‘Tis the season to be a Boston sports fan. The 12 days of Christmas officially start today, but the season of giving began long ago here in New England.

The Patriots, Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins are giving their fans every reason to be jolly of late. It seems the four teams get stronger and more successful by the day, an embarrassment of riches that has fans in cities around the country green with envy.

The Patriots have been rolling for most of the season, but have suddenly become a juggernaut that won’t be stopped by rain, snow, or the (supposedly) best teams in the NFL.

A team that seemed dangerously young on defense has erupted into a team that doesn’t only beat you, it embarrasses you. On Sunday, New England rolled to a 36-7 pounding of the Bears on the snowy tundra of Soldier Field.

The offense ran up 33 points in the first half – including a 59-yard touchdown pass in the driving snow on the final play before intermission – and never looked back.

Tom Brady is running away with the league’s MVP Award, and the offense is reminding us each week that Randy Moss did more harm than good to this unit. Deion Branch is the deep threat now, and Brady has never looked better with his current group of receivers.

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Hard to believe the Patriots were actually trailing the lowly Lions 24-17 midway through the third quarter on Thanksgiving. Since then, New England has outscored opponents by a jaw-dropping 109-10 margin. And the two most recent wins were against the Jets and Bears, two playoff contenders.

The latest win capped a week that saw the Red Sox steal the headlines in the first week of December. The Patriots might just be Super Bowl-bound, but don’t forget for a minute what a great baseball town this is.

After a lackluster season, General Manager Theo Epstein got on the offensive quickly, pulling off the biggest trade of the offseason so far. Some 72 hours later he had landed the top hitter available on the free-agent market.

Saturday, the thrill was back at Fenway, as fans lined up to buy tickets and be part of the Adrian Gonzalez/Carl Crawford era.

The trade and signing were enough to stoke up the Hot Stove (“Thermonuclear Stove,” as one fan called in on Twitter), but what’s getting Sox fans even more excited is the way Epstein is taking on the Yankees this offseason.

He offered Mariano Rivera a contract, forcing the Yankees to overpay the closer. There have also been reports that he made an early offer to Cliff Lee, forcing other teams to up the ante on the left-handed pitcher.

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So much for the GM being overly enamored with his prospects. He traded away three of his best to land Gonzalez.

And so much for the Sox not being willing to pay long-term contracts.

With the framework of a deal for Gonzalez in place, the team will have committed some $300 million to two players over the next eight years.

This is all happening in the midst of a run by the Celtics that has them sitting atop the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Doc Rivers’ team has quietly reeled off 10 straight wins going into Wednesday night’s game against a Knicks team that has won eight straight games.

The Big Three look strong, Rajon Rondo is playing like the All-Star we all hoped he could be, and Shaq provides the star power (even when he’s on the sidelines.)

While the Miami Heat try to figure out how to keep their dysfunctional roster from killing off their hopes as a contender, the Celtics keep showing the league their championship pedigree.

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The only team that has stumbled at all over the past month is the Bruins.

Yet, despite an overtime loss to the Flyers on Saturday, the Bruins have picked up at least one point in six straight games and have closed the gap with Montreal.

Marc Savard is back (even at the cost of Marco Sturm) and the team is scoring at a far greater clip than last year’s offensively challenged gang. After a road trip to Buffalo Wednesday night, Boston is home against the Canadiens on Thursday.

So we get to look forward to a meaningful Celtics/Knicks game on Wednesday followed by Bruins/Canadiens on Thursday. A Pats team that has already made the playoffs. A Red Sox team that has made all the right moves so far.

Happy Holidays, indeed.

 

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.

 


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