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I choose this book for a few reasons. First off, I enjoy watching basketball and Bob Cousy is a local basketball legend. Also my favorite book is "Indentured", which is about the NCAA, so sports nonfiction is right up my alley. I also hope to work in sports media, and well I don't know what side, sport or media I want, this book has a small subplot that focuses on Cousy's contemporary sportswriters.

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Pages XV-165

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Pages 166-235

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Pages 236-304 (end)

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"The Dynasty was born of a merger of two men more alike then they ever understood.  Both outsiders, they were self-analytical and murderously competitive.  They moved through separate worlds off the court, but on the creaky parquet floor of the Boston Garden they were interlocking pieces." (page XV)

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"The Dynasty was born of a merger of two men more alike then they ever understood.  Both outsiders, they were self-analytical and murderously competitive.  They moved through separate worlds off the court, but on the creaky parquet floor of the Boston Garden they were interlocking pieces." (page XV)

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I enjoy this passage because it sets up the story in an intriguing way.  The author sets up the narrative to focus on two vastly different men, that somehow ended up on the same court, for the same team.  Well, I did know a little bit about Cousy’s career before reading this book, I did not know about his personality off the court.  This simple yet effective opening grabbed me and gave the story an angle.

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Steady (n.): A regular/official  boyfriend or girlfriend

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Steady (n.): A regular/official  boyfriend or girlfriend

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My steady cheated on me even though I made it clear that we were exclusive.

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¨A Boston Garden publicist introduced the new coach, Red Auerbach, to Sam Cohen, sports editor of the Daily Record.  Cohen sized him up quickly: abrasive and full of himself, a bum of a navy man who must have spent too much time rocking on the high seas.  But he thought Auerbach's wife, Dorthy, beautiful and classy, and so he got to thinking that maybe he ought to give Auerbach a chance." (page 31)

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¨A Boston Garden publicist introduced the new coach, Red Auerbach, to Sam Cohen, sports editor of the Daily Record.  Cohen sized him up quickly: abrasive and full of himself, a bum of a navy man who must have spent too much time rocking on the high seas.  But he thought Auerbach's wife, Dorthy, beautiful and classy, and so he got to thinking that maybe he ought to give Auerbach a chance." (page 31)

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This passage intrigues me for a few reasons.  First off, I find it funny and a little ironic that Auerbach’s image was saved by that of his wife’s.  For me, this is ironic because at this time (1950s-1960s) women were still largely seen as subordinate to men, but in this case a woman helped save a man’s career (by allowing for her husband to get press coverage of the early Celtics).

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Vaudeville (n.): type of entertainment that features a mixture of specialty acts like burlesque comedy and songs  

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Vaudeville (n.): type of entertainment that features a mixture of specialty acts like burlesque comedy and songs  

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Much to my chagrin, my family thought that it was a good idea to see a vaudeville show together.

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"When the Harvard coach said that Russell had no chance of making it in the NBA, Auerbach leaned toward Cohen and said 'He's full of s***'." (page 67)

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"When the Harvard coach said that Russell had no chance of making it in the NBA, Auerbach leaned toward Cohen and said 'He's full of s***'." (page 67)

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This passage is a great use of foreshadowing as well as an indirect characterization of Auerbach.  The foreshadowing comes from the fact that Russell (who this quote is about) ends up being one of the best early NBA players and Auerbach is characterized through his blunt and harsh commentary of the Harvard coach (and to a reporter nonetheless).  This could also be an early account  Russell being discriminated because of his race.

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I would consider the man that punched the mailbox in a fit of road rage a ruffian, wouldn't you?

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"Almost immediately Russell saw through to Boston's deep-seated racial resentments in ways many black Bostonians did not.  He told Green that Boston was the most segregated city he knew," (120)

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"Almost immediately Russell saw through to Boston's deep-seated racial resentments in ways many black Bostonians did not.  He told Green that Boston was the most segregated city he knew," (120)

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While this quote was shocking at first, the more I thought about Boston, and Massachusetts as a whole, the more sense this this made.  While Boston was never legally racially segregated, there was always a distinct socio-economic line that just so happened to have some race in it.  Here, we are still nearly homogeneous today and this was nearly 50 years ago.  This does translate to sports fans as they did not want to see black players on any team as they thought that whites were superior.  While this was not spoken, it was known by most of the African Americans as well as the white publicists.  For Russell, he saw through Boston’s desegregated facade right away while his white teammates did not.  This quote also characterizes Russell as an educated man and a little bit of an activist.

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Parquet (n.): flooring composed of wooden blocks arranged in a geometric pattern 

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Parquet (n.): flooring composed of wooden blocks arranged in a geometric pattern 

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"The truth was he [Cousy] belonged more to Celtics fans than to his own daughter.  The girls didn't understand that.  How could they?" (160) 

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"The truth was he [Cousy] belonged more to Celtics fans than to his own daughter.  The girls didn't understand that.  How could they?" (160) 

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This quote stood out to me because it is one of the only sections of this book that discusses the negative impacts of a pro athletes life/schedule.  In addition to this being an overall negative, it details what Cousy has given up to still be a part of a game he loves so much.  However, it also talks about the downsides this had on his family, another negative point that was not talked about in the previous pages.  Overall, this passage deviates from the overall tone of this book, but it is for a very good reason as it does highlight a lesser known part of Cousy’s or pro athletes’ lives.

