Some young and exciting players look poised to get even better while a pair of teams have championship hopes in 2023.
There have been many ups and downs in Boston sports during the past calendar year. Read also : New streaming deals make for an important week for access to Bally Sports North and the NFL.
The Patriots suffered a playoff loss for the ages against a division rival at the start of 2022 and found a more embarrassing way to end the year at 7-8 this season. The Red Sox took a big step back after 2021 and finished in last place in the division before losing a favorite in free agency.
On the bright side, the Bruins got off to a great start to the regular season after getting out of the first round of the playoffs (although they did make one of the most controversial signings in recent sports history in November). The Celtics were somehow great from start to finish in 2022. They had a mid-season save for the ages that led to an NBA Championship run and I’m motivated to atone for the loss as the league’s best record of them entering 2023.
Although 2022 did not bring a title to Boston, it was certainly an interesting year. And it looks like 2023 is the same. Here are seven things to look forward to in Boston sports next year.
Brayan Bello and Triston Casas’ first full season in the majors.
As things stand right now, there isn’t much to get excited about for the upcoming Red Sox season. See the article : Mt. Rushmore of Louisville Sports.
They’re coming off a 78-win year and may be down with homegrown All-Star and fan favorite Xander Bogaerts leaving as well as recent All-Stars Nathan Eovaldi and JD Martinez. Things aren’t looking too good for Rafael Devers’ potential long-term future in Boston, either.
But you can always find some diamonds in the rough – and the Red Sox could have two shiny ones. Bello and Casas are considered the Red Sox’s two best prospects to reach the big leagues since Devers in 2017. Both have shown flashes in 2022 as well.
Bello went 2-8 in 13 starts with a 4.71 ERA. He may have been a little unlucky, though, as he had a 2.94 FIP and also got better with each start. Bello had a 2.59 ERA over 31.1 innings pitched over his final six starts of the season. The 23-year-old is probably Boston’s best hope for a home run since Jon Lester — and 2023 may show whether or not he can live up to that level.
As for Casas, he hit .197 with a .766 OPS but hit five home runs in 95 at-bats. His 19 at-bats per home run would have been in the top 25 in the majors last season and he certainly doesn’t look like a fluke after hitting 25 homers over 158 games in Double-A and Triple-A.
Big events coming to town.
Boston will host one of the most unique sporting events to open in 2023 — and I’m not talking about Sunday’s Patriots-Dolphins game where the quality likely won’t match the stakes of the game. See the article : Fall Sports 2022: Cohasset boys soccer is working to replace 14 seniors.
The Winter Classic is at Fenway Park again, where the Bruins and Penguins will play on January 2nd. The Bruins have hosted the Winter Classic twice before, beating the Flyers at Fenway in 2010 and losing to the Canadiens at Gillette Stadium in 2016.
Late in the year, the Army-Navy Game will be played at Gillette Stadium in December. This will be the first time the historic college football rivalry game will be played in Massachusetts.
Of course, there are the big annual sporting events that will still take place, such as the Bean Pot in February and Head of Charles in October.
We may find out if more major sporting events are coming to Boston in early 2023, too. The Celtics are reportedly planning to bid to host the NBA All-Star Game in 2025 or 2026 and the Red Sox are candidates to host the MLB All-Star Game in 2025 or 2027.
The continued growth of the Patriots’ young defensive players.
There were some pleasing things about the 2022 Patriots, although almost all of it is on the defensive side of the ball.
Kyle Dugger has continued to develop as one of the leaders of the defense in his third season, recording 67 total tackles, two interceptions, and a pick-6 in 13 games so far this season. Josh Uche had the breakout that many expected for a bit, recording 11.5 sacks in the final eight games of the calendar year.
A pair of rookies have also excited the Patriots’ defense this season. Quarterback Jack Jones delivered a rant we haven’t seen from any Patriots player in a while when he said it was “disrespectful” to throw him a way out after his pick-6 against the Packers. He was also graded as one of the best corners in the game through the first half of the season by Pro Football Focus.
Marcus Jones became the second player in NFL history to record a punt return, a reception, and an interception for a touchdown of at least 40 yards each – and he did it as a rookie! He was also strong in coverage against Davante Adams in a loss to the Raiders in December.
Christian Barmore’s potential breakout season was at least put on hold after he suffered a knee injury in October that cost him two months of game action. The second-year defensive tackle was active, however, in his first game back from injury, recording a pair of tackles and a tackle against the Raiders.
An improved Patriots offense.
New England’s offense is in the bottom 10 in many stats and metrics this season, including dead last in red zone efficiency. So, it could technically get worse but there is room for hope since the offense that featured many of the same players in 2021 was also top 10 in many metrics.
Of course, the biggest thing is who will run the offense in 2023. After the departure of Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia had a rough year as an offensive signal caller. Reports suggest that a reunion with Bill O’Brien is inevitable, so it seems like that’s at least a step in the right direction.
Mac Jones’ second season left a lot to be desired and many are wondering if he would be “broken” after what happened this year. But when he was operating under McDaniels in 2021, he at least looked like a competent quarterback and finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting because of it. He’s also played a little better since avoiding the Patriots this season, posting a passer rating of at least 100 in three of the six games leading up to Sunday’s game against the Dolphins.
Unlike their defensive counterparts, the Patriots’ rookies weren’t very good. Cole Strange looked to be the wrong skeptic in the first half of the season, but he had a rough midseason stretch that saw him benched twice, and he hasn’t been too sharp since. Tyquan Thornton has been pretty quiet since his two-goal performance against the Browns in Week 6. Maybe Year 2 will be better for both?
