Re: Just sit back, enjoy Celtics double feature

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

Evidently Bird isn't a basketball man anymore. He had a taste of coaching
and that was it. Gaston owns the team not Bird. Gaston can and will sell
when and if he wants. He is a cold hearted business man, successful. Now
looks like he's going to be richer with the Celts moving up in the world.
What makes you think Bird could put a team together. He took over a team
ready for the nursing home. Never built one from scratch. It's all
hypothetical.

Bottom line, the fans and players would be honored with Bird's presence.
Don't  think the players aren't wondering where he is. Hondo, Tommy H,
Russell and Cous will do for now. That's where the real green flows.

DanF


----- Original Message -----
From: <snoopy1@pig.net>
To: <Celtics@igtc.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 5:04 PM
Subject: Re: Just sit back, enjoy Celtics double feature


> At 01:47 PM 5/9/02 -0400, Dan Forant wrote:
> >Bird owes Boston everything. He could make an appearance for the troops.
> >They paid him well for his services. He performed well. Bird is not what
you
> >would call an ambassador for basketball. He's had this complex all his
life
> >over something....I didn't believe it back
> >when, but now after the dust has settled, Magic was better than Bird.
>
> And Bird GAVE Boston everything.  I clearly remember exhibition games
where
> he was diving for loose balls.  It's not like he was fighting for a spot
on
> the roster.  As a player he put everything he had on the floor, arriving
> early to warm up before games, and working tirelessly in the
> offseasons.  He made it clear that any season where the Celtics didn't win
> it all might as well be a losing season.
>
> He only retired when his back problems wouldn't let him play the way he
> felt the game should be played--all out.  Then, he moved to a nebulous
> "front office" position with the Celtics, where it became clear Gaston
paid
> lip service to taking any of Bird's contributions seriously.  When it came
> to coaching, Boston had it's chance to get Bird for the head job, and
> Indiana made him a better offer--not just because he grew up there--heck
if
> that was his main reason, he'd have been traded to the Pacers as a
> player.  But Out-of Gaston had no problem giving Rick Pitiful anything he
> wanted--including forcing Red to step aside from day to day
> operations.  Tell me you believe Bird would have done that, and I'll be
> happy to offer some land here in Florida, cheap.
>
> Bird promptly coached in Indiana the way he wanted to in Boston, and did
> everything but take the court himself to get the Pacers a
> championship.  Simultaneously, ML Carr Crash and Ricky Retarded managed to
> do what even the rightly despised John Y. Brown couldn't do--he made the
> Celtics a joke in the NBA.
>
> Then, when Bird headed up a group to buy the Celtics, he practically
handed
> Gaston a blank check, but Gaston didn't want to sell to Larry.  So Larry
> decided he was doing just fine living as a retiree in Naples, Florida.  He
> doesn't have heart palpitations anymore, he doesn't bang heads with
Gaston,
> and he plays golf when he likes.
>
> You want to damn him for not visiting Boston?  Feh.  If I'd given as much
> to the team as he did, and was treated like that in return, I'd have
> publicly told Gaston where to go and what to do when he got there.
Larry's
> got too much class for that, lucky bum that Gaston is.
>
> I think "thanksdad" ought to try thanking Larry for what he's done, and
> apologize for the shabby treatment he gave Larry.  Perhaps that might
> encourage the Legend to pay a visit to the Celtics.
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle