Eric Hillemann can defend Tom's reputation better than I can, but I
want to add that lots of people have forgotten how great he was. I
played against the other great players of a few years ago. They were
better than I was, but I felt that I had a chance against them if I
could improve a little. Playing against Tom, our team's founder,
made me feel like the Jeopardy contestant being beaten 1,000,000 to 1
by God in the Far Side cartoon. I could also liken it to facing a
tsunami. People have started to forget how it could be. We didn't
ask any questions about the entourage. I guess he just needed some
diamonds to reflect his brilliance. Anyway, congratulations to the
fine Illinois team for capturing the Grail.
Vernon Davenport