The media could not be loaded.
By
Melvyn Feuerman
"You're not going to see Bill Bradley at Temple Emanuel?" Even after forty-six years of marriage I sometimes surprise Arlene. But you know, it's been almost fifteen years since I have even thought about Bill Bradley, much less talked about him. I don't discuss my complaints and disappointments about an ex-hero with anyone.
The first time I heard about Bradley was about fifty years ago when he was still playing basketball for Princeton, long before he became a U.S Senator for New Jersey. I had just completed a very challenging two-year hitch in the Army and was enjoying one of my greatest pleasures - slowly turning the pages of the latest issue of The New Yorker hoping to find a story by J.D. Salinger.
The best result (of course you all know that it never happened) would have been a sequel to Catcher in the Rye about the latest adventures of Holden Caulfield. Next best would be a Salinger story about the increasingly difficult to understand Glass family. But not this day. Instead of a story about Holden, I found John McPhee's fascinating profile about the remarkable Mr. Bill Bradley. McPhee's long, seventeen thousand-word essay was a very admiring (Boswell like) portrait of both Bradley and everything about basketball at Princeton.
McPhee's profile described how Bradley led the Princeton team to both the Ivy League basketball championship and the NCAA Final-Four in 1964. Bradley was a three time All American basketball star at Princeton, setting many Ivy League and NCAA scoring records. Bradley was also a superb team player with a laser like focus on winning games. In fact the entire Princeton team (none were on basketball scholarships) played a type of team-oriented basketball, later called Bradleyball - about winning games, not just shooting at the hoop.
According to McPhee it was no secret how Bradley became a great basketball player: it was work, work and more work. Starting in high school back home in Chrystal City, Missouri, Bradley practiced 3½ hours every weekday; 9-5 on Saturday and 1:30 to 5:00 on Sunday afternoons. After practicing, Bradley studied way into the night, more than keeping up with his academic assignments in high school and later at Princeton. Bradley had a famous and powerful quote reflecting his dedication to self-improvement: "When you are not practicing, remember, someone, somewhere else is practicing, and when you meet him he will win."
I admired Bradley for reasons that extended way beyond his ability to score a record numbers of points and make great passes in tournament play. For you see, Bradley was a "scholar-athlete" soon to attend Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Bradley was also a public-spirited "Eagle Scout" type involved in charitable organizations such as "The Fellowship of Christian Athletes" (FCA) dedicated to improving the world - which today sounds a lot like the ethical mitzvahs of "Tikkun Olam"! Bradley's family, friends and teachers, back home in Crystal City, Missouri and later at Princeton, knew he was destined for greatness. Many assumed that Bradley would some day become President of the United States!
I found this last part in McPhee's profile about Bradley as a "scholar-athlete" and working on "improving the world " very compelling. My favorite sports heroes are involved in the pursuit of social justice, such as fighting racism or anti-Semitism. With all that in mind I tentatively placed Bradley on my virtual shelf of heroes right next to Jackie Robinson. Yes, you are correct, that was a bit of stretch - but McPhee's profile suggested that Bradley might someday become President of the United States, earning him a temporary spot near Robinson.
I looked forward to Bradley playing for the NY Knicks after he graduated Princeton and his completion of two years as a Rhodes scholar. The Knicks were in the process of building a very competitive team and I wondered how Bradley would fit in. Knick fans waited with great expectations for Bradley to come to New York.
Bradley finally arrived in the middle of the 1967-1968 basketball season. The NYC press hyped his long expected arrival - Madison Square Garden was sold out for his first game. But sometimes great expectations can lead to great disappointments.
Bradley received a huge ovation after entering game. You can see the first seven minutes of his play on YouTube. But too bad, Bradley played well below everyone's expectations, disappointing both himself and his fans. My good friend Howie (a well-known raconteur from Bellmore, Long Island, who likes to call himself an "eye-witness to history") was at the game that very day. Howie attributed Bradley's disappointing performance to the fact that he was playing "point-guard" (bringing the ball up from the backcourt) a position he rarely played at Princeton. Howie also described Bradley as "klutzy looking."
Bradley's uninspired (at best) play during that first game was an unfortunate preview of how he would do for the rest of his rookie season. I checked Bradley's stats in The New York Times every morning - hoping for some improvement. But nada.
