Back in 2000, Boston was a loveable but very sad and pathetic sports town. The last time the city had a champion in the four major professional sports was the Celtics in 1986. Before the Celtics, the Bruins were the last team to win a title and that was in 1972. Prior to the Bruins Stanley Cup was the Red Sox and that, as we all know, was in 1918. It is not all sad; the Bruins won four other Cups while the Celtics won 15 other NBA Championships. In the first part of a two part article, the Patriots’ and Celtics’ previous history was putrid, while their present and future show two different scenarios. Then all of a sudden in 2001, the Patriots who were predicted to finish last in the AFC East went 11-5 and earned a first round bye in the playoffs. This after coming from a mediocre head coach in Bill B e l i c h i c k , and former Mi c h i g a n Wo l v e r i n e wonder boy Tom Brady. Brady, a 6th round draft pick became the starting quarterback when All- P r o D r e w B l e d s o e went down in week two after getting crushed by Mo Lewis. Bledsoe was done as a Patriot (little did he know at the time), and Brady went on to win the Super Bowl against the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. The Patriots later went on to win two more titles in the years 2003 and 2004. Since then, the team has made four playoff appearances and only once more to the Super Bowl. The 2008, 2009, and so far, the 2010 team has shown nothing in the sense that another Super Bowl appearance, let alone title, is on the horizon. It is tough to say “In Bill We Trust” when the last few years has been bad drafting and at times, horrendous play. A team that was the darling of the NBA in the 1960s and early 1970s, fell below mediocre and into the awful category in the late 1990’s until the 2007- 2008 season. At one point the Celtics won 8 consecutive NBA titles from 1959-1966 and 11 of 13 if you include 1957, 1968, and 1969. The Celtics were stacked with hall of famers including the likes of Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, and later Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Then a season like 1997 came alone. The Celtics lost an NBA and franchise high 67 games making them have a pick in the NBA Lottery. That team was so bad; it was a near guarantee that the Celtics would get Wake Forrest Star Tim Duncan. The lottery screwed them and they wound up with Ron Mercer and Chauncy Billups. However, the following year, the Celtics got current captain Paul Pierce. That was it though. The Celtics won a division title and made a few trips to the post season, but bad trades and disappointing play made the Celtics the laughing stock of the NBA. In 2007 though, the Celtics made two franchise changing trades when they acquired All Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The Celtics have won three division titles in the three seasons with the Big Three, making two trips to the NBA Finals, including winning the whole thing in the 2007-2008 season. The resurgence of the Celtics has been much better drafting and signing quality veterans wanting to play with the Big Three. Draft picks such as Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins are the young core of an aging but still very good team, while Leon Powe, Tony Allen were major players on the 2008 championship team. As for the signings, there are many. James Posey, Eddie House, and PJ Brown were vital subs for the 2008 team, while Rasheed Wallace, Sam Cassel, Shaquille O’Neal, Jermaine O’Neal, Marquis Daniels, and many other have proven their worth in their time here from 2009 on. The Celtics are the only professional team in Massachusetts to go for it all every year, something the Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins could learn from.