Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game [Paperback]

John Feinstein (Author), Red Auerbach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2005

America's favorite sportswriter teams up with Red Auerbach, the most successful and admired coach in basketball history, to share amazing highlights from a legendary life. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Every Tuesday for four years, Feinstein, the author of two of the bestselling sports books of all time, A Good Walk Spoiled and A Season on the Brink, played story collector, gathering tales for this, his 16th offering. During those four years, Feinstein lived for the Monday-night phone call that delivered five words to him every week: "Tuesday. Eleven o’clock. China Doll." Those words invited him to the most exclusive lunch club in sports, led by legendary Boston Celtics coach Auerbach and frequented by coaches, secret service agents, close friends and Auerbach relatives, as well as by anyone in D.C. lucky enough to receive an invitation. Between bites of Mu-Shu pork and chicken-fried rice, Auerbach and his crew chewed on subjects from politics to women’s basketball to today’s coaches, and Feinstein jotted it all down. The Feinstein-Auerbach collaboration brings together two of the most sought-after storytellers in sports and gives readers their own invitation into the China Doll club. In more than 50 years with the green and gold, Auerbach collected countless friends, admirers and stories. Now 86, he’s forgotten nothing and has an opinion on everything. "I ever tell you how I got to know Joe Dimaggio?" begins chapter three. "I ever tell you how I got thrown out of the all-star game in 1967? About the time I met Clinton and Gore?" These great storytellers make this book so effortless to read that you can almost hear Red reciting each line and smell him lighting up that famous cigar. Tuesday. Eleven o’clock. Don’t be late. And never, under any circumstances, offer to pick up the check. 8 pages of b&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

After meeting Red Auerbach, the legendary Boston Celtic coach and de facto father of the modern NBA, a few years ago, Feinstein wangled an invitation to a regular Tuesday lunch in Washington, D.C., where Auerbach and various of his cronies trade stories. Feinstein became a regular, which led to this anecdotal autobiography of a genuine sports icon. Auerbach won nine NBA titles as the Celtics' coach, and he added another seven as the team's general manager. Naturally, he has lots of opinions about the game of basketball, as it's played today and as it was played in his prime. He also has plenty to say about both Bill Russell, the key player on all of his championship teams, and Wilt Chamberlain, Russell's nemesis, and he discusses his Depression-era youth and early years as an itinerant coach. Many of Red's stories are familiar, but hearing the first-person versions is a treat. Auerbach's life and memories form the plot of Feinstein's book, but a strong subtext is the friendship among the dozen or so regulars who make it to the restaurant each week. In fact, the book is as much about the lunches as it is about Auerbach. We watch as a group of older men pass their wisdom on to those they have come to view as worthy successors. A fascinating life story, a terrific basketball book, and a compelling look at generations communicating around a modern-day campfire. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (October 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316010723
• ISBN-13: 978-0316010726
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant Book with Plenty of Fun and Engaging Stories, January 14, 2005

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game (Hardcover)

Since John Feinstein's debut book, 1987's unexpected breakout smash-hit "A Season on the Brink", he has been cranking out about one book a year, a veritable franchise! "Let Me Tell You a Story" is his 16th book, albeit credited to co-writer Red Auerbach. I am neither a Celtic fanatic, or even a big NBA fan for that matter, but I am a sucker for a good story teller, and boy, I was not disappointed.

"Let Me Tell You a Story" (346 pages) grew from Feinstein attencing the weekly luncheon get-togethers that Auerbach holds every Tuesday in a Chinese restaurant in Washington DC. One thing lead to another, and before we know it, we have a book containing many of those fun and entertaining stories of hoe Auerbach broke into basketball, got into coaching at the NBA when the league was started, and eventually coached and later general-managed the Celtics into the league's powerhouse. I didn't know that Auerbach's life was centered in Washington, even when he coached the Celtics. As a George Washington U. graduate myself, it was fun to find out how big a supporter Auerbach is of the GW basketball program (Auerbach is an GW alum himself, class of 1940). The story about how he had GW finally get some really good hot dogs at the games nowadays, is hilarious.

Auerbach is an impressive person, with a memory of steel. His recollections of the early days are priceless, and Feinstein writes them up in an effortless and entertaining way. Is this a "deep" book? Of course not, but it sure makes for a great read.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why have we forgotten Auerbach basketball?, November 30, 2004

By 

Shawn Mccullion (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game (Hardcover)

Boston Celtic basketball circa 1963:

Russell blocks a shot with his right hand and deflects it to himself. He immediately throws a left-handed outlet pass to Cousy at the hash mark. Cousy sees a streaking KC Jones up the opposite sideline. He executes a one-handed diagonal push-pass to Jones who catches it foul line extended. Jones, on the run, catches it in full stride, sees John Havlicek sprinting to the basket. In one motion, he throws a behind-the-back bounce pass to Havlicek who lays it in with no resistance with his left hand.

Two points Celtics. Three seconds off the clock.

This was Red Auerbach basketball.

Auerbach is the patriarch of the most successful professional franchise in sports. He was the coach or general manager of 16 NBA championships. Many say he was an innovator. I just think he simply used logic. His basketball philosophy: The more easy baskets the better chance of victory.

It wasn't complicated. It was just Celtic basketball.

Through the years, Auerbach targeted players who could create the best opportunities for easy baskets. Bill Russell was the first he coveted. Others thought Russell would have a difficult time scoring in the NBA, Auerbach correctly assessed Celtic opponents would have an even more troublesome experience trying to put the ball in the hoop.

