Pop Culture

Get Under The Bus

2005-11-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

MINOR LEAGUE POLITICS

It's interesting that 'sources' say there is some GOP pressure for Karl Rove to step down because he hasn't been cleared yet, and the ongoing investigation taints the Oval Office. As much as I abhor Rove's brand of politics, I couldn't agree less. Karl Rove has not been indicted, and lobbying behind "closed" (read "leaky") doors for his resignation is motivated by the same type of political gamesmanship that prompted White House leaders to cherry pick intelligence findings on Iraq. How disloyal and disingenous they are, to sacrifice the man who won them two presidencies in a Bush league move to salvage the 2006 midterm elections.

BCB

Unqualified?

2005-11-03T09:57:00.000-05:00

A DIFFERENT LIBBY

Look at this person's qualifications to be U.S. President:

DUKE UNIV. PHI BETA KAPPA
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
HARVARD UNIV. Master's in Gov't and in Education
DEPUTY ASST. CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO A PRESIDENT
SEC. OF TRANSPORTATION
SEC. OF LABOR
PRES. OF AMERICAN RED CROSS
U.S. SENATOR, NORTH CAROLINA

(were this person a man, the person would occupy our highest office. But it's Sen. Elizabeth Dole)

BCB

Playlist

2005-11-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

IN YOUR EAR

"Evil" Earth, Wind and Fire

"Just One More Day" Otis Redding

"Bug-a-Boo" Destiny's Child

"Exactly Like You" Art Tatum

"Get At Me Dog" DMX

"Stop The Wedding" Etta James

"Roto Rooter" Bootsy's Rubber Band

"In The Heat of the Night" Ray Charles

"The Love I Never Had" Tavares

"Ring of Fire" Johnny Cash

"Needle In A Haystack" The Velvelettes

BCB

The "I" Word Cometh

2005-11-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

SADDAM SHAME

Bull Moose thinks it's on in D.C. :

Thursday, November 03, 2005
High Crimes and Misdemeanors
The Moose raises the specter of the "I" word.Congressional Democrats are settling on a "narrative" and a "frame" for the Iraq War. In essence, their argument is that the President and his Administration practiced massive deceit to lead the nation to war - that they manufactured and manipulated intelligence. In other words, the narrative goes, the President knew there were no weapons of mass destruction and deliberately lied to the Congress and the American people on the road to war. Or as the anti-war movement inelegantly frames it, "Bush lied and Americans died."The logical extension of this argument is that its advocates should call for impeachment of the President. If there was ever a "high crime and misdemeanor" it is deliberate deceit to lead the country to war. Some of the outer reaches of the left have already reached this conclusion. Is this where the leaders of the party are headed? It sure seems so by the argument that they are now employing.

(the caveat is, the GOP has an edge in the House and Senate. A drastic voter swing in '06 is the only way impeachment can be even remotely discussed)

BCB

New Site

2004-10-31T20:24:00.000-05:00

NO PLACE LIKE HOME

If you've been directed or linked to this site, please go here for my current web home and blog

www.bbayne.com

Thank you,

Bijan C. Bayne

(my weekly sports columns may be read at www.dreamwired.com, and my monthly book reviews at www.quietpoly.com)- BCB

About Me

2004-09-29T10:29:00.000-04:00

Bijan C. Bayne is the author of "Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball", which was named to the Suggested Reading List of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
In July 2002, he won the Robert Peterson Research Award for his presentation "The Struggle of the Latin American Ballplayer", given at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Bayne's chapter on Black baseball in North Carolina appears in the book "Baseball in the Carolinas" (McFarland 2002). His essay on schoolyard basketball will appear in the anthology "Basketball in America" (Haworth 2005).

Bayne has guest lectured on the social significance of the life of Jackie Robinson each year since 1996 at The George Washington University, at classes, and events such as Charter Day 1996 and Unity Week in 1999. His travel articles have appeared in AAA Horizons, Family Digest and National Hotel Executive, and his book reviews have been featured in Washington Post Book World, The Boston Herald, and The Crisis. He is a columnist for the Fantasy Sports magazine DreamCoach, and the corresponding website Dreamwired (see www.dreamwired.com)

Here, Here

2004-09-29T10:02:00.000-04:00

HOMECOMING

Hats off to the thousands of Washingtonians (be they technically in Md., Va., and even those who didn't live to see this day) who helped bring baseball back to the Nation's Capital. The Mayor, and MLB officials will be the stars of the press conference, but behind the scenes since 1972, many fans purchased season tickets to teams that never materialized, lobbied Congress, wrote letters, boycotted the Orioles, created organizations and websites, staged rallies, called talk shows, wore Senators paraphenalia, prayed, and maintained The Faith. The beneficiaries will be the many schoolchildren will now grow up on baseball.

BCB

Home

2004-09-15T17:26:00.000-04:00

DEJA VU

After a brief techno-glitch, I'm safe at www.bbayne.com. We're open all night

BCB

bijanc@hotmail.com

Booklist

2004-09-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

Read Alert-

These are the outstanding books I read over the past year. They helped me endure a lot of flights and airports.

The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi- Arthur Japin
The Bonesetter's Daughter- Amy Tang
In the Empire of Genghis Khan- Stanley Stewart
Interpreter of Maladies- Jhumpa Lahiri
Captives: Britain, Empire and the World 1600-1850- Linda Colley
Route 66 A.D.- Tony Perottet
Travels with a Tangerine: A Journey in the Footnotes of Ibn Battutah- Tim McKintosh-Smith
DiMaggio: The Hero's Life- Richard Ben Cramer
Lombardi: When Pride Still Mattered- David Maranis
King Rat- James Clavell
My Losing Season- Pat Conroy
Nature Via Nurture- Matt Ridley
The Baseball Fan's Companion- Nick Bakalar
Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketball and Changed America's Game Forever- Bob Kuska

Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana Inns

2004-09-07T11:45:00.000-04:00

It’s All Inn Fun: Eventful Fall Weekends at Regional B & B’s

by Bijan C. Bayne

For many Ohioans, the arrival of fall in the Buckeye State signifies football season and weekend
dates with a rake. Others welcome the autumn months as the time to scout friendly bed and breakfasts. Whether you fancy antiques, chocolate, nature, or romantic getaways, there are inns in and around Ohio to suit your taste. What better time than fall to visit a bed and breakfast- the leaves are changing and the weather is temperate for walking and browsing. Some inns host seasonal events such as murder mystery weekends, gourmet chocolate tastes or art exhibits.

If theater’s your thing, you’ll enjoy a visit to Patrick House, an 1855 Greek revival inn located in Urbana, Ohio. Only 55 minutes from Dayton and an hour from Cincinnati, the inn periodically hosts two fun-filled special events- gourmet chocolate tastings and murder mystery weekends. The chocolate tastes are a visual and confectionary treat. Patrick House is the only Ohio inn affiliated with chocolatier Sweet Affair. Murder Mystery Weekends are a blast. Guests are given handouts that describe the major characters involved. The Champaign Community Players act out a drama based on a theme, and guests participate as bit players. When the murder is committed, guests attempt to solve the mystery based on clues heard in the dialogue and in their character handouts. Part of the fun is mingling with both the lead characters and your fellow guests. The suspect whom the most guests vote guilty is rendered such.
Urbana is also convenient to Ohio Caverns, the Piatt Castles, and Rothschild Farms and restaurant. Innkeeper Sandi Peterson can provide directions and brochures. For dinner, try the Derr Road Inn, where white-tailed deer graze on the premises.

Patrick House, 301 Scioto St., Urbana, Oh. Contact by e-mail at http://by1fd.bay1.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1094274930.36&start=1761331&len=12506&src=&type=x&to=sanspete%40ctn%2enet&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=b97646f54b8c0814ca2d8ef6ca0805f9or by telephone at 877-233-1370. Innkeeper Sandi Peterson.

For a weekend in Norman Rockwell’s America, there’s The College Inn in Westerville, Ohio. Situated on the tree-lined, All-American campus of Otterbein College, this B & B is only 11 minutes from Columbus, Westerville hosts an arts festival in July. Dilapidated for 50 years, the inn was restored by local native and current innkeeper Becky Rohrer. Relax in the bay-windowed library with a good book, or chat in the formal dining room. Bamboo palm trees, Eastern artwork and cozy armchairs combine to relax the senses. The town is the perfect place to witness the leaves changing colors. It doesn’t get more Middle American than this. If Otterbein is playing a home football game, the sounds of festive band music will stir memories of school spirit.

The College Inn is only a few blocks from the Benjamin Hanby Memorial the 19th century home of a local abolitionist best known for composing the Christmas carol "Up on the Housetop". A leisurely Saturday stroll on State St. may include art galleries, lunch, or browsing at Amish Originals Furniture store. The main drag is thriving with residents with the same idea. On the way back to the inn, visit the Used or Rare Bookstore.
Westerville was the birthplace of the Temperance Movement, and the town is still "dry". Your best bet for dinner is the artsy Table of Contents on 377 West Main Street. It’s minimally-staffed, but has an eclectic atmosphere accented by Fiesta pottery and vivid paintings. The entrees change periodically. Don’t miss the mango cheesecake or the blueberry bread pudding.

