Chapter 4Clancy Makem having to retire turned out to be a huge thing, way huger than he expected. The Scorpions, the team he’d played for from the time he was a rookie, announced there would be a Clancy Makem Day, and he couldn’t help being gratified when the event sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale. The fans grieved as if he were a modern-day Lou Gehrig who’d contracted some fatal disease and was on the verge of dying. Teammates current and retired stood on the field with him, while the teams he’d played against sent members to honor him. The mayor presented him with a key to the city, the president of the United States sent a very kind letter on White House stationery, and Clance himself had to give a speech. The crowd rose to their feet and roared when he got choked up
