A SCOUT'S PERSPECTIVE - OBSERVATIONS & RUMINATIONS

Four Ways to Honor the Life of Olivia Gaines

2026-08-04T12:14:38.365-07:00

My daughter, Olivia Gaines, died on June 13, 2026 at City of Hope’s Helford Hospital. Many people have asked our family how they can honor Olivia’s life and ten-plus year struggle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease (cGVHD).

#1 - Donate Whole Blood - The entire process will take about one hour of your time, with the actual draw taking 6 to 10 minutes. Olivia was very passionate about people taking the time to give whole blood donations because of the number of Red Blood Cell and Platelet transfusions that she needed to keep her alive from 2015 to 2026. Here’s Olivia expressing gratitude for the “LIV Inspired Blood Drive Event” that was conducted at Kalamazoo College in 2016:

“Thank you for taking time to be like the countless strangers who’ve saved my life.”

Roughly 62% of the United States population is eligible to give blood, but only 3% of the people who are eligible to donate blood actually do it. But at some time in life, nearly half of us will need a blood transfusion. In fact, someone needs blood every 2 seconds. A single whole-blood donation can save up to three lives because the blood is eventually separated into three distinct components (Red Blood Cells, Plasma, and Platelets). One can donate whole blood every two months (56 days).

"What Happens to Donated Blood:"

#2 - Donate Platelets - Why Platelets? Olivia needed a lot of Platelet transfusions when she was initially diagnosed with AML. Platelets are tiny cells that form in your bone marrow that help to prevent or stop bleeding.

Platelet transfusions are necessary for leukemia patients because the disease and its treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplant) destroy the body’s ability to produce platelets, putting patients at a high risk for deadly internal bleeding. Platelet transfusion also help to support patients with bleeding disorders and those undergoing open-heart surgery and organ transplantation.

Platelet donations are a more involved process than donating whole blood. Greater time commitment and requires an apheresis machine, which is “a specialized medical device used to separate whole blood into its components - plasma, platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells - collecting the targeted part and returning the remaining blood back to the body.” You’re not going to find an apheresis machine at a temporary location where an organization is holding a mobile blood drive. You will find apheresis machines at American Red Cross regional blood donation centers and hospitals’ Blood Donor Centers like City of Hope, UCLA Health and Cedars-Sinai.

One can safely donate platelets every seven days, up to a maximum of 24 times a year.

#3 - Join NMDP (National Bone Marrow Donor Program),

Olivia's Stem Cell Birthday - 4/6/16

finding cures and saving lives through cell therapy. Cell Therapy, meaning allogeneic (donor) Stem Cell Transplants being performed around 80-90% of the time and Bone Marrow Transplants the other 10-20%. NMDP only registers young adults from the ages of 18-35 years old because “research shows blood stem cells from younger donors give patients their best chance at transplant success and surviving long term.” “Doctors request donors ages 18-35 nearly 80% of the time.” “Once registered, you’ll stay listed as a potential donor for patients until you’re 61, unless you ask to be removed.” Note that Olivia’s donor in 2016 was a 42 year old male.

If you’re over 35 years old, DKMS and Gift of Life Marrow Registry will allow you to register. DKMS registers individuals who "are between the ages of 18 and 55 years old and in general good health." Gift of Life will “ask you to send $60 to cover the expense of processing your swab kit.” Like NMDP, you’ll stay listed on DKMS and the Gift of Life registry as a potential donor for patients until you’re 61. You only need to register with one agency to be available for searches worldwide.

Blood Cancer United Facts:

Every 3 minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. An estimated combined total of 192,070 people in the US were expected to be diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma in 2025.
New cases of leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma were expected to account for 9.4% of the estimated 2,041,910 new cancer cases that were diagnosed in the US in 2025.
Approximately 70% of patients don't have a fully matched donor in their family, and therefore rely on an unrelated donor.

"Nationally, people of color are underrepresented on the bone marrow donor registry, which means they have a harder time finding a donor and have worse health outcomes than people of European ancestry."

A patient's chance of finding a matched, available donor on NMDP registry ranges from 29% to 79% depending on the patient's ethnic background.
African-American patients have a 29% chance of finding a donor match.
Asian or Pacific Islander patients have a 47% chance of finding a donor match.
Hispanic or Latino patients have a 48% chance of finding a donor match.
Native American patients have a 60% chance of finding a donor match.
White patients have a 79% chance of finding a donor match.

Why Ancestry Matters

Color the Registry: Genau's Story

#4 - Give in memory of Olivia Gaines to City of Hope or any other organization that contributed to Olivia's well being during her life. People have made memorial contributions in Olivia's name to Flintridge Preparatory School and Cancer Support Community Greater San Gabriel Valley. If you decide to make a philanthropic gift in honor of Olivia to City of Hope with a check, “indicate on the memo line or accompanying note that your gift is IN MEMORY OF OLIVIA GAINES” and mail it to City of Hope, Attn: Philanthropy: McQuhae, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010. Click on this link https://ourhope.cityofhope.org/campaign/813724/donate if you want to donate using a credit/debit card.

Why donate to City of Hope? Because we trust the vision and brilliance of Olivia's primary care hematologist-oncologist and leukemia expert, Dr. Guido Marcucci. Dr. Marcucci is both physician and scientist, who navigates "the intersection of laboratory research and clinical care every day." Donations made in the memory of Olivia will be directed to the research efforts that Dr. Marcucci leads in his role as Director for the Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research." Dr. Marcucci also serves as chief of the Division of Leukemia and is the chair of the Department of Hematologic Malignancies Translational Science."

One of the fundamental questions that Dr. Marcucci prioritizes in his role as a scientist is "what events initiate cancer," and he believes "that leukemia can be uses as a model to answer these questions." He thinks of acute myeloid leukemia as the "prototype of cancer and how cancer develops," which makes it a prime target for intensive research, and the focus of his research.

I asked Kevin Kate McQuhae, Senior Executive Director - Office of Philanthropy, to summarize why people should donate to support Dr. Marcucci's work:

At City of Hope, our leukemia researchers and physicians are working urgently to change what this diagnosis means for patients and families. Under the leadership of Dr. Marcucci and the Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research, teams are focused on developing more precise, less toxic, and ultimately curative therapies for leukemia. Their work is especially centered on understanding and eliminating the root causes of the disease - including stem cells, which can drive relapse.

What gives many families hope is that these discoveries are not theoretical - they are actively being translated into clinical trials, bringing new options to patients who need them now.

More broadly, City of Hope is one of the nation's leading cancer centers, known for advancing innovations like CAR T cell therapy and performing more than 20,000 bone marrow transplants - one of the largest programs in the country.

Discoveries made here reach far beyond our campus, benefiting millions of people each year and helping to bring new treatments forward faster through a unique "bench-to-bedside approach."

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all
the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6

Righteously Angry At The Racist Ways of Trump 2.0 - Trump & The Old South

2025-08-08T17:07:00.000-07:00

Van Lathan shared his viewpoint on the Trump Administration reinstalling two statues honoring Confederate soldiers in the DC Area. Point blank - The Trump administration has proven themselves to be racist (most racist in my lifetime & that’s saying something) & anti-Black in a myriad of ways. Too many for me to recount in this post.

My July 17th Facebook Post (see Below) featured a Rebel Flag and started off with this statement: “MAGA - The central question is what time period are those who identify with the MAGA movement referencing? The rebel flag?- The Confederacy? 1860? 1960? I’m all ears - I really want to know! My view is that MAGA is a racist dog whistle!” I’m still waiting for someone who is in support of the Trump administration to respond!

Van Lathan emphasized that it was the post-Reconstruction period in USA history when the Confederate Battle Flag was adopted, the Klu Klux Klan rose to power, and Confederate Monuments and Memorials started appearing throughout the South. Why: “to control and terrorize Black people.” Lathan makes a salient point: “so moving away from Confederate monuments and celebrating people with ties to the Confederacy is actually a strong sign of reconciliation that we don’t want Black people to live in fear of racial terror and slavery anymore. And to re-power those images is saying the opposite of that.” Word!

I was inspired to write this post after reading a passage in “Lovely One,” Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s memoir. Jackson writes about her reaction to seeing a Confederate Flag affixed to the inside of a Harvard student’s window as she entered the quad during her junior year at Harvard:

“I looked up to where she (Lisa) was pointing and my heart sank…Lisa and I were hardly the only ones unsettled by the appearance of such a blatant symbol of the Confederacy. But, as would become evident in the coming days, it was the Black students on campus who seemed most deeply disturbed by its meaning. For us, that flag was an emblem of hate, the banner under with the South had rallied during the Civil War to continue enslaving people of African descent. There was no way for us to interpret its message now other than as a statement of opposition to our very presence on campus, a declaration that we were not wanted there.”

“Seeing that flag in the window every day as I traveled from the quad to classes and extracurriculars felt like a cold slap in the face. In this place where I had begun to feel comfortable, valued, and understood, that flag, so flagrantly displayed, was disputing the right of African Americas to exist and function as full-fledged members of the Harvard Community.”

“The Black Students Association sprang into action, gathering to protest, passing out leaflets, and petitioning the university’s administration to require the removal of the flag. ‘Black students on campus are acutely aware of the unspoken code of the modern South,’ the BSA flyer explained. ‘When white owners display the Confederate flag in their homes, restaurants, and stores, it is a clear signal that African Americans are not welcome. What is the Confederate flag in the window….supposed to tell Black students?”

Later in the passage Judge Jackson shares this Tony Morrison passage: “The function, the very serious function of racism…is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and so you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says that you have no kingdoms, and so you dredge that up. None of that is necessary. There will always be one more thing.”

JULY 17, 2020 FACEBOOK POST

MAGA - The central question is what time period are those who identify with the MAGA movement referencing? The rebel flag?- The Confederacy? 1860? 1960? I’m all ears - I really want to know! My view is that MAGA is a racist dog whistle!

Wrote the following in 2020:

I was born in 1958 in the segregated South, specifically Winston-Salem, NC. Raised in an all Black neighborhood... I had very limited contact with whites in my early years, except for the Catholic Nuns who taught me at an all Black Catholic primary school (St. Benedict the Moor). I didn't grow up being or feeling OTHERED in this world because my East Winston neighborhood/community was together and thriving. WE were IT! Never lacked for role models at home, on my block, or in my community. People like to talk about white privilege, which is real, but I grew up as a privileged child. Because of my parents, I had uncommon experiences throughout my life.

My first awareness of the symbolism surrounding the War Between the States, aka The Civil War probably happened on a trip to Georgia when my sister's girl scout troop visited Savannah, Georgia, the home of the girl scouts. On that trip, or maybe it was another trip to Atlanta, we visited Stone Mountain, Georgia, the South's answer to Mount Rushmore, except it glorifies the traitorous leaders of the Civil War. I like this description of Stone Mountain: "The largest shrine to white supremacy in the history of the world." Another factoid about Stone Mountain, which is a public park, that was provided to me years ago by Vernon Glenn after he saw my blog post about a negative experience (denied admission a couple of days before it was open to Blacks) my family had in 1971 at Tanglewood Park, which is in Forsyth County, NC -- "A lot of folks have forgotten (or never knew...) that the Tanglewood Park case went all the way to the US Supreme Court and was decided as part and parcel of two cases where private lands were left to public use for "white citizens" exclusively...the other being what is now known as Stone Mountain Park just next to Atlanta..."

I really learned about the Confederacy and the ways of white Southerners during my 7 years of being educated in the state of Virginia, the cradle of the Confederacy. I attended Episcopal High School (EHS) in Alexandria, VA for 3 years then matriculated to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

In 2018 EHS commemorated the 50th anniversary of Black students attending the school. I was interviewed before the event by a student and was asked the following:

How would you describe the “Old South” and Confederate culture on campus throughout your tenure?

Harmless - wasn't an omnipresent force on campus. I got along with my classmates and enjoyed my time at Episcopal. You have to develop a certain level of tolerance as a minority in a majority environment, especially in the time period where I came of age as a high school and college student. There was one kid who I got along with who was an avowed son of the Confederacy. You always knew where he stood. He would usually have a quip about the Confederacy or the Old South to share with me when we would interact but it wasn't in a mean spirited way. My typical reaction was to smile and laugh at his ways. I'm attaching his yearbook photo where he quotes General George Pickett and is raising the Confederate flag on Hummel's flagpole. He authored the following quotes by his Senior yearbook picture - "I will come up to W&M next year as long as you aren't dating any white women!" xxxxxxxx C.S.A.

Another classmate wrote the following in my yearbook - "To the only black guy I ever met who can take a ribbing with a smile on his face." I wasn't overly sensitive to insensitivity but there was one time I exploded at an underclassmen when he uttered "Nigger" to me. I let him know that wasn't acceptable & I would take measures if he ever had the temerity to utter that word in my presence again. He never did & we steered clear of each other. I'm linking a blog I wrote about "The Power of the N - Word." http://cgscoutperspective.blogspot.com/.../the-power-of-n...

I attended William and Mary from 1976-1980. There was a celebration on W&M's campus every year where students of a fraternity would march around in Confederate Uniforms, waive the confederate flag and celebrate the Old South. The fraternity was probably Kappa Alpha because they still keep the tradition alive at many Southern Colleges. Here's a 2009 article on their celebration at the University of Alabama http://www.nbcnews.com/.../old-south-frat-targeted.../...

I always had a queasy feeling when I saw this brazen celebration of the Old South on William & Mary's campus. Nothing I encountered at Episcopal ever made me feel like that. EHS is a protected & small environment. Everybody knows everybody so you've got to find a way to get along with one another.

P.S. One of my high school classmates sent me this post. I thank him for thinking of me and for inspiring me to share a bit of my past. Be blessed to bless and keep the faith.

The Black Power Mixtape (1967-1975) -- Reflections

2022-02-28T08:44:00.001-08:00

It’s powerful and illuminating as an adult to watch Göran Olsson’s “Black Power Mixtape (BPM),” which is about “the evolution of the Black Power movement in American society from 1967 to 1975 as viewed through {the eyes/lens} of Swedish journalists and filmmakers.” I came of age during this period of American history, a time period that encompassed my fifth grade year living in a segregated society in the South and attending an all-Black Catholic school to starting my Senior year in high school at an elite boarding school (Episcopal H.S. – Alexandria, VA) founded in 1839 that welcomed its first Black students in 1968 and since its inception schooled “boys from some of the most prominent families in Virginia and neighboring states.” I lived and breathed these moments as a young child and teenager but seeing this film takes me to the depths of my being in truly understanding a movement that I was mostly sheltered from.

1967 was a remarkable year in my family’s history. My dad’s college basketball team, Winston-Salem State College (now WSSU) became the first Historically Black College (HBCU) to win a NCAA division title in basketball (College Division – now NCAA II) or any intercollegiate sport. A player from that team, the great Earl Monroe would be picked 2^nd in the NBA draft. 1968 is the year I’ll never forget hearing my mother’s piercing scream when she heard the news of Martin Luther King, Jr being assassinated in Memphis. Later that year I would be down the street at my second parent’s house, the Wiseman’s, when Bobby Kennedy’s assassination was relayed to the nation. 1968 was when I went on a cross county trip with my family and fell in love with the idea of living in a big city on the West Coast. 1968 was also the year of the Summer Olympics in Mexico City when my consciousness about race relations was raised with Tommy Smith and John Carlos thrusting their fists up in the air during the playing of the national anthem to protest the historically inhumane treatment of Black people in the USA. And 1968 was the year saying Black vs. Negro really took hold in our country, with the release of James Brown searing Black Anthem, “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.”

My concept of the Black Power Movement as a child was recognizing that I could take pride in my blackness and that doors were opening up to Blacks that were previously closed due to the fearlessness of activists who were willing to put their lives on the line to affect meaningful change in our society. “We are in the palms of the hands of those who sacrificed for us in the 1960’s!”

“Black Power Mixtape” is fascinating to watch because it captures images from the vantage point of Swedish journalists and filmmakers and juxtaposes 21^st century commentary from prominent Black Americans commenting on scenes from that time period. Olsson sets the tone early in BPM in what he’s trying to accomplish by asking Al, the owner of the diner on a Florida beach this question: “Is this the land of equal opportunity for all?”

For all of the histrionics surrounding the Black Power Movement, the essential objective during this era was to challenge America to be a “land of equal opportunity for all” by utilizing confrontational tactics that would lead America to become a true multiracial democracy. America had failed in reaching this democratic ideal during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods and it was becoming obvious that the Civil Rights movement was stalling in moving beyond the basic, simplistic human rights gains (public accommodation, public transportation, open housing, school desegregation, etc.) that were the hallmarks of that movement.

Olsson focuses in on the tension between the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements by contrasting the views and tactics espoused by Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King. Carmichael had become increasingly radicalized since his days at Howard University and as a member of Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC). King’s nonviolent direct-action passivity needed to be replaced with a more confrontational tone in word and actions. “We won’t be fighting fire with water in the future, next time it will be with fire.” “Burn, Baby, Burn!”

One cannot discuss the Black Power Movement without highlighting the significance of the Black Panther Party For Self Defense (BPP), which has been recognized by some as the “most Important political revolutionary movement” that ever existed in America. The BPP struck fear in the hearts of White America when they came on the scene in October, 1966 toting guns and cameras to protect their neighborhood from the misuse of force by police. They would expand their reach across this country by formulating a “Ten Point Program” whose first point was to obtain freedom and power “to determine the destiny of our Black and Oppressed communities.”

The first point of the BPP 10 point program jibes with Robin Kelly’s view that the Black Power Movement had 3 different movements/legacies: (1) Group economic philosophy built around building black institutions, buying black, supporting black businesses, and gaining political power to control our own neighborhoods. (2) Cultural Nationalism (3) Black Radical Tradition.

Elaine Brown, who became chair of the BPP from 1974-1977 and epitomized the vibrancy and strength of the Black women who were featured in the BPM, led the BPP in its mature phase and she sought to move the Panthers from being viewed as a revolutionary cult group to a group with a the objective of moving the people to total liberation by getting members to focus on making the struggle larger in scope by waging the struggle between the oppressed people and the oppressor vs. the BPP and the Police.

Another strong, fierce, intelligent sister captured my attention with the force of her personality and intellect. Angela Davis’ comments about revolution harken to Gil Scott Herron’s famous anthem, “The Revolution Will Not be Televised,” which today would probably be changed to the revolution will not be on social media. “If you’re going to talk about a revolutionary situation, you have to have people who are physically able to wage revolution. People’s mind races to violence but the real content of any revolutionary thrust lies in the principles and goals that you’re striving for, not in the way you reach them.”

Hearing Angela Davis talk about how her youth in Birmingham, Al shaped her was mesmerizing. Birmingham, better known as “Bombingham” and home to the legendary Bull Connor, Commissioner of Public Safety, was the scene of so many dastardly deeds against Black youth who were engaged in the civil rights struggle. That a phoenix like Angela Davis rose from the fires and turmoil of Birmingham is a testament to the old adage, what doesn’t kill you, will make you stronger. Power to the people!

The Attica Revolt of 1971 captured my attention because prisoner rights are still a hot topic today. Attica produced some basic fundamental changes in the system because prisoners were treated like dogs in the 1970s but the Prison Industrial Complex has mushroomed exponentially compared to other countries since that time due to America’s emphasis since the Nixon years on increased incarcerations and lengthier sentences with Presidents targeting the War on Drugs and the War on Crime. Like John Forte, I have empathy for prisoners who want to be treated with dignity and decency. Also appreciated Forte mentioning the power of Davis’ book, “Are Prisons Obsolete?”

Education, truth and knowledge. Words that are cousins, not identical triplets. Educational progress is ongoing and educational programs to educate people about the Black American experience were almost non-existent during the Black Power movement, but the knowledge was available to those who wanted to seek it. Today it’s readily available and one positive result from the protest movement resulting from George Floyd’s death is that the interest is at an all-time high from individuals, institutions, and businesses who are seeking to access Anti-bias curriculum, critical race study and ethnic study programs. Most importantly the infrastructure is in place to handle the demand.

Questlove commented on the ignorance that has always been a part of the general populace in America. Not surprising since America was built on a lie. One of Martin Luther King’s biggest goals was to expose the reality of Black American Life to the masses by his non-violent direct action tactics. King was quite successful in this quest to expand the knowledge base of Whites and effectively used the media to challenge their moral compass. George Floyd’s death was the shock that many needed to wake them up to the realities of present day racist acts by citizens and law enforcement. The recording capabilities of cell phones and the power of the internet make it easier to highlight today’s atrocities of hate to marginalized groups.

Lewis Michaux’s soliloquies were my favorite in BPM. They’re my truth serum. "America can’t stand truth. Nobody could debate Malcom X on truth.” “White man came to America with two great weapons. The bible and the gun. If he didn’t humble you with the bible, he’d crumble you with the gun. And he’s still praising the Lord and passing the ammunition around the world.”

Michaux on Black Power: “Black is beautiful, but black isn’t power; Knowledge is power. So you can be black as crow and you can be white as snow, and if you don’t know and ain’t got no dough, you can’t go, and that’s for sure."

bell hooks & Big House -- "Living by a Love Ethic"

2021-12-16T11:55:00.007-08:00

Gloria Jean Watkins aka bell hooks passed away on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. If you're reading this post, you probably are somewhat familiar with her writings and philosophy of life.

In 2020 my African American Experience class at Glendale Community College was assigned to read two chapters in bell hook's book: "all about love -- New Visions."

My response: We’ve read, written, thought and discussed many angles of the African American experience this semester. It’s been a tremendous journey, one that has caused me to think deeply about the uniqueness of growing up Black in America, its challenges and its joys. So much of the Black/African American experience is tied to the legacy of slavery and the pain and suffering that has emanated from a society that five centuries ago defined a group of people from the continent of Africa as chattel, rendering them to be thought of by the majority as less than or other.

When you understand the physical and psychic damage that has been heaped on Blacks in America for centuries, the decision by Professor Stamps to conclude our class by assigning chapter readings, “Living by a Love Ethic (Values)” and “Redemptive Love (Healing),” from bell hooks’ “All About Love” is inspiring and thoughtful. Why? Because hooks’ thoughts on the power and resiliency of love is essential in understanding the challenges Black Americans have faced for generations in practicing a love ethic that can overcome the generational wounds that come with growing up Black in America.

I’ve read many articles by bell hooks, but I’ve never read one of her books. “All About Love” will be the first book by hooks that I’ll read. I’ve studied the concept of love for many years. The theme of the eulogy I gave for my father at his memorial celebration was titled, “Big House – The Lover.” I quoted M. Scott Peck’s definition of love from “The Road Less Travelled:”

“Love is the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth... Love is as love does. Love is an act of will -- namely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.”

Do Peck’s words remind you of someone else’s philosophy of love? Yes, bell hooks is a disciple of Peck, as am I, and it’s natural for me to be attracted to her thoughts on love.

I like hooks “love ethic” phraseology and definition. As obsessed as American culture is with inculcating a strong work ethic in its citizens, we should be equally obsessed with inculcating a strong love ethic. Are we as obsessed? hooks states that “the underlying values of culture and its ethics shape and inform the way we speak and act.” Are Americans speaking and acting civilly towards each other? I think not, and I think it’s incumbent upon us to heed Thomas Moore’s thoughts and “reevaluate the values that undergird our lives and make choices that affirm our interconnectedness with others.”

