Roland “Fatty” Taylor was a native Washingtonian. He grew up in NE DC and was a product of the DC Public School system. Fatty transferred from Spingarn High School and graduated from Fairmont Heights High School in Prince Georges County, Maryland. He died in Denver, Colorado on Thursday December 7, 2017, he was 71.

On Thursday December 21, 2017 Roland Fatty Taylor will return to his roots of Washington, DC for a home going celebration of his life with family and friends.

When I first met Fatty on the Kelly Miller playground in the late 50s he was just a little chubby guy hanging out with two skinny little guys, Dave Bing, and Donald Hicks. They would usually arrive early and shoot around until the bigger and older guys got ready to play. I would walk from my NE Parkside housing project a couple miles away on the weekends to Kelly Miller. This was where the best competition could be found. Fatty and his crew would become regulars among the spectators and often witness playground basketball played at its highest level. Kelly Miller was not a basketball court for the weak of heart or for cry babies.

Even though our athletic foundations were laid on NE playgrounds and at Spingarn, Fatty and I both graduated from Fairmont Heights. After graduation in 1959 I headed south to Winston-Salem State University to chase my dreams of playing in the NFL. During the summer breaks I would return home and find the chubby and skinny little guys had grown up and were now playing on the same courts with me (Kelly Miller, and Brown). During the Christmas break Spingarn would hold a annual varsity verse alumni basketball game and it was there I would encounter Hicks and Bing, but no Fatty Taylor. I later learn he had followed my lead and enrolled at Fairmont Heights. He would later tell me I had recommended the school, but I didn’t remember the conversation. I did remember telling him the basketball coach Kenny Freeman was a great coach who refused to let me play. My Spingarn football coach Dave Brown told Coach Freeman I was there to graduate and I was to play one sport only. I guess he took that conversation as a recommendation.

Fatty, Bing, Donald and I became good friends (I was more like a Big Brother). Sometimes I would arrive late and the games had already started. There was always a back-up for “Next” but if one or the other was on the winning team they would let me take their place in the second game and I would do the same for them. Fatty was a real aggressive player even back then. Donald held his own as a ball handler, but Dave was the best all around player of the three, but he was a “Cry baby.” He didn’t like contact. When we were on opposite teams, I played him one on one all over the court. I liked the challenge and he didn’t. I remember the summer at Kelly Miller like it was yesterday when he said, “Enough was enough” without opening his mouth. As usual I decided I was going to guard him. On that particular day I discovered he was much stronger then I remembered. He was only a sophomore at Syracuse, but he took me to school anyway. He no longer allowed me to push him around. He ran by me so fast and jumped so high I thought he was on a pogo stick. The message was loud and clear, ‘There was a new sheriff in town and his name was Dave Bing.’ The next summer I switched to tennis.

This encounter with Dave takes me back to a similar experience with Earl Monroe. He was making a visit to Winston-Salem to check out the school and he took a break to play in a pick-up game on a local playground one block from campus. I was sitting out in front of the dining hall after dinner shooting the breeze when my homeboy Richard “Jelly” Hansberry excitingly brought the news of this little black skinny guy was shooting the lights out at the playground. Barney Hood my roommate was a great jump shooter from Chicago he was sitting with me and decided we needed to go and check this basketball phenom out.

When we arrived at the court there were several ooh’s and aah’s taking place by the spectators and then we saw the skinny little black guy ‘Jelly’ was talking about. We had to wait our turn, we were second in line for the “Next” three. Luther Wiley was another roommate and basketball guard from Lynchburg, Virginia was our third player. Watching Earl trick and destroy the opposition made me very apprehensive about the task ahead. He did not let us down he tricked and destroyed us also. The best way I described the experience to Bighouse Gaines when he stopped by our dorm room later that night. I said, “It was like I had just come out of a Maytag washing machine that had been on spin dry.

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and Bighouse Gaines attend a KIT Celebrity Fashion show

In 1966 Dave was selected in the 2nd round of the NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 20 points a game. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe blocks Bing’s path to basket

DC Public HS All-Stars attend Bing’s basketball camp in the Poconos Mountain

I remember sitting in Frank’s Restaurant a popular in-crowd eatery on 8th U streets, NW, I was having lunch that summer day when Dave and my childhood friend Arnold George walked into the restaurant. We waved to each other and the two came over to my table. I got up to greet them. I shook hands with Arnold first and then Dave. We exchanged small talk and I told Dave how proud I was of him and jokingly said, “I taught you everything you know!” His response surprised me when he said, ‘Harold you help prepare me for the wars of the NBA’ and we both broke out laughing. He made a lot of player-haters mad because I would use hisown words to describe our relationship over the airwaves and in print media. It was not my fault I was the only one of his mentors that had a sports talk radio show and had a non-profit organization that he supported–unbelievable that kind of envy and jealousy still exist in our community today.


Dave Bing returns to his DC hometown to say “Job well done” Harold Bell

When Fatty graduated from Fairmont Heights I remember him asking me about Winston-Salem State and Bighouse Gaines and what was it like to play for him? I told him “Bighouse would kick your ass (not really)if you stepped out of line, but he saved my life when he gave me a chance to get a college education”. I called Coach Gaines and recommended Fatty sight unseen. Bighouse had former athletes like me all over the east coast as recruiters. He took my word and Fatty was all set to go to Winston-Salem, but he disappeared without a trace. I found out later through the grapevine, he had decided to attend Dodge City Community College in Kansas and the rest is basketball history.

HBell and Bighouse Gaines during his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame

Fatty and I had a lot in common, we were similar in size when it came to sports and neither one of us like to lose. I never saw a shot I could not make and a football I could not catch and Fatty never saw a scorer he could not stop. Plus, he had street sense and common sense.

He and Bing hung out with my younger brother Earl (known as The Bull) and they became a group of petty thieves. They could be found hanging out on weekends on the busy NE H Street corridor robbing businesses’ who left their cash registers unguarded. Thanks to his Coach William Roundtree, Bing avoided jail time for one of his petty crimes.

Sgt. Earl ‘Bull’ Bell from street rebel to Military MP to U. S. Army heavyweight champion to DC cop.

I was a hard nose basketball defender at Spingarn under the tutelage of Coach Roundtree. He use my athleticism, competitiveness and installed something called a box-in-one defense. It was designed for me to guard the opposing team’s top scorer while everyone else played zone. It was great until I discovered my name was never mention in the newspapers after holding the team’s top scorer below his average. My senior year I spend the summer on the playgrounds developing a jump-shot and all held broke loose the following school year. My new role as a scorer didn’t sit too well with my coach or my teammates. I was kicked off the team for selfish behavior. I immediately transferred to Eastern High School where I was going to hell in a hurry. Coach Brown stepped in and recommended me to the coaching staff at Fairmont Heights, saving me from the mean streets of DC.

My Spingarn teammate Spotswood Bolling was the lead petitioner for the DC public school system in the historical 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown vs Board of Education.

Years later I discovered Fatty had tried out for the Spingarn basketball team, but for some reason he and Coach Roundtree didn’t see eye to eye and he followed my lead and transferred to Fairmont Heights. The rest is basketball history.

Against all odds despite all the naysayers and player haters, he went the distance, all the way from Dodge City Community College, to LaSalle University,to the Sonny Hill Basketball League and the Philadephia 76ers in the 12th round. All of these institutions led him to a stella eight-year pro career in the ABA/NBA.

Fatty joined the American Basketball Association in 1969. After one year playing for the Washington Capitals, he moved with the team to Virginia where they became the Squires. It was here he spent the prime of his career, scoring 3,495 points, handing out 1,737 assists, and grabbing 1,715 rebounds in five seasons.

He became known as one of the few outstanding defensive players in a league known primarily as a “run-and-gun” operation. On the Squires Fatty played with former NBA stars Adrian Smith, ‘Jumbo’ Jim Eakins and Julius ‘Doctor J’ Erving. For one-and-a-half seasons he was a teammate of George Gervin. He has been credited with coining Gervin’s nickname “The Iceman” (he first called Gervin Iceberg Slim, but Iceberg Slim got lost somewhere in the shuffle and ‘The Iceman’ stuck. George flew in from San Antonio, Texas and was at Fatty’s bedside the night before he passed away. I was not surprised, because that is what friends are for and George Gervin has always been a class act. Fatty introduced me to George and Dr. J and they both participated on my Inside Sports radio talk show and are now Legends of Inside Sports.

Fatty retired in 1977 with combined ABA/NBA totals of 5,098 points, 2,563 assists, and 2,524 rebounds. He was named to the ABA’s All-Defensive first team in 1973 and in 1974. Fatty, never developed a decent jump shot, but the jump shooters respected and feared his “In Your Jockey Strap” mentality defensive skills.. He was known as a defensive stalwart.

In a recent conversation I had with our Philly mentor playground and NBA legend Sonny Hill, he said, “Fatty Taylor is on my all-time list as a great player, but he was a better human being. Philadelphia will be heart broken when they hear the news of his death, because this city loves him like he was one of their very own.”

Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode tours city playgrounds with Sonny Hill and HBell

He never forgot who he was and where he came from. He loved his hometown of Washington, DC and his homies. During his pro career he often reached out to me and would call and say, “Harold who you got on Inside Sports tonight—you want Dr. J? We are going to be hanging out together at a concert. Give me a time to call and I will make it happen.” He kept his word, as he did with ‘The Ice Man’ George Gervin, David Thompson and George McGinnis all NBA Hall of Fame players and all made guest appearences on Inside Sports—thanks to Fatty Taylor.

