Eight days ago at the Barclays Center, Paul Pierce donned non-Celtics apparel for the
first time since being drafted with the 10th overall pick in the
1998 draft. The 35-year-old Celtics’
legend had previously expressed a desire to retire with the Boston Celtics after spending his
entire career with the Green and White. Even at the press conference in
Brooklyn, Pierce reiterated how he “would have loved to end his career in
Boston”, but understood the business side of why the Celtics traded him as the
franchise looks to rebuild with young talent. Until the blockbuster trade
between the Brooklyn Nets and
Celtics went through, Pierce had been the longest tenured athlete in Boston,
dominating the parquet floor since 1998. In honor of THE TRUTH, here are the
top 15 athletes to play in Beantown since he was drafted in 1998.
1. Tom Brady:
“Tom Terrific”
is now the longest tenured athlete in Boston. Brady was drafted in the sixth
round of the 2000 draft by the New
England Patriots, but did not get the chance to showcase his talents until New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis clobbered Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season. Brady filled in for the
injured Bledsoe in an unprecedented fashion, leading the Patriots to a Super
Bowl Victory in 2001, where he orchestrated a game-winning drive that set up an
Adam Vinateri field goal as time
expired as the Pats shocked the St.
Louis Rams (“Best Show on Turf) in of the greatest upsets in NFL playoff history.
In 11 years under center for the New England
Patriots, Tom Brady has led the Patriots to 10 playoff appearances, winning the
AFC East crown in each of those seasons.
The two-time MVP has tossed 334 touchdown passes, fifth most in NFL history.
Brady holds the record for most touchdown passes in a
season, firing a whopping 50 in the 2007 season as he lead the Patriots to a
perfect 16-0 regular season record, the only time in league history a team has
won all 16 of its regular season contests. Tom Brady has an outstanding 136-39
record in the regular season, as he posts the best winning percentage (.777) in
league history. Brady has thrown for 44,806 yards, ninth most in NFL history.
Brady was the Super Bowl MVP for two of the three
Patriots Super Bowl victories, orchestrating game-winning drives in the final
minute in each of those games. In his
career, he has led the Pats to 26 fourth quarter comebacks and 37 game-winning
drives, including the regular season and the playoffs.
Brady was able to pass Joe Mantana for the most playoff wins by a starting quarterback in
NFL history after beating the Houston
Texans this past season in the 2012 AFC Divisional Round.
Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL
history and quite possibly the greatest athlete in Boston sports history.
2. Paul Pierce:
For more
on one of the greatest players in Celtics/NBA history, hop
HERE.
3. David Ortiz:
“Big Papi”
signed with the Boston Red Sox in
2003 to be the club’s back-up first baseman. But Ortiz quickly became a starter
and then a superstar (as a DH) in Boston, connecting on 31 home runs and
driving in 101 runs in his inaugural season with the Sox. The next season his
numbers were even more remarkable, posting a .301 average with 41 home runs and
139 runs batted in. That postseason, he helped lead the Sox to their first
World Series title in 86 years, coming up with game-winning hits in Game 4 and
Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS versus the New
York Yankees. For the postseason, he recorded a .400 average, smacked five
home runs and knocked in 19 runs, en route to leading the Sox to the World
Series title over the National League-Champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Ortiz was an
instrumental part of the 2007 World Series Champion team as well, registering
MVP-like numbers in the regular season---.332 average, 35 HR, 117 RBI---then following
up with another outstanding postseason---.370 average, 3 HR, 10 RBI, helping
the Red Sox earn their second title in four years. Ortiz continues to dominate
at the plate for the Red Sox today even at 37 years old, hitting .324 with 19
home runs and 65 RBI in 82 games through July 24th of the 2013
season.
4. Manny Ramirez:
Manny was the best hitter on each of the past two
title teams for the Red Sox, earning the World Series Most Valuable Player
honor in 2004. Ramirez was traded to the Red Sox in the 2001 off-season and
became the star-slugger on the team immediately, bashing 41 home runs with 125
RBI in his first season in Boston. Manny won the battle title in his second
season in Boston with a .349 average in 2002 and was the runner-up the next
season, getting beat out by .001 by teammate Bill Mueller, who recorded a .326 average.
In 2004, Manny was the American League Home Run
Champion after knocking 43 shots out of the park. Manny won a Silver Slugger
Award in his first seven seasons (2001-2006) with the Red Sox. He was traded to
the Los Angeles Dodgers on the
trade-deadline day in 2008. Ramirez is undoubtedly the greatest right-handed
hitter in Red Sox history.
