The Zephyr’s Final Four Picks
(My Final Four is immediately
below: we also invited several guests to make their choices as well)
Kansas
Kentucky
Kansas State
Baylor
Bruce Weik
Kansas
Kentucky
Pittsburgh
Duke
Peter Schwartzman
Georgetown
West Virginia
Kansas State
Duke
Silver Streaks Coach Mike Reynolds
Kansas
West Virginia
Kansas State
Duke
Norm Winick
The Ohio State
Kentucky
Gonzaga
Purdue
Rick Ring
The Ohio State
Kentucky
Kansas State
Duke
Michael Landon’s Top 10 TV Buddies
(Merlin Olson was a great football
player (see below) but also was an icon with Landon on one of his television
shows.)
1. Victor French: The former “bad
guy” for TV westerns became a good guy in both Little House and Highway to
Heaven, a show in which he wore an Oakland A’s hat.
2. Dan Blocker: Played his brother
Hoss in Bonanza
3. Merlin Olson: Minnesota farmer
who also dabbled in wrestling, being a football coach and a Deputy Sheriff
4. Kevin Hagen: The kindly town
Doctor in Walnut Grove
5. Victor Sen Yung: Loyal cook Hop
Sing on The Ponderosa
6. Richard Bull: Played kindly
storekeeper Nels Oleson on Little House, but also was the hit man on the grassy
knoll who delivered the lethal head shot to JFK in the movie “Executive
Action.”
7. Dabs Greer: Country Preacher in
Minnesota. His last role was as an old Tom Hanks in “The Green Mile.”
8. Pernell Roberts: Another Bonanza
brother who became one of the first TV stars to bolt from his show
9. David Canary: An adopted Bonanza
brother who now is a soap opera star
10.Moses Gunn: African-American
buddy of Pa Ingalls. Integrated Walnut Grove’s church.
Silver Streak Boys Basketball (19-12)
In Regional Tournament action, the
Silver Streaks defeated Geneseo but fell to the Rock Island Rocks in the championship
game by a score of 63-58. Victor Davis ended a great career with the Silver
Streaks by scoring 26 points in the loss.
Up Next: The 2010-2011 season.
Silver Streak Softball (1-0)
2009 Record 5-28 1-9 in the Western Big 6
Tournament Result Lost to East Peoria 8-0 in the Regional Semifinal
Seniors Graduated 2
Galesburg 5 Orion2
Charger Sports Update: The Sandburg baseball team started off the season
with an 0-5 record at a tournament in Tennessee but hitters Caleb Weaver, Alex
Lozano and Nick Leary started the season off with a .300 batting average or
better for the Chargers.
Our Two Cents
Silver Streak basketball legend
Bumpy Nixon died at age 69 in a nursing home. Not much to say or write that
hasn’t been done already. He was truly a basketball player ahead of his time.
He had height (6’7”), a soft touch, could pass and still be physical. He led
the Streaks to a 3rd place finish as a junior and more than likely,
would have guided Galesburg to a state championship in 1960 until the IHSA
reared its ugly head. Bumpy, Dale Kelley and Joey Range are justifiably thought
of as the three greatest Silver Streaks of all time.
Most remember Merlin Olson as a
television actor and football broadcaster for NBC with Dick Enberg. Some, like
me, remember him as a great football player. And make no mistake about it, he
was pretty good. He was part of The Fearsome Foursome (defensive front four)
for the Los Angeles Rams. Olson, along with Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier and Deacon
Jones, formed a great Rams defense. He got his big post-football break when
John Wayne picked him to be in “The Undefeated” along with Rams quarterback
Roman Gabriel. He’s best remembered as Jonathan Garvey, the best buddy of Pa
Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie.
(This is the last Full Court Press.
Up Next: The Hot Corner)