Troy Story

"Naw, I want to keep going."

"But you could step on something and break an ankle! And there might be snakes out here!"

Ninety minutes later Murphy canned his last shot. "Mom," he said, without a hint of irony, "I love this game."

Likewise, Rinaldi volunteers that before every Irish game, Murphy finds a quiet place where he can sit alone, tune out the noise and—no joke—read the Dr. Seuss classic Oh, the Places You'll Go! from start to finish. Surprised? It makes sense when you get to the following passage, on page 31:

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Granted, it's not Keats. But could any verse better capture the spirit of its most loyal reader?