Light a cigar for Red

How do we define "the sports world?" When pundits say, "The sports world was shocked by today's events," who comprises such a body? \nThe sports world is a fraternity of players, coaches and devoted, empty-pocketed fans who all share the same misery and jubilation at a season's end. And when one of the brothers of this hallowed fraternity abruptly departs, the sports world as a collective whole mourns the loss and celebrates the past.\nIt so happens that over the weekend, a quintessential member of the sports world passed on, leaving an astonishing legacy behind. It is only right that I, as a fan and admirer of the greats who play each sport, pay homage to the greatest basketball coach in the history of the National Basketball Association, Red Auerbach.\nTo be honest, I don't ritually follow the NBA. I found my niche with baseball, hockey and football long before I started to follow the likes of Jordan, Ewing and Barkley. But even still, Auerbach's legacy to the game far outweighs any bias to the league I might have, and it's only fair to immortalize, via this column, this man's contribution to the sport of basketball. \nArnold Jacob Auerbach, coined "Red" because of his fiery red hair before his locks disappeared into a pale cue ball, joined the sports world as a player at George Washington University, then as a coach for the Washington Capitols and Tri-Cities Blackhawks of Iowa. Following his stints in Washington and Iowa (which subsequently moved to Atlanta when the NBA was formed), Auerbach was asked to coach the indebted Boston Celtics. \nThat is when his legend began. \nAuerbach is the father of the modern NBA; without the man, who knows how the NBA would look today? \nHe drafted the first black player in the history of the game, Chuck Cooper from Duquesne University, and boasted the first all-black starting lineup in the 1963-64 season. After winning nine NBA titles from 1950 to 1966 -- including an astonishing eight in a row from 1959-66 -- the soon-to-be retired Auerbach named his wonder boy, Bill Russell, his successor as the first ever black head coach in sports history. \nAnd despite a sea of liberalism in Boston, these moves by Auerbach were not seen without controversy and incredulity. Mind you, the Boston Red Sox, consistently noted for standing behind segregation in sports, were the last major league baseball team to sign a black player in 1959. As the father of the modern NBA, Auerbach would continue his legacy with similar adjustments to the core of the sport. \nAs a general manager for the Celtics, Auerbach took his maneuvering genius to another level. With the sixth pick in the 1978 draft, Auerbach drafted Larry Bird before his senior season -- another first. He promoted the allure and mystique of the Celtics as a way of keeping Bird from re-entering the draft after his senior year at Indiana State. \nIn 1986, Auerbach resumed his legacy as the greatest figure in the sport by trading Gerald Henderson to Seattle for its first-round pick, which turned out to be the second pick in the draft. An exuberant Auerbach drafted Len Bias from the University of Maryland, hoping this promising young man would continue the dynasty long after Bird and Kevin McCale. Bias died from cocaine overdose, and the dynasty soon crumbled. \nBut it did not tarnish anything Auerbach did. The man grew up alongside the NBA, sharing his greatest personal achievements and promoting his obstinate beliefs to the sports world. When comfortably ahead in a game, Auerbach would light a cigar on the bench and just sit back and enjoy the game. This was the beginning of the "victory cigar." \nAuerbach was the ultimate players' coach; he demanded respect from his players because he respected them. He trusted their game, and they trusted his guidance. He wanted things done his way, whether it was smoking on a court during the fourth quarter of a soon-to-be Celtic victory or giving Russell a $100,001 contract after his rival Wilt Chamberlain received the record $100,000 contract. His influence on the game cannot be articulated with words, just with rings -- 16 of them as both a coach and executive. \nAnd with the start of the NBA season this week, Auerbach's imprint on the game is clearly visible -- so much so that a detached NBA fan as myself can still appreciate and admire the man's legacy to the game. Quite simply, the sports world has lost a legend.