Anniversary of Wilt’s century game this weekend
It’s the 46-year anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game Sunday.
Here’s how great the Dipper was: Kobe Bryant is the greatest scorer of this generation. He’s scored 50 points or more 21 times in his 12-year career. But Wilt — everybody born before 1955 please say this with me — averaged 50.4 points per game in 1961-62.
And the 100-point game of March 2, 1962, has become almost a myth. Even the most casual basketball fan is aware of the Dipper’s magic number. But, really, only hardcore fans, stat-heads and people who remember when it happened know that Wilt played for the Philadelphia Warriors at the time. (Yes, the Warriors.) Or that it was in a 169-147 win over the Knicks.
Give it one more generation before the 100 points — and a bunch of other Chamberlain stats like his 27 rebounds per game as a rookie — will seem as amazing as the fact that Jheri curls were once a popular hairstyle.
The Philadelphia Tribune has started a movement to get Chamberlain’s image on a U.S. postage stamp.
And while putting a guy on a stamp because he could put a ball through a hoop seems silly, the Dipper was more significant than that. He was larger than life in an era in which it was often dangerous for black men to be so. Plus, it takes something to score 100. It’s easy to stop short because you don’t want to be viewed as selfish. But because Wilt dared to be great, it became easier for others to show their talents to the world.
Anyway, baseball players, football players, football coaches, boxers, actors, comedians, musicians and golfers all are on stamps. Heck, a guy named Ben Pickett got on a stamp by accident when they meant to put his brother Bill on there.
But James Naismith is the only person related to basketball on a stamp? That’s not right.
The only folks who will disagree with a Dipper stamp in this area are K-State and Mizzou fans.
Climbing
•Greg Oden: We had the injured No. 1 pick in the draft slipping last week because of that stupid Mohawk. But this week he endorsed Barack Obama for president. And he’d be among the climbers regardless of which candidate he decided to support. Not that they have to, but it’s nice when athletes use their influence like this.
Slipping
•Traditionalists: Sam Zell said he won’t hesitate to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. And good for him.
So what if the stadium has had the same name since 1926? You want to go back to how things were in 1926? Back when they had to walk uphill to school … both ways … in the snow … without shoes … and they were grateful.
Yeah, right. Baseball clings to stupid traditions more than any other sport. (Golf has a bunch of dumb traditions, too. But golf isn’t a sport.) Traditions, often, are exclusionary practices kept in place simply because that’s how things had always been done. Illogical junk like this holds us all back. If something can be improved, then by all means improve it.
Besides, a name change might break the curse that’s prevented the Cubs from winning the World Series since 1908.
To reach Greg Moore, send e-mail to gmoore@kcstar.com
