Pathetic Globe self-administers reassurance

[PromisedLand]

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me."

So said Stuart Smalley, the fictional 12-stepper in recovery created by SNL. And so too, the Boston Globe seems to require its Daily Affirmation. Today's boston.com reveals that the Globe is worried that the resurgence of the Celtics (along with Patriots Nation) may be threatening the status of their darling (and partially owned) Red Sox as the region's favorite team. So on the day after the Celtics victory parade, they publish a puff piece documenting an admittedly "informal survey" which supposedly proves that Boston remains a "Baseball Town" (whatever that means) and that the aforementioned sport is the one "most closely knitted into the fabric of the city".

Good grief, Globe. Are you getting a little worried? Could you be a little more insecure? A little more transparently self-serving? I don't think so.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseba.../20/leprechaun_hailed_but_sox_still_hub_king/

Wow. The Globe has sunk to a new low.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like me."

So said Stuart Smalley, the fictional 12-stepper in recovery created by SNL. And so too, the Boston Globe seems to require its Daily Affirmation. Today's boston.com reveals that the Globe is worried that the resurgence of the Celtics (along with Patriots Nation) may be threatening the status of their darling (and partially owned) Red Sox as the region's favorite team. So on the day after the Celtics victory parade, they publish a puff piece documenting an admittedly "informal survey" which supposedly proves that Boston remains a "Baseball Town" (whatever that means) and that the aforementioned sport is the one "most closely knitted into the fabric of the city".

Good grief, Globe. Are you getting a little worried? Could you be a little more insecure? A little more transparently self-serving? I don't think so.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseba.../20/leprechaun_hailed_but_sox_still_hub_king/

Wow. The Globe has sunk to a new low.

Yes, but that low is still miles higher than the H****d's.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Really, sadly, the Globe's sports section has to be read to be believed.

 

[Wildo7]

Boston is still a baseball town.

And I just watched Theo talking about Shilling's surgery while wearing a Celtics hat. This talk about competition amongst the three teams is getting boring. We have three teams that are the best in their respective leagues, and it's pretty sweet.

 

[Pats67]

Boston is still a baseball town.

So we've been told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told.

 

[Wildo7]

So we've been told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told.

So who cares? The Pats are still wildly popular.

And it makes perfect sense for the Globe to do a "where do the teams stand now" survey right after on of them wins a championship.

 

[BPF]

Boston is still a baseball town.

In my estimation that depends on what season we're in. Also, I don't think you find as much year-round fervor, intensity and passion for all sports and all local teams as you do in Massachusetts when compared to the rest of the country. I think what's important though is winning, actually it's all about winning. This is a "golden age" for sports in Mass but that will only last as long as the teams keep winning. When the winning stops the casual fans will stop caring.

I don't think the Patriots care much for the Boston debate though, because they play in Foxboro. That debate is more relevant to the Celts, Sox and Bruins. It's important to note though that in the tv ratings dept the Pats have surpassed the Sox on days they both played in the past 12 years or so, too many to list. Also the Pats started really becoming relevant from a marketing point of view in 1993, when Kraft purchased the team. Maybe the Sox have a generational lead on the Pats, but the Pats have the growing audience in my opinion. What the Pats have done in their "dynasty" era, which we are still in, will have a great effect on generations down the road.

In addition the people that want these articles out there have a financial interest on many levels. Everyone know the obvious one but another one is the Sox economic impact on the city of Boston which is much greater than the Pats because they actually play in the city. When the Pats play at home there is no consumer spending outside of Fenway and this is the Boston Globe so it covers thing from that angle.

 

[since67]

I always thought we were a 4 sports city/region. Add soccer to make it 5.

 

[PromisedLand]

So we've been told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told. And told.

Exactly. And the only media outlet in the region that seems to find it necessary to continually make this pronouncement is also the only one with a profit motive. Senator Spector, make room on the Disingenuous Bench.

 

[Pats67]

So who cares? The Pats are still wildly popular.

Hold on a sec....weren't you the guy who just posted this?

Boston is still a baseball town.

You cared enough to post that.

Look, its pretty simple. "Boston is still a baseball town" is code for "don't think this makes the Celtics/Patriots/Bruins as big as the Red Sox." Which is why the whole 'baseball town' discussion just happens to come up whenever another team has captured the attention of the fans. There's always going to be some guy that has to bring the whole thing back to the Red Sox. It's petty and its small. Why do the Celtics immediately have to be put in their place after winning the championship? "That's nice boys, but this is still Red Sox country." You're right - the fact that some JV stringer was sent out by the management of the 17 Percenters to get that story at a Celtics championship victory celebration does make "perfect sense". And that's the most BS thing of all.

 

[Halifax_Pats_Fan]

I always thought we were a 4 sports city/region. Add soccer to make it 5.

I always thought so too.....

 

[Wildo7]

Hold on a sec....weren't you the guy who just posted this?

You cared enough to post that.

Seeing as though I'm a Pats fan first and a Sox fan second, I don't really care if the Sox are more entrenched in the Boston psyche. That doesn't mean I don't recognize and understand it though.

 

[fgssand]

Seeing as though I'm a Pats fan first and a Sox fan second, I don't really care if the Sox are more entrenched in the Boston psyche. That doesn't mean I don't recognize and understand it though.

Pats
Celts
Sox
Bruins

That is my order - always has been ever since I saw the Patriots play their very first game ever in the middle of the greatest sports dynasty ever.....Celtics / Russell run.

