THE SIDELINES : Military May Call Upon a Patriot

The military buildup in the Persian Gulf might be changing the field of action for some New England athletes.

Ed Reynolds is a linebacker for the New England Patriots, and he is also a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves.

The 28-year-old graduate of the University of Virginia was informed Wednesday that he could be called to action after President Bush announced a call-up of 40,000 Reserve units.

“I guess I’ll know everything for sure tomorrow,” Reynolds said today by telephone from the Patriots training camp in Smithfield, R.I.

“This is just one of those facts of life that you didn’t think would happen, with glasnost and perestroika and the cooling down of tensions with Russia. Then to have a madman come about in the Middle East,” he said.