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Legendary Boston Celtics coach & executive Arnold "Red Auerbach died today at the age of 89 from an apparent heart attack.
Auerbach was elected to the Basketball hall of Fame in 1969 on the strength of his 9 championships as a coach (8 in a row from 1959-66) and 7 more as an executive, and for the way he revolutionized the game and made the Celtics into a basketball dynasty.
Famous for his ever-present stogie, which he began lighting up on the court at the end of Celtics wins, Auerbach was both deified by Celtics players & fans and vilified by opposing teams & coaches for his in-your-face, take-no-prisoners style which made the Celtics one of the most feared and respected teams in the NBA for over 4 decades. His 9 NBA titles is a record shared with Phil Jackson, and Red never made any secret about his dislike for Jackson's coaching style and his desire to keep that record for himself. His 938 wins was a league record that stood until Lenny Wilkins overtook him in 1994-95.
Auerbach either coached or drafted some of the greatest players the game has ever seen: Cousey, Russell, Heinsohn, Bird, Mchale, Parish, and DJ. His shoot-from-the-hip style was appreciated in the blue collar city of Boston, especially when it angered the opposing teams. His opinion of the 'dead spots' on the infamous parquet floor in the old Garden showed his true self: "The whole thing was a myth," Auerbach said. "People thought not only that there were dead spots, but that we knew where every one was and we could play accordingly.
"Now, did you ever watch a ballplayer go up and down the court at that speed and pick out a dead spot?" he asked. "If our players worried about that, thinking that's going to help them win, they're out of their cotton-picking mind. But if the other team thought that: Hey, good for us."
"Now, did you ever watch a ballplayer go up and down the court at that speed and pick out a dead spot?" he asked. "If our players worried about that, thinking that's going to help them win, they're out of their cotton-picking mind. But if the other team thought that: Hey, good for us."
Growing up in Beantown I know that Red was seen as an almighty God, lording over the beloved C's and the Garden with an iron fist, a wry smile and a cloud of smoke. He was like Steinbrenner without the pompous bluster and hot-headed hair-trigger personality; when he walked in the Garden and went to his seat, people took notice and respected his presence like he was visiting royalty. There wasn't a soul in the Hub who didn't love, worship and respect him, and his visage at the games will be a sorely missed sight this upcoming season.
Rest in peace, Red. I'll light up a double-corona up in your honor.
But receiver Terrence Nunn fumbled the ball after he gained enough yardage for a first down on 3rd & 3 at their own 36, Texas recovered, and walk-on kicker Ryan bailey booted a 22-yarder for the stunning win. Texas QB Colt McCoy was 25-39, 220 yards, 2TDs, no TOs in his first big road test as Longhorn starter; the 'Horns have now won 16 straight on the road
Davis, the sophomore stud ACC rushing & TD leader, had 2 scores, and Spiller, the highly-sought after recruit form the Sunshine State, dazzled the national audience with a 50-yard catch -and-run TD in the 4th quarter when he froze 2 Tech defenders out of their jocks. Davis & Spiller bot ripped off 50 yard runs as well. But the most amazing stat from this game: the underrated Tiger defense (11PPG) held All- Everything junior Jacket receiver Calvin Johnson without a catch for the first time in his career.
Greg Schiano's Scarlet Knights are officially the real deal now after winning a game they would have had no shot at winning just a year ago. But behind the strength of sensational RB Ray Rice (39 carries, 229 yds, 1TD) and the underrated Rutgers defense (5th time in 7 games have allowed 10pts or less) this Scarlet-clad squad has the folks in Piscataway (and the loyal RU fan base nation wide) thinking positive things, like awards and BCS bowls, for the first time in decades. The most impressive thing about this win is that Pitt, the leading offensive team in the Big East behind stud QB Tyler Palko (16-26, 169, 1TD) was held to just 236 total yards, 67 on the ground. Meanwhile the turf-churning Rutgers running attack totalled 268 on the ground, thanks in no small part to Mr. Rice. After a home breather vs, UConn Rutgers will play at Louisville in what could be a conference-deciding showdown on Nov. 9th. Repeat after me- Rutgers is for real, Rutgers is for real, Rutgers is for real...
Just when we had all buried the Spartans for being a bunch of underachieving quitters they came back and proved to the world that there is still some fight left in old Sparty. MSU overcame a 38-3 3rd quarter deficit en route to an improbable 41-38 OT victory over the stunned Northwestern Wildcats, who now own the dubious distinction of being the answer to an ignoble trivia question: who allowed the biggest comeback in NCAA history? The Spartans looked dead in the water through 3 quarters as the Wildcats ran roughshod over John L. Smith's disappointing squad. But maybe something snapped when the Spartans were on the verge of complete & total humiliation- blown out by Northwestern- that made them rise up and conquer. Because all of a sudden (and I just watched this one on Classic) there appeared to be a tsunami (pardon the analogy, but that is what it resembled) of offense that took over Michigan State. It was like Groundhogs Day for N'Western: 3 & out, Spartan score; 3 & out, Spartan score; 3 & out, Spartan score. Over & over again that happened again starting at 7:)0 to go in the third quarter and culminating in a Brett Swanson 28 yard FG in OT to win it. Unbelievable game. Watch for it on ESPN Classic; it will be on all the time. 
The forecasters were wrong. The meteorologists who predicted severe thunderstorms would interfere with Games 4 & 5 were proven to be what they are- liars. The 
For many longtime baseball fans the play was eerily reminiscent of the play in Game 7 of the 1968 Series played between these two teams, when Cardinal centerfielder Curt Flood slipped while tracking a ball hit by Detroit's Jim Northrup; Northrup had a triple, the winning run scored and the Cards lost the series because of that play. Thirty eight years later, with many players from those 2 squads sprinkled throughout the stadium, Grandy's play appeared to have cost Detroit the Series as well. Because as So Taguchi came up to bunt him over, a funny thing (and for Detroit I mean awful) happened on the way to the sacrifice- Rodney lobbed the ball over to first and it sailed into right field as Sparky came scurrying all the way around to tie the game at 3. It was the 4th error by a Detroit pitcher in the series, which have resulted in 6 unearned runs. Yikes. But it wasn't over there. After intentionally walking Phat Albert, Rodney then struck out Edmonds & Rolen. Out of the jam, right? Wrong. Preston Wilson singled to left and Taguchi scored, and although Inge cut off the ball and nailed Pujols off of first, if the ball had gone through I believe that Taguchi would have been so dead at the plate- the way Pudge-less was playing (must've gone on another cycle) he would have thrown Taguchi off the plate to keep him from scoring. 4-3 Cards, and the Series seemed to be slipping away from the Tigers right in front of our eyes.
Last week's episode (from what I saw) ended in a semi-controversy when they did not eliminate anyone thanks to country singer Sara Evans' sudden departure mid-week. Evidently her husband is a sick pervert who not only pulled a Jude Law (slept w/ the 
It was one of those magical games that will be talked about, replayed, and debated over for decades to come. It was one of the greatest football games played in the NFL in recent memory, with two terrific comebacks, one by each team, and it had a cardiac finish that left spectators in a state of shock & disbelief as they swarmed out of Raymond James Stadium.
