BASHOF

The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, aka BASHOF, has once again neglected to elect, by popular vote from the Bay Area sports media, Victoria (Vicky) Manalo Draves into its ranks of gifted athletes. Although most of you who read this [yes, this means all two of you] probably know who she is, let me refresh you. Think back and try to imagine...

LONDON, 1948

An event took place in August which had never been done before. A diver, who happens to be a woman, who happens to be American, who happens to be Filipino, who happens to be from San Francisco, wins the gold medal in both the 3 meter springboard and 10 meter platform diving competitions. Again folks, THIS WAS UNPRECEDENTED at the time. First off, she barely qualifies for the Olympics in the first place [and you can put it on record that I wouldn't count out ethnic discrimination to be one of the factors for her almost NOT making it in] and then is put on as an alternate in an event that is not really hers, the 3 meter springboard. Not only does she pull off an amazing dive [a dive that women did not previously attempt] she wins the dang event. Her specialty is actually the 10 meter platform, which she did end up winning pretty easily a few days later.

Her homecoming was pretty glorious. Time magazine featured her and she came home to SAN FRANCISCO to a parade and everything. In fact for a while after her wins she was one of "America's Darlings". She even went to the Philippines, and though she had never been there, was taken in as if she was a Philippines citizen [Vicky was actually born in SAN FRANCISCO].

Hey sports media -- how much more credentials can one person have? In fact, two of this year's elected [Joe Kapp and Summer Sanders] are NOT from the Bay Area, let alone having been born there or grew up there (as in Vicky Manalo's case). I don't know where Eddie LeBaron was born, but having graduated from Oakdale High School near Modesto, he at least didn't finish his secondary education here (but guess who did?)

I'm calling on you MEDIA PEOPLE -- any of you who vote for the BASHOF -- how the hell can she go wrong with those credentials? It looks like you want champions in there? Well, only Summer and Kristi actually won top prize in things. Kapp led Cal to the Rose Bowl, but they lost. LeBaron did lead UOP to an undefeated season, but they weren't national champions. Vicky Manalo Draves is not only a 2 time, let me repeat it, 2 TIME OLYMPIC CHAMPION, she was born and raised right here in SAN FRANCISCO. How much more BAY AREA can that be?!

Get it right people.

She deserves it.