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BY CHRISTOPHER YOUNG
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Sports fanatics around here can be an impatient lot. Despite the fact that their NBA franchise has more world championships than any other, New Englanders still complain about the 16-year period since they were able to celebrate the team’s most recent title. Despite the fact that their baseball club gave its followers one of the most exhilarating joyrides in recent memory this past season, Boston’s hardball fans can focus only on the turn of events outlined on the storybook’s final page. Stuff like that. But truth be told, New Englanders who love their sports are probably unaware of how rich they are. So take a moment as you gather around your Thanksgiving table this week for that annual ritual of counting your blessings, and keep in mind that you’ve actually got it pretty good in a great number of respects, especially if you compare your region’s sports landscape to others’. Herewith, some things to be thankful for. • Facility-wise, the Greater Boston area boasts terrific homes for its teams. Folks may miss the old Boston Garden, but if you look long and hard down memory lane, there was a lot to complain about in the old barn, particularly obstructed-view seats and furry little creatures that were not leftovers from the circus. The FleetCenter is just eight years old, and though it’s a bit of a cookie-cutter arena, it’s still state-of-the-art and a huge improvement over its predecessor. Gillette Stadium is one of the best in the business for football, soccer, and concerts, and Fenway Park — well, you know how great that is, and how much you’ll miss it when it’s gone. Fenway’s a jewel that New England’s baseball junkies have called home for over 90 seasons, and its charm (despite its deficiencies) remains unmatched. • New England has celebrated world championships from its sports teams four times in the past 22 seasons, and eight in the past 31. Despite the championship drought of the Bruins (since 1972) and Red Sox (duh), the Celtics delivered three banners in the ’80s and the Patriots grabbed the franchise’s first just two seasons ago. Add to that the additional championship-round appearances by the Celtics (’85, ’87), Bruins (’88, ’90), Patriots (’86, ’97), and Red Sox (’86), and you have a pretty steady run of achievement. Ask the folks in the following cities how many championship teams they’ve toasted since 1980, and you’ll get the following answers: Cleveland (0), San Diego (0), New Orleans (0), Seattle (0), Atlanta (0), Cincinnati (1), Baltimore (1), Phoenix (1), Kansas City (1), Philadelphia (1), Houston (2), Oakland (2), Pittsburgh (2), Miami (2), St. Louis (2), and Washington, DC (3). So stop your whinin’, pilgrim. • The turn of events in games three and four of the ALDS in Boston, when huge plays made by Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, and David Ortiz helped the Red Sox avoid a three-game sweep against the A’s and instead forced a decisive game five, where Manny Ramirez (three-run home run) and Derek Lowe (heart-stopping save) sent the Sox on their way to the ALCS against the Yanks. Sure, that latter match-up didn’t work out so well, but imagine the gnashing of teeth around here if the Red Sox didn’t even get past the A’s. • Watching the likes of Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Mo Vaughn, Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Reggie Lewis, Ray Bourque, Joe Thornton, Cam Neely, Tom Brady, Drew Bledsoe, Adam Vinatieri, Steve Grogan, and countless others do their stuff on a regular basis over the past 20 years, live and in person. • Getting the chance to match wits with and second-guess the top-flight coaches (and characters) who have graced our sidelines and dugouts in the last couple of decades, including Bill Parcells, KC Jones, Bill Belichick, Pat Burns, Joe Morgan, Rick Pitino, Terry O’Reilly, Jimy Williams, Raymond Berry, Mike Keenan, and Jim O’Brien. • The opportunity to enjoy the soothing voices of the radio and TV commentators who detail the action for us when we’re unable to be there live. Topping the list are Gil Santos and Gino Cappelletti for the Patriots’ radio network, Don Orsillo, Jerry Remy, and the unparalleled Sean McDonough on the Sox’ TV broadcasts, Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano on the Sox radio airwaves, Dale Arnold, Dave Shea, Bob Beers, and Gordie Kluzak covering the Bruins, and Cedric Maxwell, Sean Grande, Mike Gorman, and Tom Heinsohn doing hoops patrol. Think about how dull the broadcasts would be without those familiar voices bringing us the action from afar. • The opportunity to see one of the most exciting