"In the locker room during halftime. I have to give an inspirational speech," Griff had said to Caydance the day before the game. "This is not something that I've ever done before, although I've listened to many halftime talks. We could be losing, we could be tied, we could be ahead by a little, or we could be ahead by lot. So that's four speeches I have to practice before tomorrow." He gave her that seductive I can't find the wire whisk look that occurred when it was his turn to make breakfast but he really wanted to go back to bed.

"Do you mean that you want me to listen to four speeches? Or?" she asked.

At halftime on Saturday September 9, in the Huygens locker room, the coaches huddled by themselves before talking to individuals or to small groups of players. The players -- with Defense on one side and Offense on the other -- were otherwise occupied in mutual congratulation rituals, changing dirt smeared jerseys, retaping body parts, drinking protein drinks, or Gatorade, or milk, or eating bananas, orange slices, and peanut butter and jelly or egg salad sandwiches.

In his mind, Griff attempted to review speech no.3, the one for being ahead by just a little. He had gotten some kudos from Caydance for speech no.3, but now he couldn't remember the words. This was not something that usually happened to him, except when Stanford Law profs called on him when he had been focusing on the Saturday game plan. He stood in the middle of the locker room. All he could remember were the words that John Madden said to the team at halftime in the 1976 AFC Championship game. But he wanted to give his own inspirational speech.

The men gathered around Griff. Halftime speeches by coaches were by tradition three minutes long.