Every once in a while the entire sports universe shifts, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse (see Vick, Michael and Bonds, Barry). This summer the sports universe shifted once more, and once the dust settled, Boston had somehow become its center.

Almost every week there seemed to be a bug national story with a dateline from Boston, or in some cases, Foxboro, from the hot start of the Red Sox to the Celtics “will they/wont they/they did what?”. Every one of the major franchises (I don’t count the Bruins; for the most part I pretend they don’t exist and shall continue to do so here) in this town became the talk of their prospective league, and two of them weren’t even in season. Now this is not altogether unusual, at certain times in the past Boston has taken center stage in the sports world, but there was something different this time, there was something in the air. The mood in the city was…could it be…positive?

That’s right folks, our Boston, once called a “black morass of negativity” by long time radio personality and current voice of BC basketball Ted Sarandis, seems to finally be seeing the light. The Red Sox? Best team in baseball with some of the best young arms in the game and while surely headed for post-season glory we’re also beating in the brains of their rivals two hundred miles to the south. The Patriots? Traded in their bargain basement wide receivers for top-of-the-line models and infused their linebacking core with one of the most versatile and talented players in the game with Adalius Thomas. Finally, the Celtics? This one seemed like a salvage job that was a long-shot if not completely impossible, but sure enough, much maligned head honcho Danny Ainge showed that being a former Celtic was a useful resume item after all, using his connections with former teammates to facilitate the biggest trade in NBA history.

Yep, everything was just perfect, couldn’t be better. Sure there were those who would tell you that Randy Moss wasn’t a good fit, or that Al Jefferson’s gonna be a “stah”, or that the Sox offense is too weak. For the most part, these elements were rounded up with the other crackpots and relegated to the deepest corners of cyberspace or to the darkest barroom corners across the state, left to be miserable with those few who shared their lead-colored-glasses view of the world.

Just you wait though, now that the Patriots are in season, the Celtics soon will be and the Red Sox lead is down to single digits over the hated Yankess, the nattering nabobs of negativity will emerge from their warm-weather hibernation and find new ways to deflate our hopes and empty the half-full glass. I hope you savored every moment of it because, like summer in Boston, the positive vibe among its sports fans is fleeting.