Paul Cook: “Last night, in preparation for this speech, I dug out that speech I gave last year and I remembered a vaunting…”

“Last night, in preparation for this speech, I dug out that speech I gave last year and I remembered a vaunting conclusion. I was right. My closing words were, ``We will see you next year, Mr. Jackson. But next year the results will be different.'' Well, it is next year and I am back again, a broken man. I have learned a very important lesson about the evils of betting. And during the playoffs, we all learned a lesson in stamina, commitment and inner strength from the master himself, Michael Jordan. I agree with Time magazine's assessment this week that what we have seen in Mr. Jordan during his remarkable career we may never see again. I heartily congratulated the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) on winning this and would like to present this from Scottie Pippen to the gentleman and congratulate him again on an outstanding home team and their sixth National Basketball Association Title. This is a team that has set the standard in basketball for decades to come. And if there ever is another team like them, I hope I have learned to quit betting against them.”