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With the score tied, I lined up with defensive coverage on Smith who was split left. I looked across the line at a man who one year before had burst on to the baseball scene with a 7-5 record, 10 saves and a 1.93 ERA in 57 appearances. The same man who 12 months earlier had struck out Mike Schmitt with the bases loaded in a crucial play-off game to pick up his first playoff win, and only two weeks prior, whiffed seven Dodgers in three innings to secure another Astros playoff victory. I was as overmatched as I would have been against his fastball. We trailed by a touchdown. Then Keteyian picked off a Thomas pass, and we trailed by two. But we came back. I redeemed myself by scoring a touchdown on a down out and deep pattern off a pump fake that Jay and I had perfected as teammates for our Pi Lambda Phi fraternity team at Jacksonville University. Garrett caught another TD and when Ken streaked for a touchdown after nearly two hours of play, victory was ours. Following the game Garrett told Thomas that the only quarterback he played with in professional football who had an arm as strong as his was George Mira. He made a friend for life. The next day Ken and Armen limped to work. Armen said Randy was just as bad. Mike and Jay stopped by the office to meet us for lunch each complaining of stiff, aching, sore muscles. Smith would later call and say it felt like the first day of spring training. They all looked at me amazed. Aren't you sore at all? "Nope" I boasted. Little do they know that I couldn't walk for a week, the ultimate weekend warrior to the end. POSTSCRIPT- 2007: The players now. ARMEN KETEYIAN: Left San Diego and the PR business the following spring and went to New York where he became an award-winning writer-reporter for Sports Illustrated and author or co-author of nine books. He later became an Emmy-winning investigative sports journalist for HBO Real Sports and sideline reporter on NFL football on CBS. He now is the chief investigative correspondent for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and Senior Editor of www.hofmag.com. DAVE SMITH: Played 13 years for the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs and earned 216 saves, which ranks him 34h in major league history. His 33 saves in 1986 were third best in the NL in a year the Astros won the NL West. An All Star in 1986 and 1990, Smith holds the Astros career records for most games pitched (586) and most saves (199). Dave later served as pitching coach for the San Diego Padres. He still lives in San Diego. JAY THOMAS: Lived out his dream and went on to play a football coach in the feature film Mr. Holland's Opus. He would also win two Emmy awards as Jake Gold in Murphy Brown. He still can be seen throwing the football at a meatball each December on the David Letterman Show in what now has become a Christmas Letterman tradition. You can also go broke betting his Locks of the Week at www.hofmag.com. Listen to Jay daily on Sirius Satellite Radio 12 – 3 PM EST. KEN BENTLEY: Became a long-time fixture at the Carnation Company where he still serves as Vice President of Community Affairs for Nestle USA. He has written seven award-winning books including Men Of Courage, a book that the LA Times said belonged in every junior high and high school library. Men of Courage became a one-hour documentary, which was nominated for an NCAA Image Award in 1994. In 1986 Ken Bentley received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. He is the first member of the Crenshaw HS Hall of Fame. FRANK PACE: Followed Keteyian out of San Diego and the PR Business to become one of Hollywood's most prolific television producers with more than 500 episodes of network television to his credit. His work on shows such as Head of the Class, Murphy Brown, Suddenly Susan, George Lopez and the TV bio Babe Ruth has garnered 17 Emmy nominations and four wins. Now in his 10th season as head coach of the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy Girls soccer team at 57, he swears he is still better than any other goalkeeper in the league. RANDY HANSON: After a stellar baseball career at San Diego State, Hanson has enjoyed an interesting life which included ownership of a truck stop in Indio, California and an ice cream company and cigar store in Palm Springs. He's currently co-CEO, with wife Nora, of Summit Events, a San Diego-based Meeting Management and Event Planning Company that coordinates events worldwide for Volvo Cars of North America. MIKE GARRETT: Completed his law degree at Western State University College of Law and later failed to win a seat on the San Diego City Council thus changing college football history. Undaunted he returned to Los Angeles where he ultimately became the Athletic Director at his alma mater USC. At USC he rebuilt the football program beginning with the hiring of Pete Carroll as head coach. USC has since won two National Championships and is in the running a third. Under Garrett's watch, the trophy case at Heritage Hall has been expanded to accommodate Heisman Trophy statues awarded to Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush. Keep an eye out for Garrett's latest project, USC basketball. Frank Pace has produced nearly 500 episodes of network television, including Murphy Brown and Suddenly Susan. He is currently the Producer of the ABC Series George Lopez. He can be reached at
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