What are the principles of a love ethic? “Showing care, respect, knowledge, integrity, and the will to cooperate.” What are the conditions that must exist for a love ethic to flourish: “everyone has the right to be free, to live fully, and to be well.” Those words have a familiar ring: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” So ask yourself this question: if you deprive a select group of people “the right to be free, to live fully, and to be well,” how do you develop a strong love ethic within your community? You don’t, so society needs to embrace change to bring a love ethic to every dimension of our lives. What are “all the dimensions of love?” – “Care, commitment, trust, responsibility, respect, and knowledge.”

How does society embrace change to truly bring a love ethic to the forefront? I’ll touch on two thoughts expressed in "Living by a Love Ethic." hooks’ philosophy of love is strongly rooted in Christianity and her go-to biblical scripture is 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

I love hooks focus on perfection, how she clarified her initial understating of “perfect” being outside of human reach (“without fault or defect”) to a more complex understanding that emphasized the will “to refine,” which allows one to focus on a daily process to enhance their love ethic.

I also appreciate Cornel West’s love and care approach in helping one (Nihilist) turn their soul: “Any disease of the soul must be conquered by a turning on one’s soul. This turning is done through one’s own affirmation of one’s worth – an affirmation fueled by the concern of others.

Simply, we just have to give a damn about our fellow citizens.

Matthew 22: 37-40 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Clarence "Big House" Gaines Memorial Celebration - My Tribute -- "Big House - The Lover" - 4/22/05

Reflections on the “13th”

2020-10-31T09:38:00.008-07:00

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. One sentence with a complicated legacy: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

This week in my African American Experience Class we studied Mass Incarceration and the Prison Industrial Complex. We watched Ana Duvernay's documentary 13th which can be viewed on Netflix & YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8 and read the Introduction in Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. I highly recommend that you read the Preface in the 10th Anniversary Edition of the The New Jim Crow which was reissued in 2020.

The last time I took a college course was in 1982. We are required to post a summary of our thoughts after we finish our assignments and also have to comment on at least two of our classmates summations. I'm sharing my reflections on the assigned material.

13th

Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13th is a great complement to Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow. I was in elementary school during the Civil Rights period and vividly remember Richard Nixon’s election and Presidency in 1968. Nixon’s Presidency would be the start of the New Jim Crow era that Barry Goldwater planted the seeds for in his campaign for the Presidency in 1964 against Lyndon Johnson. Nobody in 1968 would have ever predicted that the United States would be the world’s king of mass incarceration, housing 20% of the world’s prison population while having 5% of the world’s population. Nobody would have predicted that we would one day have more Blacks incarcerated in Prison in the 21st century than we had slaves in the 1800’s. How in the hell can a society that was supposedly founded on Judeo-Christian principles that views itself as exceptional and a leader in world affairs justify the incarceration of this many individuals? We can’t and that’s what this documentary is really about: witnessing the great United States of America as a "failed social experiment."

Watching this documentary and reading some of Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” got me fired up and helped crystalize a lot of thoughts for me on what I’ve witnessed go down in our country in my lifetime in terms of militarizing police agencies throughout the USA, reducing funding of key social services, and hyperbolic criminalization and incarceration, primarily of Black and brown brothers and sisters and the poor.

I created two videos for my social media platforms after watching the 13th.

Video 1: Voter Suppression is real & it has deep roots - Supreme Court & Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal making rulings that you can't count ballots that arrive after November 3rd even if they are postmarked on that date. A stone cold gansta move! Sharing this 1980 clip from "13th" where Paul Weyrich, one of the founders of ALEC, expressly states that his objective is to limit voting rights.

America is a country that was founded on a lie. Founders didn’t believe everyone was entitled to vote. Shameful that common sense doesn’t rule in enabling every vote to count. Voter suppression is real. Need amended Voter Rights Act. Adapt to the times.

“VOTER SUPPRESSION - American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC):”

(Links to an external site.I took a sociology class in 1974 and vividly remember discussing the state of prisons at the time. One of our central themes was whether the prison system was doing a good job of rehabilitating individuals while they were serving their sentences. Providing an environment that truly offers rehabilitation and a second chance at a productive life has always been a challenge in the US Federal and State Penitentiary systems. It hasn’t gotten better; It’s gotten worse; and there are a myriad of reasons why. To name a few, exponential growth in prison population; privatization of the industry, federal and state laws that restrict the rights of prisoners in terms of eligibility for parole and when they are released into mainstream society.I could write for days on this issue but I’ll end on this note. We, as a society, have failed a huge segment of our society by not holding our elected leaders accountable for their misplaced priorities in demonizing Black males and allowing modern day slavery to still occur in mass because of panning to voters to get elected, introducing faulty and punitive legislation, and allowing publicly held corporations to earn huge profits off the backs of prisoners caught up in the Mass Incarceration Movement and Prison Industrial Complex. Stop the madnesIt’s amazing to delve into Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow” ten years after it was published. America had a completely different vibe in 2010 than in 2020 with the election of Barack Obama in 2008 as the United States’ first Black President and Democrats having control of both houses of Congress. Optimism was rampant that Obama’s election signaled a turn to a new post-racial America; and that a book titled “The New Jim Crow” might have historical relevancy but wouldn’t be a road map to effect change in our criminal justice system. That type of viewpoint would prove to be a miscalculation and Alexander addressed how Obama’s election shouldn’t be viewed as a salve in ignoring the racial caste system that has evolved in America since the passage of the Civil & Voting Rights Acts in the mid-60’sWhat is “The New Jim Crow?” America’s war on drugs, which resulted in stringent and punitive legislation for drug related crimes and stratospheric funding at the federal level to law enforcement and to prison/correctional institutions. Alexander’s focus in the book is solely on the experience of African American men; how they have been disproportionately targeted by governmental policies and Presidential dictates to create a new racialized caste system to replace the caste systems that existed during slavery and the Jim Crow era of American historyideo 2: The Good Old Days According to The Law & Order Candidate - Dedicated to all Republicans who hold their noses when voting for Donald J. Trump.

Video 2: The Good Old Days According to The Law & Order Candidate - Dedicated to all Republicans who hold their noses when voting for Donald J. Trump.

I took a sociology class in 1978 and vividly remember discussing the state of prisons at the time. One of our central themes was whether the prison system was doing a good job of rehabilitating individuals while they were serving their sentences. Providing an environment that truly offers rehabilitation and a second chance at a productive life has always been a challenge in the US Federal and State Penitentiary systems. It hasn’t gotten better; It’s gotten worse; and there are a myriad of reasons why. To name a few, exponential growth in prison population; privatization of the industry, federal and state laws that restrict the rights of prisoners in terms of eligibility for parole and when they are released into mainstream society.

I could write for days on this issue but I’ll end on this note. We, as a society, have failed a huge segment of our society by not holding our elected leaders accountable for their misplaced priorities in demonizing Black males and allowing modern day slavery to still occur in mass because of panning to voters to get elected, introducing faulty and punitive legislation, and allowing publicly held corporations to earn huge profits off the backs of prisoners caught up in the Mass Incarceration Movement and Prison Industrial Complex. Stop the madness!

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

What’s a caste? A “stigmatized racial group locked into an inferior position by law and custom.” Caste is not a word I normally associate with American society, but Alexander’s logic and research strongly support her thesis that America had “birthed another caste system, a system of mass incarceration, that caged millions of poor people and people of color and relegated millions more to a permanent second-class status.”

Alexander’s indictment that past Presidents since 1968 from both parties are responsible for the current state of affairs in America’s prison industrial complex might be an eye opener to some, but one shouldn’t be surprised that Bill Clinton had something in common in the criminal justice arena with Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Running on a “Law and Order” platform has been en vogue since Barry Goldwater planted the seeds in his 1964 Southern Strategy campaign against Lyndon Johnson.

Only in this 2020 election cycle are people finally internalizing that our country’s mass incarceration problem is not a criminal justice issue but is a racial justice or civil rights issue. I love how Alexander points out that mass incarcerations have been ignored for decades by civil rights leaders and Black congressional representatives because their primary focus was tied to stopping the assault on affirmative action policies by Republican legislators and judicial rulings from Circuit/Supreme Courts.

Bryan Stevenson has often said that “slavery didn’t end; it’s evolved.” The 13th amendment was ratified in 1865 and it abolished slavery with one exception; “slavery remained appropriate as punishment for a crime.” The punishment clause in the 13th amendment has led to many abuses since Reconstruction and Alexander does a wonderful job of detailing how mass incarceration in the 21st century leads to those convicted of felony crimes being denied rights similar to the rights that were denied Blacks during the days of Jim Crow. Americans are finally waking up to this reality, as evidenced by Proposition 17 being a ballot initiative in California in the 2020 election. Passage of Proposition 17, a state measure that asks voters “to restore voting rights upon completion of prison term to persons who have been disqualified while serving a prison term,” would ensure that people convicted of crimes need not be sentenced to a second class citizenship for the rest of their lives.

Alexander made the case in 2010 that the New Jim Crow couldn’t be be dismantled through traditional litigation and policy-reform strategies; that it needed a major social movement to reverse the institutional, structural and systemic bias/racism that had accumulated over 55+ years in developing this racialized system of control. We’re now in the midst of the most radical social movement in the USA since the mid 60s; and that movement, as well as the Covid-19 Pandemic, has sounded the alarm that we must root out the cancerous policies that have created America's monstrous prison industrial complex.

The Right Way - Reflections on the Chicago Bulls 1990's Dynasty & "The Last Dance"

2020-05-25T14:32:00.023-07:00

"The Last Dance," a 10-part documentary series by Executive Producer, Mike Tollin and Director, Jason Hehir chronicles the rise and sustained excellence of the great Chicago Bulls team of the 1990's that were led by Michael Jordan. The exploits of the 1997-98 Bulls as they march towards their 6th National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship are highlighted in each episode due to "500 hours of footage on some 3,200 reels of 16-millimeter film" being shot by an imbedded NBA Entertainment crew during the 1997-98 season in anticipation that this would be Jordan's last season in the NBA.

'The Last Dance' ESPN Trailer

Who am I & why are my reflections about "The Last Dance" worth reading and hearing? I was a scout and front office executive with the Chicago Bulls from 1989 - 2000 working directly with Jerry Krause. Oftentimes when I've listened to a podcast or read commentary on "The Last Dance," I remark to myself, "sometimes you just don't know, what you don't know." I know the score and shared my thoughts on a weekly basis after the ESPN/Netflix broadcasts with St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster, Mike Claiborne, on CLAIBSONLINE.COM. The nine podcasts that Claiborne and I created will be linked below for your listening pleasure and enlightenment. You can also find the podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Right Way! Episode 4 of "The Last Dance" depicts the Chicago Bulls first NBA Championship in 1991 vs. Los Angeles Lakers. That's the series where Phil Jackson forcefully asks Michael Jordan in the huddle during a fourth quarter timeout in the 5th and clinching game of the series, "Who's Open?" The answer, John Paxson, who drilled 5 (1 layup - assisted by Pippen) of the final 6 Bulls made field goals in the game. At the 6:30 mark of the 4th quarter the Bulls were down by 3 points (93 - 90). Jordan who finished with 30 points and 10 assists only scored 3 points in the last 6:30 but assisted on 3 buckets (2 by Paxson & 1 by Pippen). Bill Cartwright also accounted for 2 assists to Paxson during that final stretch. After the game, Phil Jackson embraced MJ on the court and said "You did it the right way. I love you."

Bulls vs. Lakers - 1991 NBA Finals Game 5

Those three words, "The Right Way," are the reasons why we're celebrating these Bulls teams via "The Last Dance" documentary 22 years after they clinched their 6th NBA Championship. From the moment Jerry Reinsdorf and his partners bought a controlling stake in the Chicago Bulls in 1985 for 9.2 million dollars the organization did things the right way, on and off the court. There's no doubt that Rod Thorn's decision to draft Michael Jordan with the 3rd pick in the 1984 NBA draft was the spark the Bulls franchise needed to become a raging inferno; but Reinsdorf's decision to hire Jerry Krause as Vice President of Basketball Operations was also pivotal. Reinsdorf and Krause had a vision of the style of basketball that they wanted the Bulls to emulate that was based on Reinsdorf's fascination with the great New York Knicks teams that won 2 NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. Krause also had a vision for the team based on his long career as a scout in the NBA that started with the Baltimore Bullets in 1961. It's been well documented that Krause's first hire when he got the Bulls job in 1985 was Fred "Tex" Winter, who Krause believed was an offensive genius who could be a mentor ("Coach of Coaches") to younger coaches and bring a system of play to the Bulls organization that would emphasize fundamentals, spacing, and ball and player movement that relied on all five players consistently being a part of the offense. That system of play which Tex called the "Triple Post Offense" would be rebranded by the media as the "Triangle Offense" and is one of the main reasons that the Bulls were able to dominate during the 1990s. Jerry Krause had a vision for the Chicago Bulls when he was hired in 1985 by Jerry Reinsdorf and he should be celebrated for being able to implement his vision into one of the legendary dynasties in sports history.

"Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character." That John Wooden saying is a pervasive theme in Chapter 8, "A Question of Character," in Phil Jackson's Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, which is a book I highly recommend to those who want a deeper understanding of what they witnessed in "The Last Dance" documentary. The foundational principles of the Bulls scouting model, talent and character, are ensconced in Wooden's statement that details the secret sauce involved in winning consecutive championships. Obviously, NBA athletes must possess unique talent, physical tools and basketball skills (technical and tactical), but talent alone will not lead to winning basketball games or championships. You have to select high character individuals to become a part of your organization and that requires an organization doing their homework on individuals before drafting, trading or signing them as free agents to be a part of their team.

When most people think of character, they mean personal character but a wise scout must also look at basketball/competitive character. Sometimes you have to separate an athlete's personal character from their basketball/competitive character in making personnel decisions. In describing basketball/competitive character I like to quote Dean Smith's mission statement (Play Hard, Play Smart, Play Together) for his University of North Carolina teams on Playing Hard - "To play with effort, determination, and courage."

If one creates a culture with talented players who possess high character, both personal & basketball/competitive character, they'll have a chance to produce a team that can be competitively great. "Competitive Greatness" is John Wooden's final block in his Pyramid of Success philosophy and simply means, "being at your best when your best is needed." Simple concept to understand but always a challenge for players and coaches to fulfill when championships are on the line. The Bulls Championship teams of the 1990s repeatedly proved that they were up to the challenge of being competitively great by executing and making plays at critical junctures to win closely contested games that clinched many series. It's a testament to their competitive greatness and killer instinct that they only played in two game 7's during their six championships.

In Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success Phil Jackson highlights "the five stages of tribal development" from the book, Tribal Leadership, by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright.

Stage 1: Life Sucks

Stage 2: My Life Sucks

Stage 3: I'm Great And You're Not

Stage 4: We're Great And They're Not

Stage 5: Life is Great

Jackson's goal in his first year as head coach of the Bulls in the 1989-90 season "was to transform the Bulls from a stage 3 team of lone warriors committed to their own individual success ('I'm great and you're not') to a stage 4 team in which the dedication to the WE overtakes the emphasis on the ME ('We're great and they're not')." Jackson felt he was able to eventually accomplish this with the first group of Bulls who were a part of the first 3-peat in 1991, 1992 & 1993 by creating a culture of "selflessness and mindful awareness." How did PJ do it? He "couldn't just rely on one or two innovative motivational techniques;" he "had to devise a multifaceted program that included the triangle offense but also incorporated the lessons" he "learned over the years about bonding people together and awakening the spirit." Dave Logan notes how special it is to move a group of individuals to Stage 4 in his Ted Talk on Tribal Leadership: "When individuals come together and find something that unites them that's greater than their individual competence, then something very important happens, the group gels. And it changes from a group of highly motivated but fairly individually-centric people into something larger; into a tribe that becomes aware of its own existence."

Dave Logan on Tribal Leadership

Jackson believes there were essential differences between the Bulls first and second 3-peat teams, besides the obvious, a major change in personnel built around the two pillars, Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen, who were there for the First and the Last Dances. Jordan & Pippen's evolution as leaders, along with the continued growth in their games enabled Jackson to progress the Bulls '96, '97, '98 NBA Championship teams to the 5th level of tribal leadership that few tribes (2%) are ever able to attain,"Life is Great:"

"I'm often asked to reveal the secret of the 1995-96 Bulls, which some consider the greatest basketball team ever assembled...The simple answer would be that it was all about the superstars: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. But talent can only get you so far in this game...Another explanation might be the magic of the triangle offense. But even Tex Winter would admit that the triangle was only part of the answer...In truth, it was a confluence of forces that came together in the fall of 1995 to transform the Bulls into a new breed of championship team. From a tribal leadership perspective, the Bulls were moving from being a stage 4 team to a stage 5. The first series of championships transformed the Bulls from an 'I'm great, you're not' team to a 'we're great, they're not' team. But for the second series, the team adopted a broader 'Life is great' point of view. By midseason it became clear to me that it wasn't competition per se that was driving the team; it was simply the joy of the game itself. This dance was ours, and the only team that could compete against us was ourselves.... We had absolutely everything in place that we needed to fulfill our destiny - talent, leadership, attitude, and unity of purpose." Phil Jackson

JOY! There are a lot of words that I can use to describe Michael Jordan, but the one that best captures his essence is JOY. The JOY and the LOVE he has for the game of basketball. His style of play, dedication and commitment to excellence has brought joy and wonder to those who were inside or outside of his orbit when he was playing. That this joy of the game also manifested itself in the great Bulls' teams of the '90s is truly remarkable and is one of the main reasons that the Bulls' teams of that era are still a cultural phenomena that has and will stand the test of time.

John W. Gardner on History: "History never looks like history when you are living through it. It always looks confusing and messy, and it always feels uncomfortable." The one thing I know for certain is that I knew I was experiencing history when I was a member of the Bulls basketball operations department in the '90s. And yes, it could be confusing, messy, and uncomfortable but it was a truly rewarding and enriching experience to witness greatness unfold before your eyes on a daily basis.

LINKS TO MY "LAST DANCE" PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY MIKE CLAIBORNE:

Episodes 1 & 2 - I reflect on my days as a scout & front office executive under Jerry Krause. Discuss Krause's background; Reinsdorf/Krause connection & salary structure in '80s & 90s. 4/24/20

Episode 3 - The Dennis Rodman Experience - also how I met Jerry Krause 4/29/20

Episodes 3 & 4 - Discuss Bulls playing without Scottie Pippen in 1997-98; MJ's leadership & ability to make teammates better, Phil Jackson's ways, Detroits Pistons and much more. 4/29/20

Episodes 3 & 4 - Discuss the genius of Tex Winter, MJ's
& Bulls transformation into Champions,
Phil Jackson's impact & the Detroit Pistons "Bad Boys"

Isiah Thomas & Bill Laimbeer.  

4/30/20

Episode 5 - Discuss the making of an icon, 1992 NBA Championship, Clyde Drexler, Dream Team, Tony Kukoc, & things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm 5/6/20

Episode 6 - Discuss 1st 3-peat & series vs.
Knicks & Suns
; Sam Smith's "Jordan Rules;" attempts to tear down the Icon/MJ & a social justice discussion quoting Barack Obama (5/13/20)

Episodes 7 & 8 - So much to this discussion with Mike Claiborne. If you're interested in listening to a long form discussion from an insider this podcast & the others we've done are for you. (5/13/20)

Episodes 9 & 10 - What time is it? Talent - Character - Right Way - Joy - Grit - Leadership - Tribes - Relationships - Philosophy - Breakup - Letting Go - Transformation - Mike Claiborne & I delve deeply into Episodes 9 & 10 & the entire Chicago Bulls Last Dance series.

Bonus Podcast - Discussed Horace Grant's displeasure with Michael Jordan & "the so called Last Dance documentary," but I mainly focused on the contributions of one of the most underrated defensive power forwards in
NBA history. There would be no 1st 3-peat w/o G-Man 54!

Changing The World - My Take on Admiral McRaven's UT Graduation Speech

2019-10-18T09:51:00.001-07:00

In the spring of 2017 I received a note that highlighted Navy Admiral's William H. McRaven's famous graduation speech that was given at the University of Texas on May 17, 2014.

Here are some thoughts I had after viewing the speech:

Admiral McRaven starts off by quoting the University's slogan/motto: "What starts here changes the world." It's a bold statement that's intended to capture the interest of the current student population. Do a little research and one will find a more traditional school motto for the University of Texas: "A cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy," but I digress. How many times have you heard in your life from a 20-something that they want to change the world? Most don't have a clue of how to go about doing it, but McRaven gives them a path; it's accomplished by small steps. I recently heard a minister say "I'm not trying to change the world, I'm just trying to live in the world I'm in." If you truly live in the world, one will have an opportunity to impact/change the lives of the ten people that McRaven references in his opening remarks.

The church I attend recently concluded a five part series entitled "My Radius," with the slogan - "Your biggest impact begins right where you are." Tom Hughes, one of the lead ministers of Christian Assembly Church in Los Angeles, had a phrase that connected with me - "Relational Radius" - He starts off his sermon by betting that there is something true in all of us - "We want our life, our one & only life that we get to live, we want it to count, we want it to matter, we want it to make a difference and we want it to have an impact - That's just in us."

Who's in our "relational radius?" The people we see in our everyday lives - our family, colleagues at work, neighbors, schoolmates, teammates, etc. Teachers and coaches can really impact and positively influence people in their relational radius - I can't put a number on the lives my mother and father have changed/impacted/influenced in a positive way.

All human interactions are not positive - We can have a negative or positive impact with the people within our relational radius. Is the group that you're most closely connected to having a positive or negative relational radius experience?

McRaven's Ten Lessons:

#1. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

Coaches love to talk about the "little things" - not attending to details can ruin a season. Is your team fundamentally sound? What does your coaching staff need to do to ensure their players are making their beds every day, from the first day of training camp to the last day of the season?

#2. If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

This is too generic - I say find someone who can help you paddle that can make you and the group better - What are your standards? This is one of my standards - to find athletes who make their teammates better both on and off the floor. Answer this question: Is he/she a good teammate? The heart of the story hits on the most important point - everybody needs to be in synch & paddling to the same destination - "Every paddle must be synchronized to the stroke count of the coxswain. Everyone must exert equal effort or the boat will turn against the wave and be unceremoniously tossed back on the beach."

#3 If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

"Heart" - All of us are looking for it - The munchkin crew succeeded because they had a chip on their shoulder and their "will to succeed" was greater than than their fellow Navy Seals. Size matters in the NBA, but there's a place for the "little man," especially, if they have heart and a unique skill set. All things equal, which they never are, go for size. "Don't teach toughness, Draft it."

#4 If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

Amen! Get over yourself. McRaven described a training methodology whose aim is to create more resilient and flexible (attitudes) Navy Seals. One of my standards is to find tough minded athletes whose sociological experiences have made them emotionally resilient and flexible in their attitude as it relates to coaching and change. Rigid thinkers won't be a part of my team.

My son's school recently hosted Peter Gray, a research professor of psychology at Boston College, whose focus is on resilience & play. Gray's "recent research focuses on the role of play in human evolution and how children educate themselves. He described the social phenomena that have led to a decline in emotional resilience. He used an array of anecdotes and studies to describe the correlation between increased anxiety and depression and decreased creativity in adolescents, and connected these changes to the decrease in unsupervised, unconstructive play since the mid-1950's."

Peter Gray's article, "Declining Student Resilience: A Serious Problem for Colleges," is a good read.

#5 But if you want to change the world, don't be afraid of the circuses.

McRaven describes a "competitive cauldron" atmosphere. Anson Dorrance, UNC's great women's soccer coach coined the term, "Competitive Cauldron." He devised a system of accountability that enabled him to "value competition and promote it among his teams." McRaven talks about holding all accountable and building physical resiliency. The physiological nature and injury history of certain athletes doesn't always lend itself to building the physical resiliency that is required to play 82 games in a NBA season - sometimes you have to back off players who just can't meet the physical demands of the sport.

