Boston Sports Then and Now

BSB will be held on Sunday, March 28th at Jerry Remy's at Fenway.

An idea is just that unless others share your passion for the concept. Well the Boston Sports Blogapalooza(BSB) Express is rolling down the tracks and people are jumping on board.

BSB has only been on the drawing board for about two weeks and everything is coming together beyond my expectations.

My idea to put together a tweet up for Bruins fans morphed into something even bigger. I thought to myself, why not get all the Boston sports bloggers together in one place?

These Social Media Outlets for Sports (bloggers) can finally meet, trade social media tips, and talk shop in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Then I thought why not incorporate the Boston media, local companies, and music.

Media of both types (social and traditional) could mingle and discuss all the hot topics on the Boston Sports Scene.

Local companies could network with bloggers about their products and services. Partnerships between these companies and social media outlets would be agreed upon right at the event.

Bloggers can help promote and build a buzz about their partners’ offerings.

In return, bloggers would generate revenue through these cross promotions.

Everyone one wins!

Boston Sports Blogapalooza was born.

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Everyone outside New England thinks we are a bunch of greedy, spoiled cry babies.

Ok this is year two without a championship, yes this is NOT a typo!

It’s year TWO without a championship in Boston perhaps the Bruins or probably the Celtics can end this “drought.”

After the Red Sox and Patriots took an early exit out of the playoffs this year, Boston sports fans are saying, “Whoa is me!”

Are you kidding me?

I am a HUGE Boston sports fan. I eat, breathe, and sleep the Bruins and Patriots. I am a casual fan of the Celtics and Red Sox. I may not watch every Sox and C’s game but I keep tabs on ALL four major sports teams.

But folks we are GREEDY!

After 2001, we packed up the U-Haul and moved from the run down shack in Loserville. The Patriots(x3), Red Sox(x2), and the Celtics(x1) hired the moving vans and bought us property in the “City of Champions.” Now in 2010, we have a fat swanky mansion in Spoiled Rottenville.

People, the Patriots and Sox realistically can not win it EVERY single year!

As Americans and especially Bostonians/New Englanders, we all have  SHORT TERM MEMORIES (don’t even get me going about the American flags after 9/11)!

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There was alot to cheer about in Boston over the last 10 years.

The most memorable decade in Boston sports history is drawing to a close and oh what a decade it was!

Six Championships.

Six Victory Parades.

Historic Records.

Blockbuster trades.

The last ten years washed away the 86 year curse of the Red Sox, saw the Patriots win three Lombardi trophies and the Celtics raise banner #17.  Now we are just waiting for the Bruins to join the championship party.

Let’s relive and revel in the top 10 sports moments in Boston, “The City of Champions”.

#10: The Boston Bruins finally win a playoff series.

Yes it may not be a championship, but when you finally win a playoff series after 10 seasons, it’s a big deal.

The Bruins swept the hated Montreal Canadiens in the 2008-2009 NHL playoffs. This was the team’s first playoff series victory since they defeated Carolina in 1999.

Boston would go on to lose to the former “Whale” four games to three in the second round of the playoffs.

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There are many hidden jewels in Boston that you need to unearth.

Die-hard Boston sports fans are familiar with every nook and cranny of Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium, and the TD Garden. But the vibrancy of the city’s sports scene goes well beyond just the homes of the pro teams, and die-hard Boston fans should make it a point to check out some of the other great historic venues and museums around town, including these five hidden jewels:

1. Matthews Arena. Any fan who misses the intimate sightlines, overhanging balcony, and energy of the old Boston Garden needs to pay a visit to Matthews Arena, home to Northeastern University’s hockey and basketball teams. Matthews Arena is a great old hockey barn with tremendous history. It first opened its doors as the Boston Arena in 1910—two years before the opening of Fenway Park. It’s the oldest artificial ice arena in the world, and it was the building where the Bruins and Celtics both played their inaugural games. While Northeastern has just unveiled some upgrades to the arena, it still provides a great throwback atmosphere for catching a game.

2. Lavietes Pavilion. The home of Harvard men’s and women’s basketball teams is tied with the University of Oregon’s McArthur Court as the second-oldest building used for basketball among Division I schools. Lavietes Pavilion opened in 1926, and only Fordham’s Rose Hill Gymnasium, built in 1924, is older. Games at Harvard have a bit of a retro feel to them. The cheerleaders wear classic crimson outfits with a big white “H” on the front and use megaphones to lead chants. And in one of the stranger entrances into a basketball game, teams take the floor by running down a staircase from the upstairs locker room.

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There is no better palce to watch baseball than at Fenway Park.

Imagine getting to enjoy a hot dog and beer at Fenway Park and being able to call it “research!” That is just the kind of hardship that Christopher Klein had to endure while writing his book, The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston.

Klein’s research was actually 25 years in the making as he moved to Boston as a sixth grader and quickly developed into a die-hard fan of Boston sports.

In looking for a Boston treasure to focus on as the sequel to his first book, Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands, Klein recognized that while much has been written about the great sports traditions in Boston, there was still a need for a comprehensive guide that not only shared some of the magical stories of Boston’s sports tradition, but that also gave fans insight into how to best enjoy a sporting event in the city and surrounding area.

Thus, The Die Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston was born.

“The book is really part history and part visitor’s guide,” Klein said. “It is often hard for sports fans to find an abundance of information in a typical guide book.

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She is warming up Boston Sports Fans!

Every Boston sports fan has a wish list of the games he or she wants to witness at least once in a lifetime. Of course, every die-hard fan would want to be in the stands when the Patriots win the Super Bowl or a Red Sox pitcher hurls a no-hitter. But those unscripted moments and unpredictable results that make sports so great—and sometimes so frustrating—also mean there’s no certainty they will ever happen again.

So, sticking to just those dates written in stone on the region’s sporting calendar, here’s my subjective list of ten events that all die-hard Boston sports fans should experience firsthand at least once. This bucket list includes a mix of events that are quintessentially Boston, the hottest tickets in town, and combustible rivalries steeped in history.

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