I don't care what the Globe says, I don't care how the vote comes out and everybody has a right to rate 'em any way they like.

It's all good.

 

[Pats67]

Seeing as though I'm a Pats fan first and a Sox fan second, I don't really care if the Sox are more entrenched in the Boston psyche. That doesn't mean I don't recognize and understand it though.

One thing you've yet to recognize and understand, though - or at least ackowledge here - is how some people may have grown slightly irritated, over time, by the Boston Globe's constant insistance in declaring the Red Sox the kings of the region every time another local team has success of their own. Because that's what the thread is about.

Instead you've simply declared it a baseball town. You may understand the Boston psyche, whatever that means, but you're missing the point here.

For the record, I don't know any adult who spends too much time worrying about who is ranked where. The last thing on my mind this week was where the Patriots "ranked" now that the Celtics had won. I just thought it was cool that they had won. Until once again the Boston Globe reminded me of what's really important - the Red Sox.

 

[Wildo7]

One thing you've yet to recognize and understand, though - or at least ackowledge here - is how some people may have grown slightly irritated, over time, by the Boston Globe's constant insistance in declaring the Red Sox the kings of the region every time another local team has success of their own. Because that's what the thread is about.

Instead you've simply declared it a baseball town. You may understand the Boston psyche, whatever that means, but you're missing the point here.

For the record, I don't know any adult who spends too much time worrying about who is ranked where. The last thing on my mind this week was where the Patriots "ranked" now that the Celtics had won. I just thought it was cool that they had won. Until once again the Boston Globe reminded me of what's really important - the Red Sox.

I think there's an inferiority complex yeah, and I see more insistence on this site that the Pats have "eclipsed the Sox" in Boston than I do the opposite in the Globe. And that's why I responded, because the insinuation is that the Globe was on some kind of mission to rub Pats fans faces in it or re-establish the dominance of the team they have part ownership in. I was simply saying that it's pretty natural to re-evaluate the popularity of the 5 teams after one of them wins another championship. It's too bad the result "irritates" you though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Pats become more popular wouldn't that be only because of the bandwagoners?

 

[puffyme]

I think there's an inferiority complex yeah, and I see more insistence on this site that the Pats have "eclipsed the Sox" in Boston than I do the opposite in the Globe. And that's why I responded, because the insinuation is that the Globe was on some kind of mission to rub Pats fans faces in it or re-establish the dominance of the team they have part ownership in. I was simply saying that it's pretty natural to re-evaluate the popularity of the 5 teams after one of them wins another championship. It's too bad the result "irritates" you though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Pats become more popular wouldn't that be only because of the bandwagoners?

Excellent points. The history of the Sox probably make them number 1 and they will most likely stay that so long as both teams stay good

 

[Mike the Brit]

I think there's an inferiority complex yeah, and I see more insistence on this site that the Pats have "eclipsed the Sox" in Boston than I do the opposite in the Globe. And that's why I responded, because the insinuation is that the Globe was on some kind of mission to rub Pats fans faces in it or re-establish the dominance of the team they have part ownership in. I was simply saying that it's pretty natural to re-evaluate the popularity of the 5 teams after one of them wins another championship. It's too bad the result "irritates" you though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Pats become more popular wouldn't that be only because of the bandwagoners?

With all respect, I don't see how anyone who lives in the Boston area and reads the Globe regularly could reasonably believe that.

I'm very thankful for Mike Reiss, but the relative coverage given by the Globe to the two sports throughout the year is probably about 6:1. Unless the Patriots have just played a game or are just about to there are, at most, two notebook football articles (one by MR on the Patriots, one league round-up taken from the AP) and a short feature. I don't count the Baseball articles, but they must take at least six times as much space. Cafardo, McMullen, Shaughnessy and Ryan all write extensively on baseball (and when, occasionally, Shaughnessy has to write a football article, it's a strong bet that you will find a baseball reference in it by the end of the third paragraph). During the World Series the paper published a special Red Sox section every day as well as having baseball stories elsewhere in the sports section. But the worst thing for me was that (this was a time of huge events nationally and internationally) the front page story and picture for the whole paper every single day were from the Red Sox. It wasn't just football that was being eclipsed by baseball in the Globe.

Given that, something like the explanation in the second sentence I highlighted starts to look awfully plausible.

 

[PromisedLand]

And Wildo, as the thread starter, I wasn't "insinuating" that the Globe is on some kind of mission, I was outright saying it. But I think Pats67 has stated it better than I did, so I am officially declaring that this thread is a "Pats67 Thread".

 

[patsgo]

Boston is still a baseball town.

And I just watched Theo talking about Shilling's surgery while wearing a Celtics hat. This talk about competition amongst the three teams is getting boring. We have three teams that are the best in their respective leagues, and it's pretty sweet.

until you look at the ratings and the patriots blow the sox out of the water, the sports media wants you to believe this is a baseball own, if its true, it says someting about the people of this region if they prefer a slow boring game of baseball compared to the national pastime football which is much more exciting

 

[Wildo7]

until you look at the ratings and the patriots blow the sox out of the water, the sports media wants you to believe this is a baseball own, if its true, it says someting about the people of this region if they prefer a slow boring game of baseball compared to the national pastime football which is much more exciting

yeah 1 game out of 16 v. 1 game out of 162, so obviously each football game is more important and will have more viewers than a regular season baseball game. And nationally football is more popular now clearly, but all that it "says" is that you don't like baseball while others do.