Magic owner steps up to help community groups
Bianchi: DeVos family donation makes up for youth foundation shortfall.
Running off at the typewriter …
It’s looking more and more like the injury-ravaged
Orlando Magic won’t make the playoffs this season, but at least the franchise remains champions within our community.
It seems like many times in the media, we spend so much time focusing on the bad news that we forget to publicize the good.
Well, something really good happened on Wednesday.
You see, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) typically uses fundraisers, such as a charity golf tournament and wine festival and auction, to reach
its goal of annually raising more than a million dollars that then are donated to area nonprofits to assist at-risk children. This year, even though the pandemic canceled most of the fundraising events, OMYF was still able to reach its million-dollar goal Wednesday when Magic ownership — the DeVos family — contributed $700,000 to make up for the financial shortfall.
“Through the leadership and generosity of the DeVos family, giving back to our community has always been a focal point in all that we do as an organization,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins in a statement. “This past year has been challenging for so many. The way the DeVos family, Magic organization and area nonprofits stepped up to help others represents the very core of Mr. & Mrs. DeVos’ vision for the team — to serve as a platform for the Central Florida community to rally together and reach even greater heights.”
If you’re scoring at home, OMYF has donated more than $26 million over the years to more than 500 local Central Florida nonprofit community organizations impacting more than two million kids.
If only the Magic were as good on the court as they are in the community, they’d have more championships than the Lakers and the Celtics combined.
Short stuff: I love that UCF is tweaking the Power 5 big boys yet again. The Knights have put billboards in various cities around the state, including Gainesville and Tallahassee, declaring UCF as “The Future of College Football.” The billboards also include the number of miles it is from UCF to the five cities (Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami are the other three) where the billboards are located. In my opinion, the billboards serve two main purposes: (1) It totally annoys the Power 5 snobs in Gainesville and Tallahassee, which is always great fun. (2) It gets the attention of the UF and FSU players who might just consider UCF someday if they decide to enter the increasingly popular transfer portal. … And speaking of the transfer portal, if new UCF coach Gus Malzahn keeps getting transfers from his former team, UCF might need to change its name to Auburn South while Orlando changes its nickname from “The City Beautiful” to “The Loveliest Village on the Peninsula.” … When Tom Brady was on “The Late Late Show” with James Corden earlier this week, Corden, who at 42 is a year younger than Brady, asked Brady if it’s possible that he (Corden) could be drafted into the NFL. Replied Brady: “You might be able to play for the Jets.” … Joakim Noah quietly announced his retirement from the NBA earlier this week, but I’m told his ponytail has decided to keep playing. …
I read a story the other day explaining how many lonely, exercise-conscious Americans who quarantined themselves during the pandemic are actually falling in love with their virtual Peloton instructors. Hey, people, you’re just being taken for a ride! … Sign of the times: Five-star LSU freshman tight end Arik Gilbert entered the portal at the end of January and announced he was transferring to Florida, and a few weeks later is now back in the portal before ever stepping foot in Gainesville. At the risk of sounding like an old-school fuddy-duddy, I am going to quote the late, great Vince Lombardi right now: “Most people fail not because of lack of desire, but because of lack of commitment.” … Memo to NASCAR driver William Byron, who won the race in Homestead last weekend: Start calling yourself Billy Byron, which sounds like a real racin’ name. William Byron sounds like a golfer. … James Harden, who essentially quit his way out of town and forced Houston to trade him, said he hoped Rockets fans would show him “some love” upon his return Wednesday night. Yes, James, and I hope to have a pouffy head of hair like Bruno Mars, a sculpted physique like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the entrepreneurial skills of Jeff Bezos, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. … Other questions: (1) Will the last Auburn player to transfer to UCF turn out the lights? (2) Will Mo Bamba ever develop into a key contributor? (3) Will you still love me tomorrow? …
How cool is it that Florida State basketball coach Leonard Hamilton just signed a fiveyear extension at the age of 72? If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. The beloved “Coach Ham” is a testament to the patience of former FSU athletics director Dave Hart, who stuck with Hamilton even though he didn’t make the NCAA Tournament his first six years in Tallahassee. “I heard the chatter [about Hamilton’s job security] during those first six years and, believe me, it was frustrating and aggravating,” Hart told me once. “But I knew how close we were and I knew we had the right guy. It was just a matter of time before we kicked that door down and started getting into the NCAA Tournament.” And now here we are two decades later and Hamilton is on the verge of winning back-to-back ACC championships and enjoying the most successful stretch of his career as a septuagenarian. One of Hart’s favorite quotes about patience really is true: “You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.” …
Speaking of beloved coaches, a moment of silence, please, for Wayne Rickman, who has gone to That Big High School Gymnasium in the Sky. Rickman, the Boone High School basketball coaching legend, died a few days ago at the age of 83. I didn’t know Rickman, who led his underdog teams to five state Final Four appearances and two state championships in the 1970s and ‘80s, but, judging from the comments from some of his former players, it sounds like he was a coach who spent as much time teaching character and integrity as he did X’s and O’s. RIP, Coach. …
Last word: In honor of Thursday being National Grammar Day, did you hear the one about the past, present and future walking into a bar at the same time? It was tense.