It's Always Great to See Old Friends—Especially Those who Own 10 NBA Championship Rings

Well, Sally and I finally has our long-awaited lunch with Gladys and Sam Jones today.

I have to admit that, when Sam and Gladys answered the door both using canes, my mind overflowed with images of (in my estimation) the most graceful basketball player ever. The whole scene hit me pretty hard, and I had an immediate need for a little bathroom time. Gladys has had two knee replacements, and Sam will have his first on December 17th. (I'll be starting a thread for anyone who wants to send a message of good luck Sam's way well ahead of the 17th.)

When we out to their garage to get in the car for lunch, my eyes were attracted by all of Sam's "Celtics 24" number plates from 1958 to 1966 on the wall. His current number plate celebrates his status as one of the NBA's top 50 players of all-time.

They treated us to lunch at the nearby clubhouse of the golf course on which they live. (Sam gets to play for free on eight diverse golf courses.) Sally got a taste (no pun intended) of how you're seldom alone with Sam Jones; you just get to share him with the world. The dining room was virtually empty, but people materialized, seemingly out of the woodwork. We eventually set out for their house. On the way, Sam stopped to shouted over to a handyman who was working on someone's lawn. They laughed and joked for a couple of minutes, and my mind went back to driving around with Sam in the days when, whenever he'd see some kids playing basketball, he'd yell, "Hey you bums!" And the kids would look over, mouths agape, as they read his number plate. I was ready for another little bathroom break when we reached the house.

Mostly, we sat around their house and chatted about everything—mostly about people both in and out of basketball. Their five kids stayed with me when the moving truck was being packed for their move away from our Boston suburb (one of the worst periods of my life). Now those five "kids," all college graduates, are doing great and have produced many grandkids who live all over the country.

It turns out that Gladys kept multiple, huge scrapbooks on Sam (starting with his Army stint and still ongoing), and turning those pages was a refresher course in living one of the best times of my life. The scrapbooks are located in a trophy room, where all sorts of photographs are displayed, depicting Glasys' and Sam's married life and Sam's career. Sam's many trophies are hidden away in cabinets and drawers because he's very proud but also extremely modest. Not shockingly, one of his favorite personal pieces of memorabilia is a Wheaties box depicting Sam and many other stars over the years (from Russ, Havlicek and Jerry West to Larry and Jabbar)—and they're all signed. "I had to make Russell sign it," Sam said. Their kids or grandkids insist on sleeping in this room when they visit. That's what I'd do too. Sam pointed out his desk that I gave him from his friends in Sharon at a community retirement party. It's oversized to fit Sam, and made of cherry. I thought back to his acceptance speech, when he said in a sort of wail as he broke into tears, "When we came here, we had nobody. Now we got everybody." Third trip to the bathroom for me. They must think I have the tiniest bladder in the world!

In the middle of the scrapbook perusal, Nate Archibald phoned Sam and playfully berated him for not having returned Tiny's call. Sam also said he's involved in preparing a Sam Jones Documentary, which includes inputs from guys like George Gervin, Charles Barkley and other players from the 1970s through the present. I asked Sam how he got to know so many players who didn't play in his era. Apparently, there's a "Legend's Club" that meets fairly regularly. The rules for joining seem a little loosy-goosy because Sam said there are even some members who are still playing. Anyway, their meetings aren't purely social, although these guys obviously stay very close and renew acquaintances at memorabilia events, golf tournaments, etc. The Legend's Club sort of picks up where the NBA Player's Association leaves off in terms of pushing for veteran's benefits. For example, the Legend's Club is currently offering a program to produce better insurance benefits for retirees. The program is financed by promoters, and retired players appear at their promotions for free in exchange for the insurance payments. (Sam had just returned the night before from one such two-day event in Chicago.)

The only part of our conversation that I can't report involved our extensive discussion of former Celtics players. I don't want to risk the privacy of those who have encountered some rough going health-wise, and it's more advisable to remember them as they were. I can say that we talked at length about Bob Cousy's loss of his wife, and apparently it's common knowledge that The Cooz is having an extremely difficult time coping. I guess he's remaining pretty much in seclusion.

Over the remainder of the five and a half hours we were together throughout the afternoon, we discussed marriage, family, gardening, health, diet exercise, Haiti, travel, cars, weather, mutual friends, making financial ends meet, and just about everything except basketball. I did say I thought Sam's Celtics Forum would appreciate it if I asked about the origination of Sam's "Too late!" taunt of Wilt Chamberlain. He said that a basketball player should always be aware of exactly where he is on the floor. And Sam always knew exactly where he was and exactly how far Wilt be willing to stray defensively from the basket. Big men, said Sam, have a tendency to retreat when approached by a smaller guy because the last thing big men—especially one with the ego of Wilt—want to experience is a guard driving by for a hoop. "Wilt had to know that I wasn't going to drive on him," said Sam. But he still had that tendency to retreat. Knowing this, it became a matter of timing for Sam. Because the exact distance between Wilt and him was predictable, Sam knew exactly how much time he had to release the shot before a flailing Wilt would get within a few inches of blocking it. And because it was really timing that made the shot work, the phrase, "Too late" seemed appropriate. I asked whether Sam had to change the arc on his jumper when confronting Wilt. "Nope!" Sam also revealed a way Wilt in which could have contained him. "He always came at me straight ahead. If he had come at me from an angle (toward Sam's shooting hand"), he'd have had me." Too late!