Super Bowls every played involve your beloved team. Not only did said team play well despite its 14-point underdog status, but it ultimately knocked off the overwhelming favorites with a last-minute drive and a last-second title-winning field goal. How can you top that? You can’t, but stay tuned anyway. • On a similar note: the memory, distant as it may be, of having the local hockey franchise win its first Stanley Cup in 29 years on a sudden-death overtime goal scored by the organization’s — and perhaps the NHL’s — most exciting player ever. • The opportunity to see firsthand perhaps the greatest NBA team ever put together: the 1986 Boston Celtics, who went 50-1 at home that season and featured the Big Three in addition to Scott Wedman, Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson, and Danny Ainge. • Despite its limited number of elite Division I football programs in New England, the area has been blessed with many electric moments from its local universities, including: BC’s Miracle in Miami, led by Heisman Trophy winner and favorite son Doug Flutie; the equally remarkable upset of number-one-ranked Notre Dame on a last-second field goal by Boston College’s David Gordon in 1993; four straight — and a potential fifth pending — bowl-game appearances by BC’s gridsters; a Division I-AA football title by UMass; national-championship hockey seasons from Harvard, Boston College, and Boston University; the ousting of top-ranked North Carolina from the 1994 NCAA college basketball tournament by BC; the remarkable success of the UConn men’s and women’s hoops teams, including a 1999 NCAA title by coach Jim Calhoun’s men and four championships in the past eight seasons by Gino Auriemma’s women. • Until a few years ago, the Boston Bruins had qualified for the post-season in a record-setting 29 straight seasons. Since Jim O’Brien took over the reins from Rick Pitino on the Celtics’ bench, the team has reached the Conference Finals and the Conference Semifinals in consecutive years for the first time since the late ’80s. Since the Kraft family bought the Patriots franchise, the team has routinely been a playoff contender. And since the Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series, the team has finished over .500 in 12 seasons, and reached the playoffs six times. What it comes down to is that Boston fans don’t have to suffer through long-term droughts by their teams, as fans in, say, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Miami often do. • Pleasant surprises: the impressive start engineered by the 2003-’04 Bruins, who sit atop the NHL’s Northeast Division with a record of 11-3-3-3 (with a mere two road losses in 12); the against-all-logic performance by the Patriots, who are 9-2 in the tough AFC East despite losing significant defensive players to injury earlier in the season and significant offensive players (David Patten, David Givens, Troy Brown, Deion Branch) late in the season — yet still manage to pull out impressive victory after impressive victory. And the up-tempo style exhibited by the Celtics, now that they’ve parted ways from run-and-gunner Antoine Walker. • Annual events that our region is privy to: the Boston Marathon, the Beanpot hockey tournament, the Head of the Charles, and NASCAR in Louden, New Hampshire. Vroom. • The prospect of the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference teams making regular ventures to our area, particularly in football and basketball. The circumstances surrounding BC’s entry into the ACC are still somewhat dubious, but who can argue with the scenarios that will allow us to see perennial hoops and football giants like Florida State, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Maryland come to town on a regular basis? Without a doubt, participating in this conference automatically elevates BC to a level it has not seen before, and should increase local interest in collegiate athletics across the board. • Rivalries: Yankees–Red Sox. Patriots–Jets. Harvard–Yale. Celtics–76ers. Bruins–Canadiens. Celtics–Knicks. BC–BU. Bruins–Rangers. UMass–Temple. Tuna Bowls. Celtics–Lakers. Traditional Thanksgiving Day high-school match-ups. • The hot-stove league discussions, and living in the most passionate baseball town there is. See, there’s a lot to be thankful for. So cut the woe-is-me soliloquy and admit that life is pretty damn good around here for the dyed-in-the-wool New England sports fan. And once you’re done appreciating all that we’ve got around here, could you pass me some of that green stuff, please? "Sporting Eye" runs Mondays and Fridays at BostonPhoenix.com. Christopher Young can be reached at cyoung[a]phx.com
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