"You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core." Jessica Lahey speaks "On The Gift of Failure" on Rich Roll's podcast & below on a youtube video:

#6 If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

Going against the grain - Think Mike D'Antoni's (Houston Rockets) style of basketball which was introduced to the NBA when he became head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 2003. Now his approach to the game is more the rule than the exception in today's NBA. Phil Jackson adopting Tex Winter's "Triple Post" offense philosophy when he took over the reigns of the Chicago Bulls in 1989 is another example of sliding down head first. Even more radical in some people's minds was Phil Jackson's belief that "Triple Post/Triangle Offense" still had its place in the modern day game when he became President of Basketball Operations in 2014 for the New York Knicks. It was viewed as an antiquated offense, but what few realize is that the "Triple Post Offense" has always been considered a pariah in the NBA. Count me in on being a pariah if I could have been a part of Eleven World Championships. I guess I'll just have to be content with the six I was a part of in my days with the Chicago Bulls.

#7 So, if you want to change the world, don't back down from the sharks.

"Stand your Ground" is what I get out of this and I'm not talking about the Florida law that allowed Trayvon Martin's killer to escape conviction. Every NBA team needs some "stand your ground" players on defense.

I'll touch lightly on McRaven's reference about sharks - The New York Metropolitan area is infested with sharks and I would love to punch some of them, but as one of my favorite podcasters (Rob Bell) recently taught - Redemptive Violence is a lie and we need to adopt a third way of thinking. The third way of thinking concept reminds me of Phil Jackson's thoughts on the "Triple Post Offense:" "Our system moves away from that. The whole concept is to defy pressures, to work against another team's force. Basically we try to get the other team to overload in one area and then work with their energy (to defeat them)."

#8 If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.

Poise & Competitive Greatness - Navy Seal training prepares you to "be at your best when your best is needed." Scuba Diving underneath a ship to find it's keel requires the same level of poise that Michael Jordan had in crunch time situations in the playoffs. How did Michael get to that level? By creating a foundation in his game and psyche that could withstand the competitive challenges he would face.

I've taught John Wooden's Pyramid of Success Philosophy to some of the youth teams I coached. I love Wooden's definition for Poise - "You don't acquire poise, it acquires you." Do most people understand Wooden's definition of Poise? - Probably not, unless you've studied his Pyramid of Success. "Poise is part of the harvest you reap near the top of my Pyramid of Success. In effect, Poise is a powerful gift you give yourself when you acquire the blocks of the Pyramid-those in the preceding three tiers." That means you have to put in a lot of work on yourself and your game before poise will acquire you - you just can't magically become poised - it's earned - Industriousness, Enthusiasm, Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation, Self-Control, Alertness, Initiative, Intentness, Condition, Skill, Team Spirit.

#9 So, If you want to change the world, start singing when you're up to your neck in mud. There's a lot to this statement as it relates to team success - How many teams reach their very best? Reaching your very best in Wooden's Pyramid is being ready/prepared for "Competitive Greatness." When times get tough for a team, how does the group respond? Do they give into the darkness that is permeating around them or do the find a way to take "small steps" to turn the tide. "Esprit De Corps" - military term meaning "Spirit of the Corps" - How would you rate your team spirit? Back to having standards - You can't construct a Pyramid without having two essential elements - Enthusiasm & Industriousness.

But the essence of what McRaven discusses regarding this point is built upon the "power of one" - One person can be the catalyst for lifting the group and one person can be the catalyst for the group to implode. When you're looking to bring people into your circle, make sure you find that person who will sing when he's up to neck in mud.

#10. If you want to change the world don't ever, ever ring the bell.

Robert E. Lee

2017-08-14T23:41:00.001-07:00

Robert E. Lee Hotel

I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. The Robert E. Lee Hotel was a fixture in my city until it came tumbling down in 1972. My mom still has a piece of furniture from the hotel. Robert E. Lee was a revered figure in the South for the longest time.

I left Winston-Salem in 1973 to attend a boarding school in Alexandria, VA. One of my classmates from Episcopal is a direct descendant (Great Great Grandson) of Lee. Great guy from a great family. I read this article today: "How Robert E. Lee Went from Hero to Racist Icon." Also highlighting this article I read on Lee on April 26, 2019 - "The Myth of the Kindly General Lee."

In 2011 I wrote a blog about a treasured park near my hometown, Tanglewood Park -- I titled the blog, "Confronting my Past."

Growing up Black in the South in the 1960's & 1970's will make you continually confront your past - it could be complicated and perplexing. The recent events in Charlottesville, VA definitely cause me to think of the childhood angst I felt towards race, discrimination & hatred.

That said, I wouldn't trade growing up in the South during the 60's & 70's for any other time period that I've been a part of in my life. I witnessed seismic changes in our society during my childhood because a majority of the people in this country were challenged to recognize the better angels of their nature.

To quote Abraham Lincoln:

We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

"How Far We Have Traveled." William Etling wrote these words in 2008 after witnessing the inauguration of Barack Obama. His words inspired me to write "Confronting my Past." We've traveled far but we still haven't traveled far enough.

Kurt Warner's recent Pro Football Hall of Fame speech spoke to me. Warner talked about how moments matter.

Moments matter. They leave their impression upon us. They shape how we live our lives, and they impact who we become. They also offer us something of possibly more value: The opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the world around us.

I came here tonight to say thank you to all of those who crossed my path and didn’t miss their moment to mark on me. It made all the difference. Don’t miss your moments. Both the moments to be impacted, and the moments to impact.

Peace & Love!

Real Talk - Greg Newell on Dennis Johnson

2017-08-02T02:25:00.000-07:00

Greg Newell

"SPEAKING CALLS FOR RISK, SPEAKING CALLS FOR A SENSE OF WHAT ONE HAS TO LOSE, NOT JUST WHAT ONE HAS TO GAIN. SPEAKING CALLS FOR HEART."

Anna Deavere Smith penned the preceding quote in her 2001 book "Talk to Me: Travels in Media & Politics." She traveled America "in pursuit of authentic language, the kind that reveals the truth of a person, not just information."

Dennis Johnson

Greg Newell has a unique & authentic voice and his passion revolves around basketball. Greg is the youngest son of the legendary Pete Newell, a force for many years in basketball as a coach, teacher, administrator & executive at the college and professional levels. Greg & I have been Facebook friends for many years. His Facebook posts on basketball have a unique slant and his legion of followers usually add depth to the conversation with their comments.

Recently Greg responded to a Facebook comment by telling a fascinating story about his first brush with real adversity in basketball when he was a Freshman at LA Harbor College in 1974-75.

My Dad told me when I was about 18 years old and faced my 1st BB adversity.......and wanting to QUIT because the typical "Coach doesn't like me because I'm better than the guy I'm playing behind........." Which also resulted in a practice fist fight with another player I was mad at......so I got kicked out of practice and told the coach "I quit this bullsh*t team"!!! Pops told me, when he got home and I was in my room, feeling sorry for myself............."Greg, the easiest thing to do in life, when things get rough, is QUIT!!! Learn now, to get through tough times and adversity at your age, because surely there are gonna come days, when you are an adult, where you want to quit; but if you learn your lesson now? You have the strength built up to face any adversity?" He was right.........he didn't fight my fights or sugar coat his message......it was straight REAL!!! BTW.........that player I felt and to this day, I thought I was better than? Dennis Johnson (DJ) at Harbor JC my Freshman year!! LOL

Moral to my little story,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I came back to the Team and practice the next day and on my Dad's suggestion (which I did NOT want to do at all................but I did) I apologized to the Coach and he was cool with it and my outburst.................I earned the "Most Inspirational Player" on ourTeam that WON the State JC BB Title in California 3 months later and both my Mom and Dad were as proud of me, than when I earned a scholly and graduated from Pepperdine a couple years later. LOL

I saw Greg's comment & responded - Great lesson & greater story, especially when you did your "Paul Harvey" at the end & mentioned DJ's name - Idea for your blog - write about Dennis Johnson's development from his high school/junior college years to when he decided to declare after his junior year at Pepperdine. Was he a classic late bloomer? How good was he in high school/1st year of JC. Scottie Pippen has one of the greatest late bloomer stories of all-time. From NAIA College Manager to Hall of Fame.

Greg started a basketball/sports commentary blog called bballerschopshop.com in May, 2017. His 4-part series on Dennis Johnson is Real Talk & great insight into Dennis Johnson's college hoop years. Many who read this blog post might not know who Dennis Johnson was - He's easily in my top 5 list of basketball players who are from the Los Angeles area (LA County). Below are the first 2 paragraphs from his Wikipedia Bio.

Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He was an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.^[1]

A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles^[2] and had a successful NBA playing career. Drafted 29th overall in 1976 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson began his professional career as a shooting guard. He eventually led the Sonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, winning the Finals MVP Award. After a short stint with the Phoenix Suns, he became the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won two more championships. Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams, one All-NBA First and one Second Team, and nine consecutive All-Defensive First and Second Teams.^[3] Apart from his reputation as a defensive stopper, Johnson was known as a clutch player who made several decisive plays in NBA playoffs history.^[1]

Click Dennis Johnson's NBA Encyclopedia bio if you want further details on his basketball career.

I'm going to provide links to all of Greg's posts on Dennis Johnson as well as his words on this blog post. Greg posted the following quote from his dad in his last post:

Greg Newell - Part 1 - My Poignant Memories of Dennis Johnson and How HE influenced my Life

we go………….My memory of the “Late, Great: Dennis Johnson”…………..With several many THANKS to Clarence Gaines, Jr.; the son of BB Hall of Famer: Clarence “Big House” Gaines; who in his own right, a highly respected NBA “Scout and Talent Evaluator” most notably with the Chicago Bulls and the NY Knicks of recent…………Clarence Jr. encouraged me to write my time with DJ and share the memories of this oft forgotten GREAT BB player and offer some backstory how we came to meet, become teammates and everything after…….which upon reflection; is a GREAT memory to me……….because Dennis was my friend; first and foremost!!!

I first met Dennis; more or less, the very 1st practice held at “Try Outs” at Los Angeles Harbor Junior College. “Try Outs” was one of those terms used for “other players” not me; because I felt, do my HS success, I didn’t need to “Try Out”; but that was the “Code of the Road” with the Head BB Coach: Jim White, who was NO JOKE!!! Coach White was a former excellent BB player, who had played and started at USC back in the day and was known for his Defensive prowess and his PRIMARY emphasis as a BB Coach!! So his “Try Outs” had more to do with ‘weeding out” those players who “bought in” on Defense first and if they had some offensive skill at the other end? But it was ALL about DEFENSE first with Coach White……….which is where our paths collided; because I played defense, as my Dad used to say: “Matador Style” LOL!! In other words, my style of playing perimeter defense was to check a player and next thing I knew, the offensive player went right by me, like a Bull in a Bullfight, red cape and all…………causing my Dad to say……….”Greg, you are a great Traffic Cop……..you yell out “Switch”; Help”; “You take him”; etc like no other BB defender I have ever seen or heard!!!” LOL (True Story)

I write all this, above, to set the stage for my 1st encounter with DJ……..it was quite apparent, Dennis was STELLAR on Defense and NOT just Man-to-Man; but “Help Side Defense” and his crazy leaping ability where he would come out of nowhere to BLOCK shots at the rim; or on a close out? He was 6’3; but geezus, his wingspan………which I have no clue what it was, had to be nearly 6’9 or 6’10? I mean, he had incredibly LONG arms and a quickness on his feet, to react in ‘cat like’ quickness………..He was one of those players you WATCHED and were focused on because he was so damm uncanny; or to me, he was.

Dennis and I connected as 1 on 1 Defensive Drills; due to our height being close (DJ was 6’3 and I was 6’4) and his not being quick off the dribble; so Coach White felt, I would “learn to move my feet” guarding him with that drill, where the offensive player would dribble 2 or 3 bounces to the right; crossover and take another 2 or 3 dribbles to the left and so on? It was a good drill for what Coach White wanted, because he was a freaking STICKLER for NOT touching your heels, doing the defensive slide, defending. I was a utter disaster figuring this whole thing out, because I was a “reacher” with my hands AND touched my heels repeatedly……..Coach White would scream at me, I was not doing the drill right, DJ would laugh at Coach’s angst and I was pissed off why this drill was so freaking important to begin with?

Because Dennis and I would often be paired up in Drills, we chit chatted quite a bit and I’d ask him about things Coach White expected and expected of me; etc. Dennis, would giggle and say……..”Just keep your head up and do NOT talk back to “Whitey” (not to be defamatory, but Coach White was called by friends, “Whitey”……….LOL) Coach noticed Dennis and I had this interesting relationship over the course of 2 or 3 weeks and called me into his office, one day and asked me if I wouldn’t mind driving Dennis home after practice? At the time, Dennis lived with his Grandma in San Pedro, as did Coach White living in Pedro and gave him rides home…….I never blinked, of course I’d take DJ home.

Those drives to his home were both hysterical and poignant for me. Dennis was absolutely one of the funniest people I had ever met or a teammate with. Sharp as a tack with incredible humor breaking sh*t down. His poingnantcy came from his upbringing………He was ONE of 16 children!! He was the middle child, 8th to be exact!! He shared with me, his older brother who was in Prison for a Murder rap; though he said, “he did kill the person” over a stupid ‘deal gone bad’ scenario………….

Dennis, as we spent more time together, driving to his Grandma’s and over the course of time and he just got better and better, offensively……….not great; but so damm smart and effective HOW he scored and got his points and his total unselfishness PASSING the ball and his anticipation, reading the defense and THEN making a heads up pass (Serious BB IQ!!!) He started telling me he was a bit pissed off and frustrated no D1’s or for that matter, no 4 year schools were writing him; or calling!?!?! He felt, then, he was a “perfect fit” for Oregon; who back then, were well known for their Defense in the, then, Pac 8 and their D was dubbed the “Kamakazie Kids” led by Ronnie Lee and his all out aggressive style with limited offensive skills; except his bullish ways on offense to get his points because he was a freaking FB player in a BB uniform!! I thought, Oregon would be a GREAT school for DJ and went home and told my Dad. He and I had several conversations about Dennis at the Dinner table…………but this time, I was emphatic about this possibilty of DJ and Oregon. He told me, he’d call Coach White the next day and “see”; which meant…..”Greg, I love you; but I’m not about to take your scouting report on Dennis………” LOL I knew the drill.

Next thing I knew, my brother Roger came to one of our games, to scout or check on “this Dennis Johnson kid, Greg is shouting about……….?” Dennis put on a SHOW!!! We beat LA Southwest, coached by LA BB Coach LEGEND at the time: Caldwell Black and this dude put together a team/squad that was comprised of former Verbum Dei HS studs, where he had coached; some D1 bounce backs and this one dude……….Felton Young, a 7’0 footer out of somewhere, USA and a certified D1 player ( he ended up at Florida St or Jacksoville, when they were good and nationally ranked) Anyway, DJ went for 42 points; had 17 rebounds and 8 blocked shots, 5 of which were “helpside defense” against Felton who abused our 6’5 Center………….but when he went right or left, inside? Dennis was THERE to knock his sh*t away!!

Roger went home, like a dart, to report back to my Dad about “this Dennis Johnson kid”………….So…………..my Dad believing the raves from me and Roger, called Dick Harter, who was the HC at Oregon and the “Architect” of the “Kamakazie Kids” to pass on what he’s heard and maybe he ought to send one of his assistant’s to check him out? Coach Harter told him, he had “no more scholarships left and it would be futile to check him out because of the commits they already had?” MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also at the game that night, was both Pepperdine Assistant Coaches: LeRoy Porter and Dan Yocum!!!! Suffice it to say, Pepperdine offered Dennis a Full Ride the very next morning!! Dennis, of course signed!!! The crazy thing was and from what I had found out later, one other school offered DJ a scholarship and that was an NAIA school, Azusa Pacific!?!?!!?! BTW………Yoke and LeRoy were there to SEE and SCOUT Felton Young; NOT Dennis!!! LOL

Fast forward this story…………a year later, I was in my 2nd year at Harbor JC; but I gave up BB to concentrate on Baseball, as it was felt, I had a better ‘career’ being a Baseball player/prospect, being 6’4; Lefthanded and threw hard and a bit………..or a lot crazy!?!!?!? But I had everything go wrong, health wise, I had arm problems; caught this nasty ass flu; which put me out of commission for 2 weeks and I found myself OUT of the rotation, where the year before, I was the supposed “Ace” of the staff………….so I grew despondent and yearned to play BB again……….somewhere and felt, I could get a dual scholarship………..maybe?

San Diego St. offered me a 50% baseball scholarship and the BB Coach, Tim Vezie, said if I were to make the team, I’d get the other 50%? I was sold!! Everything was in place for me to attend and play at San Diego St……..so I went on this crazy bb workout schedule over the summer to get ready for the Fall. I looked for games everywhere in LA……..morning workouts by myself, looking for games that night?

Then one night, I get a call from this dude who KNEW where the “best runs were” and he told me “head up to Pepperdine tonight?” as he assured me, “great runs” were happening up there. I had NEVER been to Pepperdine, let alone Malibu for any reason ever before………..so I was resistant because I had no idea where Malibu was and not sure if my “old girl” (Volkswagon Squareback) which leaked oil; gas and any other fluid out of the engine, would make it up there………wherever the hell Malibu was? He broke me down and I agreed to go; but the instruction was, I had to stop in Inglewood and pick up Jackie Robinson; Reggie Theus and Robert Smith, who were all teammates at UNLV and pick up bb friends of mine………..get them and drive to Malibu!!

I get there, we all pile out and file our way into the Gym and I have ZERO clue about anything, just trying to soak the beauty in……….next thing I know and hear is a voice” “Greg; Greg; Newelly!!!!!” I look around and its Dennis Johnson barking my name. I hadn’t seen DJ in over a year and he and I meet halfway with our jog towards each other, do the brotherly embrace……….checked on each other’s ‘life’ and then he says…………”We got next game, get ready?” WTF!!!??? We ended up ‘holding the court’ the whole night!!! Swear to God and we went up against UCLA players; USC players; fomer NBA players and otjher college players and kicked all their asses!!!

Dennis and I leave the court, together and chatted………..then LeRoy Porter shows up and re-introduces himself to me……..like I didn’t know who HE was anyway and asks me where I was playing? I gave him the long story and he pulls DJ aside and then Gary Colson shows up and the 3 of them have this conference………..with all 3 finishing and approaching me. Coach Colson offered ME, Dennis’ scholarship, because he was gonna sign with the Seattle Supersonics on a “Hardship” draft pick he received earlier with the NBA Draft and it was Dennis who convinced Coach Colson to give me HIS BB scholarship and That is why I wound up at Pepperdine and my friendship with Dennis Johnson!!

Greg Newell - Part 2 - DJ.......................

Dennis was “difficut”; but not an asshole by any stretch of anyone’s imagination; except his Coaches? He was ‘troubled” and “immature”; as has been written; but it goes much DEEPER than that!! Dennis was NEVER a BB player, of note, in HS and in fact, when he graduated, he went to work right away never; every expecting to play competitively again; truth be told. I mean, he never started for his HS team; didn’t play Varsity BB till his Jr or Sr year……….He never gave up on the game; he just felt he wasn’t a “player who had ability to play at the next level……….”?

Coach Jim White, saw DJ play in a pick up game, one night at Harbor JC and saw something? See, great coaches ‘see something” and he did and encouraged Dennis to enroll at Harbor and “give the game a retry?” DJ did and lo and behold the Legend of DJ started

Dennis had NO problem acting up at practice or games, in JC and because I followed him onto Pepperdine, as I relayed the story in my last post……I heard the stories about him getting into it with Coaches and some teammates; but I did laugh them off; because I KNEW who this dude was…….he was NOT a malcontent; he was just figuring out his greatness and working through the immaturity we ALL go through in College………..and add in the MAIN fact, Pepperdine was on the College BB map because of Dennis and his play, the ONLY year he played there’

Dennis did have problems once he got to the League and his 1st year with the Sonics, with coaches and one veteran, in particular, Paul Silas; but the Sonics won the the NBA Title his Rookie Year and he was a Play=Off and Fina;’s hero too; so a lot was forgiven or forgotten…………take your pick? Facts were, Dennis in a matter of 2 short years, became a STAR; but he was still the 8th child in a family of 16 brothers and sisters, who never started for his HS team; his brother in Prison for a Murder committed and just growing up in Compton with all the mess that environment posed daily……………he was as STREET as they came, even though he was from SoCal and outside of LA and California, Compton was never considered a Mean Street………because to the outside world? It was Watts; not Compton that garnered the headlines outta of the ’65 LA Riots……….but Compyon was just as “Mean”‘ just as “badass”of a city to come up in as any Ghetto across America………This was WHO Demmis was; but NOT what he desired……..

His NBA career came full circle, when he was, basically, GIVEN away in a Trade by the Phoenix Suns, where DJ was traded to 2 or 3 years earlier out of Seattle and looming stories, that the Suns had a “serious drug problem’ with their team and Jerry Colangelo, as GM, got rid of what he felt were the “problems” and one of them, was Dennis. He traded DJ to the Boston Celtics for Rick fu*king Robey!!! Red Auerbach was slick as they came, trading for or trading away players who shined as Celtics; but were otherwise castoffs to other teams they came from…….Dennis is the photo next to THAT definition in the Dictionary!!

Larry Bird, of all teammates of DJ’s; summed it up best……….and I concur because I played with him when he was a “kid”: “Dennis was the best teammate I ever played with…..”

Greg Newell - Part 3 - DJ is Gone!!!

can’t nor won’t speak for everyone who was touched by Dennis Johnson; but I can reasonably believe, we ALL were saddened, shocked and had tears in our eyes the moment we heard the news and you gotta remember, this happended before Social Media’s ‘full frontal’ getting news out fast and furious like today’s world of information

I received the news, via email or phone call? Not sure which now? From my older brother, Tommy; as he knew Dennis and I were friends and teammates; etc. and the news of DJ’s death hit him hard when he heard within hours of his Heart Attack from one of his (Tommy) NBA cronnies. I was schocked!!! Stunned to the point of “WTF?”

I immediately thought back on my time with Dennis and the times spent and shared and the REAL fact, our friendship was truly based on TRUST and Loyalty, both as teammates and as friends. The year we spent together at Harbor JC and the cast of characters Coach White had put together, as OUR team and NO ONE, I mean NO ONE knew how good we WERE gonna be that season? Clearly, we didn’t and not so sure Coach White felt it either?: I mean, during the season, we had serious issues amongst us, TRYING to fit Coach White’s system and KEEP our individuality; if that was possible; which it really wasn’t………LOL Dennis had a couple of incidents that year, early, where he showed his ass, walking off the court, during a game, because he didn’t like what the other teammates were doing (selfish play by them) and Coach White had NO idea Dennis walked off the court and then realizing we were playing 4 on 5 for two full possessions already……..and he starting counting our players who were on the court and when he ‘got it’? All HELL broke loose with Coach White that carried over at halftime and his just exploding on all of us. I made the mistake of sitting next to Dennis, during the halftime RAGE by Coach White and 80% of his ‘talk’ was right in front of Dennis; but I caught the spit flying out of Coach White’s mouth and too damm afraid to wipe it away?? True Story!! Sh*t was intense!!

