Fire Heinsohn

[floyd]

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He doesn't just root for the team, do you **** all over Red too, he was an even bigger homer than Tommy when he called games he actually would leave the booth and go fight with the officials.

I guess you can root for the C's and not give a damn about the history of the team thats up to you. But to some of us those banners matter and there isn't 2 or 3 guys who had more to do with those banners than Heinson. He won 8 titles in a 9 year career and two as a coach but all of you watching on TV and posting on the internet no more about the game than him. He turned down other coaching jobs because he didn't want to leave New England and be with another organization, his loyalty is real not the "lets trade everybody we lost 2 games" kind of loyalty.

Tommy rules. I don't care if you like him and I imagine he doesn't really either but if you are a fan of the team you damn well should respect him for what he has done and not act like he is just the "commentator."

f-ing A man.

[DelMonte West]

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I think an important part of being a coach is being critical of your own players. I don't think what we see from him is a coaches insight at all.

Just out of curiousity, is your experience with Heinsohn limited mostly to Raptors games? How often do you listen to our broadcasts? I'm not trying to belittle you; I'm just wondering...

Tommy can actually be very critical of players he doesn't like. Last year, Sebastian Telfair received more criticism from Tommy than any Celtic I can remember (and I've been a consistant viewer since the '92-93 season). He was the last player to receive the Tommy award (and only won it once), after even Kevinn Pinckney, a D-league guy we signed to a 10-day contract.

Our last game against Washington he said (paraphrasing) that Ray Allen is strictly a jump-shooter at this stage in his career. He criticizes players (albeit far more subtly than those on other teams, like pretty much any home broadcasters). He also tends to use the word "interesting" as a means of criticism (ex: this is an interesting lineup Doc has on the floor). If you ever hear him use that word in conjunction with a player/lineup, it's basically a given he doesn't care for what he's seeing.

In the past he's been given TONS of room to criticize scrubs like Blount, but probably didn't out of loyalty to the team. Our fans are mostly very respectful of Heinsohn's past and present contributions to the team (Walter McCarty became a quasi-star on our team solely due to Tommy's cheerleading), so a player criticized by Tommy on a consistant basis could become *hugely* unpopular if he really lays into him.

Don't mistake his loyalty for ineptitude. Despite his age he's a very observant follower and generally quick to complement another team's players.

[sully00]

I have learned more about basketball listening to tommy over my lifetime than from any basketball camp I have attended. The guy knows as much about the game as anyone alive. I am grateful for the chance to listen to him, and do not look forward to the day he retires. Thankfully the majority of fans agree with me. Frankly, if you dont like it, listen to the radio or mute your tv. The rest of us love Tommy.

I think the issue is here that some people are basketball fans that have become Celtics fans. Others are Celtic fans who have become fans of basketball. Being the latter there is a sense of tradition. Part of that tradition is that Celtic commentators are homers it is a job requisite. Max is probably the closest thing to impartial as they have been ever. They are supposed to root for the team to win, it isn't veiled it is out in the open. If you never were at the old Garden it might be hard to understand but Tommy is the old Garden. You scream and cheer when the C's score, you scream and swear at the officials when the other team scores. The noise and intensity doesn't stop as the whole sweaty, dirty, old gym tries to will the team to win.

Sure Tommy is out of place in the new building and in the new NBA. What goes on in that lower bowl at the arena now is embarrassing. No Tommy is not the greatest analyst in the game but there is more than enough analysis to go around. Tommy offers that connection to the greatest history in sports and even if just a little bit he gives you a glimpse of what it was, and should be like to face the Boston Celtics.

[Point forward]

Tommy Heinsohn is cult, just like Johnny Most (RIP). He may be the most homerish guy on this solar system, but honestly, I would be offended if he wasn't.

[Egregious Blunder]

celtics would be no where near as fun to watch without tommy.

[SeizeCoup]

Tommy is a living legend, and I like him, lucky for me as a Celtics fan.

[Taget]

Tommy can actually be very critical of players he doesn't like. Last year, Sebastian Telfair received more criticism from Tommy than any Celtic I can remember (and I've been a consistant viewer since the '92-93 season). He was the last player to receive the Tommy award (and only won it once), after even Kevinn Pinckney, a D-league guy we signed to a 10-day contract.

My memory of this is fuzzy but I remember Couz used to always trash Chauncy Billups and Tommy would nod along. Both were very enthusiastic about the Kenny Anderson trade.

[Prophet_C]

I would like to know the ages of people who don't like Tommy.

I'll be 28 this Friday and have been watching the C's I was around 5 years old. I grew up watching Tommy and Mike and I don't want to think about the day when they won't be together. Yes Tommy can be over the top but that's only because he's drunk. lol Tommy is a homer but isn't he giving us what we expect? I mean we are Celtics fans right? Yes he does act like the C's do no wrong but umm hello, he's been doing this for along time. I don't blame other fans for not liking him because if I weren't a Celtics fan he would probably piss me off too but the man bleeds green and has done so much for our organization. So give the man some respect.

[UGA Hayes]

I don't think anyone cares that he is a homer. Its just there is a line between criticizing officials and whining about them and he crosses that line every game and the broadcast is the worse for it. You can sense that Gorman is getting pretty fed up about it too.

[The Letter V]

As an outsider, I think Gorman is one of the best play-by-play guys in the league; I love listening to him. Heinsohn on the other hand is ...not so good. I'm sure he knows alot about basketball, but it would be nice to hear him talk about it instead of whining about the refs all game. Dude makes Chuck Swirsky sound objective!

[Kefa461]

That's because he hates your team like we hate your team that's why we love him.

[darrendaye]

As an outsider, I think Gorman is one of the best play-by-play guys in the league; I love listening to him. Heinsohn on the other hand is ...not so good. I'm sure he knows alot about basketball, but it would be nice to hear him talk about it instead of whining about the refs all game. Dude makes Chuck Swirsky sound objective!

I think this is a very sensible take on it from an outsiders point of view. As homers, I think most of us will agree he is WAY over the top with the calls for fouls or arguing some of the fouls called against the Celtics. He does make valid cases from time to time. But, I fully appreciate how he'd get under the skin of opponent fans forced to listen to the Celtic TV coverage. I yell at my TV too when he gets out of control. The straight-jacket not too far away as one argues with a television set. But he does provide good insight, is entertaining to home-town fans because he is nuts and self-depricating, and he is so entrenched in the history of the organization. I don't advocate his occasional off-color, non-pc, remarks; but you accept people for what they are and try to understand much of that comes from environment. If I were his friend, I'd try to offer him another perspective, but, as it stands, I try not to judge him as a person for some archaic concepts.

[GuyClinch]

I am not a huge Tommy fan. But I would never fire the guy - that's just ridiculous. It's like "firing" your uncle or something. Tommy is part of the Celtics family.