Xplorers Visit Burch Library
July 23, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Memphis Xplorers News Release
Memphis Xplorers OL/DL Joseph Crear visited Burch Library in Collierville Wednesday to chat with children in the Memphis Public Library Summer Reading Program.
Crear, affectionately called "sackmaster extraordinaire" by teammates, had seven sacks in nine games this season. He's number one on the Xplorers team for sacks, rivaling league leader Asa Francis, who has just 12 sacks in 15 games.
However, Crear, an architecture major at Mississippi Valley State University, is number one in the eyes of the more than 20 children who attended the program. He read their favorite book with them, "The Cow that Went Oink;" defined offense, defense and sacking; and helped them try on an authentic Xplorers uniform.
"I liked interacting with the kids," Crear said. "They seemed to enjoy it, and they made me enjoy it."
Community Relations director Michael Rice helped explain the functions of each piece of equipment.
"These pants look pretty small, don't they?" Rice said. "If you're wearing regular pants, people on the other team can just grab your pants and make you fall, but because these pants are tight, they have to grab your whole leg to tackle you. The pads in the pants protect your knee and thigh from injury."
"How do you get your number?" asked one mom, as Sadaf Mirzai, 11, tried on the jersey.
Griffin Jett, 8, who had donned the uniform pants and shoulder pads, jumped into the conversation.
"They just give it to you," Jett said, suddenly endowed by the uniform with knowledge of the sport. "I think the more the number goes down, the worse you are."
To cap off the day, one outgoing mother asked Crear to show his muscles to her daughter and son, both of whom squeezed his bicep in awe.
"I didn't think I seemed that big to them," said the 6-foot, 3-inch, 260-pound Crear. "There's guys on the team that are a lot bigger than me. I was shocked they would ask me that. They were like, âWoooowwww.' It made me feel a lot better about myself," Crear said, laughing.
2004 XPLORERS TICKETS
For 2004 Xplorers season ticket information and purchases call (662) 280-3737 or go online to www.xplorersaf2.com.
ON THE AIR
Catch the Xplorers on the air this Saturday against the Cape Fear Wildcats on Y96.1 FM. The pre-game will begin at 7:15 a.m. with the kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.
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