Thanks to everyone on the list for the last 10 years!

[Mark Piotrowski]

Maybe this is horribly premature, but...I think we're all aware that 
things are gonna change for us as Celtics fans over the next few 
years --- a lot of us think for the better (or even for the best).

But before *everyone* says they are and always were a Celtics fan, I 
for one want to thank all y'all [1] for getting me through the last 
10 years. And I mean all-y'all -- the folks i agreed with to the 
folks i had on auto delete (only 1 or 2 over 10 years).

I can't remember exactly when I joined this list [2] but WE are the 
true fans... not just the folks on this list obviously, but the 
larger WE who've stuck by this team through thick-and-mostly-thin 
since the late 80s.

We're the ones who went to the games in the ML Carr era, who ordered 
League Pass even though we won 30 games the year before, who went to 
sports bars in far away lands (say...Gainesville, FL) and pester them 
to put on the Celtics vs. Bucks on a Friday night, and who listened 
to all 7 hours of Celticsstuff Live on Draft Night 2007.

We've argued over players big and small:  Toine, Ricky, Pierce, Joe 
Johnson, Big Al, Todd Day, Erick Strickland, Derek Smith, Alton 
Lister, Eric Williams, Rick Fox, Vin Baker, .... and on and on. 
We're the ones who desperately wanted to keep Gomes, that 
once-upon-a-time #50 pick.

We're the ones who fought with each other over spending the MLE, over 
tanking, who to draft, how to defend the pick and roll, on what form 
of torture was most appropriate for Pitino, Gaston, Vin Baker, Chris 
Wallace, et al.

And it hasn't all been bad.  Watching the kids the last few years -- 
especially the sadly departed trio of Jefferson, West and Gomes; the 
2001 ECF run (even if we thought it was fleeting), the anticipation 
that came with Pitino, the solid play in the face of mounting losses, 
Paul Pierce, Al Jefferson.

But all that's gonna change.

People all over the country are gonna jump on the bandwagon and say 
they've always loved the Celtics. And that's fine, that's great.  The 
C's are a great team that all of us love for a reason, for a lot of 
reasons.  But THEY, the Johnny-Come-Latelys, the "Pink Hat Brigade" 
that's stuffed Fenway... THEY"LL never know what we've gone through 
together.

To them Junior Burrough, Thomas Hamilton, Kevin Gamble, Kevinn 
Pinkney, Thomas Mobley, Joe Forte, Ben Pepper, Ron Mercer and Jiri 
Welsch are just names.

And to them Bruce Bowen, Joe Johnson, Chauncey Billups, Antoine 
Walker,David Wesley, Mikki Moore, Adrian Griffin, Justin Reed, heck 
even Delonte West and Ryan Gomes... those are just guys on other 
teams.

So thanks to all y'all.  For being true Celtic fans! For doing this together.

(the other) mark


[1] that's how we say it down here in Florida
[2] it seems to me, some time in the mid-to-late 90s ... back when 
Bill Cooper wrote the greatest game summaries and Steve Chomiscz had 
the Bostonian Steve site.