To Be Continued ... More Q & A

Eastern Long Island from Orient Point Ferry (T. Peter Lyons)

Picking up where I left off earlier this gorgeous Sunday morning...as I'm now on a ferry boat from Orient Point, Long Island to New London, Connecticut en route to The Cape for 24 hours of solid R & R ... and maybe even a Cape Cod Baseball League game! (Go Kettleers!)

Back to the student-led Q & A:

1. Would you have preferred working in MLB or did you like your job working at the NBA? -- This is a question which came from my intro... a story about trying for an internship at MLB but having a different schedule than what Baseball needed at the time.

A - It is amazing that I could've landed an internship at Baseball, finished it and been kicked out the door, left to rummage through the Help Wanted ads forever and ever.  Instead, that stroke of luck - to be turned down by MLB - led me to the NBA and on December 20, 1980, I walked through the door never dreaming ...

  A. I'd actually get a job.

  B. I'd work at the NBA and enjoy (nearly) every single day I entered the door at 645 Fifth Avenue to the offices of the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association.  That lasted from 1980 and all the way until the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics. (I called it quits when the team headed over to Beijing).

In short, I am 100-times happier that I was able to intern at the NBA and work in basketball.  Baseball was a school-era thought, a real dream, but, truthfully, I had a much deeper knowledge of the NBA. I grew up in a "basketball family."  We watched thousands of games (NY Nets (ABA), the Knicks, St. John's, local high school (Trinity, all of the CHSAA, including great teams at St. Agnes, St. Anthony's St. Doms (Tom Riker era); Hempstead, Malverne, Roosevelt (Dr. J) and LI Lutheran (Reggie Carter).

I can state without doubt, I really hit the ground running when I interned at the NBA. I thinnk I excelled because of that "basketball" knowledge, including a love and respect for the NBA's history and the ABA's history. The foundation made my job a little easier and it allowed the people I worked for to let me write, research and to be creative outside of my daily chores (clipping newspapers). Looking back, I was born to be at the NBA and I left some of my "DNA" with the league and the league forged the very "DNA" in my own blood.  (Plus, guess where I met my wife, Clare)?

2. What was it like to be one of the "PR guys" for the 1992 USA Dream team?

A - It was great! It was the experience for a lifetime and I only wish I had appreciated it more at the time. It was a long haul and throughout the experience, there were a number of - let's call them obstacles - put in front of us by many people who chose to make our lives difficult rather than try to help us out. Most, if not all, were Americans.

So, the vivid memory, unfortunately, is how tough it was and how mentally grinding it was at the outset (in Barcelona). We had been working with the players for years and years. In essence, we (meaning the PR team and the small "front office" people - like Rod Thorn/GM, Kim Bohuny/Basketball Ops and logistics, Horace Balmer and Larry Richardson/Security, Nancy Hayward/everything from tickets to hotels to doing all the arrangements for David Stern and Russ Granik and a bunch more - all great people.

On the PR side, we were "tight" with most of the players and we had everyone's trust.  Everyone, except Christian Laettner, because he hadn't met us until the team camp in LaJolla. But, he undoubtedly watched Magic and Larry, Stockton and Malone, MJ and Pippen and all the guys listen and "DO" exactly what we asked of them, so he followed along.  Quite frankly, he wasn't in very high demand, so it really didn't matter much. 

The main issue in Barca - early on - was the fact three of us (Josh Rosenfeld (LA Lakers and NBA Int'l), the late Matt Dobek (Detroit Pistons and PR for Coach Chuck Daly) and yours truly, did not have ANY type of accreditation and therefore - NO ACCESS - to do our jobs.  We had full access at our hotel and we could get some things done there with (very) important media requests, but we could not gain access at the venues, or get to places like the Main Press Centre (MPC), the Athletes Village or even to many of the NBC compounds.  That made life miserable for the first three days of the Games.