5. Pedro Martinez:
A year after winning the CY Young award with the Montreal Expos in 1997, Martinez was
traded to Boston before the 1998 season, signing a six year, $75 million
contract with the Red Sox before the year began. Martínez paid immediate
dividends that season with a 19–7 record, finishing second in the American
League in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, and CY Young voting. In 1999, Martinez
registered one of the greatest pitching seasons in the history of the MLB,
earning the pitching triple-crown after finishing 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313
strikeouts. He came in second in the AL
MVP ballot, losing out to Texas Rangers
slugger Juan Gonzalez. During the
1999 season, he set the record for most consecutive innings pitched with a
strikeout with 40.
Between August 1999 and April 2000, Martínez had ten
consecutive starts with 10 or more strikeouts. Pedro became the 8th pitcher in
league history to record a second-300 strikeout season, en route to winning his
second consecutive Cy Young Award in 2000. Pedro won four American League ERA
titles with the Red Sox (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003) and 3 American League
strikeout titles in Boston (1999, 2002, 2003). He was the ace of the 2004 World
Series-Champion Red Sox club. He signed with the New York Mets in 2005. Pedro is arguably the greatest pitcher in
Red Sox history.
6. Richard Seymour:
After being
drafted by the New England Patriots with the sixth overall pick in the 2001 NFL
Draft, Seymour signed a six-year, $14.3 million contract. The defensive tackle
played in 13 games in his rookie season, starting 10 of them. He started for
the Patriots at DT in the 2001 Super Bowl, earning a ring in the franchise’s
first ever Super Bowl victory, beating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams.
Seymour
started all 16 games in the 2002 season, collecting 5.5 sacks with an interception, earning
his first Pro-Bowl selection.
With the Patriots defense moving to a 3-4 in 2003,
Seymour moved outside to defensive end in the defensive scheme. Seymour
finished with a career-high eight sacks and 57 tackles in 15 games played, en
route to his second-straight Pro-Bowl selection and his first All-Pro honor. Seymour,
a team captain, led a dominant Patriots defense to their second championship in
three years, defeating the Carolina
Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Seymour was voted to his third-straight Pro-Bowl and
second-straight All-Pro honors in 2004.
Seymour earned his third
Super Bowl ring with the Patriots victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
He was voted to the Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors in
2005 and 2006 and was a member of the Patriots perfect 16-0 regular season in
2007. He was traded to the Oakland
Raiders just days before the 2009 season. Seymour was named to the NFL
2000’s All-Decade Team, to the Patriots All-2000’s Team and the franchise’s 50
year anniversary team.
7. Kevin Garnett:
“The Big Ticket” was able to change the culture in
Boston after being traded from the Minnesota
Timberwolves to the Celtics in a blockbuster trade in the summer of 2007. The
power-forward made his Boston debut against the Washington Wizards, scoring 22 points and corralling 20 rebounds in
a blowout victory. He led all players in voting for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game,
but was unable to play in the game due to abdominal strain. That season he became the first Celtic ever to
win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. Garnett also finished third in
MVP voting that season, averaging 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest,
helping to lead the Celtics to an NBA-best 66-16 record.
Garnett was the Celtics most consistent contributor
in the Celtics’ in their 2008 playoff run, averaging 20.4 points and 10.5
rebounds per contest. He dominated Los
Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol in
the NBA Finals as the Celtics won their first title in 22 years.
The following season Garnett and the Celtics appeared
well on their way to winning a second consecutive title as the team held a
league-best 44-11 record at the All-Star break. Then, tragedy struck the
Celtics in the team’s first game post-All-Star break. In the second quarter of
a game against the Utah Jazz in Salt
Lake City, KG strained his right knee late in the second quarter going up for
an alley-oop. He was forced to miss the next 14 games. Upon his return from the
injury, he averaged 9 points and 4.5 rebounds in four games, before being shut
down for the season permanently, missing the final 25 games of the regular
season, including the 2009 NBA playoffs due to a right knee sprain as the
Celtics lost to the Orlando Magic in
seven games.
Garnett was less than 100 percent seemingly for the
duration of the 2009-2010 season, made evident by his low 14.3 ppg and rpg
totals. But Garnett was healthy (or as healthy as he could be) by the time of
the 2010 playoffs. Despite being the team’s third-best player (behind Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce), KG was
still the catalyst of the Celtics’ defense that upset the top seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern
Conference Semi-Finals and then beat the Magic in the Conference Finals. The
Celtics lost in heartbreaking fashion in seven games to the Lakers in the
Finals, with starting-center Kendrick
Perkins injured for the series-deciding contest in Los Angeles.
