I came to a realization this past July 4 weekend. There have been some great players to suit up the jersey of a Boston team. Be it any team, at just about anytime, there have been great players.
The Bruins, Celts, BoSox and Pats can brag about their legends. Oh, sure, sure, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Chicago and many other cities can claim to own the “best evers”. Jordan reigned in Chicago. The Kings of NHL fame can speak of Gretzky. Where did Reggie Jackson play? Well... everywhere. (Granted, he wasn’t the greatest, but you got the point).
What about Boston? Some may argue that Bird was the greatest, or that Roger Clemens, prior to his drugs and womanizing, got his start in Fenway. But, if you examine the level of talent to grace the various sports and sports franchises, you may not find many greatests, but many greats.
In hockey, since I know the least about the sport, some names rise to the top. Bobby Orr, one of the first great NHL’ers. More recently, Cam Neely and Ray Bourque laced the skates. Sadly, Ray had to go to Colorado to win Stanley. But a legend none the less.
The Beantown BoSox have their share of names that could run with anyone. The names begin with two names: Cy Young and Babe Ruth. Cy boasts a 2.63 ERA which would make a lot of batters cry today. Likewise, he hit to the average of .210, which is decent for a pitcher. He even hit .289 in 1896. What about Ruth? 714 homers, .342 batting average, a 2.28 ERA with a 94-46 record, during his pitching days. Boston boast some bad ballers.
The Patriots have been winning titles recently, but have some great player prior and after the titles. How about Drew Bledsoe? Sure, he choked a few times, had his life and career threatened by an injury, but he still found homes when Tom took over. Tom Brady... not much to say here. Sam Cunningham, Curtis Martin, Marv Cook, Ben Coates (great hands, small feet, and now a Pats H.O.F.er), Irving Fryar, Corey Dillion, Adam-something or rather who kicked some field goals and a turncoat. Vincent Brown, Tedy Bruschi, Andre Tippett. There is a LOAD of players who never broke records, but together caused havoc for the league.
Boston Celtics... the Celtics. Many, many names... Russell, Cousy, Heinsohn, White, Havlicek, Cowens, Nelson, Sharman, Bird, McHale, Parrish, Pierce, Garnett, Ray Allen. This team is so foaming with famous people, that even an executive is legendary. Red built the team, coached them to championships, made the decisions, et cetera.
Each and every fan, in every venue, should applaud the teams that are, and love the players that made these teams. Who knows, maybe the Revolution will be brought to the next “Legends of...” piece.