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Cerebral (adj): intellectual rather than emotional or physical 

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Cerebral (adj): intellectual rather than emotional or physical 

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Unlike the last few tests, these drills will test your cerebral abilities.

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"'I'm quitting, you might say, with the Cousy image intact....Suppose I'd gotten hurt or suppose I found I'd made a mistake-that I really couldn't do the job anymore?  To an advertiser or a public relations firm, my name wouldn't have been worth much, would it?"" (178-9)

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"'I'm quitting, you might say, with the Cousy image intact....Suppose I'd gotten hurt or suppose I found I'd made a mistake-that I really couldn't do the job anymore?  To an advertiser or a public relations firm, my name wouldn't have been worth much, would it?"" (178-9)

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I enjoy this quote for a variety of reasons, but one of the ones that stands out is the fact that Cousy is point blank honest about his fear, that he would not make money off of endorsements if he tanked this season.  This also highlights one of the struggles of the early NBA that people often forget, that athletes were not making the gigantic salaries that they do today.  Personally, I enjoy that Cousy pointed this out because it characterizes him as an honest man as well as shows a part of the NBA and many other athletic associations that isn’t often talked about.

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Flippancy (n): lack of respect or seriousness 

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Flippancy (n): lack of respect or seriousness 

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Did you see the flippancy Bob showed when he got reprimanded by the teacher?

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"Many years after Cousy joined Worcester Country Club, he learned that the club's membership committee had worried in 1967 about his candidacy for membership: 'If we let him in, do you think he will bring Russell here?'" (235)

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"Many years after Cousy joined Worcester Country Club, he learned that the club's membership committee had worried in 1967 about his candidacy for membership: 'If we let him in, do you think he will bring Russell here?'" (235)

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For me this is interesting as this book has already characterized Boston as a hotbed for racism that was not seen by white residents, but not anything outside of the region.  With this quote, it is clear that this subconscious and/or overlooked racism was seen in most, if not all of Massachusetts.  For me this is important because we pride ourselves on being a more liberal state, we don’t act like the South, but the truth is we do.  We just do it in a more secretive way.  This is clearly commentary on human nature, we want to be in power over something, at this time people of color were an easy target (and they still are today).  This is not right and I enjoy the fact that this book has made me reflect back on not only Massachusetts racial equality and their views of it today, but the views that I have subconsciously created from being a part of this “socioeconomic” segregation.

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Reverie (n): a state  of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream

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Reverie (n): a state  of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream

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In an attempt to cure my boredom in math class, I have started to pass the time by creating reveries of the future or impossible scenarios.

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"Of all the players her father  [Red Auerbach] has coached through the years, Nancy phoned only two to personally break the news-Cousy and Russell," (246)

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"Of all the players her father  [Red Auerbach] has coached through the years, Nancy phoned only two to personally break the news-Cousy and Russell," (246)

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This quote impacted the narrative because it is one of the only times that the bond between Auerbach and these two players is ever directly said.  While there are other passages where one can infer the strong connection between Auerbach and these players, I feel that this passage really drives it home because if Nancy, his daughter, felt a connection to these two men where she felt the need to phone them, it means that the three spent time together off the court, or that Auerbach talked highly of these two men.

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Wax Poetic (v): to become increasingly verbose

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Wax Poetic (v): to become increasingly verbose

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It's clear that he has feelings for you, he waxed poetic the minute I brought you up.

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"The mistreatment of his black teammates went over Cousy's head. 'Now, in retrospect,' he says, 'I'm ashamed of myself,'" (273).

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"The mistreatment of his black teammates went over Cousy's head. 'Now, in retrospect,' he says, 'I'm ashamed of myself,'" (273).

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This quote stands out to me because of the underlying issues it brings up.  While yes, it is very sad that present day Cousy, who is now in his 90s, can not remember the day his black teammates were kicked out of a coffee shop, it holds a deeper message to our society.  Today, Americans do not want to admit that racism was and is still very much a part of our society.  By  Cousy not remembering it, but feeling guilt that he stayed with the other white players, it parallels to today with Americans feeling guilt after an event has passed versus doing anything in the moment that could change history.

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Comeuppance (n): a punishment or fate that someone deserves

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Comeuppance (n): a punishment or fate that someone deserves

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Did he really think that trying to get with all those girls would yield any good; I'm glad they banded together and gave him his comeuppance.

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"Serenaded by five hundred old Jewish men singing, 'We love you Cooz!' And they're mostly Knicks fans!  Once as Houdini, he had heard the cheers.  Now they came again.  The old man stood straight and tall," (304)

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"Serenaded by five hundred old Jewish men singing, 'We love you Cooz!' And they're mostly Knicks fans!  Once as Houdini, he had heard the cheers.  Now they came again.  The old man stood straight and tall," (304)

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These are the last words of the book, and the author could not have ended the book any better.  Section 4 titled “Cooz in Winter” focuses on Cousy tying loose ends with his past, particularly his relationship with Russell.  After he is able to have the deepest conversation he can possibly have with Russell, although still not up to his liking, he had done the most important task on his end-of-life to-do list.  This last part also created great imagery because it paints a happy scene of a crouthy old man that did not want to be honored by those that do not recall his heyday be happily astonished when it turns out to be old basketball-world professionals honoring a man so vital to the game.

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Mea culpa (n): an acknowledgement of one's fault or error

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Mea culpa (n): an acknowledgement of one's fault or error

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She called you as a mea culpa about her behavior in the past six months, you should call her back.