The Boston Pro Sports Blog

OK so my apologies to those of you out there who have been wondering where I have been. I took some time to travel a little bit(actually a lot a bit), see some old friends and family, and take care of some work related stuff(yeah I have another job. For whatever reason the blog gig doesn’t seem to pay for my extravagent addictions like fur coats, asian masseuses, and internet porn).

A lot of action has occured since I last checked in. The Bruins did some restructuring atop their Front Office including acquiring a new General Manager and Head Coach. The Patriots will be gathering together for mandated camps soon after their optional mini-camps last week.

The Celtics made some, shall we say “interesting” moves in this years 2006 draft as well. Led by GM Danny “At Least I’m Not Isiah Thomas” Ainge, the Green swapped their first round pick, Raef LaFrentz, and Dan Dickau to Portland for Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and a 2008 2nd-round pick. They then acquired the number 21 pick from Phoenix for cash and a future 1st round pick and drafted Rajon Rondo from Kentucky. In a third trade, Ainge got Cal star Leon Powe for a future second round pick as well. The Celts’ 1st round pick became Randy Foye, essentially equating the deal to drafting Telfair over Foye in the first round. Many of you may recognize Telfair from an ESPN documentary “Through the Fire” which follows Telfair from his days as a high school superstar in New York City through his experience during the NBA draft. If you didn’t understand any of the last paragraph or simply spaced off here’s a quick summary:

2006 NBA Draft:
Celts get Rajon Rondo(1st round) - good
Celts get Leon Powe(second round) - should be good although he has bad knees
In Trades:
No more Raef LaFrentz - very good
No more Dan Dickau - who?(the white guy that backed up the back up point guard)
Celts get Theo Ratliffe - neutral
Celts get Sebastian Telfair - hopefully good although the jury will be out on this one for a while
Get it?

Obviously a lot going on in Red Sox Nation as well. The Sox hit the all star break 3 games up in the AL East to rival New York. Big Papi represented the BoSox in the Home Run Derby with Manny, Papelbon, and Mark Loretta joining him as the Sox All-Star representatives. Mike Lowell is having all All-Star caliber season as well although its no surprise that A-Rod got the nod over him to represent the AL at third base. In all honesty it really doesn’t matter as long as he continues to play well. Also the AL won with a great comeback in the ninth to secure home field advantage for the American League in the World Series. We all hope this becomes a good thing.

The Sox defense has been the most noteworthy, with only 33 errors committed so far this season which leads the American League. The pitching has been better but still needs improvement. Matt Clement, or as my buddy Hahs has deemed him Matt “Clement-al Case”, is still on the Disabled List as well as Keith Foulke, David Wells, and slugger Wily Mo Pena. Gabe Kapler and Mike Timlin have both returned to the line-up. Ironically, the highest paid and more highly touted off season acquisitions in Rudy Seanez and Julian Tavarez have taken a much needed back seat to prospects turned major leaguers Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen as the go to set up men. This has taken some pressure off Timlin and will keep his appearances and arm in more reasonable shape. Javier Lopez was also acquired as a left handed specialist from the White Sox for David Riske, an off season pick up that worked our horribly. The starting pitching has been inconsistent yet just quite good enough to not cause panic. Schilling has been the best although Beckett has posted the better record so far. One disturbing statistic has been Beckett’s amount of homeruns which have been the most in the American League. As a big game pitcher though, I am pretty sure we are going to like Beckett come crunch time. Wake has been much improved from the beginning of the season and will hopefully be a consistent number three starter or better for the rest of the season. The best surprise has been Jon Lester who is 4-0 since coming up to the Bigs. Lester has showed that he is as good as everyone has made him out to be although he does have some room for improvement, mostly cutting down his walks. Our fifth starter has been a little bit of an issue though with patchwork replacements holding down the fort until either David Wells or Matt Clement return. Kansas City Royal reject Kyle Snyder has been the latest invalid to bear the title of “Red Sox Fifth Starter”. Its not a good sign when one of you starting pitchers was cut from the Kansas City Royals. Its even worse when said person is picked up by a team with a $120 million payroll. Keep an eye on this one folks because if Clement or Boomer don’t show signs of improvement we could see a little trade action in the next few weeks.

