Wikipedia:Featured article review/Bill Russell

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[edit] Bill Russell

I've notified WikiProject National Basketball Association, Myasuda, Onomatopoeia, Quadzilla99, Zodiiak, Chensiyuan, and Warhol13. Zagalejo^^^ 06:51, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

This article was promoted in 2007, and I was one of the people who voted in support. Admittedly, I hadn't read the entire article very closely, and I believe it falls short of satisfying 1a and 1d.

My concerns:

  • Some phrases are taken almost verbatim from the sources. In the "personal life" section, we have two sentences which are very similar to those in this article. ("His would-be neighbors filed a petition trying to block the move, and when that failed, other neighbors banded together to try to purchase the home that Russell wanted to buy. . . Furthermore, once in Marion, Indiana, he had been given the key to the city only to be refused service that evening in his hotel's dining room. Russell went to the mayor's home, woke him up, and returned the key.") User:Xeriphas1994 pointed this out on the talk page in November 2007. Unfotunately, I hadn't noticed that message until now (and I guess no one else did, either.) It might be wise to check everything in the article, to make sure it's free of plagiarism.
    • I've reworded the two sentences above, but I'm still worried that there may be similar problems elsewhere in the article. Zagalejo^^^ 17:16, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
  • The article often sounds more like a sportswriter's column than an encylopedia article. It has a lot of sports jargon ("This was the first time in seven years that he failed to average 23 boards"), and the language is not always neutral ("Russell grabbed an incredible 40 rebounds in Game 2"; "They finished with a lackluster 48–34 record"; "Russell completed another fine year"; "Russell himself put up decent numbers of 9.9 points per game", etc.)
  • The "Accomplishments and legacy" section is a real chore to read, especially the second paragraph, which is just a flood of statistical information, with repetitive transitions ("Russell also... Russell also...") That information might be better in list form.
I don't mean to be persnickety, but I think it's fair to ask that we make this the best article it can be. I'm committed to helping out with what I can, but I can't do it myself. Zagalejo^^^ 06:41, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

You're not being persnickety. Plagarism is as serious an issue as we can face. I'm going to do a full source check for you, and will post if I find any hint of copying text. I don't have any of the books, so you're out of luck there. Giants2008 (talk) 20:41, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

I've gone through the first 10 references, and I have a couple questions. Nothing major, but I might as well mention them now.
  • Article: "which was later called an important bonding experience for the group." Ref 3: "The result is what we might refer to today as a "bonding" experience." No plagarism, but should "bonding" be placed in quotation marks in the article?
  • Ref 7: Alex Hannum being the only coach to beat the Celtics in the playoffs during their dynasty is not referenced by this. At least I can't find it. This also appears tacked on, and not very relevant to Russell.
I haven't found anything to match the plagarism examples given, but have been making changes to items that are close to the source text.

