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The Loss of a Great Player

One of the best players to don a Red Sox uniform in the era after World War II, Walt Dropo, recently passed away at the age of 87. He gave the team his best while on the field, winning the 1950 Rookie of the Year Award, winning over rival Yankee Whitey Ford. His major league career spanned the period from 1949 to 1961, with his rookie seeing a great record all the way around. That year, he had 34 home runs, a batting average of .322 and a total of 144 runs batted in within a period of 136 games, gaining a spot on the All Star Team.

Not only was he talented on the field, but was also an excellent role model within the community. He was regarded as a kind gentlemen and was active in his community even after he retired from the game. This shows him to have been all around a good person and a great player. On the team, he played the spot of first base, and spent four successful seasons in the Red Sox uniform. In the course of his career with the Red Sox, achieving a hitting average of .281 and 51 home runs. He also achieved 229 runs batted in within 283 games. In the rest of his career, he played with such teams as the White Sox, Reds, Orioles and Tigers. The career totals for baseball include a batting average of .270. 704 runs batted in and 152 home runs within a total of 1,288 games.

The career of Walt Dropo is one of those that will go down in Red Sox history as a memorable one. His honorable character and talent on the ball field makes him one of their star past players who made his splash during the golden decades of the game.

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Red Auerbach – One of the Greatest Celtics Coaches

Celtics fans have long held Red Auerbach in a position of great respect for numerous years as one of the greatest coaches that the Celtics ever had. He first took over the team in 1950, and over the years helped to mold the traditions that the team has come to be well knowen for. From the period of 1957 to 1966, he helped to lead the team to a phenomenal nine NBA championship titles, eight of which were won consecutively. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 89. Over the course of his career, the team netted a total of sixteen world championships for the team with his leadership.

His contributions were not limited to coaching, but also to the business and promotional aspects of the team. He took them around to play pre-season games to drum up fan interest before the season got off to a start. He was a dedicated and fierce coach on the court, one year being ejected from the All-Star Game. In 1966, he achieved the honor of being the first NBA coach to hit the 1,000 game winning mark, and later was given a place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

He garnered a number of awards in his career, including the NBA’s 25th Anniversary All-Time Coach, NBA Executive of the Year and NBA Coach of the Year. He even had his own show on television, called “Red on Roundball” and wrote seven books that sold worldwide. He also had an impact on some of the phenomenal players that played under his tutelage who went on to become NBA legends of their own. He was an ever dominating presence on the court, fighting with officials and leading his team into one winning game after another. His contribution to the world of professional basketball is one that will not soon be forgetten.

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Celtics Have Pierce Chosen as Player of the Week

The Boston Celtics can be proud of Paul Pierce, who was named this week by the NBA as the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. For the period between Monday, December 13 through Sunday, December 19, Pierce played the game with true professional skill. In this time, he had an average of 21.7 points per game and 8.7 assists. This is added to with 2.3 steals for a great performance overall. This was all done as the Celtics sailed through the next one in a 13 game streak of winning. The best example of his performance this week was during the game versus New York, when he had a total of 32 points and took the game by making the last winning shot with only .4 seconds left on the clock.

In the game against New York, he also had a total of 10 rebounds for the game and four assists. The Celtics won that game with a score of 118 to 116 against the New York Knicks. On December 19, when the Celtics took on the Indiana Pacers, he had 18 average total points for the game, 10 rebounds and 12 total assists. Four steals also helped them to come out winning with a final score of 99 to 88 in favor of the Celtics. The game versus Atlanta also displayed his talents, as he had 15 average total points, five rebounds and 10 assists for the game, which ended in a 102 to 90 Celtic victory.

With the type of performance in only the span of a week, Paul Pierce has proven himself to be a valuable asset to the Celtics. Right now, this is especially apparent as the team is successfully blowing over every team that faces them on the court. This season is looking rosy for the Celtics to head in a championship direction.

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Take a Walk in History at the Gibson House and Museum

The Gibson House and Museum is a wonderful place to get a look into Boston’s past history. The home is run by a nonprofit, private organization and is located in the historical section of the Black Bay neighborhood. The house has a total of four floors you can take a guided tour of, but there is not an elevator available. It is open throughout the year, and tours are offered every day at one o’clock, two o’clock and three o’clock. If a group is smaller than 12 people, you do not need a reservation. Larger groups and those who want a different time for a tour must contact the museum to make arrangements. There is an admission fee to enter the museum.

