Like Bruce, I am blessed with wonderful friends, although I think it is fair to say they put up with a lot more than Bruce’s friends do. They include, as always: Barbie Drum, Bob and Anne DeStefano, David and Linda Maraniss, Tom and Jill Mickle, Lexie Verdon and Steve Barr, Jackson Diehl and Jean Halperin, Jason and Shelley Crist, Bill and Jane Brill, Terry and Patty Hanson, Terry Chili, Tate Armstrong, Mark Alarie and Clay Buckley, Pete Teeley, Bob Novak, Al Hunt, Vivian Thompson, the great Bob Zurfluh, Wayne Zell, Mike and David Sanders, Bob Whitmore, Mary Carillo, Doug Doughty, David Teel, Andy Dolich, Beth Shumway (BEC), Beth Sherry-Downes (BWC), Erin Laissen, Jesse Markison, Bob Socci, Pete Van Poppel, Frank Davinney, Scott Strasemeier, Eric Ruden, Billy Stone, Mike Werteen, Chris Knocke, Andrew Thompson, Joe Speed, Jack Hecker, Dickie Hall, Steve (Moose) Stirling, Jim and Tiffany Cantelupe, Derek and Christina Klein, Bob Beretta and Mike Albright, Roger Breslin, Jim Rome, Travis Rodgers, Jason Stewart, Mark Maske, George Solomon, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, Ken Denlinger, Matt Rennie, Mike Purkey, Jim Frank, George Peper, Bob Edwards, Jeffrey Katz, Ellen McDonnell, Ken and Christina Lewis, Bob Morgan, Hoops Weiss, Little Sandy Genelius, Jennifer Proud-Mearns, Joe Valerio, Rob Cowan, Andy Kaplan, Chris Svenson, and the always gutsy Norbert Doyle.
Basketball people: Mike Krzyzewski, Gary Williams, Mike Brey, Tommy Amaker, Doug Wojcik, Mike Cragg, Billy Hahn, Rick Barnes, Dave Odom, the entire Patriot League from coaches to employees to players, Howard Garfinkel, and
still
the only honest man in the gym, Tom Konchalski. Special thanks to Jo-Ann Barnas, who dug through her Watson files from long-ago days in Kansas City, and to Ed Sherman of the
Chicago Tribune
.
Swimmers: Jeff Roddin, Tom Denes, Carole Kammel, Margot Pettijohn, Susan Williams, Mary Dowling, Amy Weiss, A. J. Block, Warren Friedland, Marshall Greer, John Craig, Danny Pick, Mark Pugliese, Peter Ward, Doug Chestnut, Bob Hansen, Paul Doremus, the gone-but-not-forgotten Penny Bates, and the members of the still exclusive FWRH club: Clay Britt, new dad Wally Dicks, and Michael Fell.
The China Doll gang: Red Auerbach, Morgan Wootten, Jack Kvancz, Reed Collins, Aubrey and Sam Jones, Hymie Perlo, Pete Dowling, Bobby Campbell, Stanley Copeland, Rob Ades, Dr. Murray Lieberman, Joe McKeown, Karl Hobbs, Bob Ferry, George Solomon, and the perennial rookie, Chris Wallace. Zang is always in our thoughts.
Then there is the Feinstein advisory board. None of these people are volunteers, although they are unpaid. If they were paid, regardless of how much, it would not be enough, since they take calls at all hours that usually begin with me whining, complaining, or desperately seeking help with a problem that is completely unsolvable (like, among other things, how to use the Internet properly). The board members, kicking and screaming, are: Keith Drum, Frank Mastrandrea, Wes Seeley, and Dave Kindred. They have my eternal gratitude. I’m sure they would prefer to have a way to block my calls.
Last, never even close to least, the family. The remarkable in-law group: Jim and Arlene; Kacky, Stan, and Ann; Annie, Gregg, Rudy, Gus, and Harry; Jimmy and Brendan. Dad and Marcia; Margaret, David, Ethan, and Baby Benjamin; Bobby, Jennifer, Matthew, and Brian. Danny and Brigid are, of course, the smartest, handsomest/ prettiest, and cutest children in the world. Just ask their dad.
Finally, this book was written because of the courage and patience of two people: Bruce, who showed me the definition of true courage: Never giving in to an opponent even when you are told that opponent can’t be beaten. And my wife, Mary, who always has the right answers. Sometimes I even listen.
John Feinstein is the author of fifteen books, including
Open, The Majors, A Good Walk Spoiled, A Civil War,
and
A Season on the Brink
.
He is a contributor to the
Washington Post,
writes a column for America Online, and is a commentator for National Public Radio and Sporting News Radio and an essayist for CBS Sports. He lives in Potomac, Maryland, and Shelter Island, New York, with his wife, Mary, and their two children.