Ben Wilson: 25 Years Dead

[MAD]

Anyone over 35 probably remembers Ben Wilson--at the time, the #1 high school basketball player in the country--being shot and killed.  For no other reason other than my Cubs' interest being an obsessive pathology, I also recall Cub prospect Reggie Patterson (who would go on to serve up Pete Rose's 4,191st hit--tying him with Ty Cobb) was also shot around the same timet--but survived, obviously--during a robbery attempt while playing winter ball in South America, but I digress.

Anyway, Tribune beat reporter KC Johnson apparently rode the bench for the Evanston team in 1984 that lost to Simeon in the IHSA championship game that previous Spring--what turned out to be Wilson's last game--and thus has some connections to people from that time who are able to tell a pretty good--and still sad--story.

[Chuck to Chuck]

That's a powerful close.

In Judaism, the tradition when visiting a loved one is to leave a rock on the grave.  This symbolizes that there is more to the person's memory now, after the visit, than before the visit.  In other words, you have added to their memory.  (If you've ever seen the end of Schindler's List and didn't get it, you now understand).

That's a nice rock KC laid on Ben.

[Fork]

That's how you write a fucking story. There seemed to be a bit of dust blowing around in here when I read the end of it.