The College Inn, 63 West College Ave., Westerville, Ohio. The website is http://by1fd.bay1.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1094274930.36&start=1761331&len=12506&src=&type=x&to=CIBnb%40aol%2ecom%2c&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=b97646f54b8c0814ca2d8ef6ca0805f9 or telephone 888-794-3090. Innkeeper Becky Rohrer.

For nature walkers, Cedar Hill Bed and Breakfast in Wilmington, Ohio is situated near trails and parks. The inn consists of both a large log home and a carriage house. Cedar Hill is an hour from Cincinnati, 40 minutes from Dayton. Caesar’s Creek Gorge and state park are a short drive- the gorge is made of limestone bedrock 180 feet high. Nearby Harveysburg is home to a museum housed in Ohio’s first school for Black children, built in 1831.
The inn’s special events include Murder Mystery weekends in January and March, and "Chocolate Lovers’ Month’ in February. The Murder Mystery here is acted out in the carriage house and the log home, with guests and Wilmington College students as players. During Chocolate Lovers’ Month, everything from the goodies in the gathering room to the breakfast crepes are chocolate.

The McCarron’s can give you tips on a scenic hike during which you may see deer. Drive into town for a sandwich at Jim’s Deli inside Books ‘n’ More on West Main Street. It doesn’t take much to picture this street 70 years ago. On Main you’ll see the stately Murphy Theater, built in 1918 by early Chicago Cubs owner Charles Murphy. Notables such as Mickey Rooney, Debbie Reynolds, and The Oak Ridge Boys have performed at the Murphy. The theater appeared in the1989 film "Lost in Yonkers", and actor John Ritter was married there. Wilmington hosts a Banana Split Festival the first week of June and a Corn Festival the weekend after Labor Day. The Renaissance Festival runs each weekend from late August to October 18. In nearby Lebanon are the Indian mounds at Fort Ancient State Memorial.

Innkeeper Rick McCarron’s wafer-thin crepes are a morning delight. An additional treat are the homemade oatmeal cookies in the carriage house. Be sure to visit Ye Old Grandpa’s Pottery Barn, owned by the Storers. Built in 1850 next to an Underground Railroad farmhouse, the stately old white barn houses a pottery company whose work is sold to Germany, Australia and Thailand. Grandpa’s is open until 6 p.m. Saturdays. Top off the evening with dinner at the Spillway Lodge, a restaurant with hearty American fare and a lakeside view.
Cedar Hill, 4003 State Route 73 West, Wilmington, Oh. Telephone 877-722-2525. E-mail cedarbb@hotmail.com. Innkeepers Joan and Rick McCarron.

An hour west of Cincinnati and 30 minutes from Oxford, Ohio in Brookville, Indiana, The Hermitage was once owned by 19th century Indiana painters J. Ottis Adams and T.C. Steele. Martha Shea has run it as a bed and breakfast for five years. The inn hosts a fall event known as "Art at the Hermitage", where 12 artists and craftspeople exhibit their works under tented areas. There is instrumental music, patriotic song, and bluegrass banjo playing on the 112 foot long veranda. Antiques abound here, from the grand piano and pump organ to the implements from the original artists’ studios. A chandelier dates to a Presbyterian church in 1852, and the house features a window constructed from bottle bottoms.
Enjoy lunch at Hearthstone, a restaurant used in the movie "Rain Man" (they have a Rain Man Room).

The Hermitage is an ideal inn to visit in early October during Canal Days which attracts 250,000 people and 700 to 800 flea market vendors. The Christmas Walk in Metamora, Indiana is also popular, the lighting spectacular takes place each weekend from Thanksgiving to the weekend prior to Christmas. Both Canal Days and the Christmas walk feature passenger rides along the Whitewater River Valley Railroad. Metamora’s arts and crafts shops are open year-round.

The Hermitage, 650 East 8th St., Brookville, In. Contact The Hermitage at 877-407-9198 or http://by1fd.bay1.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1094274930.36&start=1761331&len=12506&src=&type=x&to=hermitage%40cnz%2ecom&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=b97646f54b8c0814ca2d8ef6ca0805f9. Innkeeper Martha Shea.

There are several charming inns just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Ash-ley House in Newport, Kentucky is lavishly appointed with stained glass windows, tapestries, and rooms that afford a breathtaking view of the Cincinnati skyline. Seldom will you feel so private while so close to a city. Bask in the relaxation of a Jacuzzi tub. The shops and dining of Newport-on-the-Levee are a few blocks away. There’s also the Newport Aquarium, and The Peace Bell. Newport’s Basilica of Notre Dame boasts the largest church stained glass window in the world. A must lunch stop is nearby Pompillio’s, where the "toothpick scene" in "Rain Man" was shot.
Debi Peace is the innkeeper of Ash-ley House, on 310 East Third St. In Newport, Ky. Call 859-291-1114.

Located minutes from Cincinnati, the Amos Shinkle House in Covington, Kentucky is a riverfront inn rich in period furniture and intriguing lore. The Shinkle was built in 1854 and once owned by C & O railroad exec John Spalding. Much of the furniture is original to the house, co-owner Don Nash purchased it at an estate sale in 1971. The inn’s seven guests rooms sleep 21, and the carriage house sleeps 15 in four rooms. The breakfast specialty here is the German Apple Puff. There are handsome four poster beds, stately armoires, music boxes, and an antique mantle clock that was a gift to the Spalding’s from Diamond Jim Brady. The art deco glass and tile theme in one second floor bathroom evokes a Joan Crawford movie. Be sure to tour the carriage house with its equestrian decor. During slavery, runaways were hidden in the hayloft.

The Amos Shinkle House is at 215 Garrad St., Covington, Ky. Call 1-800-972-7012 or http://by1fd.bay1.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1094274930.36&start=1761331&len=12506&src=&type=x&to=amosshinkle%40yahoo%2ecom&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=b97646f54b8c0814ca2d8ef6ca0805f9. Innkeepers Bernie Moorman and Don Nash.

For couples seeking a romantic weekend less than five minutes from Cincinnati, it’s tough to beat Covington’s lovely Wallace House. Built in 1905 the octagonal Queen Anne victorian commands a corner in a section that was once the summer getaway for Cincinnati tycoons such as department store magnate John Shillito. The interior is tasteful luxury, both suites and bathrooms are spacious. Guests are welcome to watch movies or play billiards in the large Common Room. The Room With a View features a skylight. The creative innkeepers Jenni and Bill Woodruff vividly decorate the veranda and lawn for Halloween.
Restaurant recommendations include the Syndicate (think "Rat Pack" movies and Chicago steak) and Marco’s, a classy spot with a singing guitarist. You may choose from macadamia crusted ruby trout, pecan chicken, salmon with basil or chicken and broccoli penne pasta. As the vocalist asks for requests, savor the butterscotch pie, bread pudding or Italian love cake. Friendly innkeepers, small college football, brilliantly colored oaks- such traditions beckon tourists to these small town treasures.

Wallace House, 120 Wallace Ave., Covington, Ky. Phone 888-942-8177 or e-mail http://by1fd.bay1.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=MSG1094274930.36&start=1761331&len=12506&src=&type=x&to=info%40wallacehousebb%2ecom%2e&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=F000000001&a=b97646f54b8c0814ca2d8ef6ca0805f9 Innkeepers Jenni and Bill Woodruff.

Spa Interview

2004-09-07T11:27:00.000-04:00

THE EXECUTIVE TREATMENT: THE SPA OF THE NEAR FUTURE:
It seems almost every upscale property that does not have a spa is adding one. What characteristics and treatments will distinguish the spa of the next few years. Bijan C. Bayne spoke with Darlene Davison, Spa Director of the Don Cesar Beach Resort & Spa in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Bayne: Ms. Davison, where is the hotel spa industry headed?

Davison: In the next few years, pampering spas will continue their merge into wellness centers. With society having so little time and so much stress, they will be seeking new ways to incorporate their health care into their vacations and vice versa. Spas will be competing for healthcare dollars that aging baby boomers are ready to spend on anti-aging treatments. Another focus will be on the fact people are retiring much older (even social security retirement age has changed) and need to compete in a young work force, so anti-aging treatments will be the key for that whole age group. Our competition will be coming from doctors, who are becoming discouraged with the HMO’s. They’re opening their own medical spas, which will be the wave of the future. So my approach, in a resort atmosphere is that I can have a two-fold agenda. We can pamper and schmooze and leave the guest with an overall feeling of wellness.
We’re doing microdermibrasion and endermology. Endermology is an incredible machine process that takes away all the cellulite and extra added fat cells. People have these procedures in packages of 10 treatments. When they reach their desired level, then it’s a question of maintenance. That type of treatment is an example of the long term commitments baby boomers will be making.
A broader service menu will be needed in order to incorporate wellness modalities and alternative therapies. Spa directors will be coordinating lecture/educational activities, health/wellness programs. Spa treatments and programs (including anti-aging and stress reduction), exercising/fitness programs, nutrition and weight reduction programs, and developing total treatment programs for guests whose goal is to go home wiser and healthier as a result of their vacation or business trip
Nutrition is really a key important factor in this. I just interviewed a doctor who is a nutritionist, a personal trainer, a sports director, and a lifestyle therapist much like "Dr. Phil". He will conduct seminars of lifestyle change, wellness seminars.
When guests come in on the fly, they want to do things they don’t have time for at home. There are the personal training sessions, nutrition sessions, energy balance massages, treatments to balance the chakras. We will be able to provide both long and short term care. This is what baby boomers are asking for. We just had a 41-year old guest who’s pregnant, and we’re seeing this more often. People are getting their careers all set before they start their families.
My job focus is to research new techniques, and to personalize these treatments. To broaden our service menu, we add alternative therapies. We coordinate seminars for our guests, allow them to have wellness sessions with a doctor.