NBA Hall of Famer Big George McGinnis (Philadelphia 76ers)talk sports after game.

Fatty was like a little brother to me and sometimes he would make a mistake like most human beings, because we are all flawed. What I liked about him he never made excuses and would always say, “Harold I have to do better.” Sometimes he did and some times he didn’t, but I still loved him.

He sometimes traveled in the “Fast Lane” but I always told him, “If you got a problem you can always call and we can talk.” He and Dave Bing were really close and I knew he had mixed emotions, because I had to remind Dave who he was and where he came from on several ocassions. It was tuff love with me in every sense of word when it came to Dave. He was the first pro athlete to join my non-profit organization Kids In Trouble (1965). He led the way when it came to pro athletes reaching back into the community to enhance the growth and development of inner-city children. He cared long before the NBA. Dave’s problem, he was surrounded by too many homeboy cheerleaders.

Kids In Trouble visit the Dave Bing Basketball camp in the Poconos Mountains

Fatty, finally called me several years ago while he was home to check on some family members . I picked him up and we rode around DC for about 30 minutes and then stopped at Denny’s Restaurant on Benning Road in our old neighborhood to get something to eat. Benning Road and East Capitol Streets brought back memories of The Hood (the neighborhood), especially, when he saw the landmark Shrimp Boat still standing tall. He said, “Seeing the Shrimp Boat is like seeing the Washington Monument flying into National Airport, I know I am home.”

We talked about life and how far we both had come against all odds. He then broke the news that I had never expected to hear from a man, “I had breast cancer!” I sit there in silence for what seem like two or three minutes and he finally said ‘I am okay.’

He wanted to talk about his work with at-risk kids in the Colorado high school system. It was there he realized the need to form his own program, which resulted in the development of his non-profit organization “Taylor Made Playaz.” I jokingly said, “Sounds like Kids In Trouble to me.” He looked up and said, ‘Man, we have always followed your lead since we were little guys on the playground.’

He was especially proud of having to work with his son Kobe. Fatty had failed as an entrepreneur with several businesses that included restaurants and night clubs in Denver and one here in Washington, DC. He had finally found his calling, “Kids In Trouble.”

And then there was the work he was doing with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for Breast Cancer. It started out being an uphill battle because men are only one/percent of the victims. After being cancer-free for several years, Fatty’s fight began all over again in 2009. He said, “I began having breathing problems following a busy summer traveling with my AAU basketball team. Doctors found blood clots in my lungs and I was diagnosed with cancer in my left breast. Man, I was all shook-up and I could not believe this was happening to me all over again. It was a wake-up call as far as a person thinking that they’re healthy and then one day they tell you its cancer again.”

Just as he had passed along his basketball knowledge to young players, he now wanted to help educate fellow breast-cancer patients, particularly men who might have felt confused and isolated. He wanted them to know they were not alone. Fatty was thankful that the cancer in his left breast was not as severe as it was in his right breast in 2000. I left Denny’s Restaurant that day thinking “Fatty is going to beat this cancer,” but his one on one up-close and personal fight with this deadly desease there would be no OT.

The Lord reached down on Thursday December 7, 2017 and said, “Come home my son and run the point guard and play defense for my team of All-Star coaches, Red Auerbach, Bighouse Gaines, Johnny McLendon, Dave Brown, William Roundtree, and players, Wilt Chamberlain, Connie Hawkins, Bad News Barnes, Earl Lloyd and Sid Catlett. Here you will never have to worry about fouling out.” As always Fatty Taylor went down fighting.

TRAIL BLAZERS: HBell–Red Auerbach and Earl Lloyd

L-R Fatty, HBell, Larry Brown and Petey Greene–Community Reach Back!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTUC4qYYiRw / Final Tribute

ARMY SERGEANT LED THE EXPLOSIVE RACIAL CONFRONTATIONS IN GERMANY

By Bernard Garnett August 28, 1969 (JET Magazine)

“Next year. when I complete my present hitch, I’m not going to re-enlist.  I’m giving up the Army because there’s too much racism.”

This sentiment–common among young black servicemen–was voiced in Washington, DC, by Earl K. Bell a disgruntled 28 year old Army staff sergeant who led a nearly explosive civil rights protest in Nuremberg, West Germany, last spring.  The tall, robust, 250-pound veteran of eight years was denouncing the military, fully aware that such an action could lead to severe disciplinary action.

That same week, S/Sgt. Bell’s 30-year-old brother, Harold K. Bell, was at the White House exchanging pleasantries with President Richard M. Nixon and Secretary of State William P. Rogers, for whom he caddied as a youngster at suburban Washington’s Burning Tree Golf Course (Jet Magazine July 31).  The re-union led to a Presidential appointment.

With their seemingly contrasting outlooks, Harold and Earl shared the same poverty-ridden backgrounds.  The four Bell brothers (including Alfred, now 31, a tire salesman, and William, 20, a Marine Corps Private/First-class) grew up without a father in a DC low-income housing project.  Still youngters when their mother was on welfare, they grew up on the black ghetto’s proverbial “dead-end street”.

A turn of fate changed Harold’s life in the mid-1950s, after embarking on a 20-mile journey to Burning Tree, seeking part-time employment “to get some food money.”With other inner-city black men, he served as a caddy for Washington VIPs, but his favorite was then Vice-President Nixon, who frequented the links with Attorney General William Rogers.  “Mr. Nixon took a personal interest in me,” the muscular 6-foot-2, 185-pounder recalls.  ‘I would ride back with them to the MD/DC line, this allowed me to catch my bus back to my NE housing project.  During the ride the Vice-President and I to my surprise would talk sports, but he put heavy importance on my education.’      

A high school football, baseball and basketball star, Harold Bell would win an athletic scholarship to Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina.  He left college in 1963 to chase his dreams to play in the NFL, but he came up short.  He returned home to take a position with the United Planning Organization (a community self-help orgaization) as a Neighborhood worker.

Meanwhile, Earl Bell–like many blacks sought to escape the lack of opportunities in civilian life through a military career.  He enlisted in 1961, served two tours of duty in Germany.  He was the Army’s heavyweight boxing champion in 1963.  Earl  was also a table tennis champion and first string fullback on the Army Football team.  He served as platoon sergeant in Nurenberg from 1966 until his overseas tour ended last month.

It was not long before he detected racial bias in promotions and in disciplinary actions as it related to black troops.  He told Jet, “Blacks who dared to speak out were labeled Troublemakers, and sympathetic whites were branded nigger lovers, and were disciplined as badly as blacks if they violated any rules”.  Worse still, Bell said, ‘Black officers, apparently protecting their positions, did little to correct inequities’. 

Three years ago, Bell tried unsuccessfully to have segregated off-base housing in Nurenberg declared off-limits, but he was rebuffed.  He complained to Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Mich.)  and the Pentagon.  Finally, he obtained adequate housing for his family, but the struggle for equality never ended.

On May 30, S/Sgt. Bell’s relentless drive reached a climaxat at a segregated discotheque (The Cage) in downtown Nurenberg.  Black servicemen had been refused admission previously, he led 35 militant troops in a march that almost ended in bloodshed, particularly when U. S. Army Military Police (mostly white) were rushed to the scene.  Bell on leave in Washington before beginning a one-year stint as a supply instructor at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia said, “I was the only peaceful man in downtown Nurenberg, everyone else wanted to fight.  I kept saying, ‘Be cool’ on that night the black soilders were not worried about going to jail or about their military records.  They also cared less about getting into the discotheque, all they wanted to do was straighten the white man out.”

S/Sgt. Bell’s perfect service record was marred a month later while umpiring a softball game.  He drew a $30 fine for identifying himself to a white lieutenant as “Mr. Bell.”  Insisting that normal military courtesy regulations are waived during athletic competitions.   Bell claimed the lientenant– a grandstand spectator who joined an argument between the umpire and two players on the field–was out of order and the citation was no more than his white superiors seizing a opportunity to retaliate for the night club incident. ‘If my tour of duty had not been over, he said, I would have stayed and fought the case’. 

Open and vocal allegations of racism no longer are unusual among black servicemen.  Rep. Diggs, who said he had received thousands of complaints from all branches of service during his 14 years on Capitol Hill.  He recently disclosed plans to investigate the July 20th Camp Lejeune, NC racial incident that resulted in the death of one white Marine and injury to 14 others (Jet August 14).  The acting Defense Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, L. Howard Bennett, said his office has probed numerous alligations of racism, though the policy of not identifying troops by race has hampered investigations.

Meanwhile, black militancy increases.  A number of blacks have risked punitive action rather than exert force against blacks in ghetto riots, and others are punished for refusing to fight in Viet Nam. Black troops from Ft. Belvoir–in civilian clothing–were among the anti-war demostrators who marred President Nixon’s inauguration last January.  Last year, the Navy created a special staff to handle race relations, and Marine top brass in Washington have been sent directives to all base commanding officers supporting young black recruits’ rights to wear neatly groomed afro hair styles. Plus, reliable reports from the Pentagon indicate that black re-enlistments have dwindled considerably in the last few years.

S/Sgt. Bell notes from his Army experiences, the young black man of today grew up listening to Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown, and he is not going to accept the old white racist attitude.  He is willing to suffer the consequences by telling them to go to hell.  Bell adds, that with doors opening in civilian life , the young black man is finding it less advantageous to join a racist Army.

