Larry the K's Lineup

 When I texted a friend and fellow 1950s-60s Boston Celtics fan that legendary center and coach Bill Russell --- the glue that kept those teams together -- had passed on Sunday at the age of 88, he texted back the following: "Greatest winner in team sports history. 11 titles in 13 years. Two NCAA titles. Gold medal in the Olympics. Way more titles than Babe Ruth. Or (Michael) Jordan or even Tom Brady." I couldn't agree with him more, and I texted back the following: "He was the original GOAT! And a decent human being. Celts don't win 11 of 13 without him." Indeed, they do not. My belief in Russell being the greatest of all time, even ahead of Brady and Jordan, has nothing to do with me approaching 70 in a couple of weeks, but everything to do with Russell's legacy. He not only set records that will be hard to be beat --- he and his arch-rival Wilt Chamberlain still hold the No. 1 and No. 2 all-time rebounding records --- but he was a leader on and off th...

I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account, and as the stupidity, ignorance and completely insulting and hurtful comments continue to pile up on those and other social media outlets, I'm glad I don't. One of the latest instances of ignorance showing up on Facebook occurred earlier in July during the recent heat wave, when the Atlantic Sports Bar and Restaurant in Tiverton, R.I., did what so many non-Jewish people seem to feel empowered to do these days: use the Holocaust for an alleged "joke" and-or political talking point. In this case, the "joke" was not only tasteless, but was indicative of the lack of compassion by the person or persons who posted it. It featured a photo of Anne Frank --- the same Anne Frank whose diary of her hiding from the Nazis in an Amsterdam apartment inspired millions over the years. Frank was 15 when, after being captured by the Nazis, was killed in a Nazi concentration camp --- one of 6 million Jews and 11 million-plus peopl...

The Apollo 11 liftoff on July 16, 1969. Tomorrow (July 20, 2022) will be the 53 rd anniversary of Apollo 11, the first manned moon landing. In conjunction with the 50 th anniversary of that historic event three years ago, I wrote a column for The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA that outlined why that moment should always be celebrated as one of the crowning achievements of mankind. I posted that column on this blog on April 29, 2021 as a tribute to one of the three astronauts who were part of the Apollo 11 crew, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, who had died at that time. His death left the second moon walker after Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, the only surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew. The link to that column on the newspaper’s website is: https://www.thesunchronicle.com/features/stories/moon-matters-why-the-lunar-landing-of-50-years-ago-was-important-then-and-remains/article_10d99193-5277-5f4c-9b5f-c91daa89d1a4.html As a companion to that column, I offered this...

"Walpole Joe" Morgan shouts "Play Ball!" at PawSox Heritage Day. WooSox employees with longtime PawSox connections are honored at PawSox Heritage Day. Larry Kessler's ticket to the final PawSox game on Sept. 7, 2020 that never was. CUTLINES: 1.  "Walpole Joe" Morgan, a former PawSox and Red Sox manager, shouts "Play Ball!" at PawSox Heritage Day at Polar Park in Worcester on Saturday, July 9.  (Worcester Red Sox photo) 2.  Worcester Red Sox employees with long tenures at the Pawtucket Red Sox who were honored in a pregame ceremony during PawSox Heritage Day at Polar Park on Saturday, July 9 are, from left: WooSox Vice Chairman Mike Tamburro of Seekonk, WooSox Senior Vice President of Communications Bill Wanless of North Attleboro and Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships Michael Gwynn.  (Worcester Red Sox photo) 3.  The author's ticket to what would have been the final game in PawSox history on Monday, Sept. 7, 2020. That game, ...

At the same time I was enjoying my Fourth of July by running the 54 th annual Arnold Mills Four Mile Race in Cumberland, R.I., a gunman --- it’d be hyperbole to call him a “crazed” gunman --- was the latest person to use an automatic weapon to turn a public venue into a shooting gallery, killing seven and wounding more than three dozen during a parade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park, Ill. Thankfully, the event I was in, as well as the annual parade that follows that more-than-half-the-century July 4 th tradition, was completely peaceful and free of any such heinous crime, but for how long? How long will people be able to attend public events and feel safe from being killed or wounded by yet another deranged individual who can --- thanks to the Supreme Court --- practically carry and buy weapons anytime they want to because a majority of Congress is being paid off by the National Rifle Association to not reinstate the automatic weapons ban? How long will we feel free to att...

