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Bill Russell, the Boston Celtics great, had to be thrilled Phil Jackson did not pass Red Auerbach as the all-time leading NBA championship coach.
You know times have changed with the move to the new Boston Garden when a Gatorade shower for the coach took the place of Auerbach's victory cigar, but that is a story for another day.
But if your name is Bill Russell from Huron and formerly of North Olmsted, you had a pretty good week, too.
For the past six or seven years, I have been receiving calls on my television show from "Bill in North Olmsted."
I don't know too much about too many callers, but over the years I have learned a couple of things about Bill from our on-air conversations. He is about my age and grew up and played ball with a couple of guys I played with on the sandlots of Cleveland.
He is a longtime Indians season-ticket holder who has taken numerous trips to watch the Tribe in spring training. He is an attorney by trade, but his love of the game drove him to coach high school baseball in North Ridgeville as well as several summer-league teams.
Bill has told my audience about his son, Adam, a pitching prospect in the Chicago White Sox's farm system.
A month or so ago, Adam Russell got the call to the majors and joined the White Sox in Toronto. Bill was there.
Unfortunately, Adam lasted just four games with the club without seeing action. He was sent back to Triple-A Charlotte.
Then last week, Bill got the best Father's Day gift he could ever imagine. Adam got the call again, this time to come to Chicago for a weekend series with the Colorado Rockies.
Again, Bill was there.
And when the weekend ended, Adam still hadn't appeared in a game, and the father had to return to Northeast Ohio.
Fast-forward to this past Tuesday. Bill and his wife settled in at Buffalo Wild Wings in Avon Lake to watch the White Sox take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. In a 16-5 White Sox blowout, Adam Russell made his major-league debut in the ninth inning.
As the 6-foot-8, 250-pound right hander took the mound, the proud father had a surreal moment.
"I felt like I was on the mound, standing right behind him," Bill told me on Friday night.
On a ground ball down the first-base line, the father/coach shouted, "Cover."
He didn't need to. Adam was on his way to cover the bag when the ball rolled foul.
Former Indian Jason Michaels, Doug Mientkiewicz and Tony Batista went 1-2-3, with the game ending on a knee-buckling curveball to Batista.
The proud father, and a great fan of the game of baseball, said, "No matter what, his name is entered in the Baseball Encyclopedia."
They spoke on the phone after the game, and Adam, who has always "acted like he has been there," according to his father, said, "Dad, thanks for everything."
Can you think of a better Father's Day gift?
Interleague rotation off
There is something wrong when it has taken until year No. 12 of interleague play for the Indians to play a game in Dodger Stadium, and for the San Francisco Giants to play in Cleveland.
The purpose, I thought, was to give fans a chance to see the top players in the game.
By the luck of the draw, free agency and trades could prevent fans from seeing some great players, but Barry Bonds was with the Giants from the time the experiment began in 1997 and never got to show his wares in Cleveland.
For the opportunity to see the San Diego Padres, with three former Indians being the only names anyone around here could recognize, Tribe fans had their only chances to see the Yankees and Red Sox in April.
Injuries just the beginning
Hopefully when it comes time to evaluate the Indians in the offseason, the front office won't use injuries as an excuse.
The team had plenty of problems before the injuries reared their ugly heads. Truth be told, the team is probably halfway between the 96-win team of last year and this year's version, which will have to hit a hot streak just to get to the .500 mark.
Fortunately, money paid this year to C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd can be allocated to run producers. Unfortunately, they will be stuck with Jake Westbrook's contract, and possibly Travis Hafner's.
Posey's big moment
When the Boston Celtics wrapped up the NBA championship, Twinsburg native James Posey knew he would be getting his second ring.
Posey previously played with the Miami Heat when they won the title two years ago.
If you don't count Shelby, the home of former Ohio State and Celtics guard Larry Siegfried, as part of Northeast Ohio, to the best of my knowledge Posey is the only high school player from this area of the state to be part of a championship team.
Eric Riley, of St. Joseph, spent his rookie NBA season, 1993-94, with the champion Houston Rockets, but played in fewer than 50 games during the regular season and wasn't on the playoff roster.
Neither Charles Oakley, of Cleveland, nor Brad Sellers, of Warrensville Heights, were with the Chicago Bulls during any of their six championships, although Sellers was on the floor when Michael Jordan made "The Shot" over Craig Ehlo.
How come ...
n When Tiger Woods told us about his injury on his Web site, it was given on a knee-to-know basis?
n The NBA draft lottery is more exciting than the draft itself?
n If the Indians dropped the price of tickets by $5, they still wouldn't draw as many people as they do on Dollar Dog Nights?
n Good pitching stops good hitting, and vice versa?
