Len is Dead

So I have been watching the "30 for 30" series on ESPN. There have been some good ones - like the USFL episode with an unapologetic Donald Trump and some only ok like the Charles Kuralt-style installment of the lonely Baltimore Colts pep band from Barry Levinson.

But I just watched the one on Len Bias - pretty gripping stuff. Even though I knew how the story worked out I was totally engrossed by the segment covering the night he OD'd. Either I couldn't remember the details or was too upset to focus on the media frenzied coverage of the aftermath at the time, I was eager to find out who was there that night and who may have been culpable. Despite this story taking place 23 years ago I couldn't help myself and wonder why no one put a stop to the coke usage and the carelessness on this night. Why did this continue for several hours? The story goes that at the time coke was viewed as a social drug but if it truly was social then why did Brian Tribble hide the mirror and the coke whenever someone new entered the dorm room where he, Len, and their friends were hanging out? It wasn't social and trouble free if they hid the drug paraphanalia from anyone whom they thought didn't know that they did coke from time to time. After all if it was social why not offer it up to anyone? What's to hide?

The theorizing about the meaning of his death on a societal level was a bit over the top though and his Mom is clearly gone (can't blame her however since she's lost two sons to violent or drug-related deaths).

I remember where I was when I found out about Len's death. At FNHS '89 and I heard it from that font of sports info - Phil LeClare. Phil told me the rumours and I didn't believe him. So I called the sports desk at the Globe (from the payphone near the library) and some schlub answering the phones confirmed the rumour for me.

And so began an amazing downward turn of luck for the C's continuing with hanging onto the (original) Big 3 for too long, and then the death of Reggie Lewis leading into the M.L. Carr years and a 15-win season, losing out on the draft lottery and Tim Duncan, "Coach-P", giving up on Chauncy Billups, Jerome Moiso ("He's not ready"), not drafting Tony Parker, Joseph Forte, Eric Montross, taking Ron Mercer with the overall fifth pick and then finally ending with Paul Pierce NOT dying after being stabbed in a nightclub and bleeding all over Tony Battie's car. I realize that Pitino was still in charge when Pierce made his amazing comeback 8 days after being stabbed to score like 28 points and lead the C's to a victory but the fact that Pierce LIVED and could continue to be a productive player was a sign that this horrible C's luck was slowly turning for the better. Eventually of course the luck did turn with making an unheralded Jim O'Brien (a lifelong Pitino assistant) a full-time replacement for Pitino, the hiring of Danny Ainge, the sensible method of re-building a team that at one point lost 21 straight by colluding with ol' friend Kevin McHale to get KG to come here which of couse led to Number 17.

Let's not forget these grim years as we savor the '08 title and watch the well-oiled machine that is the '09-'10 team.

I think I'm ready to read Bill Simmons' book now.