You hate us, you really, really hate us

Nah - I grew up west of Worcester - it's safely Boston sports territory until you reach Springfield or so.

As I see it, the fans currently giving Boston a bad name were not the ones crying themselves to sleep after game 7 in 1986. We retain our humility, because we know how little it takes for it to all come crashing down. There is a new breed of fan out there now - entitled and showy - who will scatter like rats off a sinking ship should our fortunes take an unexpected left turn.