To Play with Blood

To Play With Blood

By Marcelo Fernan III

CRASH

The old man’s sweaty body began to get all over Crash as he boxed him out. The man, Bernard, managed to get a bucket by misdirecting Crash as he dribbled from the left to the right. After the inbounds, Crash laughed and taunted Bernard about his age.

The old man then stole the ball, and as Crash tried to defend, Bernard reminded him that he would be here all day. He proceeded to destroy Crash for the rest of the game.

At the end of the pick-up game, the old man taunted Crash in return.

“What? You think that just because you’re a young one, you can run circles around an old man? I play with blood. Welcome to Hampton, youngin’.”

First, it happened in Illinois. Then California. North Carolina. And now, in

Virginia. This old man joined the number of past old men who challenged him on and off the court. They all mentioned this notion of “playing with blood”, but Crash never understood what it meant.

Bernard then said, “To play with blood is only possible when you do something that makes you feel most alive. Any person can begin to have passion for something, but those who play with blood are born to do it. Even at this old age. Why do you think so many old men still play at the rec?”

Crash had seen this old man on the court for months now but didn't play pick up with him until recently. It almost seemed difficult to distinguish the old men from one another, because, no matter which state he was in, they all seemed to share variations of this belief.

And yet, there was another thing the old men often told him:

“Man I coulda, I shoulda… I would have played college basketball... Booze got the best of me... Drugs got the best of me... Man, I wish I could time travel. I wish I could…” Crash heard it over and over again, but only Bernard helped to make sense of these ideas.

“Name is Denzel Lee, ” he said as he fist bumped Bernard. “People call me

‘Crash.’”

Bernard chuckled, “Sounds like a dumbass nickname. How’d it come about?”

Crash told him, “Another old man like yourself in another rec league started calling me that because of my hustle. I went for loose rebounds, tryin’ to defend oncoming players and just crashed into ‘em.”

Bernard began to bullshit with Crash. “Where else do you play ball other than the Rec?”

Here in Hampton, Virginia, the Rec Center housed the toughest basketball games for the surrounding towns. If you didn’t get to the Rec Center court by 0500 on the dot to put your name on the sign-up sheet, you’d have to wait all day to get a run in. Crash did not have the time to wait around all day.

Crash told Bernard that he happened to be the starting point guard at St. Vincent.

Bernard then asked, “How’s your coach letting you play against a bunch of old men before school during the season?”

Crash told him, “My mom told Coach I had to.”

Bernard said, “Wait… Isn’t your big rivalry game against St. Mary tomorrow?”

Crash said, “Oh yeah, as if the flyers all around school were not enough of a reminder.” Bernard reminded him, “Isn’t it a school day?”

Crash looked at the time, he realized he was running late to his first class of the day per usual.

Usually the youngest on the court, Crash developed basketball skills quicker than those his age. After all, Crash did not know many people who also wanted to wake up even earlier than usual just to get more work in on the court.

This morning, he recalled when high school basketball in Fayetteville initially put a damper in his love for the game. As a sophomore, he got cut on the second to the last day of tryouts. Once Crash leapt past this setback, he realized the blessing that getting cut granted. Rather than practicing with the team, Crash showed up at the rec and found better players to train with. These old men shaped him up more than his sophomore season would.

As Crash left the rec, he quickly thought about the next interaction he would have with basketball at practice later. Crash shrugged at the thought of practice as he made his way to St. Vincent.

DOUG

Everyone recognized the raven black Bronco as it drove around town, its yellow line decal ran from the hood to the trunk. It used to belong to Doug’s father. Doug entered the Bronco after a few games at the Rec. Back in grade school, his teammates asked to trade dads because his seemed so cool, both on and off the court. His dad held many records at St. Mary. Doug agreed to a trade, but never revealed the physical torture he endured during the early mornings and long nights as his father pushed him in order to be better than the best. They never saw what he experienced.

As Doug drove from the Rec, he thought about the first few times he felt at home on the basketball court. He seemed unsure if he would arrive at the same sentiments for the sport if a teammate and him traded dads.

