Who's counting?
My eyes did a doubletake Tuesday night when the message board at Philips Arena celebrated the Hawks 40 years in Atlanta. That hit me hard because in another life I was the PR director of the city's new NBA club.
Then I saw John Darnall report to the scorer's table.
Darnall was one of my first hires on the stat crew way back when. And he is still there as the official scorer. He has missed only a couple of seasons since 1968. As for me, my regular season career in the NBA consisted of one game. I was the first Atlantan hired and the first to leave. I worked for the club in its early stages, including the pre-season. I set up press row for the first game against the Cincinnati Royals then, in a grand gesture, resigned to owner Tom Cousins the following afternoon — without another job.
My old friend has survived a multitude of administrations. Maybe that's why his hair is much more gray now. He's an accountant and the basketball job keeps him around a game we both learned to love at the Capitol View Baptist Church gymnasium — a building that was recently leveled.
Darnall introduced me to current PR Director Arthur Triche and told him I used to be him. And 480 months ago, that would have been correct.
3 comments:
A sad shame for the gym at CVB. I spent many days there for basketball practice and watching our other teams play too. Is the church gone too?
The gym is a littered vacant lot. The church building was still standing though the windows are bordered up. I was told that services were held there until there were environmental problems.
That gym was important to a lot of us and it encouraged many of to go to Sunday School so we could play.
We owe thanks to Bobby Ward.
Yes we do. He spent a lot of time with us.
Post a Comment