The Golden Age of Boston Sports?

jmcc5400 · Feb 12, 2017

As someone who is not much of a hockey fan, I thought we hit a peak in the first week of 2008. The Sox were fresh off a championship that culminated with a seven game winning streak; the Pats had just completed the first 16-0 season; and the Celtics had jumped out to a 29-3 start en route to a championship. Pretty close to sports nirvana.

Leather · Feb 12, 2017

2004 was the bomb.

Don Buddin's GS · Feb 12, 2017

That graphic during the Super Bowl that Boston holds a 37-1 edge over ATL in titles was telling. Now it's 38-1.

These are the good old days

The Social Chair · Feb 12, 2017

jmcc5400 said:
As someone who is not much of a hockey fan, I thought we hit a peak in the first week of 2008. The Sox were fresh off a championship that culminated with a seven game winning streak; the Pats had just completed the first 16-0 season; and the Celtics had jumped out to a 29-3 start en route to a championship. Pretty close to sports nirvana.

Yep. We were very close to the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics winning back to back to back.

snowmanny · Feb 12, 2017

There was this stretch of 32 years where Boston had at least one very exciting team every year, mostly driven by the Celtics:

1957-Celtics win title
1958 -Celtics lose in Finals 4-2
1959-1966- Celtics win titles
1967 - Red Sox lose WS in 7
1968-69- Celtics win titles
1970- Bruins win title
1971- Bruins have best regular season record
1972- Bruins win title
1973-Celtics have best regular season record
1974-Celtics win title
1975-Red Sox lose WS in 7
1976-Celtics win title
1977-Bruins lose Finals in 7
1978-Bruins lose Finals in 6
1979-Bruins lose semifinals in 7*
1980-Celtics have best record
1981-Celtics win title
1982-Celtics have best record
1983-Bruins have best record
1984-Celtics win title
1985-Celtics lose Finals in 6, Pats lose Super Bowl
1986-Celtics win title, Red Sox win AL
1987-Celtics lose title in 6
1988-Bruins lose Finals

*Edit: this is theoretically the weakest, but also in 1979 the Pats went 9-7, the Red Sox won 91, the Celtics signed Bird.

dynomite · Feb 12, 2017

jmcc5400 said:
As someone who is not much of a hockey fan, I thought we hit a peak in the first week of 2008. The Sox were fresh off a championship that culminated with a seven game winning streak; the Pats had just completed the first 16-0 season; and the Celtics had jumped out to a 29-3 start en route to a championship. Pretty close to sports nirvana.

Out of context, I have to agree with you: early 2008 was one of the greatest single-city sports moments ever. To simultaneously have the best team in 3 professional sports leagues is mind-boggling.

But nothing can top 2004.

Yes the Patriots had won twice, but coming off the devastation of Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS it felt like the Sox might never get over the agony of loveable loserdom and imaginary curses -- that we would be stuck watching Buckner and Boone and Dent highlights forever.

And then 2004 happens. Red Sox fever is at its absolute peak; ratings are enormous, tickets impossible to get, and every regular season Yankees game feels like a Shakespearean epic. Then come the playoffs, and the most epic ALCS of all-time -- the 0-3 comeback, back-to-back extra innings Papi walkoffs, the riot police in Yankee Stadium in Game 6. And then the World Series. Meanwhile, the Patriots pick up right where they left off and set the all-time NFL record for consecutive wins, making their case as one of the best teams in history. Then they go on their playoff run and obliterate the Colts and prime Manning, drop 40+ on the 15-1 Steelers in Pittsburgh, and then establish themselves as an honest to God NFL dynasty -- no ifs, ands, or Tuck Rules about it.

That was when everything changed for me as a sports fan. Forever after that, Boston teams were winners. I didn't need to wear superstitious clothing or sit in special places during games anymore. I didn't need to cringe anytime I met a Yankees fan ("Are you guys even our rivals? No one in New York cares about your team."). We had gotten to witness the greatest comeback in MLB history and the greatest winning streak in NFL history within a few months. We had the ultimate comeback to any argument.

