Playing With Fire

Steve Smith is back on the soccer sideline. It's Saturday--game day--and Smith, in a gray T-shirt, gray sweats and blue cap, nervously chews and spits out sunflower seeds while hollering instructions and encouragement to the Dragons.

"Are you all right? It's boring out there?" he says to his goalkeeper during a slow point in the action. But as the opponents go on the attack, Smith implores his players, "Defenders, let's defend! Back up, back up!" A Dragon gets the ball and kicks it toward Peyton at midfield--away from the crowd. Steve jogs down the sideline as his son dribbles in alone on goal and shoots past the keeper, into the net. Steve leaps, then slides on the ground and rolls.

"Good job!" he calls out to his son.

Then, as a beaming Peyton pumps his fists and soaks up the adulation, Smith--Coach Smith--cuts the celebration short. He calls out to his son, "Go give all your teammates high fives."