Wicked Good Year: How the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics Turned the Hub of the Universe into the Capital of Sports [Hardcover]

Steve Buckley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2009

From the fall of 2007 through the spring of 2008, Boston sports fans enjoyed a run of good fortune that was unprecedented in sports history. The Red Sox won their second World Series championship in four years. The Celtics, with their newly assembled big three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, won their first NBA championship since 1986. And the Patriots, already hailed as the first sports dynasty of the twenty-first century, roared through an undefeated regular season before being derailed by the New York Giants in a shocking upset in Super Bowl XLII.

In Wicked Good Year, acclaimed Boston Herald sports columnist Steve Buckley tells the remarkable story of the dizzying, glorious seven months and twenty days when these three teams established Boston as the capital of the sports world. More than just a recitation of dates and games and stats, this book looks at that remarkable season through the eyes of the players, coaches, and team personnel, and explores how their lives created a fascinating backdrop to the action taking place on the field and the court.

It was a season when old-time motivational techniques were reintroduced with Celtics coach Doc Rivers taking his big three on a tour of the parade route that had been traveled by the Red Sox and Patriots—just to show them what it's like to win a championship in Boston. It was a season when veteran Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, no longer happy just to be playing again after recovering from a stroke, wanted to take his game to a higher level. And it was a season when a rookie second baseman named Dustin Pedroia, seen as brash and confident from afar, actually suffered through sleepless nights as he tried to find his way in his first full season with the Red Sox.

Wicked Good Year also introduces an eclectic cast of devoted fans, ranging from sidewalk Red Sox autograph collector Andrew J. Urban II to internationally known singer/actor—and Celtics fanatic—Donnie Wahlberg. Buckley's tribute is a must-read not only for the Boston faithful but also for the legions of sports fans wondering exactly how these teams worked together to shed the city's "Loserville" image that had been in place at the dawn of the new century. It is a story not just about teams that ruled but about a city that rocked.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Buckley unearths sparkling gems of detail. The author has a marvelous sense of history, and he weaves a number of choice threads into his tapestry.” (Boston Globe )

“As a native New Yorker and lifelong Yankee fan, it kills me to say this, but here goes: I loved reading Wicked Good Year. It’s smart, fast, and highly addictive. I couldn’t put it down. And believe me, I tried. Now that the story’s been told so well, Boston teams can all go back to losing, right?” (Jonathan Eig, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Man and Opening Day )

“Every sports fan in New England knows that Steve Buckley is one of the premier historians in the region. Lucky for us, he shows just how considerable his research and storytelling skills are in Wicked Good Year...A thorough and entertaining look at the 2007 season, a once-in-a-generation sports season in New England: a baseball and basketball team that won championships, and a football team that was just a few minutes and points away from being undefeated.” (Michael Holley, New York Times bestselling author of Red Sox Rule and Patriot Reign )

“Wicked Good Year is more than wicked ... more than exceptional. It’s the perfect sports book on the perfect subject matter by the perfect writer for the job. Steve Buckley masterfully weaves the engrossing sagas of the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics into a gripping page-turner. A true triumph.” (Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won! )

About the Author

Steve Buckley has been a sportswriter for more than thirty years, the last fifteen as a columnist at the Boston Herald. Previously a columnist at the National Sports Daily, he has written extensively for Boston Magazine, Yankee, the Sporting News, and many other publications. He wrote, produced, and directed the television documentary I'll Be Seeing You: An American Story of World War II and is a regular co-host on WEEI's "The Big Show." He lives in the Boston area.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: It Books; 1 edition (November 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061787388
• ISBN-13: 978-0061787386
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #956,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #97 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Professional

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Good Book!!, November 3, 2009

By 

AJ (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wicked Good Year: How the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics Turned the Hub of the Universe into the Capital of Sports (Hardcover)

I picked this up at the recommendation of a friend. I was a little hesitant since I'm a complete sports-dummy. Despite the awkwardly long sub-title Wicked Good Year is far more than a sports book! Buckley takes the 2007 season and follows it through three very uniqe fans: an obsessive autograph collector who survived a deadly car crash as a child, a trio of little old ladies from Nantucket and a boy-band celebrity obsessed with basketball (you couldnt make this up!). Anybody can spit back dry stats, but through these characters Buckley provides the sort of context that makes sports personal and interesting for the layperson.

In the end Buckely explores the cultural identity of a city through the lens of sporting history and personal narratives. He leads the reader through time to some of the greatest, the worst, and the most fascinating moments of Boston sports. He does so with a voice that is technical enough for seasoned fans, but easy enough for the sports dummy (like me)to follow.

A great read for sports fans in general. An absolute must-read for Bostonians - especially the non sports-fans - I finally understand just why the city went crazy in 2007.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warm and insightful, November 13, 2009

By 

David Himmelstein - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wicked Good Year: How the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics Turned the Hub of the Universe into the Capital of Sports (Hardcover)

A basic test of pretty much any non-fiction book: you know from the start how it's going to end but still can't stop reading to see how it gets there. That's the frankly addictive quality of WICKED GOOD YEAR -- we already know the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots had amazing, overlapping seasons, we already know their high-profile stars. What we don't know are the unexpectedly touching stories of some of the fans, vendors, front-office secretaries, everyone who composes the tapestry of Boston pro sports.

Buckley does a skillful job of weaving the stories of an eclectic cast of characters -- and trust me, they're all characters. He's affectionate without being gushing, insightful without the usual tedious overload of arcane stats. The games are the threads that hold it all together but it's the behind-the-scenes stuff in the lockerrooms, on the road with the traveling circus of pro sports teams, and in the homes of the fans themselves that, for me, sets it apart enough to sit down and write an Amazon review recommending it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent overview of a great time to be a Boston sports fan, March 10, 2010

By 

Kirk L. (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wicked Good Year (Kindle Edition)

I liked the book, and it covered a period of time when I was in Iraq and getting a release from the day-to-day grind of war by finding out that all of my favorite sports teams from my beloved Boston were doing so well really helped my morale.

Buckley does a pretty good job capturing the runs of the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots. The Bruins are briefly mentioned as well, although they didn't enjoy the same level of success, and don't have a dedicated focus.

I wasn't crazy about the segue into the different fans of the Sox, Patriots and Celtics in the context of the events of the time but to each his own. Wasn't a fan of Donnie Wahlberg at all when he was with the New Kids on the Block back in the 80's but he's a good actor who's grown on me over time. Still, the Nantucket ladies and Andrew Urban the autograph collector didn't do much for me. But, I credit Buckley for trying a slightly different approach beyond the simple re-hash of the sports teams and events.

I've not always agreed with Buckley's comments, but this isn't a bad book for someone like me who couldn't be there to experience the events in person and in Boston where they occurred. Enjoyable light read.