Douglas Jr., who goes by Junior, wanted his son to be a better basketball player than he ever was. So Junior pushed his son at a young age. He told his son to tolerate the pain that came with the game. Junior wanted his son to know the intricacies of the game like the back of his hand. So while Junior pushed his son to the edge, he simply thought he was giving his son the greatest gift he could, basketball. After all, Junior did set many of the records at St. Mary.

Every other week, Doug played at the Rec Center. He still loved he game even though his glory days were past him. At twenty three, Doug still had not stepped foot outside of Hampton. Junior once thought that through basketball, Doug would get that opportunity.

Earlier that morning, Doug played with Bernard at the Rec.

“Heard of that youngin, Crash?” Bernard asked.

Doug answered, “Is he that kid who just transferred to St. Vincent?”

Bernard said, “You already know. Seems like Crash is gonna finally be the one to bring St. Mary down this Valentine’s Eve.”

Doug knew that Bernard had more to say.

Bernard continued, “ You know since you single handedly brought your team down during your Senior Year at St. Mary.”

Just as everyone knew about Doug’s Bronco, they also knew about what happened that evening. It had almost been five years.

St. Mary, a powerhouse basketball team, typically recruited the better and wealthy players. St. Vincent attracted students who could not easily afford the tuition.

Doug played a few games against Crash at the Rec. Not only did Crash impress

Doug with his tenacity, but he also reminded Doug of his younger self.

Bernard then told him that it had been a while since he saw a young kid play with blood on the court. Doug did not know what to think of that expression, especially because no one ever said that about him.

Doug looked at the time and realized he needed to fetch Mackenzie in a few hours. He needed to get himself out of the past.

CRASH

Crash anticipated the alarm that morning. He could not stop thinking about the big rivalry game: St. Mary versus St. Vincent. He got ready. Upon exiting his room, he noticed his mom left him something in the kitchen. She prepared him a bagged lunch and even managed to leave him a breakfast platter.

What a great way to start his day, Crash thought since his mother seldom prepared his food anymore. After consuming his breakfast, he took his bagged lunch and headed out the apartment. He made sure to lock both bolts because his mother warned him that there had been some recent robberies.

While Crash waited for the bus, a couple of guys recognized him and asked,

“You gonna bring that ‘ship back to St. Vincent?” Crash nodded and put his headphones on. He needed to get in the zone for the rest of the day.

The high school rivalry between St. Vincent and St. Mary always seemed to be quite the spectacle for the neighboring towns. Other than some hard fought pick up games at the only Rec around, this happened to be the most exciting basketball event of each year. The rivalry came to be known as the “Holy War.” Crash’s school, St.

Vincent, had been losing the big rivalry game for the past four years. St. Vincent had a chance this year, especially with Crash starting. It had been five years since the rivalry game involved such potential talent.

When the last bell before lunch rang, Crash made his way to the lunch room with the basketball team. The energy of the school seemed high since many were excited about the big game that night.

“Have you ever seen a high school so excited for a rivalry basketball game?” a teammate asked.

Crash said, “Na. Never, I feed off this energy though.”

“You’re gonna wanna see the look on the faces of them rich fancy-schoolers when we roll into St. Mary’s though.”

Crash opened his lunch, and inside his mother left a note. She typically found ways to wish him luck during moments she considered as big events. The rivalry game happened to be the biggest event in Crash’s life especially because Coach mentioned that college scouts were to attend.

He could not shake his mind off the game. Only two classes remained for the rest of Crash’s school day. The teachers all week asked Crash and his teammates to bring home a win. The school’s high spirits distracted not only the students, but the teachers as well. On most days, he hardly pays attention to class. He manages to get by.

He attends school to play ball, not to play school.

DOUG

Doug fetched Mackenzie before the Holy War. They met a little under a year ago.

Mackenzie knew that basketball used to be a large part of Doug’s childhood, but she did not know what happened five years ago. He mentioned basketball a couple of times, but she was about to learn a whole new aspect of him. She moved to Hampton for work a few months before they began to date.

Mackenzie had not even heard about the rivalry. “So tell me about this Holy

War. What was it like when you were at St. Mary?”

