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| Rich Cohen |
One problem with not following professional sports is that you are denied the distraction that sports offer from the woes of the world.
Which is why, over a weekend that saw a massive Hamas terror attack murder at least 700 Israelis, and Israeli counterstrikes kill hundreds of Palestinians, I was grateful to lose myself for a while in a new book by Rich Cohen, “When the Game was War: The NBA’s Greatest Season.”
Though I’ve read eight Cohen books — he’s written 16 — the idea of revisiting a basketball season from 35 years ago initially left me cold. I wasn’t interested back then, when it was occurring. Why bother with it now?
Well, for starters, because Cohen has a genius for pulling a seine through the information river that is professional sports and netting fascinating facts. I spent more time reading his “Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football,” than watching football over the past decade, and learned how the Bears took their name as a way to one-up the Cubs.
Yes, there are three other teams examined along with the Bulls — the Detroit Pistons (boo, hiss), the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics. But Cohen has a way of universalizing an athletic moment. This how he describes Isiah Thomas playing on a freshly-turned ankle:
“Isiah became a symbol in those twelve minutes, an embodiment of everything that a person who wants to live ecstatically should be. He played with fury and joy. He loved his teammates and his opponents — you could see it in every move. He never gave up, never stopped trying. He did this not in spite of his injury but because of it.”
Which is why, over a weekend that saw a massive Hamas terror attack murder at least 700 Israelis, and Israeli counterstrikes kill hundreds of Palestinians, I was grateful to lose myself for a while in a new book by Rich Cohen, “When the Game was War: The NBA’s Greatest Season.”
Well, for starters, because Cohen has a genius for pulling a seine through the information river that is professional sports and netting fascinating facts. I spent more time reading his “Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart of Football,” than watching football over the past decade, and learned how the Bears took their name as a way to one-up the Cubs.
Yes, there are three other teams examined along with the Bulls — the Detroit Pistons (boo, hiss), the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics. But Cohen has a way of universalizing an athletic moment. This how he describes Isiah Thomas playing on a freshly-turned ankle:
“Isiah became a symbol in those twelve minutes, an embodiment of everything that a person who wants to live ecstatically should be. He played with fury and joy. He loved his teammates and his opponents — you could see it in every move. He never gave up, never stopped trying. He did this not in spite of his injury but because of it.”
To continue reading, click here.
‘What can you say? Might as well talk about sports. The familiar dictum of turning into a monster in fighting a monster applies all over the world, on both sides of every armed conflict, especially the one we would like to ignore just now.. That the Bible depicts the betrayer Judas as a Zealot, a fanatic, is a message long unheeded. In my opinion, Hamas has betrayed the Palestinian people and Netanyahu will again betray Israel’s. What can you say?
ReplyDeleteJohn
I did think about setting it aside to address the most pressing matter. But a) I did that Sunday on my blog and b) I didn't feel I had any insight particularly unusual or worth saying. Shutting up is an underappreciated art form.
DeleteThis undisputed leader of the "Bad Boys", while an executive with the New York Knicks, sexually harassed Vice President Anucha Browne Sanders, who was awarded $11.6 million in damages. Of course he probably didn't have to cough up the dough himself. Found guilty of sex discrimination and retaliation, the jury found Thomas liable of aiding and abetting a hostile work environment based on sex. Hope that was in the book.
ReplyDeleteIt was.
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