ARCHIVING MARK TALBOTT

Rummaging through old magazines, one of my neighbors came across this article. Before we met, she had never heard of squash and it wasn’t long ago that I had to show her what a squash racquet and ball looked like.

“Yes”, I said. “It’s similar to racquetball.” (I tried my best to smile politely as I spat those words out!)

It seems to be the only way to describe squash to the uninitiated in this country. I do this all the time crossing the border at Windsor when the customs officer asks what I do for a living. “Squash? What’s that? Are you a farmer?” It does get tiring explaining myself time and time again whenever the subject comes up. I remember one time while I was living in Argentina, I met this young and attractive woman at a nightclub who insisted she knew all about the sport. Until she asked me where the closest squash-pool was located… “It’s underwater, right?” Huh?

Anyway, why my neighbor happened to keep this article for 17 years is a mystery even she cannot answer but when she saw the caricature she recognized the racquet as being one of squash. Yay! One less American to educate! She found it in the February 1993 issue of the New Yorker magazine and kindly asked if I would like it. Since the name ‘Talbott’ has an intimate connection and history with the DAC and I am sure there are still many of you who reminisce dearly about those days, I thought you would like to read this piece.

Mark Talbott was world hardball champion for 12 years with at least 100 ranking tournament wins. He is the only player ever to beat the legendary Jahangir Khan (an 18-16 in the 5th victory at the 1984 final of the Boston Open) and is widely considered (and hardly arguable) to be the one of the best hardball players of all time.