If faces can tell a story, then the above spins one sad tale for Boston. (AP Photos)
It's an emotion and fact of life that spans universal, and although it's cliché in nature, the stark truth of it is often contrasted best in the light of sport. Along with the thrill of a victory, there's also the agony of a defeat, and unfortunately for Boston, we were handed three of the latter last night, on the 14th of May, 2009.
Two overtime losses and one fourth quarter collapse ended up being the recipe for this disappointing night. It marked the sad end of the line for our Boston Bruins, who not only fought back valiantly in the game, but also in the series as a whole. The Bruin's loss hit me hardest of the three, because like I stated in my prior post, they deserved this season and a championship more then any of the other professional Boston based teams. You can't fault their heart here though, and hopefully this is just another spring board into their maturation and development, much like their reaction this year to their first round Game 7 loss to Montreal in 2008. Still, the sting still lingers. The hurt's still there, and now I absurdly have a reason to hate Carolina.
My night began with some friends and I catching the end of the Red Sox game at the Bleacher Bar in Fenway Park. The place was surprisingly a lot less touristy then I expected, and is actually fairly nice. The Red Sox never cease to amaze me as then have yet again found a way to make money out of nothing, turning a storage closet underneath the bleachers into a primly located sports bar. Genius, and yet another example of them squeezing every penny they can out of their limited space. This is also where I unfortunately saw Big Papi finally hit rock bottom.
Our former slugger was 0-7 in what turned out to be a frustrating game for the Red Sox. It was a game that saw Ortiz leave 12 men in scoring position, which just isn't acceptable from any angle, especially in a 1 run extra inning affair. Is his death even doubted anymore? Sure he'll have some hits, and maybe even some of the dramatic variety, but listen here kids. The Big Papi you knew and loved is no longer around. Maybe it's because he's not sticking a needle in ass anymore, maybe it's his age, but my eyebrows are no longer raised, and my empathy & pity have given up chase to simple disappointment. Long Live Big Papi, it was good while it lasted.
Of all the losses last night the Celtics loss seems to have hit me the least hard. The pace of the game never sat well with me. The calls the refs were making all night also seemed absurd, but if a Game 7 is what the league wanted, it's what they're getting now. I guess I'd rather nab a win in the Garden anyways instead of the stale environment that is Orlando. Still, would have been nice to get some extra days rest before facing the media crowned Cleveland Cavaliers. Man, I really hope we get to play them, and I'm honest on that. I know I'm the ultimate homer here, however I don't see what makes them so special, and don't see why the Celtics couldn't pull it off. That's (hopefully) a discussion for another day though.
This all may still be the venom talking though, as I still taste that bitter agony, but without the lows in life, the highs end up feeling better, I just hope Boston isn't back down to one team town come Monday morning.
Dude. The Cavs will KILL the Celtics if you guys get past Orlando. Even if you had KG in there I still dont see the Celtics beating the Cavs. I know you are passionate about them and all, but you have no one to stop Lebron. Period. And while Rondo and Allen and Pierce are all solid... throw in big baby and House for some flave. The Cavs role players are legit this year. I barely follow Basketball, but i know what goes on ya know? And from what I'm seeing i doubt the KG-less Celtics would bring a 7 game series past 5 or 6.
On a separate note... I thought it was a typo when I saw Ortiz left 12 runners on base. It's crazy to say coming from a Yankee fan... but it's almost sad to see his aura completely gone. I mean... it's GONE. You know it, I know it... the media knows it. Do I believe he was on the sauce? Absolutely, but unfortunately you and I know at this point that they all were.(and the ones who werent were guilty by association).. I'm curious as to your thoughts on Manny as well, because I really didnt think he'd be the guy to be doing it. but I'm SURE he didn't start doing them in LA. Lets be real here. So we're looking at the 1-2 punch that killed us... as juice guys. This games gotta get cleaned up for sure. ANd Roger continuously sticking with his story is so odd and amusing.
Posted by: Erik | May 15, 2009 at 07:39 PM