On Ressuscitating A Glorious Franchise...
Boston Celtics: Headed For #17...!
Not a done deal
by any stretch of the imagination
but they certainly are placing
all the right pieces together...
Kevin Garnett
Paul Pierce
Ray Allen;
all franchise players
The Celts haven't had a Big Three
like this triumverate
since the early to mid-80s
and the three championships
won by Larry Bird
Robert Parish
and Kevin McHale.
And a supporting cast member
from that bygone era of greatness
-Danny Ainge-
is the one who put together
this new trio of all-stars
bound for gold
most assuredly...
But a nostalgic one like me
can only reflect
at times like these
on what was
what could have been
what will never be...
For one can resurrect
in effect
a failing franchise
with a glorious history
unequalled in all of sports
- doing what Ainge did...
Making bold moves
to win NOW
and not later...
In doing so, though,
the developing
Celtics Pride
that youngsters such as
Ryan Gomes
Al Jefferson
and Gerald Green
were showing
in the troubled 2006 season
will never come to fruition
as they are unlikely to ever come back to the city of Boston
other than as a visiting team's
unmotivated *or* revengeful player!
Resurrecting a team
is possible, yes -
but resurrecting a legend
is not - not for us it isn't.
Only GOD Can Do that.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach
will never return
nor will we ever see
the likes of him again.
Reggie Lewis
will never rush the floor
for his beloved team
ever again.
Dennis Johnson
will never return
in any capacity either.
Nor will
legends Bob Cousy
Bill Russell
John Havlicek
and so many others
who contributed
to the 16 championships
8 in a row
9 in ten years
11 in 13 years
that the greatest franchise
in pro-sports history
tallied up from 1957
to 1986.
Those were one-time events
and the players,
the stage,
the circumstances
will never, ever return.
Best the New Big Three can do
is emulate - mimic - imitate
those legendary exploits.
Because they can never be
truly duplicated.
+++
Not a done deal
by any stretch of the imagination
but they certainly are placing
all the right pieces together...
Kevin Garnett
Paul Pierce
Ray Allen;
all franchise players
The Celts haven't had a Big Three
like this triumverate
since the early to mid-80s
and the three championships
won by Larry Bird
Robert Parish
and Kevin McHale.
And a supporting cast member
from that bygone era of greatness
-Danny Ainge-
is the one who put together
this new trio of all-stars
bound for gold
most assuredly...
But a nostalgic one like me
can only reflect
at times like these
on what was
what could have been
what will never be...
For one can resurrect
in effect
a failing franchise
with a glorious history
unequalled in all of sports
- doing what Ainge did...
Making bold moves
to win NOW
and not later...
In doing so, though,
the developing
Celtics Pride
that youngsters such as
Ryan Gomes
Al Jefferson
and Gerald Green
were showing
in the troubled 2006 season
will never come to fruition
as they are unlikely to ever come back to the city of Boston
other than as a visiting team's
unmotivated *or* revengeful player!
Resurrecting a team
is possible, yes -
but resurrecting a legend
is not - not for us it isn't.
Only GOD Can Do that.
Arnold "Red" Auerbach
will never return
nor will we ever see
the likes of him again.
Reggie Lewis
will never rush the floor
for his beloved team
ever again.
Dennis Johnson
will never return
in any capacity either.
Nor will
legends Bob Cousy
Bill Russell
John Havlicek
and so many others
who contributed
to the 16 championships
8 in a row
9 in ten years
11 in 13 years
that the greatest franchise
in pro-sports history
tallied up from 1957
to 1986.
Those were one-time events
and the players,
the stage,
the circumstances
will never, ever return.
Best the New Big Three can do
is emulate - mimic - imitate
those legendary exploits.
Because they can never be
truly duplicated.
+++
Labels: Big Three, Boston, Celtics, DJ, KG, Red Auerbach, Reggie Lewis
posted by Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™ at
9:54 AM
2 Comments:
I find it truly ironic and even delightful that two of my all-time favorite champs are gunning for #17 with such utter sense of... urgency?
The Boston Celtics
and
the Nature Boy Ric Flair!
Both are 16-time World Champions
And both want #17 NOW
In Flair's case, he wants to retire as a champion...
I am sure that Garnett, Allen and Pierce (as well as rumored to join them soon NBA veteran with a heart of gold Dikembe Mutombo) all want to do likewise - being a good 20 years younger than Mr. Flair, they only figure they can win a bunch before indeed bowing out of active competition, which could make the Boston Celtics a 20-time World Champion franchise before, say, the end of the world!
;)
Not that I'm holding my breath for this...
However, since the hateful and execrable New York Yankees and Montreal Canadiens are also in the 20s - why not the Boston Celtics too indeed...