Overall the Sox have been solid recently. Dropping three of four from Oakland is a little discouraging though. Even more discouraging is that as good as the Red Sox have been, and as bad as the Yankees have supposedly been, we are only a half game up in the AL. And considering all signs point to a AL Central Wildcard team, the Sox better turn it up for the second half stretch or else October could be a baseball free month in the Hub. Just more incentive to stay tuned I guess. Well its good to be back.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Doug Flutie announced his retirement today, stating that he would not return for his 22nd season of professional football. Flutie, a Natick native, spent most of his time with Canadian Football League but also did tours with the United States Football League and the National Football League. He is perhaps best known around these parts for his legendary career at Boston College. Flutie led the Eagles from 1981-84, a career that transcended BC football to national fame and left him as a local deity, a reputation that has continued to subsist at the Heights throughout the post-Flutie decades.

He has also used his fame to promote his Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation, which helps raise money and awareness for autism. Doug is also known for routinely joining in local pick-up basketball games as well as helping to promote a lot of the clubs and student organizations at Boston College. You would be hard-pressed to find a lot of New Englanders who would speak ill of Doug, although he will be the first to tell you that he’s always had critics.

His football career in the States is most notably highlighted by a November 22, 1984 Hail Mary pass to Gerard Phelan on the last play to upset #1 ranked Miami, a 1984 Heisman Trophy, and of course, his own cereal called ‘Flutie Flakes’. Which should be the true mark of an athlete’s career if you ask me. I mean, say what you want about Count Dracula’s pro tennis career, but the guy’s still got his own cereal. And despite Tony the Tiger’s lifetime ban for violating every performance enhancing drug policy known to man, his cereal is pretty popular.

Flutie’s best years were the eight seasons he spent with the Canadian Football League, where he took home six Most Outstanding Player awards and three Championship rings while racking up 41,355 yards and 270 touchdown passes. His career in the NFL was spotty at best, highlighted by a lone Pro-Bowl appearance. However, watching Flutie was anything but dull and, as ESPN’s Mark Kreidler explains, his career as a ‘professional’ football player just might be Canton worthy after all.

Regardless of his numbers, Flutie was a great football player and a joy to watch. He almost epitomized the Cinderella story, constantly ignoring or proving all of his critics wrong. I agree that we were all lucky to witness Doug’s career.

Doug Flutie will forever go down as one of the greatest athletes in Boston’s history. And if you ask me, one hell of a good guy.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Last night was just an example of how fragile and capricious personal emotions can be during the months of a baseball season. Yesterday my psyche was on cloud nine, this morning it sat by the blue rubbermaid barrels waiting to be dragged off and slung onto a pile of other Red Sox fans’ disheartened mindsets. This will last for another few hours until Tom Caron and the NESN pregame show will arouse my Red Sox libido back to its rightful spot on a small dip in between the twin peaks of hopeful inspiration and dreaded fear.

I thought about the nature of my relationship with baseball, in light of yesterdays 7-3 loss to the Yankees, over my Rice Crispies this morning. My key realization, however obvious, is that baseball is indeed a game of averages. Not just numbers on a piece of paper, but emotional averages as well. As with any competitive league, there is essentially only one team, and their fans, who are left happy, satisfied, and fulfilled at the conclusion of any given season. However, I believe it to be how happy your team has made you on average, that is the ultimate test of a successful season, week, or month in the game of baseball. There is certainly the relevance of how much you enjoyed watching your team play. As well as the lesser details of how much your team causes you to invest your time, how hopeful you are before a given contest or season, and how much you believe they could win a title. But those are less essential than an over-simplified summary of just how happy your team actually made you.

You could rank your team on a .1000 percentage scale as to how happy they made you if you would prefer to stay loyal to the Bill James school of baseball numbers. I am sure you could create a mathematical formula as well that would include such numerical variables as how many hours you spent watching, thinking, or talking about your team; how many souvenir items you purchased within the last year; and how much you would be willing to pay for a playoff ticket. You could also throw in the team’s record as well.

As residents of a city that has enjoyed an abundance of championship trophies in the past few years, it might be a little more difficult to fully embrace this concept. After the Patriots’ streak of dominance, its almost hard to comprehend that anything but a championship could still be considered a good season. But if you really try to empathize with an average fan from an average franchise(and remind yourself you are a Celtics and Bruins fan too), its less difficult than you think. For example, I am sure Buffalo Bills fans of the ‘90s were pretty happy with their teams during the seasons. And if you don’t think Philly fans were happy just to have gotten to the Superbowl, well, then you need to talk with a member of the Department of Public Works. I am sure there are also a few(perhaps very few) Tampa Bay fans who actually enjoy watching Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Scott Kazmir play on a daily basis, despite their abysmal record. And likewise a group of Yankee fans who can’t possibly enjoy watching their team play.

