Celtic Pride

I just returned from downtown. I met the Fabulous Dana at her office in the Bullfinch Triangle and walked across the Greenway to J. Pace.

Already 9 hours before the Boston Celtics face off against the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in an attempt to win their first championship since 1986, the whole area was buzzing. Green and white balloons adorned buildings and garages from the Garden to Haymarket.

We crossed the Greenway, where young people were arrayed on the grass sunbathing, and entered Pace, the salumeria and grocery, closed during the years of Big Dig construction. As excitement over the Celtics and the downtown revival hung in the air, I noticed the next customer wearing a nifty black Boston Celtics polo shirt. It was the man largely responsible for the resurgence of the Celtics, managing partner, Wyc Grousbeck.

I credit Grousbeck for putting together an investment team to buy the club, tapping Danny Ainge to serve as the general manager, and, most importantly, for having faith. At a time when I thought the teams fortunes were without hope, Grousbeck had the vision to see what the new era Celtics could become.

Grousbeck is also a philanthropist and a decent guy. He flew back to Boston between Celtics games in LA to attend his son’s graduation from the Perkins School for the Blind.

Nobody can predict what will happen in sports. I’m hoping that Celtics, who despite all their championship banners over the years, can earn their first ever rolling rally.

In the meantime, the city is in championship form.