Tale of two sports cities: Beantown trumps Atlanta
Boston — Steve Mitchell stands on the corner of Lansdowne Street and Brookline Avenue. It is 9:45 a.m., and he has his Patriots Day planned. He’s about to enter Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox play Texas — first pitch is at 11:05 a.m. — and then he’ll make his way to Kenmore Square to watch the runners in the 112th Boston Marathon chug past.
“I have a lot of friends running,” he says.
And then he’ll head home — he’s from Dorchester, south of Boston proper — to top off the local holiday by watching the Bruins play Game 7 of their playoff series in Montreal. Smiling, Mitchell says: “It’s a pretty good city.”
Even if you believe there’s no arrogance quite like a Bostonian whose team is winning, you must admit it’s a high old time to be a Bostonian. The Red Sox are reigning world champs. The Celtics, who trashed our meek Hawks in Game 1 on Sunday night, could well win the NBA title. The Patriots nearly went undefeated. The Bruins have pushed top-seeded Montreal to the limit. And don’t forget the Marathon, which is both a civic tradition and a day-long party.
ajc.com
4/21/08