Bayne: Where will spa directors find novel ideas?

Davison: It’s an education. I will have to study more international cultures, because their wellness and beauty treatments are far ahead of ours.

Bayne: Is that because some of their treatments are impractical for your market?

Davison: No, we’re not privvy to it. My job is to do some study with other spa directors who may have traveled to Europe or Asian countries. I belong to ISPA, a national organization of spa directors and owners. It’s a phenomenal networking organization. We bounce ideas off each other. The association is having a a four day seminar soon, which I’ll be attending, with 60 other spa directors. A large focus will be on versatile, well-trained technicians versed in a variety of modalities. A cross-trained tech will be of great value to any spa (i.e. a massage therapist will need to know reflexology, energy balancing, stress reduction techniques, just to start and then add cranial- sacral, aromatherapy and many other modalities). More and more therapists are getting aestheticians’ licenses. Spa directors will be coordinating services from a number of different venues-massage therapists, aestheticians, exercise/fitness personnel, doctors, chiropractors, alternative health practitioners, and nutrition experts
You must also be sure that the treatments are indigenous to your area. I have a signature line of indigenous products. For us its mimosa, which is orange and jasmine, and we’re working with our manufacturer on that. We have the same manufacturer as the Spa at the Hotel Hershey (Pa..), where of course they’re known for their chocolate scrubs. What I do with the manufacturer is go over lots of things. I also bounce ideas off my staff. But the foreign spas are light years ahead. Once I had three therapists all set to go to Beijing and be trained in all these different modalities. Well, 9-11 occurred while they were in Europe en route to China, and they were afraid to go on, so they came home.

Bayne: Was the trip sponsored by the hotel?

Davison: They went on their own. The hotel does pay for some continuing education. Bio-energy balancing is another modality you don’t here much of yet. At the Don I have added an aromatherapy bio-energy balancing treatment and it’s becoming one of my best treatments. Our guests love it and they can’t believe how they feel afterwards.

Bayne: What do you envision in the future of spa restaurants and juice bars?

Davison: Juice bars are a wonderful added amenity. I think they work best when they encourage social interaction. The menu is important though. Pina coladas are definitely out, and ginseng shots, protein boosters and green tea are in. Oxygen bars are fabulous. We’ll have an oxygen station in the waiting area of our lounge. They’re becoming a necessity. Unfortunately, with what has happened to the ozone layer, our oxygen is depleted. The earth is being starved of oxygen. In some parts of this country oxygen levels are only seven percent of what they should be. People are looking for nutritional balance, not pina coladas. Guests are so much more educated now.

Bayne: Does the fact that people are more aware help the industry ?

Davison: Absolutely. That’s why I’m focusing on the wellness end. We get lots of calls about heatlth and treatment. People sit down and talk with us for an hour. Our therapists, thank God, are so into naturopathic wellness, they preach it. We sell a solar soother that is so effective, after one treatment, one sees a difference in one’s skin. We are in a very sunny region, and over the years the elasticity of the skin breaks down.

Bayne: Who developed the product?

Davison: The soother was developed by FloriSpa.

Bayne: Will your recruitment strategies change?

Davison: Big time! It’s definitely going to change. My therapists have to be a lot more educated, sophisticated and cross-trained. They’ll have to know a lot of different modalities. The ideal stiuation for me would be to have a therapist with all kinds of certifications in lots of different modalities. They’d be well-trained in skin and body treatments. Therapists are getting dual licenses now. As to hiring issues, we are seeking higher levels of expertise!! It’s no longer a "rub-em and scrub-em" world. Our technicians train several times a year with different industry experts and once a month in-house mandatory training is done. Our clientele is upscale, savvy and well- educated, so we must have the most up-to-date information. This training works as an intensive staff bonding opportunity, which adds cohesion to the team while it improves everyone’s skill level. Education is key to keeping your staff motivated and ready for any challenge you have. Product manufacturers should not be the educating force in our industry, but up until now, there were few alternatives. Thankfully, I have had good experience with our manufacturer as far as education, but well trained technicians are far and few between. Most directors have taken over the education role, as they are better equipped to train their staff, update the service menu and standardize their treatment protocols, rather than relying on a manufacturer who’s trying to improve on his own bottom line. Skin care and body treatment go hand-in-hand. It makes the guest feel more comfortable when the same person can do skin care, body wraps, and scrubs. There’s then no need to change rooms and such.

Bayne: What is the future of spa decour?

Davison: That is determined by the property. Our design will be consistent with the historic theme of the Don Cesar, with marble and so on. We won’t have glass and chrome, for example, because of the look of our property. There’s a new therapy called Amma therapy, that’s a push and pull therapy. It’s a form of Asian body work that focuses on restoring balance. It’s done fully-clothed. It manipulates the muscles and stimulates the energy pathways. I’ve been doing it a year. It’s like accupunture with essential oils. When we introduced it, our therapists literally felt like they were floating. Amma therapy balances out the chakras and energy meridians. Imbalance produces headaches. I carry all my stress between my shoulders. When your meridians are all balanced out, your blood flows more easily. In a nutshell, the wave of the future will be baby boomers trying to stay healthier longer in the workforce.

Bayne: Thank you for your insights Ms. Davison.

Davison: Thank you.

New Digs

2004-09-02T15:12:00.000-04:00

For the faithful, I've moved to www.bbayne.com. I'm not giving up the old spot, just wanted a place for safekeeping, as web homes are known to crash & burn, info included.

See you at the housewarming.

BCB

bijanc@hotmail.com

Broke Ballers

2004-08-17T13:10:00.000-04:00

For a few years, basketball purists in the United States have decried the quality of play in the NBA. Critics have cited the frequency of sub-90 point games, the lack of fundamental play, the fact that a 40-year-old John Stockton could still execute well playing the grueling position of point guard, and losses the U.S. national team suffered at the World Championships in Indianapolis two years ago. Note to Tiger Woods: the low scores you're looking for are in the NBA. Those who defend the game say scores are low because the athletes defend better, scouting is more sophisticated, and more shots were taken 25-30 years ago. I attribute a lot of that to excess dribbling, deep into the shot clock. There was much more catch-and-pass in the 120 point era.

Recently, The Scream Team has lost games to Italy and Puerto Rico. Despite the presence of MVP-caliber players such as Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, the U.S. trailed Puerto Rico by 22 points at the half. No U.S. Olympic men's basketball team had lost a game since the U.S. began using professional players to help sell singlets and erase the memory of a bronze medal finish in Seoul and a Goodwill Games loss to Puerto Rico in 1991. Interestingly, though the media won't cover them, the American ladies' team is playing quite well, and giving a clinic on team basketball. Haven't ladies' defenses improved? Aren't women better athletes than they were in Anne Meyers' day? The United States will be crowned with gold, despite not having DeLisha Milton or Chamique Holdsclaw, and Katie Smith is benched with an injury.

The 1991 Goodwill Games team from the U.S. featured All-Americans Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, and Jimmy Jackson. They faced a veteran Puerto Rican contingent that played together in international and Latin American tournaments- the nucleus of which was Jerome Mincy (starred at Alabama-Birmingham), Jose Ortiz (a former Pac 8 player of the year at Oregon State), James Carter, Edwin Pellot and Mario Morales. Their victory over the college kids was no upset. In 1976, a Puerto Rican team starring Raymond Dalmau, Butch Lee, and scoring machine Neftali Rivera came within a point of defeating the USA in the Montreal games. That American team, coached by Dean Smith and John Thompson, starred Adrian Dantley, Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Phil Ford. Had they lost, I don't think NBA'ers would have played in the next Pan Am Games or Olympics. The U.S. has lost to Cuba in baseball, and not resorted to sending Piazza, Clemens and Bonds to the Games. Cuba has won more boxing medals than the U.S. since 1992, yet Mike Tyson and Roy Jones did not lace up the gloves for the old red, white and blue.

