Green for Red

(photo courtesy of nba.com)

This year I've had some memorable icons pass in my life. As a child from Upton, Massachusetts, I listened to and watched Boston Celtics games. The Celtics of course were successful way before I was born but I thought because they won all the time, that was the way it was supposed to be. Yesterday was another proofing that my expectations and reality are two different things. The mastermind of the Celtics dynasty passed at 89 years old. Arnold "Red" Auerbach was a New England icon. Red helped the Boston organization to a record 16 NBA titles. Whoa is me though, since my oldest son's birth, they haven't won any. 1986 was the last title, and the Celtics haven't been the same, or even close to a championship team, since then. As Red's influence will continue in the world of basketball, I can't help but feel that without Boston Garden, the leaky parquet floor, the baseline trappings, the lights going off during games, the fog during a basketball game, we've lost a lot as Celtic fans. Today I wear green in honor of the Red that demonstrated success, in a man that didn't care that Bill Russell was black, in a man that until recently had won more basketball games than any other coach, and in a man that puffed on a big, fat stogey and looked great doing it! We all long for success in our lives, Red was one of us who will carry that success for all time! Thanks RED!