It was about 10 years ago when I came up with the idea of creating a website related to Philadelphia sports. I registered the name, phillysportsguy.com, but let it linger up until now. I kept telling myself, I was going to get started and then would put it off. Finally, a few weeks ago I began to build it on my computer and when I had made enough progress, I launched it live.
After it went live, a part of me knew I had this hidden secret that I knew would linger over me like a dark cloud following me wherever I went. For those that knew me this dirty little secret would eventually have to come out. How long could I live with it while still adding to this website? Ok, here it goes...(deep breath, relax...everything will be ok)
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
John 8:7
Alright, first let me backtrack for a minute...I can tell already some of you are ready to pass judgment! I want to go back in time...The year was 1982...Now, wait...give me some time...I can just picture the holier than thou attitude already festering in some of you. So anyway, it was back in 1982 when I decided to move out of South Jersey and head to Boston. I needed a change of scenery and always had a fondness for Boston.
So I packed what little I had in the back of my small pickup truck and off I went. I took a job working at a state hospital in the acute ward of the psychiatric hospital having graduated with a degree in psychology. After several months I found a new job working in an emergency shelter for adolescents outside of Boston (Somerville, MA). There I met a fellow worker (Charlie) who would become my best friend. We both had a love of sports and made an instant connection. His parents were one of the few people that had a big-screen television and would host pay-for-view showings of any big boxing matches for family and friends. So any big fight coming up, we would be there. And to top it off, you were always guaranteed a great feast and the beverage of your choice.
Sports in Boston were just as big as they were in Philly. There was always a big push from New Englander friends to support the various Boston teams. Charlie and I started to go to Sox games and Patriots games and a few Bruins and Celtics games. Again the push was on to support the Boston teams.
Ok, hold on, hold on...I can just see already your minds are processing this and ready to pounce on me...but let me continue.
Now the Sox's most bitter rival of course is the Yankees. If you read my previous blog, Where It All Began, you will understand how my hatred of the Yankees began. So we would always try and get to as many of those games as we could. There was nothing sweeter than to watch the Yankee fans in attendance when they would go down in defeat. In the fall, we would get tickets to an occasional Pats game.
As the pressure mounted, I began to think more about supporting Boston teams. I finally came up with a conclusion I could live with and what sounded to me to be a reasonable solution. Now, here me out on this one...it really makes sense!
Let's take the Boston Red Sox. They played in the American League. The Phillies played in the National League. At the time, remember this was the early 80s. The only time they would ever meet would be in the World Series. So, yeah, I could be a Sox fan.
The Patriots? Well, they played in the AFC. The Eagles played in the NFC. Occasionally they might meet during the regular season but that wouldn't be very often. And if they did, I would still be an Eagles fan at heart.
The Celtics? There was just no way I was ever going to root for the Celtics. Too many bad memories. I was quite happy to be living in Boston when the Sixers won the NBA title in 83.
The Bruins? Again, who forget the 1974 Stanley Cup finals against them. So again, there was no way I would become a Bruins fan.
See...it's not that crazy of an idea! It all makes sense! It's logical!
So, in 1983 my friend Charlie had the idea of purchasing season tickets for the Patriots. Having gone 5-4 the year before, we went in on season tickets. Season tickets at Foxboro stadiums were not very luxurious at the time. Your seat consisted of a number stuck on an aluminum bench. I don't need to tell you how cold those seats would be in December! We continue with season tickets until 1988 when I got married and moved to California.
To this day, I still remain a Red Sox and Patriots fan. When people hear that I'm a Patriots fan, they often confuse me for one of those bandwagon-jumping Cowboy fans! Who jumped on the bandwagon in the 90s. But just go back and look at the record of the Pats back in those days...it wasn't the same Pats that people love to hate now.
So there you have it...my confession. Now that it is out in the open, I hope you'll see that it all makes sense!