NICHELLE NICHOLS
How’s that 5-year plan looking for your Buccos?
by Bill Neal, For New Pittsburgh Courier
:10—The world lost one of its all-time greatest legends, leasers and heroes with the passing of Mr. Bill Russell. It would take three more weeks to list all of his accomplishments but most notably…The greatest winner in any team sport ever with 11 rings as player and later player/coach with the Boston Celtics. The first African American to be the head coach of any major sports team. Led the San Francisco University Dons to back-to-back NCAA titles (Note: overlooked as the national MVP as a junior, he declined to accept the award as a senior—Hoo-Rah!). Then, to really cement his legacy, in his spare time he marched with Dr. King and stood alongside Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to fight the racism and slave ownership position of sports team owners.
:09—FYI…Just a little name-dropping, as you know I have no shame in doing, I had the great pleasure of meeting Mr. Russell as a junior in college at the great Slippery Rock University. As Director of the Entertainment Committee I picked the basketball legend up at the airport as he was a guest speaker at our Black Arts Festival. And then once again, amazingly, as a member of the Heinz History Center African American Pittsburgh Black History Committee, as Mr. Russell was a keynote speaker at a History Center Black History unveiling. Did he remember me? Of course not, c’mon man!
:08—It’s “Showtime,” boys and girls. The Steelers schedule is out. Here’s a quick peek—Seattle, August 13; Jacksonville, the 20th; Detroit, the 28th. Regular Season: Cincinnati (September 11), New England (Sept. 18), Cleveland (Sept. 22), NY Jets (Oct. 2), Buffalo (Oct. 9), Tampa (Oct. 16), Miami (Oct. 23), Philly (Oct. 30), then their bye week. New Orleans (Nov. 13), Cincinnati (Nov. 20), Indianapolis (Nov. 28), Atlanta (Dec. 4), Baltimore (Dec. 11), Carolina (Dec. 18), Las Vegas (Dec. 24), Baltimore (Jan. 1, 2023), Cleveland (Jan. 8, 2023).
:07—Here’s how you connect the dots… if you raced home from school during the years of 1966-1969 to see Star Trek, that makes it a sport. To that, we bid a heartfelt outer space farewell to Ms. Nichelle Nichols, aka Lt. Uhura, who passed away on July 30 at age 89. A multitude of achievements and “Firsts” but the one that gets talked about the most—the first Black woman to kiss a White man on national TV. In 1968 Lt. Uhura shared an intimate kiss with Captain James T. Kirk, aka William Shatner. That’s a double Hoo-Rah!!
:06 —This just in. Hats off to Joan, Rev. Sis, Peggy, Carla, Charlotte and all the members of the Banfield Congregation—A Fan-tas-tic time had by all at the reunion. We did it! (Photos to follow soon.)
:05—Sometimes it’s just all about the timing. Our Pirates, mired in a seven-game losing streak, 40-62 now as of Sunday, July 31, last place in our division and shed some players at the trade deadline for prospects as they annually do. And wouldn’t you know it, slick fielding SS/2B Kevin Newman has picked this time to come off the injured list and just rake the last few weeks, jacking his batting average up to .289 with an on base percentage of .338 and an OPS of .421, all stellar numbers. Newman, luckily, has a bit of a pedigree having hit .308 for the 2019 season and has always been regarded as a very good fielder so there is going to be plenty of interest in acquiring him. Thus, get set to bid Kevin goodbye, he will be hitting and fielding for a contender in a matter of days. Good luck Kevin and here’s hoping you get a ring.
:04—You just never know. Hold on to the good times as long as you can. Mike Trout, 3-time MVP of the Los Angeles Angels and justly regarded as the best ballplayer in MLB the past 12 years and a once-in-a-generation talent, has been diagnosed with a costovertebral dysfunction at T5, a back injury so severe his doctor said he’d never heard of or encountered such an injury in a baseball player before. The specifics of his injury I’ll leave to the experts but the Angels and his doctor have said it’s so serious that his career could be severely limited in the future or prematurely ended. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Trout will now have to deal with this injury for the rest of his playing days and for a man on his way to a 600 home-run pace and spectacular, 5-tool player on a nightly basis, that’s got to be a tough pill to swallow. Enjoy it while you can everyone because you never know when something might unexpectedly derail you.
:03—You all know that what I know about golf can literally be put inside one of the dimples on a golf ball. But I do know this—you can camouflage the LIV Golf insurrection against the PGA but it’s an attempted overthrow of our sports democracy. The PGA golfers that took the money… when most didn’t need it … are sellouts to assassins and the money behind the 9-11 murderers/terrorists. You were thinking it all along, I said it.
:02—Of course I want Kenny Pickett to be the man. But, as I’ve said more than once, from an above-average ACC Conference with above-average talent and a below-average Clemson team to the starting QB spot on an NFL team…that, my friends, is a big step. But let’s hope he gets it done. I believe in Coach Tomlin so I believe in Kenny Pickett. (And yes I’m trying to have it both ways!)
:01—Back to the Pirates… they almost had me, I mean I was calling baseball purists Kevin Cameron and Tim Kearns out for not being homers, drinking the Kool-Aid, and then someone turned on the stadium lights and the real Pirates were there, again. Man!!!
:00—GAME OVER.
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