Boston Sports in Perspective

These last couple of weeks certainly haven’t been ideal for the Boston sports fan.  The Red Sox have gone from bad to worse and are driving the media discussions with their losing to the point that they’re being ridiculed.  It looks like it’s going to be another summer of the Red Sox being out of the hunt.  This is very disappointing as Bostons fan as we’ve been very used to our teams contending over the past 15 years.  Simply put, we’ve been spoiled by the success of the four major sports teams in Boston.  There have been nine championships in the past fifteen years.  To put that in perspective, there were 14 years with no championships before this stretch between 1987-2001.  It’s gotten to a point where we expect our teams to not only contend, but to win championships and that’s a good thing.

I was thinking recently about what to look forward to from a sports perspective this summer.  We rely so heavily on the Red Sox because they’re the only team playing until the Patriots start up in September.  No Bruins, no Celtics, and no Patriots.  Just a team that is currently last place in the American League.  Another cold drink by the beach, anyone?!  Having said all of that, we wouldn’t trade places with any other sports city in the country.  Take a look at Cleveland.  They’re now at 51 years with no team winning a championship.  New York?  No thanks.  Los Angeles?  Try again.  The reality is that Boston is the best sports city in America and despite that there will be times where our teams are not very good.  The difference is that there’s hope because the ownership of all four teams care about winning and will make every effort to win.  The Red Sox are getting a lot of heat from the media lately, but is there any doubt that they are all in on winning another World Series?  This front office team has been very successful even though it’s very easy to forget the three championships right now.  The Patriots are, perhaps, more committed to winning than any sports franchise.  Their run of winning seasons can’t be matched by another other professional team.  The Celtics exceeded expectations last year.  The ownership group wants to improve that.  The NBA is tougher than any sport to go to from the bottom to the top.  Danny Ainge is very creative and he will continue to improve this team with the help of ownership.  The Bruins are in a tough spot thanks to Peter Chiarelli and his mismanagement of the personnel on the team.  However, the core is still there and the team is committed to improving last year’s team.  Do you think the fans in Cleveland feel this way about the Browns and the Indians?  How about the Knicks and Jets fans?  I didn’t think so.

What makes being a Boston fan great is that we passionate about these teams and we expect greatness.  If it doesn’t go well, we like to criticize.  Right now is an easy time to do that.  However, we have a lot to look forward to.  The Red Sox can only go up from here.  This year may be close to over, but this team is too talented to repeat this next year.  Ownership cares and changes will be made.  The prospects of the Celtics are very exciting and it will be very interesting to see what moves they make this offseason.  DeMarcus Cousins, anyone?!  The Bruins are still going to struggle with cap room, but they can move some pieces around to improve.  The Patriots are just two and half months away from playing meaningful games.

I’m going to rank the future prospects of the four Boston sports teams to end this post.  Overall, the teams are in very good shape looking ahead for the next five years and the stretch of winning championships could continue.

Which team has the best chance to win the next Boston championship?

1.  Patriots – Elite team poised to contend again next year.

2.  Red Sox – Yes, I said it!  They will be back!

3.  Celtics – Continuous improvement.  It’s going to take a couple of more years to be a title threat.

4.  Bruins – Nothing against the B’s, but the other three are closer.

Who are your top four?

 

 

One thought on “Boston Sports in Perspective

  1. No doubt we are spoiled by the success and wave of championships over the last 15 years. Can’t argue with those rankings on who has best chance to bring home the next title. The pressure could come quickly for the Celtics. With all the draft picks and moves over the last few years, I’d say there is a considerable expectation for Ainge to produce a championship caliber team.

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