Scott Cordischi On Sports: What’s Your Favorite Championship?
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
I am 43 years old and a die-hard Boston sports fan. And I thank God that I do not live in a city like Cleveland, Buffalo or San Diego. Although I must say that San Diego is a beautiful city. Cleveland and Buffalo? Not so much.
Back to this sports thing. Here I am, born and raised right here in New England, with another one of my favorite teams about to make a run at another championship.
Granted it has been a while (39 years) since the Bruins last won the Stanley Cup. But do you realize that the three aforementioned cities haven’t won a championship in any of the major pro sports for longer than I have been alive?
48 years ago the San Diego Chargers beat the Boston Patriots to win the AFL Championship. 47 years ago Jim Brown led the Cleveland Browns to the NFL Championship. And 46 years ago the Buffalo Bills won the AFL title. Since then? Bubkes!
Meanwhile, the 4 local pro franchises that I root for have won a total of 15 World Championships in my lifetime. 15! That’s 1 championship every 2.9 years.
Granted a few of those titles from the late 60’s. And between the ages of 1 and 5, I didn’t know the difference between Bill Russell and Nipsey Russell. Still, it has been an amazing run off success for New England sports teams.
The official breakdown from 1967-present has the Celtics leading the way with 8 NBA titles. The Patriots are next with 3. Both the Red Sox and Bruins have won two with the B’s being the only team which hasn’t won a title in a while.
The Celts last took home a championship 3 years ago. It was 4 years ago when the Red Sox last won the World Series and 6 years ago that the Patriots last held up the Lombardi Trophy.
Will the Bruins end their 39-year drought by beating the Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals? Who knows? But it has been and continues to be great to be a New England sports fan. It certainly beats the alternative!
-Many people my age say that the Red Sox 2004 World Championship was the best they have experienced in their lifetime because of the 86 years of agonizing history it laid to rest. I’ll take the Patriots win in Super Bowl 36 back in 2002. Nothing was expected from that team prior to the 2001 season and they ended up pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history! That will always be #1 on my list.
What’s your favorite?
-If we’re talking greatest sports moments of my lifetime, then I would have to put the “Miracle On Ice” with the 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team right up there at the top.
-I am not surprised that everyone who has come into contact with new PC men’s basketball coach Ed Cooley speaks very highly of the man. I am confident in saying that he was the perfect hire for PC.
-Apparently Jim Tressel didn’t run as clean of a program at Ohio State as his prim and proper sweater vest appearance seemed to indicate.
-Then again, what the Buckeyes are accused of is probably no different than what takes place at most big-time college football programs. The only problem is that they got caught.
-Now that the Atlanta Thrashers have been sold and will be moving to Winnipeg, let’s hope that they dump the “Thrashers” nickname and bring back the “Jets.”
-And if Gary Bettman and the NHL have even half a brain, they will not allow a franchise to go back to Atlanta which now becomes the first city to lose two NHL franchises in the modern era. The Flames relocated to Calgary in 1980.
-I always used to think that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was annoying. That is, until his Mavs faced LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. Go Mavs!
-Narragansett native and Bishop Hendricken grad Colin Briggs has 5 of Virginia’s 9 goals in their lacrosse National Championship win over Maryland on Monday. And his high school coach Kevin Murray was in Baltimore with his family rooting him on.
-Alex Gonzalez has been as advertised in his first few months in Boston.
-While pondering some of the greatest trades in Boston sports history, consider the Bruins 1986 deal which sent Barry Pederson to Vancouver for Cam Neely and a first round draft pick which turned out to be Glen Wesley.
-I ran into URI QB (and Warwick Vets grad) Bob Bentsen this week who said he’s excited about his team’s upcoming season and their Governor’s Cup football game at Brown under the lights on October 1st.
-It used to be a foregone conclusion that Tiger Woods would break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships. Stuck at 14, most believe it will now be a miracle if he does break that record.
-The fact that the Red Sox are willing to change the start time of their game Saturday from 7:10pm to 1:10pm to accommodate fans who want to watch game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals at 8pm that night is very smart.
-Tim Wakefield should remain in the Red Sox rotation for as long as he continues to be effective regardless of where Diasuke Matsuzaka or John Lackey are in their rehabilitation from injury.
-If David Ortiz continues to produce the way that he has in the first two months of the season, the Red Sox will be hard pressed not to offer him a contract extension.
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It