[Speed Gibson,
Saturday April 26, 2008 at 3:30pm]
Gopherville: Chapter Six
Previously: 1 2 3 4 5
"I'm serious!" thundered Elmer Ganty, new majority owner of the Minnesota Vikings. "I am absolutely serious!"
"You are out of your ever-loving mind, Elmer!" said Bob Shayne, his minor partner and head of Football Operations.
"I tell you, this is one for the ages if it works."
"Finally! The word 'if' appears!"
"We could get nuked tomorrow. I could have a stroke. Hit by a comet. Nothing is dead certain, nothing except that we are no closer to a new stadium than the last two owners. Unless you brought in a new idea with you, I'm going ahead with this."
"Elmer, these things take time, and you have to do them at the right time."
"And that time is when? The lease is damn near up and we couldn't even pry a bleeping study out of those preening peacocks!" shouted Gantry, obviously referring to the Legislature. "Look, Bob, tell you what. I'll fund the this out of my own pocket. Just keep it under your hat for now." Gantry smiled, walked around his desk and sat down. "Let me have my fun. Maybe you're right. Hell, you probably are. But I remember when cell phones looked impossible. I took that chance and half a dozen other crazy ideas since then. I figure I'm about a .333 hitter." Raising his hands toward the walls he said proudly, "It works in baseball and it got me here, too."
"You're swinging for the fences on this one. Betting the franchise even."
"Not at all. We'll know early on whether we have anything or not. I can laugh it off if need be."
"OK, OK, it's your dime. Coates and Neill again?"
"No, this isn't their sort of project. I sent for Dave Fleischer."
"And he is?"
"Of Fleischer, Fleischer, and Freleng, in Chicago. John Hamilton recommended them. They've done some kooky things he says, just the kind of architects I'll need. I'll only get one chance at this. Dave's the kid, Max Fleischer's son. It's perfect for him, a chance to really step out of his old man's shadow. I'll know soon enough if he's the one."
Shayne walked to the door, then turned around. "Ever hear of the butterfly effect?"
Gantry looked up. "Yeah, somewhere."
"Some guy said a butterfly's wings flapping could disturb the air enough and somehow that gets bigger, maybe creating a tornado or a hurricane."
"For the want a nail, the shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of a horse, ..."
"The rider was lost. Yeah something like that."
"I get it. Some guy in Hooterville makes a joke in a school board meeting. My ex-wife's nephew's son, a Poli-Sci major at the community college, is in the audience. He calls Nora. She calls me and puts him on the line. I'm distracted but polite. An hour later it hits me. And it just might happen!"
"Might. You know, it's starting to hit me now, too."
Ganty laughed and gave Shayne his famous finger pistol gesture. "Like I said, it'll be one for the ages. Or I'll be a shoo-in for Bellevue."
"I'm serious!" thundered Elmer Ganty, new majority owner of the Minnesota Vikings. "I am absolutely serious!"
"You are out of your ever-loving mind, Elmer!" said Bob Shayne, his minor partner and head of Football Operations.
"I tell you, this is one for the ages if it works."
"Finally! The word 'if' appears!"
"We could get nuked tomorrow. I could have a stroke. Hit by a comet. Nothing is dead certain, nothing except that we are no closer to a new stadium than the last two owners. Unless you brought in a new idea with you, I'm going ahead with this."
"Elmer, these things take time, and you have to do them at the right time."
"And that time is when? The lease is damn near up and we couldn't even pry a bleeping study out of those preening peacocks!" shouted Gantry, obviously referring to the Legislature. "Look, Bob, tell you what. I'll fund the this out of my own pocket. Just keep it under your hat for now." Gantry smiled, walked around his desk and sat down. "Let me have my fun. Maybe you're right. Hell, you probably are. But I remember when cell phones looked impossible. I took that chance and half a dozen other crazy ideas since then. I figure I'm about a .333 hitter." Raising his hands toward the walls he said proudly, "It works in baseball and it got me here, too."
"You're swinging for the fences on this one. Betting the franchise even."
"Not at all. We'll know early on whether we have anything or not. I can laugh it off if need be."
"OK, OK, it's your dime. Coates and Neill again?"
"No, this isn't their sort of project. I sent for Dave Fleischer."
"And he is?"
"Of Fleischer, Fleischer, and Freleng, in Chicago. John Hamilton recommended them. They've done some kooky things he says, just the kind of architects I'll need. I'll only get one chance at this. Dave's the kid, Max Fleischer's son. It's perfect for him, a chance to really step out of his old man's shadow. I'll know soon enough if he's the one."
Shayne walked to the door, then turned around. "Ever hear of the butterfly effect?"
Gantry looked up. "Yeah, somewhere."
"Some guy said a butterfly's wings flapping could disturb the air enough and somehow that gets bigger, maybe creating a tornado or a hurricane."
"For the want a nail, the shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For the want of a horse, ..."
"The rider was lost. Yeah something like that."
"I get it. Some guy in Hooterville makes a joke in a school board meeting. My ex-wife's nephew's son, a Poli-Sci major at the community college, is in the audience. He calls Nora. She calls me and puts him on the line. I'm distracted but polite. An hour later it hits me. And it just might happen!"
"Might. You know, it's starting to hit me now, too."
Ganty laughed and gave Shayne his famous finger pistol gesture. "Like I said, it'll be one for the ages. Or I'll be a shoo-in for Bellevue."