Why I Bleed Green.
I may or may not have just texted my dad the following:
"76ers play Celts at Boston on Christmas Day"
"Just Sayin'"
My father played basketball in college. At a small division three school in Worcester Mass, known by the colors of bright red, white and black – Clark University. This is where he studied who knows what, starred on the basketball team, and met my lovely mother (who also, I've got to give her creds, was a swimmer AND played tennis). If you couldn't already tell, I come from two athletes. Both my mother and father worked hard throughout their lives at their passion for sports. This passion carried down to their children: myself pursuing mainly lacrosse, my sister pursuing basketball and lacrosse, my brother pursuing basketball and my youngest sister pursuing as many different sports as possible that my mom could shove into her schedule as an eleven-year-old. Our athleticism was taught to us by our coaches and parents.
Yup, there's the response from my dad, he just texted me back:
"Hmmmmm"
I'll take it.
This love for sports however, not only exists on the field or court, but off the field as well. Growing up, my parents always had sports games playing on TV, we gathered for these, watched them as true events. We followed players and their lives, their rings, journeys, hardships, trades, their losses, their injuries, their wins, their successes, their victories. My dad loves watching documentaries on players so we as a family have watched Unguarded, segments on Larry Bird and Magic's love and hate, specials on Len Bias etc. These specials might reveal that we are Celtics fans. We Bleed Green.
I am from Boston, the "number one sports town in America" as Stephen Smith, a native New Yorker, recently put it in a tweet. Not only am I excited to say that, a part of my pride and dignity exists within the sports teams of that city. If you take them away from me, you're taking not only a part of me, but a part of all other fans with them.
Coming from a basketball oriented family, it is easy to say that the Celtics are my personal favorite of the Sox, B's and Pats. They are the most fun to watch in my opinion and have such a deep legacy. My latest memory of the Celtics goes back to 2007-2008 team. I was about eight or nine years old and I was lucky enough to attend some games, probably some of my first, and also a practice. I'll never forget the dynamic, between KG hitting his head up against the padding of the hoop, doing knuckle push-ups (which my younger brother actually comically wiped out during a kindergarten soccer game one day after falling), Allen swooshing every three-pointer or The Truth being the glue to hold all three together – it was magical. The Big Three. I also will recognize Rondo for being a large contribution to the team, for he was an outstandingly speedy point guard. Seeing these idols win a championship was something I will never forget. I recently attended Paul Pierce's retirement game/ceremony where they retired his jersey. KG and Rondo made an appearance with Doc Rivers. It was a special moment, one I will again never forget. They brought back the magic into our city, streets flooded with green. We All Bleed Green.
Another big thing for me about the Celts was Doc. I will always remember him as an outstanding coach that will go down in Celtics history. When I found out Brad Stevens was taking over I was overcome with about the same sadness that came to be what I heard of arguments between Ray and Pierce; however, Stevens has since proven his credibility and earned my cities trust AND Pierce fully supported Ray being induced to the hall of fame ~ all is well.
There is a new magic in the brisk, Boston air these days. And it sounds like this: Tatum. Brown. Irving. Hayward. Horford. The Big Five. We are coming for it, another championship and this is our year.
They Bleed Green, I Bleed Green, We All Bleed Green.