What's missing from the college game, the NBA, and every high level of American basketball save the women's game is intelligent play. Team concepts can derail great athletes (Princeton beat defending NCAA champs UCLA in the 1996 NCAA Tournament by using timely cuts to the basket and decisive passing). The Argentines, Italians, and Puerto Ricans play the game as the 1970 Knicks or 1982 Tar Heels did. They don't dribble to excess. Players without the basketball move with a purpose. The post players pass well. The players can shoot jumpshots, which is important when facing a packed-in zone. The screens that are set away from the ball and at the high post remind one of, well, a Bob Knight team. We've taught the game well, we just haven't taught it at home. Blame ESPN's "Sports Center" for emphasizing the highlight dunk, blame the dependency on the three-point shot, blame "Hot Sauce" and the guys from And 1, but basketball is still a team game. Isolation plays for one talented player do not spell triumphs. Neither Wilt Chamberlain nor Michael Jordan won NBA championships their first seven seasons or so, for lack of a supporting cast. Shaq and Kobe didn't cop last season. Lebron James alone cannot catapult the Cavs into the Finals. It takes role players and group effort.

The WNBA Olympians work as a unit, despite the fact that Sheryl Swoopes or Diana Taurasi could drive by their respective defenders at will, and that Lisa Leslie is far more coordinated than most of the pivot players she'll face. In a game vs. the Czech Republic that posed a challenge, the Americans rallied by tightening the screws on their defensive press, rattling the Czechs. FIBA rules allow more contact and less traveling than the NBA. The lane is wider, but the three-point line is closer. USA Basketball should have selected a team comprised of savvy passers, 20-foot jumpshooters, and players who understand how to set and use screens. A team of slashers (Stoudamire, Iverson, Jefferson, Marion, Wade) no longer frightens the FIBA opponents. The original Dreamers were not one-dimensional, Stockton and Magic were two of the four greatest passers the game has ever seen. Bird is the premier passing forward in history. Jordan, Stockton and Magic understood how to use screens. not that they needed them against Angola and Venezuela. John Thompson took the wrong type of squad to Seoul (only Hersey Hawkins was a jumpshooter, and he got hurt- Rex Chapman and Danny Ferry were cut). Larry Brown's team is not suited for FIBA play. Iverson has no Answers and LeBron cannot Save them. Lesson One- don't learn the players, learn the game.

BCB

The Man Who Knew Too Much

2004-08-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

The information revolution is fine, but when during an Olympiad, there's something nostalgic to be said for the low tech era. If one is not on the supposed wrong side of the Digital Divide, one will find it difficult to follow the games of Athens on American television. This is because one's cellphone, iPod, Internet browser, ISP, radio station, televised news and every other channel of communications is competing to tell one first who captured (or lost, in the case of U.S. men's basketball) what medal before the others can. The newsbreakers stand behind the premise that the Games are news, that they are only doing their job, and that the networks of NBC (including CNBC and Bravo) are their competitors. All of that is technically true. However, one of the reasons Bob Beamon's flight, Nadia Comaneci's dimes and Kerri Strug's courage were so compelling is that they were unexpected. Imagine a world wherein Mark Spitz's seventh gold or the Dream Team's romps were learned of before your lunch break. Had there been a "Yahoo" in the days of "Ironside" and "Julia", it, not Jim McKay, would have told us John Carlos and Tommie Smith gave a Black Power salute on the victory stand after the 200 meter dash. Wouldn't you wanted to watch Wilma Rudolph, Olga Korbut, or Janet Evans without knowing what they were going to do? In 1996 many of us were not online, and for those that were, the proximity of Atlanta made the stories of the bombing, Michael Johnson, and Matt Biondi very immediate. While I don't hope for a terrorist act or a Munich massacre, I do avoid certain favorite talk shows and web browsers in fear of the Phelps Watch. I'm glad Marion Jones isn't going for triple gold, I'd know the results before she would!

Some sort of medium has to be reached. The Info Superhighway has long outgrown network t.v. (though 98% of the world's population don't own computers). Remember the presidential elections of the 1980's, when Californians would hear states, and even the entire election, forecast for a candidate before the West Coasters had a chance to leave work and go participate in the process? Remember 2000, when networks placed Florida in the Gore column (thus awarding him the popular vote, and even the White House)? Those leaps to be first had a more significant effect on American life than does a medal count.

We wait four years to know who the heroes of an Olympiad will be. Who will meet expectations and who will exceed them? Who will enter (or grab) our hearts? We want to get up close and personal, but not ahead of our viewing habits. If we can wait four years, can the journalists wait four hours? Most of us want to see a dramatic soccer kick, not read about it (hey NFL fans, would you watch if you heard the weekly results before the pre-game shows aired?). I feel like The Man Who Knew Too Much (too soon).

BCB

POP CULTURE'S ALL-TIME BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM

2004-08-16T15:48:00.000-04:00

Colllege football season is almost here. Who were the greatest players from historically-Black colleges to ever lace on pads? Here's my take:

QB- ELDRIDGE "THE LORD'S PRAYER" DICKEY, TENNESSEE STATE, DOUG WILLIAMS, GRAMBLING, JAMES HARRIS, GRAMBLING, WILLIE TOTTEN, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY, JOE "747" ADAMS, TENNESSEE STATE
HB- WALTER PAYTON, JACKSON STATE
FB- HEWRITT DIXON, FLORIDA A & M
WR- CARLOS PENNYWELL, GRAMBLING
WR- JERRY RICE, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY
TE- RICH CASTER, JACKSON STATE, RAYMOND CHESTER, MARYLAND STATE
T- SHERMAN PLUNKETT, MARYLAND STATE
T- ROOSEVELT BROWN, MORGAN STATE
G- LARRY LITTLE, BETHUNE-COOKMAN
G- ART SHELL, MARYLAND STATE

DE- ED "TOO TALL" JONES, TENNESSEE STATE
DE- CLAUDE HUMPHREY, TENNESSEE STATE, VERLON BIGGS, JACKSON STATE
DT- BUCK BUCHANAAN, GRAMBLING
DT- ERNIE LADD, GRAMBLING
OLB- ROBERT BRAZILE, SOUTHERN
MLB- WILLIE LANIER, MORGAN STATE, GARLAND BOYETTE, GRAMBLING
OLB- ISAIAH ROBERTSON, SOUTHERN
CB-WILLIE BROWN, GRAMBLING
CB- JAMES MARSALIS, TENNESSEE STATE
S- KEN HOUSTON, PRARIE VIEW
S- JAMES HUNTER, GRAMBLING
K- COLEMAN ZENO, GRAMBLING
P- GREG COLEMAN, FLORIDA A & M

Baseball's All-Preppy Team

2004-08-16T15:30:00.000-04:00

What are the most blueblood-sounding names in major league history? We know Black baseball had figures such as Cumberland Posey, Laymon Yokely and Knowlington Burbage, but what about The Bigs? Here are my choices (I look forward to seeing some of yours):

1B- FERRIS FAIN
2B- NAPOLEON LAJOIE
SS- ROYCE CLAYTON
3B- WADE BOGGS
C- ELSTON HOWARD
OF- HOSKEN POWELL
OF- KIRBY PUCKETT
OF- CHRISTOPHER TROTMAN "TROT" NIXON
STARTING PITCHER- STERLING HITCHCOCK
STARTING PITCHER- WAITE HOYT
RELIEF PITCHER- HEATHCLIFF SLOCUMB
RELIEF PITCHER- HOYT WILHELM

Backstop was a close call- Walker Cooper and Carlton Fisk are great selections, but how many Elston's do you know?

BCB

CITY VIEW: Top O' The Morning

2004-08-13T12:09:00.000-04:00

AMERICA'S BEST BREAKFASTS & BRUNCHES-

Breakfast- The Pancake Pantry, Nashville, TN.
Brunch- The Boheme Restaurant, Westin Grand Bohemian Hotel, Orlando, Fla.
Brunch- King Charles Ballroom, The Don Cesar Hotel, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Breakfast- Linda Jean's Restaurant, Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
Breakfast- Elkins Ranch, Amarillo, Texas
Breakfast- Another Broken Egg, Destin, Fla.
Breakfast- Cedar Hill Bed and Breakfast, Wilmington, Ohio
Breakfast- Jack's Bistro, Waterfront Plaza Hotel, Oakland, Cal.
Breakfast- The Golden Trout, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa, Farmington, Pa.

CITY VIEW: Best Desserts

2004-08-13T11:28:00.000-04:00

The best desserts I've sampled in my recent travels are as follows:

Creamsicle Cheesecake- Limestone Bay Trading Co.- Mooresville, Ala.

Bread Pudding- Angler's- Destin, Fla.

Key Lime Pie- Billy's Tap Room, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Waffle Cake- Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo, Tex.

German Apple Puff- Amos Shinkle House, Newport, Ky.

Cannoli- Rosario's Ristorante- Daytona Beach, Fla.

A Champion and a Longshot

2004-08-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

POP CULTURE INTERVIEWS FORMER NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMP JERRY HARKNESS

Can you name the seven Catholic universities that have won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship? If you attempt to guess without looking it up, you'll probably forget a school or two. Jerry Harkness was captain of Loyola University's 1963 championship team, the one that upset the Cincinnati Bearcats in a thriller of an NCAA final. I spoke with him for Pop Culture.

BAYNE: You were a track star in high school, how did you get into high school basketball?

HARKNESS: I ran cross country at DeWitt Clinton High for three years. I didn't go out for basketball until my senior year. I've always thought there should be a movie about our (college) team. I played on a team in the projects called The Clowns, that I enjoyed so much, and I enjoyed track so much, I never went out for basketball. One day I was shooting around in the Harlem "Y" and a guy was watching me. He said "You're not that bad, if you keep that up, you might be able to get a scholarship". I had never thought about the idea of going to school on a scholarship, so my mouth flew open. You know the guy's name who said that to me?

