Wiretap On The Pros

""Yeah. Go ahead."

"Yeah? Where do I speak? I mean I want them to hear this."

"Right here. You speak right into my chest."

"O.K., Alex. I wanted to say what a shame it is, being wired up and all, that today, of all days, you had to have the worst afternoon of your career. I mean, man, you stunk!"

The laughter goes up, and on the tape the listener can hear the creak of Karras' shoulder pads as he takes a retaliatory cuff at his persecutor. The voices of the autograph hunters take over. "Hey, Alex, would you sign this 'To Tracy.' And maybe put 'A swell guy' after it. Right here on this napkin."

The Gordy tape is substantially the same—the exhortations, the panting, the violent shifts of mood—though Gordy coughs more, and spends most of his time on the bench trying to clear his throat and nostrils. He says far less on the field than Karras, presumably because his work, leading the interference, leaves him spent at the end of each play, so that he gasps out his sentences as if trying to speak while being garroted. His accent becomes far more Southern than it is in usual conversation, and his grammar collapses somewhat. At one point, suddenly aware that the microphone had picked up the ungrammatical entreaty to the defensive unit, "Hey, Big D. Don't give them nothing," he lowered his voice abruptly and said, "I wonder if I could correct that. Man, that's bad English. Please substitute: "Please, don't give them anything!' "

Gordy: (On sidelines) Hey, Karl [ Karl Sweetan, the Lion quarterback]! They're stunting off that four-four. Anything in the four or five hole is no good. Is there any water? Water! (He retches and vomits) Jeez! (To himself) How come I got to throw up during the game? Happens every damn time. Hey, are they going to try a field goal? (Frantically) Hey, Jimmy [Jim David, a Lion coach]! It's going to be a fake. Honest to God. This guy I was out with the other night said that they had practiced the fake field goal all week. Honest to God! (Stadium announcer's voice: "Gogolak's attempt Jails. Del rail's ball on the Lion 20." Creak of gear as Gordy runs onto field for offensive series) O.K. Four good downs here. Let's go. (Sweetan's voice calling play in huddle: "Opposite right 34 on two." Hands clap sharply as the huddle breaks. Line judge's voice: "Keep your hands in. Last warning." Sweetan's voice at the line of scrimmage: "Four. Set. One-nine-A. Hut! Hut!" Crash of play. Tremendous grunts from Gordy. Referee's whistle. Gordy spits) Damn! Where was the middle linebacker on that. What the hell. You got to take the guy in the gap. Come on, Ed [Ed Flanagan, the Detroit center]! Get him inside, hey? O.K. Let's get a good play. Let's get some blocks. (Following next play) Hey Chuck [Chuck Walton, Detroit's offensive tackle]! What was that? A four-four? Want me to take the guy in the gap? Call me a signal, because he can keep you from getting out. Or I'll call ""George." Then you can step out. If you call the signal, say "left" or "right" in case I forget which direction I'm supposed to go. (In huddle) O.K., babies, let's go. (Concussion of play: Sharp, staccato grunts from Gordy as he runs. Crash of his block) Damn. Get off my hand. You stepped on my hand. Oh, you broke my hand! (Heavy swearing) My lingers are all gone. My hand's broke. (Unidentified voice: "Shake it off Bear") Did you see what that guy did? He went and stomped on my hand. (His voice calms) What did he want to do that for? (Ragtime band in background: "Hello, Dolly!" Sweetan calls end sweep in the huddle. Tremendous grunts from Gordy as play commences and lie pulls to run interference: Huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh...then the crack of gear as he throws his block) Nowhere! Jeez! I should have had the guy. Hey, Amos. I thought I had him. I blew it...I blew it...if I had a little more in me I would have had him, but I didn't...my fault. (Blows his nose. Sweetan calls a pass play in huddle. Concussion of play) No. No. Please no.... Please! (Giant interception. Great roar from crowd as New York lakes over).

There is one violently poignant moment on the Gordy tapes. Following a running play, in which Mel Fair's signal to carry the ball is called, a sudden sharp scream erupts over the crash of padding and the heavy grunts of the players. Gordy's voice cries out:

"Mel, what's wrong. Mel! What's wrong!"—a voice so tragic with concern that, listening to the tapes, one conjures up a quick image of a crippled running back lying askew on the field with Gordy standing over him in despair. In the background Farr's voice is barely understandable, but it is reassuring. He is all right. Gordy's reaction is startling: his voice shifts abruptly from anguish to rage. "Don't you be yelling like that. Don't you ever yell like that. Don't you ever scare me like that, you bastard!" The temper of his voice then shifts once again—as in his relief he suddenly sounds close to tears: "Mel, baby. Please don't scare me. Don't ever scare me. What am I going to do without you out here, baby?"

Fan's reply is audible. Startled by Gordy's outburst, and the sweep of its emotion, he says in a high, almost querulous tone, "Damn, John, I don't know. I don't know."