Product Description

Red Auerbach, one of the greatest coaches in sports history, died on October 28, 2006. Bill Russell, the five-time MVP and star center on the Auerbach teams that won eleven championships in thirteen years, said little in public at the time. His relationship with his coach had been so deeply personal that he could not express it with a brief comment.

In fact, little known to the public, Auerbach and Russell—one a short, brash Jew from Brooklyn, the other a tall, intense African-American from Louisiana and Oakland—were far more than just coach and player. Through thirteen years of building a sports dynasty together, one that remains among the greatest of all time, their relationship evolved into a rare, telling example of deep male friendship: confident, supportive, understanding, founded in common goals, even as their feelings remained largely unspoken. They stayed close for the rest of Auerbach's life, despite physical distance and far fewer chances to be together. True male friends are always there for each other, whenever the need or occasion arises.

Red and Me is an extraordinary book: an homage to a peerless coach, showing how he produced results unlike any other; an inspiring story of mutual success, in which each man gave his all, and gained back even more; above all, it may be the best depiction of male friendship ever put on the page. Who would have guessed that such different men could have become such a tightly bonded pair? Few did guess it. Now Russell tells it.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16087 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-01
• Released on: 2009-05-05
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From Booklist
First, let’s get the basketball credentials out of the way. Russell was the greatest team basketball player ever; his Boston Celtics won championships in 11 of his 13 years. Arnold Jacob “Red” Auerbach was the Celtics coach for the first 10 years of Russell’s career and later, as the general manager, assembled five more championship teams after Russell retired. Russell retraces the path of their lifelong friendship as it evolved from player-coach to professional equals to good friends. The relationship was always grounded in respect. Auerbach never tried to alter Russell’s then-revolutionary basketball style, nor did he ever interfere with or critique Russell’s involvement in the civil-rights movement. Auerbach’s Jewish heritage exposed him to some of the same prejudices Russell experienced in segregated Boston, though they never compared notes. Auerbach cultivated a public persona associated with words like gruff or curmudgeon that are partially accurate but woefully incomplete. He was extraordinarily intelligent, fearless, and sensitive to what would bring out the best in those around him. Russell understands these characteristics and has produced a moving tribute to his friend and, in a larger sense, to friendship. --Wes Lukowsky

About the Author

A five-time winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award and a twelve-time All-Star, Bill Russell was the centerpiece of the Celtics Dynasty that won eleven NBA championships during his thirteen-year career. For the final two of those championships, Russell was the first African-American coach of a major league professional team. He is widely considered the greatest team player in NBA history, father of the modern pro game, and one of the most significant Americans of the twentieth century. He has published three previous books, including the national bestseller Russell Rules.

From AudioFile
Basketball star Bill Russell and Alan Steinberg team up to tell the story of Russell's professional relationship and friendship with his coach, Red Auerbach. Russell's first-person perspective of this unlikely relationship will not only provide the listener with a glimpse of the social climate of the 1950s and '60s, but also with a lesson in how two people who come from distinctly separate backgrounds can be alike in many ways. Peter Jay Fernandez effectively utilizes his smooth-as-glass voice to provide listeners with an experience that they surely will not forget anytime soon. Fernandez's eloquent delivery will have listeners savoring every syllable of this audiobook. J.P.D © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Unique Relationship
I came across this book, while going through a basketball website, and since Bill Russell is regarded as the greatest winner in team sports, and Red Auerbach is considered the greatest coach that's ever lived, I figured there is no better place to learn about them, than from Russell himself.

Russell shares stories of his childhood, and how it helps him in high school, college, and how it sets the foundation for his relationship with Red Auerbach. You could tell they had a sincere bond, and had a unique way of interacting with each other. They both realized what they had with each other, and were able to work toward one common goal: winning. It was one of the more encouraging examples of success, especially with what we see nowadays, with teams and some of the riff-raff that goes on, that has little-or-nothing to do with winning.

It also gives you a glimpse of a side of both of them that people were not accustomed to seeing, at least from what I've seen. We get to see Coach Red as someone who would play practical jokes, and even had some played on him as well. More than anything, Mr. Russell does a great job of exposing the man, and letting the reader know he was fiercely loyal, dedicated to success, and was someone whose mind was working 24/7, and all for the betterment of the team. More than anything else, it's the story of how two men came together, and became very good friends, while forming a bond that could never be compromised and broken.

