One Cigar for the Road

A Legend Passes
Red Auerbach credit to basketball and humanity.

For nearly sixty years there has been one constant in the game of basketball, Red Auerbach. The legendary Boston Celtics coach and General Manager was not just a credit to the game he passionately loved, but a credit to mankind. He was a visionary who broke down racial barriers and helped change all of sports. Auerbach was the first coach to draft an African American, Chuck Cooper, in 1950. Auerbach's career spawned racial equality on multiple levels. He hired the first African American head coach, when he relinquished the position to his star player Bill Russell, as well as was the first coach to have an all African American starting line-up during the 1963/64 season.

During his twenty years as a coach Auerbach won 938 regular season games, a record that stood until Lenny Wilkens broke it in the 1994-95 season. Auerbach is tied with Phil Jackson for the most NBA championship rings as a coach with nine. In 1980 he was named greatest basketball coach of all-time by the Professional Basketball Writers Association of America.

After his so-called retirement, Red Auerbach continued working with youngsters at the Red Auerbach Basketball School. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979, and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Auerbach was the walking definition of a Mensch and will be missed by a world that always seems to have a shortage of such great men.

Congratulations St. Louis

No I'm not talking about their recent World Series victory over Detroit, I'm talking about being named America's most dangerous city another victory over Detroit who once again finished second to St. Louis. Following the two Midwestern hotbeds for crime are Flint MI, Compton CA and Camden NJ. I'm sure your happy to see the two costs not be left off such a prestigious list. Interesting to see Compton, California still on the list. I guess after 15 years of gansta rap some of that money would of been brought back to the community to improve life. I guess that was wishful thinking. Word has it that the money has ended up in more prestigious areas of California. Isn't the recently arrested Snoop Dog living next to Alec Baldwin? Thought I heard that, I could be wrong..,.Biatch!

Paulie