The Red Sox shine during a terrible week in Boston sports news
Sam Galanis
Contributing Writer
It doesn’t even need to be said that Boston has some of the most diehard sports fans in the US. They live and breathe sports. They shell out the ridiculous amount of money it costs for a ticket to any game and support their teams with their heads held high and with a Sam Adams (or two) in hand. And most recently, they looked to sports for strength in the wake of tragedy.
But what a week it has been.
The Bruins were doing so well that everyone truly believed that they could take on the rock solid Chicago Blackhawks. On Monday, everyone was ready for the Bruins to force a Game 7. Instead, they watched the Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup on Boston’s ice. On top of that, we’ve lost Andrew Ference, Jaromir Jagr, and there’s uncertainty floating around other players as well.
On Tuesday, the day after the Bruins loss, former Celtics coach Doc Rivers slipped through our fingers and moved on to the Los Angeles Clippers. If that wasn’t bad enough, last night Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the two remaining thirds of the Big Three, were shipped off to the Brooklyn Nets with Jason Terry. I don’t know a single person who thought that Pierce would retire in anything but green.
And last week, it was announced that former Patriots tight end and fan favorite Aaron Hernandez was being questioned about a murder near his home in North Attleborough, Mass. On Wednesday, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and promptly released from the team. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, he stained the name of our football organization, but much more importantly, the life of a native fan was taken. Hernandez can be easily replaced on the field, but Odin Lloyd, the man who was killed, cannot be.
But if there’s any bright spot that can come from all of these stories of different kinds of loss, it’s the Red Sox. Of course, baseball does not make up for the loss of life, but it’s a very welcome distraction from sadness. The Red Sox are in first place, and have been hovering at the top all season.
In stark contrast to last season, the players are happy, and the fans are happy. Well, I don’t think a Boston sports fan is ever truly happy unless there’s a trophy in town, but they’re as content as possible with the Sox right now. The team has had their ups and downs, but they’ve pushed through it all and have kept their spot fairly secure. Fans can actually look forward to watching a Sox game, and they’ve had to fortune to not have to throw things and yell at the television too often this season.
Especially coming from someone who lives in New York City during all of this, it’s nice to be able to put on your Sox shirt and feel good about it when you walk out of the house. Plus, there’s the extra joy of being able to heckle Yankees fans in their home territory. So to the Red Sox, thank you for your hard work that can serve as a distraction from everything else terrible going on in Boston sports. And bring home that World Series trophy (no pressure or anything).
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
Contributing Writer
It doesn’t even need to be said that Boston has some of the most diehard sports fans in the US. They live and breathe sports. They shell out the ridiculous amount of money it costs for a ticket to any game and support their teams with their heads held high and with a Sam Adams (or two) in hand. And most recently, they looked to sports for strength in the wake of tragedy.
But what a week it has been.
The Bruins were doing so well that everyone truly believed that they could take on the rock solid Chicago Blackhawks. On Monday, everyone was ready for the Bruins to force a Game 7. Instead, they watched the Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup on Boston’s ice. On top of that, we’ve lost Andrew Ference, Jaromir Jagr, and there’s uncertainty floating around other players as well.
On Tuesday, the day after the Bruins loss, former Celtics coach Doc Rivers slipped through our fingers and moved on to the Los Angeles Clippers. If that wasn’t bad enough, last night Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, the two remaining thirds of the Big Three, were shipped off to the Brooklyn Nets with Jason Terry. I don’t know a single person who thought that Pierce would retire in anything but green.
And last week, it was announced that former Patriots tight end and fan favorite Aaron Hernandez was being questioned about a murder near his home in North Attleborough, Mass. On Wednesday, he was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and promptly released from the team. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, he stained the name of our football organization, but much more importantly, the life of a native fan was taken. Hernandez can be easily replaced on the field, but Odin Lloyd, the man who was killed, cannot be.
But if there’s any bright spot that can come from all of these stories of different kinds of loss, it’s the Red Sox. Of course, baseball does not make up for the loss of life, but it’s a very welcome distraction from sadness. The Red Sox are in first place, and have been hovering at the top all season.
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| Photo courtesy of NESN |
Especially coming from someone who lives in New York City during all of this, it’s nice to be able to put on your Sox shirt and feel good about it when you walk out of the house. Plus, there’s the extra joy of being able to heckle Yankees fans in their home territory. So to the Red Sox, thank you for your hard work that can serve as a distraction from everything else terrible going on in Boston sports. And bring home that World Series trophy (no pressure or anything).
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
