Gene has written about sports and politics for 30 years. He was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in distinguished social commentary. With Rob Zellers, he is co-author of the one-man play "The Chief," based on the life of Steelers founder Art Rooney.
The Tracy Method
On the afternoon of Sept. 21, 1980, a rookie outfielder for the Chicago Cubs cracked his first major league home run over the centerfield wall at Wrigley Field. Four days later, he hit his second homer, and two days after that, a third. “I was on pace,” said Jim Tracy, laughing the knowing baseball laugh …
Last of the Romantics
Maybe there never was anything even remotely innocent about football, and to be clear, that’s just an introductory reflection, not a lament on any recent spasm of cheerleader high jinks, or low jinks as the case may be. But if football ever had an age of innocence, it’s ancient enough to have ended prior to …