Summary: 

The late Sgt. Earl K. Bell became a Military Policeman (MP) and returned home to become a DC cop to help make his community a safer place.  He rose to the rank of Sergeant only to face the same racism he thought he had left behind in Germany.  My older brother Alfred joined the U. S. Marshall service and they both encountered “The Thin Blue Line and Code of Silence” use to stunt their growth in law-enforcement.  Today “The Establishment” is using that same military and flag as a camouflage to stunt the growth of black athletes in the NFL.  Its rather ironic in 1969 in the above story my brother Earl recognized, “Blacks who dared to speak out were labeled Troublemakers, and sympathetic whites were branded nigger lovers, and were disciplined as badly as blacks if they violated any rules.  Worse still, Black officers, apparently protecting their positions, did little to correct inequities”  In 2017 forty-eight years later the exact same thing can be said of today’s superstar athletes and media personalities across the board.  Today there is a very thin line between ‘COURAGE and a Coward’!

 

“War and racism are not the answers for only love can conquer hate.” Marvin Gaye ‘What’s Going On’

 

Jackie Robinson, and Athlete/actor/scholar Paul Roberson–they led the way and took the blows.  Robinson had a black cat thrown on the field during a game by racist whites and Roberson had his passport revoked by white politicians and labeled a member of the communist party.

The race card that President Donald Trump recently played was a joker, “Fire the sons of bitches” back fired.  The Colin Kaepernick boycott in the NFL had hit a wall, but thanks to Donald Trump he is back on the radar screen and all the credit goes to the leader of the free world, the President of the United States.  His calling for NFL players to be fired for not standing and honoring the American flag was the best thing to happen to the plantation mentality found in pro sports in my life time.

Black trailblazers like Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jesse Owens, Paul Roberson, Jackie Robinson, Emmett Ashford,  Curt Flood, Jim Brown, John Carlos, Tommy Smith, Dr. Harry Edwards and Muhammad Ali all carried the torch for human and civil rights. They blazed a path and left a trail that few have followed until “Fire the sons of bitches” was heard across America.  There are so many frauds and cowards in pro sports including, players, coaches, owners and sportcasters (if the shoe fits wear it).  The Colin Kaepernicks, Richard Shermans, and Michael Bennetts, are far few and in-between.  Too many black athletes are putting the dollar bill first instead of solidifying a future free of racist cops killing their people and love ones.  Instead of a rope and a tree, the new lynching tool is a gun in the hands of a racist cop.  Michael Bennett was the best example, his experience after the Floyd Mayweather fight in Las Vegas proves that stardom and money does not make you a free black man in America.

The late Lou Stokes (D-Ohio), Jim Brown and the late Dick Gregory true warriors in the civil rights movement and we have the scars to prove it. 

President Donald Trump’s criticizing black athletes came to a head when he told a roaring crowd of Alabama supporters how great it would be if NFL owners fire every son-of-a-bitch who didn’t stand for the national anthem.  Sunday September 25, 2016 will go down in sports history as the day when black athletes came out of hiding across the NFL and said, “Hell No!”  The day will rank right up there with the 1968 Olympic Games when sprinters Tommy Smith and John Carlos raised their black fisted gloves against racial discrimination in America.

There are many who say “Politics & Sports don’t mix.”  Politics and sports have been mixing since the early days of slavery.  The first pro athlete was a slave, in the early 1800s slave owners had too much leisure time on their hands.  One day a slave owner saw two of his slaves racing each other back to the plantation and came up with the idea of having his slaves compete against each other to entertain “The Master.”

The contests would eventually turn to plantation against plantation.  There were heavy wages bet and plantations would be lost and participants sometimes would be granted their freedom and some would lose their lives.

The games would consist of track and field, boxing, and horse racing.  No one understood the peculiar ways of the thoroughbred horses better than the slaves who took care of them.  When the Kentucky Derby first ran in 1875 there were 15 riders and only three were not black.   For close to three decades black riders dominated the Kentucky Derby.  They were the first black superstar athletes in the United States.  Isacc Murphy is considered one of the greatest riders in American thoroughbred history.  He won three Kentucky Derbies and was the first rider inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

Olympic sprinters Jesse Owens, Tommy Smith and John Carlos were on the fast track and on the forefront of the civil rights movement. 

The response to Trump’s threat was swift and heart-warming as players, coaches and owners finally joined arms together on the field of play or were told to stay in the tunnel during the playing of the anthem (Pittsburg Steelers) in protest of Trump’s misguided efforts to divide and conquer.  Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger said, “I could not sleep after staying in the tunnel, I wish there could have been another way.”

Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Mike Tomlin stood on the field with several coaches while one of his linemen Alejandro Villanuena stood just outside the tunnel with his hand over his heart?  Alejandro a former Army Ranger later admitted he had thrown his teammates under the bus “Unintentionally.”  Much like Trump he instantly became a hero to the racist in the country.  His number 78 jersey went to the front of the bus in sales in the NFL it is now a best seller.  NASCAR owner Richard Petty has since become a Trump echo and standard bearer saying, “I will fire anyone who protest the America flag.”  Legendary driver Dale Earhardt, Jr., said, “All Americans have the right to peaceful protest, he then quoted John F. Kennedy, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”  Earhardt could be right, NFL stadiums around the country should be on high alert for the rest of the season.

There were still owners like Jerry Jones who refuse to acknowledge that Kaepernick’s protest had nothing to do with the American flag or the military. Jones convinced his players to kneel on the field arm in arm before the national anthem was played to show solidary and when the anthem was played they were told to stand at attention.  My question, how does that show solidarity with the rest of the league, especially, when you have an owner dictating the terms of surrender?

Colin Kaepernick’s protest was about the shooting deaths of unarmed people of color, but the Jones, the Trumps  and Fox News are still pretending they don’t understand.

Some media personalities even came out of the closet and aired their opinions as it related to race, sports and politics.  Opinions never so boldly heard on the airwaves since the Original Inside Sports created the format of Sports, Politics and Community Reach Back mix took over the airwaves in Washington, DC in 1970.

The “Talking Heads” on radio, television and in print media didn’t seem to have a clue as how to bring everyone to the table to talk with understanding until Trump added his two-cents.  CNN’s Wolf Blitzer had a panel of experts asking “Is there Racism in the NFL?”

The panel of experts never played a down in the NFL or walked in the shoes of an inner-city black man.  Christine Brennan is a long time Washington Post reporter and now a columnist for U. S. A. Today (over 3 decades as a pioneering female reporter), Mike Wise is another former misguided Washington Post columnist/talk  show host.  It was definitely a case of the blind leading the blind.

First, it was ESPN television known as Washington Post North it was there members of the Washington Post sports’ department would start their second careers in television media.  The beat goes on the with the Undefeated now the Third Arm of the Washington Post and ESPN–the Fake News and Fake News Reporters are never ending. The late civil rights and equal opportunity employers were NBA Boston Celtic owner Walter Brown and the great Red Auerbach.  If it was really possible to be color blind, Red and his wife Dotie were. 

Trump’s “Fire the sons of bitches” gave ESPN’s Jemele Hill got a stay of execution, because they were coming after her.  She called Trump a white surpremacist and he hired and surrounded himself with like personalities.  But now she will be given the “Sportscaster of the Year Award” for having bigger balls than her male counterparts.

On Sunday I use the remote to catch all the highlight shows and I notice very few black commentators taking a hard position on Trump despite “Fire the sons of bitches” outburst, most played it safe with the understanding “I just work here and I will work to give the scores again next week.”   

You could also see Fox News political commentator Tucker Carlson and former NFL running back Freddy Mitchell getting into a heated exchange during an interview on Carlson’show on Sunday.  The exchange centered around Carlson’s condemning NFL players for not honoring the flag and then said to Mitchell “I understand their frustration.”  Mitchell’s response “You don’t understand, because you have not walked in their shoes!” He became incensed with Mitchell’s response he didn’t understand and he turned beet red in the face.

I have always said, “There are some well meaning white folks or we would have never made it out of slavery, but they will never fully understand racism, because they have never walked in my shoes!”

Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones and Trump have the identical same problem.  Their ideology is the same, both keep going back to the disrespect for the flag during Kaepernick’s protest (camouflage).  The protest had nothing to do with the military or the flag. They all want to deny and claim that race has nothing to do with it, the NFL is 70% black and the players protesting are 99% black and Colin Kaepernick is black=racism.

Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones pulled the wool over the eyes of the players and fans Sunday Night and they are still asleep.  There was a rumor that Jones had warned his players several weeks ago that no one on the team would be allowed to kneel during the national anthem without consequences.  Sunday night the Cowboy team nixed plans to join their opponent the St. Louis Cardinals to show solidarity by locking arms with each other.  Instead on the orders from Jones they decided to lock arms only with each other and kneel together before the anthem played.  They would them stand together to the playing or the singing of the anthem!

This was not a show of solidarity with the players who considered themselves free, especially, if he had decided or wanted to kneel or raise his fist against racism in America.  The Cowboy players were dictated to not participate in pregame demostrations and that is not the definition of a “Free Black American Man.”

Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning that he had spoke with Jerry Jones, he tweeted, “I spoke to Jerry Jones , a winner who knows how to get things done, players will stand for country.”  How could any black player say that they believe in freedom of speech and play for the Dallas Cowboys?

 

The GREAT ones, heavyweight Champions Jack Johnson and Joe Louis, Malcolm X  and Muhammad Ali are tough human rights acts to follow.

