While in Philly, Mahe drives his old college vehicle, a mid-'90s Ford Explorer. He parks it beside other Eagle players' fancy cars, a Lexus here, a Porsche there and a few Hummers. He bought a second car so Sunny could take the Ford. One day he went to a car auction, plopped down $1,200 and drove the junker to work out. When Mahe came out after toiling under the weights, the car failed to start. It remains in the training facility parking lot.

Working for minimum wage in the nation's fourth largest city doesn't faze Mahe. He told Channel 10, "I figured I had a little time on my hands. Actually, I had a lot of time on my hands, so I thought it would be worthwhile to go get a second job, do something fun and kill some time. My motto is: Diapers aren't free."

Eagle offseason workouts continue through June, and Mahe plans on keeping his current schedule.

"It keeps me busy and keeps my mind off missing my wife and little girl," he said. "It's not a bad little gig. I fly in Monday and leave Thursday. I have a cousin who works for the airlines, and she gave me 20 buddy passes. It costs about $150 round trip from here to Houston."

Ciarrocchi is pulling for Mahe to make the Eagle roster this summer. Mahe did it last year as a rookie and saw playing time, including a spot appearance as a return specialist in the playoffs.

"Reno is a humble guy," Ciarrocchi said. "He tells me he doesn't think they're going to keep him. I keep telling him they're gonna do it, that Reid will take care of him."

Said Sikahema: "When I was playing, Reno wasn't even born. But I will say this, he has amazing instincts. He's got a chance."

Mahe's approach is that he has almost no chance. Same M.O. as a year ago when he earned all-MWC honors but was ignored in the draft.

"No, no, no. I don't think I've made the team," he said Wednesday. "You just keep the same mentality. It's possible but I just don't know. I'm confident in my abilities of making the team again, but so much has to fall into place. I can't say I'm confident in making the team, but I'm confident in my ability and preparation. Nothing is guaranteed. I'm trying to make money while I can."

Mahe likes Ciarrocchi and is grateful for the part-time job. "He's like a guy in the movies who knows everybody. This guy is connected."

Ciarrocchi jokingly admits he personally is witness to the impending Reno power grid.

On April 1, Ciarrocchi received an invitation to ring the opening bell at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. The Philadelphia Business Journal wrote up the honor and in part of the article, the reporter noted that Ciarrocchi owned the place where Reno Mahe worked.

"Reno got himself in my article," Ciarrocchi said. "I couldn't believe it."

---

E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com