An Icon to Get Behind

Ben Stinar, a young NBA reporter based in Atlanta, wrote “I don’t think people outside of Atlanta realize the city has never truly had an icon to get behind like Trae Young its more than basketball.” What a croc. Even Trae took time to disagree. After Stinar’s tweet went viral he offered a lame apology, but that just stirred up the fire.

Kid needs to learn some history. The city has been filled with icons to get behind. Trae isn’t even the most iconic Mr. Young in Atlanta history. That would be Andrew Young. Other icons: Henry Grady. Crawford Long. Asa Chandler. Margaret Mitchell, Ivan Allen. MLK Jr. John Lewis. Jimmy Carter. John Portman. Ted Turner. Gladys Knight. Usher. Tyler Perry. Ryan Seacrest. Elton John.

In sports: Bobby Jones. Heisman. Dodd. Lothridge. Aaron. Niekro. Murphy. Bobby Cox. Chipper. Maddux. Smoltz. Glavine. Chipper. Freddie. Acuna. Nobis. Claude Humphrey. Bartkowski. Deion. Vick. Calvin Johnson. Matt Ryan. Julio. Herschel.

In basketball: Lou Hudson. Dominique. Heck, even Spud. Fifty years ago Pete Maravich created a national buzz. The Pistol was Trae Young and more. Trae won’t be having his college arena named arena after him any time soon, unlike Maravich at LSU. Trae has made how many all-star teams?

.avg.RB.apg.FG%.FT%.games

27.4 3.9 8.7 42.2 86.1 32 Trae college

44.2 7.5 6.2 44.7 81.1 83 Maravich

23.6 8.1 1.7 53.3 75.2 78 Wilkins

 

24.1 3.9 8.9 42.8 85.6 195 Trae pro

23.9 4.0 5.8 43.1 80.4 226 Maravich 24.2 career

22.1 6.6 2.6 47.7 75.2 244 Dominique 24.8 career

Of course the term “icon” is way overused these days. Definition: worthy of veneration. Trae is no Michael Jordan. Even Dominique’s career pales in comparison to MJ. Deion might’ve been the best CB in history. Maddux the greatest pitcher. Hank, for sure. Herschel. Bobby Jones. Plus a few of the luminaries on the list of non-athletes. If everyone is an icon, then no one is.

https://thespun.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/trae-young-response-nba-reporter-ben-stinar-atlanta-tweet

Margaret Mitchell graduated from Washington Seminary in 1918. My grandmother attended Washington (now the Westminster Schools) around that same time, perhaps a year or two behind Mitchell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mitchell

Braves win again, 5-0 over the Cubs. They’ve won at least 3 of their last five, and 6 of their last ten - better than any other NL East team. Only a half game out of first place – without their top two starters and best reliever (Fried, Soroka, and Newcomb). Fans should be thrilled.

Since Dansby had burned sage all around the ballpark, when he came to bat the Braves organist played Simon & Garfunkel’s Scarborough Fair, for the “parsley sage rosemary and thyme” line.

Tuesday: on the way to work this morning I cashed in a coupon for a free Wendy’s Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant. Not terrible, but that square bun was no croissant. And the “chicken” was of course processed and pre-frozen. Worked from before 8 am past 7 pm. Took a short lunch, eating leftover pizza at my desk. Got home and crashed on the couch.

Watched Seinfeld, the classic pinky toe episode. Perhaps the most - wait for it - iconic scene in the entire series. Kramer describes finding the lady’s severed pinky toe, and his heroic bus ride to the hospital, culminating with the lines “You kept making the stops?” and “Well they kept ringing the bell!” Also the episode when George pushes the women and children out of the way while fleeing a fire, later stamped out by Eric the Clown’s oversized shoe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fire_(Seinfeld)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVajLREARbg

JOHNNY MIZE  [SABR Bio] a Hall of Fame first baseman, he was known as the Big Cat. Nickname was based on the graceful way he played his position…or so he claimed. Check his SABR Bio for the full story. He was a slugger known for bat control. As an example, in 1947, he hit 51 home runs and he struck out only 42 times. He was born and died in the same small town. Demorest, Georgia, population 1,823 in the 2010 census. Mize was born there in 1913. The town had fewer than 700 residents in the 1910 census.

I need to finish my Niekro book. The book reveals what a regular guy he is. Told in his vernacular, not gussied up to make him sound like something he’s not.  Cussing and all.

Trying to get my work emails down under 20, but they keep coming in. I do have several that have articles to read. Trying to knock out one of those a day.

According to a new study published in the Experimental Gerontology journal, consuming olive oil daily can dramatically reduce one’s risk of experiencing cognitive decline later in life.  More generally, the  Mediterranean diet has been documented to reduce one’s risk of dying at any age by as much as twenty percent. This diet contributes to longevity and cognitive health among older populations. A true Mediterranean diet is based fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seafood, olive oil, and dairy.

https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/olive-oil-can-reduce-alzheimers-risk?ltm=pgN1ZvRqXy5AUS%2BRYeQf11iCUBEmwi5gTzbri4SQCjBO8BjiMiHqqgQI%2F5wSjnZk&subscriber_type=member&utm_source=member&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-newsletter&utm_content=dnl-2021-4-24