Chapter 4, The Blank Slate Summary and Analysis

Michael begins spending up to five hours each day with a tutor. Soon, Michael begins to appear at the football field during practice, even though he is not yet a member of the team. The coaches note how quickly he moves for a young man his size, and decide to weigh the boy. Michael is six-foot-five, and weighs 344 pounds.

Michael also begins playing basketball and competing in track events. Michael's athletic ability is unmistakable. He does not understand many of the techniques and strategies used by the athletes, but he learns quickly by observing.

Michael finally starts playing football during his junior year at Briarcrest. Since Michael is so fast, Coach Freeze starts him out as a defensive tackle. Unfortunately, Michael is not very aggressive, and he lacks the motivation to excel at the position...