I’ve been a Celtic’s fan since I was 11 or 12 years old in the early 80’s, but for whatever reason, few of my friends, relatives or coworkers have been fans. Of the few, none were passionate the way I feel I am.

Last year I started checking out the Celtics web page, then I followed the link to the Comcast page where I found out about “Celtics Stuff Live” and before long I had my Favorites filled with all the Celtics related blogs I could find. These people, the writers and commenter’s were like me, they were passionate Celtics fans, and although I rarely comment, I still feel a sense of belonging.

This weekend I was very fortunate to have won two tickets to the Celtics Preseason game against the New Jersey Nets from the Celtics Stuff Live crew just for being a follower of their CSL_TweetLive twitter account. I’ve been to a few other games, most recently Game 5 against the Bulls last season, but I still have this euphoric feeling when I step into the Garden and see that parquet floor and the Banners hanging from the ceiling. This was my wife’s first time in the Garden, and although she’s only a fan because I am, I could see by the look on her face that she was aw struck as well. I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone feels this way when they walk in, or if the feeling fades.

As we take our seats and the players are introduced all the fans are cheering and clapping and it comes over me again, these are my kind of people, they’re passionate Celtics fans. They’re showing a woman on the Jumbotron holding a baby with a green Mohawk, there are guys with giant masks of Eddie House, Brian Scalabrine, and Kevin Garnett, there’s a kid in front of me scremin’ for the refs to give Net’s Coach Lawrence Frank a Tech. (My wife asks me “what’s he mean by “T him up”?”). It’s great to be among other Celtics fans.

Thanks again Celtics Stuff Live, the game was great, my wife and I got a fun and unexpected break from the ordinary house and yard work duties, and I got to be around other Celtics fans, what could be better.

GO CELTICS!!!!

Sam_lt

Next up comes fellow Mainer Chris Quimby, who lives even further away from the Garden than me. Without further ado...

I attend games in Boston sparingly, only once every few years. My favorite part each time is walking through the halls and finding the number of my balcony section on the overhead signs. When pacing by, I peer through the open doors and see the Garden floor beneath. It's like finding a small rip in a curtain that is shielding your eyes from greatness. So many times do I sit on my couch at home and see a two-dimensional representation of the very same place, but it always pales in comparison to actually being there.

I remember those times from my youth when my father took me there. This time, I was able to start the tradition with my own son. Hopefully he'll think back to such an occasion when he takes his children to cheer on the C's to their 25th or 26th title.

Here are a few observations from the game:

10. I want a Jumbotron in every public building. That way, when people eat nachos or dance, nobody will miss it.

9. Kevin Garnett doesn't look nearly as tall from Section 323 in the balcony.

8. Michael Sweetney has the collective body fat of ALL of the Celtics Dancers...ever.

7. The food vendors yell, "no lines, no waiting", but nobody yells that in the bathrooms.

6. I come to realize when watching a game live how much I take Mike and Tommy for granted, and how I wish they would follow me around and narrate every event in my life. I would love to have Tommy hanging his head out my passenger-side window yelling at the other stupid drivers, "YOU CALL THAT A TURN SIGNAL? HORRIBLE!"

5. I wish the Celtics organization had a Twitter feed which updated followers on the daily name changes of the TD Boston Bank Fleet Northcenter.

4. Rajon Rondo has long arms. They look like novelty back scratchers.

3. Eddie House could curl up into the fetal position, be shot out of a canon, bounce off a trampoline sideways and still get off a pretty good look at a three.

2. Ray Allen is such a good shooter that I start questioning the meaning of life when he misses a foul-shot. If he misses two, I wonder if the second was actually a replay of the first.

1. Lawrence Frank spends more time on the court than J.R. Giddens.

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