Elizabeth had no idea, but she knew she had to try. For once. "They wont sell, you know. "
"Im sure weve both survived worse than that. Come on, Elizabeth, say youll do it. "
"Ill try. "
Marge grinned. "I love confidence in a woman. " She smacked Elizabeth on the back so hard she stumbled sideways. "Are you still here? You ought to be home painting. Now, git. "
In the past five days, Jack had been in six cities, and every moment in each of those cities had been a blitz. Hed interviewed Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr. , Randy Johnson, Shawn Kemp, and Brian Bosworth.
When the interviews were finished, he spent another three days in the editing room, working the narration and music into the one-hour special hed titled: Breakable Gods.
Hed loved every minute of it.
"You and Sally did a hell of a job," Tom Jinaro said, leaning back in his chair. "You were right to hire her. Shes a pistol. "
"Thanks. " Jack had been confident coming into this meeting. He knew his special was a virtuoso blend of news and entertainment. Hed dared to expose himself emotionally on camera, just enough to humanize the story. Hed admitted how difficult it had been to be forgotten by a city that had once adored him. Alex and Ken had been honest, too, admitting how much it had hurt to be vilified by their former fans. Brian talked convincingly about being forgotten.
Tom
leaned forward again. "Ive been in this business a long time. Ive seen people come and go--mostly go. But youre the real deal. Ive never seen anyone shoot up the ladder quicker. I had Mark produce your special because hes the best we have. Honestly, I didnt think you were ready for this sort of thing, but he tells me you were as good as anyone hes ever worked with. "
"Thanks," Jack said again.
"So, what do you want?"
"Excuse me?"
"Its a simple question. What do you want? The Fox NFL Sunday show? Your own interview hour? A book deal? What?"
"You know what I was doing three months ago, Tom? Begging for a job on a low-rent regional sports show--and I didnt get it. " He let that image sink in. "You hired me when I was in the gutter, professionally. You took a chance on me; believe me, I wont forget that. "
Tom smiled tiredly. "Youll mean to remember it, but after a while, youll start racking up offers, and then youll think about your age, and your agent will tell you to make hay while the sun shines. Its how the game is played. " He leaned forward. "What Im going to tell you now cant leave this room. If it does, Ill know it was you. "
"What is it?"
"One of the guys is quitting NFL Sunday. One of the big four. I cant tell you which one. But were looking at you to fill that slot for next year. "
The only show bigger was Monday Night Football.
Jack drew in a sharp breath, savoring the moment.
"Thanks. " It was all he could say. Any more and he might start laughing.
"Its not for sure. " Tom grinned. "But its damn close to that. So, let me give you some advice, man to man. You had a bad-boy image in the NFL and it doesnt look to me like youve changed. I hear you practically live at Kels pub. "
Jack started to disagree, but Tom stopped him with a laugh.
"Save the denials for your curiously absent wife. I dont care what you do offscreen as long as it doesnt hurt our ratings. But you know what its like when the tabloids turn on you. Opportunities can vanish in an instant. Stay away from drugs and DUIs and underage women. "
"Dont worry. Nothing is going to derail me this time. Im older and wiser. "
"Glad to hear it. Now, get going. Talk to Steve in postproduction. I want you and Mark to redub the music. The opening score sounds like the music they played at my aunt Roses funeral. And theres a bad cut on the Randy Johnson segment. "
"Thanks. When do you think we can air it?"
"Sweeps week. Ill set up with Marion to run a series of promo spots. Well want to shoot them ASAP. "
Jack left the office and went straight to the editing room, where he and Mark Lackoft spent the next ten hours examining and refining every split second of footage. By the time he was finished, Breakable Gods was worthy of a damned award.