This is how it used to be. Late April. Red Sox winning early season games. Bruins winning playoff games. Celtics winning playoff games. Non-stop action day after day, weekend after weekend.

It hasn’t been like this in these parts since the late ‘80s. Back when Boggs and Greenwell and Clemens performed for the Fenway faithful. Back when Bird and McHale and Parrish patrolled the parquet. Back when Neeley and Bourque and Moog skated around the Garden ice.

For too many years, the arrival of spring meant that the sneakers and skates would be put in the garage until the fall. The green uniforms and the black-and-gold sweaters would go back in the closet until summer came and went.

Spring became a four-letter word for the sports fan, used only in conjunction with anger-inducing phrases, such as spring cleaning or spring ahead (when we lose an hour of sleep). We’d have the Red Sox once a day and the occasional NFL nugget about the Patriots. And that would be it.

Once in a while the Bruins or Celtics would make some waves. The Celtics actually made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002. But every fan knew that an appearance in the NBA Finals would have made them the punching bag for the far superior Western Conference entry. And the Bruins finished first or second in their conference three times since 1992, but lost in the first round all three times—twice to their division rival, the Montreal Canadians.

But this year is unlike any in Boston sports history. The Red Sox—the most beloved and formerly most cursed of Boston franchises—are the defending World Series champions for the second time in four years. And many pundits expect them to challenge for the title again this season. Through 21 games they have the best record in the American League (14-7) even after starting the season in Japan as part of a seven-game road trip.

The Celtics set the record for the best single-season turnaround (42 games) in NBA history, finishing the year a league-best 66-16 (the 3rd best record in the franchise’s storied history). Even though they play in the “weaker” of the two NBA conferences, their 12-4 record against the Western Conference playoff teams is seen as a sign that the Celtics will be a force to reckon with in the playoffs. The trade that brought Kevin Garnett here has reinvigorated the team and the fan base. Some are already searching the rafters of the Garden for a spot for championship banner number 17.

And then there are the Bruins. This once-great franchise has won just one playoff series since 1995, getting bounced in the first round 6 times while missing the playoffs entirely on 5 other occasions. The fans have been loudly critical of the team’s penny-pinching owners, and the game of hockey is a distant fourth (or worse) as the sport of choice in the city of Boston. But one more win would go a long way toward changing (or at least improving) their standing as a fan favorite. And as recently as two years ago, an 8th-seeded team (the Edmonton Oilers) advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Could history repeat itself once more?

In the last six years, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and the Red Sox have won two World Series. Meanwhile, the Celtics and Bruins have sat on the sidelines, also-rans to the big boys. But now they have thrust themselves into the spotlight.

Since Thursday the Red Sox have won 5 straight (including back-to-back come-from-behind wins on Saturday and Sunday and this morning’s win in the annual Patriots’ Day game), the Celtics won their playoff opener in a laugher over Atlanta, and the Bruins have won back-to-back must-win games to force tonight’s Game 7 against Montreal.

Every day there’s one or two big games on for Boston fans. Some nights feature remote-testing-channel-flipping the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long, long time. The Red Sox announcers talk about the Celtics while the Celtics announcers talk about the Bruins. Red Sox players show up at the Celtics’ game to show their support. The good old days are here again. It’s almost enough to help us forget that the undefeated Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the Giants.

Even with that painful loss to the Giants in February, it’s been an embarrassment of riches for Boston fans lately. I often wonder how fans in places with only one team cope with the end of the season. If you live in San Antonio, who do you root for in the summer months? And in Green Bay—is there anything else after football? And yet the Boston fan must choose between a Bruins playoff game and the Red Sox on TV on the same Saturday night!

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that our professional sports teams were in historic championship droughts. The Red Sox went 86 years between World Series championships and the Patriots spent the first 41 years of their existence watching other teams win the biggest game of all.

But we’ve enjoyed six years of unparalleled success, which leaves us wanting even more. The Super Bowl XLII loss and the previous year’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Colts hurt just as badly as they would have if the Patriots had 0 Lombardi trophies in the closet. And when a Red Sox player or manager does something that angers a fan—it’s as if it’s been 186 years since the last World Series win and not 186 days.

