In my humble opinion Underdog spirit gone in Beantown

Author: Daniel Roberts

Sorry if a sports column doesn't interest you, but 65 percent of the students here (I just made that up) are from J.O.B., so let's talk Red Sox.

From the latest issue of GQ magazine: "Boston… Enough. We get it. You rule the universe… But remember, fifteen years ago, your teams sucked large donkey balls."

We do remember, but only vaguely. It's difficult to be humble. Since 2004, the Red Sox have won twice, the Patriots have won twice, and the Celtics took the NBA finals last June, the team's first banner since 1986 (before my time on this earth and likely yours). I'm not even mentioning the Bruins because the NHL is no longer relevant in any real way. It's okay, Midd hockey, you guys are still cool.

But it's not just about winning. It's about the potential of winning. What's changed is that every season, in the three major team sports that people actually care about (football, baseball, and basketball, in that order), we now expect to be contenders for a title.

Obviously it wasn't always like that. When I was in middle school, my family had season tickets for the Celtics at the FleetCenter. During that era, we saw players come and go who were not great - Walter McCarty, Kedrick Brown, Vin Baker, Milt Palacio - and the team was not great either. In fact, after witnessing humiliating, double-digit losses every Friday night, and the management inexplicably jacking up ticket prices in 2003, my dad canceled our season tickets. Call us fair-weather fans, but this team was painful to watch.

Today, in the wake of the Boston Three-Party and their magical championship season, Bostonians expect results, and continue to get them. By the time you read this article the Sox will be in the midst of an ALCS battle with the Tampa Bay Rays. Non-massholes (New Yorkers, most of all) may shudder to think of it, but it's very possible the Sox will nab their third world series title in five seasons.

So what's the problem? Besides being hated by everyone else in sports fandom (which we don't mind anyway), we have an identity crisis. The underdog ethos is gone. The emblematic "B" on a Red Sox hat used to represent devoted suffering through season after season of early playoff elimination. That "B" now represents victory, and people hate Sox fans almost as much as they hate the Pats.

And boy, do they hate the Pats. Spygate didn't help, but it makes sense why people would resent Tom Brady. He's like that high school quarterback every guy emulates and hates - the handsome one with the hot girlfriend and the gang of worshipers. Brady's ridiculously good at his job, plus he finds time to grab the "hot girl." Then he knocks her up and leaves her for an even hotter girl. As if all the winning isn't enough, he reminds everyone of his greatness by modeling for magazines. But he's injured now, to the delight of NFL die-hards everywhere outside of Boston. So they find other players to hate, like Yoooooouuuuuk, (that chant is wicked obnoxious if you're not from Boston) and Paul Pierce (Lakers fans will forever complain about 'the injury').

Worst of all, there's a way we've begun to act, without even realizing it. Recently on the "T" an Orioles fan joked, "Boston sucks," and without missing a beat, some local Bostonian said haughtily, "Are you kidding? It's the sports capital of the world right now." I hated him and myself for a moment. What kind of stuff is coming out of our mouths?

So now what? I would never, ever root against the Sox, but a Dodgers World Series title might be nice. It would be the first one since 1955, and even though we all hate Manny Ramirez, it would stick it to the Yankees, who booted Joe Torre (not his fault the Yanks lost that year) in one of the most foolish sports moves since the Charlotte Hornets gave away Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac.

Who knows what's next for Boston sports, more wins, or a fall from grace? Sports success comes and goes in cycles, so let's talk in five years.