We had a stretch of ten titles in ten years. It enabled myself personally to venture out into other areas of life. I was a die-hard Red Sox fan growing up. That was a very painful upbringing for sports.
The kids who grew up in Boston as Titletown might not know how good they have it. We were sort of a loser city. The Red Sox were the biggest losers of all time. The Bruins dominated two seasons with the best players Orr and Esposito. Otherwise, the Boston Bruins were the Buffalo Bills of hockey. We were the second best team every year. That provided a bit of its own pain.
The Patriots never won anything, but then Kraft saved the day. We got Belichick. The Red Sox and Patriots broke curses. The Celtics and Bruins were simply joining the party.
I don't feel guilty that we had amazing luck the last fifteen years because before then being a Boston sports fan was maybe relying on the Celtics of the 60's and the mini-dynasties the following two decades. That team, Auerbach and Russell and the rest, saved this city for sports sanity.
Attendance wise it was always the Red Sox dominating. In terms of winning though, only the Celtics had the amazing past. Then Bias and Lewis died and Boston sports in general seemed over.
But this is a nutty sports town. Other teams are great but in the wrong location. We had some of the worst teams of all time, but the last fifteen years made all the suffering worth it.
I agree with Rollie there was something magical especially with Patriots in 2001 and the Red Sox in 2004. All other titles seemed matter of fact, even our Celtics win in 2008 seemed like business as usual for the cosmos.
Nothing will match what the Red Sox did and how they did it and to whom and especially after the playoffs in 2003. And really then we can talk about Bill Buckner, Yaz popping up to Nettles, Bob Stanley throwing a wild pitch. Some years the Red Sox had no chance. I remember always getting swept by Canseco and Eckersley, not even close around 1990. Being a 1986 Boston Red Sox fan had to be the most painful experience ever.
Down 0-3 to the Yankees and we win four in a row, never been done before and it was against the Yankees. You can't make up that kind of stuff.
The funniest part of the 2004 Red Sox is at a certain point we all knew they would pull it off. We knew deep in our hearts that we were incapable of jinxing it and they were incapable of choking. I think that confidence started brewing with the first win. The second win cemented much better odds, as we were then licking our chops for Schill and Pedro, best case scenarios, that anything is possible when it's a team full of idiots who don't know any better.
Then I think we swept Colorado or St. Louis. I forget. I knew we weren't going to choke in the WS after destroying the Bambino Curse.
That is now 12 years ago, but it definitely changed the course of my life as a sports fan. I no longer take it too seriously. If one cannot feel immortal satisfaction for the 2004 Red Sox, nothing will ever do it.
Topic: what a sports town (Read 1455 times)