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Volume CXXXI, Number 22 |
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A Boston renaissance
CRAIG GIAMMONA
As we move toward the second half of April and temperatures get warmer daily, I've come to realize that things are pretty good in New England. We are on the doorstep of an exciting time-it is spring, and the Boston sports teams are doing well.
The NBA and NHL are about to begin their perennially exciting respective
playoff seasons and both the Celtics and Bruins have a decent-if not good-chance
of winning at least one series each. The NFL draft is Saturday and officially
marks the beginning of the Patriot's title defense, or at least their
year as the Super Bowl champions. The beloved Red Sox are off to another
fast start and recently took three out of four from the hated hegemonic
Yankees.
So what's the problem? The problem is that this apparent Boston Renaissance
reverts back to the draconian Middle Ages in a very clear and understandable
way. First of all, the Red Sox always start quick. They take a series
from the Yankees and maybe even a five-game lead in the American League
East, but we all know that the baseball season is interminable. I like
the Red Sox lineup, but can their pitching stay healthy and consistent
throughout the summer and into the fall? It's not likely. In fact, the
Red Sox seem like a safe bet for second place in the American League East,
though they could battle for the wild card.
No one seems to recognize the fragility of the Red Sox and the collective
psyche of their fan base. A biased cable channel chose not to show the
replay of the Ugeuth Urbina full-count pitch that ended Monday's game
against the Yankees and sealed the series for the Red Sox, even though
the call was clearly questionable. The ball might have sailed wide, it
might a caught a piece of the plate as it darted away from John Van der
Wal; the point is that the network should have showed the replay, and
not showing it seems like an indication of some sort of self-deception.
Either way the Red Sox won't win the World Series this year, and the
Patriots will probably be mediocre. That leaves us with the Celtics and
Bruins, who, I admit both have a chance to win a playoff series. The Hornets
will give the Celtics trouble, but Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker should
get it done. The Bruins might win a series; they might even win the East,
but they won't beat the winner of the West-be it the Avalanche or the
Red Wings.
Aside from the Boston spring renaissance in sport, the best thing Massachusetts
and New England have going for them might be Ted Kennedy. This is certainly
a sad state of affairs, but at least Kennedy opposes the ridiculous attempt
of conservative senators to ban stem cell research. It will be a glorious
day when our government feels comfortable passing a law that requires
some trust in the populous.
Is human cloning a good idea? Definitely not. But an embryo created in a test tube for research purposes is not a human clone, and preventing stem cell research because of questionable philosophical viewpoints regarding what constitutes life is silly.