Being a New England sports fan in the 21st century...

[edwardmurphy]

Is almost embarrassing, eh Rick?

2000 - Disappointing year...
2001 -Pats won it all! Yay!
2002 - Disappointing year...
2003 - Pats won it all! Yay!
2004 - Pats won it all! Sox won it all, too! Yay!
2005 - Disappointing year...
2006 - Disappointing year...
2007 - Sox won it all! Yay! Pats lost the Super Bowl. Awww...
2008 - Celtics won it all! Yay!
2009 - Disappointing year...
2010 - Celtics lost in the Finals. Awww...
2011 - Bruins won it all! Yay! Pats lost the Super Bowl. Awww...
2012 - Disappointing year...
2013 - Sox won it all! Yay! Bruins lost in the Cup Finals. Awww...
2014 - Pats won it all! Yay!
2015 - Disappointing year...
2016 -Pats won it all! Yay!
2017 -Pats lost the Super Bowl. Awww...
2018 - Red Sox won it all! Yay!
2019 ...?

So 16 championship appearances and 11 titles in the last 19 years, and deep playoff runs on those disappointing years. Who knows how long it will last, but man, this is sweet.

[RickD]

I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

I remember the frustration of the 1986 Red Sox. And how bad the Patriots were for a while.

I remember listening to Boston sports talk radio somewhere around 2000. They were betting on which Boston/NE team was going to win the next championship. As a typical skeptical Boston sports fan, I remember thinking that we may not ever see another championship in Boston. That's how bad it was.

[Philip]

The only NE team I was ever into were the Larry Bird-era Celtics. I was really fanatic about watching those games. The playoff games with the Lakers would leave me absolutely spent. Those were such diversely talented teams, in which they weren't the fasted (they were relatively slow), flashiest, but were absolutely the smartest pro basketball teams to ever lace them up! As for pro baseball, if you've not grown up in a major baseball market, then it's rather ho-hum. Course, the Braves are just 200 miles west of me - but I've never gone to a game, haven't even watched their playoff games since they won the series.

[edwardmurphy]

I remember the frustration of the 1986 Red Sox. And how bad the Patriots were for a while.

The Pats were always tough, and they usually lost - the 2-6 team nobody wanted to play, or at least that's how they spun it. I remember one season, way back when I was a kid, when I swear they lost like their first 6 games by a total of 11 points. They were just snake bit.

And I cried in '86. I spent a week listening to optimistic parody songs, and by game day I was a believer. And then they got annihilated. It was a sad night.

[RickD]

I remember the frustration of the 1986 Red Sox. And how bad the Patriots were for a while.

The Pats were always tough, and they usually lost - the 2-6 team nobody wanted to play, or at least that's how they spun it. I remember one season, way back when I was a kid, when I swear they lost like their first 6 games by a total of 11 points. They were just snake bit.

And I cried in '86. I spent a week listening to optimistic parody songs, and by game day I was a believer. And then they got annihilated. It was a sad night.

I remember sitting with my dad, watching game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Sox were 1 strike away from winning the World Series. I remember saying that they can't lose. My dad said, "Oh yeah? Watch." He was an eternal Red Sox pessimist.

[Byblos]

I remember the frustration of the 1986 Red Sox. And how bad the Patriots were for a while.

The Pats were always tough, and they usually lost - the 2-6 team nobody wanted to play, or at least that's how they spun it. I remember one season, way back when I was a kid, when I swear they lost like their first 6 games by a total of 11 points. They were just snake bit.

And I cried in '86. I spent a week listening to optimistic parody songs, and by game day I was a believer. And then they got annihilated. It was a sad night.

I remember sitting with my dad, watching game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Sox were 1 strike away from winning the World Series. I remember saying that they can't lose. My dad said, "Oh yeah? Watch." He was an eternal Red Sox pessimist.

Ah the far and few between sweet memories of an otherwise tortured soul of a life-long Mets fan.

I remember very clearly as the ball rolled towards first base and just before Bill Buckner's historic bungle, the message board briefly displayed a congratulatory sign to the world champion Red Sox. Very briefly.

[Philip]

Byblos, oh how well I remember that terrible moment for Buckner and Boston fans! I mean, he instantly knew that would be what he would forever be remembered for. It tore a hole in the souls of Boston fans.

Ironically, almost three weeks before that infamous moment, Buckner said this in a tv interview:

"The dreams are that you are going to have a great series and win, and the nightmares are that you are going to let the winning run score on a ground ball through your legs. Those things happen, and I think a lot of it is just fate." Wow! Ultimately, it's why he left Massachusetts forever.

Here's a great ESPN interview with Buckner about that missed play, many years later:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2615471

[RickD]

Is not fair that Buckner is blamed for the Red Sox losing that World Series. Just before that, Bob Stanley threw a wild pitch to tie the game. Not to mention, it was the 6th game. They still had to play game 7.

[edwardmurphy]

The only NE team I was ever into were the Larry Bird-era Celtics. I was really fanatic about watching those games.

Did you ever catch one with Johnny Most doing the call? That guy was the best.

[RickD]

The only NE team I was ever into were the Larry Bird-era Celtics. I was really fanatic about watching those games.

Did you ever catch one with Johnny Most doing the call? That guy was the best.

Just the mention of Bill Laimbeer, was enough for Johnny Most to go off on a tirade!

[Philip]

'87 east finals - The Chief (Parrish) clobbered Laimbeer and knocked him down!

And here is the shot that Bird called, "That good deed!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a550n_V_3-E

The Chief's real "tomahawk chop!" And Detroit lost anyway, haha.

Refs were like, no biggie! LOL. But the game before, Laimbeer had nailed Bird. Laimbeer was a thug in a basketball uniform - the league should have gotten rid of him a long time before this.

[thatkidakayoungguy]

Not really into this team but it's ok if you do.
I do like me some basketball on occasion, as well as dirtbiking.

[edwardmurphy]

Pretty good game, no? Meaning the AFC Championship, not the NFC Championship where the Saints got royally screwed by one of the worst missed calls I've ever seen.

But a Pats - Rams Super Bowl rematch?

Cool!

[RickD]

Pretty good game, no? Meaning the AFC Championship, not the NFC Championship where the Saints got royally screwed by one of the worst missed calls I've ever seen.

But a Pats - Rams Super Bowl rematch?

Cool!

That was the worst missed call I've ever seen. The Saints got robbed!

Before the two games yesterday, I was telling my son that I'd like to see a Rams vs Patriots Super Bowl. Brady's first Super Bowl win was against the Rams. And I'd like to see him beat the Rams, and retire in style.

[Philip]

Yeah, that missed Saints call - really, it was a virtual mugging that can bring a 3-5 year jail term! Unreal missed call!