laughing and reading

The solitude that has surrounded the past few weeks has not only got me thinking, but also got me to lower my inhibitions and develop new habits. Not bad ones, but things I'd probably want to cement as part of my legacy when I grow old(er).

As such, I have been reading books that tap into my fields of interest, particularly, The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. I have never felt so liberated by the discovery that there is no merit to reading Kant and Sophocles if you don't garner any psychological acculturation from reading it, so for those who are still struggling to look smart reading Tolstoy, drop it and read whatever you want. So long as it's your passion and it's honorable, nobody has the right to frown upon you. For all I care you can pull out Archie comics while doing number 2 and that would still be the best reading experience.

In any case, I have found Simmons' take on basketball to resonate profoundly with mine, that I found myself writing fan mail. To those who are not interested in basketball and my being an avid Knick fan, you can stop here and I will bid you adieu and thanks for reading. For those who want to peer into the frustrations of a thinking sports fan's mind, read on:

"Mr Simmons:

First off, a happy new year - I just want to say that I just got the book this afternoon and I'm now almost through 100 pages. That's no small feat for a guy whose list of books enjoyably read through consists only of The Hobbit.

In any case, as a Knick fan, it was refreshing to (1) see Isiah on a positive light again, but more importantly (2) validate the disturbance that I have felt the past month during the Nate Robinson saga.

Talking about making teammates better, you're right that the Suns from 04 to 07 deserved better - their leader was the consummate personification of unselfishness (well, you can probably say that assists don't even tell the story anymore, but Nash did raise everybody's playing level). But maybe Mike D'Antoni understands as well.

Benching Nate Robinson was a good decision - I will be the first to vouch for it and defend it. Letting him play after 14 DNP's was alright, but the way he came back make me smirk and think "here we go again". 41 points, 24 shots: impressive, yes? unfortunate, perhaps. All the chest-pounding and the swarming of air-fives towards Nate would have only reignited Krypto-Nate.

Watching the Knicks play while Nate was gone would have put a smile on Isiah's face: they were winning because the ball was moving better - they're a leader short of becoming actually good. Call me insane, but despite all the selfish urges surrounding all the expiring contracts, there is a hope to this team - an element which I wish will not be taken away by the upcoming 2010 fire sale.

Thanks for hearing me out - the book is really a fun read, and I will be sure to encourage others to buy.

All the best!"

And with that I go to rest and wish for everybody God's blessings.