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Tebow-time comes to New England
The Bruins open the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight and the Red Sox linger precariously in first place in the American League East, yet when you view Boston media sports coverage over the past 48 hours, the dominant story is of the Patriots signing a third string quarterback. Admittedly, it’s not any third string quarterback but Tim Tebow after a very successful college career (Heisman Trophy and two national championships) really hasn’t done much in the pros other than attract a media circus wherever he goes. Maybe the “Patriots’ way” will make him one of those great Belichick success stories where a veteran written off by everyone else is revived as a valuable contributor (Corey Dillon, Randy Moss) or maybe he’ll be a bust (Chad Ochocinco, Adelius Thomas).
The bigger question I have is why do the Patriots routinely blow the other Boston sports teams off the front pages regardless of the accomplishments of those other teams. The Patriots had a great run a decade ago but have only come close the past few years. It’s not like Boston is a football town. When I was growing up the most rabid fans all followed the New York “football” Giants and the Patriots were a team without a home (I once saw them play at Fenway Park). Something more is at work here; I’m just not sure what it is.
I’d say it’s less about the Patriots, and more about the characters. Compare, say, Rob Gronkowski’s party habits to anyone else’s: Hockey players these days are naturally self-effacing and down to earth, and rarely in the papers, and the Bruins are the most modest and humble of them all. Baseball players are a bit aloof, and generally relatively inaccessible–playing every single day leaves fewer opportunities for entertaining mischief and fewer still to be photographed doing it, let alone to be caught talking about it later. Basketball? Face it–on the whole they’re arrogant and unlikable.
Where else are you going to find a story featuring a fresh-faced Baptist minister’s boy joining up with the circus?
It seems that you have raised your expectations bar a bit too high, when you say that the Patriots “have only come close the past few years”. Two Superbowl appearances in the last 4 years is an achievement that the great majority of teams would love to have on their record, although admittedly not the top prize that was exceptionally common in the prior decade.
Yes, maybe we were spoiled by the success of the Patriots earlier in this century. Part of the sense of missed opportunity for me is that the Patriots had the lead in both of their most recent Super Bowls and otherwise reliable players (Asante Samuel and Wes Welker) each dropped a catchable ball that would have ended both games with New England victories. Perhaps a “should have won” game is more disappointing than a blowout defeat