Friday, June 17, 2011
Greatest Boston sports championship game this century
I can't really argue with Dan's list. But mine is a little different. I base it on shock factors, not necessarily on historic factors. Here goes:
1. The Pats' First Super Bowl, 2002 -- After the dramatic ending and as the confetti fell on Tom Brady inside the Super Dome, I remember being stunned and thinking, "The Pats? The Pats? Super Bowl champs? The Pats?"
2. Sox 2004 World Series Win -- Historic, yes. Shocked that particular night, no. They were up 3-0 going into the final game. Knew they were going to win it that night or the next. Not even the Sox could blow a 3-0 lead, not after coming back from three games down against the Yanks. But I remember being on Cloud 9 the next day, and everyone in Boston was so nice and happy. That was shocking in itself.
3. Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup victory -- I just didn't see it coming. Granted, I'm not a big hockey fan. But most people (or at least fellow bandwagon members) didn't see it coming. But once I did get into the swing of things, the playoffs were great drama. Three seven-game series. And the final series was simply a joy to watch.
4. Tie -- Celts 2008 Win, Pats Second Super Bowl 2004 -- Everyone knew the Celts were going to be good after they signed up Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They didn't play all that well in the early playoff rounds, dampening confidence and excitement a bit. But then they faced off against the hated L.A. Lakers -- and it felt like old times again. I was shocked about that. I was also shocked that they won it in 6 games -- and by 39 points in a final-game wipeout that took away some of the nail-biting drama. ... The second Pats championship was startling because the ending was so similar to the first Super Bowl win. Sort of.
5. Pats Third Super Bowl Win 2005 -- A variation of my very first reaction, "The Pats? A dynasty? The Pats?"
6. Sox 2007 World Series Win -- I simply didn't care all that much. We had 2004. I was a fat and happy Sox fan as a result. 2007 was just icing on the cake.
I can't really argue with Dan's list. But mine is a little different. I base it on shock factors, not necessarily on historic factors. Here goes:
1. The Pats' First Super Bowl, 2002 -- After the dramatic ending and as the confetti fell on Tom Brady inside the Super Dome, I remember being stunned and thinking, "The Pats? The Pats? Super Bowl champs? The Pats?"
2. Sox 2004 World Series Win -- Historic, yes. Shocked that particular night, no. They were up 3-0 going into the final game. Knew they were going to win it that night or the next. Not even the Sox could blow a 3-0 lead, not after coming back from three games down against the Yanks. But I remember being on Cloud 9 the next day, and everyone in Boston was so nice and happy. That was shocking in itself.
3. Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup victory -- I just didn't see it coming. Granted, I'm not a big hockey fan. But most people (or at least fellow bandwagon members) didn't see it coming. But once I did get into the swing of things, the playoffs were great drama. Three seven-game series. And the final series was simply a joy to watch.
4. Tie -- Celts 2008 Win, Pats Second Super Bowl 2004 -- Everyone knew the Celts were going to be good after they signed up Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They didn't play all that well in the early playoff rounds, dampening confidence and excitement a bit. But then they faced off against the hated L.A. Lakers -- and it felt like old times again. I was shocked about that. I was also shocked that they won it in 6 games -- and by 39 points in a final-game wipeout that took away some of the nail-biting drama. ... The second Pats championship was startling because the ending was so similar to the first Super Bowl win. Sort of.
5. Pats Third Super Bowl Win 2005 -- A variation of my very first reaction, "The Pats? A dynasty? The Pats?"
6. Sox 2007 World Series Win -- I simply didn't care all that much. We had 2004. I was a fat and happy Sox fan as a result. 2007 was just icing on the cake.
