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As always, elegantly written and with an empathy so rare in the modern press. This one really got me.

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Nice piece. Thankyou. One tweak: Addiction doesn't make you larger than life, or smaller. It's just that you and life are never going to be a good fit. What the culture offers as paths to "success" and "happiness" and "love" don't lead to a place where life can satisfy you. Just to the inevitable escape.

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I appreciate it and I know your perspective. It was more of a comment on his outsized dimensions. He had a big game, big appetites, big defenses, big capacity to respond to slights, big enthusiasms, big vulnerabilities. It's hard to deal with such things. I think the point about him and his life not being a good fit is sort of what I was trying to say.

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Yep, got it. Definitely proof that $ don't buy happiness.

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Can’t help but wonder how you research these youth tournaments from 15 plus years ago Mark.

Nice column, but very sad.

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available on Google.

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A fabuluous piece of insight about a tragic loss.

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Beautifully written.

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