Free Anchorboy by Jay Onrait

anchor and obviously a good judge of what was and wasn’t appropriate in our business, thought I was being too much of a stickler about the whole thing. “In the end it doesn’t really matter that much,” he said.
    So, a few days later, Derek and I made our way to the luncheon along with our camera guy, Paul Yausie, who was going to get some footage of the event to send to Champions for Christ later. Everyone attending could not have been nicer. I decided to just relax and go with it. Admittedly, I was also somewhat excited to hear the guest speaker that day: Mike “Pinball” Clemons.
    Pinball was a running back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and had put together a prolific Hall of Fame career. But that’s not why the man is such a beloved figure in the Canadian media landscape. He’s a beloved figure because heis one of the most charming and charismatic athletes to play pro sports in North America over the past three decades. He speaks passionately, smiles constantly, and has an incredibly infectious way about him. For years people have asked Pinball when he is going to run for public office, maybe even mayor, but so far he has resisted that calling. He coached the Argonauts on two separate occasions, but after his playing career he generally made his living as a motivational speaker.
    After we briefly introduced ourselves, and then a man of the cloth said grace, the entire group dug in to the catered lunch. We happened to be sitting at the same table as Pinball, and he was gracious and kind to everyone seated around him, asking and remembering names, essentially interacting with people like a really good politician would. I told him I wasn’t really a fan of him in his playing days because he had repeatedly burned my Edmonton Eskimos. This delighted him to no end. Unlike a politician, from Pinball you got the impression the laughter was genuine.
    After lunch was over it was time to introduce Pinball. He approached the stage to high fives from the crowd and gave Derek and me a big hug as we passed him the microphone. He then completely took over the room, speaking like a southern Baptist minister. A more gifted orator you would likely not find anywhere. He talked about his personal belief in Jesus Christ and how Christ’s teachings had made him a better player and person. The content of the speech wasn’t groundbreaking; he was literally preaching to the choir. The delivery was mesmerizing nonetheless. I was riveted by Pinball’s ability to capture the attention of the audience, moving from one side of the stage to the other, making eye contact with everyone in the room. A true professional speaker and worth every penny.
    Then Pinball made the decision to attack those of us skeptical about Bible scripture, those of us who believe that “science” and “evolution” are the primary reasons that life exists on this planettoday. In particular, Pinball wanted to discuss the now widely accepted big bang theory, which states that the universe essentially exploded into creation millions of years ago, leading to evolutionary life on planet Earth. We may have learned about it in high school science class, but even if Pinball had been paying attention in those classes he was having none of it. As far as Pinball was concerned, the story of Adam and Eve was the only logical explanation for life on Earth.
    “Are you telling me”—now Pinball was
really
getting fired up—“that millions of years ago, there was a big bang? And after this so-called big bang, POOF! There was Derek …”
    Pinball gestured to Derek, and Derek looked over at me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we had become a part of the show! Even though I thought a large part of what the man on stage was saying was complete gibberish, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t waiting in giddy anticipation for Pinball to mention me too.
    “Are you also telling me …”
    Here we go …
    “That millions of years ago, there was a big