The question struck Doug, he did not realize that he had not spoken about this part of his life so much. He had his reasons as he answered with hesitation, “Well, during my four years on varsity, we won three and lost one.”

Immediately, he remembered his first win at the Holy War. The one where he scored the last minute shot and brought the game into overtime as he made St. Mary’s half-court game-winning bucket. The half-court basket stunned neither Doug nor his father since Junior trained him to shoot from this distance. Rather than hearing about the two other wins, Mackenzie asked about the rivalry game St. Mary lost.

Doug acted as if he did not hear her question while he began to recall his glory days upon entering the St. Mary parking lot.

CRASH

The rest of that Friday seemed to be a blur until Crash laced up his basketball shoes. He thought about the good luck note his mother hid with his lunch. He thought about the St. Vincent pep rally earlier that day where he gave a speech as Captain of the team. He thought about the old men in attendance that night, the very same ones who recognize that Crash plays with blood. He thought about the college scouts he needed to impress. Crash recognized that success and a win this evening would greatly assist in his lifelong dream of playing college basketball then with a team in the National

Basketball Association.

Crash spotted his mother in the stands immediately. She tended to sit in the same area no matter where her son's games took place. She only managed to get off work just in time for warm-ups. She watched her son’s coach introduce him to several people she did not recognize, not realizing that the people shaking her son’s hands were the College Scouts.

Just before tip-off, Crash looked over. She waved at her son, and like every other game, she reminded him, “You got this.”

At the huddle, Coach wanted Crash to say a few words, after all he is the Captain and rival night was upon them.

St. Vincent won the tip-off. As they set up their first play, Coach yelled, “Protect the ball!” Instantaneously, St. Mary stole the ball, not a good start for St. Vincent. After the inbounds, Crash ran down the court, spun around a few players, and got a basket.

“Stop showboating, this is not the Rec.” Coach stuck to the fundamentals of the game, he thought showboating seemed to be the result of a player’s insecurities.

St. Vincent struggled throughout the first half, they enter the locker room down by 16 points.

Coach yelled at Crash, “Come on. Crash, say it!”

Crash began to shout, “We cannot play like this. St. Mary’s is not better than us at our game. You need to let us play more of our game. “

Coach said, “All right. Crash, you play your game. And you play my game. You ready to play?”

The team yelled back, “Yes sir, let’s do it.”

Crash found himself open as his teammate set up the perfect screen. St. Vincent’s put up a couple baskets, but still a huge deficit.

The sports announcer said, “Here comes Crash with a steal. A bounce pass to the corner, and BOOM SHAKA LAKA, a three pointer!”

Coach allowed the boys to also play their game. The crowd realized that St.

Vincent turned their gameplay up a notch as they set themselves up for a full-court press.

The sports announcer said, “ And here goes the comeback! In spite of a hostile crowd, St. Vincent continues to play well tonight as they look to defeat St. Mary.”

“And there’s a block and a fast break, an opportunity for Crash. A St. Mary’s defender sprints back quick enough to foul Crash at the shot, but slow enough for

Crash to earn a basket. What a play!”

At the foul line, the rival crowd began to chant, “Va-ness-a! Va-ness-a!

Va-ness-a!”

Vanessa happened to be Crash’s last girlfriend. The rival crowd thought chanting her name on Valentine’s Eve would distract him. She happened to be at the game that night. Before putting up his free throw, Crash got her attention. Then he looked at her, closed his eyes, and made the free throw.

Neither Vanessa nor the crowd phased Crash.

There was a noise in the Field House that manifests itself during the Holy War - an explosion of relief and joy that only comes when Crash made dramatic plays to turn a game.

“We need a stop! We need a stop!” Crash yelled.

St. Mary scores.

“Seven Seconds, push the ball! Push the ball!” With no time-outs, Crash received the ball off a long inbound.

He dribbled left and right to weave his way in and out of the defenders. “To the basket! To the basket!”

Silence from the St. Mary fans as the fans of St. Vincent roared and cheered.

Crash scored.

DOUG

Swoosh and the St. Vincent fans erupted. Doug found it difficult to focus on the present moment as he thought about his last moments on that court. Throughout the game, Doug daydreamed and got caught thinking about what happened on that court five years ago.

