One Man's Indy

Everyone has their favorite holiday. For some it's Christmas, Easter or perhaps Valentine's Day (the latter clearly does not pertain to my fellow men). My favorite holiday is unofficial, relatively new and is very much along the lines of Hanukkah in that it's an extended celebration. Yes, it's Beat Boston Week for the second year in a row in Indianapolis. The stars have aligned once more to bring both the Boston Celtics and the New England Patriots to town over the same weekend and there is an entire week of hype leading up to it. Each day is filled with gifts of new articles, interviews, flashbacks and more leading up to these epic clashes. As an Indianapolis fan I just plain don't like Boston teams and this week gives me a chance to celebrate my hatred in a healthy way. Maybe healthy isn't the right word, but you get the drift.

I know what you're thinking, "I get the whole Colts/Pats thing, but you can't be serious about the Celtics/Pacers?" Well, let's travel back to last year to get some perpective. It's opening day at Conseco Fieldhouse and the NBA Champion Celtics are in town. With little to no expectation on the Indiana Pacers this seemed to merely be a precursor for the Colts/Pats game the next night. However, the Pacers put up perhaps their grittiest win of the season and did their part in making Beat Boston Week a shutout for Indianapolis sports. The win even cost Danny Granger his front teeth. It was one heck of an atmosphere.

This year? The setup looks earily familiar on the basketball court. The Celtics are on fire and the Pacers just clawed their way back to .500 after a disappointing 0-3 start. Can the home team pull another rabbit out of their hat? As for the football field, it looks as it should. Both the Colts and the Pats are playing exceptional football and are high upon their perch atop the AFC. This should be yet another chapter in the most compelling NFL rivalry of the past decade.

If you're like me, this weekend can't come fast enough. Whether you have tickets or not (Pacers tickets are still available, Colts/Pats tickets are harder to find than the Lost City of Atlantis), you will be missing out by not getting downtown and soaking up the atmosphere this weekend. We've got plenty of sports bars with oodles of TV's. Join your fellow Indianapolis fans and cheer on our home teams as we celebrate the second annual Beat Boston Week. Go Colts! Go Pacers!