Skip to main content

I’m Thankful For The Boston Celtics (It’s not why you think)

By Anonymous

The positive impact the Boston Celtics had on one Canadian youngster



Thanksgiving is a time when everyone reflects on what they are thankful for. Like most, I am thankful for my family, friends, health & job. I have a great life, but in my thanks I cannot forget the one team that helped me through some of my darkest times: the Boston Celtics. 

Growing up in Montreal in the early 80’s was a treasure trove for sports fans.  The Montreal Expos were beginning their run as the winningest team in the 80’s while the Montreal Canadiens were perennial Stanley Cup contenders. For sports heroes a kid could chose from the likes of Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Steve Rogers. It was awesome. However, on Sunday afternoons in the winter, after football season had ended, there was nothing for a sports fan to watch. 

My parents were going through a bitter divorce in 1980. On Sundays it would be my fathers time to see my brother & I.  He would pick us up and drive us to see his parents. Like clockwork we’d be sent down to the basement while the three of them would yell and scream at each other for reasons that for the life of me I can’t recall. My younger brother would cry. I would have no words to console him so I’d try to find anything on TV to calm him (and me) down. 

My grandparents didn’t have cable so we’d be stuck watching whatever was on CTV or CBC, usually Wide World of Sports (the most boring sports television program of all time) but one afternoon I decided to see what was on the snowy channel, WCAX TV, channel 3, North Pole - Burlington. They were a CBS affiliate. As the picture got clearer I recall seeing and hearing the announcers talk about a magician with a basketball, Pistol Pete Maravich. The game hadn’t started and they were all raving about Maravich and the wizardry he could do with a basketball. My brother and I picked up 2 pillows from the sofa and tried moving them around our backs, passing them between our legs - we were forgetting what was happening upstairs. 

We were playing the Detroit Pistons that Sunday afternoon. This was one of the first basketball games I’d ever seen. To my disappointment Pistol Pete hardly played even though the game was very close (Celtics were losing at halftime) but then something amazing happened, I started to notice a rookie named Larry Bird. Every time he touched the ball something amazing happened. Each possession was pure magic. Three point shots, behind the back passes, scoring baskets while being hounded by absolutely everyone on the visitors. I was in awe. The man would not let the Celtics lose. I had found a new hero to get me through those rough times. My brother never developed the love for basketball like I did but we’d still spend every Sunday afternoon playing with those basement pillows pretending that we were the Boston Celtics and I was Larry Bird. A life long love affair had begun. 

Steven Mayer 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

By
 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the t...
23 comments
Read more

A sorrowful farewell to Kitty's Restaurant (North Reading, MA) as a family tradition

By
  Time to say "Goodbye" to Kitty's Restaurant - my   family's destination and tradition for six generations and more than 80 years. My memories of Kitty's go back to the early-1950's . I would accompany my dad and grandfather on fishing trips to the Ipswich River in North Reading, Massachusetts - followed by a visit to the restaurant on Main Street. In later years, my wife, Linda, and I would eat there with our two kids, Marc and Lisa - and years later - with our two grand daughters - and still later - with our great grandson, Carson. Author and family at Kitty's approx. 10 years ago Kitty's never disappointed. The drinks were big and well-made . The food was terrific - as were the portions. The service was exceptional and we became well-acquainted with the waiters and waitresses. It all worked so very well for many decades. My grand daughter, Courtney , was particularly fond of the restaurant. She was born with cystic fibrosis , and during her fr...
15 comments
Read more

Wemby versus Kareem as rookies

By
 We already know that the Spurs Victor Wembanyama is going to be an NBA phenomenon, but will he surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by the end of his career. It is highly likely.  I did a "per-36-minutes" comparison between the two stars, mainly because Kareem logged 43.1 MPG in his rookie campaign - while Wemby has been held to only 29.4 MPG. Kareem: 24.1 PPG - 12.1 RPG - 3.4 APG - .518 FG - .653 FT Wemby:  25.9 PPG - 12.9 RPG - 4.5 APG - .463 FG - .796 FT No blocks, steals or 3-pointers were looked at since they were not tracked in Jabbar's first year in the NBA. It should also be noted that Kareem was 22 years old at the time, while Victor started at age 20. Two factors favoring Wembanyama ultimately surpassing Jabbar on any "Best-of-All-Time" charts are his point guard skills , shared by so many European players.  and the fact he is being mentored by Gregg Popovich. His potential seems astounding. But the question remains. Can he garner six Titles and six MVP ...
1 comment
Read more