Jeff looked at the signature on the scarf carefully, but he couldn't identify it. It wasn't even in English. He hesitated for a moment, but even though he was a little offended, he still asked, "Bambi, you... um, what's your name?"
Bambi is just a nickname. Of course Jeff knows that this is the name that all the Bruins players cheered after the game last night, so he wrote it down. But he didn't know Bambi's real name.
"Lu Ke."
"Luke?" Jeff said doubtfully, because Lu Ke didn't really look like a person named "Luke."
"The pronunciation is like this, but they are two completely different words in Chinese." Lu Ke explained with a smile, "In fact, there is no problem with Bambi. It was just a joke among friends at first, but now I have gradually gotten used to it. .”
A name is just a title. At the beginning, Lu Ke didn't like such a nickname, but gradually he began to call himself this in a self-ridiculing and self-joking way. This achieved unexpected results and made many friends. , school life after immigration gradually opened up.
Now, good friends who really know Lu Ke, as well as the friends next door and other neighbors will also call him this.
"Lu Ke. I think I have no problem with the Chinese pronunciation. At least it's simpler than 'hello'." Jeff laughed heartily. After laughing, Jeff hesitated for a moment, and finally tightened his grip. Riot said, "If there is a bowl game, I'm just saying, if, then, please bring the Rose Bowl back for us, okay?"
The last game of the season ended yesterday, and the Rose Bowl is an invitational tournament. Which team among the top four will be invited still needs to be discussed. The Bruins are ranked fourth in the league this season. Whether they can receive an invitation is still unknown, not to mention that potential opponents are far stronger than them.
Even though Jeff emphasized the "if", you can still feel his breakthrough and sincerity.
UCLA has not been in the Rose Bowl for a long, long time. This traditional football powerhouse has been in decline for too long. In fact, the last time they entered the Rose Bowl was in 1999; and the last time they won the Rose Bowl was in 1986. In an even more distant year, many of the students present were not yet born.
In sharp contrast, the University of Southern California has won a total of five Rose Bowls since the turn of the millennium, including four consecutive championships in the past four years. It is very popular and popular!
Every year, the Bruins have to watch their crosstown rivals reach the top of their home stadium in the Rose Bowl, as if they are watching their enemies celebrate victory in their own back garden. This kind of suffering is simply worse than life and death, and can be called the ultimate torture. That's a big reason why the last game was so sweet, not only beating the Trojans, but stepping on their opponent's shoulders to move into the top four.
This carnival has just begun.
Lu Ke understood the emotion behind Jeff's request. After all, he and every UCLA student had experienced the same torture in the past three years. So, Lu Ke smiled and chuckled, "If so."
"I believe you!" Jeff clenched his fist and waved it twice, "Guys, we should leave. Lu Ke needs training, adjustments, and rest. We are hindering his schedule."
"Actually, you are the culprit, okay?" Nate's complaint made everyone burst into laughter, including Lu Ke.
After turning around and leaving, they were still shouting, "You are that man! Yes, you are that man!" While cheering, jumping, and sprinting, the early morning training ground became more lively than ever.
After seeing off the group of supporters, Lu Ke saw his training partners, including John, Logan, and Marcus.
Lu Ke couldn't help but be a little surprised. A large part of the reason why he insisted on running today was because of the system tasks, but what about them? "Why are you here?"
"Habit." Logan was the first to complain. "When I woke up, I realized that it was a quarter past seven. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't sleep at all. Bambi, this damn biological clock, I think Go back to sleep!" As he said that, Logan deliberately scratched his hair, showing an annoyed look, which made Lu Ke laugh out loud, but John and Marcus nodded in agreement.
Lu Ke smiled even more happily, "I am creating conditions for you to become superstars. If you get bonuses in your career in the future, remember to give me a share." At this time, everyone laughed.
John took the initiative and stepped forward, "How about we start today's training mission?"
"Let's start with the warm-up. Bambi has already warmed up. If we don't warm up, we won't be able to keep up with him." Marcus said cheerfully.
But Logan shook his head, with a clear-cut expression on his face, "I guess it's just you. I'm absolutely fine."
no. This sentence can have many meanings when applied to men. Logan obviously meant something profound. This immediately made Marcus shout depressedly, "Hey! I never said I couldn't do it! If you don't believe it, Shall we have a competition?"
