BAYLOR 2, STERLING 0 — Basketball Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor scored two points last week when a Superior Court judge refused to dismiss parts of his race and age discrimination lawsuit against the National Basketball Association and Clippers’ owner, Donald T. Sterling. Baylor, a Lakers icon, was fired last fall from his job as the Clippers’ general manager, a position he had held for 22 years. Baylor promptly sued Sterling, the Clippers and the NBA claiming he was “discriminated against and unceremoniously released from his position with the team on account of his age and race.” He also asserted he was “grossly underpaid” during his tenure with the Clippers, in comparison to the compensation paid to general managers employed by every other team in the NBA.

In a June 12 court session, the NBA attorney argued a motion to dismiss the NBA from the suit on the grounds that the NBA was not Baylor’s employer and had no authority to hire, fire or set up his work schedule. Judge Kenneth Freeman denied the motion.
The Clippers’ attorney presented a motion to strike what he called “inflammatory arguments and suppositions” Baylor’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. The passages the Clippers’ lawyer wanted deleted include one stating that Sterling “had a vision of a Southern plantation-type structure” for the team, and that he once told former player Danny Manning, “I’m offering a lot of money for a poor Black kid.” Judge Freeman denied that motion, as well.

TOP OF THEIR CLASSES — Nine teachers from South L.A. schools have been nominated for the L.A. County Teacher of the Year Award, including one who had received a layoff notice earlier this year but which was rescinded last week after the LAUSD found some more money so it could keep a few more teachers. It would have been a cruel irony if Victoria Theisen-Homer, who has been teaching English for two years at West Adams Prep High School, had been named the county’s Teacher of the Year and she would have unable to accept the honor because she was out job hunting.

Other teachers nominated in South L.A. include Ana Flores, Harmony Elementary; Claudia Ramirez, Trinity Street Elementary; Annalee Davis, Weemes Elementary; Francisco Avalar, Jefferson Community Adult School; Etoile Abraham, Sophia T. Salvin Special Education Center; Binh Ngoc Tran, Bakewell Primary Center; Jill Stillman, Budlong Avenue Elementary and Venus Jones-Turner, Normandie Avenue Elementary. A total of 14 LAUSD teachers were nominated for the honor.

DATEBOOK — This is a busy weekend, not just for dads and grads, but for the Soulvine, as well. To begin with, here’s some great news: Windy Barnes Farrell will be the featured entertainer at Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ 8th annual Juneteenth celebration Thursday evening. The AAVREP fundraiser will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Quarles Estate, 3915 Kenway Ave. in View Park. “Gospelrella,” a new musical comedy starring Windy, will be premiered at the West Angeles Theater on Crenshaw on Saturday and Sunday. Call (323) 733-8707 for show times and tickets.

Juneteenth revelers can finish out the evening at the Black professionals’ “Summer Groove” networking mixer slated for the new Culver Club inside the Radisson in Culver City Thursday from 6:30 to 11 p.m. The mix and mingle event is being sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Black Business Association, the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce and the Black Journalists Association of Southern California.

State Sen. Curren Price will hold a 26th District swearing-in ceremony Friday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Walter Annenberg Building at the California Science Center in Exposition Park.

Speaking of which, Gloria Gray, a director of the Metropolitan and West Basin water boards, is busy raising money so she can take a run at the 51st Assembly District seat vacated by Price. A popular Inglewood resident, Gray said she is being encouraged to enter the race by quite a few people in the South Bay who are seeking an alternative to Gardena City Councilman Steve Bradford, the apparent frontrunner, who announced his second try for the seat last week.

Residents of Soulvineland can end the busy work week with a family night out because for the second year, Councilman Herb Wesson is sponsoring a summer “Movies in the Park” program, featuring a series of free family-oriented movies being screened in four different parks in his 10th District this month and in July. This season’s first free movie, “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” will be shown tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Benny H. Potter Park at 2413 2nd Ave., near Arlington. The second free movie, “Kung Fu Panda,” will be shown June 26 at 7 p.m. at Queen Anne Recreation Center, 1240 West Blvd. Wesson said free hot dogs and popcorn will be provided at the movies and prizes will be raffled off. (Question: Who is or was Benny H. Potter and why is a park named after him?)

The Community Coalition and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass will co-host “A Place to Start” resource fair Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Foshay Learning Center. The fair is part of a community effort to reduce crime, violence and recidivism by helping former prisoners successfully transition back into their neighborhoods. Several organizations which specialize in helping those caught in the prison revolving door will be available at the fair to assist South L.A. parolees and their families.

After that, I’ll have to rush over to buddy Carla Cavalier Bowdoin’s house for her son, Sean-Paul’s, graduation party, where I can commiserate with my other buddy, Shawn Wallace, about our rapidly advancing old age. Imagine, that little boy has just graduated from Pacific Palisades High School!

In recognition of National HIV Testing Day, June 27, the View Park Section of the National Council of Negro Women and Ashley Stewart stores have joined together to present “We Are Listening,” an intergenerational dialogue program  Tuesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ashley Stewart store, 3501 W. Century Blvd. in Inglewood. The topic of the “We Are Listening” discussion will be African-American women and girls and HIV/AIDS, and it is designed to help close the gap between women under age 35 and older women in the black community about a disease that is the leading cause of death among Black women 25 to 34 in the United States. “It is long overdue that we have this conversation,” said Carolynn  Martin, president of the NCNW View Park Section.

The program will feature a panel and audience discussions, wrap up and evaluations. HIV rapid testing will be available.

AND FINALLY — The idiocy of my city “leaders” who felt compelled to spend $1 million of my money to hold a parade for the Lakers at a time when my “leaders” are being forced to layoff and furlough city workers, cut my city services and raise my taxes knows no bounds. Responding to the public’s justified outrage at such an extravagance during an alleged financial crisis, my “leaders” said they found private funding for yesterday’s parade, and that, therefore, it will not cost me a dime. That just confirms what I’ve always known: These “leaders” of mine can do anything they want, whenever they want, for whatever they want. Therefore, I don’t believe a word they say about anything.