Loose Balls

My love of basketball has survived even an epic Denver Nugget collapse this season. To fill the gap, I read Loose Balls, by Terry Pluto. And I loved it.

Loose Balls is basically the oral history of the American Basketball Association. It is also one of the funniest books I have ever read. When Semi-Pro was released, I figured it was just another gross exaggeration of just how ghetto the ABA was. In reality, it was pretty much right on. Although no one wrestled a bear during an ABA halftime show, the crazy promotions weren't that far off.

The fact that this league lasted 9 seasons is a testament to the daring of the owners, pure luck and some really innovative thinking.

Some of those innovative ideas worked better than others.

"Brownie Night" led to one fan being booed when he announced, after winning 1,000 brownies in a drawing, that he was diabetic (sorry Dave). Gimmicks included hiring Wilt Chamberlain to coach a the San Diego Conquistadors; using the famous red-white-and-blue balls; adding a three-point line (now an NBA staple); artificially inflating contracts by using annuities to make the payouts far, far down the road (the Dolgroff Plan); scantily clad women at games (another feature now in the NBA); and a vast assortment of game-day gimmicks.

ABA teams came and went pretty randomly. It took almost 6 seasons before every team remained in the same city. The Virginia Squires managed to trade or sell the following players over the course of two years: Dr. J, Rick Barry, George Gervin, Charlie Scott, and Swen Nater. Teams were so strapped for cash that they would do anything just to stay afloat.

So, what kept a league going for 9 years even though it was never far from Bankruptcy? Well, for one, they decided to sign underclassmen and challenge the NBA's assertion that underclassmen could not turn pro. It turns out that Courts aren't real restrictive on things like a person's right to make a living.

Signing underclassmen and high schoolers led to the ABA landing such names as Julius "Dr. J" Erving, George McInnis, Marvin Barnes, David Thompson, Moses Malone and many others.

The three-point shot turned out to be a big hit and opened up the middle. Fans loved the ABA slam dunk contest. Even the colorful ball was the league's biggest giveaway item.

The league may have featured teams being kicked out of hotels for non-payment and it survived playing some games in a hanger, but it did leave a lasting impression on the NBA and made that league much more interesting and exciting.

Other staples of the league included fighting, afros and a wide-open style. It also featured some of the biggest nut-cases who were deemed unworthy of the NBA. On that note, I'll relay the story of Marvin Barnes complaining about his team's unselfishness... for failing to pass him the ball in the last two minutes so he could score 50 points in a blowout loss.

You have GOT to love the ABA!

I loved this book so much that I sought and received a pass to re-read Bill Simmons' The Book of Basketball. It has been like reading it for the first time because of my deeper understanding of the old-time players. I now have funny stories to help me keep everything straight.