BAYNE: No, who?

HARKNESS: Jackie Robinson. I just stood there. He used to come and talk to the guys, I think he knew the director of the Harlem "Y" at the time. For him (who I just adored during that period, he was so articulate, and so knowledgable about baseball) to say that to me, just blew my mind. Well, I went out for the team.

BAYNE: How many students at DeWitt Clinton back then?

HARKNESS: About 3,500-4,000, all boys. I made the top five, in fact I was tied for the top scorer. We beat Boys High, and we won everything. Cross country helped, I was in better shape than any kid.

BAYNE: Who was playing for Boys High then?

HARKNESS: Jackie Jackson, Hugh Evans, Billy Burwell, Jerry Powell. Connie Hawkins was on the bench, he was gonna play the next year. Billy Burwell was about 6'9", and he would dunk twice. During warmups, he'd take two basketballs and dunk them. I'd say (laughs) don't look!

BAYNE: Where does Walter November come in?

HARKNESS: November comes in, guys would sponsor teams during the summer. I still wasn't well-known. There was so much talent in New York- you had Roger Brown, Connie, Larry Brown, Billy Cunningham, Willie Hall, Kevin Loughery, the Stith brothers, although they're a little later, and you could almost see Alcindor, you'd see him standing around, you could almost see Nate (Archibald). You had Ray Peprocky, Tony Jackson, Leroy Ellis, Satch Sanders, it was unbelievable- Donnie Walsh, Artie Heyman. It's no longer that way, but I don't think there's any doubt we were the haven of basketball. Freddie Crawford, Miles Aiken, my gosh, there was so much talent! Well guys would put together summer league teams. Walter November had one. I wasn't put on the big ones. He asked if I would play. He had watched me at Clinton, and I had played in other tournaments. I also played for Garfinckel.

BAYNE: Howie Garfinckel?

HARKNESS: Yes. We had a group of guys, we played against Larry Brown, Billy Burwell and Roger Brown. We had an awesome game against them, took them down to the wire. (Coach) Lou Rossini of NYU came over and offered me a summer job.

BAYNE: Who was your game similar to that plays today, or played recently.

HARKNESS: Really nobody's. I was all left-hand. I was all into Lenny Wilkens. Nate comes close, but he was so much better in every aspect. I was quicker. We're all left-handers. Guy Rodgers was out there, but there weren't too many.

BAYNE: He was the ultimate southpaw.

HARKNESS: Yes.

BAYNE: How about your shooting, mid-range?

HARKNESS: Mid-range, not a good shooter. I pressed the ball well, they'd clear the side for me. I was true left. I got away with it because of my quickness. I ran you to death. We (Loyola) had an organized press. In the fourth quarter I'd wear you down. We played the University of Detroit, they had Dave DeBuscherre. He had over 30 points, but I ran and ran him to death, and he slowed down, and we won the game. I was a small forward. I wasn't a good basketball player, when you get to the top level I wasn't that good. I had so much endurance. I wasn't the greatest, but I could steal the ball, draw fouls, and use my jumpshot.

BAYNE: How did Coach Ireland (of Loyola) come into the picture?

HARKNESS: Ireland came to see me play, I didn't play that well.

BAYNE: What were Loyola's teams like before you got there?

HARKNESS: Awful, that's why he felt he could take a chance. They were .500. They hung him in effigy my freshman year. So he took a chance, he didn't mind taking a chance on Black guys, like he did with me. He must have seen some good things.

BAYNE: Did you know he was at the game?

HARKNESS: I knew he was there. But I didn't play well at all.

BAYNE: You probably hustled and played good defense.

HARKNESS: Maybe that was it.

BAYNE: Were there other New York players who went to Loyola with you?

HARKNESS: I was the only one. That was the key, all the guys coming from New York. I went back and helped recruit Ronnie Miller. You never know these things at the time, but not long ago, he told me he was on his way to (the University of ) Dayton.

BAYNE: Did you have a quick, pressure defense?

HARKNESS: Oh yes. We knew where to be, we were organized. We put it on you. We were very quick. See, we didn't have a real tall team. (Les) Hunter was about 6'8", he was quick for his size. With Miller and Egan and me, it was almost like three guards out there. We rattled a lot of people.

BAYNE: Were you better defensively than Cincinnati, or different?

HARKNESS: They were a better defensive team than we were?

BAYNE: Because of (Tony) Yates?

HARKNESS: Thacker, Yates, George Wilson in the middle. Bonham wasn't a great defender, he was good, but he was such a great shooter. Thacker, I always thought, was excellent. You know how a guy can get to you? He got to me. I came back, but in the first half he shut me down completely.

BAYNE: Really?

HARKNESS: Yeah. You know I didn't score in the first half. I kept going at him. Eventually he got in foul trouble, he got five. He let go some. They even switched him off me.

BAYNE: How long did you play for Walter November?

HARKNESS: I think a couple of summers. See, I didn't go right to college. I played the summer after the (NCAA) championship.

BAYNE: The same guys?

HARKNESS: Basically the same folks. I played with Garfinckel a lot, he'd pick me up. My second year we played against Roger Brown and Connie's team. We had Leroy Ellis and Tony Jackson and Ray Peprocky. I was on the bench on that team, but I came in and played a lot. I could have easily started I think, it was so close. I came in, and we beat Connie and Roger and them.

BAYNE: How about the time your parents were surprised when they met November?

HARKNESS: That was at the end, right before November passed. I wanted my family to meet him. My daughter (she's with the Rockettes, she's got her degree, she's with Jimmy Buffett, you know, if I was still in the projects, none of that would be possible. Not saying it would be impossible, but it would be so much harder), they wanted to meet him. My aunt was there, and I think my uncle. Everybody else was gone. We brought him upstairs, this was a nice apartment, on Riverside Drive West, near the G.W. Bridge. Their mouths flew open. We spent a couple of hours together, we looked at pictures. They said "All these years, we thought he was a Black man."

Rucker played a big part in my life too. Not too many people know this. He coached the first organized basketball team, St. Phillips. He was kind of a coach. We played all kinds of Boys Clubs. (Bob) McCullough played. This man Rucker was awesome, when you really think about it. Most people work with other people, and sponsors. This guy did it all by himself. Walter ws the key to my success. You can have talent, but if nobody knoww you well, even if you win the city championship, it's what you do in the community, in the summer leagues that's key.

BAYNE: Was the Rucker the only summer league then?

HARKNESS: Some people played in the Rucker, and you had the Ray Felix League. There was a league over in Brooklyn, and a league in Rockville Centre, in Artie Heyman's territory. I plared everywhere.

BAYNE: You had the stamina. Never smoked or drank?

HARKNESS: I never smoked a cigarette in my life. I'm just now starting with the wine coolers.

BAYNE: Did you ever miss track?

HARKNESS: I missed track, I missed it a lot. I loved track. I had a scholarship to St. John's, but my grades were so bad. I was pretty good at track. I was city champion in the 1,000 yeard run. There were not too many brothers doing distance, but that's another story. I was third in the state out of 300 guys, from the Catholic schools and all.

BAYNE: How'd you get a tryout with the ABA?

HARKNESS: I was with the Knicks, I had a tryout with them. I didn't do well. I was a mediocre pro player. I was a very good college player, I made every All-American team in '62'-'63, first team. When it came to the pros I was limited. I think I had played so much, and with the banging, the cross country, I couldn't get up on my jumper. I would play good early on, but playing three or four games a week I couldn't recover, my legs were so bad. I got a job with Quaker Oats, a real good job, I traveled. I was athletic administrator for Quaker Oats programs, a great job. I think I called Les (Hunter). I said "We'll never forgive ourselves". We went to work out. I think I called or wrote the team, and they gave me a a chance to come up. I was one of the last ones to make the team, I went into the bathroom and cried like a baby. My family was still in Chicago. There were three jerseys left, and I got one of the three. It was very close, but it was a great feeling.
Do you know what happened?

BAYNE: No. I know about the shot.

HARKNESS: Here all my life I've been told I couldn't shoot, and I made the longest shot in history. Roger (Brown) and I were hot shooting that night. I released the ball from uder their basket, and we thought we had tied the game. We forgot about the three-point shot, another great thing that came from the ABA.

BAYNE: Did you shoot it baseball-style, or how?

HARKNESS: Yep, hooked it overhand. I thought it was going to hit the backboard, I thought it was going to be close.

BAYNE: When did you know it was going to be good?

HARKNESS: I thought it would crease the basket. I felt it halfway there, I could see it, just about halfway. Charles Beasley of Dallas had just scored, I mean the crown was still cheering. Oliver Darden takes the ball out and gives it to me. There was some debate whether I had gotten the shot off. That place got so silent. Then the guys ran up to me.

BAYNE: Did they tease you because you weren't a shooter?

HARKNESS: All the guys teased me all week. That was the highlight of my pro career. Early on I helped them a lot, but I probably couldn't keep it up.