Bradley's first year on the Knicks was very painful for both Bradley and Knick fans. To make matters even worse some "misguided fans" (I am being polite about these jerks) very nastily and belligerently - throwing coins at Bradley and spitting at him because he did not play to their expectations. Bradley was discouraged at his poor performance - but he refused to quit on himself. Bradley practiced hard during the off-season and he had a much-improved second season with the Knicks.
Bradley was now playing forward instead of point-guard and he continued to get better and better. Bradley proved to be an excellent passer, solid on defense and a more than an adequate rebounder. Bradley was a deadly "clutch" shooter with a beautiful, unusually high, soft jump shot that took your breath away. Bradley's teammates, fans, and the press appreciated his improved performance. Dick Barnett playfully gave Bradey the nickname "Dollar Bill" (later picked up by the NYC press) because of his big signing bonus and his reputation for frugality.
Bradley was fortunate to be on the same team with Willis Reed, a great rebounder; Walt "Clyde" Frazier, a super playmaker; and Dave Debusschere, wonderfully talented in every part of the game. Most importantly, Bradley played under Red Holzman, the legendary coach of the Knicks, a true believer that great passing, good defense, and strong rebounding, is the type of play that leads to a team's success.
These were the best of times between Bradley and me. In 1970, his team play helped the Knicks win an NBA championship and they repeated as champions in 1973. Bradley kept up his continued commitment to social justice by teaching at local Harlem street academies and working as an assistant to the director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in Washington D.C.
After basketball came politics for Bradley and he was elected as a U.S. Senator for New Jersey and a reliable "lib" for the Democrats. I was elated, and looked forward to watching Bradley succeed in Washington. I thought to myself: "This will only be a brief stopover on his way to the White House."
Bradley was a superb senator; very engaged with important public policy issues such as civil rights, tax policy, public health and the environment. But pretty soon, I started having issues with his performance in the Senate. One problem was that Bradley was very low-key as a freshman Senator - which set the pattern for his entire three terms in the Senate. Bradley rarely appeared on TV, and instead became a "policy wonk" - although back the term "wonk" was not in use.
Another problem: Bradley was a very poor speaker - it did not help that he had a rather unusual, raspy like voice. When Bradley occasionally appeared on TV, he usually put me to sleep. The content of his speeches was excellent, but his speaking skills were way under par. I wasn't the only one who had difficulty with Bradley's public speaking, because when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 1992 (according to most press accounts) he put a lot of the delegates to sleep!
I was also disappointed that Bradley played such a major role in the passage of "The Tax Reform Act of 1986." This act was one of President Reagan's most significant pieces of legislation and he needed help from a liberal Democrat like Bradley to help pass the bill in the Senate. The purpose of the new act was to simplify the IRS Code by eliminating confusing tax deductions and tax shelters that made no economic sense. The law also reduced the number of tax brackets and the maximum tax rate.Here is where Senator Bradley and I parted company - it seemed to me that reducing the maximum tax rate would have the effect of lowering taxes on very wealthy families and be the first step in legitimizing income inequality. I was disappointed that Bradley, one of the most liberal senators, had apparently caved in to Reagan's theory of "trickle down economics" in the name of tax-reform.
But to be completely candid, I had some other reasons for being disappointed with Bradley for helping Reagan change the IRS code: under the new IRS rules I would be losing my tax deductions for both NYC sales tax and credit card interest on my Macy's and MasterCard credit cards. That was definitely going to cost me more than a few bucks at tax time!
I had other concerns: I thought Bradley was too engaged with local New Jersey politics - for example he strongly supported James Florio, a very hard working but unpopular governor. Bradley was (morally) correct to support the principled Florio, but I was concerned that this might damage Bradley's political career after the Senate. Sure enough, Bradley barely defeated Christine (Christy) Todd Whitman in his next Senate race by a whisker when running for his third term. I still can't stand Whitman for her misleading tax cut agenda when she became Governor.
A couple of years later, just when I thought that things could not get any worse, Bradley announced that he was not going to run for a fourth term in the Senate, telling his constituents and the press that "politics is broken." I really can't stand it when politicians give up on our political system!
