This week my column will highlight five important accomplishments in prep sports for the year 2016. This includes a Minneapolis City Conference school that captured state basketball and football titles; another winning a championship in a St. Paul City Conference school making its first-ever state tournament appearance; a traditional Class 4A power capturing another state … [Read more...]
A space for national and local sports coverage from columnists Charles Hallman, Larry Fitzgerald, Jr., Mitch Palmer McDonald and more.
2016 was the year of the upset
These events in sports were covered by me this year. I was there and saw it with my own eyes. The Timberwolves finished 29-53, missing the playoffs for the 12th straight season. They fired Sam Mitchell as interim coach even though the team improved from just 16-66 the previous year under the late Flip Saunders. Golden State at 73-9, an all-time NBA regular-season best … [Read more...]
History of Blacks in NFL escapes young players
“Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” a traveling exhibit, opened at St. Paul’s Minnesota History Center in September. Over 200 artifacts, photos, film footage and interactive displays are featured. One of the exhibit’s 10 sections, “Pro Football’s Road to Equality,” uniquely caught my attention. It is billed as “an inspirational story of the rise of … [Read more...]
2016 a busy year for our unique sports coverage
Once again this year, both our columns “Another View” and “Sports Odds and Ends” each week provided unabashed and often unprecedented coverage of women sports, Black coaches, Black players and Black people, staying true to our primary mission to provide readers news and information they can’t or won’t find anywhere else. “When are we going to get that shot?” asked a current … [Read more...]
Christmas Day NBA games preview
By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Since its second season in 1947, the NBA has played on Christmas Day. The 1998 lockout was the last time without league games scheduled or played. Over a decade later in 1983, NBA Christmas Day telecasts became traditional as NFL Thanksgiving Day games and New Years’ Day college bowl games. Five games are scheduled for Sunday, going … [Read more...]