I remember Gregg Popovich saying after Trump was elected President of the United States, “I am still sick to my stomach, and not basically because the  Republicans won or anything , but the disgusting tenor and tone and all the comments that have been xenophobic , homophobic, racist, misogynistic.” Popovich later said, ‘And to think I live in a country where half of the people ignored all of that to elect someone like Trump.  That is the scariest part of the whole thing to me.’  When he was told of the firing of FBI Director James Coney, Popovich said, “I feel like there is , a pall, over the whole country, in a paranoid surreal sort of way that has nothing to do with  the Democrats losing the election, this individual thinks he is on a game show and everything that happens begins and ends with him, not our people or our country.”  Popovich’s greatest nightmare  has now become a reality.

Trump called out in Black & White: 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/texas-sports-anchor-dale-hansen-162028451.html?.tsrc=fauxdal / Sportscaster calls out Trump in an exemplary commentary! http://www.foxsports.com/watch/undisputed/video/1056079427823 / Shannon Sharpe and Ray Lewis in dispute over flag

Defining elephant in the room: as a very large issue that everyone is acutely aware of, but nobody wants to talk about. Perhaps a sore spot, perhaps its politically incorrect, or perhaps a political hot potato, its something that no one wants to touch with a ten foot pole–meet racism in America.

On Saturday August 8, 2017 two black women met in the finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first  time in tennis history and neither woman’s name was Williams.  It was no contest Sloane Stevens crushed Madison Keys in straight sets 6-3 and 6-0.  In the meantime, lets take a look at the state of American tennis and the role of the black athlete.

Richard Williams the architect of the pro tennis dynasty with his pride and joy, champion daughters, Venus and Serena.  He changed the face of tennis in America.  He was inducted into the first ATA Hall of Fame class in August and Venus and Serena donated 1 million dollars to the proposed ATA tennis facility in Florida to cement his legacy in the black tennis world.

 Richard and I share a photo at the 100th anniversary of the ATA in Baltimore in August 2017 

Move over Venus and Serena here comes Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, two women of color, I think.  Keeping, it real the problem is that Madison Keys is following closely in the footsteps of golfing icon Tiger Woods, who also denied he was black.  Tiger said, “I am not black, I am Cablinasian,” but when he was arrested for DUI in May 2017 according to the Florida Sheriff’s Department he fell under the “One Drop Rule.”  The rule says, ‘One drop of black blood makes one forever black.  If you are of black face in America you will always be seen as Black, Afro-American, Negro, colored or more often than not, the big N recently like  Michael Bennett and Kevin Sumlin.

Tennis commentator Chris Everett and her colleagues at the U. S. Open were so neverous trying to be politically racially correct they didn’t use black or African-American until the 9th game of the first set in the finals.  The first ocassion was when Evertt broke the ice and pointed out Sloane’s mother Sybil in the family box.  She said, “She was the first African-American named All-American first team as swimmer in Division One in NCAA history.  Chris followed up again during the post game interview when she said, “Your performance inspires other black girls that they can do the same thing.”

There are no FREE passes in the black community, it makes no difference if you played in the U. S. Open, Wimbledon, French and Australian Opens.  A cop will stereotype you and throw you to the ground and handcuff you without asking you for ID.  See tennis star James Blake, and NFL All-Pro, Michael Bennett.  If a cop stops you and you think because your driver’s license, birth certificate or passport reads you are, South African, Hispanic, from Trinidad, Tobago, Brazil, Dominican Republic or you are of Haitian descent, you should feel safe.  You are in for a rude awakening–the color of your skin is a dead give away for a racist cop in America to treat you like an animal.  Black cops are not even safe out of uniform!  Money, and star power are not “free get out of jail passes” when it comes to racism in America. In September 2015 Blake was thrown to the ground and arrested while he was standing outside of the Hyatt Hotel waiting for a ride.  The officer claimed he resembled someone wanted for fraud.

Bennett a linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks and Texas A & M football Coach Kevin Sumlin should be proof enough.  Bennet was targeted by the Las Vegas police department while attending the Floyd Mayweather fight. He was leaving the fight when there rumors of gunshots fired and like everyone else he tried to run to safety.  He was profiled by the cops and tackled and handcuffed.  The question is why?  He had no gun—he said, “The only reason I was arrested is because I am black.”   This type of racism is fueled by NFL owners like Jerry Jones who it is rumored said to his team, “No Dallas Cowboys will be sitting or kneeling for the national athem.”  Charlene Sumlin, the wife of enbattled Texas A & M Coach Kevin Sumlin posted a picture of a racist, angry threatening letter sent by a fan to the family’s house following the 45-44 lost to UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Southern California last Sunday.  The letter read, “You suck as a coach and you are ‘The Big N’ and you can’t win. Please get lost or else.”  A member of the Board of Regents of Texas A & M also called for Sumlin to be fired after the lost to UCLA.  Texas was leading 44-6 in the 3rd quarter and UCLA rallied to win 45-44.

Tiger, Madison, Alecia Keys and Halle Berry are among those mixed race Black Americans who think the “One Drop Rule” does not apply to them, because of their money and fame—nothing could be further from the truth.  Madison is really confused, she says, “I am not black or white!”  It is nothing wrong with being black and proud and there is nothing wrong with being white and proud.  Why can’t Keys be both?

It was almost comical watching the commentators dance around the issue at the U. S. Open.  I was praying for Madison to win for her ‘Wake Up Call!’   Pro golf and tennis are two of the most segregated sports in America and both have now moved into ‘The Dark Ages’ and Madison now joins Tiger as ‘The Elephant in the room.’

Black history is often overlooked and under reported, but pro tennis is in for a rude awaking.  In 2016 for the first time in the history of the Olympic Games four black American women represented the U. S. in tennis.  They were Serena and Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens and maybe Madison Keys and there is help on the way with Taylor Townsend and Brienne Minor.  In 2012 Taylor became the first black female to win the Australian Open Girls’ singles championship.  The title made her the first American and Black American to hold the ranking of No. 1 at the end of the year for girls since 1982.  Michigan sophomore 19 year old Brienne Minor won the NCAA singles championship making her the first black female NCAA singles champion and making her the first black female in Big Ten history to hold the title.

Athea Gibson and Arthur Ashe are looking down on the U. S. Open with big smiles on their faces.  They were the trailblazers and first persons of color to win a major tennis open known as the grand slam.  In 1956 Athea won the French Open, the Australian, Wimbledon and U. S. Open all followed.  She won the singles title in the morning and that evening she won the U. S. Open doubles title.  During her fabulous career against all odds she won five grand slam titles.

Arthur Ashe making children first through the National Junior Tennis League.  He found the organization in 1967 in Washington, DC 

In 1967 Arthur won the U. S. Open, and still today is the only American Black man to win the Australian, Wimbledon, and French Open titles.  In 2017 he is still the only black man to be ranked No. 1 in the history of the sport.  In 2017 we are still talking about people of color being “The First” Athea and Arthur may have felt like the Long Ranger without Tonto back in the day.  In 2017 the U. S. Open for the first time in its history had three minority female players make it to the semi-finals.  Venus was feeling right at home when unexpected company arrived.  It was like “Guess Who is Coming to Dinner” without Sidney Poitier!

Venus was joined by Sloane Stephes and Madison Keys.  In the meantime, all three had moved into the semi-finals.  The commentators acted like the three little monkeys, “they saw no history, they heard no history and they spoke no history.”  The commentators seem to be afraid to say, “Three black women have qualified for the semi-finals, a first in U. S. Open history!”  I would guess they were trying not to offend Keys who is definitely walking around in a world of confusion.

The proud parents Richard and Oracene were looking on somewhere in the stadium in separate boxes cheering Venus, Sloane and Madison on to victory.  Little sister Serena was sitting this one out after giving birth to a baby girl in August.

One of my young men Joe Ragland grew up in The Hood in SE DC.  He was once on the pro tennis tour and was not a kid in trouble, but he and his brother Mike and their crew supported my community endeavors through my non-profit organization Kids In Trouble, Inc. whenever his busy schedule brought him home to DC.  He played Santa’s Helper for my Christmas toy parties, played in my celebrity tennis tournaments, etc.  He eventually moved to Arizona to teach tennis on the country club level.  This odyssey would last him for sixteen years before he grew tired of the country club politics and sought solitude (peace).  He now teaches at a community recreation center near his home on his own terms.  He thinks pro tennis is in good hands despite the behind the scenes politics to keep us out.

I asked Joe in a recent telephone conversation about the emergence of the three Black American women reaching the semi-finals at the U. S. Open, he didn’t seem surprised.  His response, “The ladies have always had a support system that the men never had (egos).  A lot of that credit goes to Serena and Venus who quietly made themselves accessible to the young sisters who were new on the tour.  These two ladies have carried a heavy load on their backs for over two decades—they have earned a rest whether they want one or not.”

Joe knows Katrina Adams who is now serving her second term as the USTA CEO and President.  She oversees tennis programs for underserved communities across America.  They both played on the pro tennis circuit together in the 80s and 90s.  He discovered a brother in his community who was teaching tennis to neighborhood children for $5.00 for two hours. The program was one the most unique he had ever encountered, but the brother was barely hanging on financially.  It was then he decided to call his old friend Katrina to seek support from the USTA.  After they had gone down memory lane Joe got around to telling her about the innovated tennis program he had discovered in his neighborhood.  Her response, “Joe that sounds great, let me get back to you” famous last words from blacks who let success handle them, instead of them handling success.

The program in Joe’s community had the potential to meet the Mission and Goals set by the USTA as described in their handbook.

The USTA Mission: To Promote, Grow, Develop, and service the Game of tennis.  Vision: Leadership at every level –inspire innovation, create opportunities, impact lives and build community through tennis. Value Proposition: To be your trusted resource for tennis. Core Values: In pursuit of its mission, the volunteers and staff accept responsibility for their actions in achieving the mission and for reaching the strategic goal of the association while sustaining the highest standards of quality.  Diversity and Inclusion: include all people on a non-discriminatory basic, and make diversity and inclusion an embedded part of the USTA Midwest Section.