Then I finally received some good news: Bradley announced that he would compete for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency. His opponent was Al Gore, the sitting Vice-President and the overwhelming favorite to win the nomination. Bradley was in a tough race with Gore, but he had the support of some important independent minded senators, such as Bob Kerrey from Nebraska and Pat Moynihan from NY. Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor under Clinton (also a Rhodes Scholar) was another endorser. Bradley had the support of key media people such as Spike Lee (a huge Knick fan) who said that Bradley was the only white candidate who could truly connect with the Black community. The quirky and independent Joe Klein, the TV journalist and author of Primary Colors, was another big supporter of Bradley.
For a while, it looked like the prediction and "great expectations" about a Bradley Presidency, first written about years ago in the McPhee New Yorker profile, was going to happen!
Bradley's platform was filled with a lot of intellectual, well thought out proposals - especially on how to improve our nation's heath care systems. Bradley's candidacy started with high hopes and he opposed Gore in most of the primaries. Sadly, Bradley lost them all to Gore. Bradley's primary campaign disintegrated during an almost fiery televised debate with Gore - mainly about the health care crisis and the best way to increase health care coverage for all. Bradley, to his great credit, proposed a public option, similar to single-payer as the best approach for universal national heath insurance.
Bradley's ideas were excellent but (not surprisingly) he was a poor match for Gore in the speaking department. Gore was very glib and adept at distorting Bradley's proposals. Gore battered Bradley for the entire debate. Bradley looked like Rocky Balboa in the film Rocky, but, unfortunately Bradley was not comeback kid and he did not deliver a knockout to Gore in the last few minutes of the debate.
Yeah, Gore had won the debate with his slick approach but I came away thinking he did not win it "fair and square." But as they say: politics "ain't beanbag." Too bad that there was no "debate referee" to call "foul" on Gore's unsportsmanlike behavior in the debate clinches.
Bradley's loss to Gore in the primaries was a huge disappointment. Afterwards, I rarely thought about Bradley and then, sad to say, he completely dropped off my radar.
Now after all these years, Bradley was back - and in Great Neck of all places. The advertisements for Bradley's coming lecture at Temple Emanuel were difficult to miss because there were posters in store windows all over town. At first I decided not to attend the Bradley lecture because of our troubled past. Then I realized that attending his lecture was probably my last opportunity for me to speak to Bradley face to face - or "punim on punim" as we say in Yiddish. So after several more days of a lot of back and forth conversations in my head, I finally decided at the very last minute to attend the Bradley lecture.
I arrived a few minutes late and sure enough the parking lot was completely full. For a couple of seconds I thought about making a quick exit and head for home. No. I have to finally meet Bradley to resolve our issues.
A bored looking Kings Point cop is lounging in a squad car watching my futile search for parking spot.
"Nothing left." He seems to be grinning at my predicament.
"What's going on today to draw this crowd? "
"Bill Bradley is speaking today."
"Who?"
I am surprised that the cop has never heard of Bradley.
"Bradley was a great basketball player. He played on the Knicks and later he was a U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran for President against Al Gore in the Democratic Primary, but he lost."
No reaction by the cop.
I am more than a bit angry with the cop for (a) finding my search for a parking spot amusing and (b) worse for being totally ignorant about Bradley.
"Don't you know? Bradley is a great man. He worked really hard to improve our country when he was a Senator."
Pause. Again no reaction!
"Bradley has been my hero since I was a kid," I blurt out. A slight exaggeration because my obsession with Bradley actually started when I was twenty-five.
For some reason I feel like crying.
I consider my options: (a) continue to search in the lot, (b) look for a parking spot on the street or (c) go home. While thinking things over a kindly Hispanic looking guy approaches and points (my conversational Spanish is limited to "Donde Estah El Banyo") towards the far end of the lot. Sure enough, there is a tiny parking spot just big enough for my dented white Elantra. I quickly park. My car looks like a poor relative next to the nearby Mercedes. After a "gracias amigo" (sorry no tip for my new friend) I enter the Temple. Shalom to the guy selling tickets for the event. I write a check for the $15 entrance fee - it is a tax deduction after all!
The Bradley lecture is in the main sanctuary and is packed and jumping with the "usual suspects" - senior citizens (mainly elderly Jews like me) who love these types of stimulating political lectures. I look around and recognize a couple of my pals in the audience.
This is a really good turnout!
Fortunately for me the first few pews on the left side of the sanctuary are empty. I slip into a no longer empty pew nearest to the bemah (speaker's platform). I glance up at the stage and Rabbi Wynam is at the bemah as the senior Rabbi of Temple Emanuel with Bradley sitting in a chair nearby. Bradley is nicely tanned and dressed in a sports jacket, slacks and tie.
