Why Boston? |
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Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox were founded in 1901 and became one of the American Leagues eight franchises. The Red Sox, or just the Sox as their fans call them, have called Fenway park their home field since 1912. The first ever World Series was held in 1903, where the Red Sox defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates. Within the next few years, the Red Sox went on to win four more World Series by 1918. Then, tragedy struck the team. After their World Series win in 1918, they did not win another World Series for eighty-six years, which is the longest a team has gone without winning a World Series in the history of baseball. This is called the Curse of the Bambino. The Curse of the Bambino refers to this time of lose, and is believed to be caused by the Red Sox selling the great Babe Ruth to the teams rival, the New York Yankees. It was not until 2004 that the Curse of the Bambino finally ended and the Red Sox won the World Series. Since then the Red Sox have won the World Series in 2007 and 2013.
The 2004 World Series created a lot of memories for the Red Sox and their fans. Before the series ended and they could say they broke the Curse of the Bambino, they ran into another problem: Curt Schilling was hurt and on the mound. During the game, it was quite noticeable to everyone, including the fans, that Schilling was injured. Regardless, Schilling powered through and led the team to victory and onto game 7 of the world series.
If you have ever or ever plan on attending a Red Sox game at Fenway, you will hear what has come to be known as the anthem of Fenway “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. The Red Sox always have great attendance at their games. In fact, from May 15th, 2003 to April 10th, 2013, the Red Sox sold out every game home game (820 games). Another tradition at Fenway is to have a Fenway Frank, which is a hot dog. Red Sox fans take great pride in their Fenway Franks.
Some of the most popular Red Sox players include: David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Babe Ruth, Carlton Fisk, Dustin Pedroia, Manny Ramirez, Tim Wakefield, Mookie Betts, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, and Curt Schilling.
Fenway is truly one of the biggest and most loved placed in Boston. I encourage everyone to go to a game at Fenway in order to experience the amazing atmosphere. Go Sox!
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are currently owned by Robert Kraft and call Gillette Stadium in Foxborough their home. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) in the American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team formed in 1970 as the result of a merger of two teams. The Patriots biggest rival is the New York Jets and is considered one of the biggest rivalrys in the NFL. Two of the most loved members of the Patriots organization, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, in 2000. Since Belichick and Brady joined the Patriots, the team became one of the most successful in the NFL. The Patriots have won the Super bowl in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, and 2017. Also, the Patriots have made nine super bowl appearances.
Over the past few years, ex-Patriots player Aaron Hernandez was on trial for murder, firearm possession, and ammunition charges. Hernandez proved himself to be a useful asset to the Patriots before he was let go because of the crimes he committed. Unfortunately, Hernandez committed suicide after being sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
Patriots fans are among the most loyal and committed in the history of sports. It will be interesting to see what happens to the organization once Belichick, Brady, and Kraft leave. I challenge you to find one New Englander who is not a die hard Patriots fan.