I could write a book on the '92 team alone, never mind all of the other amazing days with USA Basketball.

I'd have to say, working with the people at USA Basketball to bring the best players in the world to the biggest audience basketball had ever enjoyed was my favorite assignment of the entire 26+ years.

3. What do you think is the most influential thing about the international players coming into the NBA?

A - I think it's the impact they make to the hundreds of thousands of young athletes from their home country.  We've begun to see the impact Michael Jordan made worldwide and we're soon to see the "real" impact that Yao Ming will make. In short, they get many a great athlete to shoot a ball instead of kick it.  That is the biggest part of the continued growth of the NBA.

Now, unlike when Magic and Larry or Oscar and West or Wilt and Russell made their mark on the NBA, the global media exposure is unlimited. Lebron is enjoying that fact, too.  He will make a tremendous impact going forward, as did Dirk, Duncan, Hakeem and a lengthy list of others.

4. What European country has evolved the most in terms of basketball teams and fans?

A - Great question.  And my answer?  "I don't know!"

In general, I think China has evolved the most during my career.  In Europe, the Italys, Spains, (former Yugoslavia - Serbia, Croatia, etc) were all pretty well developed in terms of the game. I think France moved along nicely.  Greece and Turkey are amazing, but they've always had a pretty strong love for the game. I am disappointed in the growth of the game in Britain.  We worked hard (1993-on) on growing the popularity of the game in the U.K. but I just don't see the needle moving very much and that includes the fact they just played the 2012 Olympics in London. They did a great job with the British team at the 2012 Games, and that includes my strong praise for the job Chris Finch did as coach of the GB team, but, it hasn't moved the sport forward.

5. Favorite NBA player?

A - Always tough to single out any one ... so, I'll just mention three.

1. Charles Barkley

2. Charles Barkley

3. Charles Barkley

Chuck was the best.  Still is.  Key word -- Genuine. And, he is funny as all hell, and, while he 'rides' the hell out of all of us for a joke, I've never received more respect from any other athlete in my career.  He is the best. Thanks Charles.

I also have tremendous respect and have to mention a few others... Julius Erving, Chris Mullin, Jerry Sloan and John Stockton, Dominique Wilkins and a long list of Atlanta Hawks, MJ and Scottie Pippen, Doc Rivers, Clyde Drexler, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Joe Dumars, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Shane Battier, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, James Worthy, Brad Miller ... I could go on and on and on.... but I'll finish with Tim Duncan.  With ole' Timmy Duncan, it was the roughest of roads.  He did not enjoy my company and the list of media requests, interviews, photo sessions and other off-court assignments that I'd bring to him (during the NBA Finals, USA Basketball events and at the Olympics), but we really became close as my career ended.

I would also note, I enjoyed working with every single NBA coach and the refs.

So, that's it for now.  I've covered (nearly) every subject.  Thanks to all the people I've mentioned above and in the prior post. Special thanks to the kids at Columbia.

Si Gourdine ... One of the True Good Guys

Simon Peter Gourdine 1940-2012

BOSTON- When I started as an intern at the NBA league office in December of 1980, Lawrence F. O'Brien, the famous political figure, Kennedy campaign manager, former Democratic National Chairman and high-ranking knight of the JFK-RFK Camelot era, was the NBA Commissioner.  His deputy was Simon "Si" Gourdine, then the head of the NBA's legal and basketball-related operations.  Gourdine was a legend to anyone with a bit of knowledge of the sports management industry.  I was a first-year intern.

Si Gourdine treated me like I was the most important person in the room.  He treated everyone like that and I will never forget it. Gourdine was the definition of a class act.  First class, all the way.

Gourdine moved on to public service in high-ranking positions in New York City government, then returned to basketball to help the NBA Players Assn. through one of its toughest times.

His place in history is very well documented in today's New York Times by Richard Goldstein.  It is a MUST READ for everyone. 

