Dear Mr. Hurst:

I am not an African American, but rather a 70-year-old Italian American born at the height of the Depression in 1934. I am not a stranger to desperate poverty, stinging discrimination or lost opportunity. I read your article about Bobby Knight and can easily identify with his experience. There are many among us of all races who “could have been a contender” but were sadly denied the opportunity. Happily, we are becoming more tolerant of each other as we become more integrated and homogenous and the barriers, which existed, are slowly disappearing.

I empathize with Mr. Knight and would like to share the enclosed basketball song with him.

Although I could never play basketball at his level, I have been both a player and fan of the sport for approximately sixty years. I regularly go out to the nearest playground and shoot baskets and I even occasionally sink one! This past year I wrote a basketball song, which, I felt, was long overdue. The song has been added to the Hickok Library at the Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield, Massachusetts. Would you please forward the enclosed song to Mr. Knight at your earliest convenience? I hope he enjoys listening to it.

My very best regards to each of you for a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

John Tranghese