Benchwarmer

Book excerpt: Benchwarmer is a story about an Arkansas youngster who grows up to become a nationally recognized sports editor and the numberone authority on the Arkansas Razorback football program. It is a suspense novel with many layers built around colorful characters who weave in and out of Taylor Prescott's roller-coaster life. The main character faces many hurdles and lands a job in scenic Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he overcomes personal tragedy to witness the greatest college football game of all time between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas Longhorns. What leads this intrepid reporter to the final big stage on the day of the championship game and where does he fit in with President Reagan and the crazy Cuban exile? Is it another practical joke from his boyhood friend Winky, and will the wicked newspaper war in Little Rock play a pivotal role in the dramatic conclusion? Will the beloved Hogs finally win the big one for Coach Wimberly, and will Taylor's sweetheart and young son be left alone at the hospital? The Secret Service must react swiftly as the drama unfolds on national TV, bombastic broadcaster Howard Bizell at the microphone. Everyone is watching and history is being made as violence erupts in Razorback land.