Baseball is the ultimate example of how this concept is important. On any given day their could be a slew of fans around the country happy with how their team played that day, regardless of whether they lived in St. Louis, Pittsburg, Chicago, or Kansas City. However, it is exactly the average feeling that is most important. Just as any big league slugger is not judged on any single game performance, but rather his average over a particular span of time. That time period could range from a week, to a season, to a decade, to a history of the franchise. For me and the Red Sox right now, it’s this season, with the occasional streak thrown in as well. And despite last nights hurtful loss, I’m pretty happy. Cautious, intrigued, anxious, and excited, and sometimes frustrated as well, but pretty happy nevertheless.

The most efficient way to fully evaluate your team based on this philosophy, would be to judge them at the end of the season, but prior to playoffs. This is a lot like giving a grade before the final exam, but it would put things in perspective a little more. As a fan, you might be more appreciative if you took as second to think about how your team made you feel during the duration of the season. No we’re not going to hold hands, take deep breaths, and really open up to the lesbian hippy moderator sitting Indian style across the circle, nodding her head like she really cares. But maybe you can crack a beer and appreciate(or scorn) how happy your team made you that season, before the ultimate disappointment of them not winning a championship.

As this strategy exists on averages, it is appropriate especially for baseball. As it transcends numbers, it can be universally applicable. As a baseball fan, it can be emotionally exhausting riding the highs and lows of a 162 game season. And many of us are not quite seasoned vets at it. Its tough to balance the appropriate detachment with the necessary passion of being a dedicated fan. So at any given time during the duration of a season, you can stop and think about the overall sensation of rooting for you team. If you’re a die-hard Pirates fan, you might not want to do this around razor blades, thick rope, or a medicine cabinet filled with old half-full prescription bottles. Or maybe you don’t want to think about it at all. But for the average Red Sox fan, it might be imperative for your sanity to think about the slightly bigger picture every now and again.

Or maybe you could just listen to what your Rice Crispies have to say.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

I am sure by now you have all heard the sad news that ABC Sports Broadcasting legend Keith Jackson has retired. Mr. Jackson was one of the most well known and well liked sports broadcasters in the business and had one of the most distinctive voices as well. He primarily covered college football and was especially known for his catch phrases and unique pronunciation like “…a 6’3” soph-O-more out of Dayton Ohio…aaallllll leather and hampstriiings.”

I once declared that if my life were ever recreated into a sporting event, I would like Keith Jackson to do the play-by-play. Al Michaels might be in consideration as well but probably wouldn’t beat out Johnny Most. Tommy Heinsohn and the Rem-dawg would be the color guys. Mostly because it would be funny to hear Tommy call out everyone who tried to screw me over.

I am sure I am not along in saying that Saturdays just will not be the same without Keith Jackson. It’s like when you were a kid, Saturdays just weren’t the same without Bugs, Garfield, or the Smurfs. I honestly could watch a college football game with two teams whom I care nothing about just to hear Keith announce the game. Hopefully those Gatoraaaaade commercials will keep going so I won’t have complete withdrawal. Also I think ESPN Classic should do a Keith Jackson marathon sometime and show his best games.

Allow me to say, Mr. Keith Jackson, thank you for all your wonderful commentating and nonsensical phraseology that only you could pull off. It truly was a pleasure. And unlike some of your peers like Dick Vitale, you made your name synonymous with a college sports broadcasting without ever annoying the shit out of me or convincing everyone that you were on powerful anti-depressants. Keith Jackson, broadcasting legend and personal favorite.

WOOAAAHH NELLYYYY!!!

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

The Bruins and Celtics seasons are over. Unfortunately I can’t say that either was a success. For some reason people continued to root for the Celtics down the stretch despite their atrocious record. Some days it was downright painful to watch. I think because the collective record of the Atlantic Conference is perennially morbid, it allows us to somehow maintain hope that a 33-49 record will make the playoffs and thus be a successful season. Or maybe our Celtic standards have dropped so low that everything has become relative to itself. Meaning that if we sucked real bad last year then this years sucking pretty bad wasn’t all that bad even though it was bad. Get it?

