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| Randolph Charlotin. 31st December, 2009 - 11:36 am
 Boston sports fans, we've been spoiled. We have to admit it, because it's undeniable.
For a city steeped in history, for years it was all a sports fan could talk about as the 2000s got underway. The last championship was the 1985-86 Boston Celtics. After that, it was a short list of "almosts."
The New England Patriots had two Super Bowl trips end in failure. And a chance for Boston's first World Series since 1918 began unraveling when a grounder rolled through the legs of first baseman Bill Buckner in game six. Blame it on The Curse of the Bambino.
With nothing new to be proud of recently, we recycled stories of Larry Bird, Bobby Orr and Ted Williams. Bostonians appreciated the greatness displayed by the legends, but at the same time were depressed by the memories because the modern day teams always let the fans down.
So when a team finally broke through, we were in disbelief. We didn't believe we'd celebrate another title in our lifetime.
The Patriots broke through first, under the unlikeliest set of circumstances. With franchise quarterback Drew Bledsoe injured in the second game of the season, Tom Brady, the 199th player selected in the 2000 NFL Draft, quickly took command of the offense and the team rallied around the second year signal-caller.
The stars aligned time after time for New England. Wide receiver Fred Coleman, with two career receptions, had the biggest catch of his life ?- a 46-yard catch and run in a December win over the New York Jets. Wide receiver David Patten fumbled the ball along the sideline but fortunately made contact with the ball and the sideline (ruled out bounds) as he fell down unconscious.
"The Tuck Rule" preceded the greatest kick in NFL history by Adam Vinatieri, as he knuckled a 45-yard field goal to force overtime. And in the extra frame, New England drove the ball for a short game-winning field goal. Snow angels for everyone! Love, Lonnie Paxton.
With everything going the their way, it's not totally surprising they drove 53 yards in 1:30 to set up the winning 48-yard field goal. And just like that, 41 years of disappointment stepped aside for the establishment of a standard of excellence: The Patriot Way.
As the Patriots evolved into a machine-like organization, the Red Sox devolved into a loose and fun-loving group of personalities. Starting pitcher Pedro Martinez, while focused and intense on the mound, was like a little kid off of it, joking with teammates and the media. Left fielder Manny Ramirez arrived later and became the symbol of aloofness as his living for the moment approach became 'Manny Being Manny.'
The Sox came close, but couldn't get past the hated New York Yankees. The newest chapter to Boston's postseason disappointments happened in 2003 when manager Grady Little left an obviously tired Pedro Martinez on the mound with the Red Sox ahead of the Yanks, 5-2. By the time the inning was over, New York tied the game. And in the eleventh inning, a twist was added to Boston's vernacular. Bucky "Bleepin" Dent was updated to Aaron "Bleepin" Boone, after the latter hit the game-winning home run.
The Bambino did it again.
During his tenure with the Sox, Martinez was asked about the Curse of the Bambino. He declared if Ruth's apparition stepped into the batter's box, he would, "hit him in the ass." Pedro didn't get the chance to plunk the ghost haunting the Sox, but he did the next best thing.
In the ALCS rematch the following year, Pedro buzzed New York's Hideki Matsui who was hitting like the Babe. After Martinez played ghost hunter and headhunter simultaneously, Matsui and the Yanks were spooked at the plate from that point on.
And the Sox could do no wrong. Dave Roberts was going to steal second in Game 5. Everyone knew it, and he still did it. Curt Schilling made a bloody sock fashionable as he reinforced his reputation as a clutch playoff pitcher. Alex Rodriguez became a photoshop legend with his slap of Bronson Arroyo's glove.
The metaphoric ball kept rolling for the Red Sox from Game 4 of the ALCS through Game 4 of the World Series as Boston swept the St. Louis Cardinals.
Curse Reversed.
Whether it was a curse or not, the Celtics certainly felt like they were. The deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis set the franchise back and caused immeasurable damage to the future.
And the string of bad luck continued through the worst record in the league in 1997, the hiring of Rick Pitino, and losing the NBA Lottery with two shots to win it. By the time Pitino said Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish were not walking through the door, Slick Rick was ready to walk out that door.
Danny Ainge, a member of past Celtics' championship teams with Bird, McHale and Parish, did walk through that door as the President of Basketball Operations and aimed to assemble a modern day Big Three. He did it when he acquired shooting guard Ray Allen and power forward Kevin Garnett in separate trades. With Pierce already in place, the core was united.
Team chemistry didn't completely come together until the playoffs. Boston survived two seven-game series against Atlanta and Cleveland by winning all home games. The highlight was the Paul Pierce-LeBron James duel. The King won in the box score with 45 points, but the Celts won the game and the series, led by The Truth's 41 points.
The baptism by fire hardened the Celts for the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals. When the Celtics staged a game four comeback win after being down by 24 points to the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston was on the cusp of the long awaited championship.
They didn't claim the title until June 17th, which was serendipitous: on 6/17, in Game 6, the Celtics won their 17th Championship.
What city is ever lucky enough to celebrate three Championships with three different teams?
If a Boston fan was told in 2000 that they would see the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics win titles in the decade, they'd ask who made the deal with the Devil and ask if they could sign the contract too.
Never in our wildest dreams did we think the Pats would go from laughingstock to the class of the league with three titles in four years. Or that after breaking a 86-year Curse the Red Sox would wait just three years for a second World Series sweep.
If winning is contagious, then it spread to the college ranks. Boston University and Boston College won the last two NCAA Hockey Championships. BC also won in 2001.
Other franchises got close. The New England Revolution made four MLS Cup appearances, including three in a row. And the Boston Bruins won four division titles.
That's 14 championship appearances, nine championships, and countless playoff appearances. The next 10 years might get off to a good start with the Pats, Celtics, Bruins, and Sox as legitimate contenders, possibly for years to come. But it's going to be very hard for the next 10 years to be as good as the last 10.
Soak it in Boston fans. It's been a heck of a ride.
Read more by Randolph Charlotin at his New England Patriots blog at . He can be reached at talktome@randolphc.com. |
