Hal v. Stice, continued: torturer vs. killer
Hal’s in essence a torturer, if you want his essence as a player, instead of a straight-out killer like Stice or the Canadian Wayne
Context
The taxonomy the plan flags as the match-anatomy's center. deLint sorts players by how they end points: the "straight-out killer" (Stice, Wayne) who overwhelms with pace, versus the "torturer" (Hal) who keeps "the ball seeming just in reach, to keep you trying, running." Two whole physiologies of winning — the body that kills quickly and the body that prolongs — named as essences, as if each player's temperament has hardened into a way the flesh disposes of an opponent.