THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 6, 2023 Page 7 “The Old Sachem” The Greatest Football Player T By Bill Stewart his column was originally printed years ago. The last paragraph was added this week. By the title, you probably thought I would write about Tom Brady or some other NFL player. But no, I am writing about what the world calls football and we in the USA call soccer. The greatest player over time would be Pelé. He was born as Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, on October 23, 1940. He started his career as a youth with Bauru from 1953 to 1956. In his professional career he played for Santos in the Brazil Professional League from 1956 to 1974, with 638 appearances – scoring 619 goals. He fi nished his professional career with the New York Cosmos in Major League Soccer of the USA, with 56 appearances and 31 goals, from 1975 to 1977. He played for the Brazilian National team from 1957 to 1971 with 91 appearances and 77 goals in international competition. He was a member of the team winning the FIFA World Cup in Sweden in 1958, in Chile in 1962 and in Mexico in 1979. He played for Brazil in the Copa America competition in Argentina in 1959. In 1999 he was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). He was selected as the Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee, also in 1999. That same year Time magazine named him among the 100 most infl uential people of the 20th Century. The IFFHS and Guinness World Records list him as the top goal scorer in the world counting not only his professional games but also unoffi - cial friendlies and tour games. “The Old Sachem,” Bill Stewart His listed total is 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. Pelé died last Thursday at the age of 82. Tributes have poured in from around the world for this greatest of all time football player. (Editor’s Note: Bill Stewart, better known to Saugus Advocate readers as “The Old Sachem,” writes a weekly column about sports – and sometimes he opines on current events.) More High Water Bill Woes Hari Krishna Burlakoti isn’t the only one complaining about a high water meter reading; one lady is upset over $6,000 bill By Mark E. Vogler W hen he went to complain about a $15,601.46 water bill, Hari Krishna Burlakoti said he was told that the water meter never makes a mistake and that he needed to pay the bill. At a recent meeting, selectmen seemed to side with the 31-year-old firsttime homeowner that the Water Department needed to take another look at the bill and that something indeed was wrong –especially after his previous bill was $187. Selectmen have asked Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and finance director Wendy Hatch to brief them on the situation by the next meeting, which is set for 7 p.m. Jan. 17. Board of Selectmen Chair Anthony Cogliano said yesterday that he’s learned of another town resident who may have been overcharged for water because of erroneous readings on her water meter. “I have another person coming in on the 17th (of January), ‘’ Cogliano said yesterday. “She has a $6,800.00 water bill which again is absurd. I don’t want these types of matters on the BOS (Board of Selectmen) agenda however, when they get no response or a response saying there’s nothing we can do you owe the bill.... that aggravates me off to no end. It’s quite obvious there’s something wrong and we need to help these people,” he said. Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member William S. Brown said he feels the pain of the two residents who are facing exorbitant water bills. He received a $1,075 water bill last year -- nearly double the one ($581.97) he received earlier. It irked Brown when he learned he would be paying $2,150 for the year -- more than twice the average annual bill because of billing that was based on the use of a busted water meter, “With the kind of exorbitant bills these people are getting, you would see pudRocco Longo, Owner dles or hear running water,” Brown said. “I got to believe something is wrong. It’s absolutely crazy that this is happening,” he said. OUR OFFICE HAS MOVED TO 519 BROADWAY, EVERETT SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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