It seems every year at this time the fans of the Boston Red Sox find that any hopes they once had of winning a World Series fizzle away. No matter how well Boston teams perform in the regular season once the playoffs start their play turns dismal and the heartache once again begins. The saddest part isn,t that another year has gone by without the Red Sox winning the big one, but the same goes for Boston,s other professional sports teams as well. When will the Bruins, Celtics or Patriots step up their play to the next level and take home that almighty Stanley Cup or NBA Championship or become the Superbowl champs? How many years do we have to wait? Titles have been won before, but when will my generation begin to revel in the glory of having one of our hometown teams be #1? Unfortunately for the fans, it seems Boston,s professional sports teams have their glory days behind them.

The Boston Red Sox haven,t won the World Series since 1918. That is quite a long drought that has lasted an amazing 81 years. Since then teams like the Yankees-- are our biggest rivals-- have won countless times, including the last two years. This year was the first time we have met the Yankees in the post season. The New York Yankees won 11 games this year in the post season and only lost one"and the Red Sox gave them that loss. We have had a great deal of players wear Red Sox uniforms in the past also: Babe Ruth, Carl Yastremski, and most notably Ted Williams who was the last player to bat over .400 in one year. Ted Williams was also voted #16 of the top athletes of all times, and even with him the Red Sox couldn,t take home a World Series title.

Fans and sportswriters have for years made excuses why each year the Red Sox have failed. The long drought has even been blamed on the trading of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. This trade has led many baseball followers to believe that ever since this event a curse was pit on the Red Sox organization. This curse was dubbed "the curse of the bambino. In1986 Red Sox fans watched as the ball hit by Mookie Wilson, in the World Series, go right through the legs of Bill Buckner in game 7 and the curse was brought back into discussion again. One of the Red Sox top pitchers that year was Bruce Hurst and if you scramble up his name you get "RUTHS CURSE. The whole curse might sound dumb to some, but people actually believe in it and it even got plenty of headlines. A book was even written on the subject entitled Curse of the Babino and it is already in its 11th edition and is required reading in most Boston public schools.

The Patriots were the most recent local sports team to have a chance at being the best at their sport when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the 1996 Super Bowl 35-21. The stage is set once again for a run at being the #1 team in football, but only time will tell just how far they,ll go. With arguably the best quarterback in the NFL and with one of the top receiving squads to pass to, this could make for an interesting year. The Patriots have actually had two attempts at being Superbowl champs and have failed, but some teams have never gotten to the big game so at least its a start. The Patriots only other attempt was back in 1986 with a slaughtering by the Chicago Bears 46-10. Just getting to the Super Bowl isn,t much to look back on, but for the Patriots it may be all they,ll have for a while

The New England Patriots have had a few good runs at the Super Bowl year in and year out, but injuries have always proved a key factor and this year the same remains. After a promising year, rookie running back Robert Edwards, went down with a season long knee injury which could possibly prevent him from playing again. Ted Johnson, one of the Patriots top defenders, also is out for the year with a torn muscle in his forearm. Losing player after player to serious injuries without replacing them via free agency or trade is a recipe for disaster. Expecting to have a 100% healthy team in football is similar to buying a lottery ticket and being sure you,re a winner and quitting your job before the numbers are drawn"you just can,t afford to do it.

The Celtics have won 16 championships, which is more than any other team in professional basketball. The records the Celtics hold are staggering: most consecutive championship seasons at 8, most championships at 16, and most wins by a franchise. More members of the Boston Celtics are enshrined in the Basketball hall of fame than any other NBA team. Players such as Bill Russel, Tommy Heinson, John Havlicheck, Bill Walton, Bob Cousy and most recently Larry Bird, have worn the famous green uniforms--very few have brought more history to a game then them.

Unfortunately, the glory days have come and gone. Its been 13 years since the Celtics have won a title and not much is the same other than those glorious green uniforms. The hall of famers are all retired and the Boston Garden has long since been torn down. Since 1993 the Celtics haven,t even once put together a .500 season. This year,s team looks reasonably well and show promise of possibly even making a run at getting into the Playoffs. There is a big difference from getting into the playoffs and being a successful team though. Getting into the playoffs and getting knocked out in the first round is a start, but nothing to be really proud of. There is no doubt the Celtics and rebuilding, but they must make more aggressive runs at high profile free agents. Rebuilding years are part of the game and every team has to go through them, but how long will the Celtics be under construction?

Along those same lines, the Boston Bruins are one of the most storied franchises in hockey. They have an unbelievable number of Division titles and 5 Stanley Cup banners are hanging from the rafters at the Fleetcenter (even though all the banners were won at the Boston Garden). The Bruins have had memorable games with moments that will be forever known as some of the greatest in NHL history. For many hockey fans the shot by a diving Bobby Orr, which took home a Stanley Cup, is a picture that is one of the most recognized in hockey's long history.

The problem that now surfaces for the Bruins seems to be different from that of all other Boston sports teams. People will always take personal shots at management no matter what the situation, but Harry Sinden by far has to be the most controversial. Harry Sinden refuses to pay any Boston player the money he deserves so most of the Bruins most talented players either get traded or leave via free agency. You can,t win if you don,t pony up the money and that is without a doubt the Bruins, main problem. By paying a little out you,re sure to see a higher return in the win column and it might even one day lead to another Boston title, but until then, who knows?

I like to think that it,s just a matter of time until we can win something big again. These teams have some of the best fans behind them. All the teams mentioned usually sell out all their games and the fans tend to stand by them no matter how bad they get. It,s just a matter of time, but as time passes every blown opportunity is more painful. Boston fans try to sit patiently hoping the glory days aren,t behind them and that sooner or later their patience will pay off. Until then we,ll just have to live with heartache.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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