Larry Kessler does laps on the morning of Saturday, June 18 at the 24th annual Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, a team fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society. This version of my column on this year’s 24 th annual Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro was published in the July edition of Jewish Rhode Island of Providence. It was inspired both by the many miracles that the relay, an overnight team fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, produces and the hopeful lyrics of the Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun.” That iconic song off of the “Abbey Road” album was an especially appropriate choice this year --- the first full relay since 2019 due to the coronavirus pandemic --- when, as the lyrics go, the smiles returned to our faces after the relay was forced to go virtual in 2020 and was limited to two smaller in-person events in 2021. The link to the column, as it appears on the Jewish Rhode Island website, appears at the end of this post. CUTLINES First photo: The author...

CUTLINE: Larry Kessler trails his daughter Alana, who had already finished the Arnold Mills 4-Miler in 34:17 on the Fourth of July, as he heads to the finish line. He did the race in 58:41. Alana went back on the course to encourage her very slow father to finish the race. (Photo by Alana Kessler) A year ago, more than 400 runners turned out on the Fifth of July to run the 53 rd Arnold Mills Fourth of July race (held on a Monday due to the Fourth falling on a Sunday) back in person after a year off due to the coronavirus pandemic. That day dawned warm, but not humid, and smiles were everywhere, on the faces of both the spectators and the runners, as people were just glad to be back out on the road. A year later, on Monday, the 54 th annual Arnold Mills Fourth of July race was held under similar weather conditions --- a sunny day with race-time temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s and low humidity --- and this time 453 runners turned out to salute the Fourth. Like last year,...

  The author heads to the finish line of the 2021 Arnold Mills race. Yesterday, during my daily jaunt --- OK, so it’s been called a walk more than a jog or run by most people --- I was heading back after doing one of my shorter courses when, as I passed a house on the route, I heard these words from a guy: “There’s the old man walking.” Now, having been subjected to any number of catcalls --- of both the good-natured ribbing and harassing type --- since I started running and jogging in 1974 and then non-stop since April of 1975, I knew instinctively that this wasn't a friendly taunt, because the words were uttered with a dismissive, or derisive, undertone. I know the difference, because I've over the years also have had people stop their car or SUV and just tell me, in an encouraging voice, "Keep it up," or "I see you walking (or jogging) all the time, keep it up." Clearly, this gentlemen's tenor and tone weren't of the encouraging type, but rather...

  This column on the 24 th annual Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro was published on Monday, June 20 in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA. Every year, the event brings together people to raise money for the American Cancer Society --- and this year’s event was particularly meaningful, as it was the first full event held since 2019, because of the coronavirus pandemic. As of this posting, close to $75,000 had been raised, and that amount may climb over the next few weeks. Here's the link to the column, as it appears on the newspaper’s website: https://www.thesunchronicle. com/opinion/columns/larry- kessler-one-huge-miracle/ article_0dfbb035-db0f-5327- bc84-3b8762b4efad.html ******* I’ve often described the Relay For Life of Greater Attleboro, a team fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, as being composed of several acts of kindness and inspiration that, taken together, create a miracle --- and that never rang truer than the just-concluded 24 th annual edition held at...

  This column about the pandemic-related hardships that the Class of 2022 at area high schools faced due to the coronavirus pandemic appeared in The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, MA on Monday, June 13. While covering one of those graduations, King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, MA held at Stonehill College in Easton, it was easy to feel good about the students about to graduate, because they had clearly surmounted a number of obstacles put in place by the sudden shutdown of schools in March of 2020, their sophomore year. In hindsight, it seems obvious that schools in Massachusetts and across the country shouldn’t have remained all virtual for so many months; to do so was a huge disservice to the students’ education. The link to this column on The Sun Chronicle’s website follows: https://www.thesunchronicle.com/opinion/columns/larry-kessler-heres-to-you-class-of-2022/article_0dcb9147-063e-5c78-9d35-e23a579d59eb.html ***** Graduations have always been a cause for celeb...