I thought about my teammates at Harbor upon the news of DJ’s death and felt a loss; because I had lost track of all of them through the years and basically kicked myself over that, because we became a TEAM that year who wound up winning to coveted California Junior College Basketball State Title!!! And as I mentioned above………There was NO ONE; I mean NO ONE who felt we were ‘that team’ to have even a legit shot going to State; let alone winning the damm thing? There were so many great JC Programs, who historically, made their way to the State Finals, out of SoCal………Compton JC; Long Beach City; Pasadena City College and I could go on and on, listing more local JC’s who had consistency travelling to State………but Harbor? We had a 6’5 WHITE Center, who had a vertical about 6 inches; but just tough as nails and defended every big we faced…..regardless of height and/or weight and strength? He was a San Pedro “tough kid” (Jim Butner—–shout out)’ but we also had 3 other starters who were so good, aside from Dennis, who, as a starting five? Meshed………and though I was pissed off I wasn’t one of them; even I saw the chemistry these 5 had.

At one early point in the year, I was battling to just STAY in the rotation of freaking PLAYING; not sitting. I never sat on the bench; ever!!! Be it baseball or basketball. But that reality was soon to hit my ass; flush!!! I realized every practice was important for me to show out and go hard………..so I had zero qualms about getting into it, with a guard, I felt was above me on the invisible depth chart? One teammate and guard I felt was ahead of me, was a player I had played against in HS my Jr. year (he was a Sr.) from Verbum Dei HS; which then, was a freaking POWERHOUSE of a HS Program. I’m not gona mention his name; because I don’t want to give him any pub here………….but he was a flat out PUNK ASS and he and I would get into it, when we scrimmaged and he’d always guard me, talking sh*t; cheap shots………….I had enough, we squared off and had a 3-5 fist fight on the court!! I mean, a FIST FIGHT that no one broke up!!! We were both bloodied; tired and still mad at each other…………..but Coach White, who allowed us to go at it…….that was his style and to him? He LOVED that kind of sh*t; so long as no guns or knives were involved; of course? LOL He kicked us both out of practice; however, we had to go in the same locker room and we started up again………I mean, just punching the fu*k out of each other!! This dude could fight; no doubt; but he had NO idea I could too!!! Because of the noise, Coach White ran in and broke us up again, to which, I said to him, “I quit this bullsh*t team………..” I meant it

I grabbed my stuff (school clothes and school books) and got the fk out of there…..pissed off as all get out………..but where my car was parked, I had to walk through the gym and practice was still going on……….but at that exact time, Coach White called practice for the day…………..so as I’m walking through the gym, Dennis yells out………..”Greg, can you get me?” Meaning he needed a ride home. I really didn’t want to have anything to do with anybody on the team………NONE of it………but I said “Yeah, I got you; but hurry up…….?” Within a flash, DJ ran out of the Locker room, with his practice gear on and sh*t hanging out of his gym bag…………so we ride

Dennis was initially quiet on the ride and I was silent; fuming mad and actually physically shaking from the adreniline rush from the fights………Dennis breaks the ice and says………..”You can fight, can’t you?” I said nothing………….Dennis goes: “You know _______________(name of player) went after you because he thought you were a typical whiteboy and was trying to intimidate you because you are taking his place in the rotation?” That got my attention; but nonetheless, I wanted no more part of this bullsh*t and I told Dennis that. He understood and when I dropped him off at his Grandma’s; he looked me dead in the eye and said: “I’ll see your ass tomorrow at practice!!”” I responded: “Don’t fu*king bet on it!!!” And drove off

******I got to run off now…don’t mean this story to end here…………..I’ll finish it off shortly; or before long**************SORRY!!!!

Greg Newell - Part 4 - Last of the Dennis Johnson ‘series’……..

Sooooooooo…….I drop Dennis off at his Grandma’s and he was, during the drive home, caring but in a different way……….he understood why I was so pissed and the fights and me “quitting”; but he wasn’t enabling; if that makes sense? He just told me: “I’ll see your ass at practice tomorrow……!! Like he didn’t believe I was serious, which I was…………I thought?

I get home, slam the door, hard, my Mom in the front room and she knew by me storming in, something was up? She asked if everything was OK? Was I OK? To which, I gave her inaudible answers……….she got pissed, as I was slamiming shut kitchen drawer; the fridge and she has heard enough of my tantrum!!! She stormed into the kitchen and demanded I tell her what was wrong and of course, I saw that look in her eye (She was also NO JOKE) and I told her and started tearing up and sobbing like a bitch!!

So I go to my room; feeling sorry for myself about how I let this dude at practice lure me into a fight, then the reality of quitting; but I was good with it and just how fu*king embarrassing the whole scene was and how it would be played out with my (former) teammates, when I showed up to school the next day and have several of them in my classes; etc. I was a freaking wreck!!! LOL

About an hour later, my Dad came home from work (he was the GM of the Lakers at this time) and I hear he and my Mom talking in the front room; not really loud enough for me to hear; but I wasn’t overly concerned with what they were talking about; becasuse I was still pissed off………..next thing I knew, my Dad knocks on my bedroom door, calls my name and comes in…………

My Mom obviously to him as much as she knew, from what I told her which was sketchy; but a Clift Notes version more or less…….so he asks me, innocently “What happened at practice today?” I told him and told him “I quit, that it was bullsh*t; the coach didn’t like me; the dude I got in the fight with was an asshole and I was done with the whole thing..” The whole self pity and woe is me; feel sorry for me bullsh*t……he listened, looking me in the eye and waited for my pity party to end and said to me: “Greg, I know your upset and angry but quiting never solves any solution to the problem?” “You may not understand this now, because you’re so upset; but IF you get through this event/issue, suck it up and stick it out, you will have accomplished something you can look back on, the next time you want to quit on something? Quiting is the easy way out and those who quit learn nothing from adversity. But sticking something out till the end and enduring throughout the season or class; or even a job? You’re gonna have that strength, inner strength to take on any problem and bounce back……….”

He asked me if I still wanted to quit and said he’d support me either way, but the look in his eyes said something else? I said I won’t quit and he suggested I go in, early in the morning, to talk to Coach White and the teammate I fought with and freaking apologize!!?? WTF!!! He was the other sonuvabitch I was mad at……..now I got to apologize to him too? I did………..Coach White accepted it; but NEVER took my “I quit this bullsh*t” seriously and that teammate? I’m not gonna say we became friends; but there was a respect earned from that point forward.

Season ends and we win the State and now we have our Awards Banquet. Its a big deal; because we did win State so more people were in attendance and I was there with my Mom and Dad, of course………..now mind you, the players vote for the team and individual awards given or at least it was that way with our group/team……….Dennis gets the MVP; of course, Most Improved Player went another deserving teammate and Best Defensive Player went to that teammate I brawled with………..then the LAST award, by design? Coach White gives this speech about the award and that all but one player didn’t vote for him and I KNOW what that player was…………..”The Most Inspirational Player Award goes to………………………”Lefty”………Greg Newell!!” I was shocked!! At that point Dennis stands up and gives ME a standing ovation, then the rest of the team stands and claps………I’m stunned and I made my way to the podium; I look back at my parents and my Mom was crying and my Dad had this proud look on his face……….all this for a Most Inspirational Award, I thought?

And yes, I was the lone vote……….I voted for Dennis and that’s NO lie; because he was so freaking inspirational

We're Getting The President WE Deserve!

2017-01-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Why did I tweet the above comment? I was appalled that Donald Trump, OUR President-elect, would make the following tweets because of remarks Meryl Streep made on January 8, 2017 after accepting her lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globe Awards Ceremony.

"Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never "mocked" a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him "groveling" when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media"

Someone responded "why would anyone assume this' to my tweet, "some say you get the President you deserve." If you want to know "why anyone would assume this," I suggest you listen to a podcast (Oprah Gets Political) from WBEZ's excellent series, Making Oprah.

At the 14:10 mark of the Oprah Gets Political podcast, Oprah relates a discussion she had with Barack Obama before the 2008 Presidential Election.

Oprah Winfrey: This is what I'll never forget (Barack's comments to Oprah) and it has carried me even through this election. I'm going to be OK because the American People are going to get the President they deserve.
Interviewer (Jenn White): How did you interpret that?

Oprah: I interpreted it with ultimately the majority will decide. I will do the best that I can, and then whatever the majority decides, that's what the country actually deserves.

If you want to understand the context behind Oprah's comments listen from the 12:58 to 16:30 marks on Oprah Gets Political, or listen to the entire podcast.

WE DESERVE BETTER!

That's my Game! Big House on Coach John McLendon - Father of Black College & Fast Break Basketball

2016-09-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

John McLendon will be enshrined today, September 9, 2016, as a COACH in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor is long overdue. In 1979 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a contributor, which many basketball experts viewed as a slight. A wrong has been righted and it's fitting that he is the first person to be enshrined as a Coach and a Contributor.

John McLendon was a mentor and a great friend to my dad, Clarence "Big House" Gaines. McLendon presented my dad when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Coach in 1982. There are many stories that I can tell you about Coach Mac, but I prefer you hear my father's voice and thoughts about Coach McLendon.

The video "Big House & Coach Mac" was created for a middle school presentation. I made a point of telling the kids that you can't learn about Big House without knowing about Coach McLendon (My father's comments about Coach Mac start at 6 minute mark). Dad talks about how McLendon shared his knowledge, their joint recruiting trips as rival coaches, fast break basketball, NAIA District 29 (District for all Historical Black Colleges and Universities in 1950's & 60's), McLendon's great Tennessee A&I teams, and the significance of getting beat like a drum by one of McLendon's teams when he was coaching at North Carolina College for Negroes, now NCCU.

Big House on his relationship with John McLendon: "It was an excellent relationship. It was a heck of a learning experience for me about basketball and life. John was 8/9 years older and he helped me develop a sense of professionalism that really paid off. It wasn't a matter that these men of color couldn't play (coach) basketball, they just needed an opportunity."

Shortly before my father died, his book, "They Call Me Big House" was released. Chapter 6 is dedicated to Coach Mac - "Coach John McLendon Changes the Way Basketball is Played." Excerpts from Chapter 6 follow:

The inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, might not recognize his game of slow walking and precise passing as it is played today. The improver of basketball, Coach John McLendon, would recognize the fast-breaking, running and shooting game that is typical of today's college and professional teams. He would smile and say. "That's my game!"

While in college, John was not allowed to play varsity basketball because of segregation rules barring on-court competition between blacks and whites. Instead of playing, he sat down with famous Kansas coach Forrest "Phog" Allen to learn about the game. When John wasn't quizzing Coach Allen, he was talking to the man himself, Dr. Naismith, who had been hired by Kansas as a professor of physical education.

John's first job after college came in 1935 when Dr. Naismith helped him get a job as coach of the black team in a mixed-race high school. Two years later, John found a job as assistant coach at the North Carolina College for Negroes (now named North Carolina Central University) in Durham. In 1940, he was named head basketball coach.

It was in Durham where I first got to know John in the fall of 1945. I had known about him when I was a student at Morgan State, but I had done little more than nod at him before and after games.

Physically, John McLendon was an unimposing man, only 5'8" and 135 pounds. No basketball coach in his right mind would have picked him for even a junior-varsity high-school team. Shoot, he wouldn't have been picked for a schoolyard pickup game. John was too short, too skinny, and too mild looking.

But John had quick eyes. He saw everything that was going on around him, which is necessary in a basketball player. The best thing John had going for him was his mind. He had one of the best-organized basketball minds I have ever seen. He was able to motivate his players to do just about anything possible with a basketball. His championships prove that.

He also had the ability to convince college administrators to do just about anything he wanted. The (CIAA) tournament he helped create proves that. John had a great mind for behind-the-scenes maneuvering that would go far beyond just organizing the CIAA tournament. In a few years, he would use his skills of organizing and pressuring to suggest changes to the white basketball sanctioning bodies that would result in them finally accepting black basketball teams into their tournaments.

It was after John's team whipped my team's butt 119-65 in 1949 that I made him my friend rather than my opponent. I decided then and there that I might not be able to beat him on the basketball court, but I could learn a lot from him about how to beat other people.

What I learned-what everyone in basketball learned-was how to play the high-speed style of basketball. Until John McLendon came along, when a team sank a basket at one end of the court, they leisurely trotted back to defend their goal. While the defending team was easing into position, the attacking team was walking back up the court with the guards eyeing the defense and making a selection about which moves their team would employ to get close to the basket. It might be 30 seconds before the attacking team even walked close enough to the goal to begin attacking the basket.

John read over the rules and saw a way he could put his stamp on the game. He saw nothing in the rules that prevented him from drastically speeding up the game. As soon as the ball came out of the net after his opponent had scored, one of his players would retrieve it and then toss it up the court to a teammate, who would pass it on to a shooter running full tilt toward the basket. He called it a "fast-break."

John McLendon turned a somewhat mild passing game into a running game. The effect was dramatic. Coaches had to change their practices to include a lot more running and conditioning just so their teams would not become exhausted before the game was over. We had to teach how to defend on the run, how a defensive player could take away the ball from a fast-moving, advancing player without fouling him.

John could play the opposite kind of game, too. Dean Smith, retired coach of the University of North Carolina, is credited with the invention of the game-slowing four-corners offense. Dean and John were not coaching contemporaries, but John McLendon's North Carolina College Eagles were using that four-corners offense a good 15 years before Dean Smith's Tar Heels. John was using both the fast break and the four-courners offenses against every team he played in the '40's and '50s, before Dean Smith was even elevated to head coach at UNC in the '60s.

I feel confident in saying that what is accepted as standard basketball in today at both the college and professional levels was introduced into the game by John McLendon.

The best decision I ever made in my career was teaming up with John for recruiting trips in the late 1940s and early 1950s. John thought we were riding together to save gas money, but the truth is that I wanted to get him alone to talk about basketball plays, strategy on the court, and how to motivate players to do exactly what I wanted them to do when I wanted them to do it. John seemed to have no trouble with all those coaching skills, while his opponents were standing around scratching our heads as his teams ran up the score on us.

How good was John McLendon as a basketball coach. His teams won 264 and lost only 60 while he was at North Carolina College (NCCU). He won eight CIAA tournaments between 1941 and 1952. He moved on to Hampton Institute and won 32 and lost only 14. Then he moved on to Tennessee A&I State University in Nashville, where he won 149 games and lost only 20. While at Tennessee State, he won three straight National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championships.

His basketball coaching was amazing, but so where his negotiating skills. The road to integrating the NAIA championship was rocky, and the deft political maneuvering the black coaches used to accomplish it is interesting. And right in the middle of all of that was my friend, John McLendon.

The first crack in officially sanctioned segregation in college basketball appeared in 1946, just after thousands of young black men began to reenter society after fighting in World War II. In one of the first postwar college tournaments, a forward playing for a majority white school from Iowa was not allowed to participate in an National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball (NAIB) tournament because he was black.

The callous treatment of the black player, who was a war veteran, outraged some NAIB members, including Al Duer, the white athletic director of George Pepperdine College. Almost immediately after the tournament was over, Duer wrote to the NAIB executive secretary that he was "ashamed" the player had been excluded from play.

By 1947, the pressure increased when the United States Olympic Committee told the NAIB that its members would not be allowed to participate in the upcoming Olympic trials because of their stance against black players.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back--in a good way. In a vote taken just two days before that year's tournament was to begin, the NAIB board voted to allow black players on the court. In that tournament, a reserve guard playing for Indiana State University became the first black player to play in an NAIB postseason tournament. The coach of that team in 1947 was John Wooden, who would go on to win 10 NCAA championships, including seven in a row starting in 1966.

But discrimination did not end just because the NAIB decided to allow a black player on the court with white players. Allowing one or two black players on a white team was much different than allowing entire teams of black players from small black colleges into the tournaments. That was still banned by the both the NCAA and the NAIB.

In 1950, three coaches from the CIAA--Eddie Jackson of Howard University, Harry Jefferson of Virginia State College, and John McLendon of North Carolina College-- started lobbying both the NCAA and the NAIB to allow black colleges to play in their national tournaments. These three coaches started with a very large endorsement. They secured the unanimous support of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to allow black colleges to compete in postseason tournaments with the white college teams.

There was resistance from both associations. The NCAA's board of directors flatly turned down the idea when they were approached by the three black colleges. The excuse the NCAA gave was that the organization had no mechanism to include small schools. The real reason might have been even more basic and something that Jackie Robinson would have understood. One NCAA official told Coach McLendon that "the fans might not accept or appreciate the kind of game you play, and your coaches might not be competent enough."

The black college coaches where not going to simply walk away. Instead, they approached the NAIB, which was then headed by Duer as executive secretary. To move matters along, Mack Greene, the athletic director at Central State College in Wilberforce, Ohio, applied for membership in the NAIB.

Duer and Greene met several times in 1951, with Duer warning that basketball fans in the NAIB's hometown of Kansas City might not be ready to see a team of black players on the floor in a national tournament. Greene replied, "Some few fans may be lacking in the training for tolerance and decency, but we believe they have a conscience, and we know their conscience is on our side."

On March 12, 1952, the NAIB's board of directors approved membership for all black colleges that met the same standards as white colleges. They also approved recognition of a tournament then sponsored by the black colleges and agreed that the winner of that tournament would be eligible to compete in the NAIB National tournament in Kansas City.

Greene wrote to the coaches at small black colleges a letter in which he said, "the door is now open to all colleges for Negroes to world competition in basketball. Let's prepare ourselves for all that it means!"

While it is true that that NAIB opened the door to the small black colleges, they also installed a screen door through which all the black colleges had to pass but that the white colleges could bypass.

To handle the application of the black colleges to the NAIB, their executive committee created an at-large district--District 29--into which all of the black college teams were placed. I don't think that most of us black coaches thought much about it at the the time, but what the NAIB really did was create a more palatable type of segregation. All of the black colleges, no matter where they were located geographically, were put into District 29. In effect, rather than allowing the black colleges to compete against the white colleges on a regional basis, the black colleges decided their own national championship team, then sent that team to the Kansas City championship play-off. The black colleges eliminated each other to get one national-champion school, while all of the other members of the NAIA (which changed its name from the NAIB in the middle of this (1952) sent regional champions.

The winner of that first District 29 championship in 1953 was Tennessee A&I State University, coached by Clarence Cash. When the team--described in a magazine as having "extra protective cutaneous pigmentation"--took the court, they were met not with boos but rousing cheers of welcome, as loud or louder than the 31 white teams at the tournament received.

The Tennessee State team won its first and second rounds but was defeated in the quarterfinals.

Once allowed to compete on a national level, the small black colleges proved their worth. Tennessee State, coached by John McLendon, won the NAIA national title in 1957, 1958, and 1959, the first time in college basketball history that any team--white or black---had won a national championship three consecutive times. It was only four years earlier that the first black team had even been permitted on the Kansas City floor.

The success of the NAIA tournament in Kansas City did not go unnoticed by the NCAA. In 1957, the board that had once told black coaches that fans would not appreciate their kind of play formed their own small-college tournament with no racial restrictions. The tournament would eventually become the Division II, or small-college, championship.

The NCAA would not have changed their stubborn stand on even creating a tournament for small colleges if not for that handful of black coaches and an even smaller handful of white college and sports administrators who realized the time had come to let black athletes play against white athletes.

If not for coaches like John McLendon, Eddie Jackson, Harry Jefferson, and Mack Greene--men who were never given the chance to play or coach at the highest levels of college or professional basketball themselves--there might never have been national college tournaments for black players to showcase their talents for the professional scouts.

My friend John McLendon later added another first to his resume by becoming the first black professional coach, joining the George Steinbrenner owned American Basketball League's Cleveland Pipers in 1962. His contributions to basketball were recognized in time, and he was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. He died in October, 1999. I am proud to have known him and to have called him my friend. Whenever the CIAA tournament rolls around in February, I still look for him, though I know he is not there. All of us in black college basketball greatly miss the man who changed the game forever.

Books and Articles on Coach John McLendon:

Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer by Milton Katz

Basketball legend 'Coach Mac,' John McLendon, finally in Hall of Fame as Coach by Claude Johnson

Fast Break Basketball: How a Black Coach Revolutionized the Game by Doug Merlino

John McLendon finally gets his due in Hall of Fame by Daryl Bell

KU graduate John McLendon to receive second Naismith Hall of Fame honor by Gary Bedore

The Secret Game by Mark Adams

The Big House Tapes

2016-02-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's Black History Month and I thought I'd highlight videos about my father, Clarence 'Big House' Gaines, that have been posted to youtube. I was inspired to do this because of a blog post that was written by long time Winston-Salem Journal sports reporter John Dell, who has covered Winston-Salem State University sports for 20 years.

Big House is my dad and his influence looms large in my life and in others whom he has mentored, coached, taught and fathered. Dad was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1982 as a coach. The following appears on his Hall of Fame biography:

College basketball may never find a more caring, sensitive, and dedicated coach than Clarence "Big House" Gaines. Gaines' teams were up-tempo, fast-breaking units that relied heavily on speed and athleticism to overwhelm opponents. A pioneer of African-American integration in intercollegiate athletics, Gaines changed basketball forever. Gaines' 1967 squad, led by Hall of Famer Earl "The Pearl" Monroe compiled a 31-1 record, and became the first predominantly black school to win a NCAA College Division Championship, thus becoming the first to win a NCAA Title. For his efforts, Gaines was named the NCAA College Division Coach-of-the-Year. In 1993, Gaines retired after 47 years of coaching at Winston-Salem State University with a 828-447 record which, at the time was the second most number of wins in NCAA history.

They Call Him BIG HOUSE: A tribute to the Legend Clarence Big House Gaines is the video that John Dell highlighted in his blog post. It was created by WSSU media in February, 2015 and has less than 350 hits. Now you know why I'm writing this blog:

I created the following series of videos for a middle school presentation that I did on my father at Chandler School in Pasadena, CA.

The first video is entitled Big House & Coach Mac:
Two Hall of Fame basketball coaches shared a bond - John McLendon & Clarence 'Big House' Gaines. Coach Mac was my dad's close friend and mentor and the first Black American coach inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. However, Coach Mac wasn't inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach, but a contributor, which many people feel is an injustice. The Hall of Fame may correct that wrong this year, as Coach Mac was announced as a Hall of Fame finalist in the Coach's category for 2016. - BRAVO! Coach Mac attended the University of Kansas and his adviser was Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball.

:Google Black American Firsts - Wikipedia & one will find the following: First African American inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach: Clarence Gaines (See also: New York Renaissance, 1963; Bob Douglas, 1972; Bill Russell, 1975)

Second Video - Earl "The Pearl" Monroe's Impact - 1966-67 Season - Winston-Salem State

Earl's impact on the game is legendary. Known as the father of the spin move, Earl captured the imagination of the nation's basketball fans in his rookie year with the Baltimore Bullets. Before gaining national acclaim in the NBA, he had already captured the hearts of many southerners, both black and white, with his defining game and brilliant play in his four years at Winston-Salem State College (now WSSU). In the 1966-67 season Earl led his team to a national championship in the NCAA's College Division averaging 41.5 points per game. My dad always felt Earl Monroe's greatest contribution as a basketball player was helping to break down racial barriers in North Carolina.

Ralph Wiley's brilliant article, "Seeing the Game Through Pearl Vision," captures the essence of Earl's game and impact.

"Earl Monroe had better than fame. He had genius. He had rep. And he had them at all meaningful levels of the game. He was a genius at the playground level, a genius at the collegiate level, a genius at the NBA level, a genius at the upper echelon All-Star NBA level, and a genius at the NBA championship level. He is all-time. He is legend. Pearl."

