by gordie | May 5, 2020 | Uncategorized
Unlikely as it may seem, the circle of life took a few backward revolutions when Tom Gilburg was out walking with his wife Joanne on Monday afternoon. If during his 81 years he has alternately been a football player and coach — as well as a husband, father and...
by gordie | Sep 14, 2019 | Uncategorized
Basketball, Dick Barnett said, was always his “mistress” growing up — his word. Wooed him to the playground the night of his senior prom. Served as his steady during a college career that featured more gym time than classroom time. The first time around, anyway....
by gordie | May 27, 2019 | Uncategorized
The classroom was at the end of a short, wide hallway, on the right-hand side. That much I remember. But was I in sixth grade or seventh? Was the teacher named Kline? Adams? Something else? A half-century has clouded my memory of that long-ago English class, and my...
by gordie | Mar 26, 2019 | "After the Buzzer" Podcast
Here’s a link to the second episode of “After the Buzzer,” a podcast that LNP Sports Columnist Mike Gross and I just began. And, you may be asking, how come Episode One never appeared here? And that would be because I failed miserably. So here it is....
by gordie | Jan 15, 2019 | Uncategorized
I can’t claim to understand the psychology of having a favorite player when you’re of a certain age. I do know that Jerry Seinfeld, speaking more generally about sports fandom, famously said fans root for laundry, and there’s a great deal of truth in that. The guy...
by gordie | Jun 10, 2018 | Uncategorized
The pregame ritual remained the same, all 26 years Steve Powell coached the McCaskey boys’ basketball team. The Red Tornado players would huddle up in the locker room before taking the court, do the 1-2-3 thing, then head out the door. Powell and his three assistant...
by gordie | Jun 9, 2018 | Uncategorized
The Summer of LeBron began in earnest when with 4:03 left in Game Four of the NBA Finals on Friday night — a 108-85 Cleveland loss to Golden State — he checked out for the last time. He congratulated the Warriors on the court as he departed, knowing he was...
by gordie | Jun 7, 2018 | Uncategorized
Unfair: That’s what Kevin Durant is. A guy listed at 6-9 who probably stands closer to 7 feet, but blessed with the perimeter gifts of a guy half a foot shorter. Again and again in Game Three of the NBA Finals his jumpshot — a lovely, fluid thing — was...
by gordie | Jun 4, 2018 | Uncategorized
During a 19-second sliver early in the fourth quarter of Game Two of the NBA Finals on Sunday night, Stephen Curry missed a layup in traffic and then, after a Golden State offensive rebound, saw another layup attempt blocked by Larry Nance Jr. That left Curry 6-for-20...
by gordie | Jun 1, 2018 | Uncategorized
I make no apologies for loving basketball in general and NBA basketball in particular, while at the same time acknowledging its flaws. That said, I hated Game One of the NBA Finals. OK, not all of it. LeBron James was great, scoring 51 points with eight rebounds and...
