A little while back I noticed a book on Judy Riley’s desk at The Times’ office. The book was about a sports hero of mine. Judy told me that it was an excellent book and that she would let me read it when she was through.
I got the book, “Pistol – The Life of Pete Maravich” by Mark Kriegel a few weeks ago. As I began to read the book I realized Judy was right when she said it’s the kind of book that when you start reading you don’t want to put it down. I think it would be great reading for anyone, but for those of us who grew up pretending to be “Pistol Pete” in our backyards it is even better reading.
I can remember watching Pistol Pete play on TV during his college days at LSU. The things he could do with a basketball inspired us kids to want to be like him. All of a sudden we were trying behind the back and between the leg passes to our buddies. When the passes occasionally happened to work, we would hoot and holler call ourselves Pistol Pete.
As the book details, his professional career was hampered by bad teams and bad knees. But he was still Pistol Pete, and he could still make all the fancy moves and shoot the lights out. But the book spends much more time detailing his relationship with his father.
In some respects, Pistol Pete and I had something in common. His dad, like my dad, played college basketball, went on to become a high school basketball coach and wore a flat top haircut. The similarities ended there though. Pete’s dad had an obsession with the game of basketball and passed that on to his son. My dad had a passion for the game of basketball and passed that on to his sons. Make no mistake, there is a big difference between an obsession and a passion.
But that obsession is what drove Pete’s dad. And it drove Pistol Pete to become one of the greatest to ever play the game. But by his own admission, Pistol Pete was never really satisfied with his performance. He had a hard time enjoying the game because his obsession always drove him to think he could have done better.
Some might say his sudden death at age 46 was tragic. But I think the final few chapters of the book, and his life, however brings everything into real focus. After never being satisfied with his performance and after trying everything under the sun to find happiness, Pistol Pete accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior. He finally found true happiness. He found purpose. He found a passion and not an obsession. And he spent his final days on this earth fulfilling that purpose and living out that passion. Simply Put, what a wonderful ending to the fantastic book and life of Pistol Pete.
From the front porch: Coach said laughter is the closet distance between two people.
I got the book, “Pistol – The Life of Pete Maravich” by Mark Kriegel a few weeks ago. As I began to read the book I realized Judy was right when she said it’s the kind of book that when you start reading you don’t want to put it down. I think it would be great reading for anyone, but for those of us who grew up pretending to be “Pistol Pete” in our backyards it is even better reading.
I can remember watching Pistol Pete play on TV during his college days at LSU. The things he could do with a basketball inspired us kids to want to be like him. All of a sudden we were trying behind the back and between the leg passes to our buddies. When the passes occasionally happened to work, we would hoot and holler call ourselves Pistol Pete.
As the book details, his professional career was hampered by bad teams and bad knees. But he was still Pistol Pete, and he could still make all the fancy moves and shoot the lights out. But the book spends much more time detailing his relationship with his father.
In some respects, Pistol Pete and I had something in common. His dad, like my dad, played college basketball, went on to become a high school basketball coach and wore a flat top haircut. The similarities ended there though. Pete’s dad had an obsession with the game of basketball and passed that on to his son. My dad had a passion for the game of basketball and passed that on to his sons. Make no mistake, there is a big difference between an obsession and a passion.
But that obsession is what drove Pete’s dad. And it drove Pistol Pete to become one of the greatest to ever play the game. But by his own admission, Pistol Pete was never really satisfied with his performance. He had a hard time enjoying the game because his obsession always drove him to think he could have done better.
Some might say his sudden death at age 46 was tragic. But I think the final few chapters of the book, and his life, however brings everything into real focus. After never being satisfied with his performance and after trying everything under the sun to find happiness, Pistol Pete accepted Jesus as his Lord and savior. He finally found true happiness. He found purpose. He found a passion and not an obsession. And he spent his final days on this earth fulfilling that purpose and living out that passion. Simply Put, what a wonderful ending to the fantastic book and life of Pistol Pete.
From the front porch: Coach said laughter is the closet distance between two people.
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