It's OK, Boston Hates You Too!!

Is hate like gravity? Does it have a breakable chemical bond? Does it waft on the breeze like a pheromone we release and it simply causes others to hate us?



Up until the year 2000 it had been 14 summers and 14 winters since Boston had hoisted a world championship.



I mean the closest the Patriots had been in their history was being pancaked by the Bears at Super bowl XX when the Monster of the Midway dispatched of them 46-10.



The Bruins haven’t drunk from Lord Stanley’s Challis in over 30 years. The last time they did it, No. 4 was patrolling the blue line and changing how we see defensemen in the NHL (Mike Green, you’re welcome).



Celtics fans remember the Larry Bird years with fondness. They remember Larry Legend hoisting tresdown on Causeway to the delight of the Garden Faithful. Until Danny Ainge put together an All-Star team in 2007/08 the Celtics were nothing short of sad in the last decade.



And do I have to talk Red Sox? People are going to point to two titles in five years, although others will point to two titles in 91 seasons of play.



So I ask with all this futility—how is it the City of Boston has managed to get itself into the middle of the largest rivalries in professional sports? I understand the history of these teams does help, but seriously, let us look at the respective sports.

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The NHL, is there a better case of good old fashioned hate than the Bruins and the Canadiens? Here is a pair of franchises and fans who have hated each other with passion, long before it was cool.



I know people will put the Penguins vs Flyers, Montreal vs Toronto, Chicago vs Detroit, and Calgary vs Edmonton in this conversation. This makes me stop and ponder, how many dogs did the flying Frenchmen kick on their way to all those Stanley Cups?



But grab a Canadiens fan right now and ask them who they hate the most, and the Bruins will be a common theme. Much like with the Broadway Blue shirts come to town the Bruins faithful get out their hater-aide, but nothing compares to the disdain they feel for the Blue, Blanc, and Rouge.



Now I don’t remember Bill Russell, heck I barely remember Larry Bird. But what I do know is last year's NBA Finals managed to rekindle a flame that used to burn brighter than any in the NBA.



Yeah sure, Chicago doesn’t like Detroit (are we seeing a pattern here). Is there a better rivalry a more intense hate in the NBA than the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics?



What about Red Sox vs Yankees? I mean the MLB has teams that play in the same city that don’t dislike each other as much as these two, and sure Cardinals vs Cubs is a battle I’d some day like to watch on a hot August night, but let's be real. Bucky *bleeping* Dent, Aaron *Explicative* Boone, The Bambino, The Missing Person Ad that is A-Rod as soon as he sees Red Sox pitching in October, these things don’t have a parallel in Major League Baseball.



I mean Brewers fans and Cubs fans don’t sit down to afternoon tea together, but there is nothing quite like Sox vs. Yankees



So I ask you, how is it that Boston is smack dab in the middle of this. It is quite possibly the only thing New York, Montreal, and LA have in common.



How's it possible that the fans of the most successful franchises of all time decided Bean town is public enemy No. 1? Yankees, 26-time world champions, 39 Pennants, Montreal Canadiens have hoisted the Holy Grail on 24 different occasions, and how about the Lakers, champions of the Basketball Universe 14 times who have made a total of 29 trips to the dance as both the Minnesota and Los Angeles Lakers.



But somehow some way, millions of faithful followers with 64 World titles to their name, and they aren’t satisfied until they beat the men from Revolution country.



If someone would like to explain it to me, I’d love to understand it. But just so you guys aren’t feeling left out, WE HATE YOU TOO!!!!