Then, Logan and Marcus began to rush towards the court. There was no agreement or rules, and the two of them actually started racing. Lu Ke raised his chin towards John, "Aren't you going to join? If you are one second behind, you will be unable to catch up."
John shook his head slightly and looked at the field in front of him with a lonely expression. "Did you realize? Yesterday was the last game of my college career. If there was no Rose Bowl, my four-year college football career would have ended like this." Yes; most likely, so will my career."
John didn't remind him, and Lu Ke didn't feel it yet. Now he suddenly remembered: the last game of the 2011 NCAA regular season is over. If there is no Rose Bowl, it means that the senior students have completed their career in the NCAA competition. Last appearance on. Fortunately, they ended with a victory; unfortunately, college was over before he even had time to enjoy it.
John is like this, Logan is like this, Marcus is like this, and Lu Ke himself is like this.
For most students, this is the end. The professional league is another level. Not all college students can enter the professional league; to be more precise, even if they enter the professional league, it is a brand new challenge. Countless football players who have performed outstandingly in college, even the Heisman The winner of the award, after entering the league, he was lost in the crowd.
The Bruins have been weak for a long time, and the average quality of this senior class is still inferior to that of the Trojans. In next year's draft, there are probably only a handful of players who can successfully enter the league. Even if Lu Ke himself can enter the league with his current level of strength, there is still a big question mark.
"What do you mean...?" Lu Ke was a journalism major and was very sensitive to capturing these details. He could hear the regret, loneliness, and relief in John's words.
John showed a big smile and said, "Yes, I decided not to participate in the draft." This means that after graduating from college, this is the end of his football career.
Turning his head, John saw Lu Ke's surprised look. Before Lu Ke could speak, John continued with a smile, "I know that the memories of the past six months are wonderful, and I didn't expect that I would be able to Returning to the court as an official player. But I also know that my abilities are limited, and this is all, this is the ultimate. Even if I barely enter the professional league, maybe one year later, two years at most, the ball will The team will still make layoffs. Instead of doing this, let’s end it with dignity.”
"At least, I caught the last touchdown when the Bruins reversed the Trojans. This is the masterpiece of my career. Everyone will remember this moment." John blinked, and there was a trace of light in his eyes. Proud and excited, "After the game, my dad called me. He... uh... he was very excited."
What John didn't say was that he could hear his father wiping tears on the other end of the phone, even though he refused to admit it.
"So I think this is the perfect ending." John let out a long breath. He had already made his decision, but when he actually announced it, the loss in his heart was still indescribable.
He once thought that he could become a professional player and fight on the court for a lifetime, but the reality is cruel, and he has long accepted it, hasn't he? This half year of playing field life is like a stolen good time, and he should be content with it.
"I don't know yet which two teams will be shortlisted for this year's Rose Bowl, but I think that before the NCAA announces the list of invited teams, I will insist on coming here to practice every day. You know, before saying goodbye forever, I should firmly Remember, how much I hated this place and how much I wanted to escape from here." As John spoke, the two of them couldn't help but laugh, "How about you, are you willing to join me? Keep practicing with me?"
Originally it was John and the others who accompanied Lu Ke to practice, but now their positions have been reversed.
Lu Ke did not correct John and nodded with a smile, "Of course, no problem, it's my pleasure! Why don't we start now?"
With that said, Lu Ke took the lead in running, beckoning John to join him, and the two of them ran in the direction of Logan and Marcus.
"Hey, Bambi, have you read today's school newspaper? The front page headlines, and the entire page is your photo! I heard that the school newspaper has been sold out!" Logan shouted, "We When I came to the training ground just now, there were beautiful women screaming and cheering all the way. I haven’t enjoyed this kind of treatment in many years, haha!”
"If we win the Los Angeles Derby, we are gods! At least for the next week, that will be the case!" Marcus also cheered, "The front page headline of the school newspaper, will the next step be the 'Los Angeles Times'? Then the scouts , and then the alliance?”
"Marcus, you should worry about the final exam in two weeks first." Lu Ke's words immediately made the other three people wail, "Hey, Bambi, I was just trying to forget about this! You It’s the devil, the devil!”
