The Chasers

Prelude  xi
Cast of Characters  xiii
Part I.
Walnuts  3
Never Chicano Enough  5
Suddenly Blank  7
Nice Meals  8
Down the Little Arroyo  9
Never Dreamed  11
A Dark Side  13
Talking with Mom  16
Fastest Naked Sprinter  19
In the Cactus Chronicle  21
The Chaser Mystique  23
Part II.
Playing Bull  27
Sports People  29
All about Fun  32
A Quiet Guy  34
In Formation  35
Champagne in a Martini Class  38
White, Black, or Blue  41
My Inner Mexican Comes In  42
No More Oranges  45
No Emblem  46
Ode to Ralph 48
I'd Like the Job  50
Part III.
Not from Tucson  55
Ornamental Oranges  57
I Never Liked You  60
A Place to Stand  62
Fiftieth Reunion  64
I Was Shaking  69
Three Months Older  71
Guys on One Side  74
In the School Yard  76
Erased  77
You Won't Do Well  78
Part IV.
Observing  83
Never a Fighter  85
Papa y yo hablamos  86
Dad and I Talk  87
You Were or Were Not  89
Raw Eggs  90
My Brother Raul  92
I Remember  93
An Old Story  97
I Am a Chaser  99
My Dad Died When I Was Six  101
Packager  103
Sure Hope We Can Enjoy a Few More Years  107
Acknowledgments  109