The Last Pass

September 1, 2018
Journalist and historian Pomerantz (Writing and Reporting/Stanford Graduate Program in Journalism; Their Life's Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now, 2013, etc.) delivers a sturdy work at the intersection of sports history and race relations.Bob Cousy, one of the best point guards ever, came up at a time when players had little representation or power. Yet he was seemingly fearless, and not just in pushing back when he disagreed with tough-as-nails coach Red Auerbach or the front office. (When Auerbach said of Cousy's fancy dribbling and passing, "the criterion of a great passer is the completion of the pass," Cousy's reply was, "after a man had played with me for a few weeks...there is no excuse for his being fooled.") As captain, Cousy built a well-oiled machine that got more powerful with the addition of Bill Russell at center. Yet this was the late 1950s, and though Cousy had organized the first successful NBA players' union, he could do nothing about the racism Russell faced, as when he tried to buy a house in the suburbs to find that the "white neighbors there objected strenuously"--then broke into his house and "defecated in his bed." Russell responded bitterly that he played for the Celtics but emphatically not for Boston. His emergence as a powerful voice for the civil rights movement didn't win him any fans in Southie, especially when he said, "we have got to make the white population uncomfortable and keep it uncomfortable, because that is the only way to get their attention." The author's reportage and research are thoroughly up to the stuff of the standard sports biography, but the narrative acquires its greatest force when, long after the events described, Cousy expresses regret that he didn't do more to support Russell: "I [ran] into literally my first angry black man....I think this simply scared me off." Nor has Russell mellowed--and nor should he.A moving, maddening look at a storied partnership that might have been a beautiful friendship as well.

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September 17, 2018
In this eloquent biography, Pomerantz (Wilt: 1962) details the relationship between Boston Celtics teammates Bob Cousy and Bill Russell, both now in the Hall of Fame. When Russell joined the Boston Celtics as the team’s only African-American player in the middle of the 1956–1957 season, the 6′10″ center became a lightning rod for prejudice. Even though team captain Cousy, who is white, and Russell led the Celtics to six NBA titles in seven years, Cousy and Russell were never as chummy as Cousy was with other teammates (including African-Americans who followed Russell). Pomerantz recounts Cousy’s playing and coaching careers, and includes anecdotes about the team’s passionate fans (on Bob Cousy Day in 1963, one Korean War veteran yelled “We love you, Cooz!” from the cheap seats, reverberating throughout the arena) as well as racism in Boston. In an interview with Pomerantz, a contemplative Cousy expressed regret about not doing more to ease the burden of racism that Russell carried, though he added that Russell often made himself inaccessible as a teammate. Russell didn’t want to be interviewed for the book, and it’s too bad, as his voice would have greatly added to the narrative. Nevertheless, Pomerantz tells a moving story of a pivotal time in basketball history.

September 15, 2018

Bill Russell soars for the rebound and flips the basketball to Bob Cousy, already heading down the court toward Boston's basket. Weaving among defenders on the opposing team, Cousy--referred to as the Houdini of the Hardwood--reaches the freethrow line and tosses a no-look pass to Bill Sharman or Tom Heinsohn for an easy layup. Boston Garden erupts. Coach Red Auerbach lights up his victory stogie. The Celtics win again. It happens quickly, but to a generation of young basketball fans it remains a sweet and unforgettable memory. Pomerantz (communication, Stanford Univ.; Their Life's Work) captures the beauty of Cousy's style of play, which helped the Celtics win six NBA titles between 1957 and 1969. But more, during the course of 53 interviews, he captures 90-year-old Cousy; a thoughtful, sensitive man who regrets his failure to speak up against the racial bias his teammate Russell experienced. VERDICT Basketball fans will want to read this exciting, affecting book, but even nonsports fans of all ages will enjoy the combination of sports, history, and biography.--Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2018
What matters in the end? Cousy, a basketball Hall of Famer and owner of six championship rings as a member of the Boston Celtics in the fifties and early sixties, looks back on his career as he approaches 90. By virtually any standard, it was a great life: marriage, kids, financial success, fan adulation. But, as in any life, there are regrets. For Cousy, the main regret is that he didn't understand the struggles that his teammate, fellow Hall of Famer Bill Russell, was going through during the years they played together. Russell, now 84, was perhaps the most iconic black athlete in team sports, other than Jackie Robinson. Cousy and the Celtics did not win a championship until Russell arrived, and, after Cousy retired in 1963 (though some were sure the dynasty was over), the team, led by Russell, won five more. During that period of unprecedented domination, Russell was horribly underappreciated in the virulently racist Boston. Pomerantz explores the complicated relationship between Russell and Cousy, both superstars but playing in a world where pervasive racism diminished the contributions of one man while elevating those of another. Cousy sees this dynamic now in a way he didn't then, and his reflections on what happened to Russell and the inadequacy of Cousy's response drive this poignant memoir, the lessons from which extend far beyond sport.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)