LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND

Once again (for the third time in a week), I must say "What Up" to my homies here in the Blogger Community. With 2007 being one of the toughest of my life, I really did not have much of a desire to write, especially toward the end of the year when my Mom passed way. However, with 2007 long since rolled over to 2008 and the Summer here (plus with the Celtics winning banner umber 17), I have had some desire to get back into one of favorite hobbies (writing) as of late. Today, With the Celtics euphoria subsiding somewhat, I will attempt to focus on other things besides sports (believe it or not, we do have other things on our mind other than the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics, here in the Boston area) namely, closing one chapter of life, and starting another.

As of August 1st my brother, my friend Dan and I, will be moving together into an apartment, which means my brother and I will be moving out of the place that we have called home, on and off, for the past 15 years. To say that it will be the end of an era is an understatement. For the past 6 months the thought of this move has been on my mind, and I did not think emotionally it would be that big of deal. However as of late, with the preperation getting underway in ernest, I realize how wrong I have been.

A little background in necessary here. My Mom passed away from Cancer last December 14th. Her wish was to not be put into any type of nursing facility, which meant her final days would be spent a home, with the family around, which we all respected. As her condition took a turn for the worse, we all came back home to help care for her (I was living with a friend of mine, closer to Boston), and thus my parent's condominium became home to us all once again. After she passed, and all of the constant bustle of nurses and doctors coming in and out of the apartment stopped, a quietness took over, an eerie calm, if you will. At this point, my brother and I decided to put all of our previous differences behind us (more on that some other time), and try to see if we could live together without killing each other. So far so good on that front.

After the funeral, and all of the other business that must be attended to when a loved one passes on was completed, my brother and I got to work on planning what the immediate future would hold, namely, where were we going to live? We socked away some money that some of our relatives were generous enough to give us, but eventually that was eaten up by bills that the household was very behind on. As the new year came and Winter turned to Spring, it was getting a little tough to make ends meet on our salaries. After putting our heads together we came up with three possible scenarios: 1. We keep plugging away and we stay where we are. 2. We bring in a third person and split the rent and expenses thre ways (the scenario we almost chose, but the one that would have required alot of time consuming work) 3. We pack up and move. The latter is the scenario we chose and after a months long search for an apartment a mutual friend of ours directed us to place that his family owns which is very affordable, and turned out to be the perfect fit for all of us.

So now, after tying up some loose ends with our current landlord (which took longer than anticipated), the process of moving has begun. Upon sorting everything out, throwing things away, and putting other things in a seperate pile to be donated to charity, I realize the memories that have been built in the place over the years. This really hit me when I was going through some old newspapers and magazines that I had saved over this past decade-plus. I though of everything that has happened both locally, and nationally; the sports memories from the last six-plus years. More importantly, I thought of everyone close to me that has come and gone (I lost both of my parents during my time in the apartment), and the friendships I have made during this time period. I took all of this in and realized that I have alot more invested emotionally in that condo that I thought. All things must past and we all must keep moving in life

THOUGHTS FROM THE WEEK THAT WAS/QUOTES OF NOTE

Hello to one and all, wherever you may be. It has been quite a week indeed in Boston, with the Boston Celtics sending us into the OFFICIAL START OF SUMMER with an NBA Finals victory, giving us our second championship in Boston in the last 8 months. At the risk of sounding greedy, I can't help but think that if the Patriots had prevailed in Superbowl XLII, that would have given us THREE MAJOR SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN A ROW. These are incredible times indeed to be a Boston sports fan, and ones that I will cherish for years to come. Having lived and died with our professional sports teams my entire life, I remember what it was like around here until the Patriots broke the championship drought in February of 2002. With that experience comes the knowledge of how quickly things can change in professional sports. I realize that things will not always be as they are now, and eventually this incredible run of championships will come to an end. That is what makes moments such as last Tuesday so special in their own unique way.

