Re: Bird and Gaston

[Dan Forant <dforant1@nycap.rr.com>]

Anyone would sell anything for the right price including Gag Gaston.


At 10:25 AM 2/21/00 +0100, you wrote:
>Alex Wang wrote:
>
>> If Bird really wanted to buy the Celtics, insulting the current
>> owner probably wasn't the best way to achieve his goal. I think
>> that Bird probably knows that Gaston isn't interested in selling
>> and is just taking a shot at him for the way he felt he was
>> mistreated in Boston.
>
>I'm afraid I agree with Alex, here. He is not putting Gaston in anything
>like a realistic position to want to negotiate a sale to Larry Bird,
>much less give up his team to this man and leave town with his tail
>between his legs. In addition, I don't think Bird's criticisms of Gaston
>were so impressively accurate that they are bulletproof. The Celts have
>survived a lot of "cheap" owners including Gaston, but in the end
>"Thanks Dad" did agree to pay a record contract to Pitino under Bird's
>supervision, as well as permitted Pitino to add Walker, Anderson and
>Williams' massive longterm contracts to the payroll.
>
>Having said this, I do think Gaston may be interested in selling the
>team to someone. The Celtics probably represent a very valuable, blue
>chip franchise on the open market with a lot of potential buyers (in
>terms of brand name value, they rank up there with the Dodgers and
>Yankees). Yet at the same time the team isn't making a whole lot of
>everyday profit for the Gastons (attendance and tv ratings are rock
>bottom, they don't own the concessions revenue at the Fleet Center etc).
>
>I'm surprised (although I guess I shouldn't be) that Bird would take
>those gratuitous cheap shots at a long-time championship teammate and
>colleague like ML Carr. I'm even more surprised that Bird would side
>with Rick Pitino of all people.
>
>I'd love Bird to own the team or be a key employee, but let's face it I
>don't think he's off to a good start in his negotiations nor am I sure
>how seriously he's thinking this whole thing through. I'm proud, though,
>that Bird is still a Boston Celtic lifer (considering all that Indiana
>has done for him with the beautiful new arena etc).
>
>Joe
>
>BTW, it looks like the Indiana State Sycamores might make the NCAA
>tournament for probably the first time since the Bird era.
>
>
>****
>
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