NEW YORK, NY – Jesus. I don’t even know where to start or even pretend to make sense of what happened yesterday in Boston. Yesterday was a Massachusetts state holiday called Patriots’ Day and is celebrated with the running of the Boston Marathon while the Red Sox host a “brunch special” at old Fenway Park.
Our patriots fought for a young nation’s civil liberties and democracy against the tyranny of British rule who were “nickel and diming” (quote from lesser-known Brooklyn patriots) Colonial Americans at whim. The same freedoms fought for more than two centuries ago allow a Washington Heights-born, Bronx-raised kid to root for the Boston Bruins and other MTM readers to hail Philadelphia teams or support New York teams. See, it doesn’t matter what team is your favorite or whether they won or lost yesterday. You are free to choose, rant and boast for whomever.
At times sports fans get “fanatic” during these NY vs Boston or Philadelphia games. Yet, we’re ALL connected in what happened in yesteryear and yesterday. The Brits couldn’t fend off the mostly blue-collar Pats and turned their sights on NYC and Philly only to withdraw during the latter stages of war. The same ideologists/idiots who had a hand in the 9/11 World Trade Center horror might be responsible for the Marathon’s attack.
But here’s a note to everyone out there: We’re tougher than you think. In fact, President Obama reminded us that Boston is a city built on resilience and toughness. Same can be said for New Yorkers and Philadelphians… And we’re all wearing the same uniform today; one with stars and stripes – gained through spilled blood and tea for the right to assembly. Our rights were violated when those explosions went off.
I’d like to assemble the toughest S.O.B.’s (in a good way) from these three cities as there should be no shortage of Irish, Blacks, Italians, Latinos, Poles, Germans and whoever else calls these cities home and pay homage to our old Revolutionaries by “tar and feathering” the scum who perpetrated these acts and then beat them with blue-collar fists and knuckles. It doesn’t matter the color, religion or sex you are. It doesn’t matter if O’Reilly, Domi, or Schultz hold a place in your heart, either. Sports aside we’re all in it together.