And there are other franchises deserving of piling up championships out there too:
New Orleans Saints
Boston Red Sox
Lisboa's Benfica European football club
New England Patriots
Los Angeles Avengers
San Diego Gulls
Providence Bruins
Boston Bruins
UCLA Bruins
San Diego Padres
Chicago Cubs, of course
to name a few...
All that before the world does go down the proverbial tubes...!
+++
By
Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™, at 4:05 PM
The preceding coincidence is certainly far more pleasant for me than others that I've noticed recently...
Indeed, I rejoice to see two of my favorites being at the exact same point in their respective championship quests; I am also amused by the fact that Ric Flair is still "in the game" and he was World Champion in 1986 when the Boston Celtics last were champions also, led by Larry Bird and co.
And 21 years later, Flair will most probably win number 17 and retire as a champion; while the Boston Celtics are poised to regain their World Championship form, but with Kevin Garnett leading them, not some white guy from Indiana...!
Other parallels:
Flair is from the south, the deep south even, and led a predominantly caucasian faction of dominating athletes, the Four Horsemen - one that never included a single black member...
Yet, the Horsemen were never accused of being racist in the least way - even though they feuded with black opponents all the time (Ron Simmons, The Natural Butch Reed, the legendary JunkYardDog Sylvester Ritter, Teddy Long, Shelton Benjamin most recently...)
Meanwhile, Boston as a whole is still with some kind of reputation of being a racist town...?!?
That makes absolutely no sense to me - not when the Boston Celtics have had so many ballplayers of color (from the greats -Bill Russell, Dennis Johnson and tons in-between those two- to the current line-up that is predominantly colored -they only have one white guy under contract as I type this- and this has been the case for years now!) and so have the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots...
The Boston Bruins have never had many and that is for the simple reason that there are so few black hockey players out there...!!!
But the 1993 Boston Bruins team picture will show you that there was a black player on the team; and that is the team THAT SHOULD HAVE WON THE STANLEY CUP that year...
Accusations of racism have no place in Beantown; unless one delves deep into fandom... But then these fans will hail all athletes as heroes, black white or yellow, if they win!
Other unpleasant coincidences I have become aware of recently:
The hospital that I consider to be the MURDERER OF MY SAINTLY FATHER has a trio of amateur hockey teams; they play each other and then dispatch the best team to regional tournaments...
Around that fateful, disastrous year of 1993, their team bore the name of... BRUINS.
They have since rechristened their team (either MÉCHANTS MALADES or DEVILS or PRÉDATEURS - all of which are more fitting for that hospital, if you ask me...)
More annoying on a personal level now:
My Boston Bruins were the late 80s, early 90s team that accomplished the seemingly impossible task of eliminating the hated Montreal Canadiens and reaching the Stanley Cup Finals IN THE SAME YEAR...
They did so twice: in 1988 and 1990.
(The Bruins eliminated the Canadiens also in 1991, 1992, 1994 etc... But did not reach the Finals in those years.)
Leading the Bruins from 1990 onwards was one man: Cam Neely.
But in 1988, the leader was undeniably Ken Linseman.
Whereas Neely was to be known as Cam "The Man" Neely, Linseman was known throughout his career as Ken "The Rat" Linseman...
The Rat was the sort of player everyone HATED to face; but loved to have ON THEIR TEAM...
He had earned his disgraceful nickname due to the fact that he truly had the knack to get into an opponent's head, thus making them lose their concentration and their head, both - this led to bench-clearing brawls sometimes (such as one memorable time in the old Boston Garden; the opponents were the Canadiens and, when the dust cleared, the Bruins had won the game!)
The Rat got the job done, basically...
He did so by telling certain truths to the competition's face - and that would suffice to throw them off their game, 9 times out of 10!
I am told that I can do that to people too; although it is not in the context of a sporting competition! My sarcastic wit is disarming and has been qualified as being "as sharp as a bullwhip" - or something to that effect!
Now, I become aware of the existence of a rap artist from France (I do believe) and his name is... Le Rat Luciano.
Hmm... And he has a sharp tongue too! Insolence being the trademark of his lyrics...
Oh well -
if the alleged Chairman of the Board himself, ol' blue eyes, Frank Sinatra, was okay with being called a rat (a rat packer, to be honest - and he wasn't alone with the oddball dubious distinction, self-attributed with tongue firmly in cheek and all... However, all I can recall is a forgotten actress from the ORIGINAL Ocean's Eleven delivering the line "you really are a rat!" - and Sinatra's in the shot, so; she must have meant him! Or Deano... But I digress!)
I guess I can live with this as well...
After all, isn't it the Year of the Rat soon?
Or was it last year?
Two years ago?
Three?!?
Shoot...
P.S. - I am not looking to ever return to my "Mr. Coincidence" persona - EVER!
Not with coincidences like this, NO!
I will remain "Luminous Luciano" for the duration, if it's all the same to you...!
;)
+++
By
Luminous (\ô/) Luciano™, at 4:43 PM
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