yeszir
10-22-2004, 06:58 PM
Here's an awesome article from Boston.com to stroke our collective Boston egos:
BOSTON (AP) Suddenly, Boston is becoming the favored destination of sports fans.
More than a hundred thousand are expected to descend on the city this weekend to watch some crew races. On Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro the New England Revolution will begin their first-round Major League Soccer playoff series.
Less than 24 hours later, the same field will host a marquee matchup between two undefeated NFL teams as the New England Patriots face the New York Jets, and try to notch a record 18th straight regular-season victory.
And, oh yeah, the Boston Red Sox are playing in the World Series at Fenway Park about a mile away from the home of a guy who is in the final stretch of his bid for the presidency.
For one week at least, Boston is living up to its nickname, inspired by the long-ago words of Oliver Wendell Holmes: It is indeed the ''Hub of the Universe.''
''This week we're seeing the reason why Boston is one of the greatest sports cities in the world,'' said Mike Eruzione, a native of suburban Winthrop and the captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team, which won the ''Miracle on Ice.''
It may be the ragtag Red Sox who captured the nation's attention this week with their improbable come-from-behind victory over the New York Yankees. But baseball's not the only game in town.
Hours before the Red Sox hurl the first pitch to the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night, the banks of the nearby Charles River will swarm with spectators watching the annual Head of the Charles regatta.
A fall classic in its own right, the rowing regatta attracts as many as 200,000 fans, 7,000 athletes, and 1,400 boats, according to regatta assistant director Chris Kerber.
''It's like the perfect storm of sporting events,'' Kerber said. ''But we are not at all running for cover or feeling overshadowed. They can come to the river during the day and go to the park at night.''
As the Sox game gets under way, the New England Revolution will begin their playoff series against Columbus.
''That one's probably pretty low on everyone's radar screen,'' said Mike Henry, a lifelong Massachusetts sports fan.
On Sunday, the Patriots, a team that has actually managed to win a few championships in the past 86 years, will try to grab a touch of the spotlight when they take on the New York Jets at 4 p.m.
With the Patriots gunning for a record, the matchup between the 5-and-0 teams would normally be THE event of the weekend. But not these days.
''It's going to be an exciting weekend,'' construction worker Jim Ryan said. ''The adrenaline's keeping us going.''
If the World Series lasts until a seventh game, the winner would be crowned on Halloween, just two days before the presidential election. Which means that the Sox could, just possibly, win their first championship since 1918 within 48 hours of the first presidential victory for a Massachusetts candidate in 44 years.
For now, however, residents in Massachusetts where only a curse of the most twisted variety could keep Kerry from winning his home state are more focused on their sports teams.
''Luckily we already have the votes of Red Sox nation all sewed up because they've all slipped into a trance-like state,'' said Justine Griffin, Massachusetts communication director for Kerry's campaign. ''We're even having trouble keeping our own candidate from going AWOL.''
BOSTON (AP) Suddenly, Boston is becoming the favored destination of sports fans.
More than a hundred thousand are expected to descend on the city this weekend to watch some crew races. On Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro the New England Revolution will begin their first-round Major League Soccer playoff series.
Less than 24 hours later, the same field will host a marquee matchup between two undefeated NFL teams as the New England Patriots face the New York Jets, and try to notch a record 18th straight regular-season victory.
And, oh yeah, the Boston Red Sox are playing in the World Series at Fenway Park about a mile away from the home of a guy who is in the final stretch of his bid for the presidency.
For one week at least, Boston is living up to its nickname, inspired by the long-ago words of Oliver Wendell Holmes: It is indeed the ''Hub of the Universe.''
''This week we're seeing the reason why Boston is one of the greatest sports cities in the world,'' said Mike Eruzione, a native of suburban Winthrop and the captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team, which won the ''Miracle on Ice.''
It may be the ragtag Red Sox who captured the nation's attention this week with their improbable come-from-behind victory over the New York Yankees. But baseball's not the only game in town.
Hours before the Red Sox hurl the first pitch to the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night, the banks of the nearby Charles River will swarm with spectators watching the annual Head of the Charles regatta.
A fall classic in its own right, the rowing regatta attracts as many as 200,000 fans, 7,000 athletes, and 1,400 boats, according to regatta assistant director Chris Kerber.
''It's like the perfect storm of sporting events,'' Kerber said. ''But we are not at all running for cover or feeling overshadowed. They can come to the river during the day and go to the park at night.''
As the Sox game gets under way, the New England Revolution will begin their playoff series against Columbus.
''That one's probably pretty low on everyone's radar screen,'' said Mike Henry, a lifelong Massachusetts sports fan.
On Sunday, the Patriots, a team that has actually managed to win a few championships in the past 86 years, will try to grab a touch of the spotlight when they take on the New York Jets at 4 p.m.
With the Patriots gunning for a record, the matchup between the 5-and-0 teams would normally be THE event of the weekend. But not these days.
''It's going to be an exciting weekend,'' construction worker Jim Ryan said. ''The adrenaline's keeping us going.''
If the World Series lasts until a seventh game, the winner would be crowned on Halloween, just two days before the presidential election. Which means that the Sox could, just possibly, win their first championship since 1918 within 48 hours of the first presidential victory for a Massachusetts candidate in 44 years.
For now, however, residents in Massachusetts where only a curse of the most twisted variety could keep Kerry from winning his home state are more focused on their sports teams.
''Luckily we already have the votes of Red Sox nation all sewed up because they've all slipped into a trance-like state,'' said Justine Griffin, Massachusetts communication director for Kerry's campaign. ''We're even having trouble keeping our own candidate from going AWOL.''