A great piece on Ralph Beard

I loved Ralph Beard. Every time I saw him, even at age 70-some, he'd break down into a defensive stance, feet dancing, hands extended, laughing like hell, and dare me to even think about getting around him. He was Cousy before anybody knew Cousy. What Iverson would do, Beard did 50 yrs earlier. Knight, as you'll see here, thought of Beard as the Michael Jordan of his day.

This on a blog done by my friend Billy Reed....

http://billyreedsays.com/the-heart-of-the-fabulous-five-is-gone/

 

That's a really nice tribute.

 

That's a very well-written piece of work. Billy remains fully capable of it. Nice job.

But that 800-pound gorilla introduced in the ninth graf doesn't wash away, easy.

There is an enormous, throbbing gambling jones imbedded in hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians.

It's been there since statehood, and it ain't going away, anytime soon. And it's at least as active in Lexington as it is in Louisville.

Gambling on local college sports is part of the culture down that way, and I'm one who doesn't believe that's inherently evil.

But it spawns a culture which can make things unbearably hot for folks in positions of athletic responsibility, who should know better.

Players have to be beyond the pale. They can't just "go along to get along". The price is too high, if you're caught.

Ask Buck Weaver.