"Theo, boy blunder, the architect of this dysfunctional mess. I cannot support a franchise that insists on Neil Diamond between innings, and pink-hatted sycophants who robotically sing along. Tradition? It’s all so bloodless. Tasteless purveyors of overpriced, over hyped schlock in the house of the splendid splinter. Bring back Haywood, Buddy and the Yawkster. I liked it better when they were lovable losers, and henceforth am switching my allegiance to the Cubbies and the romance of the curse of the billy goat. Gentleman Lou Gorman is spinning in his freshly-dug grave as Henry attempts to find a solution in his algorithms, and Epstein consults with Bill James and interns from MIT. No baseball men in a front office and owners’ suite populated by celebrities, merchandisers, quants and financiers. Open distain for you, the unwashed fan, from the ultimate gated community. They make even the Kraft family look conscientious. I, for one, cannot continue to drink that toxic cool aid. I urge an immediate boycott of Fenway and the martinis, escargot and brie they peddle to the big firm lawyers, venture capitalists, hedgies and investment bankers who can afford to join this exclusive club. And those hapless cheerleaders on captive NESN keep pumping out the happy-talk. Red Sox nation? My ass."
New England sports fans by nature overemphasize each individual win or loss.. This passion is evident in the harsh New England accents pouring their heart and souls over the airwaves of 850 AM each morning and evening commute. One day the Celtics are playoff bound and the best coached team in the league, and the next day we are calling for Doc Rivers' job. This is the nature of the beast, and every coach and player understand the dynamic of playing professional athletics in New England before they take their first swing, their first snap, or walk the tunnel on to the Garden's historic surface.
The background of each New England team is very different, however they have all converged in the same decade to demand the same outlandish results. For the longest time New England sports fans were a product of their own self fulfilling prophecies. Through the late eighties, nineties, and early two-thousands our franchises were the lovable losers. This was back when tickets to Fenway could actually be purchased for face value, Drew Bledsoe was the face of the hard nosed New England Patriots, and the Garden struggled each night to even come close to filling the stands to watch their sinking teams with little playoff hopes. The Red Sox had not won a World Championship since 1918, and the Celtics were merely mice covered by the shadow of the Giant that was the franchise only a decade or two ago.
So while we as New England sports fans do our best to justify our recent success by explaining that we suffered for far too long, it is important to remember that in fact the current longest tenured New England Athletes, Paul Pierce and Jason Varitek, both arrived in Bean Town in 1998 and 1997 respectively. So we must face it, the current look of our beloved organizations do not even resemble those of the years when Championships were scarce. We as a town love the idea of being underdogs, the lovable losers; but for the last decade New England has earned it's reputation as "Title Town". Since 2000 New England has earned six World Championships. Three for the Patriots, two for the Red Sox, and One for the Celtics. We have been spoiled! Those who can claim my generation or younger have known nothing but success. After an eigthy-six year drought the Red Sox won two World Championships in four years! Many die hard Sox fans lived without witnessing a single Red Sox World Series victory.... I witnessed two in my four years of College alone. The Celtics went from worst to first in a single season by signing three of the top fifteen players in the entire league. The Patriots made four Super Bowl appearances in eight years, and I am almost embarrassed by the payroll of this years Red Sox team.
But we've come to expect it. We think we deserve it, and we really have not had to face adversity over the last decade. The 2004 ALCS would mark the end of the era of the lovable loser yet persistent franchise, and the beginning of the new look professional sports makeup of New England. The Red Sox off season acquisitions mirrored everything I hated about the late 90's and early 2000 Yankees teams. The Red Sox ownership runs a NASCAR racing team, and recently purchased a European soccer team that is also now partly owned by Lebron James. Lebron James! The face of everything that an old school New England sports fan hates. At a Sox game you can spot more pink hats than scuffed up worn out and faded caps. Being a Red Sox fan has become trendy and hip. It's only a matter of time until tickets come with your choice of the most recent Financial Times or Maxim magazine to read while you suck down the Starbucks you bought at Gate E.
So I exaggerate a bit, what can I say, that's the old school New England sports fan in me that lives and dies by every victory and loss. So while this 0 and 6 start does not necessarily mean we are already out of the playoff race, it does provide some insight into the old days. The pre-Brady/Belicheck/Garnett/Papelbon days. This is the very reason that Bruins fans are the purest of all New England fans. We still live in a world where the playoffs are not a given, every game is an adventure, and we are still suffering through a thirty-nine year Championship drought.
And look at me now, complaining about our recent success! Only a New England fan could complain that their own success has brought them to conflict with their affiliation. The Bruins grasp on to the one remaining aspect of what it means to be a New England sports fan; the idea that maybe this could be the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment