Celtic Pride Never Dies

(Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

CELTICS IMPROVE TO 5-0 
WITHOUT RONDO 
IN WIN OVER CLIPPERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2/3/2013 4:17:18 PM

(Article actually found here.)

Jason Terry and Jeff Green and Leandro Barbosa - those are the Boston Celtics of 2013.

There's also Jason Collins and  Jared Sullinger and Avery Bradley who supply the storied franchise with a nucleus far beyond just Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.  Coach Doc Rivers must be elated to have such an armada, such a stack-filled battalion of magnificent hoop-shooters whose legerdemain might be unproven, yes, but whose lionhearts already roar throughout the fabled land of NBA spectacle!

These are young warriors who marked the cut from tired old veterans who have departed from the team, be it Shaq or whatsisname who left for the Heat... Defector, by any other name, we heat thee!  These have been replaced by the likes of Fab Melo, the Brazilian Bostonian Celtic, Courtney Lee (a boy, not the first ever female Boston Celtic guard - no) and Chris Wilcox in sheer character, style and flamboyance coming off from the bench-warming that he does so stupendously well...!

These Boston Celtics are something else and very much the legitimate as also very worthy and proud successors of the Celtic Magic (no relation to anything coming from Orlando, Florida - capisce?) that surrounded the likes of Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones, John 'Hondo' Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, Frank Ramsey, Bill Sharman, Don Nelson, Tom 'Satch' Sanders, Chuck Connors, John McCarthy, Bailey Howell, Chris Ford, Earl Williams, Ron Mercer, Rick Fox, Popeye Jones, Roy Rogers Jr., Mike 'Red' Wallace, Bill Walton, Jo Jo White, Xavier McDaniel, Pervis Ellison, Cedric Maxwell, Eric Williams, Paul Westphal, Lucian Whitaker, Dominique Wilkins, Brian Shaw, Reggie Lewis, Sam Jones, Flash Gordon, Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Dennis 'D.J.' Johnson, Danny Ainge, Antoine Walker, Delonte West, Eddie House, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe - and Red Auerbach himself, of course!  (The only name missing here would be Chuck Norris himself, methinks!)

Instilled by Red (the one true 'Red' of the Green here: Auerbach! No offense to Mike The 'Red' there - Wallace!) the tradition got greater and greater and this team, officially originated only after the war ended, in 1946, became the single most successful team in all of sports because it knew how to replace its winning components so very well.  That was all Auerbach's doing, of course, and, ever since he departed his functions with the team (and, most recently this world as well) the team succeeded so well only a handful of times, most notably when Danny Ainge sold off most of the team in order to form the New 'Big Three' (Pierce, Garnett and whatsisname) that were supposed to reignite an era of greatness akin to the days when Bird, Parish and McHale played together - and it worked; they won the championship!  Rondo coming in and becoming as important to the Celtics team as Hondo was, say, for the aging Celts back in 1969 - that's another great coup, one that was mostly provided by destiny, but, hey, we'll take it, right?  Most other times, though, the substitutions were not nearly as successful nor grandiose - most notably when a certain Rasheed came to town, to succeed fellow Wallace, Mike The 'Red'...?  And he'd wear a baseball cap of the team battling another Boston team in the simultaneous playoff season...?  Great Celtic Tradition? We don't think so...!  But that was the black sheep in an otherwise storybook Boston franchise for the Ages...!

However, this year, after the injury to all-star Rajon Rondo, the Celtics saw a legion of naysayers come forth, from all sides and all fronts, denying their legitimacy as a contender and their right to even rate themselves up there, as worthy successors of these Boston greats of yesteryear...
And these accursed detractors are not even leprechauns - we assume...

"A lot of people say that we don't have a chance of even reaching the playoffs, that we can't do this, we can't do that," starting Celtics guard Avery Bradley was quoted saying, after the huge victory over that other upstart team in the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers, not Lakers. "We know we have each other and we're going to go out there and fight for each other, no matter what, every single night."

