In Memoriam..

Many of you TennisWorld readers have enjoyed John Feinstein’s best-selling tennis book of a few years ago, Hard Courts, or read or listened to some of his rants on a staggering array of sports issues either in The Washington Post or on National Public Radio (he’s a regular).

John and I are long-time friends, even though I disagree with him on just about everything (writing to him, I would always address the envelope, “Mr. John Feinstein, Popular Best-Selling Author and Godless Left-Wing Nut”). I always felt John was overly harsh on the young Andre Agassi (whom he hammered relentlessly) and over the years I think he became a compulsive and reflexive tennis basher. Not that tennis didn’t – doesn’t – need a good poke now and then. It's just that trashing the game became part of John's schtick.

Anyway, John recently lost his father, Martin Feinstein. This touching and refreshingly unsentimental tribute to an impact player on the American high-culture stage ran in Post recently (registration may be required, but it's free).

Condolences to John and his entire family.