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Wicked Good Year: How the Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics Turned the Hub of the Universe into the Capital of Sports | 
| Author: Steve Buckley
Publisher: It Books
Category: Book
List Price: $25.99
Buy New: $5.74
as of 9/9/2010 02:03 PDT details
You Save: $20.25 (78%)
New (29) Used (21) Collectible (1) from $4.67
Seller: bulldogbooks8
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 564586
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5
ISBN: 0061787388
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.0974461
EAN: 9780061787386
ASIN: 0061787388
Publication Date: November 1, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Wicked Good Waste of Time July 12, 2010
JoeG
I confess that I was "betting on the come" when I bought this book. I was taking a chance on a book by an author I had never heard of. After about 50 pages I realized I had made a mistake. Into the used book bin it went. This book is written for 7th graders, more specifically 7th graders who tune into sports radio talk shows. The prose is juvenile and simplistic. There is nothing in the first 50 pages to spark interest in the rest of the book. If you want to read some great sports books, read David Halberstam and Bill Simmons.
 Decent overview of a great time to be a Boston sports fan March 10, 2010
Kirk L. (Maryland, USA)
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.
 Nothing New To Offer November 28, 2009
R. C Sheehy (Foxboro,MA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I do enjoy Steve Buckley and think he is both a very good writer as well as commentator. That is why I was so distressed to read that he wrote such a boring book that offers no great insights into the 2007/2008 sports year. He was beaten to the punch about the Celtics run by Peter May whose book is far better. Michael Holley and others have written much better books about the recent Red Sox success. He could have focused more on the Patriots even though they lost the Super Bowl but really glossed over that.
Sadly, this is a book that tries to be all things to all people and ends up being lukewarm and really offers no great insight to the knowledgeable Boston sports fan. I doubt this will find its way to many Christmas trees.
 Warm and insightful November 13, 2009
David Himmelstein
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.
Wicked Good Book!! November 3, 2009
AJ (Boston)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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.
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