May the Boston Celtics of today carry on the battle - and win the war!
Not only on NBA basketball courts; but also, and most of all, in the court of their fans' hearts! Everybody loves Jason Terry (pictured below) for instance...!
The jury is out on the team, deliberating - while the Celts just make baskets!

(Photo Credits Go To: UNKNOWN/NBAE/Getty Images I assume/Help me out here!)

!Celtic ♣ Pride!

Oh yes - the Ancient Celts would be sooooooo proud - 

indubitably! 

Yup - Boston Dreaming Is Much More Than A Feeling!

It is the True Champion's Certitude!

Boston - All The Way!

Since 1969 - at the very least! 

+++

Game ON! (or The BruWins Are Ba-ack!)

I still can't believe it will be...! 

But yes - it is happening! 

It's really HAPPENING! 

And within a few days only - hours even...

WOW.

Time for a quickie PREVIEW I guess - hmm? 

Click here: 

Drop that damn puck already - 

and let the (rivals') bodies hit the ice! 

;-) 

Go Bruins Go!

+++ 

***+++***

All Rights Belong To Fine Art America - Merry Christmas! 

Wishing -and Dreaming- That All 

Christmas Celebrations 

Everywhere Else 

Resemble 

Those 

Right

Here 

- In 

Boston! 

When in Boston, stop by Cheers and, lo, across the street 

you will find a wonderful boutique christened...

Christmas In Boston! 

+++ 

Just Drop That Puck Already...!!!

Not just any puck either, greedy NHL and greedier NHLPA folksies: 

make sure that once you do drop it, AT LONG LAST, 

for the beginning of the 2012-2013 season,  

it will be THIS PUCK RIGHT HERE (see picture below)

that you will be dropping:

That's right, L.A. Leo - 

you are not repeating 

just as the B's did not repeat 

and just as ANY previous champion 

-for the last 14 seasons at least- 

has been unable to repeat 

and raise that ashtray 

on two consecutive years...! 

WHY? 

I'll tell you why: 

because they overtax themselves 

outplaying their opponents 

outlasting their bitter rivals 

outmuscling their hated enemies 

on the ice 

and, come a shortened summer break 

rife with non-stop partying 

(what they call Cup Celebrations - ha!) 

and another training camp 

at the end of which they are labeled, 

hailed, lauded, praised

and soundly targeted 

as the Defending Champs, 

they begin the defense of that title 

without ever having fully recuperated 

from the grueling ordeal 

that crowned them as such...! 

And, so totally spent 

and devoid of energy, 

having to go through 

yet another rigorous schedule 

of over 80 games, 

in which EVERYONE is aiming 

with added gusto 

at your defending champions' butts, 

you get to the playoffs 

(or, as Europeans call it, The Tournament!) 

and you just can't go on anymore...!!! 

Still, the Boston Bruins were one heck 

of a championship crew, 

giving it all throughout their defending campaign, 

finishing in a top, pole position 

and it took an extremely lucky bounce 

IN OVERTIME, IN A DECIDING GAME 7, 

into their net to actually knock them off

So... 

Given NOW 

that they are fully rested 

that the season is shortened 

and that everyone (almost) 

is back and healthy - 

the Boston Bruins 

can be champions 

in 2 out of 3 seasons 

EASILY.

All they need to do 

is get back on ice - 

and for that to happen, 

well, the NHLPA and NHL team owners 

have to swallow their avarice 

neuter their audacious propensity to flash it 

and GET A DEAL SIGNED! 

Personally? 

I don't think they can do it! 

Neither side is giving an inch so far 

neither one seems able to give nor take! 

Both are equally contaminated by greed 

and pride, probably... 

Neither side cares about the fans -

they only care about the money 

that can be potentially extirpated from them! 

Under these conditions, 

I figure that there will be no working agreement 

and the entire season will be cancelled. 

I could be wrong 

but it is of little consequence if I am not; 

for life without hockey 

has proven to be quite pleasant indeed 

- once again! 