If it's close, why take chances? Feel free to revert if you don't like the adjustments, and I'll be back for more tomorrow. Giants2008 (talk) 23:46, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your hard work. I'll look through a batch of references later tonight. Zagalejo^^^ 23:55, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
I've covered everything up to "1956-59". I haven't found any other whole sentences that have been copied from the sources, but I changed a few phrases that I thought were a little too close for comfort. People can look through the edit history to see. I also did a little bit of general copyediting, but nothing too extensive. I'll check more of the sources later. Zagalejo^^^ 04:48, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
With Zagalejo's help, I've made it through 35 sources so far. My worst discovery so far was a factual error, stating that Russell had a 30-point, 40-rebound performance in Game 7 of the 1963 NBA Finals, when he actually did so in 1962. The game also went one overtime, not two as the article previously said. This is now fixed. Let me throw out my one concern so far.
  • Article: "In one particular instance, Russell's father was denied service at a gasoline station until the staff had taken care of all the white customers. When his father attempted to leave and find a different station, the attendant stuck a shotgun in his face, threatening to kill him unless he stayed and waited his turn. In another instance, Russell's mother was walking down the street in a fancy dress when the local sheriff accosted her."
  • Ref 1 (The Current): "In one instance, his father was denied service at a gasoline station until all the other white customers were taken care of. To add insult to injury, when his father calmly drove away toward another station, the attendant shoved a shotgun in his face and threatened to kill him unless he came back and waited.
In another instance, Bill's mother was walking down the street wearing a beautiful dress when the sheriff stopped her...". Is this too close to the source text? I didn't think so yesterday when I checked it, but it's starting to bother me now. If anyone wants to comment on this, please do. Giants2008 (talk) 18:36, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
I tried to reword those a little bit more. I'm not sure if I'm satistfied. Zagalejo^^^ 21:56, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
I've made it to ref 46, (Counter Punch) and I have bad news. There are several other statements sourced to this site that look almost identical in the article. The whole paragraph probably needs to be re-written. Giants2008 (talk) 20:50, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
I'm done with my source check, and refs 47 (ZMag) and 51 (Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research) are also repeated closely in the article. The Personal life section seems to be where the real problem is. Giants2008 (talk) 21:05, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Thanks so much for doing that. That personal life section is problematic for other reasons. I remember reading that few NBA teams ever approached a sellout in the 1960s, so it may not be wise to use the attendance figures as an example of racism toward Russell. I'm just going to pull those sentences out for the time being. Hopefully, some of the main article writers will drop by sometime to chime in. Zagalejo^^^ 21:25, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I'm now attempting to weed out the many POV statements in the article. There are quite a few of them, and I notice them most when talking about Russell's season performances and "famous" moments in the NBA. Describing what happened is enough for me. I won't guarantee that I got everything, but it is better now. I removed the first instance of his streak of averaging 23 rebounds a game from when it started, because I didn't think it flowed well there. I also worked on some other things, but feel free to change them back if you want. I'm through 1964–65 as I call it a night, and I will finish this tomorrow. Giants2008 (talk) 04:17, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your continued hard work. Zagalejo^^^ 06:38, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
I just finished my POV run-through. I don't claim perfection, but I do claim improvement. Giants2008 (talk) 22:57, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
Yeah, it defintely looks better, as far as POV language is concerned.
  • OK, I think my first two comments above have been addressed, thanks to the work of Giants2008. I'd still like to do something with that "Accomplishments and legacy" section, though. Also, I noticed that many paragraphs throughout the article begin with the phrase "In the [year] season...," like "In the 1967-68 NBA season..." Should that be "During the 1967-68 season"? Zagalejo^^^ 01:46, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

My idea for Accomplishments and Legacy is to move the single-game feats into the season recaps. This will reduce some of the clutter, and the games would fit better in their respective seasons. After this is done, the rest of the second paragraph can be moved into a list. What do you think? Giants2008 (talk) 01:25, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Yeah, that sounds like it would work. Zagalejo^^^ 03:09, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Comment As a main contributor to the original FA version, I applaud all of the improvements. After my long wikibreak, I will be infusing info from books and magazines, moving the article away from listing pure stats and giving a more holistic view, both in professional and personal sense. Any help (esp. copyedit) is appreciated. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 12:50, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

