The Red Auerbach Rule

[JohnS]

In Ken Shouler's 2007 article on Red Auerbach for ESPN titled, "The Consummate Coach" he writes the following quirky anecdote...

At Legal Sea Foods restaurant in Boston, a note on the menu read: "No cigar or pipe smoking, except for Red Auerbach."

How does one man transcend culture around him in such a manner? Answer: probably because he did things his way and they worked. Red Auerbach was only 5-foot-9 but he transformed the method of coaching the sport where you need to stand tall. Red Auerbach simply stood tall figuratively, in his life, I guess.

In the same article, Ken Shouler recites how the well-known 'victory cigar came about...

As the Celtics' routinely whipped the opposition, Red would frequently sit back and enjoy the end of the game -- with a cigar. Hence, the "victory cigar."

"It all boils down to this," Auerbach said. "I used to hate these college coaches or any coach that was 25 points ahead with three minutes left to go, and they're up pacing and they're yelling and coaching because they're on TV, and they want their picture on, and they get recognition. To me, the game was over. The day's work is done. Worry about the next game.

"So I would light a cigar and sit on the bench and just watch it. The game was over, for all intents and purposes. I didn't want to rub anything in or show anybody what a great coach I was when I was 25 points ahead. Why? I gotta win by 30? What the hell difference does it make?

"The commissioner [Maurice Podoloff] said you can't smoke the cigars on the bench. But there were guys smoking cigarettes on the bench. I said, 'What is this, an airplane -- you can smoke cigarettes but not cigars?' No way. I wouldn't do it."

Sanders didn't mind the smoke on the bench, "but the locker room was another story; it was close quarters in there!"

Would Red put out his cigar? "Are you kidding?" Sanders snaps.

"I smoked all different cigars at that time," Auerbach says. "Sometimes fans would give me some. I did TV promotions for King Edwards."

On April 28, 1966, Auerbach, who earlier in the season had announced he'd be retiring, coached his last official game. Appropriately, it was a Game 7, at Boston Garden, against Los Angeles. Russell had 25 points and 32 rebounds, enough to offset Jerry West's 36 points, and the Celtics narrowly won, 95-93.

Red's victory cigar was knocked from his mouth by the surging crowd. He lit up another in the dressing room and Russell pointed to Auerbach, saying, "There is the man. This is his team. He puts it together. He makes us win."

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/feature/featureVideo?page=auerbach

Ken Shouler's article was wrttten around the time that Red Auerbach sadly left us. I don't think one has to be a Boston Celtics fan to appreciate what he did for Basketball and how he did thinks in his own style. It's not hard to appreciate innovators, in whatever field, and appreciate them...despite their idiosyncrasies or quirks.

[BrightonCorgi]

Too often cigar smokers are "wearing skirts", too quick to acquiesce to any concern.  Bravado is all but dead.

[gormag38]

What a hell of a coach/owner/manager. While the guy was before my time it is evident that he was just cut from a different cloth. 

[anacostiakat]

An icon.

[BrightonCorgi]

There was nothing like going to the olde Boston Garden.

[joeypots]

Right here. Two of the greatest sports men of the 20th century. Red deserved every cigar he lit in the old Boston Garden. 

[Biggerfaster40]

Too often cigar smokers are "wearing skirts", too quick to acquiesce to any concern.  Bravado is all but dead.

Agreed. Culture has completely neutered multiple generations of men, it’s gross.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wookie]

4 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

There was nothing like going to the olde Boston Garden.

Yep I sat in those obstructed seats back in the day. 

[Cigar Surgeon]

I like that we're seeing a resurgence of 'victory cigars' in professional sports. When you consider how many people watch NFL in the US that's some of the best coverage we could hope for.

[Ford2112]

I had a woman approach me as I was smoking a nudie waiting for our table for breakfast. She made sure to " cough cough" to let me know she didn't approve of my smoking. I puffed away looking her in the eye,to let her know I don't care. I'm a rebel!!

[SpecialK]

On 12/30/2023 at 9:38 AM, Ford2112 said:

I had a woman approach me as I was smoking a nudie waiting for out table for breakfast. She made sure to " cough cough" to let me know she didn't approve of my smoking. I puffed away looking her in the eye,to let her know I don't care. I'm a rebel!!

Good for you.... as I get older I've developed a little of a mean streak. My "give a damn" is broken.

[Ford2112]

I'm tired of a small percentage of " offended,sensitive people" dictating what I can and can't do. When I was in Naxos I smoked at every dinner table we were at and nobody batted an eye. Here it's like people are gut shot. Too many rules. The older I get the less I care,go be offended somewhere else. I don't go out of my way to mess with people ever.