Mackenzie looked up and noticed the many banners hanging along the St. Mary field house. These banners contained the basketball records that Doug’s father, Junior, once held. Many of the St. Mary banners featured a familiar name, Douglas Corrump

III. Below Douglas Corrump III, she read another familiar name, Douglas Corrump Jr.

At half-time, she could not help but ask Doug about the coincidence.

Doug collected his thoughts and began to tell her about his glory days on that court. “Junior always wanted me to become a better basketball player than he ever could be, so inevitably I pushed real hard to break all of his records. That’s why my name is above his in the banners you see.”

Mackenzie replied, “I knew basketball happened to be a huge part of your life, but not so huge that it consumed everything even your relationship with your father.”

As he began to tell much of his basketball days, Doug realized this conversation should have occurred earlier in their relationship. She was different from the other girls he dated. Doug liked telling Mackenzie things because she knew how to listen, gave insightful advice, and did not know his past. Doug liked Mackenzie because unlike the rest of the town, she never knew what happened five years ago on the court.

The rival teams entered the court with five minutes remaining at the break.

While the teams began their shootaround, Doug walked over to the concession stand.

He drank a few beers thus far and wanted to chug another quickly before the second half. He wanted to feel a little bit looser.

The concession attendant immediately recognized Doug and offered a beer on the house.

Doug then asked the attendant about Crash. “He is unbelievable; isn’t he? The way he plays, it’s more than with just a passion for the game.”

She paused and asked as she pointed at the banners along the wall, “Been a few years since we have seen a player like him, don’t you think?”

DOUG

Frustration filled Doug as he walked back after the attendant’s comment, still in awe of Crash’s dismantling of his alma mater. Doug saw glimpses of himself in the way

Crash ran the game. Doug respected Crash’s basketball IQ, before he began to assess the many ways he would have made each play better. He read the scoreboard which assured him that St. Mary did in fact lose that evening after those last crucial plays by

Crash.

Doug thought back to the first few games he played against Crash at the Rec.

Doug ran circles around Crash for the first few baskets, but Crash’s athleticism and hustle proved too much for Doug. At one point, Doug stole the ball and began to run a breakaway. As he went for the lay up, Crash came crashing down on Doug and blocked the basket.

Without Mackenzie asking, Doug began to tell her about the hardships he faced with basketball. As he told her about the type of relationship it created between him and his father, he realized she could relate since she too had an alienated relationship with her father. He never opened up to anyone about the way his father continuously pushed him to practice and train every second he was not in school. Especially when

Junior coached, he viewed Doug as more of another player on the team rather than his only son.

Doug told many people about the first two things, but stayed reluctant to talk about what happened five years ago. The Holy War during his Senior Year happened to

be one of the biggest games of his career. College scouts had already been in contact with Doug since he was such an incredible player. Doug easily shattered many of his father’s high school records. Doug just needed to play his best, and hope the game would grant him the next step in his soon to be NBA career.

Everything looked promising, ‘til the last quarter. Doug drove to the basket on a fast break. As he went for a layup, an opposing player came from behind and blocked

Doug so hard. Unknown to the crowd and the scouts in attendance, Doug’s right pointer finger dislocated. One thing his father managed to teach him through the long practice sessions happened to be the ability to pop his finger back into place.

Doug popped his right pointer finger back into place, and did not tell anyone about the injury. He knew that if Coach found out about the injury, he would immediately bench him, but this Holy War was the most important game of his career.

He could not just sit down on the bench and watch his team crumble.

St. Mary was only down by three points with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Doug’s teammate dribbled down the court and passed over to Doug, who tried to catch the ball with only his left hand. The ball slipped away, and the other team recovered it. Although Doug’s turnover deemed to be costly, Coach did not want to take him off the court. They still had a chance.

After the inbounds, Doug tried to immediately steal the ball. As he tried to swipe it, the opposing player immediately dribbled around Doug. Fortunately, St. Mary recovered the ball after a rebound. Tensions were high, and once again Doug tried to immediately steal the ball from St. Vincent as he yelled and taunted the opposing

player. This time Doug and the opposing player collided so hard that it caused both players to collectively collapse. Play had already stopped, but Doug felt the opposing player choke him on his way to the floor. Doug could not help, but react. After he lost all composure with merely seconds left in the game, Doug grabbed the opposing player around the neck. He started pummeling him on the floor.