By early 2008, we were used to success, and the rest of the country was sick of us. The Spygate saga had turned Belichick into the Nation's sports villain, with outrage flowing from US Senators. Even so that period was incredible, but nothing will match 2004 to me.

21st Century Sox · Feb 12, 2017

In October of '03, my sons were 14, 12, and 11. I had them addicted to the Sox from birth, and they all still are today. Also fairly indoctrinated to Pats/C's/B/s.....I remember going to bed with all three crying in their beds. (Especially the two younger ones) We pulled them out of school, I am near Hartford - 50/50 Sox/MFY fans. I remember asking my wife what I am doing to my kids, after so many years of heartbreak that I lived through for decades.

Calendar changes to '04, and the Boston sports RAMPAGE begins. The boys get it, understand it, and have reveled in the golden ages of Boston sports. I had the C's growing up, and certainly some high moments for all the teams, but this has just been an embarrassment of riches, and I don't think it is done quite yet!

Leather · Feb 12, 2017

snowmanny said:
There was this stretch of 32 years where Boston had at least one very exciting team every year, mostly driven by the Celtics:

1957-Celtics win title
1958 -Celtics lose in Finals 4-2
1959-1966- Celtics win titles
1967 - Red Sox lose WS in 7
1968-69- Celtics win titles
1970- Bruins win title
1971- Bruins have best regular season record
1972- Bruins win title
1973-Celtics have best regular season record
1974-Celtics win title
1975-Red Sox lose WS in 7
1976-Celtics win title
1977-Bruins lose Finals in 7
1978-Bruins lose Finals in 6
1979-Bruins lose semifinals in 7*
1980-Celtics have best record
1981-Celtics win title
1982-Celtics have best record
1983-Bruins have best record
1984-Celtics win title
1985-Celtics lose Finals in 6, Pats lose Super Bowl
1986-Celtics win title, Red Sox win AL
1987-Celtics lose title in 6
1988-Bruins lose Finals

*Edit: this is theoretically the weakest, but also in 1979 the Pats went 9-7, the Red Sox won 91, the Celtics signed Bird.

Yeah but the Celtics drafted Michael Smith in the '89 draft!

brandonchristensen · Feb 12, 2017

I remember the Sports Illustrated about this very thing in, I believe, 2012. Right before the Sox September collapse.

brandonchristensen · Feb 12, 2017

BaseballJones said:
And since then we've had the resurgence of the Celtics, another Red Sox title, and two more Lombardis.

The gravy train just keeps rolling along.

There was a dark couple of months there.

Bierman9 · Feb 12, 2017

Bob Ryan chimes in with interesting numbers/stats about how Boston relates to other cities/regions regarding championships.....

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2017/02/11/this-boston-century-but-here-how-other-championship-cities-stack/bupw57okmKsxf2TP78ljtL/story.html

Al Zarilla · Feb 12, 2017

Bierman9 said:
Bob Ryan chimes in with interesting numbers/stats about how Boston relates to other cities/regions regarding championships.....

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/patriots/2017/02/11/this-boston-century-but-here-how-other-championship-cities-stack/bupw57okmKsxf2TP78ljtL/story.html

Should he point out that while the LA Lakers have won 11 titles, the Lakers franchise has 16, 5 in Minneapolis? I bet a lot of people think all of the Lakers titles were by the LA Lakers.

reggiecleveland · Feb 12, 2017

There is an amazing run for legit GOAT claimants in Boston. Not that they were GOAT all these years but were playing Boston thos years
40-60 Ted
56-69 Russell
67-75 Orr (Honorable Mention Yaz maybe greatest indivisual season of all time, also around 1973 it was universal Orr and Russell were GOATs)
4 year gap
79-93 Bird
84-96 Roger (I know)
2 year gap
98-04 Pedro
00-17 Brady

Roger is the weakest but, before his late career tarnish tour he was a a GPOAT contender. Ted is caveat as best hitter not player.
But the new century has changed Boston from the city of great players to the city of great teams.

snowmanny · Feb 12, 2017

Rocky Marciano, Red Auerbach, Bill Belichick.

