Whats with those nasty cigars Red Auerbach smokes, anyway?
There are several versions of the origins of the “victory cigar”. At the time he was coaching the Celtics, Red simply remarked that they helped him relax, and that the symbolic act of relaxing with a cigar told the team, the opponents, and the fans that the game was won. Another–and given Red’s contentions history with the league, probably accurate–story has it that Red was tired of being singled out by the league for fines, complaints, and general abuse. He started smoking a cigar on the bench to annoy them, and got a nastygram saing it didn’t look good to be on the bench smoking. However it started, it hasn’t stopped. Complaints from the League, fans, other teams, and even his own players didn’t stop him from lighting up. A few years ago, Red was eating dinner at Legal Seafoods in Boston, a restaurant that, like many, did not permit cigar smoking, and printed a rule to that effect on the menu. Red, of course, was puffing away when a patron at a nearby table chided him telling him t
