The New Normal, Almost
Submitted by U.S. Wealth Oman on September 18th, 2020By: Gary R. Oman, CPA, PFS, MST
What does Fall mean to you? Is it the foliage? Apple picking? Football?
Patriots football last Sunday provided a little bit of the “new normal”. I’m not too sure about the recorded crowd noises and cheering but watching the game seemed pretty normal until the camera panned the stadium a little…weird looking, for sure! And who knew having a running quarterback on your team could be so much fun to watch.
However, I am more of a Celtics fan and although basketball is considered a winter-time sport, the Celtics do begin playing in the fall so, as far as I’m concerned, when I think Fall, I’m reminded of the Celtics.
I’ve always enjoyed watching the Celtics. I was out of college before I attended a Celtics game at THE Garden. Then later on I had a chance to get a handful of games from a season ticket holder who worked in my office. Those tickets were in a section behind the basket and were pretty good seats.
In the late summer 2007, my friend Tobias asked me if I would be interested in joining a group and split a couple season ticket seats. I jumped at the chance. The seats were in Section 15, row 7, seats 1 and 2, overlooking the alley way where the Celtics Dancers and gymnasts waited in between their performances, an unobstructed view of the court from the corner. If I was excited to have tickets for five games during the regular season with the potential of attending a playoff game or two, my son Jeff was ten times more excited. You see, Jeff, now 41, has been a Celtics fan since he learned what the color green is.
My friend Ron who owned the tickets hosted a ticket-lottery get together. Among the games I ended up with this first season was the home opener that year.
Here are a couple facts about the 2007 – 2008 season.
- During the last game of the 2006 – 2007 season, Paul Pierce, dressed in a suit and tie, announced to the crowd from center court that the team would do better the following year and bring a championship back to Boston; little did he know who he would be playing with
- The 2007 – 2008 season saw “the big-three” for the first time, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett, the latter two joining the Celtics for the beginning of this season
If you understand what the word electric means when it comes to an event or a performance, I can tell you that the atmosphere of the 2007 – 2008 home opener was ELECTRIC. Though the big-three did not start out as the big-three, it wasn’t long before they started performing like the big-three and hence the name.
It was an exciting basketball season for Boston and the Celtics fans. Dianne and I were also able to attend the first game of the first round of the playoffs that year which was almost as exciting as the home opener we attended. We attended one other playoff game in the finals.
As you may remember and true to the confidence Paul Pierce exhibited at the end of the prior season, the Celtics went on to beat the Lakers in game 6 of the finals by a score of 131 – 92, the largest margin of victory in a series-clinching win in NBA finals history.
All was right in the world! At least for a little while. The Celtics raised another championship banner to the rafter, number 17!!
This year the coronavirus interrupted all professional sports, our whole world actually, however, it’s fall and the Celtics are in the playoffs yet again and boy are they exciting to watch, even with the piped-in crowd noises.
With the confidence the Celtics have played with so far this season, especially in the playoffs, the young legs and an excellent coach in Brad Stevens, there’s no reason why they can’t go all the way this year to bring one more championship banner to the City of Boston and New England. GO CELTICS!
Until next time…
Gary
Tracking #1-05057069