Category: Sports Columnists

With their playoff seeding virtually decided, the Washington Wizards used their second-to-last week of the regular season to get their star some much-needed rest. With only two games on the week’s slate, Washington took full advantage to give all-star point guard John Wall a pair of games off after a grueling season. The Wizards appear […]

Sportswriters Sam Lacy (left) and Wendell Smith. (Courtesy Photos) This past week, I spent the day at the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, the location for an event that is very dear to my heart. This was the venue for an awards luncheon named for Sam Lacy and Wendell Smith. For those of you who […]

Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James (23) and Kyrie Irving (2) celebrate during an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat Thursday, April 2, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) This season has been the year of the guard in the NBA. The top three MVP candidates are all dominant guards who love to score with the […]

Washington Wizards guard Ramon Sessions (7) shoots against Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Oakland, Calif., Monday, March 23, 2015. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) The Washington Wizards extended a late season four-game road trip into the week but it didn’t end well for the weary traveling […]

Washington Wizards head coach Randy Wittman stands near Washington Wizards guard John Wall (2) in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, March 25, 2015, in Washington. The Pacers won 103-101. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Washington Wizards have floundered in the second half of the 2014-2015 NBA season and […]

Sam Lacy As I continue my journey through the life of Hall of Fame sportswriter Sam Lacy, I find myself taking nostalgic looks at my own life. I was visiting with my deceased cousin’s wife, Sheila and her brother, Doug when a topic popped out of the conversation.  Doug had quite a colorful life which led […]

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant poses for photos during the during NBA basketball media day at Chesapeake Energy Arena, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Brett Deering) With Kevin Durant potentially sidelined for the remainder of the season with persistent soreness in his right foot—the same he broke earlier in the season—there is […]

Former Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso attended the unveiling of a life-size sculpture of him on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2004, at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) When the integration of Major League Baseball is mentioned, most thoughts go to Jackie Robinson. If you want to stretch the thought, Larry Doby […]

Kentucky players, from left, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Aaron Harrison, Tyler Ulis and Andrew Harrison re-enter the game during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Florida, Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Lexington, Ky. Kentucky won 67-50. (AP Photo/James Crisp) The Kentucky Wildcats recently completed a 31-0 regular season, as a roster stocked with […]

Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) shoots a free throw in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, in Washington. The Wizards won 99-95. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) It has been a rough 2015 for the Washington Wizards. After surging to a 19-6 start, the Wizards have slowed down […]

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose (1) and Jimmy Butler (21) talk during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, in Chicago. The Bulls won 87-71. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) Another knee injury to their brilliant yet brittle superstar had the Chicago Bulls on front page of sporting publications for much […]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) prepares to shoot a free throw against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Chris Keane) It’s been a historic month for Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. With his Thunder in the […]