BAYNE: Do you think having played forward in college had anything to do with it?

HARKNESS: I had played forward, I was better at forward. I was quicker than those guys, and I could wear them down. The guards were just as quick as I was. I've had a great life though, if you think of all the things that happened to me.

BAYNE: Yes, and you've known some good people. Thank you Mr. Harkness.

(more about Jerry Harkness):

http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=45&category=sportsMakers

http://www.loyolaramblers.com/sports/mbball/retired/harkness.asp

The seven Catholic colleges to win the men's NCAA basketball tournament were Holy Cross, LaSalle, U. San Francisco, Loyola, Marquette, Georgetown and Villanova. How many did you know?

All-Time Schoolyard Basketball Team

2004-08-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

RICHARD "PEE WEE" KIRKLAND, NEW YORK CITY
HARRY DAVIS, DURHAM
BILLY HARRIS, CHICAGO
DEMETRIUS "HOOK" MITCHELL, OAKLAND
RAY LEWIS, LOS ANGELES,
LESLIE SCOTT, BATON ROUGE
STEVE STROTHER, BOSTON
BOBBY KNIGHT, HARTFORD
WIL JONES, WASHINGTON, D.C
GUY RODGERS, PHILADELPHIA
CURTIS JONES, DETROIT
EARL MANIGAULT, NEW YORK CITY
ARTHUR SIVELS, CHICAGO
LEWIS "BLACK MAGIC" LLOYD, PHILADELPHIA
"DIRTY HAND" JOE HAMMOND, NEW YORK CITY

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

2004-08-11T14:10:00.001-04:00

My next two speaking engagements will be guest lecturing on the life of Jackie Robinson at George Washington U., where Dr. Richard Zamoff teaches a sociology course on Robinson. I'll be part of a five-person panel at the Thurs., Oct. 14 class, and on April 13, 2005, as part of the university's annual Robsinson Week, will present on Craig Mortali's ESPN special about the Black players who followed Robinson into the majors.

Follow link to last April's Jackie Robinson Week activities to get an idea about the concept:

http://gwired.gwu.edu/mssc/SpecialEvents/JackieRobinsonWeek2004/

Cooperstown or Bust

2004-08-11T14:10:00.000-04:00

HALL MONITORING

For a couple of years I've recommended, to anyone willing to listen, that Ken Griffey, Jr. opt to continue his baseball career in the American League. "Junior" started in the AL, where he teamed for a while with his dad. Those were happier times. He won 10 Gold Gloves there (no mean feat when Kenny Lofton and Jim Edmunds were rival centerfielders), and was the League's best player for the better part of the 1990's. So lofty was his star, that Hank Aaron said if anyone ever broke his own all-time home run mark, it would be Griff.

Yesterday, the Cincinnati Reds announced that Junior will miss the remainder of the 2004 season due to a right hamstring injury. Griffey suffered a right hamstring tear in 2002, among his many trips to the disabled list since coming over to the Senior Circuit. He does not have a future chasing fly balls- the newest member of the 500 Homer Club will have to return to the American League as a designated hitter if he wants to play on. Perhaps then he can pursue 600 homers, which would place him in elite company. He would also save his deteriorating wheels.

The question arises, if Griff retired during the winter, would he be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? Let's look at the record. Ten years ago today, baseball went on a labor stoppage with about 50 games to be played in the season. On that date in August 1994 (my, how the time flies), Junior was batting .323 with 40 homers and 90 RBI. That's five more big flies than the current major league leader, and home run production is up in this post-McGwire era. He'd tagged 45 bombs in 1993, and would go on to park 49 with 140 RBI in 1996, 56 with 147 RBI in 1997, 56 again with 146 driven in in 1998, and 48 homers and 134 RBI in pre-BALCO 1999. The man was named to the All-Century team. He had 446 homers at age 30 (at that point, he needed to average about 10 jacks a year for a decade to catch Hammerin' Hank).

Griffey has only hit 63 homers since the 2000 season, which was his first with the Reds. Sosa used to hit that in a year. If he left the game today he'd be right on 501 hrs., 2,156 hits, 1,444 RBI, 10 Gold Gloves (another feat he accomplished by age 30, take that Barry Bonds), and has scored 1,320 runs. Despite the aches and pains, he's batted .292 over the years, and stolen almost 180 bases. Each season from 1996 through 1999 Junior scored at least 120 runs. And he participated in the A.L. playoffs. With twelve All-Star games on his resume, you'd have to make a compelling argument to keep him out of Cooperstown. After all, Koufax is in based on four strong seasons, Jr. had nine. His average 162 games played produced a .292 clip, 41 homers, 117 RBI, 32 doubles, 107 runs and 14 steals. If he recovers from this latest injury, a transfer of leagues could pad his numbers enough to silence all dissent. Oddly enough, Griffey had a better April and May of 2004 than Albert Pujols or Alfonso Soriano. He's got to give up the glove.

While I'm on the topic of enshrinement (and DH's), Seattle mainstay Edgar Martinez has announced he's hanging 'em up after '04. Seattle will miss the quiet superstar who outlasted Griffey and A-Rod in their hearts and on their roster. Edgar did play 3b for a while, but is known primarily as a DH. Are his digits worthy of the Hall? As of 8-04 he's got 2,207 hits (not much more than longtime teammate Griffey), 1,246 RBI, 306 jacks, scored 1, 204 runs, batted .312, and won two A.L. batting crowns. He hit .343 in '92, .356 in '95, .330 in '97, and .337 in 1999. In 2000 he batted .324 with 37 homers, 145 RBI, and 100 runs scored (a lot of runs for a non-speedster, more on that later). He'll leave the game with more than 500 doubles, and he averaged 100 RBI for every 162 games played. His two-baggers are solety attributable to his eye and bat- 46 doubles in '92, 52 in both 1995 and 1996, 47 again in 1998 (playing in the shadows of Junior and A-Rod). In both '95 and '96, this non-runner scored 121 runs.

That said, Edgar's not HOF caliber. As a designated hitter, Harold Baines merits more attention. Baines scored 1,299 runs, hit 488 doubles (he wasn't a baserunning threat either, just a "professional hitter"), 384 homers, knocked in 1,628, and batted .289. No Harold, no Edgar. Baines played for a bunch of teams, and his non-fielding role will keep him off many HOF ballots for years (maybe forever). He didn't see much post-season action either. But his case, however shaky, refutes that of Martinez (and I was a big Edgar fan). As strong an argument could be made on behalf of Vada Pinson, Jim Rice, Andre Dawson or Gil Hodges as for Martinez.

Where does Crime Dog fit into all this? Too many teams, not enough homers. Fred McGriff has about 2,490 hits, 493 homers, 1,550 RBI's and 441 doubles. He'd need 500 jacks and 2,500 safeties, minimum, to be a "strong argument" player. Though he's agonizingly close, his play on mostly mediocre teams (except his Atlanta stint) means no cigar. Let's look at his contemporary, Rafi Palmeiro. Though not "famous", he'll be voted into the Hall someday. One can't exclude a player with 1,589 runs, 2,881 hits, 542 homers, 560 doubles, and 1,750 RBI and a .290 average- no matter how many times they were traded. That's like 28 doubles a year for 20 seasons. What the dissenters will argue is that at no time was Rafi one of the few best players at his position (an argument that also hurts McGriff). While true, that is always an obstacle for first baseman, even during All-Star voting, because most first baseman are very good hitters. Palmeiro played the position at the same time as Frank Thomas, Kent Hrbek, McGriff, Don Mattingly, McGwire, Mo Vaughn and fellow Mississippi State alum Will Clark, to name several. But the numbers don't lie, and Rafi has the stats.

BCB

Diamond Gents

2004-08-11T11:29:00.000-04:00

As a sports historian, I have been fortunate to meet or interview former ballplayers such as the late Wilmer Fields, Charlie Davis, Chuck Harmon, Vic Power, Nino Escalera, Camilio Pascual, Juan Pizzaro, Buck O'Neill, Luis Arroyo, Ruben Amaro, Orlando Pena, Cafe Salaborreos, Ramon Hernandez, "Wito" Conde, William "Sonny" Randall and Harold Gould. Vic Power, known in his native Puerto Rico as Victor Pellot, was kind enough to introduce me to several of these players when they were scouting an American Legion all-star game in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. A seven-time Gold Glove winning first baseman in the 1950's, Power was then an Angels' scout. I interviewed Escalera that day, and again later in his home in Valle Arriba Heights in Carolina, P.R. He was then chief of Latin American scouting for the San Francisco Giants (as a player, he and Chuck Harmon, who I met while living in Cincinnati, were the first two Blacks to play for the Cincinnati Reds). The former players I met or interviewed that day saw players such as Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez, Roberto Alomar and Ruben Sierra when they were youngsters.

