UP CLOSE, PERSONAL WITH BOB, DON'T CALL ME BOBBY

Are we lucky or what? Virginia is among 17 states that will welcome ESPN BET Nov. 14. Just what the state needs, another national betting forum to make us a little – make that A LOT – poorer.

 Speaking of good fortune -- NOT -- we watched Bobby Knight, who passed Tuesday (Oct. 31) at age 83, up close and personal on several occasions. Truth be told, I always thought he was too mean to die. He was not a nice man … as all those stories about his nasty side would suggest. 

 Two seldom mentioned were (1) his putdown, for no apparent reason, of a poor schlub moderating a post-game press conference at an NCAA regional and (2) shoving a drunk into a garbage can at the Final 4 in Philadelphia.

 I forget the year and venue but still vivid in this old, octogenarian mind is the Indiana coach, who had just lost a first-round game, belittling the volunteer. His crime? He said he wasn’t sure if Knight would make an appearance … matter of factly, without rancor, nor did he give any reason why. It was done with more respect than Knight deserved. 

Still, Bob “Don’t Call me Bobby” took revolting exception to the thought he might bypass a meeting with all his “friends” from the news media. And, so, the jerk acted like a … jerk.

“Who told you I wasn’t coming?” he demanded (among other things) then pretty much ended the rant, saying, “You [bleeped up]. Now sit there and keep quiet or leave. I don’t care.”

 If we had any gumption, we’d all have gotten up and walked out. Except most of us had heard versions of it before … so many times … we were long-since numbed by the bully that was the man who would win 902 games, sixth on the all-time list. 

Prior to the 1981 finals in Philadelphia, where Indiana beat North Carolina for the championship, an LSU fan. who clearly had one too many, wound up being deposited with the rest of the garbage by Knight. We didn’t hear what was said to the coach but LSU’s sports information director insisted the fan didn’t deserve how the coach responded. 

 Believe it or not, we wrote a column for the Times-Dispatch, basically saying Knight wasn’t the villain (not this time, anyway). The SID from LSU saw it … and didn’t take kindly to our commentary – not without reason, of course. 

 LSU would lose to Indiana, and Ralph Sampson-led Virginia bowed to Carolina. In what was the last third-place game, U.Va., beat LSU. 

 There was some question there would be a day two after John Hinckley tried to kill President Reagan, and we can still hear Bryant Gumbel screaming to anyone who would listen how awful it was that the NCAA chose to carry on. 

Gumbel, who joined NBC Sports in 1975, was there for what would be the Peacock’s final F4 coverage. Dick Enberg, Al McGuire and Billy Packer had the call. Ten months later Gumbel became a co-host of runaway No. 1 “The Today Show,” where he remained for 15 years.

 To be honest, we always got a good laugh when Knight took a run at reporters. Their lack of affection was mutual. Classic Knight: “All of us learn to write by second grade. Most of us go on to greater things.”  

Finally … we still have trouble believing former players, assistants, associates, etc., who continue to insist he wasn’t such a bad person ... as most accounts tend to portray him. First and foremost, Knight was a bully (by the old definition). Deep down, they KNOW. 

 Until next time ...