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This Is Our City: Four Teams, Twelve Championships, and How Boston Became the Most Dominant Sports City in the World
This Is Our City is a celebration of two decades of sports success in Boston from the cohost of the #1 sports radio show in New England, Felger & Mazz .
In Boston, sports loyalty—and passion—runs deep. With one team in each of the four major American professional leagues, the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Patriots have long commanded undivided attention. But for much of the 20th century, the records of the local teams were mixed, with some victories but also heartbreaking losses and endless talk of curses. And then, things changed. Over twenty years, Boston was blessed with an extraordinary run of success, including 12 championships, 7 runners-up, and many more years of heated contention. In the 21st century, Boston became the hub of the sports universe.
According to Tony Massarotti, a longtime Boston sports columnist and host of the #1 sports radio show in New England, this is not a coincidence. This Is Our City paints a portrait of 20 years in Boston sports, showing how one team’s success has led to the next—how they have fed off one another, tried to one-up one another, and supported one another. From Brady and Belichick to the Celtics’ Big Three, from Big Papi to the Big Bad Bruins, this was a special time. And Boston’s run played out against major events such as 9/11 and the devastating Boston Marathon bombing—which led to a memorably profane speech by David Ortiz, who declared, “This is our f@#king city!” Massarotti’s This Is Our City is a valentine to Boston sports and a comprehensive story of a remarkable run.
In Boston, sports loyalty—and passion—runs deep. With one team in each of the four major American professional leagues, the Red Sox, the Celtics, the Bruins, and the Patriots have long commanded undivided attention. But for much of the 20th century, the records of the local teams were mixed, with some victories but also heartbreaking losses and endless talk of curses. And then, things changed. Over twenty years, Boston was blessed with an extraordinary run of success, including 12 championships, 7 runners-up, and many more years of heated contention. In the 21st century, Boston became the hub of the sports universe.
According to Tony Massarotti, a longtime Boston sports columnist and host of the #1 sports radio show in New England, this is not a coincidence. This Is Our City paints a portrait of 20 years in Boston sports, showing how one team’s success has led to the next—how they have fed off one another, tried to one-up one another, and supported one another. From Brady and Belichick to the Celtics’ Big Three, from Big Papi to the Big Bad Bruins, this was a special time. And Boston’s run played out against major events such as 9/11 and the devastating Boston Marathon bombing—which led to a memorably profane speech by David Ortiz, who declared, “This is our f@#king city!” Massarotti’s This Is Our City is a valentine to Boston sports and a comprehensive story of a remarkable run.
384 pages, Paperback
Published August 22, 2023
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October 8, 2022#netgalleyarc This book was definitely a read for me and not for my library. It tugged at my Boston sports fan heart-strings and brought back so many great memories. This is definitely a great gift for any Boston sports fan.
March 18, 2025
This book took me quite a long time to finish (life happens), but I’m glad I stuck with it. What a wonderfully well-written tribute to Boston. The author does a great job of integrating factual information and emotionally invigorating language, as is crucial in sports-non fiction. I now have a wealth of knowledge about Boston sports at the beginning of the 21st century. Massarotti makes it clear how integral sports (and winning) are to the city of Boston.
I did notice a decent amount of typos/editing errors while reading.
I did notice a decent amount of typos/editing errors while reading.
July 21, 2022
Since the beginning of the 21st century, sports fans in New England, and specifically Boston, have been blessed with excellence by the city’s professional sports teams in all four of the major sports. Between the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics, they have won 12 championships, made an additional six appearances in their respective sport’s championship game or series, and won over the hearts and minds of nearly every Bostonian. How each of these teams achieved this lofty status is covered in this book by Boston sports radio host Tony Massarotti.
As one might expect, the Patriots are the team that dominate the book, and it is their improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI that Massarotti uses as the start of the Boston dominance of professional sports. While the Patriots would certainly earn the distinction of getting the most text in this book with their six Super Bowl wins, each of the other three teams certainly gets a fair share of coverage as well. Even though the Celtics and Bruins each won only one title during the time frame covered by the book, the coverage of those two teams was very fair and complimentary. This is especially true for the Bruins, who, per the book, have won the fourth most games in the NHL during that time frame despite taking home only one Stanley Cup.
