Being Bob Knight means always having to say `I’m sorry,’ Pete Rose’s gambling history and getting to the, uh, bottom of a very noticeable Super Bowl security lapse.
Q. How many chances does Bob Knight get to apologize for his outrageous behavior before someone finally says enough is enough?
A. I wrote a magazine article about Knight in 1981 and researched some of his childhood background. Knight was an only child who he grew up in the tiny town of Orrville, Ohio, where he was the star athlete. He played as the sixth man on the national championship Ohio State team in 1960 that included Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Larry Siegfried.
While he was growing up in Orrville, a neighbor, Dr. John Boop, took a great interest in Knight. Boop had to intercede at least once when Knight got into trouble as a teenager. Once, the new high school coach sent in a substitute for the high-scoring Knight so that everyone on the team could have an opportunity to play. Knight reportedly refused to come off the court and later was kicked off the team. Eventually, Knight returned to the school with Boop and, you guessed it, apologized to the coach to rejoin the team.
Q. Don’t you think some of Pete Rose’s former teammates were aware he was betting on baseball?
A. Perhaps so. But Cubs hitting coach Gary Matthews, whom Rose nicknamed “Sarge” when they were teammates in Philadelphia, told me he was not aware of Rose’s gambling on baseball games. Andre Dawson was Rose’s teammate briefly in Montreal and Dawson said he only knew of Rose’s penchant for gambling at the racetrack.
Q. With all the talk about Janet Jackson’s halftime exposure, relatively little has been mentioned about the streaker who got onto the field amid all the security. How could such a thing happen?
A. That was very disturbing. Thousands of fans and media members were subject to intense scrutiny throughout the week, standing in long lines and cooperating as necessary for improved security. Yet the naked truth came out on the field at the end of the half.
Q. Do you think the Cubs will be able to sign Greg Maddux?
A. All things being fairly equal–meaning the money–I think Maddux would prefer to wind up his career here, where he started. When I spoke with him during last fall’s playoffs, he talked nostalgically about the appeal of Wrigley Field and knowledgeable Cubs fans.
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