Josh Q. Public:  Only the beginning of what I want to feel forever.  Only the beginning. Only just the start.  I’ve got to get you into my life.  Got to get you next to me.  Only the beginning.  Only just the start.  -Chicago

Public Service Announcement:  OK, here we go!  Boston Celtics Basketball.  The new Big Three.  Think Big!  Pierce.  Garnett.  Allen.  The PGA Tour.  These guys are good.  Before we get started, know this:  I love the Red Sox.  I love the Patriots.  I love the Boston College Screamin’ Eagles.  I love the Celtics more.  I started going to games in the year 2 BB.  Before Bird.  Dave Cowens.  Hondo.  Jo-Jo.  Ernie D.  The Polish Powerhouse Steve Kuberski.  The following year we saw Pistol Pete. We saw Bob McAdoo.  Cornbread Maxwell and Tiny had just arrived.  But none of the games stood out.  The team was horrible.  I was just a little kid who was glad to be out with his older brothers.  But then it happened.  John Havlicek night happened.  The night of his retirement.  Greer is putting the ball in play.  He gets it out deep and Havlicek steals it!  Over to Sam Jones!  Havlicek stole the ball!  It’s all over…It’s all over!  Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!  The Garden was electric.  It was the first time in my life I was there when it was sold out.  It was sold out and people were going crazy.  Bedlam.  Pandemonium.  I was hooked.  I knew, then and there, that I was going to be spending a lot of time in that old place.  The following year, my family got seasons, the Celtics got Bird, and I got the treat of my life.  A chance to see a dynasty first hand.  I want to see another one.  In 1986, I never saw the Celtics lose.  Never.  I want that felling again.  Why not us?  Why not now?  The time is here.

It all started last fall.  First there were the Iverson mumblings.  Then there were the Pau Gasol rumblings.  Then the Matrix grumblings.  Garnett says no.  The Celtics lose out in the Greg Oden/Kevin Duran sweepstakes.  More of the same old - same old.  Next thing you know, Sugar Ray Allen is a Celtic.  Nice move.  I could live with that.  Then came the big one.  The Big Ticket one.  Oh, this is the biggest one I ever had.  You hear that Elizabeth?  I’m coming to join you honey.  Kevin Garnett is a Celtic.  MVP Kevin Garnett.  Ten time All-Star Kevin Garnett.  All-Star MVP.  Eight time All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.  The first guy to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game for 6 consecutive seasons.  The first guy to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game for 9 consecutive seasons.  The first guy to reach at least 18,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 4,000 assists, 1,200 steals, and 1,500 blocks in his playing career.  The Big Ticket.  The Kid.  The Franchise.  KG.  He’s here.  He’s really really here.   

Now in all this all this hoop-la with Allen and Garnett, let’s not forget about the Truth.  The Truth is, he’s the most underrated player in the world, and nobody can tell me different.  But Paul Pierce could not do it alone.  When I was young, I never needed anyone.  And making love was just for fun.  Those days are gone.  All by myself.  Don’t wanna be all by myself anymore.  Now that Boston got somebody to rebound the ball effectively.  You can’t win without the ball.  Now that Boston got somebody to rebound the ball effectively and they have somebody to handle the ball with consistency.  You can’t win if you can’t hold onto the ball.  Now that Boston got somebody to rebound the ball effectively and they have somebody to handle the ball with consistency, they will start winning some ball games.  A lot of ball games.  Throw in a guy who can shoot the ball, that’s a lot more ball games.  Once they start winning ball games consistently, Pierce’s accolades will come.  It’s tough to win awards, when you’re not winning ball games.  The Celtics will win ball games.  Pierce will win awards.  And that’s the double truth, Ruth.

So now we begin a new journey.  You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.  A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!  The first step in the journey takes place tonight at the soldout TD Banknorth Garden where the Celtics open the season against the Washington Wizards.  Why not us?  Why not now?  The time is here.  It all starts now.

Public Acknowledgemets:  Danny Abelman, Johnny Most, Sanford & Son, Eric Carmen, Senor Love Daddy and The Twilight Zone