Two seasons later, Garnett had a resurgence in his
game after being moved to the center position. Garnett and the Celtics made a
miraculous run in the 2012 playoffs; falling a game short of reaching their
third finals in five years. They lost in seven games in the Eastern Conference
Finals to the detested Miami Heat.
Had the Celtics won, it would have been one of the greatest upsets in NBA
playoff history. Garnett turned back the clock that postseason, averaging 19.2
points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.
Amid swirling trade rumors, Garnett (who had a
no-trade clause) passionately uttered, “I bleed green, I die green” when
pressed by reporters about accepting a deal to leave Boston during the
2012-2013 season.
Garnett decided to agree to trade this off-season that sent him
and good friend Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets after Celtics GM Danny Ainge made it clear to both
All-Stars that the team had entered rebuilding mode.
Garnett will forever be cherished in Boston for his
pre-game routine, his passion of winning, and of course for bringing a basketball-title
to Boston. Even though he played his
best 12 years of his career in Minnesota, Garnett will be forever be remembered
as a Celtic, as his number will soon be retired with teammate Paul Pierce in
the rafters in TD Garden in Boston alongside many Celtics’ legends.
8. Dustin Pedroia:
For the first two months of the 2007 MLB season, Sox
fans were outraged that then-manager Terry
Francona was starting Dustin Pedroia,
a rookie, over utility man Alex Cora.
Pedroia hit under .200 for the first two months of the season…and then went on
an incredible tear for the final four months of the year en route to being
crowned the American League Rookie of the Year. Pedrioia finished the season
with a .317 average and an OPS of .380. He was the No. 2 hitter in the 2007 World
Series-Champion Red Sox lineup.
Pedroia won another prestigious award the next
season. He was named the American League MVP after leading the league in hits
(213), doubles (54) and runs scored (118). Pedroia ended the season with a .326
average with 17 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. He also stole 20 bases
in 21 attempts, leading the league in stolen base percentage (.952). Not only
did Pedroia win the MVP award, he also captured the AL Gold Glove and Silver
Slugger Award at second base.
Outside of New York Yankees slugger Robinson Cano, Pedroia is the best
second baseman in the MLB. As the face of the Red Sox franchise, he was handed a
seven year, $100 million contract on July 23, 2013. With the Red Sox in first
place (as of July 26, 2013), Pedroia is again a candidate for the American
League MVP Honors.
9. Vince Wilfork:
After being
drafted by the Patriots with the 21st overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Wilfork saw
immense playing time as a rookie at the nose-tackle position. He compiled 42
tackles and a sack in first year in the NFL. He started Super Bowl XXXIX
against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots third title in four seasons.
Wilfork made his first Pro-Bowl in 2007, a season in
which the Patriots won all 16 of their regular season games. He has made the
Pro Bowl in each of the past four seasons (2009-2012), earning first-team
All-Pro honors this past season. He was named to the NFL’s Second-Team All-Pro
in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011, a year that saw the Patriots reach the Super
Bowl.
In his nine-year career with the Patriots, Wilfork
has recorded 460 tackles, 16.0 sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles
and 10 fumbles recovered. He has been a captain on the Patriots since the 2008
season. He was named to the New England Patriots All-2000 Team and to the New
England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team.
10. Zdeno Chara:
Chara became a
member of the Boston Bruins
organization on July 1, 2006, when he signed a five-year, $37.5 million
contract. He has been a team captain since his first season in Boston.
Chara has made the All-Star game as a member of the
Bruins five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012), with his most recent
appearance being a captain of the team. He was named to the NHL-All-First-Team
in 2009 and won the James Nooris
Memorial Trophy in that same season. He had the best Plus-Minus (+33) of
all players in the 2011 regular season and was a crucial part of the Bruins 2011
playoff run that ended with the team’s first title in 39 years.
11. Ty Law:
Ty Law was drafted 23rd overall in the first round of
the 1995 NFL Draft by the Patriots.
Law led the league in interceptions in 1998, the
first time any New England Patriot had finished the season atop in that statistical
category. He earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl that season and was given All-Pro
honors that year.
Law was a critical part of the Patriots’ defense in
each of their three Super Bowl-winning teams (2001, 2003, 2004). In Super Bowl
XXXVI (2001), Law put the Patriots on the scoreboard against the St. Louis Rams
when he intercepted a Kurt Warner
pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown.
Law helped the Patriots form one of the greatest
defenses in league history in 2003. The Patriots’ defense led the NFL in four
key categories: opponents’ points per game (14.9), opponents’ passer rating
(56.2), interceptions (29) and passing touchdowns surrendered (11). That postseason
Law intercepted 3 passes thrown by Indianapolis
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in the Patriots 24-14 win in the AFC
Championship game. Law and the Patriots went on the Super Bowl that year and the season after in
2004.
