Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 The Best Ever By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart K areem was a professional basketball player, a professional assistant coach, an actor in films, a best-selling author and a martial artist. He was born April 16, 1947, in Manhattan, New Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lein * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 Lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net York. At seven-foot two inches and 225 pounds, he was above the crowds. Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. grew up in the Dyckman Street projects in the Inward neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. His birthweight was 12 pounds, 11 ounces and 22 ½ inches long, which prescribed very large size as an adult. At age 14 he was 6 feet 8 inches tall and could slam-dunk a basketball. He was a budding star at Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan where his team won 71 consecutive basketball games. Power Memorial won three consecutive New York City Catholic championships and had a 79-2 record during the play of Alcindor. His nickname became “the tower from Power.” Power won the national high school championship in both his sophomore and junior years and was runner-up as a senior. He was recruited by Jerry Norman, an assistant coach of UCLA, and played for the illustrious John Wooden. Three times UCLA won consecutive national championships with Alcindor, and three times Kareem was selected as the MVP of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament. He missed out as a freshman because NCAA rules forbid freshmen to play. In his first game for the Bruins as a sophomore, he scored 56 points; that earned him the nickname “The New Superstar” by Sports Illustrated. During those three seasons, UCLA won 88 games, losing only two. There was no shot-clock those days, so USC played a stalling game, keeping the ball away from UCLA to win. Kareem was named Player of the Year twice, First Team All-American twice, played on three NCAA national champions, was the Most Outstanding Player three times in the NCAA tourney and was named the first ever Naismith College Player of the Year. He was named the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) College Player of the Year (which later became the Oscar Robinson Trophy) twice, and he was the only player to be the Helms Foundation Player of the Year three times. In a preseason game, the freshman team took on the varsity squad and defeated one of the best team in the nation, 75-60, in the new Pauley Pavilion, where Kareem scored 31 points and had 21 rebounds. Because of his ability, the NCAA banned the dunk, which was later rescinded. The NBA banned college underclassmen to declare early for the draft. Alcindor completed his studies earning a Bachelor of Arts with a major in history in 1969. He also THE BEST EVER | SEE PAGE 9 Saugus gardens in the pandemic We Now Offer For Your Eating Pleasure “UBER EATS” Convenient Delivery Service Bianchi’s Pizza and Renzo’s Full Menu To Go Open for Takeout for Bianchi’s Pizza and Renzo’s Food 381 Revere Beach Blvd., Revere 781-284-5600 $1.55 GALLON We accept: MasterCard * Visa * & Discover Price Subject to Change without notice 100 Gal. Min. 24 Hr. Service 781-286-2602 TWO DIFFERENT MAPLE LEAFS: Red maple, at left, has V-shaped indentations or “sinuses” while sugar maple, right, has U-shaped indentations. That’s how you tell the two species apart. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Laura Eisener) One surprising source of brilliant color is poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), the native vine we all love to hate. In sunny locations its three leaflets are likely to be vivid red and orange now, while in the shade they are more inclined to be yellow. This is a good one to watch out for if you are taking walks, since it does occur along the road in many locations, in just about every wooded area and perhaps even the wilder sections of your own yard. While not everyone is susceptible to the urushiol which causes blisters and itchy rashes, it is pretty miserable if you discover you are one of the people who is. The best known trees for bright fall color are surely the sugar maples (Acer saccharum), the same species which gives us delicious syrup in the late winter. They are more abundant in northern New England and at higher elevations, but even towns like Saugus in eastern Massachusetts have quite a few of them mixed in with oaks and other trees in the woods. A fairly large group of sugar maples on Walnut Street near Kirkland Street had started turning in late September, but at my most recent look there were still quite a few colorful leaves on those trees. Red maple (Acer rubrum), another abundant local species, has green leaves in summer, but if they are under stress, usually from too much GARDENS | SEE PAGE 12 Here’s what’s blooming in town this week to make your walks more enjoyable By Laura Eisener N ew England is known for its opportunities for autumn leaf-peeping, with a wide range of trees and shrubs that provide some dazzling color as cool temperatures arrive.
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