"What happened then? Well ... Earl the Pearl Monroe helped integration even before Martin Luther King did -- anyway, to tell you the truth, at just about the same time. Later, as a pro, he'd read King's speeches before he played and let that inspire him. Back then, the legend went from the playgrounds of Philly moved to Tobacco Road, where tales were told about a young man with the ball on a string who could move your soul with his inspired improv."

"Earl Monroe The Pearl won an NBA title with the Knicks in 1973. The story spread underground, like wildfire, across Hoop Nation. It was said he could not be described. He could only be seen, and even then unseen. He required faith -- the evidence of things not seen. His improv was a revelation, as much science as art. You could no more describe Pearl's game than you can describe color, music or literature."

"All you can say is there's a right way to play, and a not-right way to play, and an inspired way. Earl originated the spin move, yes, and on first sighting it moved the soul like water turning to wine. But, see, the thing is ... Earl always spun toward the basket."

Wrote a blog on Earl - "Earl "The Pearl" Monroe's Sacrifice - From the Bullets to the Knicks"

Third Video - Clarence 'Big House' Gaines Bump Philosophy - "Starting in those early days of my professional career, when getting hired or fired seemed to occur so easily, I decided to adopt a bumper car theory of living my life. When you ride in the bumper cars at the state fair, you get knocked in new directions all the time. When that happens, you just head off in that new direction and see where you end up. Excerpt from "They Call Me Big House."

Fourth Video - Miss Ola Speaks
Olivia Bolen Gaines talks about her son, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, on the day (1982) he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.

Marine's CIAA Century of Champions - Big House Gaines:

Big House's Segment in "Black Magic:"

Added Bonus - Created a Facebook Page - Scenes from WSSU - C.E. Big House Gaines Collection

Scenes from WSSU - C.E. Big House Gaines Collection

Finding Her Voice - My Daughter's Cancer Journey

2015-12-31T15:01:00.004-08:00

October 6, 2015 will be a day that will always be remembered in the Gaines' household. On this day, my daughter's (Olivia Gaines) life path drastically changed. Though she wasn't diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (A.M.L) on this day, she was rushed to the hospital via an ambulance from an urgent care facility that was less than 800 yards from the emergency room door. She was immediately given multiple transfusions of Red Blood Cells & Platelets and would not leave her hospital bedroom until December 6. Olivia is now home, but sometime next week she will be admitted to the City of Hope for additional Chemotherapy treatment (Salvage Therapy) or be chosen for a Phase 3 Clinical Trial. PRAYERS, ATTITUDE & HOPE!

On December 11, 2015 I shared the following message via e-mail.

If you're receiving this e-mail from me it means you're on my primary e-mail list. I've decided to share my daughter's diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (A.M.L.) because Olivia publicly announced it on her Facebook site on Wednesday. Olivia penned two messages in announcing her Leukemia:

Facebook Post:

Let’s cut to the chase- I have cancer, and it’s not something you wake up ready to share...especially in the facebook realm of rants, selfies, and cat videos.

But there, I said it. I’m dying---to tell you that it’s ok because today I’m awake and have a plan. You can learn more about it at www.livfor.life and allow me to continue the music, words, and videos that are like medicine for the mind and gifts to the spirit right here at Olivialive!

When I woke up with a sore neck near a mountain in August, I never would have guessed my climb would also include potentially surviving a life-threatening disease. And so far, I’ve caught glimpses of the view, but I have a ways to go if I am to see the zenith expression of a life well lived.

When I first arrived at Urgent Care, the doctors said I shouldn't be breathing. And so from October 6th to December 6th, I lived in a hospital and blew a kiss to every security camera I could find. I only wonder where my body’s security department went when my white blood cells started going WILD.

Because it’s leukemia.

I’ve learned a lot can happen in 48 hours, the most profound can show up in seconds, and if you’re not paying attention the joy and tragedy of it all...years.

So this is the creed and motivation to hit publish: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Because even when cancer calls, life must go on. The only difference is in how you choose to live it.

Enjoy the next cat video for me. I'll be seeing you in your newsfeed soon.

-Liv

Click to Link to Blog Post - "And Then They Told Me I Had Cancer"

An excerpt from Olivia's blog post -

Everyone wakes up with pain. By this truth everyone should also wake up inspired to restore love back into his or her life and their community – perhaps even the world.

At the heart of the matter, this is about choices to create a pulse your life can breathe to. These days my choices run blood deep as I wouldn’t be here without the gift of donors, those who volunteer their own blood to save a somebody – a stranger like me.

Turns out the power of saving a life, saves lives. All I can think about is how to pass the gift forward. And ultimately, this site and my life is a response. I want the chain of gratitude to continue and unite so that the confidence of human kindness courses through, removing any clots that prevent love from restoring order to our lives.

As a testament, the livfor.life community has set up three opportunities for you to act on a gift of your choosing just in time for the holiday season.

There’s more to come and more to be…

And so, with a breath and a kiss- welcome to my gratitude, my story, and hope for humanity.

-Liv

Trailer - Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies

I recently watched (can be watched on Netflix, Youtube, & PBS' site) Ken Burn's 3-part Documentary, "The Emperor of All Maladies" -

"Cancer is a worldwide scourge. The fastest growing disease on earth. By 2030 there will be as many as 22 million cases worldwide. Cancer afflicts 1.7 million Americans each year and kills 600,000 of them. More will die from cancer over the next 2 years than died in combat in all the wars the United States has ever fought - combined. 1 in 2 American men and 1 in 3 American women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes and nearly everyone will be close to someone who suffers from it."

The above passage from "The Emperor of All Maladies" doesn't need an introduction - it speaks for itself.

Many people have asked what they can do to support Olivia:

#1 - Pray - "Believe in the power of prayer. If not for yourself, believe in it for others. The world is weak, prayer is powerful, and God can do anything."

#2 - Give Blood - It's something I've done all of my adult life, but I've usually done it at my convenience. If we're eligible to give blood, we can do it every two months. "Did you know that only about 3% of the people who are eligible to donate blood in Southern California actually do it? But at some time in life, nearly half of us will need a blood transfusion. In fact, someone needs blood every 2 seconds. Each blood donation can save up to two lives: Not a bad return for an investment of one hour of your time! Blood is a unique gift that cannot be manufactured and lasts for only 35 days." The preceding passage was from a letter I received from Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, CA after I gave blood in October. Olivia was in the hospital for 60 + days and needed multiple transfusions of RBC's (Red Blood Cells) or Platelets to give her a chance to survive her blood cancer. One can give blood at the American Red Cross or a local hospital.

#3 - Join the National Bone Marrow Registry through Be The Match. Click the links provided to find out more about joining the National Bone Marrow Registry. Though it says one has to be between the ages of 18-44 to join the registry, I joined three years ago in my mid 50's. If you're over 44, don't be deterred. Call & insist they send you the materials to register. They will take you off the registry after you turn 60. http://livfor.life/bone-marrow-registry/

I'm linking an article from BlackBoneMarrow.Com, "Why Race Matters, or better yet ethnicity matters when it comes to finding a matching donor. Searching patients are most likely to find the best match within their own race or ethnicity. By increasing the diversity of the Be The Match Registry(SM) we can have a positive impact on these figures so that more patients are able to find matching donors."

Black Americans of African Descent are under-represented in the National Bone Marrow Registry - http://blackbonemarrow.com/why-race-matters/

If you want to know what it's like to donate bone marrow, read Kristine Sydney's account.

#4 - Buy a SLAP cap. Olivia loves her SLAPS (Satin - Lined Caps) - For every two purchased, one is shelved for a person living in a struggle of uncertainty. LIV | Buy SLAPS. LIVe to GIVe.



				LIV \| Buy SLAPS. LIVe to GIVe. For the ones who leave the barber and beauty shop with no protection…but want to (break)dance in the rain.

				View on livfor.life	Preview by Yahoo

Grace Eleyae, owner of SLAPS, wrote a wonderful blog about Olivia - Liv-ing Above Leukemia

#5 - Donate to the charity of your choice on behalf of a loved one who has been afflicted with Cancer. I know you know somebody.

Olivia's Current Status: Olivia was released from the hospital on December 6, 2015 after a 60+ day stay. She's in partial remission, meaning the cancer partly responded to treatment, but still did not go away. Olivia will either resume Salvage chemotherapy therapy next week (week of 1/3/16) at a more specialized cancer hospital, The City of Hope, Duarte, California or be chosen to be part of a Phase 3 Clinical Trial. She will eventually need a bone marrow transplant. Hopefully, her brother, Garrett, can Be The Match!

2/11/16 UPDATE - Olivia was chosen for the Clinical trial. The trial is going well - She took the medication throughout the month of January. After her last bone marrow biopsy the results showed no leukemia in the marrow, which is a positive sign/trend, but her cancer is not in remission. In February they decided to double the dosage of the clinical trial drug to help get her system ready to receive the bone marrow transplant that is scheduled for late March or early April. Garrett, her brother, was not a match. There is one bone marrow donor candidate who was found through the National Registry who is almost a perfect match {9/10 on HLA Scale}. Hopefully, this donor will "Be The Match" for Olivia & he will consent to donating his bone marrow. If this donor candidate does not work out, I will be the donor. As her father, I'm a 50% match.

You might find the article (Is it Possible to Control Cancer without Killing It) {Click on the highlighted link} interesting - It's a 2014 article from The New Yorker that highlights a drug that is/was the focus of a clinical trial. The article does a good job of highlighting Olivia's type of blood cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia (A.M.L.).

Prayers, Attitude & Hope,

Clarence Gaines

I heard from many people after I sent the above e-mail. Some wanted to know if we had any preferred charities. Olivia & I created the following list.

(1) Zen Hospice Project - Olivia became aware of the Zen Hospice Project after watching BJ Miller's powerful Ted Talks - What Really Matters at the End of Life

(2) Kenya - Living Room Ministries International- This charity has very little to do with solving Cancer but has everything to do with providing a space in Kenya for people afflicted with HIV/Aids to die/be healed with dignity. The church I attend in Los Angeles sponsors this organization and I've had the pleasure for several years of listening to Juli McGowan Boit talk about her ministry. Olivia heard Juli talk two years ago and was obviously impacted by what Juli is doing with her life. Juli is a trained nurse and attended Azusa Pacific University in California. A lot of Olivia's nurses at Huntington Hospital attended Azusa Pacific. If you click on the link you'll be able to watch/listen to Juli's Thanksgiving message, "Doorstep of Praise."

(3) LIVESTRONG Foundation - Olivia has selected this charitable organization because they help women who are in need with fertility issues that are a by-product of Cancer treatment. Olivia has already seen a fertility doctor - Click the highlighted link to find out more about LIVESTRONG Fertility for Women

(4) The Leukemia & Lymphoma society is the charity that is focused on Olivia's type of cancer.

(5) "Be The Match" - This is the Bone Marrow registry organization that I mentioned in my letter. My intent was to get people to join the National Registry to become a donor if a patient needs a bone marrow transplant, which Olivia will need. One can also give financially. Click on the link to their giving site and learn how financial gifts help - Be The Match.

(6) City of Hope - Olivia's next Hospital visit will be to the "City of Hope," which is a Comprehensive Cancer Hospital in California - City of Hope's most important contribution in medicine was developing "synthetic human insulin" which has impacted millions of people over the years who suffer from diabetes.

Thank You Mom!

2015-05-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

I attended church the night before Mother's Day. Before the minster delivered his sermon on Prayer, "Teach Us to Pray," a video celebrating motherhood from FamilyShare was shown to the congregation. From the first sentence - "Every time a child is born, so is a mother" - to the last two - "Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother. This Mother’s Day thank the women who have loved, mentored, and mothered you" - this video captured the essence of motherhood as well as any words, images (still or moving) that I've read or seen.

Great words matched with great images are so powerful. Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Clara Gaines, who is in the above picture that was taken by my shutterbug loving dad. My mom will soon be 90 years old. She is definitely a woman who still loves me, mentored and mothered me to death. Thank You Mom!

Enjoy the video:

Digest the words:

"Every time a child is born, so is a Mother. An eternal bond is formed. As you grow, your mother is there. There to tuck you in, to cheer you up. There to teach. There to send you off and to listen when you call (‘Mom'). There to encourage you as you explore, create, and dance the night away. There to encourage, to build faith. There by your side, when others have left you. There in good times and hard times. There in the details of daily life. Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother. This Mother’s Day thank the women who have loved, mentored, and mothered you."

"The Real" - Spotlight on LeVelle Moton - A Double-Goal Coach

2014-03-23T02:16:00.003-07:00

The Positive Coaching Alliance defines a Double-Goal Coach as one "who strives to win while also pursuing the more-important goal of life lessons through sports." Coach LeVelle Moton of North Carolina Central University is a Double-Goal Coach. His NCCU Eagles had a banner 2013-14 season with a record of 28-6 and captured their first MEAC Conference Championship and the schools first invitation to the NCAA Division 1 Basketball Tournament. Coach Moton has proven that he can build a winning program and match wits with the best in the business; more importantly, he's proven that he's adept at weaving life lessons in his daily interactions with his players.

"THE REAL" is a program that Coach Moton instituted to capture his players attention and to impact his players point of view about life. "Our primary responsibility {as coaches} is to build men, young men into men. I wanted real stories, raw and uncut." Moton wanted his players "to hear about the hardships of life, the great and finer things in life and how to respect it," and for them to learn the steps necessary to sustain whatever success in life they are able to achieve. To accomplish these goals, Moton selected four dynamic speakers from vastly different backgrounds; Patrick Douthit ("9th Wonder), Rodney Rogers, Julius Dillard, and Tanisha Bagley.

“Opportunity does knock at every door, but it's never been known to pick a lock." - Clarence "Big House" Gaines

"THE REAL" is about opportunity, how to nurture a talent, how to take advantage of your talents when opportunity presents itself, and how to sustain, appreciate, respect and be thankful for that talent once its allowed to shine. Take nineteen minutes of your life and watch "THE REAL." You won't regret it!

Coach Moton selected Patrick Douthit, better known as "9th Wonder" to be the first speaker for "THE REAL." "9th Wonder" is a NCCU alumnus and noted hip-hop record producer. 9th's core message is that "chance favors the well prepared." His 1,198 beats story reminded me of a blog (The Quietness of Success) I wrote that highlighted an Owen Cook speech that said "success is like a quiet daily set of tasks, real small, real real small." After making 1,198 beats, he was able to share his talents with Jay Z and nailed Jay Z's 30 minute challenge of creating a beat from R. Kelly's "A Woman's Threat." He not only picked the locked, he knocked the damn door down! Truly, chance does favor the well prepared, and one must cultivate their craft through hard work and perseverance.

Selecting Tanisha Bagley, the author of The Price of Love; One woman's journey through Domestic Violence, to speak to his players was an inspired choice by Coach Moton. All young men should be sensitized to a woman's point of view, especially one who has experienced the darker side of men. Tony Porter's "The Man Box - A Call to Men" is a must read blog by me on the subject and a must see video by Porter. "The Man Box" is a box of qualities that most men adhere to at the cost of their humanity. The challenge that we have as men is to break outside of this self imposed box. Bagley's story about how she was able to escape her domestic violence situation is riveting and her message about trust and forgiveness is equally compelling. "How do I know the next man is not the right man if I'm treating him like the old man."

Julius Dillard had the lowest profile of any of the speakers, but his story resonated with the players because many know of guys like him in their 'hood' who went to prison trying to make a quick and illegal buck. Dillard presents a raw vision of prison, a place where he never wanted his kids to visit him. He speaks of going to prison when his daughter was in the womb of his fiance and getting out when she was a sophomore in high school. That's 16 years behind bars, in a place that isn't concerned about your rehabilitation or education; where you will either work for them or sit in a 6x9 until you decide to work for them. Dillard's story of taking control of his life in prison, educating himself and starting programs to impact himself and the life of other prisoners is exemplary, and paved the way for him becoming a thriving member of society once he was released from that 6x9 cell.

Rodney Rogers is well known in basketball circles for his dominant career as a collegian at Wake Forest University and his stellar career (12 years) with various teams in the NBA. What is easily forgotten is the moment on November 28, 2008 that would change the course of Rogers' life forever, because on that day he was involved in a dirt bike accident that would paralyze him for the rest of his life. Rogers message is gripping and thoughtful. Rogers speaks of his accident and counsels the players to utilize their talents to the best of their abilities and to not take anything for granted. But the strength of his message has very little to do with his accident, but totally revolves around the brotherhood of sports, teammates. ACCOUNTABILITY! Rogers message on the importance of teammates being accountable to one another resonates strongly with me - "Y'all brothers now, not just friends, because you're now a family. We (2002-04 New Jersey Nets) hung together. We made sure we held each other accountable. If you're going to fight one, you have to fight the rest of us. When we got to practice, we took it seriously, we pushed each other very hard, no matter what, sometimes we almost wanted to fight each other, but we knew we were only trying to pull the best out of each other, so we could be winners." WOW! "Y'all just make sure y'all take care of each other, watch each other's back. Coach can only do so much, he can only protect y'all against so much stuff that goes on. Y'all can help each other out by watching each other's back - making sure everybody do the right thing at the right place at the right time. Hold each other accountable." DOUBLE WOW!! DOUBLE GOAL!!

Championship Season - Advice from John Wooden & Dean Smith

2014-02-19T10:21:00.006-08:00

High School playoffs for winter sports start this week in California. March Madness is right around the corner. It's Championship Season and it's a good time to share some advice from two great men,who were also great teachers,coaches,and leaders;John Wooden and Dean Smith. My inspiration for this blog comes from their respective books on leadership: Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden & Steve Jamison ----- The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching by Dean Smith, Gerald D. Bell, & John Kilgo.

Dean Smith's mission statement for all of his University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball teams was to "Play Hard, Play Smart and Play Together." I adopted Smith's mission statement for all of the youth soccer and basketball teams that I coached and added the phrase "and let's have fun doing it." I also incorporated a team motto that my father's teams used to say as they broke from their huddle, "All for One and One for All." I guess my dad, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, was a fan of the Three Musketeers. One of his teams deviated from that altruistic chant, his 1967 NCAA College Division National Championship team led by Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. They broke the huddle saying, "Kill, Kill, Kill!"

Smith didn't assume his players knew what it meant to "Play Hard, Play Smart, and Play Together." He defined each trait/skill:

Playing Hard - To play with effort, determination, and courage . Complementing Smith's definition is a famous John Wooden quote, Never Mistake Activity for Achievement.

Playing Smart - With good execution and poise, treating each possession as if it were the only one in the game. The only way to have a smart team is to have one that is fundamentally sound.

Playing Together - Means unselfishly, trusting your teammates, and doing everything possible not to let them down. One man who fails to do his job unselfishly could undermine the efforts of the four other players on the court. Our plan falls apart if we don't take care of one another; set screens; play team defense; box out; pass to the open man.

My soccer version: Means unselfishly, trusting your teammates, and doing everything possible not to let them down. One man who fails to do his job unselfishly could undermine the efforts of the other players on the field. Our plan in soccer falls apart if players don't shift (move) and sag with the ball, fail to get back defensively, don't hold their position, don't make their runs, play team defense, or pass to the open man.

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success philosophy is well known. The final block of the pyramid, "Competitive Greatness," can only be attained if the fourteen blocks below it have been mastered. It took many years for Wooden to formulate his Pyramid. Wooden formulated six statements on 'Game Competition' as the Pyramid evolved. These six statements are a great benchmark for Championship Season:

1. Have courage and do not worry. If you do your best, never lose your temper, and never be out-fought or out-hustled, you have nothing to worry about. Without faith and courage you are lost.

2. Have respect without fear for every opponent and confidence without cockiness in regards to yourself.

3. Think all of the time. Study your opponent and yourself all of the time for the purpose of increasing your effectiveness and diminishing his.

4. Never be a spectator while in the game. Be doing something at all times, even if it is only being a decoy.

5. Team Work is essential. Unselfish team play and team spirit is one of the foremost essentials for success when any group are working together.

6. Be at your best when your best is needed. Enjoy the thrill from a tough battle.

The difference between winning and succeeding

Bonus Links:

Carlette Patterson (Steve Patterson's Widow - Steve played for John Wooden) on 'Competitive Greatness'

DEFINING MOMENTS - A MESSAGE TO MY FAVORITE GIRLS SOCCER TEAM

Leadership - Mean Joe Greene - "Their Life's Work"

2014-01-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

I'm not quite halfway through Gary Pomerantz's tremendous book, Their Life's Work, on the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that captured my imagination as a teenager as I was beginning my football journey. I'm aware of the history of the franchise, but this book just adds so much depth and dimension to the Steelers rise from doormat to champion. Jerry Krause, a man I worked for and with during my tenure with the Chicago Bulls, created a firestorm during the Bulls dynasty when he was quoted as saying ''Players and coaches don't win championships; organizations win championships.'' Jerry contended that he was misquoted and that there was a missing word, 'ALONE.' "Players and coaches ALONE don't win championships; organizations win championships." No truer words have ever been spoken about winning teams in professional sports.

Leadership starts at the top of any organization. The Steelers bumbled along for so many decades, because they lacked leadership and direction from their lovable and respected owner, Art "Chief" Rooney. Not until Art's two oldest sons, Dan and Art, Jr., became involved in the franchise did the Steelers have the leadership they needed to ascend to the top of the NFL. Dan took over the Steelers day-to-day operations in the 1960's and Art, Jr. immersed himself in the scouting and player personnel side of the organization.

Dan and Art, Jr. made many key moves that contributed to the Steelers dynasty:
- Hiring Chuck Noll in 1969 as Head Coach.
- Expansion of the scouting staff and developing a better system of evaluating and selecting players.
- Hiring Bill Nunn, Jr. in 1967 as a part-time scout. He would start working full time with the Steelers in 1969. Nunn was a respected Black writer with the Pittsburgh Courier, "the city's historic Black newspaper." Bill was responsible for selecting the Black College All-American Football team (my dad, Clarence "Big House" Gaines, was a Black College All-American in Football when he played for Morgan State in the 1940's) and had extensive contacts and relationships with coaches at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
- Making a strategic decision to not have a quota system in place when selecting a roster and targeting HBCUs as a source for that talent. The introductory chapter to Their Life's Work, "Reverie & Reality," features brilliant writing and analysis. "It was the truest meritocracy the NFL had yet known. The earlier dynasties, the Cleveland Browns of the '50s and the Green Bay Packers of the early '60s, had comparatively few Black players. (In 1960s the four Black Packers joked that they made up four-fifths of Green Bay's total Black population, the shoe-shine man at the Hotel Northland being the firth.) The civil rights movement brought change. A photograph of the Steelers at Super Bowl IX in January 1975 showed a roster with twenty-five white players, twenty-one Blacks, and the biracial Harris.
- 1974 Draft. 17 Draft Picks, with the 1st draft pick being the 21st pick, the Steelers picked four Hall of Fame Players in the first 5 rounds - (1st- #21) Lynn Swann, (2nd- #46) Jack Lambert, (4th- #82) John Stallworth, (5th - #125) Mike Webster. The Steelers also signed two free agents from that draft class who made significant contributions to the team. South Carolina State's Donnie Shell and Temple's Randy Grossman.

Another key decision was made in 1969, the selection of 'Mean' Joe Greene with the 4th pick in the 1969 Draft from North Texas State. It's obvious that leadership comes from the head coach, but equally important is leadership that comes from within, from key players. Joe Greene was that leader for the 70s Steelers. No better story exemplifies Greene's leadership than a conversation he had with some of the team's rookies before the AFC Championship game in 1974.

