I HATE BOSTON (TEAMS), BUT I LOVE BOSTON (PEOPLE).
Am I allowed to root against the Boston Red Sox now? What about the Celtics and the Bruins? I know it's only been a week, and the citizens of Beantown are still recovering from last Monday's bombing, but it's hard for me to NOT work up an intense dislike for John Farrell and those damn Sox. As for the Celtics, they have always been the most arrogant of all pro sports franchises. From the days of Red Auerbach lighting up his victory cigar when he knew the game was clinched, to the current day stars of the hardwood like Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and their coach, Doc Rivers. I never did like Russell and Havlicek and Jo Jo White and Dave Cowens and Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson and Kevin McHale. They won too many championships and were too dominant for too long. Even the late Jerry Buss, who owned the Lakers, said the main reason he bought the team was "I hate the Boston Celtics and I want nothing more than to beat them".
The right thing to do last week was to cheer for the Boston teams because they represented a city that was going through tough times and they needed to know that everyone was praying for them and supporting them. To me, that's bullshit. Oh sure, feel bad for the people who live and work in Boston, but don't start getting all misty-eyed for the Boston sports teams. If you ask Yankee fans, Habs fans, Knicks fans and other Boston-haters, they hope things get better in Boston, but they don't wish their sports teams any success at all. None. Yankee fans would like nothing more than to see the Sox lose ten in a row. Do you think Penguins fans felt sorry for the Bruins when they beat them a few days after the bombings? Probably not. Do you think New York Knicks fans felt bad for the Celtics while their team kicked the snot out of them? Highly unlikely.
Still, there wasn't a dry eye in the house when Neil Diamond himself showed up to sing "Sweet Caroline" during the 7th inning stretch of Saturday's game at Fenway against KC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF__vAm_qRM
And when the Sox rallied for three runs in the 8th to win it, thoughts of divine intervention and "we deserve this" danced in the heads of Boston fans. After all, they had had a terrible week, and an emotional Sox victory would do a lot to help the healing process along. But the baseball God's must've said enough was enough. The euphoria and sense of relief among Red Sox fans would be short-lived. The Royals, who had been sort of rooting for Boston themselves, along with just about everyone else, decided they didn't want to be part of the pity party anymore, and swept both ends of yesterday's doubleheader. The Red Sox came crashing back to earth. The Celtics were blown out by the Knicks in game one of their playoff series, and the Bruins are in a fight with Montreal for the division lead. In other words, things are back to normal. You may now go back to hating those Boston teams and wishing them all kinds of ill will (on the field, ice and court).
In the days and weeks after 9-11, people who never liked the Yankees suddenly became New York fans. Human nature dictated that you had to have sympathy for New Yorkers and, by extension, their sports teams. I fell into that category after 9-11. I actually rooted for the Yankees to win the World Series that year against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I still can't believe I wanted the Yankees to win. When they lost the series 4 games to 3, it was as if someone said "OK New York, the jig is up". A Yankees World Series victory would've been just. It would've beeb just what the city and it's people deserved after what they had gone through. After what the people of Boston went through, although on a much smaller scale compared to New York, they deserve our thoughts and prayers. But if you expect me to stop hating the Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins and the Patriots, you've got another thing coming. The passion that fuels my dislike of Boston teams is much stronger than the one that accompanies my affection for the Leafs, the Bluejays or the Chicago Bears. So, while I love the people of Boston and wish them nothing but the best, I'll never stop rooting against your sports teams. No matter what hapens, that'll never change.
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