RICK
I must state for the record that I am not a Boston Celtic fan... but the fact that I openly admired their "team-first" play... and even though I was saddened for decades as they always beat my Lakers in the finals... as a basketball player myself... I was true to the heart of the sport... when I openly said they were the better team. The Celtics of the late 50's and 60's were *THE-GREATEST-DYNASTY-IN-THE-HISTORY-OF-ALL-PROFESSIONAL-SPORTS!* Winning *EIGHT-STRAIGHT-NBA-CHAMPIONSHIPS*... and winning *ELEVEN-NBA-CHAMPIONSHIPS-IN-THIRTEEN-YEARS*! This is a mark that has never been matched... and with the lunacy of free agency... probably never will. At the core of these storied championships were two men. The architect... a small fiery Jew from Brooklyn... the coach and general manager... Red Auerbach... and the winningest player in professional sports history... and Celtic center... Bill Russell. This is not to say there weren't other great players on these Celtic teams... of course there were. The Hall of Fame's walls are lined with many of their plaques... in addition to numerous other Celtic legends as well. Just to name a few: "Da Cooz"... Heinsohn... the Jones boys... Sharman... Sanders... Havlicek... Howell... Loscutoff... and many others. But the most valuable of all these... was center Bill ("Russ") Russell. Russ's unmatched record as the ultimate winner included back-to-back NCAA Championships with USF and an Olympic Gold Medal in 1956 before joining the Celtics.

Most of these accolades are known by most Celtic fans and also by true sports fans. But what hasn't been known... until this book... because Russ never let anyone into his heart before... to share his intimate feelings... is how deep the reciprocal friendship... and yes the actual love was... between Russ and Red. The reason these feelings were never laid out in the open like this... is pretty obvious to Russ... and he'll hit you over the head with the reason innumerous times in this book. He and Red... like many of the other men of his time... didn't hug each other... or say I love you.

[...]

The Celtics became the first team in any professional sport to start an all black team. Asked about it they acted like they hadn't noticed... it was simply a case of putting the best team on the floor. When Red retired from coaching... he named Russ the new Celtic coach. Russell was the first black head coach or manager in professional sports history. Red and Russ never mentioned a thing. When the media asked Red about the significance of having the first "Negro" coach Red said: "LOOK, IT'S NO BIG DEAL. I JUST DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS BEST FOR OUR TEAM."

The powerful impact of this book is that feelings and wisdom is being shared by a legendary sports figure who for decades and decades had kept any emotions... other than complaining about a foul call... locked in a personal vault that many thought even Russell didn't have the combination to. But when his *FRIEND* Red Auerbach died on October 28, 2006... the big man decided to share some of his personal beliefs and feelings.

There are some powerful and beautiful sentiments shared with the reader such as:

"IT IS FAR MORE IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAN TO BE UNDERSTOOD."

"FRIENDSHIP DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU GIVE TO EACH OTHER, NOT WHAT YOU GET FROM EACH OTHER."

"BUT WE BOTH UNDERSTOOD THAT IF I SUCCEEDED, IT ENHANCED HIM, AND IF HE SUCCEEDED, IT ENHANCED ME. ULTIMATELY, OUR REAL SUCCESS WAS OUR ABILITY-WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO EXPRESS IT OPENLY-TO COLLABORATE IN EVERY WAY WE COULD THINK OF, TO HELP THE *TEAM* SUCCEED."

Any Bill Russell fan will be utterly surprised at the side of Russell that he allows the world to see in this book. One quote that has already affected me is:

"MY AMBITION AS YOUR FRIEND IS THAT MY FRIENDSHIP HAS A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE. IF AM ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, IT WILL ENHANCE MY QUALITY OF LIFE."

Mutual Respect
The secret to the unique friendship between Arnold "Red" Auerbach and Bill Russell has to be the mutual respect each had for the other. Red was the first coach Russell ever had who let him be himself. Rather than impose his own will on him Auerbach was smart enough and secure in his own position to allow Russell to "do his thing" on the basketball floor. Auerbach did admit to having two sets of rules, one for Russell and one for the remaining members of the team. Russell, to his credit, didn't take advantage of the situation. Both Auerbach and Russell were upfront with each other in their relationship and each respected and didn't question the others' beliefs in matters not related to basketball. An interesting anecdote is how Russell came to be drafted by the Celtics. Yes, it has been told in other books, but the Celtics had to do some maneuvering to get the chance to draft Bill Russell. I'm sure Russell would have been successful even if he didn't have Arnold "Red" Auerbach for a coach, but fortunately this odd-couple were a perfect match for one another. This book is a quick read, but it does contain lessons that will interest future coaches on any level in addition to anyone who is interested in reading about human relationships.