***

Simon P. Gourdine, Pioneer in 

Sports Management, Dies at 72

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN

Simon P. Gourdine, who became the highest-ranking black executive in professional sports in the 1970s when he was named the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner and who later served as executive director of the league’s players union, died Thursday in Englewood, N.J. He was 72.

Mr. Gourdine, who lived in the Bronx, died at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center after having back surgery earlier in the day, his family said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Although he was a groundbreaking basketball executive, Mr. Gourdine (pronounced gore-DEAN) had no athletic background. He was a lawyer, and he went on to hold many posts in New York City government, including commissioner of consumer affairs under Mayor Edward I. Koch, deputy police commissioner and chairman of the city’s Civil Service Commission.

Mr. Gourdine joined the N.B.A. as its legal counsel in 1970 under Commissioner Walter Kennedy. He became a vice president for administration in 1972; was named to the league’s No. 2 post, as deputy commissioner, in 1974; and hoped to become commissioner after Mr. Kennedy stepped down.

When Mr. Kennedy named Mr. Gourdine his deputy, he cited Mr. Gourdine’s legal work for the N.B.A. and his running of the college draft. “And he’s not a yes man,” Mr. Kennedy told The New York Times. “He’s never hesitated to tell me he didn’t totally agree with me.”

But when Mr. Kennedy retired in 1975, Larry O’Brien, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, succeeded him. Mr. O’Brien’s political background was potentially valuable in confronting antitrust suits against the league filed by its competitor, the American Basketball Association, and the players union.

Mr. Gourdine stayed on as deputy commissioner and worked out the framework for settlements of the litigation. He also helped forge collective bargaining agreements with the players union in 1976 and 1979.

He resigned from the N.B.A. at the end of 1981, when his contract was expiring. “There were never any barriers against me,” he said. “It’s just, How long do you want to stay after being passed over?”

Mr. Gourdine returned to pro basketball as the N.B.A. players union counsel in 1990. He then became its executive director in April 1995, replacing Charles Grantham, who resigned in the midst of stalled contract talks.

“I can be accommodating, but if that means I’m easy or overly flexible, I reject that,” Mr. Gourdine told Sports Illustrated at the time in dismissing any suggestion that he would soften player demands in view of his background in N.B.A. management. “I grew up in the middle of the civil rights struggle. A moderate was someone who maybe was too accommodating, who wasn’t pushing hard enough.”

Mr. Gourdine negotiated a tentative long-term collective bargaining agreement in the summer of 1995, and he was awarded a two-year contract as executive director by the union’s executive board late that year. But player representatives rejected the deal, and he was ousted early in 1996. An arbitration panel later awarded him nearly $900,000 in unpaid salary.

Simon Peter Gourdine was born in Jersey City on July 30, 1940, one of seven children. His father was a laborer in a chemical plant. He grew up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan and in the Bronx, graduated from City College in 1962 and received a law degree from Fordham in 1965.

He served as an Army captain in Vietnam, doing investigative work; was an assistant United States attorney in New York; and worked as a lawyer for the Celanese Corporation before going to the N.B.A.

After leaving his post as deputy commissioner, he was named commissioner of consumer affairs by Mayor Koch and remained in the post for two years. He spent another two years as secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation and then became labor relations director for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority before being hired as the N.B.A. union’s lawyer.

Mr. Gourdine became general counsel for the New York City Board of Education after he was ousted by the players union. He was the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for trials from 2002 to 2006, overseeing internal disciplinary hearings, and then served as chairman of the New York City Civil Service Commission until 2008.

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons, David and Peter; his daughter, Laura Gourdine; one grandchild; his sisters Dorothy, Sarah and Grace; and a brother, Henry.

When Mr. Gourdine became the N.B.A.’s deputy commissioner, he noted that he came from a working-class family. And although he lived in the affluent Riverdale section of the Bronx, he told The Times, “Most people in Riverdale don’t call it the Bronx, they call it Riverdale, but I call it the Bronx.”