Rabbi Wynam is recognizing a long list of local Great Neck elected officials and a couple of my favorite wannabes. The list seems endless! To paraphrase Woody Allen: "Great Neck Pols have a habit of always showing up." The Rabbi announces that New York State Controller Tom DiNapoli is present. A lot of polite applause (even from me) for Tom. Michelle Schimmel, my favorite New York State Assembly member is in the audience. I really like and admire her honesty and dedication to pubic service.
Rabbi Wynam finally starts a lengthy introduction about Bradley, beginning of course with his career at Princeton, then Rhodes Scholar, the Knicks and finally as a U.S Senator. I think to myself that the Rabbi is "preaching to the choir" - everyone in the audience is probably is aware of Bradley's many accomplishments. But to tell you the truth, I was OK with the Rabbi's long intro, as it made up for my upsetting encounter in with the cop who had never even heard of Bradley.
Finally it is Bradley's time to speak. My heart pumps into high-speed mode as Bradley approaches the bemah. I start the video camera on my phone.
Bradley begins by complimenting the Rabbi on his long tenure at the Temple, His voice has the same raspy tone that I found so annoying when he spoke on TV years ago- but today his voice sounds perfect!
Bradley reminisced about his great basketball career first at Princeton, then the Olympics and the Knicks emphasizing the importance of teamwork and unselfish play as the key to success of these teams. Bradley then told an amusing story about the effect of a lack of teamwork in the final 1964 Olympic basketball game between the U.S and the Soviet teams:
The Soviet Olympic team took an early lead because of their excellent teamwork, calling plays out loud in Russian. As if things were not bad enough for the American team, a huge Soviet player body checked Bradley, knocking him to the floor. Bradley got up, barely able to breathe - and cried out in a winded high-pitched voice in Russian, not English:
"Hey big fellow. Stop that."
The Soviet team was thrown off stride because Bradley seemed to be an expert in Russian and they immediately stopped calling plays in their native language. The results were disastrous for the Russians because they were not able to execute their team game plan - and the U.S team won the final game and the Olympic Gold Medal.
Bradley then talked about his career in professional basketball, in particular about the exciting, highly competitive games between the Knicks and the great Boston Celtics. Bradley told us an amusing, yet scary story about a fan that sent him a death threat letter: "If you play one more game like the one against Russell and the Celtics, I am going to kill your dog". According to Bradley the "fan" foolishly included his name and return address on the envelope of the letter. Bradley (instead of contacting the police!) penned a reply to his potential assailant:
"I don't have a dog."
A few days later a box appeared on his doorstep - sure enough inside was a dog happily wagging its tail - with a second fan letter: "OK Bradley, you got yourself a dog."
Bradley then turned to the current political scene with an anecdote about his meeting with Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Mark Rubio. The audience laughed at the very mention of these, very talkative conservative Senators (blabber mouths if you ask me). Bradley said he felt "triple teamed" being on the same stage with them at a Texas conference.
Bradley contrasted his first few years as a Senator spending most of his time studying the issues, compared to the very public role of these flashy junior Senators. Bradley reminded the audience that during his first term his focus was on learning his job, staying out of the limelight and of course constantly rejecting offers to be on national TV!
I felt my face flush in embarrassment as I remembered how many times I complained (to myself) about Bradley rarely being on TV while he was in the Senate.
Bradley's talk took on a more serious tone when he shared his opinions on some of our nation's serious challenges:
(1) First he talked about our economy and its failure to create good paying jobs, and the related issue of income inequality. He focused on the fact that there are trillions of dollars kept overseas by companies to avoid taxation on profits. One of Bradley's solutions was creating tax free zones and providing huge tax incentives to firms that expand businesses and hire new employees.
(2) Next he spoke about the partisanship in Washington that is making our legislative process almost unworkable. Bradley's solution is to create a "third party" not for the presidential election every four years, but to become an independent catalyst to negotiate between the Democrats and the GOP. Bradley proposed that 20 young men and woman (maybe veterans of the Iraq wars) should run for congress on a platform of non-partisanship (Bloomberg types) dedicated to working to solve domestic issues. This group could be the balance of power between the Democrats and the GOP.
Would any of these ideas work? Who knows? But it is refreshing to have a politician propose something new.