Speaking of championships, there has been much talk and debate locally and nationally about whether seeing our teams have this type of success ever "gets old", and if all these championships have made us "spoiled", or "greedy". As to whether it ever gets old, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt... NO!! As far as the the Celtics are concerned, the journey was too long and painful (as I pointed out in my last blog entry)from June of 1986, to June of 2008. Anyone that does no know of what I speak, either has not been paying attention, or is not very knowledgeable about NBA history over the last 22 years.

As for the second point, about whether we are too "greedy", "spoiled", or have become a "Mini-New York" in turns of a pompous, entitled attitude, I will say two things: Number one, most of the things I have read about our "attitude" is coming from commentators, etc. from New York, who have NO RIGHT TO CALL ANY OTHER CITY POMPOUS OR ENTITLED. I read in the Boston Globe about one New York sports talk radio host, talking about the "bad attitude" that we have, while bragging about the Giants Superbowl victory, and further boasting about how "things will soon change, and The Yankees will add to their 26 World Series titles". Of course, he convientley forgets how the Yankees chose Game Four of last year's World Series (as the Red Sox were clinching their championship), to air the next installment of the STUPID, boring soap opera between Yankees management and Alex Fraudriguez. Who was acting pompous then?

I will sum up the whole thing by saying this: I hope every fan in every city with four sports teams, that has suffered through mediocre seasons, bad front office decisions, etc. can experience what we have seen over the last six-plus years in Boston, and that includes you SMOKIN STEVE, if you are reading this. I have been saying for a long time, that things will eventually change (as they always do in sports), and cities like Philadelphia will have its day. If it happened in Boston, it can happen anywhere.

QUOTES OF NOTE

" Anything is possible!!!!"
- Kevin Garnett after the Celtics won their 17th NBA Championship on Tuesday night

" I have to thank my teammates, the organization, and the city of Boston for sticking with me...It was tough, and we had some bad teams, but I am glad that we could bring this home for you."
Celtics captain Paul Pierce, upon accepting the NBA Finals MVP trophy

"These events are not easy to plan, bet we sure have gotten alot of practice lately."
- Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis at the press conference announcing the Celtics Championship Parade

"I would like to welcome everyone to the latest meeting of the Book of the Month Club" - Rep. Lamar Smith, on day two of Scott McClelland's Judiciary Committee hearings

Returning To Where We All Once Belonged

THIS IS DEDICATED TO MOM, DAD, RED, REGGIE, DJ, JOHNNY MOST, AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO DID NOT LIVE TO SEE THE JOURNEY COMPLETED.

It was a warm Sunday in early June, 1986. The 15 year old kid gathered with his family in his parents room to watch another rite of spring in the 1980's, to bear witness to the Celtics being crowned king of the basketball world for the third time that decade. The Celtics defeated the Hoston Rockets in six games. Hoston hung in for awhile, and things got rough in game 5 with a brawl ensued. The fight was started by Ralph Sampson, and was ended when Bill Walton tackled the big Houston center from behind, after Sampson took a shot at Celtic guard Jerry Sichting. In terms of drama, that was pretty much all that the series provided, as the Celtics never lost their composure, as true champions rarely do in sports.

The young kid soaked it all in, as many children his age did all over New England in those heady days, some 20-plus years ago. It was June, school was out, the independence of high school awaited in September, and the Celtics had just done it again, dominating the league from start to finish in 1985-86, as few teams had in the history of the NBA. 67-13 was their regular season record. Only two losses in the playoffs . This was a team that lost one game at home the entire season, withstood a 63 point performance from Michael Jordan in the first round of the playoffs, and was never really challenged throughout the remainder of the tournament, save for that two game stretch in Houston during The Finals. If this were not enough, there was kid from Maryland on his way to town whom the experts were saying could very well be the bridge to numerous more titles in the ensuing years. It was all unfolding according to plan, as it often did for the Boston Celtics from the 1960's, through the 80's. Life was good indeed, and about to get better.