Hopefully this year’s draft will help us out a lot(don’t we say that every year?). Its hard to pinpoint what this team needs. The problem with the Celts is that it doesn’t seem that one player will solve all this team’s problems. We kind of need help in every department. We don’t have a true point guard, we don’t have any solid or experienced post players, and our veteran leadership exists in only two players on the roster. You could also lay some pretty heavy lashings on the coach and Front Office. Yes we can make arguments that our youth has potential, but it seems our distorted green lenses have compelled us to make that argument for the past few years. Its obvious that the Celtics need something(or someone) yet you and I and apparently Danny Ainge have yet to put our finger on what that something actually is. We’d like to think it will come in the form of our 2006 First Round Draft Pick. Although Ainge’s track record of drafting young potential with promise isn’t very comforting. Can we please not draft a high schooler this year. I think it would be pretty embarrassing if Danny Ainge was arrested after we made the playoffs for purchasing alcohol for minors in the form of celebratory champagne. Well here’s hoping another Draft Pick works out. Go Green(sigh).

In other news, the polar opposite franchise(y’know the one that sucked for a long time and recently has been dominant) also has a draft coming up. This one is a lot longer and much more anticlimactic(sounds like a bad porn star). I am saying our top priorities are running back and linebacker. We have a solid O-line, a great young D-line, and our wide receivers are ok as well, despite the loss of David Givens. Of course it is always smart to stack up on Offensive Linemen since it seems they do down faster than a sedated Bill Parcells. It would be great to pick up a young and talented running back that could mentor under Corey Dillon for a year. Same goes with a linebacker. Obviously kicker is a need. Despite us picking up Tebucky Jones in the offseason we will probably need some depth in our secondary as well. Don’t expect Bill and Co. to break the habit of drafting the best football player/athlete available though. With his track record though, I am ok with that. He knows a hell of a lot more than I do. In Bill We Trust.

Schilling goes for his 5th win tonight. He will try to join the likes of Pedro Martinez and Babe Ruth for Sox pitchers to record five wins in April. I hope he does it.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Announced today were the contract extensions of two highly important and fan-favorite players in Boston professional sports. The Red Sox Front Office announced the contract extension of center fielder and leadoff hitter Coco Crisp. Crisp, acquired in a trade with Cleveland in the offseason, would have been eligible for arbitration at the end to each season, has been signed for a three year extension worth about $17.5 million. This locks him up with the Red Sox until 2009, joining David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, and up and coming closer Craig Hansen as a core group of Red Sox players signed through 2008 or beyond. Crisp has quickly become a favorite with the fans and has even inspired a new Finagle-A-Bagle flavor.

The New England Patriots also announced today the signing of Pro-Bowl Defensive Lineman Richard Seymour for a four year deal worth about $30 million. Although somewhat pricey, most people would admit Seymour has been an integral factor in our SuperBowl runs, a superb team leader, and the anchor of our defense. This makes him well worth the price, particularly if he continues to do exactly what he has done the past five years.

Well I would like to extend a warm welcome to Martin Gramatica. Obviously everyone here is wishing that the newly acquired Patriots kicker will return to his previous form that donned him the nickname ‘Automatica’. Considering he sucked in the 2004-05 season with Tampa Bay and sat out for 2005-06, I think this is about as likely as a Krispy Kreme re-opening in Medford. I like Gramatica already because he looks like the field goal kicker in The Simpsons. The Patriots are also looking at other, younger options at kicker, including the possibility of investing a draft pick into the position. The plan, I would imagine, would be to groom a young rookie kicker with high potential with the guidance of a seasoned veteran in Gramatica. If and when the playoffs come, whomever is kicking the best would take on the full time duties. If this indeed is the Patriots’ plan, I am completely fine with that(granted I have been a Belichick juice drinker since 2001), especially considering our schedule for the upcoming season.

The Patriots start off with AFC East Conference play right away, facing the Bills and Jets on September 10 and 17. This should be a good way to start the season off since neither team are big threats to the AFC East title. Conference games are always tough though and equally as important. The next three games will be a tough stretch when we host the Broncos on September 24, then head to Cincinnati on October 1, and then come back home to play the Dolphins on the 8th. If we head into the Week 6 BYE with a 4-1 record(or better) it would be a great start to the season. Even 3-2 would be acceptable although obviously not ideal.

We then face the Bills again followed by the sex party Vikings on Monday Night Football October 30. One of the biggest games of the year for the Pats will come November 5, as we host the Indianapolis Colts in a prime time game. It will be Adam Viniateri’s homecoming, as well as an important game in evaluating just how good the 2006 squad really is. The next two weeks we host the Jets and then travel to Green Bay to play the struggling Packers franchise. We complete our NFC Central opponents by hosting the Bears and Lions. The Bears game November 26 should be a good game considering Chicago’s revival in recent seasons. It may be an important game as well if the Bears are battling for their Conference title or Playoff berth.

