Imrem: Krause a complicated man who deserved much more
Jerry Krause should have been a folk hero in Chicago sports lore.
The former Bulls general manager was the kid from Taft High School on the far Northwest Side who grew into the man who built the city's greatest sports dynasty.
Krause's six NBA titles - that's six as in SIX! - equal the number of championships won here by Jim Finks, Kenny Williams, Stan Bowman and Theo Epstein combined.
Yet it took Krause's death this week for him to receive the widespread acclaim for the genius of his journey.
Suddenly, fans who booed him praised him. Suddenly, Bulls who feuded with him mourned him. Suddenly, media members who mocked him immortalized him.
The fact is Krause brought considerable disdain on himself by being so darn odd. The former Bulls general manager was at once toasty and chilly, blustery and thoughtful, storyteller and secretive, engaging and distant.
I experienced both sides of Jerry Krause in a couple of phone conversations that leapt to mind upon the news of his passing.
The first took place in autumn of 1984 when the Cubs were preparing for a playoff series against the San Diego Padres, who were mostly faceless around here.
I called Krause at home. He was a White Sox scout at the time and, off the record, he provided me with a detailed scouting report on San Diego's key players.
The second conversation took place six autumns later. This time Krause called me at home.
As Bulls general manager, Krause wanted me to take back a column that managed to alienate both him and Bulls/Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf.
I refused the request - demand? - and we probably didn't exchange more than 10 words since then.
It's nothing I'm proud of, and it was my loss because Krause had taught me a lot over the years.
What never escaped me during our ensuing estrangement was that Krause never received enough credit for the Bulls dynasty.
Nothing mattered but those six titles: Not Krause's personality, not the way he dressed, not his strained relationships.
Only those six NBA titles mattered.
It's as uncomplicated as that concerning this complicated man who deserved so much more.
Krause deserved to be in the basketball Hall of Fame. He deserved the same acclaim heaped upon the likes of Bowman and Epstein. He deserved a statue inside or outside the United Center.
Why has Krause been denied those honors? Mostly because critics resented that he inherited Michael Jordan rather than acquiring him.
Consider this: Krause's predecessor, Rod Thorn, handed him Jordan, and Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman's predecessor, Dale Tallon, handed him Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and others.
What's the difference? Not much. Krause and Bowman both deserve credit, but the former's was withheld and the latter's is lavished.
The last time I saw Krause was at Wrigley Field a few years ago. I was on the field during batting practice and he was scouting from a box seat near the visiting dugout.
I decided to walk over and offer an overdue handshake, but he was gone before I finished what I was doing.
One of my regrets in this business has been not mending my relationship with the man who should be a Chicago folk hero ... times six.
mimrem@dailyherald.com