I love the Philadelphia sports teams. I always will. I will live and die on every single game and I will complain bitterly about our teams even when they win titles. I'm a sports fan from Philadelphia and that's what we do. Hall of famer Mike Schmidt once said that "Philadelphia is the only city where you can experience the thrill of victory and the agony of reading about it the next day."
Well I'm not in Philadelphia anymore, sadly. Nine months of the year I'm in Boston. And now, after one full school year, I've made a few adjustments and picked up on a few problems with this city's sports scene. Boston, this is my advice to you, direct from Philly.
First, I've had to make a few changes. It's so strange and new to be around teams that don't suck (Philadelphia speak). Sure we have the Eagles. But it took them three tries just to make it past the NFC Championship.
You may have heard of the team that beat them. The New England Patriots. I have to be honest. I can't stand that team. If the Eagles have too much personality with guys like the recently released Freddie Mitchell and the recently whiny Terrell Owens (he has to feed his children), the Patriots don't have enough. Bill Belichick can't possibly be as boring as he sounds every week, can he? I've seen undertakers with more personality.
And while they may win all the time, they don't have any fun. They haven't had any fun since Lonie Paxton made snow angels in the end zone against the Raiders. It's all business for this team. They need to live a little.
Also, you fans are so jaded from decades of the Red Sox losing that it has spilled over to other sports. After the Super Bowl (once I finished grieving in my room) I walked around campus and it was like a graveyard. Have a little fun. Celebrate a big win. Get rowdy. Enjoy it when Super Bowl championships come, because someday they'll stop (hopefully next year in the Philly-NE rematch).
I can't admit to liking anything about the Celtics. As long as they play the Sixers, they will provoke my ire. But they are the most successful team of all time in the NBA and they have a great young nucleus. However, Boston, stop denying it. Nobody likes Antoine Walker. Just get rid of him. He's not worth it. Even The Truth can't handle Antoine (although you can't handle The Truth). And I'm a little disappointed in the lack of NBA fans in this town. That needs to change.
Baseball is far and away this city's strength. I went to my first Red Sox game two weeks ago with my brother. The atmosphere around the stadium is electric. He compared the scene around the stadium to Wrigley Field. I don't think you can make comparisons. Fenway Park stands alone as the ultimate baseball experience. So what if you can't find tickets? (That's the reason I didn't go down sooner.) So what if prices are through the roof? I wouldn't trade it.
My brother and I walked into the stadium behind home plate and he immediately said that he finally understood why other people complain about not being close to the field. At Veterans Stadium, there used to be no such thing as close to the field. But at Fenway, there are no bad seats.
We moved from our grandstand seats that we bought off scalpers to the right field side behind the Pesky pole. And sitting in the sun watching Manny drive a home run over the Monster against the A's was fantastic. Following "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with "Sweet Caroline" is also a nice touch.
Of course, Foulke blew a three-run lead in the top of the ninth, putting the team down by a run. My brother and I had to check and make sure we weren't still in Philadelphia, because that kind of thing is the norm for the Phillies. But we exercised our Philadelphia charm by heckling nearby Octavio Dotel in the bullpen, reminding him of the walk-off he gave up the night before
Sure enough, Dotel delivered again. We started a "Tek" chant, and the captain made it happen to give the team its second straight walkoff victory. When I first arrived at Tufts, it took me a few games to figure out who Tek was. And now I know all the words to "Dirty Water."
When it comes to Red Sox baseball, don't change a thing. The stadium's great, the owners care about winning and "the idiots" deliver. They're fun to watch and it's simply a great organization.
Wait, you can change one thing. Get rid of Terry Francona. Although he does have a lot of good managerial qualities. After all, he's the only manager in the league who has absolutely no influence on wins or losses and only a few distinguished baseball minds are capable of such a feat. And obviously having Francona in the dugout works. Go figure.
The passion in this city for sports is fantastic and I hope that never changes. Watching the Sox win their first World Series wasn't just magical for Boston fans, but for baseball, and I feel privileged to have celebrated here at Tufts.
So while this city may lack cheesesteaks and hoagies, a loyal throng of disgruntled fans, and a general appreciation for the immortal John Kruk, I think I will be able to manage for another three years. Well, as long as the Eagles can beat the Pats next year.
