he loved the smell of the gym , a wood and varnish smell , with the scent of rubber matting for the wrestling matches rolled up behind the stands , the smell of sweat evaporating off cotton socks , tennis shoes with rubber solescinder block walls moist with humidity , dripping showers down in the locker rooms , warmth and moisture , heat from exertion and a cool drink from a water fountain , with a dab of gobbled , mint-scented gum in the drain : `` beat b - c - c ! ''