After the referee stopped the meele, he immediately ejected Doug from the game and the opposing player instantaneously got sent to the locker room for further medical examination. As the blood from the player was being wiped on the floor, the referee awarded St. Vincent with two free throws and the ball back. Only 1.6 seconds remained on the clock. St. Vincent made both free throws and kept the ball as time expired. St.

Vincent won.

Days after that Holy War, it was revealed that Doug’s unsportsmanship conduct caused the opposing player a season-ending injury. Along with a high school suspension, Doug lost all contact and rapport with the college scouts in attendance that night. They viewed someone with his temperament not to be fit for the game on a college level. Despite everything, Doug was lucky this fight happened in high school.

Otherwise, a court could have found him vicariously liable for the injuries the other player sustained.

Doug continued to sob as he told Mackenzie about his wrongdoings. She had no idea. She then realized why he seemed so bitter leading up to this big rivalry game. As she wiped his tears, she reminded him that they needed to head to Incredibowl to meet

up with some of his friends. Doug chugged the rest of his beer and gave the Bronco’s keys to Mackenzie.

CRASH

The clock expired. The crowd roared. St. Vincent won the Holy War. As the players shook hands, Crash did a dance and fist bumped the rest of his team. He even ran over to the area of where his mother sat and pointed at her as if he dedicated this win to her. The whole week he felt they would bring home a win, and that’s what St.

Vincent did as they beat St. Mary 62-59. The matchup seemed to be fairly even, but most projected St. Mary’s to win. Crash had not played this well, ever.

Just minutes before, the coach and the team entrusted Crash to lead them to victory. Crash just could not be stopped that evening. Crash chose to be his own hero that evening. He knew his imagination would give the greatest assist as he used it to weave in and out of defenders.

As he imagined the play-by-play of the game, he heard “Crash drives, dishes the ball, gets the ball back. Swoosh! My goodness Crash cannot help but tear them apart.”

Crash checked himself, remembered that the whole team also won and celebrated with them. As they greeted their fellow members of the St. Mary community,

Crash found his mother.

This Friday night already seemed to be shaping up to be an unforgettable one, yet the night still had a lot left in it. As the crowd dissipated, Crash heard from some of the guys on the team that they were going to celebrate at Incredibowl. Crash made his way to the showers, victoriously.

CRASH

Mostly surrounded by jocks, Crash and his friends headed to Incredibowl to bowl some games, eat some burgers, and make some noise. The boys enjoyed going to

Incredibowl after big basketball games, especially the times after they won. This evening, the Incredibowl celebrated Valentine’s Day Eve on Friday the 13th. Once

Crash and his friends asked about their lane, the woman at the counter sent them to the end of the alley, to a lane against the wall.

Crash and his friends started goofing around as they stood on chairs and knocked a few over while cursing about. They just won the Holy War, so it was time for a little fun. A couple people tried to tell them to cool it, but they continued not to listen.

Hey, it was Friday night, heading into Valentine’s Day, so Crash kept bowling after their lane turned off..

Throughout the alley, people seemed to be enjoying themselves. Pins crashed, bowlers cheered. It was midnight on February 14th. With the lights down low, moonlight bowl drew to a close. Morning bowl was about to commence. For many at

Incredibowl, it had already been a long and busy night.

Crash started thinking about cheeseburgers. Some of Crash’s friends walked to the snack bar at the other end of Incredibowl over by a group of white guys.

DOUG

“Bottoms up!” Mackenzie said again and again. For every game they finished, they drank a pitcher. Mackenzie knew that Doug needed to lower his inhibitions for the rest of the evening especially after that loss and after he told her what happened five years ago.

Groups began to gather near the surrounding lanes of Doug and Mackenzie.

They bowled with Doug’s former teammates who watched the Holy War. People continued to pile into Incredibowl. All the people distracted Doug from regaining his confidence since he began to have strings of strikes for his last few games.

