Even though it was only the first preseason game of the year, traditionally a low-key affair, every seat had been sold on this postcard-perfect day. The crowd exploded in prolonged applause upon seeing their team take the field after the long off-season hiatus. Since the Giants were playing the Jets, who shared the stadium with them, it was hard to tell which fans were cheering for whom. Reese didn’t care—the moment he stepped out of the shadows and back into public view, he swelled with that old familiar warmth, which had been gone for so long. He knew most of the fans weren’t cheering for him specifically, but he enjoyed imagining it, and certainly some were. One black youngster who was leaning over the rail by the mouth of the tunnel and wearing one of his old jerseys yelled, “Corey! Corey, up here!” The kid gave him a thumbs-up. When Reese returned the gesture along with a smile, the boy turned around to report the exchange to his father. Preseason games have their detractors, most of whom usually define them as pointless, a waste of everyone’s time, and so on.
