Riley, as seen in Schenectady

[Upper Tupper]

SCHENECTADY -- On this court, the pride of Schenectady basketball is not an afterthought. Pat Riley is not thought of at all.

On the basketball court in Hamilton Hill's Jerry Burrell Park, where shards of broken glass bottles set and the smell of marijuana periodically wafts, the coach who commands $60,000 for an hour-long inspirational speech is not an inspiration.


http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=489589&category=ETTKIN&BCCode=&newsdate=6/10/2006

 

[poindexter]

I read the story. Where do we go with this one?

 

[leo1]

a pointless column. a waste of space. the columnist went over to the school for a couple hours and SHOCKER -- kids are more interested in wade and shaq than the old white guy who coaches the team. i guess the columnist was too lazy to dig through the archives for some stuff about riley when he played there and far too lazy to track down any of his old teammates, coaches or opponents.

 

[Upper Tupper]

or, Riley has rarely been back since he left. Too busy with Showtime, etc., to do any good for anyone in the ol' home town.

 

[leo1]

or, Riley has rarely been back since he left. Too busy with Showtime, etc., to do any good for anyone in the ol' home town.

or, like many grown men, he left behind the town in which he grew up and moved on with his life. so he doesn't want to go back to the town in which he was raised. big deal. why is that a reason to rip him?

 

[Upper Tupper]

Do something positive in your life.

There is more to life than walking up and down an NBA sideline for 25 years with a scowl on your face.

Build a YMCA building, support Tee-ball. I don't care, do something.

Oh that's right, he knows Johnson.

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

Do something positive in your life.

There is more to life than walking up and down an NBA sideline for 25 years with a scowl on your face.

Build a YMCA building, support Tee-ball. I don't care, do something.

Oh that's right, he knows Johnson.

I'm sure Riley, like any other human being with any modicum of self-confidence, enjoys having you tell them what it takes for their life to meaningful.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I liked the idea for the column, but I don't think he pulled it off. Show me examples of someone similar to Riley and how he's given back to his hometown. Give me more examples of why the town needs his help. How about talking to Riley himself? If he turns down the hometown paper for an interview that kind of helps make the point.

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

Why SHOULD Riley have some big bond with his hometown. He has created a whole new life. What does he owe Schenectady? I don't get it. I've moved on from my hometown, as many of us have.

I think you're reaching, Upper.

 

[boots]

The column isn't bad. Quit ripping him. He wanted to show that the youngsters don't relate to Riley. He did that. The ending could've been smoother. Get off Brian's ass.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Why SHOULD Riley have some big bond with his hometown. He has created a whole new life. What does he owe Schenectady? I don't get it. I've moved on from my hometown, as many of us have.

I think you're reaching, Upper.

That's another good point. If the author would have showed us how Schenectady helped Riley get where he is it would have been a much better column.

 

[broadway joe]

Do something positive in your life.

There is more to life than walking up and down an NBA sideline for 25 years with a scowl on your face.

Build a YMCA building, support Tee-ball. I don't care, do something.

Oh that's right, he knows Johnson.

Why do you assume he hasn't done anything for his hometown? The article says the school gym is named after him. That might just be because he's famous, but it could very well be because he donated some $$$. There's nothing in that column that gives reason to rip him.

 

[Montezuma's Revenge]

Who's all over Brian's ass, boots?

Funny, come to think of it, that "ass" would be the word you chose.  

I think more people have been debating Upper than killing the column. I think Upper is wanting the world to rip Riley for reasons that don't make much sense to me.

In any case, whoever posted the column didn't do Brian any real favors.

 

[boots]

I didn't have a problem with the column. I saw what he was trying to do. Yes, he could've been more anecdotal but it still served the purpose. People in Schenk, at least at alma mater, don't relate to him and what he's doing.

 

[STLIrish]

This might be a bit of a stretch, and it's a point the columnist didn't make, but this is also a bit of a story about upstate New York, which, as they say about Iowa, is a nice place to be from.
The exodus from places like Schenectady, Rochester, Buffalo, etc., to places like LA, Miami, etc. is pretty sad. Schenectady's a town whose best days are probably behind it. And its perhaps-most-famous-son doesn't come back much any more, or mean much to the kids growing up there.
Like I said, perhaps it's a point this columnist wasn't trying to make, but it's a theme that runs through many stories from this part of the world. And the way he ended made me think of it.