Finally it's time for Q & A.
I am ready for some questions for Bradley that have been on my mind for years:
(1) Do you regret helping President Reagan pass "The Tax Reform Act of 1986," because it has had the effect of increasing income inequality in our country?
(2) Did Al Gore lie or mislead public about your proposals during the New Hampshire debate - or at the least twist your positions on "National Heath Insurance?"
A shamus like guy (a very important temple volunteer coordinator) with a microphone is roaming the sanctuary offering to take the first question from the audience. I wave my hand like a "madman" to get his attention - but no luck. The shamus hands the microphone to a senior Temple Emanuel member who asks: "What does Bradley think of a proposed change to the US electoral college voting system designed to offset the power of the smaller states? Bradley seems to agree with the premise - that the smaller states have a bit too much influence - but he did not believe that a constitutional amendment would ever pass.
The Q & A continues: I continued to wave my hand, but am ignored by the shamus.
Finally I catch on. My $15 ticket did not necessarily guarantee me a question during Q & A. You see: The shamus has to give the Temple Emanuel dues paying members time for questions - not from an interloper like me from Temple Beth El a few miles away. All this reminds me of the Jackie Mason joke: A Jew should belong to two temples. One he goes to and one he would never step his foot into!
Not to worry because I have one last chance - cornering Bradley after the talk on his way out of the lecture hall. I am usually pretty successful at tracking down a speaker post Q & A.
The Rabbi signals that Q & A was done and he thanked Bradley for his visit and his lecture. Bradley receives a final round of applause. The Rabbi's last announcement: There are plenty of refreshments nearby. All are invited to "nosh" on coffee and cake. But first I (impatiently) get on line behind two or three very engaged and talkative seniors. This is my chance to get some more private Q & A with Bradley.
At last it is my turn to talk to Bradley.
We shake hands.
He is even taller and very imposing up close. Bradley peers down at me.
My voice is hoarse! I ask Bradley:
"Do you have any regrets in supporting the Reagan tax simplification act years ago--since it has led to wealthy people paying less taxes and eventually the rise of income inequality in our country."
Bradley replies:
"No, I have no second thoughts about how that played out because we also reduced tax shelters to keep the relative amount of taxes paid by wealthy people at the same percentage level. In fact the amount of taxes paid by wealthy people has increased over the years since the passage of that law."
"Thanks Bill." We were clearly (finally) on a first name basis!
"May I ask you a second question? " I ask politely.
Bradley nods - a bit hesitantly, no doubt wondering how to get away from this annoying senior.
Bradley decides to sit before I pose my next question on eye level,
"It's about your New Hampshire primary debate with Gore - about the best way to implement Universal Health Insurance. Do you think it was part of Gore's strategy to confuse the American people about your single payer proposals?"
Bradley pauses. Bradley appears stunned, as if I had blocked one of his jump shots in mid-air in the final seconds of an important game. It looks like he may be reluctant to criticize Gore for his poor behavior during the debate.
I thought to myself: "Not so fast Dollar Bill."
I am not letting Bradley out of Temple Emanuel until he answers this last question!
"So Bill. It's just you and me here today." I place a hand on his shoulder.
"Was Gore being duplicitous during the debate in New Hampshire?"
Finally an answer from Bradley - a rather sad and slow silent nod.
We are finally done!
All that remains: "what if" a debate referee had been present and called Gore for an intentional foul during the debate with Bradley? The results would certainly have been the election of Bradley over Gore and then Bradley over Bush. The course of history would have been altered - no tragic "9/11" because of course Bradley would have ordered the Seals to capture Bin Laden in Afghanistan, and he would have had the CIA capture the Saudi money launderers who funded the terrorists on American soil. And by the way, Bradley would have found a way to prevent the 2008 financial meltdown, implementing well thought out domestic economic and tax policies. My head is swimming with possible revisions to history.
But for now, I need to shake Bradley's hand one last time. I slip out my cell phone and take some snaps - you can see one of us together "schmoozing" after the Q & A. One regret - there was no final hug between Mel and Bradley.
It has been a wonderful day. I congratulate myself one more time about everything that happened. I exit the sanctuary to a large adjoining room with everyone else to have a cup of decaf coffee and a piece of cake. I am grateful that I have finally resolved all my "issues" with Bradley and can now place him back on my shelf of heroes.
