Earlier this week Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez hit his 537th career home run. Ramirez is an exceptional hitter who, throughout his career, has always been a tough out. Still, there is something inherently wrong with the Ramirez milestone. The home run put Ramirez just ahead of the great Mickey Mantle (536 career home runs) and to a baseball purist; Manny Ramirez simply should never be mentioned in the same breath as "The Mick." Ramirez just returned from a 50 game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs. Many will say it is just "Manny being Manny" but Manny's use of steroids should forever keep him out of the Hall of fame……….Sources tell me that Tom Nolan will not return as the Ellenville girls' varsity basketball coach this year and that is a shame. Nolan did a lot of things as a basketball coach that help a program to be successful. Nolan organized summer teams and encouraged players to attend camps and clinics. Nolan supervised off-season training sessions. Nolan encouraged his players to maintain good grades and stay clear of trouble. And unbeknownst to most, Nolan often spent his own money to help his players participate in all of the above. In addition, Tom Nolan is one of the nicest and most positive human beings you will ever meet. I wish him the very best……….It was interesting to note last week that several dozen parents recently showed up at a Pine Bush Board of Education meeting to ask the Superintendent and Board members who will be leading the search for a new varsity volleyball coach for the Lady Bushmen. The Pine Bush volleyball team has a prominent history, but there is no arguing that volleyball is not a major sport like basketball, soccer, or softball. So what prompted these parents to question the school administration about the search for a new coach, especially since there is no full-time teaching job to accompany the coaching position? Most likely, it was just a group of concerned parents who wanted the very best for their daughters — no doubt several of whom might be looking at some college scholarship monies. Certainly, parental involvement on this level has not been seen in a very long time in Ellenville Athletics. But as the district is faced with finding a new varsity girls' basketball coach, perhaps questions should be asked of the Ellenville Administration as well. Will there be a search committee for a new girls' basketball coach? Are there any qualified internal candidates? How soon will a decision be made? The current girls' varsity basketball roster is filled with veteran players who have not quite yet reached their potential as a team. A new coach should be a disciplinarian, well versed in the fundamentals of basketball, be an exceptional motivator, and for the love of Lady Blue Devils basketball — run a fast break offense and a full court, pressure defense. The players on this team are fairly athletic, fast, intelligent, and well suited to return to the basic philosophy that has traditionally made Ellenville a basketball power — get the rebound and beat the opponents down the court all game long. It will be interesting to see how the Ellenville Administration handles this decision………. The "official" word that came down last week that the Nevele Hotel had closed its doors only served as a formality as most us long ago realized that this once-magnificent resort was on life support and it was just a matter of time before the plug was pulled. It would be overly optimistic for any of us to think that the Nevele will open again and be successful, but there are more pressing concerns. How long will it be before a religious group puts a bid on the property, and God forbid, the Town of Wawarsing Planning Board gives its approval?………..The early results after the All-Star game have the Yankees "on a roll" and the Mets "getting rolled"……….ESPN recently held it's ESPY Awards which have become a major star-studded event with many entertainment and political stars joining the celebration of athletic achievement. The most poignant moment of the awards show for me was watching as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was caught tearing up near the conclusion of a wonderfully done video clip honoring the achievements of Nelson Mandela, who used the appearance of the once-despised South African Springboks rugby team in the World Cup to help unite a racially divided country. Mandela showed tremendous courage and leadership as the former President of a country where he was once jailed for almost three decades — when he exhorted all South Africans to support the Springboks with the motto, "One team, one country!" Mandela's brilliance helped bring about the demise of apartheid, a World Cup championship for the Springboks, and united a country. Mandela was being recognized by ESPN for his lifetime achievements with the Arthur Ashe award. Great stuff. The disappointing part of the story, of course, is that Rice's reaction, which was touching in itself, did not meet the flashy, loud requirements which daily make ESPN reports, so not a word was spoken about the moment by the television analysts……….until next time!