A few more games passed, and a few more pitchers were drank. At this point,

Doug needed to satisfy his appetite. As he walked over to the snack bar, he noticed

Crash and his crew.

Doug stared at Crash and his group of friends by the snack bar.

“What’s your fucking problem?” Crash asked Doug. “What the fuck are you looking at?”

At first, Doug did not know if Crash was talking to him or someone else. When it became clear Crash was talking to them, Doug slurred his words, “I don’t have a problem, and I am certainly not looking for trouble. I just want a burger.”

Crash did not respond and started to yell and knocked over the chairs close to

Doug as they waited for their food. Doug on the other hand, ordered another pitcher.

He took a sip, and thought about how Crash dismantled Doug’s alma mater. Doug also noticed some of the scouts at attendance. They were present for him five years ago.

Pins crashed and bowlers cheered as Crash and Doug waited for their food.

Doug could not stand to be patient at this moment. He chugged the rest of the pitcher and ordered another. Before his pitcher arrived, Doug overheard Crash and his friends talk. Even though Doug could hardly understand what anyone said, he assumed they talked about him. He took a sip of the pitcher and walked back to his lane.

Doug’s pitcher seemed to be empty yet again, so he walked back to the snack bar and went to retrieve the food. His burger was not ready yet even though Crash and his friends were already eating their burgers.

As he waited yet again, he unknowingly stared at the general direction of Crash.

Crash caught his gaze, took a bite of his burger, and yelled again, “What’s your fucking problem?”

Doug still did not respond, and Crash and his friends began to laugh at him.

Doug then walked over, stood up, and got in Crash’s face, close enough to touch his face.

Crash said, “You’re not going to do anything to me.”

Doug responded, “Why? Just cause you are the best athlete in town? I ain’t scared of you. Do you even know what I did five years ago?”

CRASH

Crash began to get irritated with this man he didn’t know. The man seemed to have been drinking a lot, and he reeked of beer. Crash thought he recognized the man from somewhere, but could not figure out where.

The man then yelled, “We’ve played at the Rec before. I’m Doug.” Still, Crash did not know this man.

Doug continued to yell, “I broke all the records at the field house you just won at.”

Crash paying more attention to his friends said, “Wow good for you, but we beat your team tonight, didn’t we?” His friends started to laugh, and so did Crash.

One of Crash’s friends then said, “Well you broke all those records, and yet you’re still here in Hampton. You must have not been that good. Our boy Crash here is going to the NBA thanks to your team losing tonight.”

“What have you done with your life?”

Doug’s face filled with rage as he began to exchange words with Crash and his friends. The crowd started to pay attention to the exchanges, but it was too late. It looked like they were getting ready to duke it out, and all of a sudden everybody was involved.

Doug yelled. Immediately, chairs, fists, blood, and slurs flew like bowling pins.

BLACK HIGH-SCHOOL STAR ATHLETE GUILTY OF ASSAULT AND

BATTERY

The aftermath of the evening caused an uproar around town as racial tensions were already running high. Doug Corrump III, a twenty three year old white, male truck driver, filed assault and battery charges against Denzel “Crash” Lee, an eighteen year old black high school senior. Counsel of Lee advanced a self-defense claim.

Virginia’s self defense laws provide that a non-aggressor is justified in using force against another person if (1) he reasonably believes (2) he is in imminent danger of an overt act (3) threatening unlawful force, serious bodily harm, or death, and (4) uses the amount of force reasonable in relation to the harm threatened.

Finding that Lee willingly took part in the brawl, the Court determined his self-defense claim lacked standing. Instead, the judge found Lee liable for the assault and battery upon Corrump despite the fact that witness testimony indicated otherwise.

The Judge ruled that Lee committed assault and battery based on ethnicity, and, therefore, applied Virginia Code section 18.2-57 (A) and 18.2-57 (B). Lee is to serve one year in prison and pay a fine of $2500. In addition 18.2-57 (B) was applied and the Judge held Lee guilty of a Class 6 felony as well.

After the ruling, Lee’s counsel sought for an absolute pardon. The governor is yet to respond.