Anyway, Sally had never before met Gladys and Sam. When we left, she said, "What wonderful, gentle people." I held it together, perhaps because our car has no bathroom.

Sam

Thanks Sam for this wonderful report. It's great to know that someone deserving of so much is having a good life in old age. Best wishes to Sam and Gladys when he goes in for a knee replacement.

Berlin-T

P.S. When bladders were handed out we must he gotten twins!

Nice story Sam, thanks for sharing.

beat

Great story, Sam.  Quite frankly, given how long you and Sally have been together, I'm surprised she has never met them.

Did Sam (the real one) ever mention about going to the Celtics locker rooms, either on the unusual times he's in Boston or when they're playing in FL?  I would think it'd be a real thrill for our current crop to meet a legend, especially one who earned 10 rings with the Celtics.

That Wheaties box, the one with Russ's signature on it, is worth tons.  Not that Sam would ever sell it.

I'd love to know what current players are in that Legend's Club.  I'm not surprised older players are, they can relate to what their less exalted contemporaries are going through, but I'd be interested to know which players in today's crop of self-centered spoiled millionaires have that kind of compassion.

I'm glad you're enjoying your vacation. Even the occasional little cry is a vacation for a tough guy like you.


bob


.

Thanks, Sam. Great stuff. The class and quality of players like Sam Jones is part of what made me admire the Russell Celtics from a basketball standpoint, and I've built an ongoing appreciation for Sam Jones as a person. I wish him and Gladys all the best.

Thanks, Outside. They've not had the easiest life since leaving the Celtics. As we all know, salaries were not high in Sam's era. In fact, when Sam retired, Red offered him a "huge" pay increase to play one more year, and that offer was not a lot higher than the minimum wage in some states nowadays. They put five kids through college. The house they built in Maryland for their retirement burned to the ground. But the Joneses have always focused on being grateful—in fact, extremely grateful—for what they've had rather than worrying about what they haven't had.

One thing Sam mentioned was that, when Martin Luther King was assassinated, Walter Brown (the first owner of the Celtics) offered to pay Bill Russell's way to the funeral. (It may not seem like such a fantastic gesture now, but it was substantial in those days.) And Russell thanked Red but refused because he (Russ) was afraid he might create a distraction at the service.

The more I'm privileged to learn about those guys (to say nothing of their families) in those days, the more I'm impressed by them as people. I hope fans will be able to say similar things about today's players almost half a century after their retirements.

Sam

Inspirational Sam. Thanks.

sam wrote:
One thing Sam mentioned was that, when Martin Luther King was assassinated, Walter Brown (the first owner of the Celtics) offered to pay Bill Russell's way to the funeral.  (It may not seem like such a fantastic gesture now, but it was substantial in those days.)  And Russell thanked Red but refused because he (Russ) was afraid he might create a distraction at the service.

Sam

Sam (our Sam)

Not sure what Sam Jones might have said or what but if Brown died in 64 and MLK was killed in 68...... well something is amiss. Certainly I do not doubt Browns generosity as I have heard many stories about them but this one might be a stretch.

beat

Walter Brown offered to pay for Russ' trip to the August '63 March on Washington.

Thanks W

beat

Beat and Worcester,

You're both right. Sorry for the mistake.

Sam

What a wonderful day you both had. As you know, Sam will forever hold a special place in my "heart". A kind, warm gentleman.

Those were tough times to be playing basketball in Boston, but he always held himself with such grace. As a fan from that era, it is nice to know that he hasn't yet sold off his memories. I know Cousy did, but I believe that was a financial decision. They must shake their heads with the way the money is tossed around today.

Thanks for telling us about your visit, it made my night!

One thing I have to say is that Walter Brown does not get the proper
Kudos for all that he did to keep the Celtics here in Boston. There were so many times when making the payroll was almost impossible. Red somehow helped him hold on to the team.

Again, thanks it was enjoyable to read about your few hours with a true Celtic hero.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your wife.

Rosalie

Thanks, Rosalie. Both Gladys and Sam opened up far more than ever before. We spend the last hour there looking through their family photo album. He also told some stories about his early days with the Celtics, including places where he was refused service, although none of them was in Massachusetts.

I accidentally left my $3 CVS reading glasses there, and the following morning Gladys called and left a message about them. I returned her call and got Sam, who invited us back (although we're not able to make it during this trip). They'll be at the home of friends for Thanksgiving, or I'm sure we would have eaten with them. By the way, they're donating my glasses to their church collection for Cuban relief.

It was really amazing to pick right up where we left off. My wife can't stop talking about them. I told Sam I thought she liked them better than I do, which is almost impossible.

As things look right now, we'll be having the $9.99 Thanksgiving dinner special at Crackerbarrel Restaurant, which suits us just fine. We've never relaxed so much in our lives.

I hope you, Bill and your family have a great Thanksgiving.

All the best,

Sam