Following the 2004 season, Law was released by the
Patriots because of his large-salary. He will go down as one of the greatest
defensive backs of all time. He was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the
New England Patriots All-1990s Team, the New England Patriots All-2000s Team
and the New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team.
12. Nomar Garciappara:
Nomar, one of the most beloved players in Red Sox
history, started his career off in style, winning the American League Rookie of
the Year in a unanimous vote. That season, the Red Sox shortstop hit 30 home
runs and drove in 98 runs, setting a new MLB record for RBI by a leadoff hitter
and most homers by a rookie shortstop. Nomar also had a 30 game hitting streak
that season, setting an American League rookie record.
The following season Nomar was the runner-up for the
American League MVP Award, finishing with a .323 average with 35 home runs and
122 RBI. Nomar led the league in batting average the next two seasons, hitting
.357 in 1999 and .372 in 2000.
A wrist injury limited Nomar to 21 games in the 2001
season. Nevertheless, Nomar came back strong the next season, batting .310 with
a league- high 56 doubles to go along 24 home runs and 120 RBI in 2002.
Nomar provided another solid season with the Red Sox
in 2003, batting .301 with 28 home runs and 105 RBI. He finished second in the
majors in triples, fifth in the AL in hits, and second in the AL in runs
scored. However, Nomar was horrendous during the 2003 postseason that saw the
Red Sox fall a game shy of the World Series as the Sox shortstop was unable to
hit a home run in 12 playoffs games, contributing just one run batted in.
That off-season the Red Sox attempted to trade Manny
Ramirez for then-Texas Rangers shortstop Alex
Rodriguez. Fortunately for the Red Sox, the MLB Players' Union objected to
Rodriguez's willingness to sacrifice a huge amount of his $250 million contract
to facilitate a deal to Boston, and the New York Yankees swooped in and signed Rodriguez. Nomar was frustrated that the Red Sox management wanted to replace
him at shortstop and eventually became a distraction during the 2004 season.
On the trade deadline day in 2004, Nomar was involved in a
four-team deal that sent him and Matt
Murton to the wild card leading Chicago
Cubs. The Red Sox received Orlando
Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and Doug
Mientkiewicz from the Minnesota
Twins; a trade that proved beneficial to the Red Sox as they captured their
first title in 86 years. Although Nomar was not a part of the club when the
team won the title, his former teammates voted to give him a World Series ring
for his dedication as a member of the Red Sox for almost a decade.
13. Jason Varitek:
The former Red Sox captain will go down as one of the
greatest catchers in league history because of his ability to call a great game
behind the plate and provide a steady bat. Varitek was traded to the Red Sox in
the 1997 regular season in a package deal that also sent pitcher Derek Lowe to Boston, one of the
greatest trades in Red Sox history.
Varitek had his breakout season in 1998, hitting
for a .269 average, with 20 home runs and 76 RBIs. In 2004, Varitek amassed a
career-high .296 batting average with 18 home runs and 73 RBI.
Following the 2004 season, Varitek signed a four
year, $40 million contract with the Red Sox and was named the team captain, an honor
he retained until retiring with the club after the 2011 season.
In 2005, Varitek won his first Gold Glove Award, his
first Silver Slugger, and his second All-Star selection.
Varitek caught the most no-hitters in Red Sox
history, aiding no-no’s with Hideo Nomo
in 2001, Derek Lowe in 2002, Clay
Buchholz in 2007 and Jon Lester
in 2008.
14. Patrice Bergeron:
Bergeron has spent his entire career with the Boston
Bruins after being selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2003
NHL Draft.
The Bruins captain is a member of the prestigious
Triple Gold Club. He earned this honor by winning Olympic Games gold medals, (2005,
2010, and 2012) a World Championship gold medal (2004), and the Stanley Cup with
the Bruins in 2011.
The Bruins re-signed Bergeron to an eight-year
contract extension worth $52,000,000 on July 12, 2013.
15. Tim Thomas:
Thomas became the Bruins starting goalie at age 32 in
the 2007-2008 season. He emerged as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL
despite his age, winning the Vezina
Trophy in 2009 and 2011. Thomas carried the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup
Championship with his improbable goaltending in the playoffs. He became the
oldest player in league history to win the Conn
Smythe Trophy (MVP of the playoffs) at age 37.
His tenure with the Bruins ended after he announced
he would sit out the entire 2012-13 season.
