I am
grateful to so many of you who reached out to me after my last posting on
January 18. A quick update on some of
the points addressed in the last posting.
The Sequel to An African Rebound
And A Toronto Book Club Exercise
I am about
sixty percent done with the sequel to An
African Rebound, the second book of the trilogy. Based on contact with various book clubs who
either have or are reading An African
Rebound , we selected one book club in Toronto, Ontario to read the first
half of the sequel, critique it, and even guess what will happen! The group includes M.J. Donohue, widow of the
late Jack Donohue. Jack was a dear
friend who coached Lew Alcindor – who soon became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - at Power Memorial High School in New York City.
Jack became the head coach at Holy Cross, where he compiled an outstanding
record. He then had a brilliant career
as head coach of the Canadian Men’s Olympic Team. M. J.’s group – all women over 60 -- are in
the process of reading the first half of the sequel. I plan to be done with the sequel within the
next several months and am looking at Spring, 2015 as the publication date.
The West
Coast agency working on the novel to movie project is in regular contact with
me. We continue to clear hurdles in what
will likely be a long process. The fact
that there are two more books forthcoming in the series is proving to be
helpful in the discussions.
Shoeless Joe Play
I recently
met with actor, Marc Carver, who did such a magnificent job in the December
2013 stage reading in Hartford. We are
planning one more stage reading, to be followed by the premiere of the
play. The stage reading will take place
at some point in August in Hartford. Marc and my daughter Meg, who is an actress in
New York City, will be part of the reading group. The initial performances of
the actual play will be held on college campuses in a two-day format -- the
performance of the play followed in day two by a seminar to discuss the issues
raised in the play such as race, war, illiteracy, labor, justice and redemption.
The African
Scholar-Athlete Games
We have
narrowed the potential host sites for the African Scholar-Athlete Games to two
locales. Both locales are represented by
graduates of the World Scholar-Athlete Games.
We expect to make a final determination on the site for the African
Scholar-Athlete Games within the next several months.
Recording of Songs
I have
enjoyed working with some wonderful professionals in the music industry. Since the last posting, I have written eight
new songs, one of which (believe it or not) is a Rap Song. We will be recording these eight songs at
some point in mid-May. More on this project to follow.
Love and Forgiveness in Sports Curriculum
I have been
working with a distinguished team of educators to finalize the Love and
Forgiveness in Sports Curriculum. Recently,
Dr. Eileen Angelini, a Fulbright Scholar and Professor at Canisius College, has
joined the team. Eileen has been a
teacher and coordinator at a number of Scholar-Athlete Games. She has done fascinating research on the 1955
Montreal Riots, and the role that Maurice “Rocket” Richard played in quelling
the riots, and forging peace. Eileen and
I are now working on a component of the Curriculum that compares what “Rocket”
Richard did in 1955 to what the Detroit Tigers, then owned by Mr. John Fetzer, founder
of the Fetzer Institute, did in 1967 to quell the Detroit Race Riots. Another team
member, Bill Gaertner, is focusing on the Curriculum being utilized in various
prisons. The
Institute for International Sport is collaborating with the Fetzer Institute on
the Curriculum project.
New England Basketball
Hall of Fame
With the
help of Tom McCarthy and Jim Nelson, we are working to bring the Chinese Junior
National Team to New England as part of the 2015 New England Basketball Hall of
Fame ceremony. The plan calls for the
team to tour New England for two weeks and then be special guests of honor at
the Hall of Fame dinner. We will
announce the date of the dinner, and, hopefully, China’s participation, within
the next several months.
Thank you
again for your interest in these projects.
Be assured I will keep you posted.