How it started...

One more thought before we close the book (for now) on 1986 --

The Sporting News described 1986 as the year "The Button was Stuck on Boston." Beginning with the Patriots' appearance in Super Bowl XX (against the 1985 Chicago Bears -- 'nuff said), continuing with the Celtics' championship in June, and concluding with the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series (and one of the greatest baseball Octobers ever). It was a great time to be a Boston-area sports fan, even at a distance. Somewhere I still have my "New England -- Home of Champions" T-shirt...

Anyway, with the Celtics having taken care of business (and the Lakers) this week, it is almost certain that this decade will be remembered in a similar fashion, but on a much greater scale -- six titles and counting, not to mention several additional championship-level appearances (ie Red Sox in 2003, Celtics in 2002), and a pretty good Boston College football team.

Just like 1986, however, the first decade of the 21st Century -- the decade that will be dominated by Boston-area sports -- it began with the team from Foxboro. Not having the tradition of the Celtics or the feverish, nation-wide, maniacal devotion of the Red Sox, it was the Patriots that kicked things off (so to speak) on February 3, 2002. And the decade's not over yet...