Also Russell needs to go to 69.

snowmanny · Feb 12, 2017

snowmanny said:
Rocky Marciano, Red Auerbach, Bill Belichick.

snowmanny said:
Rocky Marciano, Red Auerbach, Bill Belichick.

Also Russell needs to go to 69.

Also Mookie Betts.

Edit: Anybody have any cllue wtf I am doing?

chilidawg · Feb 12, 2017

When the Celtics and Red Sox win championships this year we'll really be over the top.

Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt · Feb 13, 2017

Why is there a question mark in the thread title?

Archer1979 · Feb 13, 2017

What makes this all seem so special is the drought that we had before it. We were starved. How starved? 15,000 showed up to celebrate Ray Bourque bringing the Stanley Cup to Boston... for winning it all with the Avalanche.

Yes, reggie nails it... we had great players. Now we have great teams.

rguilmar · Feb 13, 2017

Archer1979 said:
What makes this all seem so special is the drought that we had before it. We were starved. How starved? 15,000 showed up to celebrate Ray Borque bringing the Stanley Cup to Boston... for winning it all with the Avalanche.

Yes, reggie nails it... we had great players. Now we have great teams.

I remember how depressed I was with that parade. Not that I was upset for Bourque, but lamenting how we were celebrating someone else's championship. It also felt like all of our teams were far away from being championship level. Boston sports talk radio was pretty depressing, criticizing the state of our four major pro teams. It honestly felt like that, while we had some pretty good teams (Sox were getting close to the playoffs or getting in pretty routinely, Celts were good with the Pierce/Walker teams), nobody was actually close to winning a title.

Of course, that parade was in the spring of 2001. Things changed very quickly indeed.

loshjott · Feb 13, 2017

The drought from Spring 1986 until Feb 2002 doesn't seem that long but at the time it was the 2nd longest of any city with the major 4 teams. Only Philly (which hadn't won since 1983) had a longer drought. DC had no baseball team at the time so they don't count.

SumnerH · Feb 13, 2017

loshjott said:
The drought from Spring 1986 until Feb 2002 doesn't seem that long but at the time it was the 2nd longest of any city with the major 4 teams. Only Philly (which hadn't won since 1983) had a longer drought. DC had no baseball team at the time so they don't count.

Plus DC had won the Super Bowl in 1991.

mauf · Feb 13, 2017

loshjott said:
The drought from Spring 1986 until Feb 2002 doesn't seem that long but at the time it was the 2nd longest of any city with the major 4 teams. Only Philly (which hadn't won since 1983) had a longer drought. DC had no baseball team at the time so they don't count.

I believe there's only 12-14 cities* with teams in all 4 major leagues, and that number has grown by a few in the past 15 years, so that's not quite the badge of suffering it might seem to be.

* - Depending whether you treat the Bay Area and Orlando-Tampa as single markets.

loshjott · Feb 13, 2017

SumnerH said:
Plus DC had won the Super Bowl in 1991.

Yes I realized soon after posting. Silly to forget because I've been living here longer than that.

jimbobim · Feb 13, 2017

The answer is yes.

I'm 26 years old and I can honestly say to myself " Yeah it's not getting any better". I mean is anyone ever touching Ortiz in terms of impact for the Sox ? Unlikely.

Staggeringly Brady's 25 point come from behind Michalengelo now makes David a distant second even with his Ruthian 2013 and unreal final year. O and he and BB are not done.

The Celtics basically just have to be mildly patient and they look to be ready to return to yearly contending circle. The Garnett Allen Pierce years were unreal fun and Ainge turned them into the Nets picks plus that will inevitably be the stuff of documentaries years from now.

I'm no hockey fan but the Bruins hurt themselves by trading away top picks inexplicably it seemed.

Anywho this never gets old. Damn right Troy we've been hitting bingo for awhile now.

yep · Feb 13, 2017

Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt said:
Why is there a question mark in the thread title?

Well, think of all of the one-week-olds who have never known a championship in their lifetime.

8slim · Feb 13, 2017

Plus you guys forget that Boston's own John Cena has won the WWE title 16 times during this run.

The Golden Age of Boston Sports?

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