He said that although the majority of the N.B.A. players were black, they were mainly concerned with his approach to their problems, not his race.

“I remember the first time I dealt with a players association committee,” he said. “Oscar Robertson was on it. He was glad to see me, but then it was time to get on with it. Players, black or white, just want you to be fair.”

GBB in 2012

There is a very, very interesting sports and sports marketing story brewing in Bradenton, Fla and it could have a major impact on the 2012 Olympic Games.

The national basketball team for Britain is training in Florida under the guidance of Chris Finch.

Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls is on the team, and he is among some other top-notch talent. Suffice to say, if Great Britain Basketball can get its best players together and get 'on-track' to compete in the various international and continental tournaments, they could make some noise and contend with the likes of: Spain, Greece, Italy, France and Germany - among a few others.

The first step for GBB is to begin qualification for the 2010 World Championship, to be held in Istanbul.

If that were to be accomplished, the possibilites begin to soar.

And, don't forget, as host of the 2012 Olympic Games, Britain will field ONE team in basketball, hopefully for both the men and women. (Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales often compete separately as countries/territories but for basketball they will join as ONE).

I believe there is tremendous potential - both on and off the court.

Here is the schedule, as reported in article linked above - in The Times

National service

Aug 16 and 17 Great Britain v Ireland (international friendlies) K2 leisure centre, Crawley, West Sussex

Aug 21 Britain v Slovakia NIA Birmingham (EuroBasket)

Sept 1 Britain v Albania Meadowbank, Edinburgh (EuroBasket)

Sept 11 or 15 EuroBasket play-off Ponds Forge, Sheffield

The DiMaggio Diaries....

Everywhere you look on the news and the web, the DiMaggio Diaries - an offering of sports memorabilia being auctioned by Steiner Sports Marketing - is being touted as the best collector's item since Clapton auctioned off his guitars for Crossroads.

Here is the yahoo story on the offering:


By PAT MILTON, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 16, 4:33 PM ET

NEW YORK - The diary entry is obscure. It befits the famously guarded personality of Joltin' Joe DiMaggio, and bears only tantalizing hints about his life as a baseball hero and husband of Marilyn Monroe.

I don't get it? Who would pay $1.2+ million for the Yankee Clipper's scrolls?

The thing I do get? The marketing and PR people for Steiner hit the jackpot with this story. The perfect storm for a PR firm...

What is that?

Decent news item. (check)
Slow news day. (check)
Big star name. (check)
Even more famous girlfriend or wife to said star. (check, checkmate)

"Did Joltin' Joe reveal anything about his marriage to Marilyn Monroe?

Headlines.

It's priceless PR.

The kind of thing I tend to generate along with some interesting clients and some fresh news in the months to come. Stay tuned.

The web site ...

In mid-June, as my NBA career was winding down to its final days, I began the process of creating a Marketing, Communications and Sports Consultant LLC. I posted an inquiry to the NYC edition of Craig's list - Web Site Design for New Consultant Business - and within minutes, had a serious stream of web designers emailing me from all points.

The power of the web was evident as resumes and links came from all corners of the USA, including, New York, Los Angeles, NJ, Philadelphia and Seattle. International posts were right among the initial replies, including web designers in India.

I sifted through a number of talented web designers who all provided the items I asked for: A basic quote for a 20-25 page web site, samples of their work and a link to their portfolio or client web sites.

I interviewed a number of prospective web designers and decided to go with:

http://www.getmyownsite.com

I am currently in the "Construction" phase of the design.

Outlines have been completed, artwork has been in production. I have asked for some assistance from NBA Photos to gather material to be included. Funny, as so many shots were photographs that I shaped, posed or orchestrated or they are photos of events that I helped promote.

In some cases, I will be taking the photos myself.

See some examples of a photo that will be included, to show my expertise in the field of Thoroughbred Horse Racing.