It is folks like Ms. Adams who are sprinkled all around our community who are double agents for the system.  She is another spook that was hired to sit by the door and stunt the growth of the black athlete.

The next question, where are all the Black American men?  According to Joe, “They are not far behind the women, Donald Young is the most consistent black face in play, but coming on fast is Evan King from the University of Michigan.  He was a qualifier this year before losing in three sets to 20^th ranked Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6—not a bad showing.  Busta made it all the way to the semi-finals.  I think Frances Tiafoe a 19 year old had the most impressive showing of the three. He was born in College Park, Maryland, but no one is talking about how he extended the great Roger Federer to five sets in Arthur Ashe Stadium.” Federer would lose later to J. del Potro in the quarter finals in four sets.

Rashada McAdoo a recent grad of Georgia Tech was the women’s single tennis champion for the August 2017 ATA 100th anniversary celebration in Baltimore, Maryland.  She poses with the men’s singles winner from New Jersey.  Rashada is the granddaughter of NBA great Bob McAdoo.   

H. Bell, Rashada McAdoo and coach

It’s a family affair, Joe’s brother Mike is also in the community “Reach Back” business as the Director of Tennis for the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation in SE Washington, DC.  He is a member of the team headed by tennis icon Willis Thomas, Jr. the Vice-President of Tennis Programs.  Willis and the great Arthur Ashe were doubles partners growing up under the tutelage of tennis guru and icon Dr. Robert Johnson.

Willis and Mike are leading the charge to enhance the growth and development of inner-city children.  The foundation is a premier educational and tennis organization serving underserved children providing the best quality instruction, resources and mentorship to build champions in the game called life. They seek to keep children safe by getting them off the city streets during out of school time into a safe environment they can trust; by providing them with productive activities that teach discipline, build and encourage a healthy lifestyle.  You can trust Willis and Mike to get the job done.

I think ESPN’s cheerleading analyst Jason Whitlock did the Williams’ family a grave injustice when he accused the father Richard of cheating to get his daughters to the top of the tennis world.  If teaching them to play tennis his way by slowly making sure that they learn the game while protecting them from the racism that existed in the sport and in the tennis academies all over America—more power to him.

Richard Williams was recently inducted into the ATA Tennis Hall of Fame during their 100^th Anniversary celebration in Baltimore in August 2017.  My question, why was the great NFL All-Pro cornerback Johnny Sample left out of the ATA Hall of Fame?  His contributions; a champion in his age group for several years running.  He organized the largest inner-city youth tennis program in the country, he was second to no one.  He was also a pioneer on the pro tennis tour as a line judge and chair umpire at Grand Slam Tournaments around the world—where is the beef?

A “Man for all seasons” has anyone seen my old friend Johnny Sample–he is gone but not forgotten.

There are rumors that Richard Williams has finally decided to open his own tennis academy in Florida in the near future.  The same rumors are being spread by the ATA who are also claiming they will build an academy in Florida.  Life time members of the ATA James Ridley of Washington, DC and William Blue out of Philadelphia think the organization has no clue and are overrun with “Player Haters and Nay Sayers.”  Their only interest is in promoting themselves and could care-less about the future of our children.  The new ATA tennis academy earmarked for Florida in the near future could be more than just a “Pie in the sky” dream.  It has been reported Venus and Serena Williams the daughters of Richard will donate one million dollars to the project.  Evidently, Richard’s induction into the ATA’s first Hall of Fame last month gave the project the facelift that it needed.   Venus and Serena, Richard, Oracene and family members can relax and enjoy the new baby while watching the U. S. Open finals.  They will hear in the distant skies shout-outs from trailblazers Athea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, saying, ‘Job well done.’  

There is definitely a need for more tennis academies to meet the needs of our youth who are being under-served.  Tennis academies such as; Nick Bolletteri, Patrick McEnroe, and Chris Evert Tennis fall short when it comes to the black tennis player.  For example, a black potential tennis player paying to attend these academies is like a black/student walk-on athlete choosing Maryland University (BIG TEN) over Howard University (HBCU).  His or her chances of making the Maryland team are slim and none.  Their best chance for success is a HBCU school.

The Richard Williams’ tennis academy is a step in the right direction, but one academy won’t do the job and he would definitely have to be an independent lone wolf.  Hopefully, he will have a franchise of academies that won’t be under the umbrella of the USTA and his board members won’t be the likes of boxing promoter Don King and Cora Masters Barry well known crooks and thieves.  King is considered a “Member of the Williams family.”  Don and Cora’s police ‘Rap Sheets’ read like an episode of America Greed (don’t take my word Google their history)!

“Birds of a feather flock together”  Cora Masters Barry and Don King hanging out in DC 

In 1987 Cora Masters Barry then Chairwoman of the DC Boxing Commission pleaded guilty to second degree theft for double billing the city for over $2, 680 in travel expenses (under estimated).  She was forced to resign as chairman of the DC Boxing Commission as a convicted felon.  Her next big heist would be the boxing Heavyweight Champion of the World, Riddick Bowe.   In 1992 Bowe earned over 10 million dollars for beating Evander Holyfield and he would later name Cora the Executive Director of the Riddick Bowe Better Life Foundation.  The only lives she would better would be her own and promoter Rock Newman, today Bowe is dead broke.

In a Washington Post newspaper column during the 1992 Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield championship fight in Las Vegas a reporter asked Cora about the glamorous world of boxing as it related to a “World of dreamers, schemers, high rollers, gold diggers and other folks of questionable character?”  He said, ‘she took a drag off of her cigarette and responded, not any more than there are in politics?’  She should know, she has worked both sides of the isle.

In the meantime, she has moved into the glamorous world of tennis without missing a beat with her on-going scam of the Williams family.  There is a rumor that Venus and Serena will be donating to her on-going slush fund scam at the SE Tennis Foundation in Washington, DC. Her recent appearance at the U. S. Open with her new “Best Friend” DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.  Their appearance together had nothing to do with tennis, it was because Cora likes money by any means necessary.  She has already scammed the DC government out of 18 million dollars earmarked for the tennis center via her “Make a Wish–Make Me Rich Foundation.”   She is now whispering in the ear of Bowser for more and more.  The producers of the television show “American Greed” has her on their radar screen.

I would have never in my wildest dreams imagine that three minority women in leadership roles in the DC Government would take part in approving the appointment of new DC Police Chief, Peter Newsham.  He has a history in the court system of domestic violence and he is a known alcoholic.  His court appearances involved domestic violence brought against him by his wife and several girl friends. He was also found lying in a DC street with his gun in his holster dead drunk, but Bowser, City Council Woman Mary Che and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton all looked the other way.

I had personally given them inside information provided by former Inspector Nathan Sims.  He was a witness to colleagues’ of Newsham removing records from the DC Police Property Warehouse without signing for the property in question.  He warned them that this type of behavior would no longer be tolerated on his tour of duty.  He was immediately demoted back to captain and several months later retired.

There are definitely not enough black tennis academies to meet the needs of our youth, but who can they depend on to do the right thing as it relates to having their best interest at heart?  I don’t think we can count on CEO of the USTA Katrina Adams, Don King or Cora Masters Barry.  It looks like the balls they are playing with is in the wrong court (criminal court)—stay tuned.

 

 

 

 

Jack Johnson the first black heavyweight champion of the world and Jackie Robinson the first black to play Major League Baseball

 

In August 2017 a group calling themselves the SURVEY MONKEY & THE UNDEFEATED of ESPN teamed up to select The 50 Greatest Black Athletes of All-Time, it was a gross injustice to the rich history of the Black Athlete.  This was Monkey Business with a bunch of monkeys who didn’t have a clue. It was the blind leading the blind.

How can anyone pick the 50 greatest black athletes in one survey swoop?  To be fair you would have to divide the survey into three 50 year segments starting with 1900–1950 for the first 50 years and 1950–2000 for the second 50 years. The athletes born between 2000–2050 will just have to wait their turn and see if they stand the test of time.  Especially, if you are going to measure their greatness on Player Domination—Impact, and Community Service!

By that criterion alone there is no way you can pick Michael Jordan over Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown or Jackie Robinson. Jordan’s impact in the community was “Ground Zero.”  I was not surprised that MLB owners may allow him and Derek Jeter to join their “Good Old Boys Club” as the first minority black owners.  Neither will have the final word or control.  According to sources Jordan is mostly lending his name, the sale is not yet final.

The barriers (racism) were completely different in the first 50 years and the same can be said for the second 50 years and the third 50 years.  The problem, it is evident the Survey Monkey and the Undefeated of ESPN who teamed up to vote for this top 50 black athletes  had no clue when it comes to the history of the Black Athlete. This was a sham—anytime you name two female gymnist who just turned 21 in the top 10 proves that you have no clue.  The group should re-name themselves from the Monkey Survey & the Undefeated to “Monkey See, Monkey Do.” 

The black slave was the first pro athlete, therefore, my top ten of the first 50 would have to be athletes who fall before or after the time constraints of 1900-2050.

My TOP TEN in the first 50 years would include four boxers with names like Joe Gans, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and Sugar Ray Robinson, adding to the list would be Paul Roberson (Football), Isaac Murphy (horse racing), Jesse Owens (track & field), Athea Gibson (tennis), Jackie Robinson (baseball), and Josh Gibson (baseball) and not necessarily in that order.  

