By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Sports Editor
Well, one out of two ain’t bad. The Australian Open, held in Melbourne, presented opportunities for African Americans to win both male and female titles in the persons of Ben Shelton and Madison Keys. Keys, a 10 year tour veteran, finally won her first major, defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Entering the tournament as
The No. 19 seed, Madison prevailed over the No. 1 seed in a fast-paced match, using her powerful serve and a solid return game to defeat Sabalenka.
On the men’s side Ben Shelton failed to take advantage of a first set 6-5 game lead and a 2 point serve window, eventually losing 7-6 enroute to a lopsided 3 set defeat to No. 1 ranked Jannik Sinner.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hired offensive coordinator Brian Shottenheimer to replace recently fired Mike McCarthy. Did you ever stop to think why he bypassed on Deion Sanders? Just pure speculation on my part. Much of the attention that he commands as owner/general manager and spokesperson for the Cowboys would have been diminished because of Deion’s outspoken personality, charisma, and penchant and willingness to deal with the media. Two strong type A personalities simply couldn’t coexist in Cowboys country. I selfishly never wanted him to leave Colorado because of his impact on young men and unfinished business with the Buffaloes.
Fellow Mt. Hermonite and my former student at South Plantation, Jona Brown, is the proud grandmother of Dominique Wilson, a sophomore sensation at St. Thomas University who competes in multiple sprint events. Keep your eyes on this rising superstar.
The Super Bowl finalists are the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, arguably the two best teams in the NFL. My choosing Washington to defeat the Eagles just proved that going with your heart and emotions is not always sound strategy. The Chiefs’ game against the Bills was highly entertaining, compelling and hard fought, the final 32-29 score indicative of such. My heart wants Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to win, but my professional judgment says Kansas City will find a way to defeat Philly on its way to an unprecedented three-peat. Suppose I’m just a sucker at heart. Go Eagles! Besides, Jalen Hurts is an Omega Man.