I remember when ...

Editor,

I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time while enjoying the New York Knicks last two playoff wins. What a comeback those games were. But that is about all that I know of this year’s NBA champs. You see, I am 71 years of age so I know a lot more about the Knicks’ championship team(s) from the ‘70s. I can still picture the New York Knicks who won their championship then, much better than I know today’s faces, perhaps because I am older now. Names like Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, Bill Bradley and even coach Red Holzman are firmly planted in my memory. But sports were played differently back then than they are today. To me, it was a much more glamorous era. Sportsmanship seems lacking in my mind, in today’s world of sports. Back then, ABC hosted Wide World of Sports with people like Jim Mckay and Howard Cosell whose byline was always “The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.” While these were commentators and hosts, they were colorful in their own way. They brought great comfort while watching them on television. Howard Cosell would duke it out with the magnificent boxer Muhammad Ali while interviewing him. While I didn’t play a lot of golf and tennis (yet), I thoroughly enjoyed watching golfers such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer (and too many to mention here) along with tennis players Arthur Ash, Billie Jean King and many others. So here I am, dating myself again. Like someone else once said (Bob Hope) “Thanks for the memories.” I suppose watching all these amazing people made a lasting impression on me.