I am probably typical of my generation. When I was throwing a baseball up against a brick wall of the Franklin Field projects, I not only knew the starting line up of the Sox, I probably knew every OTHER American League team as well.
The Celtics were an early love as well. One of my Uncles was a season ticket holder and my Dad had a 2nd job working a concession stand at the Garden, so I saw a lot games during the Russell era. Later because of a friendship with a former Celts player, I played on the Celtics FO tag football team, so I was around the team in a very tangential manner during the Bird years.
Hockey required skates and equipment and those were budget breakers in my youth, so I never played hockey until I was in HS, though I played quite a bit in college in local leagues, and went nuts with the "big bad Bruins" in the late 60's and early 70's like the rest of the town. I actually worked in bars where I had to throw out Wayne Cashman (a good drunk) and Gerry Cheavers (not so much) on a regular basis. And yes, Bobby Orr was a gracious and nice guy even then. I actually knew Derrick Sanderson socially, and I don't know what stories you've ever heard about him, but odds are they were true. But another remarkably nice guy.
Football was always my personal love, because I played and coached the game. I was in the 7th or 8th grade when the Pats were founded and my dad took me to a couple of games that year. 10 years later I actually got to play for early Pats icons like Bob Dee and Ross OHanely with the Quincy Giants. In my 40's I played the Pats front office in tag football under the lights at Sullivan Stadium, or whatever they were calling it then. A very cool experience even as I remember it now. My roots were deep in the Pats long before BB led us out of the wilderness
There is no question that this town is all about the Patriots now. How could it not be, given the disparity between 16 and 162 games. But if were truly honest, I'd have to say that World Series win in 2004 was by far the most meaningful emotional and important one. I guess 86 years is just a lot longer than 3o something.
Maybe you'll understand it better if I explain it this way.
Think about how you felt after losing the 2 superbowl games.....without ever having those superbowl wins......and almost every time you lost in the playoffs.....it was against the Jets (Yankees)
And it happened over and over again until you grew to expect it....... until one day it didn't. THAT was what the 2004 world series win meant to this area. The Pats have the best fans, and how they came out to the parade this winter is a great testament to that. However people didn't go out to cemeteries and talk to gravestones like they did after 2004.
Its kind of interesting that perhaps its the recent Sox wins in 2007 and 13 have made it easier to shed the remnants of our baseball love. I barely follow the game until September and only then if they are in the race. But its like the other teams. It's always better if a local team is in their sport's playoffs. But I'll live if they get knocked out. Sometimes I wonder when the Pats lose their last game.