Whether you are a Pats junkie, Celtics bandwagon hopper, random Bruins fan (yeah, looking at you), or one of the few who have stuck with the Red Sox, this spring has offered something for every Boston sports fan to enjoy.
Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Celtics have been mostly dominant, utilizing a series of standout performances from all corners of the roster, most notably consistent greatness from Derrick White, to dismantle opponents. The Celtics first negotiated a five-game gentleman’s sweep of the sparkless Heat, before blowing by the Cavaliers in five games to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics appear so far above their Eastern Conference competition that any close game is a failure, and any loss leaves Celtics fans thinking, “What in the world are we doing?”
The Bruins were nearly omitted from this article with eleven minutes remaining in their game seven matchup with the Maple Leafs when opposing forward William Nylander deposited the puck into the Boston net for a 1-0 advantage. However, the Bruins choke fest was interrupted by the Maple Leafs’ greater inability to win a big game, and the Bruins equalized the score a minute later and dramatically won the series on a David Pastrnak strike 1:54 into overtime. The Bruins came out firing in their Game 1 matchup with the Panthers, who came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat last year’s Bruins, but lost the next three contests, leaving the Bruins, and their fanbase, on thin ice.
While the TD Garden gold & green have carried the brunt of Boston’s Duck Boat dreams as of late, New England’s resident bottom-feeders (let’s ignore the fact they have won 10 championships since 2000), the Patriots and Red Sox, have also managed to spark enthusiasm.
For the Patriots, that meant using their third-overall pick in the NFL Draft on North Carolina Quarterback Drake Maye. During the draft, former Head Coach Bill Belichick offered his analysis of the newest Patriots QB on Pat McAfee’s ESPN draft night show, saying, “This is a guy that can make all the throws, he just needs to be more consistent.” Wise words from the man who drafted Mac Jones.
This offseason, the Red Sox were ridiculed for a lack of investment in the pitching staff. After all, their biggest move besides signing Lucas Giolito, who is out for the season, was hiring pitching coach Andrew Bailey. Without significant additions, it seemed impossible for the Sox to improve dramatically from last years’ team-wide 4.52 Earned Run Average (ERA), which ranked 21st in baseball. However, the Sox have dispelled that notion, leading the majors with a 2.65 team ERA through 36 games, including a 2.13 ERA from the starting rotation, by far the best in the big leagues.
This is all the more impressive when considering that three of the five pitchers who began the year in the rotation have already endured stints on the IL. The Bailey Bunch has stymied hitters with the approach of throwing the pitcher’s best pitch for strikes, leading to a marked increase in off-speed offerings from the Red Sox staff.
This article also appears in our May 2024 edition.
