Dorais predicted that Baugh "will do until some supernatural passer comes along." And this: "That ball he threw to Tinsley for the touchdown was floating so lightly that a babe could have plucked it." And more: "Outside of his passing, his best point is his defensive play. He's a dream guy as a safety man. Cagey, smart and fast, and they stay tackled when Sammy hits `em."

The next morning, Flaherty took a train — not to Washington but to New York. He wanted to make a trade with the Giants for a former Gonzaga player named Max Krause, and he did. Krause may not live large in Redskins history, but he played a few roles. Most importantly, he was a blocking back; Flaherty would surround Baugh with blockers, hoping to protect him like a priceless artifact.

Then Flaherty boarded a train to Washington, arriving as Espey stewed eight days before training. "Thought you might have forgotten we moved and taken the train to Boston," Espey said.

"I admit I aimed a little higher than the capital, but no higher than New York," Flaherty said.

More than 1,000 fans flocked to Fairlawn Field in Anacostia to watch the first practice. Marshall sat on a sideline, and Flaherty took calisthenics with 25 players. Baugh had another all-star game commitment, but Washington's top running back, Cliff Battles, joined up after a one-day holdout. As much laundry as Marshall had been taking in, he hoarded his dollars and cents even from the likes of Battles, a barrel-chested runner who was an early version of Larry Brown.

Marshall also played coy about Baugh. "I wouldn't say that Baugh proved himself out there in Chicago," Marshall told a reporter. "The All-Stars were playing a bunch of tired guys." A few days later, though, Baugh would lead another college group, the Southwest All-Stars, to victory over the Chicago Bears in Dallas.

Other Pages in Chapter 1: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 Names, Numbers Trivia Quiz Index