The Patriots are also expected to have north of $50 million in cap space this upcoming season and a potentially high first-round pick, which could hopefully be used to solve their problems his solution is tackling and an aggressive receiver.
Whether the Bruins can make history or not?
The Bruins were undeniably the best team in hockey in the 2022 part of the 2022-23 season. They enter 2023 with a league-best 60 points, six more than the second-place Hurricanes, and are on pace for about 136 points — which would be the most ever in a season in NHL history.
Most would probably think the Bruins are going to cool off at some point, but what if they don’t? They have already achieved a record this season by having the most consecutive home wins to start a year and that was largely without Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy in the lineup.
Boston may slow it down a bit to help keep Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand in good shape for the playoffs. And as we all know, winning the President’s Cup does not bode well for your chances of winning a Stanley Cup title. At the very least, though, the Bruins’ potential pursuit of history is one of the biggest things to keep an eye on in the Boston sports world during the winter months.
Jayson Tatum’s quest to win MVP.
The other thing that many Boston fans have to look forward to over the cold and bitter winter months is the Celtics, who also hold the best record in the NBA, and how well they can play before the playoffs.
Of course, after missing the NBA Finals last season, many people’s expectations for the team likely won’t be answered until at least the spring.
Until then, though, Tatum’s hopes of winning an MVP should at least keep fans in touch with the Celtics — among other things. Only four players in Celtics history have won the award, the last being Larry Bird in 1986.
Tatum is the betting favorite to win the award entering 2023, scoring a career-high 31 points per game, and has been a constant force defensively. If Tatum can keep it up and the Celtics have the best record at the end of the regular season, it would be hard to deny him the award.
The Bruins’ and Celtics’ potential title runs.
TD Garden could be at the center of the sports universe come late spring.
As mentioned earlier, the Bruins and Celtics have the best records in their respective leagues and there should be hope that they can keep it up. If they can both make it to the finals, it would be the first time since 2003 that an arena has hosted the same Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals. It actually happened three times in the old Boston Garden (1957, 1958, and 1974).
Maybe we’re getting too ahead of ourselves here, but it’s pretty clear what the promises are for both teams coming into the new year. As for the Celtics, they are looking to finally get over the hump after last season’s disappointing six-game Finals loss. A win in the finals could set them up to be something bigger considering the ages of Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Robert Williams.
For the Bruins, this might be their best chance to win a title in a while. Patrice Bergeron was considering retirement last season while David Krejci and Brad Marchand aren’t getting any younger. They may have some players who could help them make a Stanley Cup run beyond 2023, but David Pastrnak, the most important player to make that happen, is a free agent at the end of the year.
No matter what happens though, we’re in for another fun year in Boston sports.
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There are 12 cities in the United States that have the honor of hosting a professional sports team from each of the four major sports (layer, basketball, hockey, football) within their city limits or a given metropolitan area.
Who is Celtics biggest rival?
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two biggest franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry is often called the biggest in the NBA.
Are the Celtics and Bulls rivals? This great rivalry between the East coast and the Midwest is as strong today as it has ever been. The two teams met in the 2009 NBA playoffs where the Celtics had the edge over the Bulls but the loss of Kevin Garnett due to injury was too much.
Who is Celtics rivals?
Who is Celtic’s biggest rival? Celtic’s biggest rival is Rangers FC, another football (soccer) team in Glasgow, Scotland. The rivalry carries the religious overtones of Catholic versus Protestant. These two teams have dominated Scottish football, with Rangers having won 55 titles to Celtic’s 51 since 2021.
Are the Celtics and Lakers still rivals?
The main rivals of the Los Angeles Lakers are the Boston Celtics. However, they also have a handful of rivals in the Western Conference. The Lakers’ biggest rivals in the west are the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
What is the biggest rivalry in the NBA right now?
With the biggest names in the NBA going against each other, the rivalry between LeBron James and Stephen Curry continues this 2021-2022 season. In the 2020-2021 NBA season, the Lakers faced the Warriors in the playoffs to clinch a playoff berth.
Why are they called the Yankees?
No one is really sure where the word Yankee came from. Some say it was first used by a British general named James Wolfe in 1758 when he was commanding New England soldiers. Others say the word comes from the Cherokee word eankke, meaning coward.
How did the Yankees get their name? Local sports writers often referred to the team as the ‘Yankees’ or ‘Yanks’, as the team was in the American League. After the club moved to the Polo Grounds in 1913, the Highlanders name was dropped, and the team was officially renamed the Yankees.
What does the slang term Yankee mean?
In the Southern United States, Yankee is a derogatory term that refers to all Northerners, and during the American Civil War Confederates applied it to soldiers of the Union army in general.
How many championships do Boston sports teams have?
Boasting 11 professional championships in the 21st Century, Boston IS Titletown. Each of our historic franchises has won championships over the past decade.
How many championships does the city of Boston have? The Celtics are one of the most successful basketball teams in NBA history. The franchise is one of two teams with 17 NBA Championships, the other franchise being the Los Angeles Lakers.
What city has the most championships in the 4 major sports?
| Degree | City | 6 Major Sports Championships |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York City | 65 |
| 2 | Boston | 40 |
| 3 | City of Angels | 33 |
| 4 | Chicago | 32 |
The rivalry is the second oldest of the NFC East. It has been called the greatest rivalry in NFL history. The Giants and Eagles have met four times in the playoffs, with each team winning twice. The Giants won in 1981 and 2000, and the Eagles won in 2006 and 2008.
