Just A Minute: We Keep Losing Our Giants
It's been a rough few days in the sports world, with news of the passing of legends Bill Russell and Vin Scully, and here in Alabama we've all recently learned that Eli Gold won't be in the broadcast booth at the start of football season while dealing with health issues.
We of course wish him well, and hope for a complete and speedy recovery.
You would think that we all might get used to bad news like this, especially since the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing, but we never do.
Just about everyone has seemingly had some form of COVID, or afflicted by something else. According to the U.S. Census Department the annual increase in deaths in 2020 was the largest in 100 years, at 19 percent.
Yet we go on and hope for the best, even when the bad news is someone that you know or have met.
Obviously, I've gotten to know Eli over the years, and he did the forward on one of my books. Watching football this fall won't be the same without him in the radio booth.
I met Bill Russell at a football game. For me, the biggest perk of being a sports writer is we get to go down to the field for the final minutes, and years ago when I covered the Green Bay Packers the basketball legend was standing on the sideline near the end of an exhibition.
It still bothers me to this day that when I said to the television reporter next to me, "Is that who I think it is," he didn't know who Bill Russell was.
The Hall of Famer led the Celtics to 11 championships and was named MVP five times. He changed the sport, and helped change this country. I tracked him down in the locker room and had a few words before he was whisked away.
It was a brush with greatness I'll never forget.
Scully was easier to meet. Before MLB games there's a pregame meal and I usually grabbed mine and headed off to write. One notable time I didn't, and I ended up sitting next to a man in a sports coat sitting by himself.
It was Vin.
For the next couple of years, before I left for another job, I made a point to sit at Vin's table whenever I could.
Everything you've heard about him over these last couple of days was true: Eloquent, personable, friendly as can be, and the kind of person I wish I could be more like.
I never really liked the Dodgers much, or Los Angeles. But I became a huge fan of the voice of baseball, and the endearing man.
Actually, I want to amend something I said previously. The best part of this job is meeting and getting to know special people like these.
The good news is that someday soon we hope to have Eli back, regularly yelling "Touchdown, Alabama!" and continuing his trek into Crimson Tide lore.
We arguably need him as much now as ever, as fewer of our giants continue to walk the earth with us.
Thank you Bill. And thank you Vin.
Andy Marlette / USA TODAY NETWORK