So we Boston fans will be pulling with everything we have for the Bruins tonight. After all, it’s been 36 years since they last won the Stanley Cup. And we’ll be rooting for the Celtics in the coming weeks. 1986 was the last title for them. The Red Sox and Patriots have done us proud, but we’re itching for more championship hats and T-shirts and DVDs to add to our collection. We’ve been to the mountaintop with our other teams, and we want to get back there once again.

Springtime in Boston. And the weather is fine.

There is just so much going on right now in Boston sports that I couldn’t decide what to write about. So it’s time to clean out the fridge and get everything out there.

The Red Sox are about to win their 2nd World Series in four years. The Patriots are about to go undefeated. The Celtics have one of the most improved teams in the NBA. The Bruins have the 6th best record in the NHL. Boston College is ranked 2nd in the BCS after their improbable win on Thursday. Heck, even the Revolution looks like it might make some noise in the MLS playoffs. If this weren’t all so exciting, I’d be moving out of town, for fear that the Apocalypse was starting in the New England region.

I don’t even know what to say about the Patriots at this point. During commercials of their games, I flip to other games and it looks like other teams are playing a different sport. It’s shocking how good these guys are. And Tom Brady is having perhaps the greatest season of any athlete in any sport ever. Ever. It’s like Ted Williams’ .406 season in 1941, only if he also hit 65 home runs.

I still can’t believe that J.D. Drew hit that grand slam in Game 6 against the Indians.

I was already enamored with Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. Then he stole 2nd base in Game 2 of the World Series and won everyone in America a free taco from Taco Bell. Now I love him even more.

I was going to write something entitled “Enjoy the Ride” this week about taking time to appreciate your team en route to a World Series, Super Bowl, etc., that would encompass my enjoyment of the Pats and Sox coupled with Colorado fans’ ride with the Rockies and juxtaposed against the foolishness that’s going on with the Yankees. But I bored myself with it before typing a word. But a note to the Steinbrenner family: an incentive-laden contract for your manager based on playoff wins? This is baseball. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. That franchise still encompasses all that is wrong with the sport of baseball.

To the Rockies fans: Your team’s incredible 21 wins out of 22 was one of the most remarkable runs in sports history. Don’t ever forget this experience, even if it ends at the hands of the Red Sox in the Series. And their comeback win against the Padres in the one game playoff was one of the greatest comebacks ever.

If you told me in November of 2003 that some day the Red Sox would be up 2-0 in the World Series and I wouldn’t be worried even one iota about the outcome of the Series, I’d have had you committed.

I realized during Game 2 of the World Series that I don’t remember anything from the 2004 World Series. I was so shell-shocked from the 2003 collapse that I still didn’t believe the greatest comeback of all time actually happened in the ALCS against the Yankees. I think I kept waiting for disaster to strike. When the Red Sox went up 3-0 in the World Series I thought for sure they’d lose four straight in some sort of karmic twist. To this day I still haven’t watched the 2004 Red Sox World Series DVD.

Poor Matt Cassel. He was the backup to one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time—a player who hasn’t missed a start in 112 games. Last week he threw an interception in garbage time that was returned for a touchdown. He was then pulled from the game. He might even be demoted to third-string quarterback at this point. Poor guy.

Did you ever wonder why when you bite the inside of your lip, you end up re-biting it about 4,000 times over the next several days? It’s happening to me right now. But with the Boston sports scene going so well, I really don’t care. Ow! (I just bit it again.)

The Giants and Dolphins are playing in London this weekend, which seems like a pretty big deal, doesn’t it? If so, why on earth are they playing at 1pm Eastern? Why didn’t this one get a special 10am start time? We’ve had breakfast at Wimbledon—why not breakfast with the Dolphins and Giants?

I’m already excited for Pats-Colts next week. It will be two undefeated teams with more combined wins than any game in NFL history. Of course the Giants and 49ers almost played an historic game in 1990. Both teams were 10-0 and were slated to meet on Monday Night Football two weeks later. But both lost the week before to fall to 10-1. I don’t see that happening this year, so get the hype machine ready.

