By Sylvester “Nunnie” Robinson
In a welcomed and fitting tribute to The Negro Leagues , Major League Baseball will sponsor and play a game between the San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals at the oldest professional baseball park in the United States, Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Built in 1910, Rickwood Field is a historic park that housed famous Negro players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
The Miami Marlins’ dramatic, come from behind home victory against the New York Yankees just may be the spark needed to grab a wildcard spot in the playoffs. They’ve won consecutive games for only the second time this season since defeating the Yankees.
Mr. 305, Dwayne Wade, was inducted into the National Basketball Association Naismith Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Oddly enough, he chose Allen Iverson to introduce him because as he stated, Iverson’s unique talent and style greatly influenced his game. Also inducted in that class were Coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Becky Hammon, whom Popovich hired as an assistant, making her a pioneer in the NBA. She is currently the head coach of arguably the best team in the WNBA, the Las Vegas Aces.
If you are a basketball fan, please check out Wednesday’s game featuring the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty. The Aces are led by center A’ja Wilson and guard Kelsey Plum while the Liberty’s catalysts are superstars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionesco. You won’t be disappointed.
In a recent discussion about America’s political climate, Fred McDaniel suggested that our gifted young athletes should strongly consider schools not steeped in the traditions of the south. I told him that I had been writing about that very issue for awhile now, just wanting to start the conversation. I’m hopeful that this is just the beginning and is not as far fetched as one would think. Just perhaps, even though the hay is out of the barn, some can be retrieved. More on this next week.
