What is your perfect day? Sitting on white sandy beaches, sipping Mojitos, enjoying the sun? Shopping on Sunset Boulevard or Sixth Avenue? Skiing in Aspen? Holding the boom mic on the set of a porn movie? Whatever it is, I will tell you right now it is nowhere near the sports utopia feeling the city of Boston is living in right now.
The city of Boston has been doin' a lot of celebrating lately and might have plenty more to do in the coming months. Meanwhile, Philly fans are still grabbing for the dictionary every time they see the word "celebrate."
Boston? BOSTON? This was the city that was cursed. Where names like Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner used to haunt Red Sox fans. Bruins fans will always feel despair because they never gave a championship to Ray Bourque. The Celtics were prematurely about to hang the laces up on another season this decade when they did not win a top-two spot in the lottery. Eight weeks ago Boston College was not even ranked and every one was talking about how the Patriots season was going to be radically different after Spygate.
In the sports world, this city pulled a complete 180-degree turn. It is as if the sports franchises of the city got together on top of Hancock Place, put their proton packs on, crossed the streams and totally reversed all the negative sports stories in the town. Let’s face facts. The Red Sox are World Series champions. The Patriots are 9-0 after just handing a crushing loss to the previously-unbeaten Colts in Super Bowl 41.5 on the Colts’ home turf. The Golden Eagles are ranked number two in the country and have a legitimate shot at running the table and playing in the BCS game in January. The Bruins have completely changed their team around and are significantly better this year. By far, this is the most exciting NBA season for the city since the Bird-McHale Era.
Being a New England native, I feel like Ferris Bueller. No matter what I do it can’t go wrong. The bad things only happen to our close friends and enemies – like Jets head coach Eric “Man-Genius” Mangini who ratted out his former employer. The Jets are 1-8. The Yankees lose Torre and A-Rod to the NL of all places too. The rest of the ACC is terrible, mediocre at best. As for the Sixers and Knicks… well, we do not even need to comment. The only exception to this Bueller-esque feeling is the effing Canadiens. God, I hate Montreal. But things can’t be perfect, can they?
So, what is next? Let me dabble in the hypothetical for a moment, and you should come along for the ride. Suppose the Patriots run the table and go 19-0. The Celtics represent the East in the Finals and push six or seven games. BC wins the BCS. As for the Bruins, I will be contempt on making the playoffs. If the city wins three championships and makes five postseasons in 2007, Boston just might implode.
Where do we go from there? It can’t happen two straight years. The only thing we can do is prepare ourselves for the ride down. I’m going to do my best to enjoy the clinks and clanks on the rollercoaster ride up as each sports season climbs the hill. I’ll enjoy the loops, the curves, and the sidewinders as well. But the coaster stops eventually, and we will be back in the pack, in the hunt, and the clinks and clanks will have to start all over again.
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