  • Great! Leave a note when you think you're done, and I'll comb through the prose. Zagalejo^^^ 06:12, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
I'll look at the writing as well. The Accomplishments and legacy section still needs work, since I got a little lazy with this. Also take a look at the pictures, especially the infobox photo; I'm concerned about fair-use with a living person. Giants2008 (talk) 15:09, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
I am finished now with the new input, page is now 80k instead of 60k. Copyediting is appreciated: My eyes are not fresh anymore, I could not see errors even if I wanted to... —Onomatopoeia (talk) 21:18, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
  • New comments I'll add to this list as I work my way through the article.
  • However, Russell frequently battled with racism and was notorious for his contempt of fans and journalists.
I'm a little uneasy about the word "notorious" here. I think the sentence should make it clearer that Russell's attitude towards fans and the media was largely the result of his experiences with racism.
Copy that. But also mention that he took out his resentment on the people who actually made him big, namely the fans and also the staff (see his hit-and-run retirement) of the Celtics.—Onomatopoeia (talk) 21:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
  • As a sophomore at McClymonds High School, he was a teammate of future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson, but Russell would have been almost cut again.
I'm not sure what Frank Robinson has to do with Russell almost being cut. Zagalejo^^^ 02:20, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
Yeah, that is awkward. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 21:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
  • In his USF years, Russell used his relative lack of bulk to develop an uncanny style of defense: instead of purely guarding the opposing center, he used his quickness and speed to play help defense against opposing forwards and aggressively challenge their shots.
A couple of comments: 1)"uncanny" is POV; 2)Do we have an article that discusses the concept of help defense? Zagalejo^^^ 02:28, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
Well, the book says that Russell pretty much invented the concept of a mobile defensive center who played help D. Maybe "unique"? Help defense IMHO is uncovered by WP. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 21:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
Yeah, I think unique would be better. Zagalejo^^^ 21:48, 9 June 2008 (UTC)
  • Russell's first Celtics game came on December 22, 1956 against the St. Louis Hawks, led by star forward Bob Pettit, who held several all-time scoring records.
Did Pettit hold those records in 1956? Zagalejo^^^ 02:28, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
Pettit at least held the record of 1,849 points in a season (25.7 ppg), which he set in that 1955-56 season. Of course, he peaked at 29.2 ppg years later. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 16:07, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
Ah, Okay.Zagalejo^^^ 18:40, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
  • I think the third paragraph of "1956-59" needs some restructuring. At one point, we say, "With his teammates, Russell had a cordial relationship, with the notable exception of fellow rookie and old rival Tom Heinsohn." At the end of the paragraph, however, we learn that Heinsohn was not the only exception, since Russell was also cold towards Cousy. Zagalejo^^^ 03:21, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
I worded it badly. Russell-Heinsohn was tense, Russell-Cousy was actually quite ok, it was more like politely-minding-each-others-business. Russell and Cousy simply did not have any common interests, but they did not dislike each other. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 16:07, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
  • The discussion about racism in the sixth paragraph of "1956-59" seems like it's just shoehorned into the text. It doesn't really fit within the flow of the prose. Is that really the best place to put it? Zagalejo^^^ 03:50, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
The "Negro" quote is based on Russell's experience with racist Southern hotel owners in Dallas, when the NBA All-Stars toured the U.S. in the postseason of --indeed-- 1958. IIRC the Go Up For Glory book and the citation appeared 1980. Suggestions? —Onomatopoeia (talk) 16:07, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
Well, I think that section could still use some reorganization. It's weird to go from "This attitude contributed to his legendary bad rapport with fans and journalists." to "The Celtics won 49 games and easily made the first berth in the 1958 NBA Playoffs, and made the 1958 NBA Finals against their familiar rivals, the St. Louis Hawks." We at least need a transition of some sort between those two sentences. Zagalejo^^^ 18:40, 10 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 'Russell had the daunting task of defending against Baylor with little frontline help, as the latter had already fouled out the three best Celtics forwards: Loscutoff, Heinsohn and Tom Sanders.
Is "fouled out" usually used as a transitive verb? Zagalejo^^^ 18:50, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
  • His time as a coach was lackluster; although he led the struggling SuperSonics into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, Russell’s defensive, team-oriented Celtics mindset did not mesh well with the team.
Some more details would be useful here (eg, his record with the Sonics). It's not clear why he was so "lackluster". Zagalejo^^^ 04:04, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • More attracted to his mother Katie than to his father...
I'd use a different word than "attracted". Makes it sound like he had an Oedipal complex. :P Zagalejo^^^ 04:09, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • Russell's thinking became increasingly militant, so far that he was quoted in a 1963 Sports Illustrated interview with the words: "I dislike most white people because they are people... I like most blacks because I am black", expressing that "human" was a negative trait and "black" was a positive trait which were mutually exclusive.
This needs some work. I'm unsure about the colon usage, and I don't even understand what all of it means. How is "human" a negative trait? Zagalejo^^^ 04:23, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

Source concerns - I have a few questions about whether sources are reliable. I'm concerned about refs 12 (HickokSports.com), 13 {a school website) and 61 (nndb.com). Ref 45 has a formatting error as well. Also, please don't forget my note above Zagalejo's round of comments. Giants2008 (talk) 02:07, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Status. Do people want to keep this up in the FAR section as work goes on? I was going to move it down to FARC. Marskell (talk) 17:22, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Since a lot of work has occured recently, I don't see any harm in giving it another day or two. Giants2008 (talk) 17:42, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I guess a couple of days wouldn't hurt anyone, but the more I look at the article, the more problems I see. In addition to the things I listed above, there are lots of subtle problems with the prose that are hard for me to explain, and hard for me to fix myself without having access to all the sources. Zagalejo^^^ 18:50, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I just weeded out the wacky refs and corrected several errors. Still, I also think that the prose could do better. —Onomatopoeia (talk) 22:44, 11 June 2008 (UTC)