On Friday I received a call from Mark Benevento. In addition to being great friends, Mark and I are also close business partners in several ventures - including Greate Bay Country Club and Pirate Island Adventure Golf courses. In business he’s as tenacious as a pit bull with a juicy t-bone. In life, he’s as witty as Chris Rock – and possibly a little crazier! I love being in his company because he makes me laugh, and makes me look like an angel!
So Mark tells me that he arrived late at a small gathering of business men who annually celebrate their friendship with an exclusive dinner in South Jersey. They eat the meat they hunt or some such manliness.
Mark quickly scurried to one of the tables hoping not to be noticed for his tardiness. (He was probably scheming a new adventure.) And who does he sit directly next to?
No other than the Philadelphia icon, Coach Dick Vermeil.
During the introductions, one of the guests at the table informs Coach Vermeil that Mark is partners with Pat Croce in a variety of businesses. Dick, without missing a beat, said, “I think I denied Pat the opportunity to be our team’s physical therapist when I coached the Eagles.”
Mark shouts out, “You’re the fucking guy! You made Pat a rich guy!”
Truth be told, I never had the joy of being interviewed by Coach Vermeil or the pain of being rejected by him in July, 1977. That’s because the head trainer slammed the door on me – twice! My interview lasted two sentences: “No, thank you. We don’t need a physical therapist on staff” followed by a door slam! I wanted to body slam his arrogant ass into the whirlpool!
I wrote about the ordeal extensively in my best-seller I Feel Great and You Will Too! That’s because that day was one of the defining moments in my life. It was truly memorable, and painful. I didn’t know it at the time - that painful rejection would eventually create a better direction - and the words of Alexander Graham Bell would ring prophetic. He said: “When one door closes another door opens. But we so often look so long and so regretfully hard upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
Slamball Update:
Open Slamball tryouts are now confirmed for April 6th in Los Angeles, April 8th in New York, and April 10th in Bradenton, Florida. Go to www.slamball.net for the exact times and locations of the athletic facilities. Athletes can register online or on the day of the tryout.
Following the three tryouts, we will invite the top 120 prospects for two weeks of intense training camp – including trampoline activities - at IMG Academies in Bradenton starting on April 11th leading up to the Slamball Draft on April 25th. Tryouts and training camp will be conducted by our Director of Player Personnel and former Slamball star, Rob Wilson, in conjunction with the league’s coaching and training staff.
From an historical perspective, I can tell you that Slamball tryouts are physically hard and mentally demanding. The training camp reminds me of my memorable days (1981-1993) working with the Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Team as the physical conditioning coach. I didn’t tolerate professional athletes coming to camp out of shape, and I don’t plan to change my expectations in my new role as Commissioner of this exciting sport. In fact, last week I sent out a letter via email to all Slamball veteran players informing them that, in short, if they were not in superb shape, then they had chosen not to participate in our league’s training camp. It’s their choice.
And we will be made fully aware of their choice as they will be evaluated prior to the April tryouts!
This entry was posted
on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm by Pat Croce
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