Read a good book lately?
Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 1:56 pm
I'm just about done reading Let Me Tell You a Story, a semi-autobiographical book about Red Auerbach.
It's a good book! Better than I expected, anyway. It has a strong feeling of sitting down with Red and listening to his stories, with the narrator providing background information. Obvs, there is a lot of Celtics stuff in the book, but there is also a lot of good stuff about leadership and about the history of the league and the game.
For instance, did you know that pro teams used to barnstorm during the summers? They needed money, so they would spend the summer traveling around and playing local colleges or even local rec league teams. According to Red, teams would keep the game close to make it exciting so they could sell tickets in the next town over. Can you imagine the Warriors playing at your rec league and keeping the score close, then loading onto a greyhound buss to ride to the next town over and play there? Oh, how times have changed.
There's also a lot of insight into what Red was thinking with trades, and coaching, and other moves he made. It's not just the narrator telling you what he did, it's Red saying what he was thinking. For instance, he wanted Ralph Sampson real bad in 1980, but couldn't talk him into quitting school. He didn't want Cousy at all. Etc. He talks about why he liked or didn't like those guys. He talks about the resources he had for scouting and signing players.
Good book.
So I'm about to be in the market for another biography or autobiography. Any suggestions?
It's a good book! Better than I expected, anyway. It has a strong feeling of sitting down with Red and listening to his stories, with the narrator providing background information. Obvs, there is a lot of Celtics stuff in the book, but there is also a lot of good stuff about leadership and about the history of the league and the game.
For instance, did you know that pro teams used to barnstorm during the summers? They needed money, so they would spend the summer traveling around and playing local colleges or even local rec league teams. According to Red, teams would keep the game close to make it exciting so they could sell tickets in the next town over. Can you imagine the Warriors playing at your rec league and keeping the score close, then loading onto a greyhound buss to ride to the next town over and play there? Oh, how times have changed.
There's also a lot of insight into what Red was thinking with trades, and coaching, and other moves he made. It's not just the narrator telling you what he did, it's Red saying what he was thinking. For instance, he wanted Ralph Sampson real bad in 1980, but couldn't talk him into quitting school. He didn't want Cousy at all. Etc. He talks about why he liked or didn't like those guys. He talks about the resources he had for scouting and signing players.
Good book.
So I'm about to be in the market for another biography or autobiography. Any suggestions?
Thanks!