And he's off!

Women's hoops guru retires: Mel Greenberg's poll and writings helped bring the sport to prominence.

When in the late summer of 1969, three weeks after Woodstock, Mel Greenberg arrived at The Inquirer, women's college basketball was virtually invisible - widely viewed as an insignificant pastime for physical-education majors.

Very few women played the game, very few schools had teams, and very few media outlets even acknowledged its existence.

But today, thanks in large part to Greenberg, 63, who is retiring this week after 40-plus years at The Inquirer, that onetime shadow world is considerably brighter.

A hat tip to Mel -- who's never been anything but generous and inclusive in his love for women's basketball and anyone who showed even a slightest passion for covering the game.