On Monday, an off-day for the Steelers, with anticipation for the AFC title game in Oakland building, a handful of rookies, Stallworth among them, casually asked Tony Parisi, their equipment manager, for spare boxes. The rookies were planning ahead. They would need these boxes to pack up their locker room belongings once the Steelers' season ended. If they lost to the Raiders, they would return to Pittsburgh, quickly box up their personal items, and drive home for the off-season.

Suddenly the rookies heard a familiar voice, deep and resonant, the last voice on earth any of them wanted to hear, asking, "What do you want the boxes for?"

Joe Greene. Greene didn't appreciate the lack of confidence their request for boxes suggested, it seemed as if they expected to lose in Oakland.

None of the rookies answered his question. How could they? Greene's value to the Steeers was nearly as great in the locker room as on the field. "Joe was dynamite in that locker room," George {Perles, defensive coach} said. "That's what a lot of teams lack. They don't discipline themselves. They wait for the coaches to do it. When you have someone like Joe Greene, it makes it pretty easy for the coaches."

Facing the rookies, Greene did not yield. He asked once more, "What do you want the boxes for?"

Stallworth admired Greene. When Mean Joe spoke, there was wisdom, insight, and big-bodied intimidation. Teammates did not challenge or defy him, least of all rookies. Greene's leadership was unquestioned.

Standing there, with suddenly no need for a spare box, Stallworth thought, 'Maybe we need to look at this a little differently.'

Message to Richard Sherman - Honoring your Opponent

2014-01-20T12:44:00.002-08:00

The Seattle Seahawks & San Francisco 49ers engaged in a brutal NFC championship game that was decided on a brilliant deflection by Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman that resulted in an interception by linebacker Malcom Smith in the waning moments of the game. The Seahawks clinched a 23-17 victory with the play and are headed to Super Bowl XLVII on February 2, 2014 to play the Denver Broncos.

After Smith's interception, Sherman said he ran over to shake Crabtree's hand & was rebuffed by him with a shove to the face. This action by Crabtree enraged Sherman, and he then executed a classless choke sign in the direction of Colin Kaepernick that you can see in the above clip. After witnessing Sherman's immediate actions after the interception, I tweeted, "Richard Sherman is a peach. Ridiculous sportsmanship!" This statement was made before Sherman's infamous interview with Erin Andrews, where he said, "I'm the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you gonna get......Don't you ever talk about me. Don't you open your mouth about the best, or I'm going to shut it for you real quick. LOB! {Legion of Boom}"

After the Sherman/Andrews interview, debate raged on social media for hours. There was no gray area in the discussion. Either one thought Sherman was a pompous ass or one felt that he had a right to express himself. People who were upset by Sherman said he was a clown, classless, thug, poor role model, etc. Those who defended his actions, but didn't necessarily condone them tried to explain away his behavior with the following arguments:

(1) The Grown Man Defense - Pros are Different than College
(2) Trash Talking is a Part of the Game - Others do it defense
(3) Lack of Time to Gather Self for Interview
(4) Racial Animus Defense - Black Athletes Can't Win the PR Battle
(5) Part of his Sthick - "The Muhammad Ali Defense"
(6) Athletes are Not Role Models
(7) Showing Emotion - Heat of the Moment Defense
(8) It's Football, not tiddlywinks

My take on Sherman's actions are very simple. The final block of John Wooden's Pyramid of Success is "Competitive Greatness." Wooden lists six statements on game competition as it relates to competitive greatness. One statement applies to this situation:

Have respect without fear for every opponent and confidence without cockiness in regards to yourself.

Many people are outraged by Sherman's interview with Erin Andrews. I'm also outraged by the interview, but I'm even more outraged by his antics after the play. When you've won the game, one should be celebrating what you and your team are about {accomplishments} instead of disparaging your opponent.

Here are some of my thoughts on the situation:

Only thing I can say about Richard Sherman is that he doesn't fake the funk. That nasty/cocky mentality is what makes him the player he is.

Now Richard Sherman is being corporate - showing how he graduated from Standford - Amazing metamorphosis since Erin Andrew's interview. That 1 is a classic.

He's definitely that {asshole} & he's not the only 1 in NFL - most are better at masking it - he's got no filter.

I don't care about smack talking in game. You don't call a fellow NFL player SORRY & you damn sure don't use a choke sign - Classless!

"C'mon Man-Showing Emotion." Please-Sherman was over the top - Emoting doesn't give one the right to disparage a worthy opponent.

One should honor their opponents as best they can after a heated battle. It's called maturity & respect.

Honoring your opponent & knowing how to win/lose with class is not the province of a certain level - standard for Youth to the Pros!

Sherman's antics were out of bounds - why he got penalized & why twitter is blowing up.

It ain't that complex - Sherman has a mean streak - so do most great players - I'm not looking for angels at the highest level, but .......

I knew someone would bring up Ali - most of Ali's act was before the fight, part promotional & part bravado. Ali was castigated for his attacks on Joe Frazier - he sometimes crossed the line. But after the last Ali & Frazier fight - nothing but respect - too tired & too beaten to feel anything else. Not all viewed Ali in a positive light as a result if his comments about Frazier - In trilogy with Muhammad Ali the words hurt Joe Frazier the most.

In regards to others do it - I'll say the same thing I would say to my son - Don't bring in how others are behaving, worry about how you behave.

Smack talking between the lines is one thing, doing it in front of cameras after you won is another.

That's where you're wrong. Pro athletics in that respect is not different than any other level. Pros should set the standard.

"Crabtree is a mediocre receiver, at best." Sherman went from calling Crabtree sorry to mediocre in subsequent interviews. Time mellowed him out? Can't wait to hear post game thoughts after Broncos.

It's not about being a role model, it's about the right way to do things.

Heat of the moment - That's an excuse - a very low bar - name 10 athletes who have ever acted in that manner after winning.

When you win you should be celebrating what you & your team are about, not disparaging your opponent. That's why it's offensive.

That's why Trent Williams punched Richard Sherman because he doesn't know when to stop the B.S.

"Rich Sherman has just "Keyser Soze'd Twitter. The guy is a Stanford grad w/ a degree in Communications. Now the world knows his name.....smh" LeVelle Moton

I think you underestimate Richard Sherman by using "gather self" argument - he's smart enough to know what he was trying to do. He made a huge play at a critical juncture in the game. He's a big time player who is thirsting for a national stage.

I'll consider the interview to be somewhat calculating, but the antics after the play were totally classless.

"I don't think we should make a business of projecting onto people the qualities we like to think we have, ourselves." @BIGSPORTSWRITER ME: I LIKE TO THINK WE HAVE - MOST PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO ACT PROPERLY AFTER VICTORY - STOP MAKING EXCUSES - NOT THAT COMPLEX!

You know exactly what I'm talking about - In game talking is just a part of the equation & you deal with it.

How many times have you seen an athlete act in that manner after making a big play to clinch a game. My pt of view in handling victory is simple - You should be celebrating what you & your team are about not disparaging your opponent. Actually @BIGSPORTSWRITER I haven't & I've seen a tremendous number of contests at the highest level in a variety of sports. So have I @BIGSPORTSWRITER - during the game. How much have you seen by players of winning team after the game directed at the opponent.

"I want Michael Crabtree & Richard Sherman to squash this mess PLEASE. We don't need anymore more brother on brother degrading Period. Let it go!" Deion Sanders

B.S. "All it took was for a black athlete to be hype after a tough game today for racists.." B.S. twice

One thing I know for sure Michael Crabtree's opinion of self is not affected by what Richard Sherman said - It will be on in 2014-2015 NFL Season.

"You'll appreciate this from Bear Bryant" Coach Stewart -@4evrhoopin - 10 Bear Bryant quotes for Alabama Fans.
1) It’s awfully important to win with humility. It’s also important to lose. I hate to lose worse than anyone, but if you never lose you won’t know how to act. If you lose with humility, then you can come back.
6) I have tried to teach them to show class, to have pride, and to display character. I think football, winning games, takes care of itself if you do that.

Now it's getting comical - Richard Sherman continues his diatribe against Michael Crabtree & social media critics.

Advice to Richard Sherman from John Wooden "Have respect without fear for every opponent & confidence without cockiness in regards to yourself."

Ray Lokar -@CoachLok "not sure he acted like a grown man though. Freedom to say what you want comes w/freedom for others to respond."

I'm more concerned with the immediate acts after the big play - the taunting & choke sign. Concerned with both, but I know his interview was calculated to draw attention to self - Over the top, but his schtick. Really We're setting the bar real low to excuse that type of behavior, especially after a game clinching play.

How to Win with Humility Lose with Honor

I love athletes with a "killer mentality." When you take the heart out of your opponent, let the act speak for itself. We notice.

Obvious in whose mind, Crabtree is not a subpar player-man came back from serious injury 2 contribute. Get Serious!

Comments by others on Richard Sherman's article,‘To Those Who Would Call Me a Thug or Worse …’
about last night make for interesting reading & enlightenment.

"What's proper to you, Clarence? The vile things that Jordan, and Bird, and Stockton used to say to their opponents" @BIGSPORTSWRITER Me: As for proper @BIGSPORTSWRITER @RSherman_25 this is it - How to Honor Opponents:

Postscript - Richard Sherman apologized the day after:

"I apologize for attacking an individual and taking the attention away from the fantastic game by my teammates ... That was not my intent," Sherman said Monday in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder. Sherman also addressed his postgame comments in an interview Monday with ESPN Radio on the "SVP and Russillo" show. "Obviously I could have worded things better and could obviously have had a better reaction and done things differently," he said during the interview. "But it is what it is now, and people's reactions are what they are."

Sharing excerpts from John Wilner's article on Sherman, "Richard Sherman lives 'on the edge,' says Stanford's David Shaw:"

"Bill Walsh said you want guys with high character who are great players and great people," Shaw said."But every once in a while, you have to line up and defend Jerry Rice. And the guy who does that has to be on the edge. That's where Richard is."

Raised in Compton, surrounded by street gangs, Sherman was a straight-A student who took Advanced Placement classes, attended leadership seminars and finished second in his class.
The son of a garbage truck driver and a social worker, he became the first Dominguez High School graduate in the past half century to receive a football scholarship from Stanford.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's comments on Richard Sherman:
"No, I'm not cheering for that," Goodell said on "CBS This Morning" on Thursday, referring to comments Sherman made. "(Sherman) is such a great young man. He is extremely well-spoken, does great things off the field, obviously a great player on the field. I want him to present himself in the best possible way and make sure that he is reflecting on himself and his family in a positive way."

Sherman was fined $7,875 for taunting (Choke sign). To make it clear, wasn't fined for post game comments. "Richard Sherman Fined for Taunting"

MORE SHERMAN:

I'm linking 2 articles that demonstrate how calculating Sherman was in his post-game rants:

Seahawks Star Richard Sherman Gave Fox Preview of Postgame Rant:

During a Friday meeting before the NFC title game with Fox’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, Sherman — with no specific prompting — brought up Crabtree. “We were talking about (Anquan) Boldin, and about how he plays the game, and he (Sherman) kind of steered the conversation toward Crabtree . . .,” Buck said. “Obviously it was something he wanted to get off his chest.” “When that happened (Sherman wigging into reporter Erin Andrews’ microphone) Troy and I looked at each other and it was like ‘wow.’ He had said a lot of the same stuff at our meeting Friday,” Buck said.

Seahawks’ Richard Sherman Is Much More Than Just Talk:

Outside school, Sherman’s favorite course was imitation. He studied cocksure athletes like Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin and Muhammad Ali, some of the sporting world’s best entertainers. He noticed their mannerisms, how they oozed confidence and charisma and passion, and resolved to create a similar persona for himself. He did. He became the avatar of the modern showboating athlete.

“His fascination was that Ali was able to talk trash and be the best at what he did but never cross that line,” Sherman’s father, Kevin, said. “At the end of his career, everybody was still talking about him. What more can you ask for?”

Sherman's post-game interview after the Seahawks dominant Super Bowl victory - "A Win Takes Away All The Pain"

A Most Special Prayer - Loving People & Using Things - Blood Done Sign My Name

2014-01-01T04:14:00.000-08:00

Let us pray. Oh, Lord, we pray your blessing upon all those who lived and loved and labored in this place; for those who poured out their gifts on land that could never be their own; for women who birthed babies unattended; for children whose genius went unacknowledged; for all your children who cut cane and sweated in the hot sun, and knew in their bones there was a better place. And we ask your peace and your healing for those on this bus whose cheeks burn with tears and whose eyes have been seared by sights that hurt them deeply. We ask that these pains of love might bring a harder wisdom. And we ask your help, Lord, that we not become prejudiced against those who are prejudiced, or whose prejudices may not be our own. For we acknowledge and confess to you that we, too, like the men who once owned Destrehan Plantation, have been tempted to love things and use people, when you have called us to love people and use things. We ask your complicity in these evils, and in the evils of our own time, and pray your healing for our hearts. Thank you for the love that binds us one to another; and to our homes and families, and to you. (Vernon Tyson - Blood Done Sign My Name)

Sometimes you come upon something so beautiful that you have to share it. The above prayer was said by Rev. Vernon Tyson in 2001 to a group of college students (University of Wisconsin, Madison) who went on a two-week bus trip through the South. They visited battlefields of the African-American freedom struggle and met local people who helped overthrow old Jim Crow laws and practices. Vernon Tyson's son, Timothy Tyson, wrote "Blood Done Sign My Name," and the prayer appears in the Epilogue of his book.

The prayer speaks for itself, but one will appreciate it even more, if one understands the setting:

Black and white together, we rolled through Dixie, singing the songs of the movement and challenging ourselves to confront the deeper truths of American history. We held classes on the bus, on city sidewalks, in hotel lobbies, and at crowded soul food restaurants. Day after day, we met local movement organizers, toured slave markets and sugar plantations, heard great gospel singers, and talked with people whose memories of the movement made history walk and talk. Night after night, we huddled in hotel rooms and explored our deepest feelings about the meaning of race in America.

Tyson mentions Destrehan Plantation in his prayer. The prayer was said to the group by Tyson after they had visited the plantation:

I felt at peace with the heritage that had been both a blessing and a burden. This mixed blessing was never so clear as on that morning in New Orleans when our bus took us up the River Road to Destrehan Plantation in a driving rain. Those of us who had helped plan the trip knew this would be a hard visit. We had selected this place on purpose, knowing that our students would learn things here that were impossible to convey any other way.

Though my students and I had studied the grisly history of this place, nothing could have prepared us for what we found as we stepped off the bus beneath the spreading live oaks with their canopy of Spanish moss. Private investors had turned the plantation house, with its enormous columns and three-foot-thick brick foundations, into a monument to what one tour company's brochure called "the good old days" of the antebellum South. Young women in swirling skirts and sun bonnets greeted us at the door. The presence of a mixed-race group made them visibly uneasy. The tour included virtually no mention of slaves or slavery, let alone the 1811 revolt. A black handyman working outside told some of the students that the management had recently fired a young tour guide who'd insisted on talking about slavery. "Our guide's presentation was about prayer schools, parlors, ladies' portraits on the wall. tall ceilings, hand-carved banisters," one of the students wrote in his journal. "It was surreal."

After a few minutes, I looked out a window and saw one of the black students on her knees in front of the levee, her forehead pressed against the ground, pounding the grass with her outstretched palms. Many of us, especially the African American students, could not hold back tears of frustration and sorrow. It was hard for me, too, but I had seen this kind of thing before........ Before the tour ended, about half of the students were sitting in groups of two or three under the trees, many of them crying. I tried to stop Rhea Lathan, an African American student, as she headed down the walkway toward the bus. She waved me off and stomped past me, muttering, "There are bodies hanging all over these trees."

By the time we filled slowly back onto the bus, the whole group was emotionally devastated. I saw Daddy (Vernon Tyson) in the back of the bus talking with a teary-eyed Rhea. And then the broad-shouldered preacher stood up in the aisle and said to the silent busload of students, "Let us pray." And every head on the bus, atheist, agnostic, Christian, Jew, and Muslim bowed in unison.

What a scene. What a setting. What a prayer! I've listened to the book, Blood Done Sign My Name and I've watched the movie. I highly recommend both. The book "deals with the 1970 killing by whites of Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old black U.S. Army veteran in Oxford, North Carolina. The murder and acquittal of two suspects (Larry & Robert Teel) by an all-white jury resulted in arson and other violence, and blacks organized an 18-month boycott of white businesses in the mostly segregated town, to force change in public facilities. The case helped galvanize the African-American civil rights activities in Oxford and across the eastern North Carolina black belt."

As a native North Carolinian, this book spoke to me in so many ways. The author, Timothy Tyson, is about my age. This is his story. A story that he pursued when he became an adult. A story that he couldn't let go of, and ultimately, a story that helped shape his destiny. Timothy Tyson is white. He was 10 years old at the time of the murder and vividly remembers what his playmate, Gerald Teel, told him the morning after the killing, “Daddy and Roger and ’em shot ’em a nigger.”

In 2001, Timothy Tyson was a professor in the African-American studies department at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In 2014, Tyson is a visiting Professor of American Christianity and Southern Culture at Duke University's Divinity School.

Thank You Tim for your tenacity and passion in pursuing this story and your life's mission. It's deeply appreciated.

Reflections on Russ - "From Set Shot to Slam Dunk"

2013-12-24T10:58:00.010-08:00

From Set Shot to Slam Dunk: The Glory Days of Basketball in the Words of Those Who Played It was written by Charles Salzberg and published in 1987. The book is a basketball treasure, as it relates the history of professional basketball from the 1930s to the 1960s, with first person accounts from eleven players who played in the NBA in that era and three individuals who were affiliated with the league/game in some capacity. The fourteen individuals interviewed were Moe Goldman, Sidney "Sonny" Hertzberg, Nat "Feets" Broudy, Robert Davies, Slater Martin, "Easy Ed" Macauley, Dolph Schayes, Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, Bill Sharman, George "the Bird" Yardley, Norm Drucker, Johnny "Big Red" Kerr, Cal Ramsey, and Jerry West.

From Set Shot to Slam Dunk has many powerful stories that need to be highlighted. I've toyed with creating a blog on each of the individuals who were interviewed. I may still do that, but I wanted to make my first blog post from the book about the greatest winner in NBA history, William Felton Russell. Rarely is Bill Russell mentioned when modern day basketball fans debate who's the greatest player of all-time. Many question if he could be as dominant in today's NBA as he was when he played. I contend that greatness transcends generations, especially when evaluating players who played in the NBA from the 1960's and on. A 15 second clip on youtube of Bill Russell is an eye-opener on Russell's athletic greatness.

I recently listened to an excellent interview by Michael Tillery of the legendary Boston Globe reporter, Bob Ryan, who expressed how difficult it is to explain the greatness of Bill Russell to modern day fans. Ryan highlighted Russell's basketball intelligence, competitiveness, lateral mobility, and quickness to the ball as key factors in why he was a dominant player in his era and why he would still be a player of impact in today's game.

FROM SET SHOT TO SLAM DUNK

"Easy Ed" Macauley on Bill Russell:

"Easy Ed" Macauley played in the NBA from 1949 to 1959 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960. Macauley is also remembered for being one of two players (Cliff Hagan) traded by Boston in 1956 to the St. Louis Hawks for the rights to Bill Russell. Probably one of the most interesting stories in all of basketball concerns the trade that sent Bill Russell to Boston in exchange for me and Cliff Hagan. Not many people know the real story, but it could have changed the course of professional basketball, in that I don't think the Celtics would have won ten out of eleven or eleven out of twelve championships without Russell. If he'd stayed in St. Louis, I don't know that St. Louis would have either. But I don't think Boston would have because Russell was absolutely perfect for that ball club. Cousy, Sharman out there in the backcourt stealing balls with Russell behind them, stopping everybody. Heinsohn, Loscutoff. They didn't have a great defensive club, but with Russell back there you didn't need one because no one could get closer than fifteen feet. We played them a couple of times when Russell wasn't in the lineup, and they were just an ordinary ball club. With him, they were just superb.

But getting back to the trade, that March just before the play-offs started, my son, Patrick, who was just under one year old, had a cold. He'd had problems with his kidneys when he was born, had taken a lot of penicillin, and we thought we'd lose him. Anyway, the doctor said, "He has a cold, but I don't want to give him penicillin because he's had so much." We took him home, and half an hour later he was in convulsions. We took him to the hospital and were told that he had spinal meningitis. He had a very high fever and wound up with his brain completely destroyed. He was cerebral palsy, never could talk, walk, or think. He spent the rest of his life in a crib, wearing diapers, he could only roll over [Patrick died at the age of fourteen].

So now the season is over and I've really got a problem. My wife, Jackie, and I are back in St. Louis and the draft meeting is in April or May. Walter Brown called me and said, "I'm at the draft meeting and Red wants to make a deal to send you and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis in exchange for Bill Russell, but I don't want to make the deal. I can't imagine the Celtics without you."

To this day, I'm thoroughly convinced that if I'd said "I can't imagine not playing with the Celtics," there never would have been a deal. But I said to Walter, "I've got a problem. We don't know if our son will recover. I'd love to stay with the Celtics and if you were trading me to any other club, I'd say no. But I was born and raised in St. Louis, my wife is from there, we've got a problem with Patrick, and if you made the deal with St. Louis you'd really be doing me a favor." He said, "Okay. I just wanted to check, because if you didn't want to go we wouldn't make the deal." And that's how the deal was made.

I think Bill Russell was a fantastic player. I disagree with some of his philosophies. He doesn't sign autographs. He didn't go back to the Hall of Fame to accept the honor of being inducted. I think that's bush league. But I'll say this, he was the most dominant player to ever play the game. There have been a lot of ballplayers who are better, individually, better shooters, dribblers, rebounders. But no one individual who could put it all together was as important to a particular team as Bill Russell was. In 1957, the Celtics won their first championship. That was my first year with the Hawks. We played them in the finals. The Celtics won in seven games by one point, I guess, or maybe it was in overtime. The next year the Hawks won the championship against the Celtics because, I think, we had a better ball club, had more desire, were better coached and because Bill Russell sprained his ankle in the third game and couldn't play. If Russell had not sprained his ankle and had been in the lineup - and I don't mean to take anything away from our ball club - I really don't think we would have won the title. The guy was that important.

Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton on Bill Russell:

Nat Clifton played professional basketball from 1945-1961. In 1950, Clifton, Earl Lloyd, and Chuck Cooper became the first Black men to play in the NBA.

I would have to say that Bill Russell was the most difficult player to play against. At that time we didn't understand Russell because he brought something into the league that we wasn't used to. He was a guy with perfect timing. He'd wait until you released the ball. See, all Russell did was stand back under the basket, you understand, and wait for the player to come to him. And then when you were ready to shoot he would come up and hit the ball some kind of way. I don't think he could handle some of the big guys in the league now, but he did then. I was six-six and he could block my shot.

Bill Sharman on Bill Russell:

Bill Sharman played in the NBA from 1951 to 1961. He was Russell's teammate when he joined the Celtics in 1956. Sharman coached in the NBA and was also a general manager and executive with the Lakers for many years. He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach and player.
Finally, in 1956, we got Bill Russell in a trade with St. Louis for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan, and, as the old saying goes, "The rest was history." Russell's tremendous skills in rebounding, defense, and shot blocking were exactly what we needed and we started a dynasty that has not been equaled or matched in any other professional sport today.

