We used to get this kind of letter all the time, but it’s been a while, so when I got a handwritten note with no return address in the mail the other day, it took me back a bit. Once upon a time we would get mail from the father of a prominent Division III player, replete with stats the father had hand-compiled, and I was wondering if this was about to be something similar.

… You do very professional work which is appreciated by basketball fanatics like myself. I’m an ex-college coach and still do personal basketball instruction. I live near the (location withheld) so I try to attend as many games as I can within a two-hour drive. …

The letter, on lined paper, written in all caps, had a clipping inside, a photocopy of a player’s bio from a school’s media guide. The letter was extolling the virtues of the particular player, who had reached a milestone on the particular night he saw them play.

… I sat with/in the midst of the (school withheld) sparse fans and to their little enjoyment (player name withheld) had a 22 point night and played bigger than his listed height. …

This could be just a low-tech version of something we see on the message board occasionally, a little rah-rah boosterism of a particular player by a non-neutral party. Whether this was a parent, uncle, grandfather, or truly just a fan, I don’t know. But it was amusing nonetheless. Keep the letters coming. It’s great to see people who care this much.