Bob Novak is probably one of those love-him-or-hate-him columnists, but in
the last couple of months, he has popped into our searches with some wonderful
writing about basketball.
Of course, he is best known in these parts as a long-time Maryland fan.
We thought for years he was just a hanger-on, a celebrity fan, but Novak has a
great passion for basketball and is in it for the long haul.
In his recent columns, first he wrote about being a young fan of Illinois,
and how their success this past year touched him and rekindled memories.
But his column about George Mikan is among the most heartfelt we have
read.
First of all, most of the people who write about him write about someone they
never saw play, and in Novak's case, that's not true. They were from the
same town, not that far apart in age. He even saw him pitch baseball.
It's a very fine reminiscence, and we recommend it.