I'd also like to mention that Boston drafted Tom Heinsohn and got Frank Ramsey out of the service the same year that Bill Russell joined the team. Both were super players that are now in the Hall of Fame. Plus, we had many other great players on that club, which made us the deepest team in the league. I actually believe that the 1956/57 championship Celtic club was the beginning of an era that emphasized and stressed the value of the fast break that has come to represent the style of modern-day basketball that has become the most effective system used today. Before Boston developed this technique of pushing the ball up-court and running at every opportunity, the old style was more of a deliberate slow-down, set-up system that would seldom fast-break.

So, with the addition of Bill Russell, who could control the boards, it allowed us the opportunity to take off early and gamble on the running attack, which was responsible for a lot of easy baskets. Therefore, with Auerbach's coaching, Russell's rebounding, and Cousy's playmaking, the first truly complete fast-break system was developed and refined. Accordingly, I believe these three people deserve most of the credit for starting this style that has become the most dynamic offensive system in basketball history.

George "Bird" Yardley on Bill Russell:

George Yardley played in the NBA from 1953 to 1960. Nicknamed "Bird," the Stanford graduate was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of fame in 1996.
There's no question that Bill Russell's coming into the league changed the game. You just couldn't take a lay-up against him. He just took that portion of the game away from you. That meant that your man could let you go in for a lay-up. He could play up on you more and force you to go around him. Then, if you didn't stop to take a jump shot, you were going to get it blocked underneath. He was certainly the most intimidating, most dominant person that played sports. But there is one thing that always impressed me. Russell played in the 1956 Olympics and he didn't come to the Celtics until late December, at which point they were 18 and 1, with Tommy Heinsohn as an addition to the team. I've always felt that Boston would still have been the dominant team in basketball, even without Russell, because Heinsohn was exactly what Cousy needed. The disastrous team would have been St. Louis if Russell had never been traded to the Celtics. They might never have lost a game, what with him and Pettit on the same team. As a matter of fact, if I were starting a team and had my choice between Russell and Pettit, I would take Pettit over Russell. I think he was the better basketball player and could do more things. He rebounded as well as Russell. He didn't block shots, but he scored considerably more. He was very unselfish and a much more likable person. Bob is one of my favorite people. Teammates always gathered around him. And, at the end of a game, he was just like Jerry West. He'd shoot the ball and then go after it. He seldom missed a rebound in the last few minutes of a game. He might take five shots, but eventually he'd get it into the basket. Had he and Russell played on the same team, it would have been outrageous.

Mel Hutchins was by far the best defensive basketball player that ever lived, better than Russell and all of them. Russell could not play defense man-to-man. I scored 52 points on him twice. I just loved to see him coming. But when he was waiting for me there under the basket, well, I was lucky to get 10 points. But as an individual defensive player, Hutchins was the best.

Slater Martin On Bill Russell:

Slater "Dugie" Martin played in the NBA from 1949 to 1960 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
When I came to St. Louis Red Holzman was coach. Of course, with every team I'd ever been on, I'd run it. I said,"You gotta get rid of Hagan. He's a forward, put him down in the corner. So we put him in the corner and that was the end of that. He started developing into a tremendous basketball
player. Ed Macauley was there, too. Kerner traded Russell for Hagan and Macauley. Mr. Kerner had the rights to Russell but he wanted the team to get started, to build it up, and he did by getting Hagan and Macauley for Bill Russell. They didn't know if Russell was going to play pro ball or not.

I very much enjoyed playing with the St. Louis team. We were very close and we had a good ball club. The first year I was there we played Boston. It was '56/57 and they beat us in double overtime. We should have won that game, that series. Then we beat them the next year and they claimed Russell was hurt. They were using that as an excuse. Then they beat us again the next year for the Championship. So we played 'em like four years in a row for it. We could have beat them two out of the four years, since we took 'em to overtime. But they had a great team.

Cal Ramsey on Bill Russell:

Cal Ramsey's career in the NBA as a player was short (13 games in two years). He is best known for being a color analyst on New York Knicks games in the 1970's. Of course, Russell was just incredible. I can still see it. One time I was playing against the Celtics and I think Heinsohn was guarding me. Tommy went to the basket and I had a clear range, couldn't see anybody. I put the ball up and from nowhere Russell came up and knocked the ball away. I'll never forget that. And then one time I was playing Heinsohn and Cousy had the ball and I saw them give the backdoor sign and he went right behind me and Cousy threw a perfect bounce pass right between my legs and he went in for a lay-up.

Wilt and Bill are good friends of mine, so I don't try to pick out the best between them. If asked, I say, Wilt Russell was the best. But you have to consider that Russell was not an offensive player. He was the best defensive player of all time. But when you consider that the best playmaking guard at that time, the early and mid-fifties, was Bob Cousy, the best shooting guard was probably Bill Sharman, the best sixth men were Frank Ramsey and later Havlicek, the best defensive players coming off the bench were as a guard K. C. Jones and as a forward Satch Sanders, and the best coach in the game was Red Auerbach, so Russell had the opportunity to play with the best players in the game. All he had to do was rebound and block shots and occasionally he'd score. Wilt had to try to do everything.

Nat Broudy on Bill Russell:

Nat "Feets" Broudy was a scout, worked in the publicity department for the NBA, and was the timekeeper for 32 years for NBA and college games at Madison Square Garden.

But when Bill Russell came into the league it was a different story, and I'll tell you why. No one mentions this too much, but Russell was a lefty. Now on hooking, a player will go right into Russell's left hand. And he was six-nine, six-ten. That's why he was so great. Neil Johnston had to go out and develop a little jump shot. Russell changed the game entirely because there are so many right-handed ballplayers. Another thing, when you're a lefty in the pro game it does so much for you. Why? Because the right-handed ballplayers are moving to their right. Now, if you're a lefty you've got the whole left-hand space. You're out there on your own. Then, with Russell, naturally the Celtics took over. They lost one year to the St. Louis Hawks, but I think that was the year Russell was hurting. There's no question about it, the Celtics were the greatest team. They didn't invent the fast break, it was always in the game, but they certainly honed it. Rochester used to use the fast break a lot because they didn't have too many big players.

CLICK TO LISTEN TO A TREMENDOUS BILL RUSSELL INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY JOE MORGAN.

Is Kobe Bean Bryant Selfish?

2013-11-27T10:42:00.003-08:00

On November, 26, 2013 the Los Angeles Lakers announced they had signed Kobe Bryant to a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension. 'Is he?' or 'isn't he?' immediately became the focus of NBA basketball fans because of the rigidity of the NBA salary cap. I was directly asked if I thought Kobe was selfish.

Kobe is who he is. Having worked in a NBA front office, I've learned that inside parties have a better grasp on matters than outsiders. I'm assuming you're referring to Kobe's contract. A contract is arrived at by two parties; hopefully being mutually beneficial to both. I will never blame an athlete for getting as much as he can from a NBA team. The Lakers have a plan and it involves Kobe. While I wouldn't have initiated talks so early, Lakers' executives must feel that Kobe has the goods to play at a high level for the next 2+ years. We'll see - father time waits for nobody. You can't ignore age in the NBA - Basketball at its essence is a young man's game - A team has to have the right blend of veterans & youth. If you have too many old dogs, you're playing Russian roulette. The NBA season is just so brutal on the body. The Steve Nash signing was ridiculous - You don't commit those types of dollars to a guard with that much mileage on the tires. Everybody thinks Kobe is a superman - Kobe says he will "run through a wall" to prove the Lakers made the right call. Nobody questions Kobe's desire, but at some point that wall is going to show you why it's a wall. I'm looking forward to seeing if Kobe can dip into the fountain of youth. I have my doubts, especially coming off such a tough injury. Once one part of the body breaks down, something else is more likely to fail. The body is a kinetic chain. I don't blame Kobe. I blame the Lakers for not having the patience to see how things would play out once Kobe stepped back on the floor. Why the rush? Kobe wasn't going anywhere. But, I'm an outsider; hopefully the Lakers have more knowledge about Kobe's future prospects & their potential for signing key pieces in the future.

Nate Jones, known by twitter fans as @JonesOnTheNBA, has been a leader in creating a forum to discuss this issue. One of his tweeps, J. Doug Hatings had a classic tweet:

‏@basquiatball

Kobe's campaign to justify his contract is the most defense he's played in 3 years #2014defensiveplayeroftheyear

Kobe even hit twitter to educate the masses (play all-star defense) about the ways of the NBA:

‏@kobebryant

The cap rules players have to be "selfless" on To "help" BILLIONAIRE owners R the same cap rules the owners LOCKED US out to put in #think

‏@kobebryant

Don't just learn ur sport .. Learn the sports industry #futureathletes

‏@kobebryant

Btw lakers have max cap space and then some #mitchissharp #bussfamsharp #lakers

Two Lakers' beat writers penned insightful and must read pieces on Kobe's contract with the Lakers:

Ramona Shelburne - "Bryant tweets speak to fellow stars - The Lakers knew Kobe Bryant's new deal would tweak the rest of the NBA. That was kind of the point."

Kevin Ding - "The Polarizing Kobe Bryant Has Done It Again with New Contract Extension."

"The fans, God bless them," Bryant said Wednesday in a meeting with reporters in Washington D.C. "They're fans and they have good intentions and kind of a good spirit about it, but I don't think they understand the cap or what strategically they're trying to do better than the Lakers do." Kobe Bryant

Small College Basketball in the 1960's - Not so SMALL!

2013-10-30T11:30:00.007-07:00

Phil Jackson at University of North Dakota with two future NBA Head Coaches - Bill Fitch & Jimmy Rodgers

Seth Davis conducted an interview with Phil Jackson that will appear on CampusInsiders.Com on November 1, 2013. There are many clips from the interview posted on youtube. They're quite good. Seth is an excellent interviewer and Phil is an authentic & insightful interviewee. A comment made by Seth about small college basketball on Part 3 of Phil Jackson's interview on the Seth Davis Show caught my attention and is the reason why I'm writing this blog.

In the above clip, Seth asks Jackson questions about his days as a player at the University of North Dakota and the New York Knicks. Two of Phil Jackson's coaches at North Dakota eventually became NBA Coaches, Bill Fitch and Jimmy Rodgers. Jackson relates what he learned from Fitch, perseverance and defense, and also mentions one of my favorite Phil Jackson basketball drills that he learned from Fitch, "the hockey drill." Phil also talks about the strength of Red Holzman as a coach, and relates Holzman's simple but effective basketball philosophy - Stay in front of your man on defense & hit the open man on offense.

But, it was Seth's offhanded comment about small college basketball in the 1960's that drew my ire. What was Seth's comment to Phil as he was talking about the state of college basketball when he was a player at UND in the 1960's? - "Not major college basketball for the day."

One can't expect a man who was born in the 1970's to appreciate the quality of talent and the level of basketball that was played by College Division (Division II) teams in the 1960's. University Division (Divison 1) basketball wasn't bloated like it is today. Southern Schools didn't have Black basketball players at their schools until the late 1960's and Historically Black Colleges and Universities were filled with top talent. Seth's little offhanded comment is true to a point, but it grossly mischaracterizes the QUALITY of basketball that was played in the College Division in the 1960's.

Phil mentioned that Southern Illinois University's basketball team, led by Walt Frazier, was a College Division team when he was at UND. What Phil didn't have time to mention in the interview was that in 1967 SIU won the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) as a "College Division" team against "University Division" Teams. One has to understand the history of basketball to appreciate this achievement. The NIT was a more significant tournament in 1967 than it is now. Between 22 to 25 teams qualified for the NCAA University Division Tournament in the 1960's, now 68 teams qualify for March Madness.

In the same year that SIU won the NIT, my father's (Clarence 'Big House' Gaines) team, Winston-Salem State College (now WSSU), won the College Division Championship. That team was led by Earl Monroe. I created the following video for a middle school presentation - Earl "The Pearl" Monroe's Impact 1966-67:

UCLA, led by Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabaar) won the University Division Championship in 1967.

Let's take it a step further & look at the roster of the 1972-73 NBA Champion New York Knicks. Of the 14 players on the roster, 5 attended College Division teams and one attended a junior college:

Dick Barnett - Tennessee State
Walt Frazier - Southern Illinois
Phil Jackson - University of North Dakota
Earl Monroe - Winston-Salem State College - now WSSU
Willis Reed - Grambling State College - now GSU

*Monroe (#2), Frazier (#5), & Jackson (#17) were drafted in the 1967 NBA Draft.

Harthorne Wingo - Friendship Junior College - Would love to know this back story.

Do I need to say anything more about the level of talent from College Division Schools on the Knicks roster - all of the above names from College Division schools are significant in basketball history.

Obviously, the level of play in the College Division was far superior to the level of play in Division II basketball today. Top teams in the College Division during the 1960's could easily compete with University Division teams. The landscape of college sports and basketball was much different. So, Seth Davis, don't casually dismiss the College Division teams of that era!

Links & my twitter comments to Seth Davis' interview with Phil Jackson:
The @SethDavisHoops Show: with @PhilJackson11 Pt. 2 - Video - @CampusInsiders http://bit.ly/1asW2at

'@PhilJackson11 on "Ending The Lakers' Dynasty" - Video - @CampusInsiders http://bit.ly/1cuAs7d

@PhilJackson11 on Michael Jordan as an owner - The Seth Davis Show - @SethDavisHoops - http://bit.ly/HscGLB

@SethDavisHoops thinks Michael Jordan's @Hoophall speech was a low point I don't '@PhilJackson11 comments http://bit.ly/HscGLB Vintage MJ

@PhilJackson11 on college hoops - http://bit.ly/1itXxV1 - As long as I've known PJ, he's never really been a fan of the college game

@PhilJackson11 on @DwightHoward http://bit.ly/1aTmsNA - @SethDavisHoops - PJ's glass is half-full when it comes to Dwight.

Great interview @SethDavisHoops with @PhilJackson11 - PJ at his authentic best - not being political with his responses. Watch it!

@PhilJackson11 talking religion - Saying he didn't fulfill his ministerial promise that he made at an early age - Some would disagree.

@PhilJackson11 on religion-"the focus is all about the end game." http://bit.ly/1aTmsNA PJ-it's the moment-2-moment existence that counts

@PhilJackson11 discusses his @twitter game & his infamous tweet to @kendricklamar http://bit.ly/17XHPfI

Beauty of @PhilJackson11 tweet to @kendricklamar http://bit.ly/17XHPfI is a message I'm conveying to my son- "We don't do this world alone"

@PhilJackson11 on his coaching prospects http://bit.ly/1iu2cGo & his book "Eleven Rings." via @SethDavisHoops

What the hell is "schadenfreude" @PhilJackson11 & @SethDavisHoops - thanks for the vocab word of the day - http://bit.ly/1iu2cGo

"Schadenfreude" - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. - definitely want to know origin of this word.

@PhilJackson11 on his playing career http://bit.ly/16lQD1L -Actually PJ, UND was in "College Division"-D1 was called "University Division"

@PhilJackson11 -time to educate @SethDavisHoops on what "College Division" hoops was like when U played at (cont) http://tl.gd/n_1rqq4il

@PhilJackson11 mentions a BB drill that I love in this @SethDavisHoops interview - learned from Bill Fitch at UND http://bit.ly/16lQD1L

@PhilJackson11 talks Red Holzman http://bit.ly/16lQD1L "Stay in front of your man & hit the open man" Sounds simple, but ............

@PhilJackson11 talks about Red Holzman - http://bit.ly/16lQD1L jibes with @EarlThePearl_15 thoughts - http://bit.ly/17sP2dy

@PhilJackson11 thought Lamar Odom's marriage to Kardashian was good at first. Now? "Maybe it wasn't." bit.ly/1h10SPM

SDS Sneak Peek: When Kobe Made Phil Quit - YouTube http://bit.ly/17t9gDU

SDS Sneak Peek: Predicting Lamar Odom's Fall - YouTube http://bit.ly/1h11PHS

SDS Sneak Peek: Is Jackson Concerned About Rodman? - YouTube http://bit.ly/1h120Da

Drug Cheats - Do Hall of Fame Talents Deserve Hall of Fame Recognition?

2013-09-24T09:16:00.005-07:00

I just read John Mehaffey's article, "{Calvin} Smith true winner of 'dirtiest race' in history." Mehaffey considers the 100 metres dash final in the 1988 Seoul Olympics to be the 'dirtiest race' in history. Some might argue the point, and point out that any Tour de France race staged over the last 25 years could easily qualify as the 'dirtiest race' in history, but let's not quibble with details.

A Charlie Francis quote from Mehaffey's article inspired this post. Francis was the great, but controversial coach of Ben Johnson, who won the Seoul Olympics 100 metres dash in an astonishing time of 9.79 seconds. A day later, Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal and Carl Lewis was declared the winner of the race.

"Steroids could not replace talent, or training, or a well-planned competitive program." "They could not transform a plodder into a champion. But they had become an essential ingredient within a complex recipe." Charlie Francis

The preceding quote by Charlie Francis is the reason why this blog is being written. It's a quote that I inherently believe to be true, but do you? If you do believe it to be true, how should one view the athletic accomplishments and legacies of the many athletes in all sports who used Performance Enhancing Drugs as a part of their 'complex recipe?'

Comments on the subject are welcome on this blog - Rarely do people comment on what I've written. This blog is being created to spark dialogue on the subject.

The Power of the 'N-Word'

2013-08-08T15:46:00.020-07:00

WHO IS THE NIGGER?

The above video features Dustin Hoffman playing Lenny Bruce, John Lennon, Black caricatures from the 1940's, and James Baldwin speaking on the question, "Who is the Nigger?"

The 'N-Word' has been in the news of late. Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, has been the object of scorn, ridicule, and much commentary since Crossingbroad.com released a video of him saying "I will jump that fence and fight every nigger here, bro" at a June 8th, 2013 Kenny Chesney concert at Lincoln Financial Field. Many pundits have weighed in on the matter, and I'm providing links to Stephen A. Smith's commentary on "First Take" and Jason Whitlock's article. Smith and Whitlock had views on the controversy that I appreciated, and I gave high praise to Smith for calling out Black athletes use and abuse of the 'N-Word' in locker room and mixed settings. On March 7, 2014 Jason Whitlock had a very educational and important discussion with Chris Carter and Dr. Harry Edwards {Begins at 14:20} mark on the subject of the N-Word in professional sports.

Def Poetry was one of my favorite shows on TV. Julian Curry's poem, "Niggers, Niggas & Niggaz" was featured on Def Poetry. The poem speaks to the power of the "N-Word" and the ignorant use of the word by both Blacks and non-Blacks. I particularly like his closing rhyme:

But I gotta go now, I gotta go now, I gotta go now./
I gotta get this poem in the hands of the artist formerly known as Prince now/

Because when it comes to talent, ain’t nobody’s bigger./
And maybe this poem can be the gun and his voice could be the trigger./
We could collaborate and figure a way to convince Jigga/
To help us write a new dream song or a new theme song and call it/

the people formerly known as Niggers.

This blog has been in me since I was a teenager. I'm currently 54, so I've waited a long time to publicly express some of my thoughts on the 'N-Word.' You can't grow up in the segregated south in the 1960's & 70's and not feel the pain of oppression or racism, be it covert or overt. I've been called Nigger to my face and I'm certain I've been called it behind my back. I detest the word and it's not a part of my spoken word. I detest when Blacks use the word, or a form of the word around one another, as much as I detest when somebody who is non-Black chooses to use the word.

Oprah Winfrey, Forest Whitaker, and Lee Daniels were interviewed about Daniels' new movie, "The Butler" in Parade Magazine. During the interview they talked about racism and the "N-Word." I'll let Oprah speak for me on this issue:

On Using the N-Word:
Lee Daniels: It’s a word I used quite a bit, until Oprah sat me down and talked to me about its power.
Oprah Winfrey: You cannot be my friend and use that word around me. It shows my age, but I feel strongly about it. I was too young to participate in civil rights marches, but I am a student of black history. I grew up reciting Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech and Fannie Lou Hamer’s speeches. I grew up understanding where I’ve come from. When you fully get that, it’s hard to be loose-lipped with that word. I always think of the millions of people who heard that as their last word as they were hanging from a tree.
Forest Whitaker: I don’t use the word. Never did.
Daniels: So I put that toward the beginning of the film, and that’s the only time you will hear it from any black person.
Winfrey: Right. There’s a notable absence of the word. Because back in the ’60s, black people were not calling each other the N-word. They’d say, “Negro, please.”
Daniels: You’ve come out against its use in rap lyrics, Oprah.
Winfrey: Yes. With people like Jay Z—and I’ve had him on the show—we agree to disagree about it. You’re never going to bring me to the side of “The word is okay.”

Jason Whitlock, ESPN columnist, wrote an outstanding commentary (More than Sticks and Stones) on November 15, 2013 on the N-Word's popularity in today's culture. The following are a few quotes from Whitlock that resonated with me:

"It's impossible to pinpoint when the N-word became black America's most cherished possession. But that fact is now impossible to deny. This is what I was referring to last week when I wrote that black American culture has been turned upside down and corrupted by mass incarceration, the destruction of the traditional family unit and commercial hip-hop music. The impact of these corrosive forces can be seen in the values and perspective of African-Americans across economic and class lines. We have a new normal. As it relates to the N-word, Barkley and Wilbon, like many African-Americans, have adapted to the new normal. The N-word is a cherished possession."

"The N-word is a not a generational issue. The N-word was never a fad. It was a primary tool in the enslavement, disenfranchisement and cultural destruction of a race of people."

"My point is that the young people, from Jay Z to the kids in the Dolphins locker room to Matt Barnes, who think the N-word is a term of endearment or a word now devoid of its negative impact because of its popularity, are misguided in a way no previous American generation has been misguided."

"I object when anyone, regardless of color, uses the word around me. The N-word is like fast food or cigarettes. It's unhealthy. It is the foundational fertilizer at the root of the maladies plaguing black America. The word is more negatively powerful today than it was at its invention. It's a sign of the depth of our self-hatred. Its defenders cannot rationally explain its importance. They just know they can't live without it."

Brent Campbell, a senior at UNC Wilmington, recently wrote a letter to the school's chancellor, Gary Williams, after he was verbally assaulted with threats and racial epithets by a group of whites in a pickup truck.

"While training on the Intramural fields at around 3 p.m. in front of New Hanover gym a blue pickup truck with 5 white male students drove past me. As they slowed down for the speed bumps they began to yell threats and abuse: "Go home, you f---ing Nigger!" "If we see you here again we'll beat your f---ing nigger ass!" "What are you doing here, you f---ing coon?" They shouted threats and abuse as they drove past. I kept my composure and simply continued on with my workout. 5 minutes later the men came back, less 3 members. The driver and his passenger shouted more abuse for a while and ended with this statement: "My name is (removed) and if we see you here again we'll stomp your Nigger ass!"

Campbell's entire letter and Chancellor Williams' response to the incident is at the end of this blog. I was moved to write this blog because of Campbell's letter. I thought his suggestion of the action that should be taken against the perpetrators was admirable and worthy of being highlighted:

I was told that if the owner of the vehicle, this (removed), could be found he would be expelled. I write this letter for him too. (removed) and his friends aren't the problem here. I can't be angry at them. They are a product of their environment. Somewhere in their homes, in their schools, in their churches even, they were taught this. They were taught to hate. Expulsion would be the easy fix but it wouldn't be the solution. The problem is that they have never been in community with black people before. He has only ever seen me, he has never known me. If he knew me, truly knew me, he would have never done those things. I know he wouldn't. If he were found I would ask that his punishment be to get to know me. He should be forced to meet with me once a week for a month over lunch or dinner. That isn’t an empty suggestion to sound caring or altruistic. I mean that. I mean it down to my core. The reality is that knowledge and love have the power to change a heart more readily than discipline or punishment. If he could see my eagerness to forgive him, if he could come to know my struggles here at this school, if he could get a glimpse of the person that I am….he would find, in all of that, the solution. That is how you change a heart. That is how we could grow to become a unified campus. That is how UNCW could come to achieve authentic racial reconciliation.

