Russell's common ground with Antoine

["Noah Evans" <ishbak@hotmail.com>]

Having finished reading Bill Russell's 1979 memoir _second wind_(credit 
Dorine for that recommendation) during my trip to Arkansas(Joe-I can see 
where the Japanese name for America came from now, did you know that 
Arkansas is the only state in the union capable of existing self 
sufficiently? A proud Arkansan told me that crops from Arkansas could 
feed all of China and Russia, although I'm taking that with a grain of 
salt), I'm amazed at how much Antoine and Russell are alike.
  When I began _second wind_ I was astounded by Russell's intellectual 
self determination. If anyone ever exemplified "cartesian common sense" 
Russell did. No one *ever* told Russell what to think. Russell is 
unrepentant in his promiscuity, his refusal to sign autographs and even 
his request to be excluded from the hall of fame(he was admitted, but 
reading about his disdain for the hall of fame was an amusing surprise 
to say the least, so was his condemnation of Abe Saperstein of the 
Harlem Globetrotters). Russell wasn't even subserviant to Red Auerbach. 
And it got Russell in trouble with everyone, Boston fans, Boston media 
and the Boston police(his anecdote describing his refusal to grease the 
fingers of the restaurant inspecters and the police was especially 
amusing).
   Now the same thing is happening to Antoine. Because Toine hasn't 
locked in stride with the popular conception of the player he ought to 
be, Antoine is drawing the same sort of criticism. Antoine wiggles, 
shoots to much, skips Pitino mandated practices and most importantly 
says what he really thinks(the crime of the centaury in Boston, where 
the media brands you as a "punk", if you so much as contemplate 
something other than the party line). While some of those actions may 
indeed be detrimental to Antoine's current performance as a basketball 
player, the contribution of Antoine's pride and fire to his constant 
improvement and his progress towards his ultimate potential more than 
make up for it.
   Yet the media doesn't understand that or --more aptly put-- 
intentionally doesn't understand that in order to manufacture a crisis 
which they can exploit. If the season started tommorow and Antoine 
averaged a triple double while shooting over 60%, while spouting Grant 
Hillesque platitudes(unlikely I know but this is hypothetical) Peter 
May's mouth would slam shut faster than a pirahna's on a hamburger. May 
would immediately begin creating a media image of Antoine the saint, 
kind to children and benefactor to the poor(the fact that Antione 
already helps children and charaties is immaterial to May, remember 
Antoine's a "punk"). Take Juwan Howard for instance. For quite awhile 
after Howard entered the league Howard was considered a "good citizen", 
The Fab Five Doctor Jekyll to Webber's Hyde. Yet in an Orwellian instant 
the minute Howard was involved in Webber's fiasco(thrown out of court 
for better or worse) every media outlet conviently forgot and Howard 
became a "bad guy" or a "pathetic human being"(Remember "we were always 
at war with Eurasia"). The same thing is happening with Toine(and 
Vaughn). Toine is simply the villain of the hour. As soon as Toine 
establishes himself and proves his doubters wrong the media will go from 
hateful diatribes to sycophantic lovefests and never mention Toine's 
evil incarnation again, just as Russell overwent his sinner->saint 
conversion.
   It's sadly ironic in sports how the same cycle repeats over and over 
again. Trying to cull a tempest from a teapot the media resorts to 
McCarthyism, brandishing the villainly of sports "punks" until the winds 
shift against them and then every sin is conviently forgotten. It is 
almost like prowrestling, where the allegiance of the cast of characters 
shift on whims in order to stimulate interest(and the resulting cash 
intake of course). 
   What really saddens me however is the short memory of the 
fans(Russell wryly pointed out that "fan" is short for fanatic). Fans 
devour sport sensationalism with little objectivity and even less 
realization of the context of the present to the greater past. And that 
is what allows spiteful demagogues like Peter May to spout their 
vitriol, demeaning Antoine for his individuality just as they did 
Russell before him, while voices of reason like Michael Holley are--for 
the most part-- drowned out or ignored. 

Noah (using hotmail from the University of Memphis computer lab.)

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