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After
coach Pesic fixed me up with a ride in from the airport, past the
rubbled remains of much of Sarajevo, I finally met up with Mira
Poljo. She’s a native Bosnian who years ago emigrated to Italy,
settled in Bologna, and ultimately became a prosperous player agent.
She showed me around her hometown, introducing me to a parade of
coaches and ballplayers. Their stories were powerful testimony to
how the game survived during the war.
Because she lives in the luxurious city that’s home to il derby and the sporting rivalry described in chapter six, Mira can always escape psychologically to the safety of her adopted home.  Pictured
here is the stuff of the Bolognese practical joke she described
to me over dinner in Sarajevo. Virtus fans played the joke on Fortitudo
star Carlton Myers several years ago, after Myers & Co. failed
to do what Virtus did: advance to the European Final Four in Barcelona.
One side of this postcard reads "Greetings from Barcelona."
The other is pre-addressed to Myers and features a phony stamp.
Two thousand road-tripping Virtus fans dropped cards like this one
into the mail—"So," Mira pointed out to me with glee,
"Myers must pay postage due 2,000 times!" NINE:
PEORIA, ILLINOIS |
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Big Game, Small World from
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