Mr. Randall, whom I recently met, not only played for the Homestead Grays and Washington Aztecs, he was a Great Lakes Naval teammate of Chuck Harmon, Larry Doby and John Wright. He and Wright used to go on shore leave together. John Wright was signed by the Dodgers when they signed Jackie Robinson. Randall is 89. He hit a 450-foot homer off Preacher Roe when he was in the Navy. He is retired from NASA, and also worked for three U.S. senators, including Howard Baker. In the mid-1990's I interviewed William Coward, a very engaging man who was a batboy for the Homestead Grays as a teenager. This interview was published in "Channel 32 Magazine", the program guide for Howard University Television. It appeared in conjunction with the PBS airing of Ken Burns' documentary "Baseball". Coward went on to become a punter at North Carolina College (now UNC-Central), where he befriended future Boston Celtics star Sam Jones. He was a successful high school basketball coach at Bell Vocational High in D.C., and more recently kicking coach for the Howard U. football team. He has even coached men's basketball there. Speaking of Boston, Mr. Coward coached the first Washington team to play in the schoolboy all-star tournament known as The Boston Shootout. Adrian Dantley played on his team.

Some of the highlights have been participating as a co-panelist in the Jewish Community Center's 1995-96 "Windows & Mirrors" cultural program, with Washington Post veteran Shirley Povich and filmmaker Aviva Kempner, speaking on the same program about Jackie Robinson at GWU's Charter Day with former Dodger pitcher Clem Labine, and being a surprise guest (in Spanish) on sports talk radio Radio Oro 780 in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico. And in July 2002 I presented on "The Struggle of the Latin American Ballplayer" at the National Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. You'll not meet gentlemen with more kind souls than Messrs. Escalera, Power, Coward and Randall.

BCB

All-Time New England Schoolboy Basketball

2004-08-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

Well, here goes. Again, I welcome comments and criticism-

ALL-TIME NEW ENGLAND SCHOOLBOY BASKETBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM:

CALVIN MURPHY, NORWALK, CT.
PAT EWING, CAMBRIDGE RINDGE & LATIN, MASS.
RONNIE PERRY, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL-BOSTON
WALTER LUCKETT, BRIDGEPORT, CT.-KOLBE CATHEDRAL
JOHNNY EGAN, HARTFORD-WEAVER
JACK “THE SHOT” FOLEY, WORCESTER-ASSUMPTION
TRAVIS BEST, SPRINGFIELD, MASS.-NOTRE DAME
DANA BARROS, XAVERIAN-WESTWOOD, MASS.
JOHN WILLIAMSON, NEW HAVEN-WILBUR CROSS
BILL HEWITT, CAMBRIDGE-RINDGE & LATIN
LLOYD HINCHEY, NORWICH FREE ACADEMY, CT.
KING GASKINS, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL
PAUL GOMES, NEW BEDFORD VOCATIONAL, MASS.

SECOND TEAM:

EDDIE "PUMPKIN" GRIFFIN, HARTFORD PUBLIC
BRUCE DALRYMPLE, ST. JOHNSBURY, VT.
JIMMY PIERSALL, WATERBURY, CT.
JIM HEGAN, LYNN CLASSICAL, MASS.
CORNY THOMPSON, MIDDLETOWN, CT.
EARL KELLY, NEW HAVEN-WILBUR CROSS
TONY LAVELLI, SOMERVILLE, MASS.
DWIGHT “POOCH” TOLLIVER, HARTFORD PUBLIC
AL LOPES, PROVIDENCE HOPE, R.I.
DWAYNE McCLAIN, WORCESTER, MASS.
CHRIS HERREN, FALL RIVER-DURFEE, MASS.
WAYNE TURNER, BROOKLINE, MASS.

THIRD TEAM:

HAROLD PRESSLEY, MYSTIC, CT.
JOE HARRINGTON, MORSE, ME.
ERNIE FLEMING, FALL RIVER DURFEE
BILLY CURLEY, DUXBURY, MASS.
JAMES “SCOONIE” PENN, SALEM, MASS.
ADAM HARRINGTON, NORTHFIELD, MASS.-PIONEER VALLEY
MATT BONNER, CONCORD, N.H.
RONNIE LEE, LEXINGTON, MASS.
CARLTON SMITH, BOSTON, MASS.
BILLY COLLINS, BOSTON-DON BOSCO
BRUCE “SOUPY” CAMPBELL, NEW HAVEN-WILBUR CROSS
RON TEXEIRA, CATHOLIC MEMORIAL, BOSTON

FOURTH TEAM (yes, there’s been that much talent)

RON PERRY, SR., SOMERVILLE, MASS.
MARK PLANSKY, WESTFIELD, MASS.
BOBBY CARRINGTON, BRAINTREE, MASS.
DWAN CHANDLER, BOSTON, MASS.
SCOTT BURRELL, TORRINGTON, CT.
BOB BIGELOW, WINCHESTER, MASS.
SEAN CONNOLLY, PEABODAY, MASS.-BISHOP FENWICK
RANDELL JACKSON, WINCHENDON, MASS.
STEVE BUCKNALL, DUMMER ACADEMY-BYFIELD, MASS.
ANDY FARRISSEY, FALL RIVER-DURFEE
STANLEY POOLE, HARTFORD PUBLIC
DAVE HICKS, NEW HAVEN-HILLHOUSE

I tried not to include too many players who attended the type of preps (i.e. Maine Central) where the basketball players are already of college age. I haven’t forgotten Steve Strother of Dorchester, Terry Driscoll of B.C. High, James Walker of Boston Trade (one of the five best players the region ever produced), Albie Rue of Roxbury Memorial, Ed Robinson, Ed Thurman or Lou Tsiropolous of Lynn Classical, nor Mark Belanger (Pittsfield), Art Roberts (Holyoke), Butch Wade, Marcus Camby, Russell Lee of Hyde Park, Perry “Ching” Adams, Elton Tyler, Eddie Gates of Boston Tech, Michael Bradley, Al or Vin Del Negro, Ernie DiGregorio, Jeff Juden, Art Graham, Mickey Hamilt of Belmont, Chucky Chevalier of Charlestown, Charlie Stead and Karl Hobbs of Rindge, Steve Adelman, Marvin Barnes, Bryan Edwards of Cohasset, Rich Watts, Tommy Garrick, Steve Sarantopolous, Mickey Heard, Michael Adams, Wes Matthews, Jon DePina, Tyson Wheeler, Lance Dottin, Tom Barao or Sly Williams- I just couldn’t fit all the greats onto four squads. That’s one reason I welcome challenges and postings of your picks.

Ladies will be addressed soon-expect names such as Rebecca Lobo, Jamila Wideman, Kerry Bascomb, Tracy Lis, Michelle Edwards, Cindy Blodgett, Brianna Stepherson, Kara Wolters, Medina Dixon and Robin Christian.

BCB

Bijan C. Bayne is a travel writer and the author of Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball

Vineyard Summer League

2004-08-11T11:11:00.000-04:00

Here's an article on a summer basketball league I've followed for 30 years:

Under the Lights: Hoops by Night Is No Longer a Boys' Game

By CHRIS BURRELL
They call themselves the Bad Boys, but it's truly a misnomer for this undefeated basketball squad that plays two nights a week under the darkening sky of Oak Bluffs.
For one thing, they are the only team in the summer league with a woman on their roster. As for the rest of the team - well, most of them don't look anything close to boyish.
In a league dominated by 20-somethings, most of the Bad Boys have already gone gray. One player is in his 50s. Another one is in his mid-40s, and a third will turn the odometer over to the 40-year mark in six months.
But if you ask team captain Asil Cash - who's 24 - about the gender and age factor on the Bad Boys, he'll tell you it's something of a secret weapon: not too intimidating on paper, but accomplished and potentially deadly out on the court.
"The experience of our players, they know the game, when to make the cuts, when to give it back," he says.
Take Emily Liskow, for example. The only female playing in what's been a men's basketball league since it started almost three decades ago, she is a wiry, 5 feet 9 inches tall, topped with blonde hair.

She might look more like a fashion model than a player willing to muscle the men for a rebound down in the paint, but Miss Liskow, 24, was a stand-out guard at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire.
When she walked onto the court last summer at Niantic Park and announced she wanted to play hoops, they told her to check out the women's league.
"It's always funny when I first ask to play. They look at me a little funny," she says.
Miss Liskow loves to play basketball, even if it means putting herself in a more challenging context. "I'm used to being the fastest one, jumping the highest. Here it's exactly the opposite," she says.
But make no mistake, this bad boy named Emily wearing a tight red tank top and pair of baggy Bearcats shorts is causing quite a stir both on the court and out in the stands.
Last week, spectators sitting on the wooden bleachers numbered more than 25, and all you had to do was eavesdrop to catch the buzz.
"She's got a shot," says one young man wearing high-tops and clutching a basketball.
"She plays some D, too," his friend chimes in.
"She can cut, too."

By the end of the third quarter, when the Bad Boys cut the opponent's lead from 12 points down to one, another fan says, "They need to put the ball in the girl's hands more."
Out on the court last Tuesday night, Miss Liskow didn't have to beg any teammates to pass her the ball. There's good reason for that: Within the first quarter, she goes three-for-four, swishing a trio of outside shots.
Even when she misses one, you can hear teammate Dale Rogers, running alongside her down court, say encouragingly, "Good shot, Em."
On defense, Miss Liskow may be outweighed by some serious pounds, but she's right in the mix, taking the hits as she lifts forearms to set picks or boxes out for a rebound.
One of the great things about the night games at Niantic Park is the chatter and the energy level that builds up as the lights go on and a cool breeze blows away the day's heavy air.
By the second half of last week's game, it's clear that the Bad Boys have shifted the momentum back to their side of the court. Spectators are applauding and hooting as the red-jerseyed Bad Boys stage their comeback, pulling ahead by seven, on their way to their third win.