The house was constructed in the period from 1859 to 1860 and was designated an historic landmark in 2001. The home has retained its original appearance as a single-family dwelling, including a butler’s pantry, water closets, the original kitchen and scullery. You also get to tour the family’s private living areas and more formal rooms in the home. There are also numerous artifacts from both the family and from the servants that lived in and maintained the home. It was constructed with all of the modern conveniences that were available at the time, including gas lighting and running water. The family decorated the home in high style, which was common for the upscale area that they lived in. For example, the music room has stunning white woodwork and you can take in the Japanese leather wallpaper that was installed in the reception area.

The home also puts on various special events throughout the year, including a Holiday Open House, where you can hear a Charles Dickens actor read from “A Christmas Carol.” There are also art exhibition and programs that focus on specific areas of the home’s past.

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Take a Walk Along the Boston Freedom Trail

The Boston Freedom Trail is one of the best ways to get a linear look at the city’s history from its days of revolution through the various events that made an impact on the country as a whole. Along the route, there are various stops that will enlighten you and give you further perspective into the struggle that the colonials went through to gain independence from Britain. Some of these stops include: the Old South Meeting House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere’s home, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, the Old North Church and the Benjamin Franklin statue. Each one gives a microcosm of history that you can explore.

One way to walk the trail is to take a tour offered by the Freedom Trail Foundation. These are some of the most popular tours of the area that are offered and give you excellent insight into the places that you will visit. For example, you can take the “Walk Into History,” which is led by a trained guide who is dressed in 18th century closing. The tours run approximately 90 minutes and are set up for any age group, from school-age children to adults. The tours are run on a daily basis between April to November, and there are some available also during the period from December to March. If you are coming with a group, you will need to contact the foundation for an appointment. There is a fee in order to purchase a ticket to go on a tour, and a portion of the funding goes to support the work that is done on the trail.

There are also special events throughout the year along the freedom Trail, such as recitals at the King’s Chapel and various other musical entertainment. Along the way, you will get to meet and get into the personal lives of such famous Americans as Paul Revere and Benjamin Franklin. The Freedom Trail is one experience you and your family will not want to miss.

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Paul Revere: One of Boston’s Greatest Heroes

Paul Revere is known to everyone throughout America as one of the major players during the Revolutionary War. He is most famously known for his midnight ride to warn the Minutemen that the British were coming and to get prepared. But Paul Revere was well-known in Boston for many other things as well, and contributed to the revolution in a number of ways. He was a talented silversmith, whose pieces are still highly prized by collectors and are found in museums on display. He also helped to spread word of the Boston Massacre by creating a print that was distributed throughout the area.

You can visit his home in Boston, which is one of the oldest buildings that is still standing in the city. It was constructed in 1680, and came into the possession of Revere when he was 35 years old in 1770. In the home he lived with his first and second wife, his mother and at any time from five to nine children. You can visit the home as part of your tour along the Boston Freedom Trail, getting to see inside the personal life that he lived. The second floor was used as living quarters for his family, while he re-modeled the first floor to be used as his silversmithing shop. You can walk through the home on a self-guided tour, getting further information from the signs and various panels that explain the furnishings and artifacts in each room. The upstairs living quarters feature period furniture and other items from the family, and downstairs you can see how he did his work on a daily basis.

The home is open from 9:30 AM to 5:15 PM from April through October, and is open from 9:30 AM to 4:15 PM from November through mid-April. There is an admission fee to enter the structure, and you can contact the Paul Revere Memorial Association to make a reservation for a group and to get ticket prices.

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Experiencing the Revolutionary War at the Bunker Hill Monument and Boston’s National Historic Park

The Boston National Historic Park is a must-see stop along the Boston Freedom Trail. There are a variety of activities, programs and exhibitions that you can take advantage of while you are there. For example, you can take a guided tour of the Bunker Hill Monument with a Park Ranger, who can give you greater detail about the history of the site and stories from those who experienced the battle. These are offered throughout the year for small groups and larger ones as well. If you do plan to bring a larger group, you are advised to contact the Park ahead of time to make a reservation.

At certain seasons of the year, Rangers and other staff in clothing from the time period will give you an interpretive talk about pre-revolutionary were Boston. You can also learn about the jobs that civilian workers did in the Charlestown Navy Yard as well. The sites that are run and maintained by the National Park Service often do not charge a fee to enter, but you will probably have to pay one in order to tour or any of the privately owned structures. When you come to visit, you’ll find each of the sites within the Boston National Historical Park are can be reached by walking as they are not very far apart. You’ll be able to follow the Freedom Trail by keeping to the red brick line that has been laid out on the sidewalk.

