Book on Bob Cousy’s life is a dandy Celtic captain’s last home game is among memories captured by author

The recent resurgence of the Boston Celtics has manifested itself in numerous ways.

First of all, fan interest in the Men In Green is up dramatically. After all, since the return of talented forward Antoine Walker, the C’s have been on a tear. Beating nearly all comers the last three weeks or so, Boston is now in a position it hasn’t been used to holding for a number of years: First place in the NBA’s Atlantic Division.

Secondly, with this renewed success, comes a plethora of books, video games, and related memorabilia to satiate even the oldest fan’s appetite.

Sportswriter Bill Reynolds – he of the Providence (R.I.) Journal fame – has produced a dandy new sports biography of Bob Cousy, the legendary former Holy Cross star, who would go on to great fame and fortune with the Celtics.

“Cousy: His Life, Career, and the Birth of Big-Time Basketball” may be Reynolds’ best book to date. Fans may remember the popular book, “Success is a Choice,” he co-authored with former Celtics’ coach Rick Pitino.

Author Reynolds begins his treatise on “the Cooz” on March 17, 1963 – St. Patrick’s Day – Bob Cousy’s last regular season home game in the storied Boston Garden. Real memories of the great Cousy are best recalled by people in their 50s or their 60s, who can hearken back to a simpler time, when the Celtics ruled the NBA with an iron hand, and their fiery, redheaded coach, Arnold “Red” Auerbach, seemed to outsmart opposing coaches and general managers with personnel moves that left the opposition shaking their collective heads.

“Bob Cousy Day” was the franchise and the city of Boston’s way of thanking the legendary guard for not only the championships he orchestrated, but also the joy he brought to Boston. 1963 was a memorable year for this writer, for the Cousy Day ceremonies marked the first emotional time I spent as a fan.

My cousin Ray and I had just finished a rousing game of one-on-one in his basement. As I recall, winter was hanging on much as it is this year.

In those days, we made the best of indoor hoops with a tennis ball and a Maxwell House coffee can. We took precautions to sand down any sharp edges, for if we didn’t, we were certain to cut our wrist on breakaway slam dunks.

The ceremony itself honoring Cousy lasted nearly an hour before the game with the Syracuse Nationals. To date, it represented the largest good-bye in the history of Boston sports. Even the president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, sent a proclamation to Boston which Red Auerbach read to the packed house of 13,909: “In the history of my life, I’ve never seen anything like this tribute to an athlete.

“You talk about Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams. This was second to none,” the President said. And then Cousy spoke, and the tears flowed all around the Garden.

Now remember: My cousin Ray and I were a couple of kids, watching all this on a little black and white TV in a tiny basement bedroom. We had successfully held our own emotions until Cousy began to speak.

“The biggest regret I have in leaving is no longer being able to share the camaraderie and esprit de corps and the common bond of competition and inspiration of being captain of this team,” Cousy said.

And for the first time in my life, I knew – at least, I began to know – just how special an impact team sports can have on any individual who is involved in them.

It was, as they say, an epiphany for a 12-year old boy, who, while fighting back tears, knew in his heart that basketball and the sheer joy of unity that comes from setting a goal and attaining it were variables I wanted to immerse myself in for as long as I could.

Reynolds’ book is one which seemingly captures all the raw emotions of a very profound, emotional guy. Bob Cousy set the stage for the beginning of perhaps the greatest franchise in the history of sports.

By sharing Cousy’s struggles and triumphs with his readers, Reynolds has recreated a time of birth and pureness in basketball’s life span, one which seems tarnished somewhat today by exorbitant salaries and players who want no part of being role models, positions in society which Cousy and teammates such as Tom Heinsohn and John Havlicek took very seriously indeed.

For Bill Reynolds, a word of gratitude for capturing the life and the times of this incredible player is in order.

This book would make a solid addition to any sports library.

NEWS columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net