Speaking as the principal and athletic director, I’ll shield you as much as I can. I’m good friends with the sports reporter for the Record-Herald, and I’ll make sure that she understands my perspective on things. Besides, this could bring you into the public eye a little and help make clear that things have changed around here, and that you’re interested in the community.”

“Yeah, you might have a point on that,” he replied thoughtfully. “Tell you what. If I decide to do this, and I haven’t made my mind up yet, what would you think if I did this strictly as a volunteer who’s trying to help out, and not take any pay for it? And maybe we could say that this is just for this year as an emergency thing, not a permanent deal.”

“I’m sure the gal who balances the athletic budget would be grateful,” Brandy said. “And I can make that clear to Anissa, the sports reporter. That will let people know you’re taking the job on as an emergency fill-in, and not with the intention of pushing the current staff out. I’ll try to set it up so I’m the one who takes the heat for the changeover. That might help.”

“It might,” he conceded, “but that leads to another problem. Again, you know what kind of a reputation this place has. I’ve tried to make it clear to people that stuff like that isn’t going to happen around here anymore, but it pretty well means that I have to be here on Friday and Saturday nights. If the word gets around to some of the old crowd that I’m not around, then some of them will be over here trying to make trouble. I don’t dare let that happen. I need someone here who can keep things under control if they start to get out of hand.”

“Easily solved,” Brandy grinned. “I’ll see if I can get my brother-in-law to fill in for you. I think he can mix a drink or two, and he’s one of the two top martial arts specialists in town. If it really looks like it’s going to be a problem, maybe he could bring one or two of his friends with him. Most of the trouble makers in this town know who they are, and they know that it’s not a good idea to make trouble with them.”

“God, you have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“No, I don’t,” Brandy smiled. “But there are both advantages and disadvantages to this being a small town, and one of the advantages is that since I grew up here, I know a lot of people. That gives me the ability to pull strings that you don’t even know about yet.”

“Look, I’ve got to be honest,” Kulwicki replied. “There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to do this, since it could easily be more damn trouble than it’s worth. But there’s also a big part of me that’s telling me to do it, partly because I still love football, partly because fixing that mess would be good for the community, and I want to be a part of the community. I know that’s not going to come quickly, but this could help.”

Brandy could feel that the deal was close to being done, and did what she could to help things along. “I think it would help more than anything else you could do,” she said. “Most people in this town are dissatisfied with the way things have been going with the football team and want to see a return to the team being competitive. Even if you’re not doing a lot of winning people ought to see that you’re improving things. It’s not going to be a bed of roses, but over the years I’ve learned that the things worth having are the things you’ve worked for. There are some football players in this town who need to learn that.”

“That’s very true,” the big former pro player said. “Like I said, I’ve got to think about it a bit, but let me have your phone number. I’ll let you know tonight or tomorrow.”

“Don’t say a thing about this,” Brandy warned. “I don’t want anyone to know anything about this until lightning strikes. After it does, I’ll formally ask you to be an emergency fill-in. I wish I didn’t have to be sneaky about it, but under the circumstances I think I have to.”

“Fine with me,” he agreed. “I don’t want it to look like I’m pushing someone out.”

“That’s right,” Brandy smiled. “I’ll be the one doing the pushing, but I’m in a position where I don’t have to worry about it. And if you come up with any more problems I might be able to help you with, now or later, be sure and let me know.”

“I sure will,” he smiled. “You know, this could be interesting. It’d be nice to be able to get out and see some of the people of this town other than the ones who hang around bars.”

“There’s good and bad, just like anywhere else,” Brandy told him, “but it helps to have a little wider vision.”

“I think it will,” he smiled. “I’ll let you know pretty soon, Brandy.”

“Good enough,” she smiled, knowing from the way he talked that it was all but a done deal. “I need to get moving. I need to head down to the furniture store and twist my little brother’s arm a bit.”

“Twist it good,” he said. “I’m going to need someone who knows something about offense, especially at a high school level.”

“Catch you around, and I’ll be waiting for your call,” she replied, handing him her business card. “Just remember, I’ll help you any way I can.”

“Good enough,” he replied. “Catch you around.”

Brandy headed outside and got in her car, feeling pretty sure that she’d cracked her number one problem, not that it was a sure thing yet and that there were still some things to be done. As far as she was concerned, the football problem wasn’t the biggest one she faced, but with practice starting soon it was the most important at the moment. Payne had left a hell of a mess behind, she knew all too well from having been a teacher and a coach, and a lot of those problems were going to take time to get sorted out. If she could get the football mess mostly out of her hair, then she stood a chance of being able to gain some headway with some of the other problems around the school – and there wasn’t a lot of time to get that in motion before school got under way.

As she got in the car, she reflected that she was impressed with Rick Kulwicki, much more impressed than she’d expected to be. He was clearly not a big, dumb football player like she’d halfway been expecting. He seemed intelligent and polite, and just his manner of speaking told her that there was more to him than met the eye.

Now, she faced a bigger problem: convincing Danny.

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