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Where Have I Seen This Dangerous Man Before?

11/28/2012

3 Comments

 
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Damian Lewis
     After being out Sunday night watching the Giants slaughter the Packers, I managed to catch up on Homeland and Boardwalk Empire yesterday, which seems to have become an exercise in rooting for the survival of people who are duplicitous at best and downright evil at worst.
     With the conclusion of Homeland's ninth episode, season two, I wasn't quite sure what Brody (played by the English actor Damian Lewis) was up to, or which side he was being honest with. Perhaps he doesn't quite know yet. At least I have finally figured out who Brody has reminded me of for the entire first season and handful of episodes of the second. Coincidentally, another tough guy with admirable qualities but -- from my vantage point as a young Knicks fan -- one thoroughly embedded with the enemy.
     That would be Dave Cowens of the hated 1970s Celtics.
     Cowens was one of those guys you absolutely loved if he was on your side and couldn't stand the sight of if he wasn't. An undersized center, he played with boundless energy and aggression. In the reporting of my 2011 book, When The Garden Was Eden, Tommy Heinsohn told me that Cowens -- who came along after Willis Reed's knees were failing -- took special delight running our iconic Game 7 (1970) savior ragged, one end to the other. I almost wanted to lash Heinsohn with my video recorder for that but he -- and Cowens, for that matter -- were actual charmers in post-playing life.
     A classic Brody tactic, I might add.
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Dave Cowens

3 Comments
Jeff link
11/25/2013 05:12:50 am

Thanks Harvey,

I took out the 1st season of Homeland from the library last week, thoroughly enjoyable...I looked @ Damian Lewis and he definitely looked familiar...it hit me...DAVE COWENS!! I Googled Damian Lewis-Dave Cowens look-alike and came up with your article last year. Thanks!, we think alike. I think he also has a resemblance to Jack DelRio.

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Joe O'Connell
8/18/2014 11:11:08 pm

Harvey: Heard you on a sports talk show a few weeks ago when you were promoting Cold Type, and the host mentioned your book When the Garden was Eden. I recently got it from the library and loved it. Your blog about Cowens made me feel like this would be a could place to write to you. Being a 51 year old life long Knick fan, this book was like my Boys of Summer. While most of my memories of those games are from stories told to me by my older brother and from old TV clips, I loved the Knicks growing up. Had a pair of the Puma Clydes and wore Reed's number 19 on my back for CYO ball. Loved the detail about the lives of the players and the connections to people and events outside of basketball. The Cassie Russel-Detroit practice, Dean Meminger and the Steve Albert stories were sobering but excellent. Thanks so much for this beautifully written book.

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Editors Decision List link
9/12/2023 11:26:54 am

Great reading yourr post

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