Jackie Robinson and Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis are black athletes who made a difference on and off the field.  The great track star Jesse Owens won 4 Gold Medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.  He set three world records in front of Nazi Germany’s Adolph Hitler who claimed blacks were the inferior race. 

My question, where are the checks & balances in sports media—who are the Gate Keepers for our history ? Is it Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, James Brown, David Aldridge, Kevin Blackistone, Bill Rhoden, Jarrett Bell, or Jason Whitlock?  These are just a few of the names in sports media that I am familiar with.  Whitlock for example has no clue; I was one of the early writers for the CBS owned Bleacher Report when Whitlock wrote a column claiming GT Coach John Thompson open the doors for black coaches and black sports media personalities, nothing could have been further from the truth. The only door Thompson open was the one he open for himself.  I wrote a follow-up blog on The Bleacher Report titled “The real John Thompson” and the blog went viral and received over 55,000 hits in three days.  The blog caused shock waves in sports media.  Mike Wise who was then a columnist for the Washington Post invited me to come on The Fan his radio sports talk show heard on 106.7 in Washington, DC to discuss my blog on Thompson.

The Gate Keepers for Black Sports History?

Before I could sit down he and his Howdy Doody co-host ambushed me with a barrage of questions about, “When did I know and how did I know about The Real John Thompson?”   I was not aware I was to wear a bullet proof vest to the show.   Muhammad Al’s Rumble in the Jungle was pale in comparison to my interview.  When the smoke and dust had cleared according to columnist Dave McKenna of the City Paper who had tried a similar tactic several years earlier wrote, “Harold Bell left the Mike Wise radio show heard on The Fan 106.7 with his legendary status still intact.”

Whitlock recently wrote an opt-ed column in The Wall Street Journal of all places titled “Kaepernick is not black enough!”  Deadspin a blog website was quoted, ‘Its hard to find anything truly shocking nowadays in a world that seemingly no longer has any rules, but that an ostensibly proud and legitimate newspaper like the Wall Street Journal sees fit to regularly lend its credibility of legitimacy to the rambling thoughts of a blithering idiot like Jason Whitlock is, somehow, still mind-blowing.’  I also found it unbelievable, but you have to look no further than ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to understand that loud mouth idiots like them are in demand—loud and wrong most of the time.

Dave McKenna who I got to know later was really not a bad guy, but he was just a little confused.   Back in the day I was like “The No. 1 gunfighter in DC sports talk radio and everyone was gunning for me.” Anyone who could knock me off of my high horse would be the toast of the town.  Tony Korheisner of the Washington Post (ESPN) tried the same tactic.  Korheisner should be glad he was not born black—he has no talent.

Sports media taking pot shots at me is nothing new, but very few if any put anything in writing or call me out on the air—the reason, I talk back in writting.

One local sports talk show host in a story written in the Washington Post in 1989 said, “Harold Bell thinks someone owes him something!”  He was evidently encouraged to say something negative about me by the writer, Norman Chad whom I considered at the time an objective and fair critic/writer.  Chad is known today as ‘The Slouch’ and serves as a color analyst on The World Series of Poker seen on ESPN television.  What I did not understand why Chad would ask such a question knowing he was interviewing me for the same story?  He never asked me about my colleague.  I am sure he knew better, because at that time I would never say anything negative about another sports talk show host—what a difference a day makes.  There were so few of us in sports talk media, but Chad convinced my colleague to go negative on me.  The Washington Post column was titled “Blacks in Broadcasting.”

I responded to the comment on my sports talk show “Inside Sports” by calling Chad out for causing friction between me and the other talk show host. He shown his true colors and used the Willie Lynch school of thought, Divide and Conquer and it worked.  I still have a copy of the “Dear John letter” Chad wrote me after I called him out.  Another mentee whom I saw as a trusted friend wrote an excellent column on my trail blazing career in the community and sports media, but he wrote a paragraph stating I negatively blasted “Sacred Cows” like John Thompson of Georgetown?  I could not believe my eyes, these were words coming from a young brother who  I thought knew me and what I stood for in the community.  His blog would be read by millions on the internet who had no clue to who Harold Bell was, but they would see John Thompson as the first black coach to win a Division One NCAA Basketball Championship.  My response and rebuttal would be read by hundreds–maybe.  John Thompson to this day, is still one of the biggest frauds in college basketball, but he is probably seen as a “Sacred Cow” and me as a “Player-Hater.”  

I remember my first live interview on national television.  Washington Post sports columnist Michael Wilbon called me one day and ask if l would I sit in for him on “The Geraldo Rivera Show.”  I jumped at the opportunity, he gave some flimsy excuse for not being able to be on the show, but did mention the subject would be boxing promoter Don King.  Michael reminded me, “Harold no one in media has tooted Don King’s horn and his right to a second chance as a boxing promoter, despite his criminal past than you.”  I told Wilbon, ‘the world of boxing is overrun with criminals.’

I almost fell asleep waiting for almost two hours in the TV 9 studios for the hook-up with Geraldo in New York City.  When the connection was finally made I understood why Wilbon had taken a “Rain Check” to appear on the show.  The panel against Don King included Geraldo, boxing historian Bert Sugar and Pulitzer Prize winner New York Times investigated reporter Jack Newfield, I woke up fast and in a hurry.  Newfield was also the author of the Emmy Award winning HBO special “Only in America the life and crimes of Don King.”  I found myself on ‘The Hot Seat’ it was three on one with some of New York City’s finest journalist.  King would later see me in Las Vegas for a fight and he would yell from the ring, ‘Harold Bell my man you did good’, famous last words.   

Don King is the greatest boxing promoter of all time, thanks to Muhammad Ali.  Ali said to me, “He was one of my biggest mistakes.” 

Recently, a sports columnist and namesake Jarrett Bell of U. S. A. Today newspaper whom I thought was also a friend, but in a recent telephone conversation he said, “Man I cannot deal with your Nixon connection!”  I could not believe my ears, my President Richard Nixon connection?

In the late 50s I was an All-Star athlete at Spingarn high school.  I was living in a NE housing project in a single parent home, my mother was on welfare, but she and my grandmother were my heroes.  They did everything they could to hold the family together, but still I was going to hell in a hurry.  My Grandmother and mother the real Super Stars in the Tyler/Bell family. Brothers, Earl and Bobby.

 

I tried to help my mother make ends meet by caddying on the weekends at Burning Tree Golf Course in 1957-58.  It was here I met Richard Nixon and the experience inspired me.  I didn’t see him again until 1969.

Shortly after taking office as the 37^th President of the United States of America I saw him on a tour of the riot torn area on the 7th Street NW corridor of Cardozo/Shaw in DC.  I was working with youth gangs and at-risk children for the DC Department of Recreation & Parks.  I had walked those same streets with nothing but a DC police badge to protect me from the rioters in 1968.  The badge was use to get me through the police and military barricades.

Shortly after his visit to the inner-city I wrote him a letter reminding him of our days at the Burning Tree Golf Course in Bethesda, Maryland.  He followed-up by inviting me and my wife Hattie to the White House for lunch.

The luncheon led to a Presidential appointment that inspired me to reach back and help thousands of inner-city children whose lives once resembled my very own.  I thank him for not forgetting who I was and where I came from and giving me a platform and foundation to help others.  President Nixon never asked me if I was a Republican or Democrat during those rounds of golf or at our meeting at the White House.

My visit to the White House open the door for me to become a pioneer in radio and television sports talk shows and my community reach back programs are now copied by the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL.  My brief telephone conversation with Bell made it sound like I was involved in the Watergate break-in—its blacks like him who are always complaining about what white folks are doing to us.  He needs to look in the mirrow.  The industry is overrun with “Spooks Who Sit by the Door.”  Black folks like Jarrett Bell are the reason I still end my You Tube shows with, “Every Black face I see is not my brother and every white face I see is not my enemy.”

The only Gate Keepers of our history who have a national sports platform are Shannon Sharp, Skip Bayless, Herm Edwards, David Aldridge, and Ryan Clark, you can count on them for an honest evaluation.  They are the only ones I will surf for with my remote.

If I missed any of their commentaries or columns of rebuttal or response to the sham of the selection of the 50 Greatest Black Athletes of All-Time or how black NFL players don’t have the balls to stand up and support the plantation mentality of the NFL,  I would hope they will add a comment so that I can apologize for the oversight.

I am truly proud of my accomplishments in the community and my pioneering efforts in media that were inspired by Richard Nixon, Red Auerbach, Bert Sugar, Harry Barnett, Brian McIntyre, Angelo Dundee, James Dudley and Muhammad Ali.  They were a rainbow of decent human beings who cared about their fellow man and believed in Harold Bell.  2017 marks 50 years since I brought the first pro athlete Dave Bing into the community to reach back and enhance the growth of inner-city kids.  I wonder what is in Jason Whitlock and Jarrett Bell’s wallets?

 

 

He showed up in DC in 1969 shortly after the 1968 riots had almost devastated the town.  Jim Vance was one the first of the new media personalities to join the team of Kids In Trouble my non-profit organization.  After the riots major media discovered they needed to hire more blacks in their newsrooms to cover the inner-city.  Many white reporters refused to go into the inner-city during the riots.

Max Robinson was the pioneer at WRC TV 4 before Jim arrived but he joined the staff at WTOP TV in 1969 and Jim followed him to the news 4 news desk.

 Media pioneers Max Robinson and Jim Vance

I loved me some Max Robinson, but he was so moody you never knew which side of the bed he got up on that particular morning.  Despite his mood changes he loved his people—there was never any doubt.