And even if there is no hockey, 

we know in our hearts who the champions are: 

the Boston Bruins! 

+++ 

It's Always Fair To Compare...

BOSTON and MONTRÉAL, anyways...!

Back to Beantown

Liked · 7 hours ago 

Taken in Montreal, Source: http://bit.ly/RPoQxu

 — with Nano Caraballo, Stephen Normand, Thomas Hayes, Joseph R Costa, Arif Omar and Tom Hayes.

Some street in MTL, as thousands upon millions 

throughout the province of Québec 

continue the tradition of moving 

in the early days of July... 

Some use unorthodox methods to do so, too. 

Now compare this to Boston's own traditions - and urban layout, then or now...

Tremont Street - circa 1923

There is no comparison to be made! 

Alumni - Remembered 1.0

Boston has seen many a hard-as-nails competitor over the decades, and several of them pint-sized but with an uncommon combative spirit. Forbes Kennedy of the Boston Bruins is one of those. Recently remembered as one of the one-hundred or so toughest players to ever have played the game of hockey (and, yes, it is only a game) this gentleman, off the ice, is a true example of tenacity, resilience and fraternity above all: for putting the team first pretty much spelled out the end of his own career...

At 5 feet 8 inches tall and one-hundred fifty pounds of weight, Forbes wasn't, at first glance, destined to be the enforcer that he became. Much less so in the NHL, as he hadn't even begun to learn to skate until the age of eleven. Some have called it his dogged determination, others have raved about his willingness to challenge himself and opponents alike; all that Boston Bruins fans could tell was that Forbes Kennedy was one hell of a tough guy and competitor, hitting people relentlessly and taking on all comers afterwards! Before finishing up with the Bruins, though, Kennedy had had a storied career already as he had played for the Blackhawks, Red Wings, Maple Leafs and Flyers. As a matter of fact, he had been one of the fan favorites on the Flyers initial expansion team - an expansion the Boston Bruins organization had been against, at first. One can tell why: soon enough, the new teams, especially Philly, began to transform hockey into a brutish farce where it was no longer noble warlike hostilities on ice (as it had always been between Boston and Montreal, for instance) but the violence was raised up a peg, to a level that made it the least respectable of all five major North American sports (counting the real Futebol in there, or soccer as Americans call it, along with basketball, baseball and the NFL variety of "football"...)

Players such as Forbes Kennedy were called upon to have many, many fights throughout their careers, often shortened by this very fact. The goonery reached a pinnacle with the Broad Street Bullies era - and the older franchises only had to follow suit, simply in order to compete: hence, the Big Bad Bruins. Forbes Kennedy did his job courageously, night in, night out, and he did it well. And then came a night when he was destined to wage his most famous battle of all - most famous battles, to be entirely exact, as he fought four consecutive opponents - all in the defense of his dear teammates, one of them in particular, usually. This eventful and especially violent night in Kennedy's NHL career was to be his last, too - and it wasn't exactly as others, so-called "true journalists and not bloggers" have reported it to have taken place, either. Those reporters, whose seats are usually in the bleachers, know who they are... It all started when Pat Quinn (then only a thug of Toronto, not its team's G.M.) got abusive with Boston's legendary Bobby Orr. Kennedy dealt with the ensuing chaos and had to face different opponents in retaliatory fights, ending up punching a linesman as well, as everything truly got out of hand. The NHL carried out yet another one of their (many) miscarriages of justice, soon after that, as they suspended Kennedy for this loss of control of his emotions. 

He would never return to the NHL after this. 
Forbes Kennedy finished his career with 888 penalty minutes in 603 NHL games.
The last dozen or so of those were gained when he valiantly defended his team's best elements, his team, his teammates. He didn't deserve to see his career end so ignominiously as that - even though he was caught up to defend worthless goons such as Quinn and their reprehensible actions.

The Boston Bruins understood that - when he left the club to play elsewhere, he was to perform the same tasks with the same degree of allegiance as he had for them before that.

The Boston Bruins understand that - and sympathize.