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Thursday, August 31, 2017

The Writer's Life 8/31 - Rollie & Co.

RIP Rollie Massamino, 82, a coaching lifer and larger than life character whose emotions were usually quite clear. He started at the high school level, winning a state championship in Massachusetts. From there he moved on to the college game, where he was very successful. His Villanova team pulled off the greatest NCAA tournament upset in the history, truly March madness. Seeded eighth, the Wildcats laid waste to their opponents, going on a run that can only be described as unconscious. They beat mighty Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, in the final, the lowest seed ever to have won it. Massimino was at 'Nova from '73-'92. He then did a modestly successful two-year stint at scandal-scarred UNLV before moving on to Cleveland St., the only place he failed to create magic. Passionate about the game, he stayed in coaching, working for 12 years at NAIA Northwood in Florida, which later became Kaiser. He took his squads to ten post season tournaments, finishing as the runner-up one season. Despite his age, he was still coaching in 2017. Kudos, goombah.



Also in sports: the University of Florida has suspended ten players prior to its first game this weekend, which is in keeping with the reputation it has established through the years. Student athletes indeed... And in hockey, Phoenix Coyotes' captain Shane Doan has announced his retirement. Remarkably, in this age of free agency, he spent his entire career with the franchise, which began as the Winnipeg Jets. He scored 402 goals and had 570 assists. Kudos, sir. Although new management did not show him any appreciation, fans did in his final game:


Economic growth for July was revised upward from 2.6 to 3%, providing more hope that recovery is finally underway. Unfortunately, there are many potential landmines domestically and internationally that may blow it all to hell. Congress has shaken its stupor - at least temporarily - and provided Texas with needed funds. Hopefully, the money will be used wisely, but one can never be too confident when politicians are involved. Remember the pork that was added to the Hurricane Sandy relief bill. Now that the most vulnerable areas of Houston are obvious, experts should devise preventative measures. Then again, given the amount of rainfall, maybe very little can be done in that regard.  

"Stupid is as stupid does," as Forrest Gump's mom said. Two men allegedly demanded cash at the register of a Baltimore bar, where a group of police officers were gathered for a retirement party. The morons were chased down and arrested. The station-house is across the street from the pub. (From Yahoo's Odd News, in my own words.)

My thanks to the kind folks who bought and donated books on yet another day of spectacular weather in NYC.
Vic's Sixth novel: http://tinyurl.com/zpuhucj 
Vic's Short Works: http://tinyurl.com/jy55pzc
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