The Original Kids In Trouble Dream Team was made up of my DC homeboys, Petey Greene, Dave Bing, Willie Wood and me.  We would later be joined by DC Superior Court Judges, Luke C. Moore, Harry T. Alexander and Bill Raspberry of the Washington Post (Pulitzer Prize winner).  Washington Redskins, Roy Jefferson, Larry Brown, Harold McLinton and Ted Vactor would join the team in 1970 and community give back changed forever.  The NFL, NBA and MLB would follow our lead.H. Bell and Bill Raspberry shoots hoops during half time of charity basketball game played at Georgetown UniversityL-R Back to Hollywood Farewell to actor Robert Hooks: Hooks, HBell, Jim, Carol Randolph, Derrick Humphries, Sonny Hill and Martin Wyatt in attendance.

Roland ‘Fatty’ Taylor, Larry Brown, Petey Greene and HBell participate in Kids In Trouble Community Festival 

Jim and Petey had a lot in common, they both had my best interest at heart.   Petey was a radio and television icon and we had been life-long friends.  He and I were already locked into the community.  Petey gave me my first shot to become a pioneering radio sports talk show host in 1970 and in November 1975 Jim made it possible for me to become the first black to host and produce his own television sports special in prime time on NBC affiliate WRC-TV 4. My special guest was Muhammad Ali.   The show was titled “Spotlight on Sports” Jim convinced the brass at WRC that the show was worth airing.

Thank you Jim Vance for opening the door

Petey, Jim and me would become like the three musketeers when it came to reaching back to enhance the growth of inner-city children in DC.

Jim hailed from the city of Philadelphia known as the city of “Brotherly Love” and he brought the love with him.  He and I became like brothers and no matter what the community endeavor, celebrity fashion shows, tennis tournaments, toy parties or support for the Roy Jefferson Reading Center—he was there.Jim and HBell are seen hanging out at The Roy Jefferson Reading Center on K Street, NW with several students.Robert Hooks, Eldridge Spearman, HBell, Jim and Derrick Humphries hanging out at the Chapter 4 club in SE DC

 Jim, Hattie T and the late and former Redskin LB Pete Wysocki looking good at KIT Fashion Show at DC Hyatt Regency Hotel

When a confused Sugar Ray Leonard was still trying to find his way, it was Jim who joined me, Robert Hooks, Sonny Hill and Willie Wood at the Department of Recreation & Parks’ to meet with Director Bill Rumsey asking him to help find Ray a job until he could get his act together.

When Ray got his act together it was Jim who helped me to coordinate a bus trip to Baltimore to support him in his pro debut and the rest is boxing history. Ray Leonard would go on to become the first fighter in boxing history to earn 100 million dollars in prize money.

Jim Vance in background as Sugar Ray makes Kids In Trouble Community Service Award presentation at the Foxtrappe 

Coach Woody Hayes, Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin and MC Jim Vance during KIT tribute and salute to Ohio State football

Jim loved to play tennis even though he was not that good we became partners on the tennis courts, when he found the time in his busy schedule.  I was right handed, but I would play him with my left hand to make the game competitive.  I think that was one of the reasons I never developed a backhand, I would switch to my left and hit a forehand when I should have been hitting a backhand.  The games were fun and great exercise for both of us.Inside Sports Celebrity Tennis: Jim Vance and the Usual Suspects at Anacostia Park in SE DC

Radio icon and ‘Quiet Storm’ host Melvin Lindsey, HBell, Jim and Washington Post sports columnist Dave Dupree attend KIT toy party.

It was easy to like Jim he was a people person and everyone was treated like his friend.  His special gift of loving children was understandable he was a school teacher in Philadelphia.

Inside Sports really took off when I started to write my own commentaries.  In the early 70s I was not only playing message music relating to community ills, but I also was writing commentaries relating to those same community ills.  Inside Sports was “Outta Compton” long before NWA.

Watching Jim on the evening and nightly news was very inspiring, especially when it came to his commentaries.  I would go up to the station in the evenings and sit down and watch him prepare for his newscast.  He would write his commentaries and then read them to me for sound effects.  This was a special skill because his writing reminded me of a definition I learned while working for the Department of Defense at Bolling AFB in the 70s.  I kept clashing with a Base Commander named Erickson, he hailed from Texas and acted like it when it came to communicating with minorities.

The Vice-Commander was really a class act pulled me aside one day and asked to meet in my office the following morning, I said okay.

The next day he came in and sit down and explained to me that I was too important to DOD and the community to keep going up against the Base Commander.  He then pulled out this poster that had a picture of the Devil with a long spear in his hand and it read “The Definition of Diplomacy”,  ‘Being able to tell someone to go to hell and have them looking forward to the trip’ that is how all of Jim Vance’s commentaries read and sounded.  He taught me while writing a story it had to have a flow and continuity.  That was the secret to him being an amazing writer and story teller.Maureen Bunyan, Lark McCarthy and Donnie Simpson all followed KIT and Jim Vance’s lead into the community

In 1983 our relationship went to hell in a handbasket because of his drug abuse.  The drug community in DC is a very small community and if you are using drugs everyone in the streets know who you are.  I tried to look the other way when it came to Jim, but one evening I could no longer look the other way.

One drug dealer brought a check to me that Jim had written for the drugs, it was then I realized how deep he was in.  The drug dealer gave me a copy of the check and asked me to talk to Jim about getting some help.  He explained that he could not tell him to stop using because this was his business and business was good.  This brother was known on the streets as a selfish and cold dude, but he shown compassion for and confessed he really liked Jim Vance.

The next day I waited for Jim to make his exit from the station after the 11:00 pm news.  We went to a nearby restaurant to have a sandwich and a cold beer.  I didn’t want to spent a lot of time making small talk and immediately showed him the check his drug dealer had given me.  He took the check and left the restaurant and didn’t speak to me again for 20 years.

When I told the drug dealer about Jim’s response, he was as surprised as I was that he would react that way to someone who was trying to save his life.  In 1984 he enrolled in the Betty Ford Clinic.  Jim and I were like passing ships in the night for the next two decades.

I will never forget in 2007 I rescued an autistic little girl off of the subway tracks at the Potomac Avenue station in NE DC.  One afternoon I emerged from a train and saw her lying flat on her back looking up and not moving.  My instincts told me to jump down on the tracks, but an Amtrak employee advised me against the tactic saying the third rail would electrocute me.  Together we laid down flat on our stomachs and reached out to her asking her to give us her hand, but she just stared at us.  Suddenly I looked down and notice the warning lights were blinking meaning a train was approaching the station.  I broke out into a cold sweat and hollered at the top of my voice, “Give me your goddam hand”.  She reached up and gave us her hand and we pulled her to safety seconds before the train pulled into the station–talking about a surreal moment.

The next evening NBC afilliate WRC-TV 4 covered the story and the anchors were Doreen Gentzler and Jim Vance.  Doreen excitely read the story saying what a heroic act it was–Vance looked dis-interested making like he never heard of me.  Hattie looked at me and I just laughed.  He never participated in “Fake News”.

 Doreen covers the Potomac Avenue Subway rescue on the evening news and Jim shows his love–looking like he never heard of me. 

The next time he spoke to me was at a tribute to sports talk show host Glen Harris on the campus of Howard University.  On his enry into the room I was standing talking to several of the guest and he walked by and said, “hey Harold Bell”, I was surprised and never responded.

The next time I saw him would be the re-opening of the renovated Howard Theater in 2012 he was covering the event.  He spotted me and came over and said, “Lets do lunch, give me a call so that we can set something up”!  Hattie and I stopped by the station one day while we were in the neighborhood.  He came out of the studio to greet her with a hug and gave me a date for lunch and never followed up—I let it go.Harold and Hattie T hanging out with Mayor Marion Barry “DC Mayor for life” at the Pigskin Club in DC

Marion Barry and Jim Vance had a lot in common they were leaders in their chosen fields, politics and media, but the demons they hung out with they were never able to conquer.   I tried to warn Marion that the Feds were trying to set him up, but he didn’t listen and his final cry was “The Bitch Set me Up”.   Jim ignored my warning and quietly slipped away.  RIP my friends you did it your way.

 

I remember my last conversation  with Johnny Sample I was heading south to the memorial services for my coach and mentor CIAA basketball legend, Clarence ‘Bighouse’ Gaines.  He said, “Man I am going to try to make it” but I didn’t look for him.  Johnny was notorious for not showing up.  I have heard all the stories but I don’t ever remember him giving me his word and not keeping it.

He was always there for my celebrity tennis tournaments, media panel discussions, award programs, radio and television talk shows, etc.  Compared to today’s pro athlete, he was a Saint and a MAN among boys in the game called life.

Johnny comes to mind because the American Tennis Association (ATA) is celebrating its 100^th Anniversary in Baltimore on July 29^th through August 5^th 2017 and former NFL QB Doug Williams recenty said in the Washington Post “I Am Not a Yes Man”.  Johnny Sample’s tennis contribution in the inner-city is second to none and he was nobody’s ‘Yes Man’!

The ATA will induct four tennis notables into its hall of fame to include Richard Williams the man behind and in front of two of the greatest professional tennis players ever, his two daughters Serena and Venus.

I will be in Baltimore to talk with some of the folks who remember the great Johnny Sample and his contributions to the Black American tennis community.  The interviews will be seen and heard on my You Tube Channel “The Legends of Inside Sports”!

I remember Johnny Sample as a member on the Board of Directors for my non-profit organization Kids In Trouble, Inc. for over 30 years.  He was a frequent guest on my pioneering radio sports talk show “Inside Sports”.