December 10 we head to Miami which will likely turn into an important game in determining the winner of the AFC East. We definitely cannot write off the AFC East this year with Miami’s constant improvements(specifically adding Culpepper at QB) and the Jets’ addition of Mangini(the former Belichick assistant last year). After hosting Houston on December 17, we finish the season at Jacksonville and Tennessee. Without getting ourselves too too much(its too late for too much), both those games might end up being important for playoff seedings and (knock on wood then cross your fingers) home-field advantage.

All things considered, this schedule doesn’t seem completely overwhelming, and certainly not as challenging as last year. Granted in the NFL this day and age any team in any season could rise the ranks to be competitive. I am just hoping its not the Jets or Bills. However, if we had to face a schedule like this, I am glad it’s the year after we lose some of our most valuable contributors in recent years. Here’s the 2006 Regular Season schedule mapped out:

Sunday, Sept. 10 – vs. Bills, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 17 – at Jets, 4:15 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 24 – vs. Broncos, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 1 – at Bengals, 4:15 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 8 – vs. Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 15 – BYE
Sunday, Oct. 22 – at Bills, 1 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 30 – at Vikings, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 5 – vs. Colts, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 12 – vs. Jets, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19 – at Packers, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 26 – vs. Bears, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 3 – vs. Lions, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 10 – at Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Sunday. Dec. 17 – vs. Texans, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 24 – at Jaguars, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 31 – at Titans, 1 p.m.

GO PATS!!!

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Yes its that time of year again folks. With Opening Day a few painsaking weeks away, the unpredictable, incomparable, and gamble-inducing NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament emerges in the nick of time to quell sports fan’s insatiable appetite for action and rescue us from having to…*gasp*…watch the NHL.

As I have been struck with March Madness for yet another year, I will place the mundane yet addicting motions of Spring Training onto the back burner while I enjoy the nation’s most exciting, nerve-racking, down-to-the-wire sporting event this side of the National Spelling Bee.

So while my comments on the Pros might be few and far between for the next few weeks, I promise to deliver once our anticipatory Opening Day finally arrives. Enjoy the Madness.

My Final Four: Duke, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Boston College.

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

Some rumors and reports regarding some Boston Professional Sports personnel as of today…

Tony Graffanino will most likely be traded by the Red Sox in the near future. Tony was surprisingly offered arbitration by the Sox despite their deal landing Mark Lorretta in the offseason. He signed a one year deal worth $2.5 million which in the baseball world makes him rather tradeable material. Graffanino started 50 of the 51 games at second base last year after he was acquired from Kansas City in August. Despite his wince-inducing error in the Divisional Series against the White Sox, I really like Tony and thought he was a great ball player. He plays solid defense, works hard, and bats about .300. I was surprised the Red Sox offered arbitration but it shouldn’t be too hard for them to find a suitor in a trade. We would probably target some prospects in the deal which would work out for both teams. They would get an everyday second baseman while we could possibly get some replacements for the prospects we gave up this winter. Tony could also go in a deal with David Wells or Matt Clement seeing as they are pretty much on the block and everyone seems ok with that. If Bronson Arroyo gets traded, however, after taking a pay cut to stay I will be really fumed with the Front Office. They have a good opportunity here to prove that there does exist loyalty in professional baseball and that we are in fact different from people like George Steinbrenner, regardless of what Johnny Damon says. Speaking of which I think he should just keep his trap shut. I cut him a little slack when he left considering the Red Sox didn’t pursue him as determinedly as they could have, but the more I think about it and the more he yaps on, the more annoyed I get and the less I miss him. It would be nice to get some of the trades out of the way so we can just move on with the baseball and stop the annoying anticipation of waiting for personnel changes. To me its more like waiting for your girlfriend to get ready than it is like staring at unopened birthday presents.

Willie McGinist will most likely be released from the Patriots in the near future. He is owed $8 million which would be an exorbitant amount to pay for any one player, even Willie. Most likely the Patriots will either try to reconstruct his contract or cut him and make a counter offer. The hope would be Willie will take a pay decrease to stay a Patriot. His agent isn’t Scott Boras so there actually does exist a chance that Willie would do this. He most likely will get offers from other teams and I would not be surprised if Willie seriously considers reuniting with former Pats’ Defensive Coordinator come Head Coach Romeo Crennel with the Clevelend Browns. Willie would be as upset to leave New England as we would be to see him go. Unfortunately(and as we all know) business is business. Willie has stated he would like to retire a Patriot so it will all probably come down to negotiations between Willie, the Pats Front Office, and his agent. Keep an eye on this for the next week or so.

