Title/Author:
“Our Last Season: A
Writer, a Fan, a Friendship" by Harvey Araton
Tags:
Basketball,
professional, Knicks, memoir, biography, journalism
Publish date:
October 20, 2020
Length:
256 pages
Rating: to
5 of 5 stars (outstanding)
Review:
Harvey Araton had a
long, distinguished career in journalism, covering primarily the New York
Knicks for the New York Post and New York Times. Most of his career took place during the time
reporters had courtside access to NBA games.
Nearby, a successful business woman was seated just behind the Knicks
bench for nearly 45 years, a prime seat location for any fan. Araton and the woman, Michelle Musler, struck
up a friendship that lasted until Musler died. This book is a loving tribute by
Araton to his friend.
Musler was no ordinary
fan. As a single mother, she often had to make choice on what to do for her
children when the Knicks were playing.
Once she arrived at Madison Square Garden, she was a well-known and well-loved
person by employees of the Garden and even other personnel such as broadcasters
(Knicks broadcasters Mike Breen and Walt Frazier often spoke with her), coaches
and players. Araton writes about Musler's
fandom that does justice, highlighting her ups and downs that she went through
with the team. He writes about her professional life with just as much zeal and
how it helped shape her to become the type of analytical fan she became.
However, to Araton,
Musler was more than just a friend who enjoyed basketball. She was a confidant and
he would turn to her for advice regularly when he was having career issues,
such as when he switched newspapers for employment or was reassigned from sports
writing to features. Musler became much
more than just a friend – she was considered part of the Araton family. One only needs to read about when Araton's
wife Beth told her parents in no uncertain terms that Musler was part of the
family to learn what she meant to them. Something else to note is that while this
review refers to her as Musler, Araton never calls her that, always "Michelle."
Araton has been
inducted into the writer's section of the Basketball Hall of Fame and it shows
in his writing about the game and the Knicks, especially when talking about Musler's
knowledge of the game. It was fun to
read about the team through the eyes of these two people, whether it was during
the time when the Knicks were one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference
but always fell to the Chicago Bulls, to the days of Pat Riley as the head coach
to the current struggles. Just like most
followers of the game, Musler places that blame on owner James Dolan, although she
has a unique take on him because her business success came through consulting
executives on making their businesses even more successful.
The book starts with Araton's
anxiety at speaking during his Hall of Fame induction and the guidance given to
him by the octogenarian Musler. From
there the reader will be fully engrossed in what could truly be called a love
story – not romantic love but the deep connection these two seemingly different
people had through a professional basketball team. It is an outstanding book that any basketball
fan will enjoy.
I wish to thank Penguin
Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest
review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)
Buying Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Our-Last-Season-Writer-Friendship/dp/1984877984/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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