Then the 80's turned to the 90's, the kid grew up, went to college, got a job, and it all unraveled right before our eyes. The can't-miss phenom who was supposed to lead us through the next decade passed away from a drug overdose. Larry Bird retired after the 1991-92 season. Reggie Lewis, the team captain who took the torch from Bird, passed away in 1993. There were bad drafts. Bad trades. Dave Gavitt took over as General Manager and Head of Basketball Operations in 1990, (as the kid graduated high school), and promised a return to glory, but was no match for a changing NBA that the Celtics organization was not prepared for. Danny Ainge was traded in 1989. Kevin McHale retired in 1993. Eventually the Big Three was gone, and Robert Parish was off to Chicago Bulls, where he would win a few more titles.

Things would get worse. 1996-97. 15 wins. Enter Rick Pitino. M.L. went to New Jersey for the Lottery and...no Tim Duncan!!! More broken promises. By this time the kid was in his late 20's, and was giving up hope, as we all were. It was a long way from that Sunday in June of 1986, although only 10 years had gone by. Pitino would leave in four years. Another false prophet. Enter Jim O'Brien. New decade. 2000-01 ended on a bit of an upswing. They finished strong, but there still was much work to do. 2001-02. Celtic fan's hopes were rekindled with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. The team came from 20 points down in the fourth quarter against the New Jersey Nets. Sadly, the Nets would prevail in the series. Boston just did not have an answer for Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin. Hey, things were looking up. Kenny Anderson Played well, and this Rodney Rogers kid can really play defense. Enter Danny Ainge. Anderson and Rogers gone within a year. Vin Baker?? A couple more playoff appearances would follow.

By February of 2002, a new era had dawned in Boston sports, as the Patriots brought us out of the wilderness with their first Superbowl victory, and we were all reminded of what it was like in those heady days during the 1980's. The kid was now in his early 30's, and despite the Patriot's success, we could all not help but wonder if the Celtics would ever rise again. 2003 became 2004. The Red Sox shock the world, and erase 86 years of misery with a World Series title, while embarassing the hated Yankees along the way. Still the kid thought... "what about the Celtics?"

2004 became 2005. Two more Superbowls, a couple of more Celtic playoff appearances. A blown three games to one lead against the Indiana Pacers. 2005-06. Out of the playoffs. 2006-07. The kid was now in his mid-30's. 24 wins. An 18 game losing streak. Back to Secaucus for the Lottery, and the...NUMBER 5 PICK???!!! This can't be happening. Ok Danny Ainge, what now? Wait a minute, the Celtic brass is huddling...do they have a plan? Does anyone even care anymore?

The draft comes and goes. Ray Allen is brought on board, and the promise was that more moves would follow. How long have they been saying that? Who else could they possibly get to come to Boston? Kevin Garnett is out there but...no way!!! Won't happen. The brass huddles again. Proposals are thrown around. The story won't go away. Kevin McHale is the GM in Minnesota, do you think he could help us out? God, this has to end sometime! More huddling. More negotiating. A press conference is scheduled. He is coming. Kevin Garnett is coming to Boston!!! Garnett, Allen. Pierce. The New Big Three. Did they give up too much to get these guys? Are they deep enough for a title run?

2007-08. The kid is 36 when the season begins. Have we now finally turned the corner? A 45 win season would make us all happy. 19-0 to begin the year. Looks like we may have something. They sweep the Texas trip. They are dominant at home, just like the old days. Detroit will be the measuring stick. They handled them pretty good during the season. The Western road trips go well. Will they have what it takes come Springtime? " We will see", they said. Here come The Playoffs. Atlanta. Seven Games?? They survive. Clevland and Lebron James await in Round Two. Another seven games. Why are they having such trouble on the road? Next up... Detroit, and The Eastern Conference Finals. Tough. Physical. Still some problems on the road, but they come up big in Game 6, and go ...BACK TO THE FINALS!!!...AGAINST THE LAKERS!!! The 37 year old kid is 13, 14, or 15 again. The memories. Bird. Magic. McHale taking down Rambis. Jack Nicholson... Beat LA !!!

Four games to two. Celtics win. At The Garden. Just like the old days. Boston goes crazy. Banner number 17 at last. Some did not get to see it, but they are looking down and smiling. The Celtics have made it all the way back. The kid is grown up, but feels like a teenager again. It feels great. Let's hold onto this, and never let it slip away.