An Anniversary

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of Lenny Bias' death. That shocks me--the memory seems so much sharper. I think that it was just so shocking when it happened that I haven't forgotten any of it.

I read this article by Bill Simmons (ESPN's Sports Guy) when it was first published five years ago and again today. Other than Simmons' musings about whether it was all some kind of anti-Celtics karma--I think that Bias deserves more than being the retribution of some sports-related diety--this is really effective writing. Both times I read it, I thought that it really captured a lot of the feeling of Bias' death. I was only eight at the time, so I'm sure for those who were even a few years older, it resonated even more. I always love Simmons' pop culture/sports hyrbids, but his more serious pieces seem to fall on either side of the line between maudlin and emotional. This article really comes in on the right side of that divide. I would recommend a read.