Boston Sports Teams

Not only home to beans, beer and smart people, Boston also has top-level sports. Three out of the four major professional teams (sorry, Bruins) have won a championship (or two, or three) within the past few years. Add major Boston college sports, a marathon and a regatta, and you’ll understand that Boston is a hub of the sports universe. Here’s a breakdown of teams and events to catch during your Boston vacation, as well as where to see games, even if you can’t get tickets.

Professional Sports

Bostonians live for the Red Sox (baseball), New England Patriots (football), Celtics (basketball) and Bruins (hockey), and recently fans have been living the high life.

Boston Basketball

Not only do both the Bruins and the Boston Celtics play in the TD Banknorth Garden, but the Celtics also are the reigning National Basketball Association (NBA) Champions and are strong contenders to repeat this year. Tickets are still available for the Celtic’s few remaining home games, but in case you miss them, fret not. There are plenty of bars and pubs in the immediate vicinity (and across the city) that will be showing the game. Try The Place (near Faneuil Hall) or The Fours (near the Garden). The Garden is easily accessible by car and public transit: the Green and Orange T lines and the commuter rail run there.  

Ticket info: Celtics tickets sell for $10 to $191.50. Check www.bostonceltics.com for more info.

Boston Football

The New England Patriots don’t actually play in Boston—they play at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (as does the New England Revolution professional soccer team), which feels closer to Providence, R.I. Driving is the main option for getting there, but as mentioned earlier, there are plenty of bars in Boston, and if the Pats are playing, they’ll likely be on every TV in all the nearby bars.  

Ticket info: Tickets for the Patriots’ 2009 season are not yet on sale, but in 2008, tickets ranged between $65 and $169. Check www.patriots.com for updates.

Boston Baseball

The Boston Red Sox, of course, play in historic Fenway Park just off Kenmore Square. It’s undergone some recent renovations, but catching a game there you still feel as if you’re watching a game in 1912, when the park originally opened. It certainly is a shrine to baseball, but if you go, a word to the wise: Leave your Yankee cap at home. Trust me. If you can’t get tickets, of if you just want to pop by the area to soak up the vibe of Red Sox Nation, a place to catch the game (and maybe a home-run ball) is the Cask N Flagon, located across Lansdowne Street from the park.

 

• Fenway Park has been the home of the Boston Red Sox for nearly a century.

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Ticket info: Boston Red Sox tickets run between $12 to $325. Check www.bostonredsox.com for more ticket information.

Boston Hockey

The Bruins haven’t enjoyed the spate of championships that the Celts, Pats and Sox have, but they’ve got one of the best records in hockey this season and are a team to watch heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Ticket info: Bruins tickets go for $16.50 to $199.50. Check www.bostonbruins.com for more info.

Next: College Sports, the Marathon and the Charles Regatta