 Johnny and NBA Boston Celtic Legend Red Auerbach co-host the Inside Sports Celebrity Tennis Tournament in Washington, DC

 NBA great the late Jim Bad News Barnes and Johnny take a break during  a Inside Sports’ Celebrity tennis tournament in DC’s Anacostia Park.

I first saw Johnny Sample in Washington, DC in 1954.  He was a member of the Maryland State football team and they were in town to play Howard University at the Cardozo High School football stadium.

I was amazed that he didn’t wear thigh and knee pads; his pants were skin tight.  The shoulder pads were so small it didn’t look like he had any on.  His level of play that day was like a MAN among boys.

It was here that I came away with the impression that Johnny Sample was indestructible.  It would be years later before I would meet Johnny face to face.  It was at a Baltimore Bullets’ (Wizards) basketball game at the Baltimore Civic Center.

He was a member of the Baltimore Colts football team.  Johnny was standing around outside of the bar during halftime laughing and talking with anyone and everyone.  I decided to go up and introduce myself, and we have been great friends ever since.

It was easy to like Johnny Sample; he had an outgoing personality and he made you feel like he had known you all of his life.  There was nothing phony or pretentious about him.  If you didn’t want to hear the truth, you didn’t want to be around Johnny Sample.  He was a stand up brother and had your back if you were his friend.

Michael Cooper is one the greatest running backs to ever come out of the Philadelphia public school system. He was one of Johnny’s closest friends.  He played at North East high school and Michigan State.

Michael remembers when he was invited to the Washington Redskin camp in 1964 for a try out by then Coach Bill McPeak.

It looked as though Michael was a sure bet to make the team until one day Coach McPeak decided it best he go on the Redskin taxi squad.

Johnny disagreed with the coach’s decision and let him know in no uncertain terms.  He would run through a brick wall if you were his friend.  Michael recalls his many acts of kindness for his friends.  He says, “Johnny Sample was not a fly by night friend, if you needed him, he was there.”

When his friend and teammate the legendary Gene “Big Daddy” Lipscomb was mysteriously found dead in Baltimore, the NFL claimed he died of an overdose of drugs.  Johnny knew for a fact ‘Big Daddy’ didn’t do drugs.  He said, ‘Big Daddy was scared to death of needles.’

He sued the NFL for $100,000 to clear his friend’s name and won the battle.  Johnny would lose the war NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle declared on him.  He “Blackballed” Johnny from all NFL activities including his induction into their sacred Hall of Fame.

Coming out of Maryland State College, he was one the greatest running backs in the nation.  In 1955, he was voted unanimously by The Pigskin Club of Washington, DC as its “Player of the Year” for the Central Inter-collegian Athletic Association (CIAA).

He was the first ever player from a Historical Black College selected to play in the College All-Star game in Chicago.

His NFL career would be controversial, but his athletic skills were never questioned.  His mouth often got him into trouble, but his play on the field would often be his ticket out of the NFL doghouses.

During his 11-year NFL tenure he was one of the most feared defensive backs in pro football.  Roy Jefferson a former teammate and All-Pro wide receiver says, “If you caught the football in his territory you were going to pay the price.”  

Hall of Fame and All-Pro wide receiver Frank Gifford of the New York Giants was so fearful of him that he once saw Johnny on a New York street corner and ran to the other side against a red light to get away from him.

Johnny made “The Bump and Run” against NFL wide receivers a art form.   He would hold some All-Pro receivers to no catches for an entire game.

The Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and the New York Jets were all NFL homes for Johnny Sample.

He was the co-captain with QB Joe Namath of the New York Jets when Namath boldly predicted that the Jets would upset the Baltimore Colts and win  Super Bowl III.  He is the only player in pro football history to win three different championship rings, for the Baltimore Colts, the New York Jets and a NFL/AFL World Championship ring for Super Bowl III.   Super Bowl III will go down in history as one the biggest upsets in professional football history.

In 1969 Johnny walked away from the game that he loved.  He was much more than a great athlete he was a student of the game.  Johnny could disrupt the flow of a game by calling out the offensive play as the opposing team came out to line up.

The QB would immediately have to call a timeout and many would cuss Johnny out as they made their way to the sideline.  There were many players and coaches who thought he would have been a great NFL coach, but he had burned too many NFL bridges.

Immediately after retirement he went to work on his first book, “Confessions of a Dirty Football Player.”  This book outlined the mercenary world of professional football.  In an interview on my television sports talk show roundtable “Legends of Inside Sports” host Jim Brown asked the question, ‘Johnny were you a dirty football player or just a plain hard clean player?’

His response, “I was never dirty, except when I played against you.”  The NFL Roundtable panel including, Roy Jefferson, Willie Wood, Sonny Hill and JB Brown all broke out laughing with Jim. (see roundtable interview) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzY5Mki8OVE

L-R: The Kids In Trouble All-Stars: legends, Roy Jefferson, Willie Wood, Sonny Hill and Johnny Sample

Johnny was not one to just sit around after his NFL career.  He became an entrepreneur and owned a ticket agency and sporting goods store called, Sample’s End Zone.  He later taught himself the game of tennis and quickly excelled.

He was the No. 1 player in the country in the United States Tennis Association (USTA), 45 and over category for several years running.  He would later serve as a tennis official for Wimbledon, the U. S. Open, the French and Australian Opens as a pioneering chair umpire, linesman and referee.

His inner-city youth tennis program was one of the largest and best run in the country. Tennis to him was all about, love, love and more love.

In February of 2004, he was inducted into the CIAA Hall of Fame in Raleigh, NC.  This was almost 50 years after he had graduated from college.  The first question he asked when he took the microphone, “CIAA what took you so long?”

Johnny and I had often talked about being “Blackballed” by the system is one thing, but to be “Blackballed” by your own people is a tough pill to swallow.

Johnny Sample’s induction into the Hall of Fame could not have come at a better time.  In this case better late than never.  This was definitely a highlight in his long distinguishing odyssey into the world of politics and sports.

During his induction speech he asked me to stand up and be recognized as the pioneer in sports talk radio.  He was always reaching out and giving something back.  Johnny also excelled as a sports talk show host on W-H-A-T Radio in Philadelphia from 1988 to 2004.  Johnny used his sports talk show much liked I use Inside Sports as a vehicle to improve the growth of his community.

I was the one who encouraged him to get his own radio sports talk show in Philadelphia.  The show was a big hit, he called it like he saw it—no cheerleaders allowed. Johnny Sample found “The Johnny Sample Tennis Foundation” for under-privilege kids in the Philadelphia inner-city shortly after his remarkable and controversial NFL career.  He was a pioneer as an official line judge and chair umpire on the pro tennis tour (U. S. Open, Wimbledon, French and Australian tournaments).

He was one of the top players in the USTA for almost a decade and its number one ranked player in the 45 and over for several years running. He should not only be in the NFL Hall of Fame but any hall of fame that honors blacks in tennis.  His life story after the NFL is a remarkable journey that definitely belongs in our history books.  He follows only Arthur Ashe and Richard Williams when it comes to tennis contributors and icons in the black community.

As a community advocate, he was instrumental in several projects.

His crown jewel was the Million Man March in 1986.  He organized seventy-three buses from Philadelphia and parts of New Jersey to Washington, DC.

There was a recent statement on Face Book referring to QB Colin Kapernick and upcoming umenployment in the NFL, the question was “What are we going to do about it”?  My response, there is nothing that we could do about, it is all in the hands of his former teammates and peers in the NFL.

This means he will be left out in the cold for another NFL season because the Johnny Samples, Jim Browns, and Roy Jeffersons no longer exist in the NFL, NBA, and Major League Baseball.  Today’s players only stand and kneel for a paycheck.

Jim Brown and Roy Jefferson prove “No One is Too Tall to Stoop to Help a Child”

Johnny went where there was no path and left a trail for others to follow.  I am honored to have walked in his shadow in a journey of love for his community.

I was pleased to see my name in the program as an Honorary Pallbearer for my brother in the struggle.

When I hear the word “Friend” I immediately think of Muhammad Ali’s definition of friend.  In my 1974 interview with the champ I asked him how did he distinguish his friends, he said, “A friend is someone who is always doing something for others and never expecting anything in return”—meet Johnny Sample.

Note Worthy: First, a recent “FAKE NEWS” story was written in the Washington Post by a fake writer by the name of Andy Polin.  He wrote a story wanting you to believe John Thompson, Jr.  was responsible for sports talk thriving in Washington, DC.  The real deal, John Thompson got his first talk show experience on Inside Sports promoting Georgetown basketball in 1972 when he could not win game.   ESPN the sister station to the Washington Post is airing another “FAKE NEWS” special on “How Mike and Mad Dog Made Sports Radio History!”  These two guys didn’t hit the airwaves until 1989 almost two decades after Inside Sports changed the way we talk sports in America.  During the 19 year history of the Mike and Mad Dog show WFAN never hired a black sports talk show host and if they did he never made an apperance the entire 60 minutes the ESPN special aired—WOW!

INSIDE SPORTS BLAZING TALK SHOW PATH (WASHINGTON POST 1975 & 1989)“BLACKS IN BROADCASTING”.  RED AUERBACH CO-HOSTING INSIDE SPORTS.  MIKE & MADDOG ESPN FAKE NEWS HISTORY?

P. S. Congratulations to DC sports talk show host Glen Harris voted into the DC Sports Hall of Fame and DC’s own Maury Wills has been nominated for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame after sitting on the sidelines for 50 years.  He revolutionize the game with the stolen base as a LA Dodger.