Historic Boston: Things to Do on the 4th
Photo of the day, July 3, 2009: After Hours
Let's be honest. We've long known that Boston is at least on the short list for Sports City of the United States. The passion felt by Boston sports fans has long been either heralded or chastised, depending on your point of view. But if you'd told us at the dawn of 2007 that we were entering one of the best years Boston sports teams and fans would ever experience, we would have laughed. Long. Hard. With some bitter remarks about a couple of our teams.
The Boston sports scene was full of surprises this year - most of all the fact that all that fan love would be rewarded with brilliant play in nearly every professional sport the metro area has to offer. But what were some of the singular standout surprises? Check our list below:
10. Rudy Giuliani dons a Sox cap, doesn't burst into flames. It was surprising enough to see Tom Brady switching city allegance and flip-flopping from Sox caps to Yankees gear and back again over the course of 2007. But to hear that presidential candidate and longtime face of Yankee Territory would back the Red Sox in the World Series made us wonder if a joke from The Onion had gone awry. Sure, he said that it was because he's a fan of the American League (that howl you heard at the time was from all of those season ticket holders to Shea Stadium), but the announcement left many amused Sox fans murmuring about vote pandering and New Yorkers wincing from the knife sticking out between Gotham's shoulder blades. Rudy, there are some things you just don't do.
9. The Celtics' Little Nine. Think back to the "there's no I in TEAM" remarks from youth league sports and varsity teams. Sure, the Big Three v2.0 has bumped up the Celtics' play and cred significantly during the '07-'08 season, but it's been the play of the Little Nine that has kept the team in games and made Boston once again a force to be reckoned with. As Doc Rivers - this isn't the last you've heard of him on this list - said earlier this month, "You've got to have role players to have a good team." We've got the role players (special Bostonist shoutout to Surprise Within a Surprise Rajon Rondo), and our team? Well, it doesn't suck.
Read the rest of the list after the jump! Photo by flickr user angkorianboy
8. Bruins goaltending. Once upon a time, word of Tim Thomas sitting on the bench would prompt Bruins fans to groan and prepare for a slaughter. But 2007 - and injuries - has shown us a number of solid goaltenders on the Bruins roster - Thomas, Manny Fernandez, rookie Tuukka Rask, and new guy Alex Auld. Each has stepped up and delivered quality defense for the local cause. Would we prefer to have some sense of stability? Sure. But if we can't have that, we'll take these guys.
7. Manny speaks! We'd started to forget that there was ever a time that Manny Ramirez spoke to the media, given his long-standing policy to let his batting, hair, or eBay page do the talking. But then Ramirez hit a three-run walk-off homer during Game 2 of the ALDS. There was a clubhouse interview. Then a press conference. Next thing you know, the guy's appearing on late-night talk shows and inviting all of us to his house for beers.
6. Randy Moss, good citizen. Randy Moss arrived in New England with a tricky reputation. Talented? Sure, but there was also the history of legal trouble, drug use, questionable (according to some) work ethic, and that whole mooning incident out in Green Bay. How would Moss fit in with the straight-laced Patriots organization? Answer: the guy is a record-challenging, cheer-eliciting, well-behaved instant New England legend. And we love him for it.
5. Clay Buchholz. Red Sox fans had heard so much about wunderkind Clay that some feigned disbelief that he didn't pitch a no-hitter during his Red Sox debut. Instead, the kid waited until his second game to put his name in the history books. What a slacker.
4. Jacoby Ellsbury. Another one of those buzz kids homegrown by Theo Epstein, Ellsbury gave the Sox a desperately-needed shot of adrenaline when he was called up on June 30. Bostonist was at the July 2 game at which Ellsbury scored from second base on a wild pitch, and everyone there seemed to feel that we were watching a star in the making. It was magical. We hope that Boston can continue to be a part of the ride.
3. Dustin Pedroia. We first met Dustin Pedroia when he was a little second baseman with a big problem at the plate. We now know him as the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and a guy ready to dive anywhere and everywhere to get an out for the Sox. Number 5 on our list also owes him beer for life, given the way Pedroia saved that no-no with a defensive play few others could have even considered completing.
2. Hideki Okajima. The public considered Hideki Okajima the sidekick when he came to Boston in 2007. The Six to Daisuke Matsuzaka's Blossom, the Vinnie Delpino to the Dice-K Doogie - a decent arm, but another bell or whistle accompanying Matsuzaka Mania. Dice-K struggled under the weight of expectation. Okajima, however, was named an All-Star (via the Monster Final Vote) and got his own theme song, making him the new Mike Lowell.
1. Doc Rivers knows how to coach! Dear Doc: We apologize for the way we cursed you at this time last year. It wasn't us talking, it was the stress of watching you lead a hapless basketball team through a season we'd love to forget. It was the frustration over realizing that we couldn't even get a freakin' ping-pong ball to go our way. But now that we see you working with some quality players and dazzling us on a regular basis, we take all of those swears and hexes back. Forgive us?
Caroline Roberts and Michael Fermia contributed much to this post. Stay tuned for more SportsList action tomorrow!
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Hats off to Bostonist for an excellent recap of our city's annus mirabilis in sports. I only wish the Globe could write something as interesting. Glad you're feeling better, Victoria!