The latest Sports Illustrated has an NBA preview, and I opened it without even looking at the cover. After flipping through a few pages, I closed it and noticed that the Celtics were on the cover. A strange feeling swept over me. It was a combination of excitement, intrigue, and a distinct lack of apathy and fear. I’m not sure I can even explain it.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Cleveland (-3) over ST. LOUIS
Detroit (+5) over CHICAGO
Indianapolis (-7) over CAROLINA
NY Giants (-9½) over MIAMI
TENNESSEE (-7½) over Oakland
MINNESOTA (+1) over Philadelphia
CINCINNATI (+3½) over Pittsburgh
Buffalo (+3) over NY JETS
Houston (+9½) over SAN DIEGO
TAMPA BAY (-3½) over Jacksonville
New Orleans (-2½) over SAN FRANCISCO
NEW ENGLAND (-16½) over Washington
Green Bay (+3) over DENVER

Last week: 7-7
Season: 41-53-9

All of a sudden the three major Boston sports franchises are at the center of the sports universe. Last week the Patriots—Super Bowl favorites in most quarters—opened training camp. The Red Sox—already armed with the best bullpen in baseball—traded for yet another quality reliever. And the Celtics pulled off a blockbuster trade that immediately made them Eastern Conference powerhouses—and relevant—for the first time in more than 15 years. (The Bruins, meanwhile, continued to let the big three grab all of the headlines for the 15th year in a row.) 

Most major sports headlines have focused on the negative aspects of the games in recent weeks. Steroid allegations tarnish Barry Bonds’ slow crawl toward the most hallowed record in sports. One of the most exciting players in the NFL faces a federal indictment and possible jail time. An NBA referee is under investigation by the FBI for gambling on—and impacting—the outcomes of games. This same referee worked the most controversial game of last season’s playoffs (Game 3 of Spurs-Suns), potentially determining the Finals champion with his biased officiating. 

So where does one need to look to find some hope? Some optimism? Right here in the bastion positivity: Boston. 

Clearly the world’s gone mad. The typical Boston sports fan looks at a blue sky and wonders when it will fall. Until the Sox’ magical 8-game winning streak in 2004 ended an 86-year World Series drought, no lead was ever safe for the pessimistic Boston fan. Uttering the words, “this team stinks” has been a rite of passage for generations of Boston fans. 

But now? Boston’s the place to be for an escape from the negativity. After all, the greatest NFL coach of our era, Bill Belichick, is gearing up for another deep playoff run. Last season, the Patriots were one play away from advancing to their fourth Super Bowl in six years. That came after the previous offseason yielded zero big moves. The response from the Patriots’ organization this past offseason? Sign playmakers on both sides of the ball. I was out in Las Vegas just after the draft in April and the Patriots were 4-1 odds to win Super Bowl XLII. And that was before they got Randy Moss. Finding a Patriots fan who doesn’t think this team is Super Bowl-bound is harder than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. 

Need more evidence that the apocalypse might be upon us? The Celtics, long ago relegated to second-class citizens, pushed their way onto the front page with their trade for Kevin Garnett. Just one month after the Celtics’ brass was mocked for pulling off a panic trade for Ray Allen, Danny Ainge and company now look like geniuses. The trade for Garnett gives the Celtics three former All-Stars in their starting five. More importantly, in Garnett they have a dynamic player who wants to win at all costs. The Celtics have instantly transformed themselves from an afterthought into an exciting team that should be fun to watch. And come next May, they could be knocking on the door of the NBA Finals. 

And then there’s America’s team—the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox lead all teams in road attendance. In some places, 15,000 people show up to see the home team one night, and then 35,000 are there to see the Sox the next. No one saw this coming 10 years ago. This year’s Red Sox own the best record in baseball, have one of the most solid pitching staffs in the league, and have clutch hitters David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez anchoring the lineup. They also have the feel good story of the year in pitcher Jon Lester, who one year ago at this time found out that he had cancer. Less than one year later he’s back in Boston’s starting rotation, along with Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, and Tim Wakefield, a foursome with 46 wins this season, and World Series and World Baseball Classic experience. 

There are still steroids, arrests, doping scandals, at least one crooked referee, and everything else that’s wrong in sports. But right now in Boston, all is right in the world.