This is the best that I have felt in a while. Boston sports are on their way back and I am here to witness the resurgence. Of course it is the recent play of the Patriots that has put me in this mood but, all-in-all, Boston sports look really good right now, and I am excited about the future.

Patriots

The Pats playoff run has to be one of the most improbable sporting events of the last decade. The basic storyline of the season is surreal: lose the first two games, lose Pro Bowl quarterback due to injury, replace quarterback with backup that has no NFL experience who leads team to 11-3 record over remaining games, somehow get second seed in playoffs, win controversial playoff game, have injured former star return to lead team to victory in AFC Championship game. I mean, I couldn't invent a better storyline than that.

I think that my favorite part of the Pats weekend was that no one gave them a chance to win. The Steelers were double digit favorites; no major sports writers or announcers favored the Pats, and the Pats had to travel into the new Heinz Field in Pittsburgh to play an intimidating Steelers team. Early in the week, the Steelers coaching staff gave the players two days off to get all Super Bowl plans ready. "Never mind the Patriots," they thought, "Let's get ready for Bourbon Street and the Super Bowl." Steelers players talked about their place in history. The matchup was so overlooked that everyone assumed that the Pats would walk into the stadium on Sunday and lay down for the Steelers.

What makes this better is that absolutely no one gives the Pats a chance against the Rams in the Super Bowl. Early lines for the game already have the Pats as 16-point underdogs. I can't wait for Rams players to start talking about their place in history. Let them and then we'll see how the game turns out. Now, I'm not saying that I think that the Pats will win, but I am saying that they shouldn't be overlooked. They have a very good defense, excellent special teams and an offense that gets the job done while making few mistakes. That's a good formula for winning a championship; I don't care who the opponent is. Much of the same can be said for the Rams, which is why this will be a good Super Bowl.

And, by the way, the call in the Raiders game was a good one. Sure, in reality Brady fumbled the ball-everyone has to admit that-but in the NFL rulebook it was an incomplete pass and that is what counts. You have to follow the rulebook during the course of the season and I am sure that the rules will be changed this offseason in order to remedy that rule. The team was very lucky, but the integrity of the Pats' win over the Raiders shouldn't be challenged.

Moving on to the second best sports story in Boston is difficult not because there are few to choose from, as in past years, but actually because a good case can be made for both the Bruins and Celtics. Both teams are playing at or near the top of their respective divisions, and both have seen the emergence of young stars to make the futures of the teams rosy.

Celtics

For the Celtics, the story of the season has been the continued growth of Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. These two may be the best duo of players in the Eastern Conference. Pierce's is a great story. Currently in the top five in scoring in the league, it was less than 18 months ago that Pierce's life was in jeopardy. After a concert, he was stabbed multiple times in the face and back, just missing vital organs multiple times. Now he is one of the best in the league and he is making the eight teams that passed on him in the 1998 draft look silly. Walker has more baggage than Pierce and isn't nearly the player Pierce is, but he is starting in the All-Star game for the East and he deserves it. His game has become more versatile recently and he has matured into one of the pillars of the Boston franchise.

Bruins

For the Bruins, it has been largely the story of the rise of Joe Thornton. After being the first selection in the NHL draft five years ago, Thornton struggled in his NHL debut. But the Bruins realized that the kid is only 18 years old, and didn't expect him to play at an All-Star level right off the bat and they showed patience. Well, their patience has paid off. Thornton has gotten better in each of his seasons in the league and he is currently second in the NHL in scoring. He has all the makings of a hockey superstar and he has gradually begun to use all of his assets in the game. Along with emerging Bruins like Sergei Samsonov and Brian Rolston, Thornton has led the Bruins from the depths of the NHL's worst record to the top of the division.

Red Sox

The final Boston sports story regards my favorite of the four professional teams, the Red Sox. While they haven't drawn the attention of the New York teams this offseason, they have made some major moves to improve their team. The first of these is the signing of Johnny Damon. Damon had a very disappointing season last year and he really has had only one great season in his career. Nonetheless, he is a major upgrade over the other Red Sox options in center field. He provides a legitimate leadoff hitter with good defensive skills, one of the major holes in the Sox lineup last season.

Additionally, the Sox made a number of minor moves. The biggest of these moves may have been the addition of Darren Oliver, a meddling pitcher at best, formerly of the Texas Rangers. He may not actually add anything to the team, but the fact that the Red Sox got rid of Carl Everett in the trade makes the deal so important. Other additions to the team include John Burkett, Dustin Hermanson and Tony Clark, all of whom can have major up-sides. Burkett is near the end of his career, but he had a resurgence last year and finished in the top five in the NL in ERA. Hermanson is a starter who has been durable over the years, but he has seen a slide in his performance over the last four. Hopefully he can overcome his recent woes once in Boston and since the Sox are only counting on him to be their third starter, his 14 wins of last year would be a big contribution. Clark was a big gamble, but because the Sox were able to get him for nothing it looks like a good deal for them. He has struggled over the last two years with injuries, but earlier in his career he was seen as a potential star. If he is healthy he will be a big contribution.

Additionally, all of the off-season reports from Nomar, Pedro and Manny have been positive. Nomar is continuing to recover from his wrist injury, Pedro is working out harder than ever and Manny appears to be happy with returning to the team now that some of the clubhouse problems have been dealt with.

The only remaining piece of business for the Sox is the front office, where it is unlikely that Dan Duquette '80 will survive the coming weeks. After a moderately successful run in Boston, it appears that Duquette has worn out his welcome and will be shown the door.

Although he has made some major mistakes in how he has handled some of the players-the departures of Mo Vaughn and Roger Clemens and the handling of Everett when he was with the team are the most prominent-he has put a winning team on the field for most of his tenure as General Manager. Hopefully the new ownership can perform an exhaustive search for the best possible candidate for the position.

As any true Boston sports fan should do, I am reveling in our most recent successes. Now all I want is for them to continue well into the coming years. Oh yeah, and let's beat the Yanks some time soon as well.