Shalom
Mel Feuerman
melvynfeuerman@yahoo.com
12/25/2014
Notes:
1. My weekly ritual of searching for a Salinger story in the New Yorker started when I was 16 and ended in 1969. I found the process wonderfully exciting and suspenseful; for you see from 1925 to 1969 the New Yorker had no Table of Contents - so a new work by Salinger could be anywhere even in the last few pages of the magazine.
2. It has been said that everyone needs to have a Boswell, your very own admiring personal biographer - even if it has to be yourself. John McPhee, a Pulitzer Prize winner in General Nonfiction and a Professor of Journalism at Princeton has also been an occasional Boswell of Bradley starting with his Bradley profile called A Sense of Where You Are in the January 23, 1965 issue of The New Yorker. McPhee continued to write about Bradley over the years updating A Sense of Where You Are several times - for example, in 1978 when Bradley became a senator and once again when Bradley decided to run for President in 2000. Here are some samples of McPhee writing about Bradley:
"Bradley is the best amateur basketball player in the United States and among the best players, amateur or professional, in the history of the sport." (My Italics)
Keep in mind that when McPhee wrote this, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West were active players at the peak of their careers in the NBA and Bradley was still at Princeton!
McPhee quotes Leonard Schecter (a sports writer for The New York Post way back in the 1960's):
"In twenty-five years or so our presidents are going to have to be better than ever. It's nice to know that Bill Bradley will be available."
3. The Bradley formula for success at basketball reminded me of how much I enjoyed playing and watching basketball games growing up in Brooklyn. As a 10-year-old, I would get up most Saturday and Sunday mornings at 5:30 A.M (rain or shine) to play with my best buddy Freddy. Both of us were very determined, no obsessed with becoming great basketball players. For Freddy it was about perfecting his unusual Jumpshot fired high over his head, and learning how to use his body to become an excellent rebounder. For me it was having the most accurate Two Handed Set Shot in the entire world. I also endlessly practiced my right-handed twisting hookshot from the foul line, and my impossible to guard running left-handed hookshot off the backboard.
Freddy and I would play fierce "one-on-one" games for hours - fighting for every point and rebound. The last game for the day often ended in a wrestling match with Freddy on top (although a year younger, he was bigger and stronger) with me on the bottom, frustrated sometime crying at another loss. I never got to be a great player but I did develop an excellent two-handed set shot from anywhere on the court.
4. Jackie Robinson on the baseball diamond led the Brooklyn Dodgers for 10 amazing years and also broke the color line in baseball giving an adrenalin shot to the Civil Rights movement in America.
5. Others on my Virtual Shelf of Heroes include:
* Hank Greenberg for standing up for the Jewish people, fighting back anti-Semitism while playing for the Detroit Tigers and volunteering to fight in WW2 and for not playing a very important game on Yom Kipper.
* Sandy Koufax for not playing on Yom Kippur.
* Shawn Green - same as Sandy.
* Some of my other heroes are made of celluloid such as Terry Molloy, played by Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront"; Marshal Kane, played by Gary Cooper in "High Noon"; Colonel Dax, played by Kirk Douglas in "Paths of Glory"; Johnny Clay, played by Sterling Hayden in "The Killing"; Joe Costa, played by Jack Palance in "Attack". Finally Robert Jordan, the brave American fighting in the Spanish Civil War - also played by Gary Cooper in the film version of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
* Stanley Kubrick and Woody Allen in his early movies.
My list can expand or contract as time goes by; a hero can come on and off based on their actions. For example Bill Clinton is off; Larry David is pending.
6. I lost interest in the Knicks for years - except for when Pat Riley coached the team. Then came Jeremy Lin and those amazing few weeks and I became obsessed with the Lin and the Knicks. Jeremy Lin - like Bradley, is an Ivy Leaguer, but this time from Harvard. I was so impressed with Lin`s unselfish style of play because it reminded me of Bradley's team oriented play at Princeton. Lin is a superb playmaker and has an awesome "clutch jump shot" (reminded me of Bradley). In addition Lin was daring and fearless when he drove towards the hoop, making eye-catching layups. Lin also reminded me of Bradley because he was often quoted in the press expressing his spiritual values, and being deeply involved with his church. Finally, I admired Lin's tenacity in fighting a kind of reverse racism by some NBA Black players because he of Asian descent.
You can see a picture of me with Bill in the video section of this review
