I always recognized, perhaps more than the average person, how important happiness is.

I just was never able to find it for more than brief periods in my life, and so I almost never used the word happy. I guess because I identify it as an emotion.

Instead, I use the word satisfied, which is more of a statement of fact, something that can be

measured or quantified. Like x equals four satisfies the equation of two plus two equals x.

At some point, the issue is less about more than it is about not having less.

Michael Jordan has talked about the joy of his first championship, but by the third

championship, it had become more relief. Happiness had become the absence of misery, the misery of

losing.

Success didn't come for Martin Manley, at least not like he originally planned.

His moment at the 1989 NBA All-Star weekend, a few minutes in the national TV spotlight, had come and gone.

In basketball heaven, his book and the argument for more three-point shots never took off.

In 1990, after the third edition of Basketball Heaven, Martin and Doubleday parted ways. And Martin determined that the third edition would be his last. Basketball Heaven is when I first made an impact on others with respect to sports,

and so the experience will always be special. I am 100% confident that I was ahead of my time. Too

far ahead. He dedicated years to producing a first-of-its-kind book series about the NBA.

A plea for a more efficient brand of basketball.

Which now lined the walls of his garage.

Kevin Mahar, Martin's assistant on the book, said the feeling was palpable.

It was more of a disappointment.

It was a lot of time and effort.

But, yeah, I'd say it was just a disappointment.

I can't remember how many books we printed,

but, you know, they were still stacks of them in his garage.

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