2008 Woodie Awards
You want championships? We got 'em!
Ashley Bishop
Issue date: 2/5/05 Section: Sports
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The Blizzard of 2005 dumped nearly four feet of snow on various parts of the Bay State, and as I was trying to dig my car out of the LLC parking lot I couldn't help but wonder if the blizzard was some sort of sign. Maybe the snow was a reminder of the uncertainty that has plagued all aspects of life in New England for decades, from weather reports to Boston sports.
But lets face it, over the past four years we have been spoiled rotten. If you are a sports fan in New England the past four years have been some of the best of your life. I am only nineteen years old and in my lifetime every active professional sports team in New England has won a major championship (not including the Bruins, who are currently inactive of course). Our generation of New England sports fans may not have suffered the way that our fathers and grandfathers before us have, but being able to celebrate the glory of the Patriots and Red Sox while attending college is something that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. Two Super Bowl titles that were both clinched on fourth quarter drives and last second, game-winning field goals by a franchise that used to be the laughing stock of the NFL. After the Patriots second Super Bowl victory in three years, we thought that life couldn't get any better. While we ran victory laps around campus and skipped class to take the commuter rail into Government Center to rally with the rest of our region, we thought that life could get no better.
Then 2004 rolled around, and while the Patriots Super Bowl title eased the pain of the 2003 ALCS slightly, we couldn't help but wonder if our beloved Red Sox would ever give us a reason to celebrate. The uncertainty that loomed over Fenway Park for years was lifted with a few swings of the bat by David Ortiz. The curse was reversed, 1918 became just another year, and suddenly it was Yankee fans who would have to go into hiding until spring. After an 86 year deficit the Red Sox won the World Series, it still seems unreal, and I still have to watch the "Faith Rewarded" DVD every once in awhile to believe it.
One of my favorite Red Sox fan web sites featured a quote from a reader this week, "While shoveling my steps this morning (again), I finally understood. Of course, the Red Sox won the World Series right? This is hell freezing over." Less than a week from now we may have even more memories of the glory of New England sports teams, as the Patriots head to their third Super Bowl in four years. I've head the word "Dynasty" thrown around, a term that we never thought could be uttered in these parts. So while you are shoveling your car out of the parking lot, or putting layers upon layers on just to face the frigid cold on the way to class, think about how spoiled you truly are. The Blizzard of 2005 reminded us that while we may be the region with the most unpredictable winter weather, we are also the region with the most sports glory over the past five years. If you like sports, if you love championships, than New England is certainly the place for you.
But lets face it, over the past four years we have been spoiled rotten. If you are a sports fan in New England the past four years have been some of the best of your life. I am only nineteen years old and in my lifetime every active professional sports team in New England has won a major championship (not including the Bruins, who are currently inactive of course). Our generation of New England sports fans may not have suffered the way that our fathers and grandfathers before us have, but being able to celebrate the glory of the Patriots and Red Sox while attending college is something that we will all remember for the rest of our lives. Two Super Bowl titles that were both clinched on fourth quarter drives and last second, game-winning field goals by a franchise that used to be the laughing stock of the NFL. After the Patriots second Super Bowl victory in three years, we thought that life couldn't get any better. While we ran victory laps around campus and skipped class to take the commuter rail into Government Center to rally with the rest of our region, we thought that life could get no better.
Then 2004 rolled around, and while the Patriots Super Bowl title eased the pain of the 2003 ALCS slightly, we couldn't help but wonder if our beloved Red Sox would ever give us a reason to celebrate. The uncertainty that loomed over Fenway Park for years was lifted with a few swings of the bat by David Ortiz. The curse was reversed, 1918 became just another year, and suddenly it was Yankee fans who would have to go into hiding until spring. After an 86 year deficit the Red Sox won the World Series, it still seems unreal, and I still have to watch the "Faith Rewarded" DVD every once in awhile to believe it.
One of my favorite Red Sox fan web sites featured a quote from a reader this week, "While shoveling my steps this morning (again), I finally understood. Of course, the Red Sox won the World Series right? This is hell freezing over." Less than a week from now we may have even more memories of the glory of New England sports teams, as the Patriots head to their third Super Bowl in four years. I've head the word "Dynasty" thrown around, a term that we never thought could be uttered in these parts. So while you are shoveling your car out of the parking lot, or putting layers upon layers on just to face the frigid cold on the way to class, think about how spoiled you truly are. The Blizzard of 2005 reminded us that while we may be the region with the most unpredictable winter weather, we are also the region with the most sports glory over the past five years. If you like sports, if you love championships, than New England is certainly the place for you.