Boston's Championship Run

In the last decade, the four major sports franchises in Greater Boston have won a combined seven championships. In the last six-years, each team in their respective sport has won that sports' championship: Beginning with the Patriots in 2005, Red Sox in 2007, Celtics in 2008, and capped off with the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup Championship.

It had been 15 years since the Boston Celtics had won the 1986 NBA title when the Patriots 2001 season came to the most unlikeliest of conclusions in Super Bowl XXXVI. In the intervening time, the Red Sox had gone to the World Series, the Celtics had returned to the finals, the Bruins had gone to the Stanley Cup finals twice, and the Patriots having gone to the Super Bowl. 5-separate attempts at a championship in 15-years and failing each time. In the last ten years, however, the Patriots have gone to the Super Bowl 4-times, the Red Sox to the World Series twice, and the Celtics and Bruins each making an appearance in their finals. 8-trips to the championship in 10-years; 7-trophies to show for the effort.

With the Bruins' Stanley Cup, Boston becomes the city to gain the championship in the 4-major sports in the shortest span of time. To be fair, not all cities have a franchise in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB, but of those that do, New York (with 2 baseball teams, 2 football teams, a basketball team, and 2 hockey teams) had held that honor with a championship in all four sports over an 11-year period. In all, there are but 12-such cities hosting franchises from the four major sports: Detroit went 34-years for all four to win it all, Chicago 24-years, and Philadelphia 20-years. The other cities host at least one team that has never won.

Consider what it means to host the champion of a given sport. There are 30 baseball teams, 32 football teams, 30 hockey teams and 30 basketball teams, and each sport holds a tiered playoff system of at least three rounds. For any two teams from a given city to reign as champion is a special feat. Becoming "Champion" involves skill and resolve, but also more than a little luck. Consider the infamous "tuck rule" game in the 2001 playoffs between the Patriots and Raiders or a Canadiens' shot bouncing off Zdano Chara's skate instead of into the net in the first round of the 2011 playoffs or Dave Roberts' steal of second base in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. If those events change, the outcome of that years' and that sports' champion changes with it.

So what are the chances of a city hosting all four champions? As of this writing, Las Vegas has not begun prognosticating for hockey, but has for the other three sports. Bearing in mind the betting odds aren't representative of anything other than what gamblers are willing to wager, case in point: the odds at the beginning of the NHL season had the Bruins at 20/1 to win the Stanley Cup. The city with the best apparent betting-line odds for winning the World Series, Super Bowl and the NBA title: Boston. The Red Sox are currently pegged at 4/1 odds of winning the 2011 World Series, the Patriots are 5/1 favorites to win Super Bowl XLVI, and the Celtics are 8/1 favorites to win the NBA title in 2012. Of the 12 cities with all four sports, only the Phillies are the odds on favorites to win the World Series (5/2 odds), and Miami is the odds on favorite at winning the NBA in 2012. According to Vegas, though, Boston has the best chance at running the table. Of course, it's the city with a head start.

http://www.footballlocks.com/nfl_futures_odds.shtml

http://www.vegasinsider.com/mlb/odds/futures/

http://www.vegasinsider.com/nba/odds/futures/

http://www.businessinsider.com/smug-jerks-from-boston-they-have-every-right-2011-6