Red Auerbach RIP

That's a great story.

 

HA!!!! Absoultely brilliant!

 

We have a former SE here, guy was SE for 35 years, still writes a weekly column.
So after years of putting it off, I decide to start writing his obit.
I'm a few inches into it, and of course, he comes strolling in to visit.
At first, I don't tell him what I'm doing, but after awhile, I tell him.
He was cool with it, God, he started in the biz as HS kid, 70 years later, he understands, asks me if I included his time as a state bingo inspector, gives me a couple of quotes, helped me out a lot.
When he went to the hospital a few months later, I felt I put a jinx on him. But he's home, not 100 percent but since he's a month away from 89, who is?
One more thing, I want to wait til he passes to write a column. I want to write that one with the emotion I'm going to feel when it happens.

 

And yet he wondered why he couldn't get ahead at the newspaper. Sounds like he was Pickle Juice before there was a Pickle Juice.

 

Bob Ryan erred in his column on Monday when he wrote this passage, and I wonder how many people caught it:

We also know that no sports person (which would include Connie Mack and George Halas) ever was associated longer with any team. Red Auerbach was the embodiment of the Boston Celtics for nearly 57 years.

Apparently he's not aware that Papa Bear founded his football team in 1920 and was still its owner on the day he died, 63 years later.

UPDATE: I just remembered that even Halas' tenure with the Bears pales in comparison to Wellington Mara's 80-year stint with the New York Giants. He became the team's ballboy at age nine, its co-owner at 14 and was still the co-owner when he died last year at age 89.

 

Nothing fosters longevity like being the owner . . . or being the son of one.

 

And Preppy Bill REALLY needs to learn this business . . .

 

Bill doesn't need to learn the business, Ben. He's making more than 90 percent of us posting on this board.

 

If you like Simmons' work, say so. Defending him on the grounds of his salary is silly. By that measure, any criticism of A-Rod must be wrong, too.
When someone is not cut out for a career path, then uses their skills to find a better one, they deserve praise. Simmons would get more praise if he'd just admit, "you know, the Herald and I were not a good fit, and thank God for it." His attitude that the problem with daily newspapers is they didn't recognize his genius is obnoxious, and people are going to both resent it call him on it.

 

Michael - great stuff on Red thanks for sharing. With Red's passing goes a bit more of the NBA that sadly will never come back.

In the end Red was always a coach that saw the game on a higher plane-- the way it was supposed to be played.

Feinstein's book on Red did not get near the acclain that it should have. In some ways Red outlived his legacy. Too many generations have no clue what REd meant to the game of basketball .

Feinstein had some great stuff about Red and John Wooden. You got sense that Red respected the Wizard of Westwood but did not consider him a friend.

Also some great stuff on Red and Pitino. I was trying to find, but could not an article that was in Sports Illustrated around 98, after Pitino took over. It had some good stories about Red in stands at Curry College watching Pitino run pre season practice. It mentioned a poney tailed guy that Pitino hired as his head of scouting that Red was looking at with raised eyebrow. Seemed like funny picture.

 

Boom, the pony-tailed guy in question was Leo Papile, capo di tutti Boston youth basketball, and a real good guy. Red was suspicious of all Pitino's people, due to Rick's very short-sighted treatment of Red.
I know dynamic sports executives who write motivational books aren't superstitious, but messing with Auerbach is defying karma to a suicidal degree, as Rick learned.
One more Red story, from way before I became a reporter. In 1969, the first round of the playoffs was Boston-Philly, and for some reason Cousy, the regular TV color guy, couldn't make game four. So Auerbach did it. Best. Broadcast. Ever.
Red had no idea how to talk to the audience, so he talked to us like we were on the bench with him as part of the Celtics. Some 76er would be bringing the ball upcourt and Red's analysis would be "Watch him Emmette (Bryant). He's cute, he's tricky, don't let him move to the left oh no...(muffled noise cause Red knew he couldn't cuss."
Red also didn't aim for phony journalistic balance. Wali Jones misses his first outside shot, and Auerbach said, "good. He misses his first two or three and he's done for the night."
As a 76er fan, I knew this was true. Hearing it from Red was hilarious.
One last quote. In the '69-70 season after Russell retired, Hank Finkel was the Celts' center. Naturally, Finkel came in for some criticism from Boston fans.
Auerbach sprang to Hank's defense. "People are giving Henry a hard time and it's not fair," Red said on the record. "Let me ask them this. If he was any better, do you think we could've gotten him?"

 

Speaking of Papile, how did Red get along with Chris Herren, who played for Papile in AAU? I bet they were a match made in heaven. "Hey Red, you wanna bump?"