The visitor centers within the park are open throughout the year, with the Downtown Visitor Center on State Street being open from 9 AM to 5 PM each day. The USS Constitution is open from 10 AM to 4 PM Thursday through Sunday, with the last two are going out at 3:30 PM. During the summer months it is open from 9 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday through Sunday.

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Get On Board the USS Constitution

The USS Constitution, commonly known as “Old Ironsides,” is a popular stop along the Boston Freedom Trail for many tourists. It is the oldest commissioned battleship that has remained afloat, and made a name for herself during the War of 1812. It was at this time that she went up against the British frigate HMS Guerriere in battle. When the British ship fired its cannons at the Constitution, they bounced off the side without doing any detrimental damage. The ship is a testament to the engineering genius of the time, being built of three layers of wood that are sandwiched together in its hull. Paul Revere made the fastenings for the ship from copper. It took four years of construction in order to get the ship ready for its first successful sailing.

During its time at sea, the USS Constitution was kept busy patrolling waters all over the world. They went such places as the West African coast, Brazil and the West Indies. You can come see the Constitution, as its permanent home is the Charlestown Navy Yard and it makes anywhere from 6 to 8 trips into Boston Harbor over the course of the year. It is maintained by a crew of 70 sailors, but at one point in its history it needed at least 500 to run it out on the seas. She was a very fast ship in her time, and normally carried anywhere from 50 to 60 cannon. Her top speed on the water was approximately 13 knots. You can get deeper into her history by visiting the USS Constitution Museum and take a tour aboard the decksof the ship. Tours run from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and go out every half-hour during this period. The USS Constitution will be an unforgettable experience for you and your family.

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Walk into History at the Old North Church

Boston’s Old North Church holds a special place both in the history of the city and of the nation during its fight for independence. Located along the Boston Freedom Trail, it is also the oldest church in the city as well. It first began holding services for Boston worshipers on December 29, 1723. Its steeple can be seen from all over the city, as it measures 191 feet in height. The steeple also was important to the revolution, as lanterns were displayed in the top window to let revolutionary officials know how British troops were planning to enter the city. This event occurred on April 18, 1775 when Paul Revere had Robert Newman to display one lantern is the British were coming by land and two if they were coming by water.

Lehman was able to learn the right number of lanterns to display in the steeple window from the efforts of two of the Sons of Liberty. Thomas Bernard and Captain Pulling kept watch on the British, with Pulling coming back to warn Newman and aiding him in bringing two lanterns oup the eight stories into the steeple to hang. By the morning, Minutemen troops were prepared at the towns of Concord and Lexington when the British arrived.

You can visit the Old North Church, listening to a free history presentation or you can pay a small fee to take a behind the scenes tour. The church is open from 10 AM to 4 PM from January through February on Tuesdays through Sundays, and from 9 AM to 5 PM from March through June. It is also open from 9 AM to 6 PM every day from July through October. You can also take one of the many tours that are given along the Boston Freedom Trail, which include the North End Tour and the Pirates and Patriots Tour. This stop is one that you will definitely want to make.

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Enjoy a Day at the Boston Common

The Boston Common was originally set up in 1634 and is the oldest public park in the United States. The park had its beginnings with the Puritans who purchased the 44 acres that encompass the park from the first settler to establish himself in the area, William Blackstone. They pooled their money as a group, each seller paying six shillings to make for a total of 30 pounds in order to purchase the land. This area was then called the “Common Land.” Until the year of 1830, here it was mainly utilized as a place for livestock from the local area to graze. A shepherd that was employed in the park was paid per cow to watch over and tend the herds that fed there.

Another use for the Boston Common was as a training ground for soldiers. When the British occupied Boston in 1775, more than 1,000 of these troops camped here. It was also the site where the British shoved off in boats on the Charles River to make the journey to Lexington and Concord to seize rebel arms and ammunition. It was also a popular place to celebrate victories for the rebelling American colonies, including the end of the Revolutionary War and the canceling of the Stamp Act. Into the next few centuries, the Boston Common featured some of the most famous events of the modern era. These include a civil rights rally that was held by Martin Luther King, Jr. and a visit by Pope John Paul II. The city still uses the common as a place to have various music performances and various festivals.

You can still walk around the Boston Common today, and can find more information about it at the Visitor Information Center located on Tremont Street, which is open from 9 AM to 5 PM everyday. You can also take part in a Freedom Trail Foundation Tour, which will take you past the common and explain some of the history that has occurred there. This is a wonderful place to stop and enjoy a nice afternoon in Boston.

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