Many people have debated how the Philadelphia Eagles organization, coaches, and teammates should deal with Riley Cooper as he integrates himself back into the team structure. Campbell's prescription of demonstrating love and providing education and knowledge are worthy of being championed, instead of thirsting for how much discipline or punishment should be meted out to Cooper. Cooper's use of the "N-Word" is shocking to those close to the Eagles because he has been around and exposed to many Black athletes during his high profile football career at the University of Florida and in the NFL. But exposure doesn't equal education and knowledge.

EDUCATION & KNOWLEDGE
I followed closely the 2nd degree murder trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. I wrote a blog, The Zimmerman Verdict - My Immediate Thoughts, after the verdict was announced. I had another blog idea related to Trayvon Martin that I researched, but never wrote, Trayvon Martin - A Search for Our American Character - What James Baldwin Would Say. Talking about character in light of Riley Cooper's actions at the Chesney concert is appropriate. How do you define character? John Wooden famously said, "The true test of a man's character is what he does when no one is watching.”

Did George Zimmerman call Trayvon Martin the "N-Word?" Probably not, but contrary to the many who didn't view Zimmerman's action as racial profiling, one can conclude he was treated and viewed as a nigger by Zimmerman. Dr. Neal Hall wrote "Nigger for Life," a book of poetry that "reflects the painful, later life discovery of Hall, that in "unspoken America," race is the one thing on which he is "first" judged, by which he is "first" measured, "first", against which his life and accomplishments are metered diminished value, dignity and equality. All of which have everything to do with accessing choice, opportunity, power and freedom in America. 'Nigger For Life' reveals Dr. Hall's deep sense of betrayal combined with his fervent passion for life and equality for "all". Whether an ophthalmologist or poet, Dr. Hall's reality is clear-cut - in the eyes of "unspoken America", he is, a 'Nigger For Life'."

How do we, as a society, move past viewing Blacks in America as Niggers for Life? I'm going to rely on the collective wisdom of Studs Terkel, James Baldwin, and Anna Deveare Smith to assist me in answering this question. I first heard of Studs Terkel in 1993 when I attended Anna Deveare Smith's one-woman play, 'Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992' at the Mark Taper Theater. In 'Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992' Smith morphed into the real life individuals that she interviewed after the 1992 LA riots. Below is her rendition of Studs Terkel commenting on a "defining moment in American history" from a TED presentation, where she also gave a profound introduction on the significance of words: "My grandfather told me when I was a little girl that if you say a word often enough, it becomes you. Having grown up in a segregated city, Baltimore, Md, I sort of use that idea to go around America with a tape recorder to interview people, thinking that if I walk in their words that I could sort of absorb America. I was also inspired by Walt Whitman, who wanted to absorb American and have it absorb him."

Studs Terkel on Defining Moments in American History:
The human touch, it's disappearing. So you ask about a defining moment — ain’t no defining moment in American history for me. It’s an accretion of moments that add up to where we are now, where trivia becomes news. And more and more, less and less awareness of the pain of the other. I don't know if you can use this or not, but I was quoting Wright Morris, writer from Nebraska, who says, "We are more and more into communications and less and less into communication."

Terkel was a fixture on radio in Chicago since the 1940's. He had a syndicated program, but I had never heard him actually speak or interview anyone until this year, when I listened to his audiobook CD, "Studs Terkel-Voices of Our Time: The Original Live Interviews." Terkel was a brilliant interviewer, and his 1961 interview with author, James Baldwin is as relevant today as it was then. Below you will be able to listen to Baldwin being interviewed by Terkel about his books, "Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes Of A Native Son,"and "Another Country." Appreciate the wit, wisdom, and intelligence of both men and listen to what Baldwin has to say on racial attitudes in the 1960's that is still relevant in today's America, particularly in regards to issues surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Trayvon Martin - A Search for Our American Character - Wisdom from James Baldwin

Studs Terkel (Start at 8:00 Mark): "Nobody Knows My Name," why did you choose that title?

James Badwin: - At the risk of sounding pontifical - I suppose it's a fairly bitter title, but it's also meant as a kind of warning to my country. In the days when people called me boy, well - those days haven't passed, except I didn't answer then and I don't answer now. To be a Negro in this country, Ralph Ellison said it very well, really never to be looked at, to be invisible. What white people see when they look at you is what they have invested you with, and what they have invested you with is all the agony, and the pain, and the danger, and the passion, and the torment, sin, death, and hell which everyone in this country is terrified. You represent a level of experience, which Americans deny. And, I think you can see, in the life of the country, not only in the South, what a terrible price the country has paid for this effort to keep a distance between themselves and black people. In the same way for example that it is very difficult, it is hazardous, psychologically personally hazardous for a Negro in this country really to hate white people, because he is too involved with them, not only socially, but historically. And no matter who says what, in fact, Negroes and Whites in this country are related to each other. Half of the Black families in the South are related to the judges and lawyers in the White families of the South. They are cousins, and kissing cousins at that, at least kissing cousins. Now this is a terrible depth of involvement. It's easy for an African to hate the invader and drive him out of Africa, but it's very difficult for an American Negro - obviously you can't do this with white people, there's no place to drive them. This is the country which belongs equally to us both. and one's got to learn to live together here, or else there won't be any country. I'm not mad at this country anymore; I'm very worried about it. I'm not worried about the Negroes in the country, even, so much as I'm worried about the country. The country doesn't know what it's done to Negroes, but the country has no notion whatever, and this is disastrous, what it's done to itself. They have yet to assess the price they've paid, North & South for keeping a nigger in his place, and from my point of view, it shows in every single level of our lives, from the most public to the most private.

Terkel: Can you expand on this a bit Jim, what the country has done to itself.

Baldwin: One of the reasons, for example, why our youth are so badly educated. And it is inconceivably badly educated, is because education demands a certain daring, a certain independence of mind. You have to teach young people to think. In order to teach young people to think, you have to teach them to think about everything, it must not be something they can't think about. If there is one thing they can't think about, and very shortly, they can't think about anything. Now, there's always something in this country, of course, one can't think about - one can't think about the Negro. This may seem like a very subtle argument, but I don't think so. I think that really time will prove the connection between the level and the lives we lead and this extraordinary endeavor to avoid Black men. And I think it shows in our public life. When I was living in Europe it occurred to me what Americans in Europe didn't know about Europeans, is precisely what the didn't know about me. And what Americans today don't know about the rest of the world, like Cuba or Africa, is what they don't know about me. A totally incoherent foreign policy of this country is a reflection of the incoherence of the private lives here.

Terkel: So we don't even know our own names?

Baldwin: No we don't and that's the whole point. I suggest this - that in order to learn your name, you're going to have to learn mine. In a way the key to this country, the American Negro is the key figure in this country. If you don't face him, you'll never face anything.

Terkel: Thank You very much James Baldwin.

James Baldwin is an authentic voice in American literature and American History. Anna Deavere Smith wrote "Talk to Me: Listening Between the Lines," an authentic book that was mainly about her pursuit of finding authentic voices and language in Washington DC politics. "Speaking calls for risk, speaking calls for a sense of what one has to lose, not just what one has to gain. Speaking calls for heart."

The cause of the 1992 riots in Los Angeles were a direct result of the not guilty verdicts rendered for the cops after the 1992 trials in the Rodney King Case. Rodney King is also well known for the question he posed on the day the verdicts were rendered: "Can we all get along?" It's an eternal question that has stumped man since Adam and Eve. Yes, we can all get along better, but the price that is required is one that lots of people aren't willing to pay. At a minimum, to get along and understand one another better involves effort, patience and empathy. Lots of information to digest and I end this blog with the complete letters of Brent Campbell and UNCW chancellor Gary Williams.

2020 Update - I recently listened to a Tedx presentation by Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, a history professor at Smith College. Elizabeth is the daughter of Richard Pryor. When Richard Pryor's daughter has something to say about the "N-Word," you listen. I loved her talk even before I found out she was Pryor's daughter. She wrote"Colored Travelers: Mobility and the Fight for Citizenship before the Civil War" In Chapter 1 she discusses the etymology of the N-Word. If interested, just click on this sentence & you can read my twitter thread (12 tweets) on her book.

Brent Campbell's Letter to Chancellor Gary Miller

Hello,
My name is Brent Campbell and I am a rising senior here at UNCW. I am a Finance Major, a Captain of the Track team, Vice President of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship here on campus, a regular bible study leader and I am also black. I am writing to bring attention to something that happened to me on Monday, July 22, 2013. I emphasize the date because what I experienced is commonly thought to be a thing of the past. We breathe a sigh of relief as we think back on the days of open hate and bigotry that called the South home for so long and we thank God that they are a bad memory from a worse time; that we have entered a new age. We think that, at least, our campus is safe from such ignorance but the truth is that while we have come far, we still have far to go.
While training on the Intramural fields at around 3 p.m. in front of New Hanover gym a blue pickup truck with 5 white male students drove past me. As they slowed down for the speed bumps they began to yell threats and abuse: "Go home, you f---ing Nigger!" "If we see you here again we'll beat your f---ing nigger ass!" "What are you doing here, you f---ing coon?" They shouted threats and abuse as they drove past. I kept my composure and simply continued on with my workout. 5 minutes later the men came back, less 3 members. The driver and his passenger shouted more abuse for a while and ended with this statement: "My name is (removed) and if we see you here again we'll stomp your Nigger ass!"
I'd like to say that I was shocked, that I was surprised that I was so blatantly threatened but I wasn't. I am a black man going to a predominately white institution. I've heard this type of racist vitriol since I got here and I'll likely hear it again. What shocked me was that it still hurt me. You see, I've lived in Wilmington for almost 10 years. Racism, both covert and open, was one of the first things I got used to when I moved here. I have been desensitized by my years here. It's sad to say but it's the only way a black man can live here or go to this school and stay sane. You learn to live with the stares, the quietly racist remarks, the clutched purses, the automatic identification from teachers as an athlete because you are black (how else could I have gotten in?)….these things have been some of the biggest parts of my education here. I have learned to live with those things but something I haven’t learned to live with yet is the hurt. That hurt is the same hurt I felt 10 years ago when I got here. That hurt hasn’t ever gone away.
But, if I'm being honest, that isn't the whole story. The whole story is that not all of our students are bigots or hateful. The whole story is that our students are bright, compassionate and kind. I have met white people here who have loved me like a brother, like a son. Not all of the people here are so blind, not all are so ignorant. At the end of the day UNCW is my school and I am proud to call myself a Seahawk.
I have no fix-it-all plan or program or event to suggest. I don't write this letter in hopes of one being formed. I know that the Administration sees these incidents as a great injustice. I know that you are working hard to make this campus a safe place for students of every race but I also think that this is a moment to learn, to change and to grow. I wanted to write and make this story known because it could have been someone else. It's a blessing that it was me. My heart has grown tough in this city and at this school. I know who I am. I no longer seek the validation of my "betters", I no longer see "being white" as a goal to be attained. I cannot be easily goaded into violence or retaliation. Those were responses I faced and triumphed over a long time ago. I've grown strong here. But what if it wasn't me? What if it was one of my teammates, already having hard times adjusting to the racial climate here? Or a regular student? Worse, what if it was a woman? What if they had acted upon their threats? I write to make it plain that there is still so much work to do here.
I was told that if the owner of the vehicle, this (removed), could be found he would be expelled. I write this letter for him too. (removed) and his friends aren't the problem here. I can't be angry at them. They are a product of their environment. Somewhere in their homes, in their schools, in their churches even, they were taught this. They were taught to hate. Expulsion would be the easy fix but it wouldn't be the solution. The problem is that they have never been in community with black people before. He has only ever seen me, he has never known me. If he knew me, truly knew me, he would have never done those things. I know he wouldn't. If he were found I would ask that his punishment be to get to know me. He should be forced to meet with me once a week for a month over lunch or dinner. That isn’t an empty suggestion to sound caring or altruistic. I mean that. I mean it down to my core. The reality is that knowledge and love have the power to change a heart more readily than discipline or punishment. If he could see my eagerness to forgive him, if he could come to know my struggles here at this school, if he could get a glimpse of the person that I am….he would find, in all of that, the solution. That is how you change a heart. That is how we could grow to become a unified campus. That is how UNCW could come to achieve authentic racial reconciliation.

Sincerely,
Brent L. Campbell

Chancellor Gary Miller's Response

Dear Campus Community,
Below you will see a statement my office is releasing regarding a regrettable incident that was reported on our campus yesterday afternoon. You will likely see media coverage of the incident this evening and beyond, and we hope such coverage will bring about continued dialogue on this and related issues. Hateful actions like the one reported yesterday will simply not be tolerated on this campus. I applaud UNCW student Brent Campbell for coming forward to share his experience and encourage all of you to do the same if ever you're faced with similarly vitriolic circumstances. In this environment where we so strongly promote diversity, respect and student safety and well-being, this is a very upsetting development indeed -- and one we're not taking lightly.
“I have been made aware of a deplorable racial incident that was reported on our campus this past Monday afternoon involving one of our African-American students. It came to our attention today that Brent Campbell, a rising senior and captain of the UNCW men’s track team, was training on the Intramural fields at around 3 p.m. in front of New Hanover gym when a blue pickup truck with 5 white male individuals drove past him several times and made derogatory racial comments. Simply put, UNCW will not tolerate incidents of this nature, by students, staff or visitors, and our police department is investigating accordingly. We have spoken to Brent to express our outrage that he endured this horrific experience. While it's unconscionable that such hatefulness exists anywhere, it's particularly upsetting that this occurred on the UNCW campus, where we strive to foster examination and action around diversity, respect, and issues of race and culture at every opportunity. This is just such an opportunity, and we are grateful that Brent has responded with such grace and openness so as to continue the important dialogue about race relations in Wilmington and beyond.”
Gary L. Miller
Chancellor

More James Baldwin

Who is the Nigger?

A person with the youtube handle "daseinwilliams" made the following comments:

"Sorry, no. Nigga is never a term of endearment. Do you call your mom a nigga? Your grandmother? "Honey, dinner's ready!" "What nigga? I didn't hear you, grandmom."

"As long as there is a historical memory of the word nigger, you can NEVER redefine it. It's self-delusion to think so. Blacks can never "reclaim" a word that was never theirs in the first place... a word created to subjugate them... It's sad that we have a biracial president yet the word is still necessary to so many of us."

In the above 1969 video is an incredible Q & A session with James Baldwin that starts approximately at the 19 minute mark. Dick Gregory also speaks eloquently on issues of the time. The first question asked, "Why do you call a man Negro, why don't you just call him Black man, there is no country of the Negro?"
Question 2 - "How do you envision the Black Man's personality in 50 years?"

The Zimmerman Verdict - My Immediate Thoughts

2013-07-14T04:28:00.001-07:00

We Don't Have A Justice System, We Have A Legal System!

The above quote resonated with many when I shared it on twitter. I've followed two trials on television closely in my life, The Zimmerman trial and the O.J. Simpson trial. Many were shocked that the jury pronounced George Zimmerman "not guilty" of the 2nd degree murder/manslaughter of Trayvon Martin. I wasn't. 'UNBELIEVABLE' was a word utilized by many on social media sites. The jury verdict wasn't 'UNBELIEVABLE' if you followed the Zimmerman trial and have an understanding of the law, court room procedures, and the "reasonable doubt" standard. The most 'UNBELIEVABLE' verdict I've ever seen in a courtroom was rendered by the jurors in the O.J. Simpson trial, "not guilty." Now that was 'UNBELIEVABLE!

I had the opportunity to read a blog by Mark Eiglarsh, a criminal defense lawyer in the state of Florida, before the verdict was announced. I highly recommend you read, Zimmerman Jurors Must Find Him “Not Guilty.” by Attorney Eiglarsh. It's a primer on why the Zimmerman verdict should not be considered 'UNBELIEVABLE." The twitter timeline of Attorney Elisabeth Epps is also recommended. Days before the verdict was announced, I suggested people should follow Epps if they were interested in understanding how the jury could reach a "not guilty" verdict. Epps continually ripped the State's case and pointed out their lack of evidence, strategic deficiencies, and poor preparation. Click on the Chirpstory link to read Epps' real-time comments that started on Day 13 (July 11, 2013 - start of closing arguments by prosecution) of the Zimmerman Trial and ended on July 14 after the jury delivered a "not guilty" verdict for George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin - "Attorney Elisabeth Epps Speaks - George Zimmerman Trial"

Decided to recommend another analysis of the case after writing this blog - "Six Reasons Why Florida Prosecutors Lost the Zimmerman Trial."

I commented on the makeup of the jury before the verdict was announced. I'm not a fan of a 6 person jury for any type of murder or manslaughter case. I think the Florida legislature needs to reevaluate the use of a 6 person jury system in these type of cases. I was very disappointed at the lack of male representation on the jury. I also tired of commentators talking about the stereotypical benefits of an all-female jury - more detailed and organized - collaborative and deliberative. Being collaborative & deliberative are great qualities for jurors to have,but don't discount the need to sometimes be confrontational in a jury room as well. "Group think" is a real issue and a problem in all facets of our society. One of my favorite quotes is that "None of us is as dumb as all of us." Most of us recognize the value of diverse voices/experiences in a work setting or classroom; but in a jury room it appears all bets are off when it comes to ensuring a jury is somewhat representative of the community in which the case is tried.

Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, NJ, had some thoughtful tweets after the Zimmerman verdict:

We must mourn the unnecessary & unjust death of a child, but to honor him we must rededicate ourselves to the very ideals that were violated. - Cory Booker

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

There is a higher court than courts of justice, and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts. - Mahatma Gandhi

Bigotry & hate won't just quietly disappear - nor be defeated by more hate. It'll take stubborn, relentless, unyielding love and service. - Cory Booker

Change doesn't roll in on wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. So we must straighten our backs and work for freedom. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

George Zimmerman's brother, Robert Zimmerman, was interviewed by Piers Morgan after the verdict was announced. His interview made my stomach turn: "They have seen what Trayvon Martin did to my brother and it's high time people accept that." There are other quotes from the interview that are just as offensive. Black Voices said it best: "Given an opportunity to discuss racial healing, Robert Zimmerman Jr. instead chose to disparage Trayvon Martin, who is dead." Robert needs to shut up - Got to know when to be quiet and count your blessings. After hearing Robert's interview, my Words of Wisdom to him would be the following: Inflammatory words used by you, friends or other members of the Zimmerman family will cause more problems than the actual verdict. Be wise!

On the night of the Zimmerman verdict I became aware of the Marissa Alexander case that was tried in Florida in 2012. "Alexander of Jacksonville, Fla., received a 20-years prison sentence on Friday, May 11, 2012, for firing warning shots against her allegedly abusive husband. The judge rejected a defense under Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law." Besides the link above, I'm including a link to Congresswoman Corrine Brown's blog on Marissa Alexander, "No Mercy, No Justice." Comparing the outcomes of the two cases makes me want to scream!

I heard a New York lawyer comment on CNN about the Zimmerman verdict. He hit the nail on the head in talking about the case. The Zimmerman case is about disproportionate force. In New York, Zimmerman would have been convicted of manslaughter. New York gun laws are more stringent than Florida's laws. The New York lawyer's statement that "you don't bring a gun to a fist fight" will forever be embedded in my brain when I think of George Zimmerman's actions in taking the life of Trayvon Martin. It's a sad commentary that in our country, Zimmerman's killing of Martin can't be viewed in the same manner across state lines. Guilty in New York, not guilty in Florida.

Garrett (now 13) and I took pictures in 2012 in our hoodies to honor the life of Trayvon Martin and to protest the Sanford Police Department's handling of the case. I was initially going to put our pictures at the top of the story, but felt the image of Trayvon lying dead on the ground would have a sobering impact on one's consciousness.

Many parents of young Black males are searching for ways to explain the verdict, as well as the ways of the United States to their sons. I'm going to request that Garrett read this blog and to pay particular attention to the Cord Jefferson post that I'm linking: The Zimmerman Jury Told Young Black Men What We Already Knew

L'CHAIM! - RIP - Tray!

President Barack Obama's Statement

“The death of Trayvon Martin was a tragedy. Not just for his family, or for any one community, but for America. I know this case has elicited strong passions. And in the wake of the verdict, I know those passions may be running even higher. But we are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken. I now ask every American to respect the call for calm reflection from two parents who lost their young son. And as we do, we should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to widen the circle of compassion and understanding in our own communities. We should ask ourselves if we’re doing all we can to stem the tide of gun violence that claims too many lives across this country on a daily basis. We should ask ourselves, as individuals and as a society, how we can prevent future tragedies like this. As citizens, that’s a job for all of us. That’s the way to honor Trayvon Martin.”

Also decided to link an Op-ed piece that appeared in the Wall Street Journal that was written by Jason Riley. Riley is Black - "Race, Politics and the Zimmerman Trial."

A SCOUT'S PERSPECTIVE - OBSERVATIONS & RUMINATIONS

Four Ways to Honor the Life of Olivia Gaines

Righteously Angry At The Racist Ways of Trump 2.0 - Trump & The Old South

The Black Power Mixtape (1967-1975) -- Reflections

bell hooks & Big House -- "Living by a Love Ethic"

Reflections on the “13th”

Video 2: The Good Old Days According to The Law & Order Candidate - Dedicated to all Republicans who hold their noses when voting for Donald J. Trump.

The Right Way - Reflections on the Chicago Bulls 1990's Dynasty & "The Last Dance"

Changing The World - My Take on Admiral McRaven's UT Graduation Speech

Robert E. Lee

Real Talk - Greg Newell on Dennis Johnson

We're Getting The President WE Deserve!

That's my Game! Big House on Coach John McLendon - Father of Black College & Fast Break Basketball

Breaking Through: John B. McLendon, Basketball Legend and Civil Rights Pioneer by Milton Katz

John McLendon finally gets his due in Hall of Fame by Daryl Bell

KU graduate John McLendon to receive second Naismith Hall of Fame honor by Gary Bedore

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/university-of-kansas/article100727112.html#storylink=cpy

The Big House Tapes

Marine's CIAA Century of Champions - Big House Gaines:

Big House's Segment in "Black Magic:"

Added Bonus - Created a Facebook Page - Scenes from WSSU - C.E. Big House Gaines Collection

Scenes from WSSU - C.E. Big House Gaines Collection

Scenes from WSSU - C.E. Big House Gaines Collection

Finding Her Voice - My Daughter's Cancer Journey

Thank You Mom!

"The Real" - Spotlight on LeVelle Moton - A Double-Goal Coach

Championship Season - Advice from John Wooden & Dean Smith

The difference between winning and succeeding

Leadership - Mean Joe Greene - "Their Life's Work"

Message to Richard Sherman - Honoring your Opponent

Seahawks Star Richard Sherman Gave Fox Preview of Postgame Rant:

A Most Special Prayer - Loving People & Using Things - Blood Done Sign My Name

Reflections on Russ - "From Set Shot to Slam Dunk"

Is Kobe Bean Bryant Selfish?

Small College Basketball in the 1960's - Not so SMALL!

Drug Cheats - Do Hall of Fame Talents Deserve Hall of Fame Recognition?

The Power of the 'N-Word'

Brent Campbell's Letter to Chancellor Gary Miller

Chancellor Gary Miller's Response

The Zimmerman Verdict - My Immediate Thoughts