NEWSWEEK: Has your debut announcing the NBA Finals come just as the league has lost its luster? AL MICHAELS: My first major-league baseball job was the Cincinnati Reds. It was 1971, the start of the Big Red Machine, with Pete Rose entering his prime and a young Johnny Bench. I'm thinking this team is going to be viewed as one of the greatest in history. What did I get from the people in Cincinnati? "You should have been here when..." It's all about memories, all about nostalgia.
Still, were you at all reluctant? I went in with a certain amount of trepidation this year because I hadn't done basketball in such a long time... When you don't play a musical instrument for 20 years you wonder, can I just pick it up and still hit the right notes?
Do today's NBA players appreciate what they will represent this summer in Athens? I didn't know jack when I was 20. So a kid who's 20 can't really understand the enormity of this. When I was growing up, representing your country in the Olympics was gigantic. Now it's a little more about merchandising.
Dreaming of hitting the open seas this summer? Check out the video version of Road Test: this week, David Kaplan pilots Albin Marine's 30-foot Family Cruiser. And for updated coverage of the race for the White House, go to our Campaign 2004 Special Report. How wireless are you? Take our survey and cast your Live Vote: has wireless technology improved your life?
The Week Ahead on the Web
Log on to read Howard Fineman's Web-exclusive column, Living Politics, published Wednesdays.
Join Steven Levy for a Live Talk on the impact of wireless technology on U.S. society, Thursday, June 3, at noon, ET.
Check out correspondent Melinda Henneberger's new online column on religious and social issues, Varia.
Mark Starr follows professional and amateur sports in his online column, Starr Gazing, published Thursdays.
For an inside look at Washington and the race for the White House, read Eleanor Clift's Capitol Letter on Fridays.