Adam Vinatieri left a Patriots’ contract offer on the table worth about $2 million a year for three years. Apparently Mr. Clutch would like to test the free agent waters despite him being one of the highest paid kickers in football. He stated that he has an attachment to the fans but is excited to test the free agent waters and possibly have the market determine his value. If he does in fact leave it would be completely on him considering no kicker makes more than $3 million a year and the $1 million difference in what Vinatieri is looking for and what the Pats offered would probably be made up in his local endorsements. I think Adam is just playing the business part of being one of the league’s best kickers and everyone’s hope would be that he would stick around New England, even if that meant taking a slight pay cut.

Until next week…

theaveragefan@bostonprosports.com

So as part of my “Patriots lost to Broncos and are not in the SuperBowl this year” coping mechanism, I made some impulse purchases to help cheer myself up. One of which was a DVD entitled City of Champions: Best of Boston. It was a little more expensive than my SuperBowl XXXVIII DVD but I was hurting too much to care. I am since over it(seeing as pitchers & catchers is three days away) but didn’t actually have a chance to watch the DVD until this weekend.

The DVD itself was just about what you would expect. It showed just about every highlight clip from every important or big Boston sporting event. The opening reel, set to “O Fotuna” successfully gave me goose bumps and was about as inspiring as the first time you ever heard “Eye of the Tiger”.

The following format of the movie consisted of a musical highlight reel focusing on a particular motif(e.g. championships, the retirement of Boston sports stars, etc.), then interview clips with certain Boston sports figures discussing a particular person or team, and then finally clips of that person, team, or event. Pretty much every clip or event that you would want is featured in some aspect on the film. Some are given more time and effort than others though.

My main complaint with the DVD is that it didn’t seem to have much rhyme or reason to when each clip or highlight reel came up. It was also pretty random in terms of which events were given a lot of coverage. It seemed that they just sort of combined a few Boston sports clips in no particular order sometimes, hoping that the viewers will be so excited to see highlights of their favorite Boston sports figures that they won’t care what order they are in.

One thing that I did really enjoy and found pretty original was the format of the interviews. They used interviews from about twelve or fifteen Boston sports personalities including Peter Gammons, Theo Epstein, Tommy Heinson, and Doug Flutie. However, rather than solely include each person’s comments on their own sport or team, they primarily use comments of these sports figures on the other sports franchises or people. For instance Jerry Remy comments on the Patriots, Theo talks about the Celtics, Doug Flutie on the Sox etc. It kind of seems awkward at first but then you realize all these people grew up around Boston. It also unifies all the Boston sports teams in a certain way, which gave me one of those warm fuzzy feelings and really made me proud to be a Boston fan.

Its also obvious that the producers of the movie are from Boston or at least consulted with Boston fans during the making of the movie. There is no crap about the Curse of the Bambino and they even include interviews with Peter Gammons, Jerry Remy, and Theo dissipating the phony myth. The movie also includes footage of some real local stars including Rocky Marciano(no Lou Merloni though). It was refreshing to have a local spirit to the movie rather than come cookie cutter or professional take.

One thing I realized was how lucky we have been to be Boston fans. The movie was over an hour long and I still didn’t think it even came close to fulfilling its potential as an all encompassing Boston sports documentary. This disappointment eventually turned to pride as I realized that no 108 minute documentary could ever fully cover each memorable Boston sports moment, team, or player. It literally would take a mini-series or DVD box set to fully cover the sports history in the Olde Town. I look at cities like Tampa Bay, Seattle, or Milwaukee and think that their all encompassing DVD highlight film could be limited to a SuperBowl run, dunk highlight reel, or intramural softball tournament that they and some of their drunk buddies came in third place in.

In any event, the movie itself was slightly disappointing but not necessarily by its own fault. The opening highlight clip is worth checking out although it would be better for a few people to chip in and buy it. It was also make a pretty good gift for big Boston sports fans, especially dads because they would probably appreciate it more and because they never had cool “D-V-D-s” when they were young to constantly rehash Boston sports triumphs at the click of a button. Final Grade: B