R.I.P. -- Arnold “Red” Auerbach
October 28, 2006 8:05 PM Subscribe
I enjoyed watching b-ball in the 80s, due largely to the good-natured LA-Boston rivalry. I can't name a single current NBA player, but Red's team from the 80s is imprinted in my brain forever: DJ, Ainge, Bird, Parrish, Jones, etc.
posted by davidmsc at 8:27 PM on October 28, 2006
posted by davidmsc at 8:27 PM on October 28, 2006
He loved his game, and the people that played it hard.
posted by paulsc at 9:42 PM on October 28, 2006
posted by paulsc at 9:42 PM on October 28, 2006
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posted by christopher.taylor at 10:11 PM on October 28, 2006
posted by christopher.taylor at 10:11 PM on October 28, 2006
I had a nice phone conversation with my dad (born in Cambridge in 1945) tonight about this. Ted Williams died a few years ago, and that was pretty much what you expect to happen to old men. Red was supposed to be forever.
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posted by Mayor Curley at 10:29 PM on October 28, 2006
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posted by Mayor Curley at 10:29 PM on October 28, 2006
I never understood why Phil Jackson had to put up with "yeah but he had Michael & Scottie" or "yeah, but he had Shaq & Kobe" but Red never seemed to get "yeah, but he had Bill Russel". Still, being the winningest coach of all time is a hell of an accomplishment, and living forty years after you set that record and having no one catch up to you is even better. Good on you, Red.
posted by jonson at 6:16 AM on October 29, 2006
posted by jonson at 6:16 AM on October 29, 2006
Good-natured LA-Boston rivalry? Gosh, having been a fan on the losing end of this, all those years, it never seemed that good-natured to me.
Anyway, one of those larger-than-life figures. . .
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posted by Danf at 7:14 AM on October 29, 2006
Anyway, one of those larger-than-life figures. . .
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posted by Danf at 7:14 AM on October 29, 2006
I was at a G'town-Syracuse game a few years ago, the year Carmelo Anthony's Syracuse team won the championship. Partick Ewing was sitting in VIP seats behind the basket. Red walked down to his seat midway through the first half, and Ewing leapt to his feet to run over and talk to him. Neat to see the respect Ewing had for Red, who'd retired from coaching before Ewing left elementary school.
Many good articles in the Globe today.
An ML Carr quote:
"I remember my first year in Boston, we clinched the best record in the division and we were celebrating a little bit in the locker room when Red came in and he said, 'What's all this,' " said Carr, who won titles as a player in 1981 and 1984 and coached the team from 1995-97. "We told him what had happened. And he said, 'We don't celebrate division titles. We celebrate championships.' He set the bar high for everyone.
"This is not the passing of a man, it's the passing of an institution. He came into a hockey town with a 6-9 black guy [Bill Russell] and sold professional sports in a racially charged city. That was one sales job."
Jackie MacMullen:
It was a beautiful spring day in Washington, and he asked me when my flight was leaving. I told him I had some time. We hopped into his Saab convertible (really now, how many senior citizens do you know drive a Saab convertible?), and he took me to the Smithsonian. There was a great Duke Ellington exhibit, he explained, and he felt I should see it before I left. ... As we pulled up to the entrance, he parked his car in the little cul de sac in front of the building. A uniformed guard immediately approached us and said, "I'm sorry, sir. There's no parking here." Red got out of the car, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "That's OK, son." Then he walked inside. One hour later, we returned to the cul de sac, where his car remained, untouched.
posted by ibmcginty at 7:34 AM on October 29, 2006
Many good articles in the Globe today.
An ML Carr quote:
"I remember my first year in Boston, we clinched the best record in the division and we were celebrating a little bit in the locker room when Red came in and he said, 'What's all this,' " said Carr, who won titles as a player in 1981 and 1984 and coached the team from 1995-97. "We told him what had happened. And he said, 'We don't celebrate division titles. We celebrate championships.' He set the bar high for everyone.
"This is not the passing of a man, it's the passing of an institution. He came into a hockey town with a 6-9 black guy [Bill Russell] and sold professional sports in a racially charged city. That was one sales job."
Jackie MacMullen:
It was a beautiful spring day in Washington, and he asked me when my flight was leaving. I told him I had some time. We hopped into his Saab convertible (really now, how many senior citizens do you know drive a Saab convertible?), and he took me to the Smithsonian. There was a great Duke Ellington exhibit, he explained, and he felt I should see it before I left. ... As we pulled up to the entrance, he parked his car in the little cul de sac in front of the building. A uniformed guard immediately approached us and said, "I'm sorry, sir. There's no parking here." Red got out of the car, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "That's OK, son." Then he walked inside. One hour later, we returned to the cul de sac, where his car remained, untouched.
posted by ibmcginty at 7:34 AM on October 29, 2006
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posted by paulus andronicus at 9:43 PM on October 29, 2006
posted by paulus andronicus at 9:43 PM on October 29, 2006
Red was the greatest. 8 consecutive championships is a record that should last about as long as the game. Thanks Red.
posted by Gankmore at 10:24 AM on October 30, 2006
posted by Gankmore at 10:24 AM on October 30, 2006
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I like the Celtics more than I like basketball.
posted by Richard Daly at 8:18 PM on October 28, 2006