"Let's go Red, yeah, Red," hollers one man.
Mr. Rogers, 44, sinks both free throws. Mr. Cash's dribbling skills and footwork enable him to dance past two or three defenders and execute beautiful lay-ups. But he also knows when to pass, teaming up frequently with 39-year-old teammate Eric Adams.
The performance is clearly starting to frustrate the opponents, Contemporary Landscapes, clothed in matching green shorts.
"Who's got the girl?" yells Stephen Duarte, backpedaling as his green team shifts gears to defense.
In the half-time huddle, having watched their 13-point lead evaporate to just four points, they are exhorting each other to play better ball.
"Crash the boards then, let's go," says one guy.
"We gotta move on offense, set some picks," adds another.
There are just five teams in the league - most of them sponsored by various Island businesses - and they play Tuesday and Thursday nights at Niantic Park, beginning at 6:30.
As action-packed as the scene looks, oldtimers say it's just a shadow of what it used to be here on a summer evening.
"I remember sitting on those benches, and there were probably 100 kids. We had eight teams or more," says Mr. Rogers, who grew up playing in the highly-regarded youth basketball program here. "I was one of the original kids. This is a great tradition."

Players kick in $100 each to join the league, helping cover the cost of uniforms and referees; some of the money funnels back into the youth program which runs in the mornings.
"We're trying to get a new court," says Carlos Pena, who stepped up three years ago to run the evening league. The scoreboard could use some upgrading as well.
But the focus is on the game, balancing fun with competitiveness. Ryan Gibbons, a 26-year-old playing for the Vineyard Golf Club team, takes a breather during the first game Tuesday night.
He and teammate Butch Ellis, 32, are grousing a bit as they watch the game.
"They're getting the rebounds. Look at this, it's disgusting," says Mr. Gibbons.
"Pray for rain, only the rain could save us," says Mr. Ellis, starting to laugh.
"It's too fast, they're too young," laments Mr. Gibbons.
"That's why we gotta slow the ball, man."
Underneath it all, they like the game, the exercise, the chance to run under the halogen lights. "It keeps me out of the bars, just something extra to do," says Mr. Gibbons.

As Mr. Gibbons's game winds down, Miss Liskow and Mr. Cash are waiting outside the fence for their turn on the court.
For Mr. Cash, who moved to the Vineyard in 1996, quickly plugged himself in to the basketball circuit and now works with youngsters teaching them skills in the morning, these games symbolize a close-knit community.
"This feels like your league, your hometown," he says.
Looking at some of the younger players on the court and the sidelines, he points out: "I've coached a lot of these kids. I know their names."
That connection extends to Miss Liskow, who may have had to elbow her way into the men's league, but once there, feels welcomed.
"If anybody gave me a hard time," she says of her teammates, "they got my back."

Originally published in The Vineyard Gazette edition of Friday, July 30th 2004

(Blogger's note: Dale Rogers is right- in the early 1970's, professional players such as the Kings' Bob Bigelow and the Nets' Ollie Taylor played in this league)

Goodbye Mr. Tankard

2004-08-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

Here's the "Boston Globe" obituary of a gentleman (in the true sense of the word) who I first came to know as the father of my friends, and later was fortunate to develop my own friendship with:

George Tankard; brought history to tourists
By Tom Long, Globe Staff July 29, 2004
After spending four hours at a microphone leading a tour of the African-American Heritage Trail of Martha's Vineyard, George Van Buren Tankard Jr. couldn't wait to get home and tell his wife about his day . . . in agonizing detail. ''He could talk you to death," Carrie Camillo Tankard said of her husband, 70, who died of lung cancer Saturday in his Oak Bluffs home.
Mr. Tankard kept up a steady banter as the big tour bus rolled to more than a dozen stops, from the spot in Aquinnah where fugitive slave Randall Burton was hidden to the Oak Bluffs summer home of the late congressman Adam Clayton Powell.
'
'When I lead a tour I need notes or a cheat sheet, but he just spoke off the top of his head," said Mrs. Tankard, who is a cofounder of the trail.
Mr. Tankard was a man so slim he looked taller than he was. He had a smile that needed no prompting.

''He was a raconteur, who told wonderful stories," a friend, Vera Shorter of Vineyard Haven, said yesterday. ''I know I was not the only one who suggested he write a book."
Mr. Tankard was born in New York City. After serving in the Army, he moved to Newark and got a job on the assembly line at a General Motors plant.
''He was the man who put the rubber seals around the back windshield," said his wife.
The 1967 riots in Newark forced the Tankards to reconsider their life plan.
''There were bullet holes in the building," said Mrs. Tankard, ''and we were raising six children age 2 to 15."

They decided to move to Martha's Vineyard, where Mr. Tankard's mother had a home.
But there was no assembly line work on the Vineyard.
''He had six children to support. He did anything and everything," said Mrs. Tankard.
He worked on a cesspool truck and did masonry, but neither was for him. After working for a time for a painting contractor, Mr. Tankard decided he'd found his calling and went into business for himself.

''He figured he was doing the work, why not make the money?" said his wife.
For more than 20 years, Mr. Tankard painted houses. When business was good he hired his sisters, his children, and their friends. Through it all he kept up a steady banter.
''He was a history buff who read everything he could get his hands on, books about World War II, the Irish famine, whatever," said his wife.
And when he wasn't reading he was watching the History Channel or The Learning Channel on TV.

''He knew something about everything," said his wife, who recalled waking up once in the middle of the night to find her husband watching TV.
''Did you know how they make toilets?" asked Mr. Tankard who was watching a show on the subject.

Mr. Tankard, a longtime member of the Martha's Vineyard NAACP, finally did get around to writing that book. ''Island Rescue" is the title of his memoir, which has yet to be published.
''He never got rich in the monetary sense, but he was rich in the people who loved and respected him," said Shorter.

''God is probably up there now saying, George, will you please shut up," said Mrs. Tankard.
Besides his wife, he leaves three daughters, Carmen Amadeo of Bourne; Lynda Gonsalves of Wareham; and Stephanie Earl of Kansas; three sons, George V. III of Louisiana; Craig of Martha's Vineyard; and Felip of Boston; two brothers, Robert of Vineyard Haven and Reginald of Roselle, N.J.; seven sisters, Patricia, Audria and Brenda, all of Brookline; Carol Giosmas of Oak Bluffs; and Shirley Robinson, Merle Beaulieu, and Myrna Araujo of Vineyard Haven; and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in the fall.

City View

2004-08-11T11:04:00.000-04:00

My blog will feature travel notes and tips, as well as "Best of..." lists from my tours and visits. One is featured below:

Smooth Sundays

Awakenings
2734 Erie Ave., Hyde Park
Cincinnati (513) 321-2525
Cover: Free

Share a table and make a friend. On Sundays, both the sounds and the lattes soothe at Awakenings Coffee & Tea Co., Cincinnati's most laid back jazz night. The Bobby Sharp Trio supply the mood- these guys not only sway a beat, they're more laid back than the crowd. The Trio has local favorite Bugsy Brandenburg on guitar, Bobby Sharp's breezy drumming and Bill Jackson on bass. Samba and standards prevail, listeners vary from grungy collegians to preppy boomers. Bright and friendly, Awakenings is a smoke-free spot for a no frills date or a stimulating chat with someone new. Late arrivals find seats too, as the guys groove three sets from 7:45 until 11:00 p.m. Wear what you had on at home, stay just long enough ease the weekend out. A few doors away in Hyde Park Square, grab a cup of ice cream at Graeter's, a city institution.

BCB

Coming Press Trips

2004-08-11T11:01:00.000-04:00

My next three media tours will be of Whistler, B.C. Aug. 22-27, Ontario Sept. 23-27, and Montgomery, Ala. in early Dec. (the 50th year since the Montgomery Bus Boycott). November 3-6 I visit Tuscon for an industry conference called Travel Media Showcase, where journalists meet tourism and convention officials from all over the world.

BCB

About Me

2004-08-11T10:56:00.000-04:00

I'm a freelance sports and travel writer based in Washington, D.C. I wrote Sky Kings: Black Pioneers of Professional Basketball. My work has also appeared in the anthologies Baseball in the Carolinas, and Between Race and Empire. I write book reviews and travel features. Over the past two years, I've traveled more than 30,000 miles in the U.S., including individual or group press trips to Oakland, Orlando, St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, Destin, Daytona Beach, The Outer Banks, Cocoa Beach, Amarillo and Huntsville. In 2004 I will be writing a documentary on the history of Black baseball in Baltimore. Also look for my essay in the upcoming book Basketball in America (Haworth 2004).

BCB

(an excerpt from my chapter in Baseball in the Carolinas):

http://www.mcfarlandbaseball.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1021898734,37123,