Auerbach was right. Russell won 11 championships in 13 years.

In the book, "Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game", Red Auerbach, through the words of John Feinstien, recounts many thoughts and reasoning behind some of his personnel moves and general philosophy of the game.

Though some of the stories have been told many times, it's still wonderful to read about how Auerbach just treated the other NBA executives like little boys.

We all know he stole Bird by drafting him as a junior in college, how he maneuvered to get Parrish and McHale for essentially nothing, how he moved up in the draft to get Russell, how he fooled others in to believing he didn't like Cowens after he walked out early on a scouting trip, how he got Danny Ainge from the Toronto Blue Jays, and how players like Bill Walton begged him to trade for him so he could be part of the Celtic organization. The stories are retold again in the book, but to true Celtic fans, it never gets old.

The book, most importantly, dips into Auerbach's personality. The loyalty he gives to people who reciprocates the same. Auerbach is a stubborn man. Yet, brilliantly, he did not treat everyone the same. Some players needed to be yelled at, while others needed to be coddled. Either way Auerbach was in charge.

Anyone who wants to be involved with teaching the game of basketball needs to read everything they can on Red Auerbach. He taught basketball the way it should be played: Easy baskets wins championships. Unfortunately, the NBA has somehow lost this philosophy (along with its players skills).

Red Auerbach to me is a man who possess common sense and the guts to follow through with his convictions.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Emperor of The Celtic Dynasty, January 5, 2005

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game (Hardcover)

This is one of two books which I have recently read, the other being Jeff Davis' Papa Bear: The Life and Legacy of George Halas. Both Auerbach and Halas were obviously great coaches but also outstanding CEOs, each building a successful and profitable franchise while playing a key role in a multi-billion dollar professional organization. In this instance, the National Basketball Association.

Although generally viewed as a sportswriter, Feinstein has always seemed (to me, at least) to be a cultural anthropologist who works very hard to understand not only major sports figures and events but also their social context. This is especially true of A March to Madness: A View from the Floor in the Atlantic Coast Conference, The Last Amateurs: Playing for Glory and Honor in Division I College Basketball, A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy (A Year Inside College Football's Purest Rivalry), and A Season on the Brink, a detailed account of the Indiana University men's basketball team's 1985-1986 season.

What we have in this volume is Feinstein's account of his close association with Arnold ("Red") Auerbach over a four-year period during which Feinstein was included among a select few who regularly met with Auerbach for lunch almost every week at the China Doll restaurant in Washington (DC). What emerges is a multi-dimensional portrait of Auerbach as revealed by his and others' reminiscences and observations. Feinstein also includes relevant information from his extensive research on Auerbach, the N.B.A., the Boston Celtics teams Auerbach coached, and their opponents.

By all accounts, he was a ferocious but highly-principled competitor. Agreeing with Sun Tzu that every battle is won or lost before it is fought, Auerbach drove his carefully selected players hard during the pre-season (and whenever the N.B.A. schedule allowed a practice) but then allowed them to play to their individual talents while insisting that they do so as a team. He expresses contempt for coaches who draw attention to themselves during a game in progress as well as for selfish or lazy players. All of his favorite coaches (notably Dean Smith, Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, and Morgan Wootten) were/are dedicated teachers as well as strict disciplinarians and relentless taskmasters, renowned for developing individual talent while never allowing team integrity to be compromised. It is no coincidence that these same coaches are also among those whose teams have won the most games as well as numerous conference and national championships.

Of greatest interest to me are Auerbach's self-revelations, most of which preceded by "Did I ever tell you about....?" or "Let me tell you about...." He seems eager to share stories about everyone he has known, with two exceptions: Len Bias, the University of Maryland All-American who died of a drug overdose immediately after being drafted #1 by the Celtics, and, Reggie Smith who was the Celtics captain when dying of a massive heart attack during a pickup game. "Both names bring a cloud to his face, a look of sadness. They are, without question, the two most tragic figures in the history of the Celtics." Feinstein provides a wealth of information about the sad circumstances in Chapter 8, "Dark Days."

Auerbach continues to have many close friends and countless admirers, not only in basketball or even in the sports world but throughout almost all elements of American society. For whatever reasons (Feinstein suggests several), he retains a certain mystique...especially for those who recall all the great Celtics teams and their N.B.A. Hall of Famers which include Auerbach; also Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, and Bill Sharman.

Perhaps Auerbauch's closest personal friend in the media, the Boston Globe's Will McDonough offers these comments about him. "First, he's smarter than you, he's smarter than me, he's smarter than just about all of us. He's got an amazing feel for people. That's what made him a great coach. People say he had great players. Who do you think chose those players? [Auerbach's Celtic teams won nine league championships in ten years with talent which he fully developed.] Every one of those guys is in the Hall of Fame. But every one of them listened to Red and did whatever he told them they had to do in order to win. That's why he always said that he never `handled' players. He never tried to handle anyone. He was completely honest with them, told them what was expected of them, and gave them a choice: my way or the highway. There was never any ambiguity."

Many of us who read this book will be somewhat envious of Feinstein because he was able to have lunch almost every Tuesday with Auerbach and his cronies, privy to what must have been exceptionally lively, often confrontational conversations. But we are also grateful that he shares so much of those conversations as well as much of what was revealed to him during interviews of hundreds of others who also had a close association with Arnold ("Red") Auerbach, arguably the greatest basketball coach ever and without doubt one of the most interesting human beings I have as yet encountered.