Be sure to read the Introduction in which the author reveals how much he loves sports, journalism, and Hobby's team. Mr. Frei places this tournament within in its time, reminding readers how much things have changed as the sport developed. The progress "because of integration but also advancement in training methods, equipment (e.g. basketball shoes), and facilities. Judged with today's standa4rds, both the game and the players of that era were slower and far less athletic. But that type of judgment can be made for virtually every other sport, too--yes, including baseball--and as cliched as it is, evaluations of teams and individuals have to be framed within the context of their eras. Plus, it wasn't easy to shot a basketball then. The ball still had laces, adding to the awkward feel and making it more difficult to dribble than in future years. The first ball without laces was manufactured in 1948."


Photos, explanatory footnotes, some endnotes with sources, bibliography, index, and rather shameless promotion of his other books.

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