C.C. Reader
The Coac
I miss the N.Y. Knicks team of the late 60's and early 70's. Willis Reed, Dave
Debuschre, Bill Bradley, Walt Frazier, and Dick Barnett. Those were the days.
What a magnificent team! And, I stress the word team. In those days, teams
didn't seem to be intent on playing this one-on-one type of basketball we see
nowadays. The Knicks were great on defense and intelligent on offense. They
were truly a team's team.
I miss listening to marvelous Mary Albert calling the play-by-play and his
patented "YES" when a Knick hit a shot:
The Knick moment that I miss the most was the seventh game of the 1969-70
NBA championship series with Los Angeles. Willis was down with a severe knee
injury from which he would never recover completely. Dave Debuschre would be
called on to play center and cover Wilt Chamberlain who in the last game had
scored 41 points. The Garden was filled to capacity, but the fans knew that their
chances were slim in defeating L.A. without the services of Willis. How would
they defeat Wilt, West, Baylor, and Company?
Both the Lakers and the Knicks had finished their pre-game warmups and
were ready for the player introductions.
Suddenly, a buzzing started throughout the Garden. It changed to cheers
which became louder and louder until the entire partisan crowd was standing and
cheering, looking towards the Knick players' tunnel. Here came Willis, his hulking
figure clad in his usual home whites, limping to the New York Knick bench. The
cheers were deafening now as the Lakers looked on in disbelief. How could Reed
stand, let alone walk out to the court? The Lakers were stunned. Willis had
dominated them earlier in the series, and now he was back.
Willis started the game. He hit his first two attempts from the field and played
only three minutes. However, three minutes was enough and the Lakers were
done. The Knicks were the NBA champions.
A team's team. A classic team. One I'll never forget.
Dear Mr. Katz,
Why? Why did you do it? Why? Why have you signed Darryl Dawkins? We all
know he's not worth it. How inconsistent can one owner be?
Just a few weeks ago you were ready to shell out big bucks when you were
begging Wilt Chamberlain to come out of retirement. Promising a huge salary, no
playing away games, and bonuses that have never been seen before by humans.
But, Wilt said, "No thanks," and you were left with "Double D." I hate to break
the news to you, but, Moses Malone will be available at the end of the season. You
wouldn't have had to pay him the catastrophic salary that Wilt would have
commanded and be afraid of Moses collapsing from exhaustion.
Granted, Moses doesn't play great defense, but who does in the NBA? Think
what you'd be getting. A quiet, conservative, down home, hard-working center
who would average 11-15 rebounds and 20-25 points per game. A game, mind you,
not every once in a while. Does big Mr. Double D, Mr. Lovetron, Mr. Fadeaway
20-footer give the Sixers that? Darryl lacks the most basic fundamentals needed
to succeed in the NBA. When I say succeed, I don't mean dominate in the NBA,
something Darryl has the potential to do. Double D has not been educated with
the basic fundamentals needed to play great basketball. Yes, he gets by with his
sheer physical attributes. Darryl is quick and has excellent leaping ability, but,
for example, lacks the defensive fundamentals that would eliminate his careless
fouls.
Mr. Katz, why don't you just burn Double D's contract and wait for Moses? He
could be Philadelphia's savior. Imagine this: Dr. J, Bobby J, Mo Cheeks, Lionel H
and Moses . . .
THE COACH SHOOTS BACK
Dear Anthony,
Your letter in the last issue of this paper was the typical holier-than-thou
response to an anti-hunter's criticisms of your so-called sport. I loved the part
when you said that "a church lector can be a hunter, a scout master can be a
hunter, a past C.C. Reader Sports Editor can be a hunter, a person who just likes
other people can be a hunter." It made me want to stand up and either cry or
salute the flag.
You have missed my point.
You are not hunting to get nourishment. You are hunting to kill something.
You are not hunting to survive, you are hunting because you enjoy the proverbial
Just once I'd like to give the animals some guns and a day, say March 15 (that
would be appropriate) and let them roam the streets and yards in search of a good
kill.
SAVE your VISION
WEEK(p) MAR. 7-13
A CLASSIC TEAM
THE COACH SENDS A LETTER
Thursday March 4, 1982
The World's
Great Golf Courses
By Matthew Smith
•Editor's Note: This is the third of a
four-part installment of articles about
great golf courses Mr. Smith has played.
THE MERION GOLF CLUB
Perhaps no golf course in the world
has produced more stirring memories
than the Merion Golf Club. It was here in
the 1916 U.S. Amateur that 14-year-old
Bobby Jones made his debut. It was here
that Jones completed his "grand slam" of
golf at the fabled 11th "Baffling Brook"
hole. It was at Merion that Ben Hogan,
who only six months before had been in a
near-fatal auto accident when doctors
said that he would never walk again,
burned a one iron to the 18th green and
made two putts from 40 feet to tie Lloyd
Mangrum and George Fazio. Hogan
defeated both of them the next day. And
it was here in 1960 that a 20-year-old
named Jack Nicklaus played a superb
four rounds in 269 strokes, leading the
U.S. team to victory in the World
Amateur Team Championship.
The Merion Golf Club is located in
Andmore Pennsylvania. Unlike most
championship courses that are 7,000+
yards, Merion is only 6,528, but it is the
longest 6,528 yards in all of golf. Merion
is truly a course on which the golfer
must hit dil thibi In t his bag.
THE CLEVELAND CAVA LIERS' TEA
The Merion Golf Club was designed
by Hugh Wilson. He was given an odd
L-shaped plot of 120 acres of land (which
had a worked out quarry included). The
soil was bad, the terrain rocky, and there
were two little brooks that seemed to
serve no purpose. Despite these prob
lems, Wilson managed to turn a poor
ugly girl into a gorgeous glamorous
Cinderella. Wilson was so successful that
he is recognized as the most gifted golf
course architect that ever was.
There are a number of famous holes.
The first hole is generally considered the
definitive opening hole. A 355-yard par-4
hole that seems easy, but stray your
drive or approach and you're in trouble.
The 11th hole is the famous "baffling
brook" hole in which Cobb's Creek cuts
in front of the green and then twists
behind it. On the 16th, the 430-yard
"Quarry Hole," the deep, old, worked
out quarry must be carried on the second
shot to reach the green well above the
fairway. Merion's 17th hole is the high
est rated par 3 hole in America per
stroke average. Once again the quarry
must be carried to a two-tier green found
well below the tee, surrounded by trees
and the famed "white faces of Merion."
Merion finishes with what is probab
ly the toughest finishing hole in golf--a
458-yard par 4 down a chute off the tee
(trees on both sides of that tee), onto a
right-to-left dipping fairway.
How did the author perform? I shot
an 86 on this fabled layout. Considering
all of Merion's hazardous features, I
didn't think that that was too bad.
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M BENCH