It's an early November day and Jake Plummer(notes) has the itch to play again.
No, he's not pulling a Brett Favre(notes). Plummer is on his way to play handball for the first time in weeks in Sandpoint, Idaho, the resort town of 7,000 people near the Canadian border where Plummer now lives three years after his abrupt retirement.
Still only 35 years old, Plummer sounds totally carefree, shooting from the hip while yapping on his cell phone, cracking jokes and laughing.
"I lost in our doubles match at my tournament in a tiebreaker and came off the court as happy as I've ever been after a loss," Plummer said. "I was smiling and laughing and [thinking], 'Hey, this is life.'"
[Related: Plummer's mustache among greatest in NFL history]
Wait, is this the same Jake Plummer that was labeled a brat after wearing out his welcome in Denver for flipping off a fan, cussing out a gossip columnist and being surly with the local sports media?
Hearing Plummer talk now, it sounds like the weight of the world has been lifted off his shoulders since he shockingly walked away from the NFL and $5 million in 2007.
In fact, right now he's so excited to get back out on the handball court that he's even breaking one of his cardinal rules -- not to be indoors when the weather is nice -- to play despite it being a beautiful fall day.
"I hate to say it, I'm driving in today and it's sunny and 57, but I haven't played since my tournament so I'm kind of jonesin' to go play," Plummer said.
[Related: College football players' top 10 unlikeliest whereabouts]
That tournament would be the third annual Jake Plummer Halloween Handball Bash, of course. Yes, Plummer takes this handball stuff pretty seriously. After a 12-year absence from the sport due to football, he has reconnected with the game taught to him and his two brothers by his father. Plummer plays three to four times a week when it's not summertime -- the most his body can handle.
What's the summer entail?
"Outdoor stuff," Plummer said. "Mountain biking, boating, fishing and hiking -- not being indoors in an air-conditioned room playing handball."
It's clear that Plummer is just living the dream these days. He's so active that after less than two years away from the gridiron, he has already dropped 20 pounds. And his handball game has progressed to the point that he won the Idaho State Handball Championship doubles title last April.
www.go2bagtrade.com
没有评论:
发表评论