One surprising aspect of the book, given its title and occasional smug tone (totally justified with the teams’ records) was that the struggles of the teams were covered in detail as well as the triumphs. A great example of this was the implosion of the 2011 Red Sox in missing the postseason amid controversy over the actions of players in the clubhouse and the subsequent departures of field manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein. While most sports fans know the details, Massarotti’s writing brings a different perspective into the stories. The same goes for other shortcomings such as when the Bruins blew a 3 games to none lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, the two Super Bowl losses to the Giants by the Patriots and how the Celtics went quickly from riches to rags to riches to rags and riches yet again. That is not uncommon in the NBA, and explaining that is one reason I felt Massarotti was very fair in his coverage of all four teams when describing the times they did not win championships.
For fans who want to learn more about the recent accounts of the teams, here the book falls a little short, at least when comparing them to the early accounts. For example, there was surprisingly a shorter write up about the incredible comeback by the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, at least compared to their earlier wins. Same goes for the Red Sox and their 2018 World Series victory – this section was very short when compared to the 2004 and 2013 wins. This is not to say that a reader won’t learn more about that time frame for all 4 teams – indeed, there’s a good write up on the 2019 Bruins when they lost the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues – but it just isn’t quite as complete as the earlier chapters.
Overall, this is a decent book for readers who want to learn more about the Boston dominance in the last 20 years of professional sports. Be prepared for a little bragging and a little possible arrogance, but it is a great look at the professional sports scene in that city.
I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As one might expect, the Patriots are the team that dominate the book, and it is their improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI that Massarotti uses as the start of the Boston dominance of professional sports. While the Patriots would certainly earn the distinction of getting the most text in this book with their six Super Bowl wins, each of the other three teams certainly gets a fair share of coverage as well. Even though the Celtics and Bruins each won only one title during the time frame covered by the book, the coverage of those two teams was very fair and complimentary. This is especially true for the Bruins, who, per the book, have won the fourth most games in the NHL during that time frame despite taking home only one Stanley Cup.
One surprising aspect of the book, given its title and occasional smug tone (totally justified with the teams’ records) was that the struggles of the teams were covered in detail as well as the triumphs. A great example of this was the implosion of the 2011 Red Sox in missing the postseason amid controversy over the actions of players in the clubhouse and the subsequent departures of field manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein. While most sports fans know the details, Massarotti’s writing brings a different perspective into the stories. The same goes for other shortcomings such as when the Bruins blew a 3 games to none lead against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010, the two Super Bowl losses to the Giants by the Patriots and how the Celtics went quickly from riches to rags to riches to rags and riches yet again. That is not uncommon in the NBA, and explaining that is one reason I felt Massarotti was very fair in his coverage of all four teams when describing the times they did not win championships.
For fans who want to learn more about the recent accounts of the teams, here the book falls a little short, at least when comparing them to the early accounts. For example, there was surprisingly a shorter write up about the incredible comeback by the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, at least compared to their earlier wins. Same goes for the Red Sox and their 2018 World Series victory – this section was very short when compared to the 2004 and 2013 wins. This is not to say that a reader won’t learn more about that time frame for all 4 teams – indeed, there’s a good write up on the 2019 Bruins when they lost the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues – but it just isn’t quite as complete as the earlier chapters.
Overall, this is a decent book for readers who want to learn more about the Boston dominance in the last 20 years of professional sports. Be prepared for a little bragging and a little possible arrogance, but it is a great look at the professional sports scene in that city.
I wish to thank Abrams Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2023
The book talks about the history of Boston sports when they were all winning teams in the 2000's. The book goes into detail about the highs and lows of each team and the times they were the best.The Author talks about the Patriots 2007 season, Red Sox end to the World Series deficit,the Bruin's 2011 Stanley Cup win and the Celtic's 2008 Championship. The Theme I can see in this story is that hard work will always pay off. This is shown in the book by each of the interviews with the player after the games they won. The players had put in hours of work and finally won the championship for whatever sport they were playing.
My favorite part of this book was learning about all the Boston sport moments before I was born.One of my favorite moments in the book was the interview with the Celtic's organization about the historic 2008 NBA season. For example, Massarotti writes "Most everyone in the basketball world regarded Bryant as a superior player-and he was.But the 2007-2008 Finals proved to be Pierce's show"(135).I thought that this was interesting because I've always seen Kobe as one of the most dominant players during this time. But after reading this, I learned that their were a lot of bumps that the Celtics had to go through to get to the Finals and win.Another moment I liked about this book was when Massarotti talked about the Patriot's Superbowl wins. For example, The St Louis Rams might have won the Super Bowl that ended the 2001 season if they had just committed to running with Marshall Faulk, but head coach Mike Martz had bought into the hype surrounding his "Greatest Show on Turf" and wanted to throw; the Seahawks could have ended their 2014 season with a championship if they had just handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the goal line"(326). What made me really like this moment was reliving the joy of Al Michaels "INTERCEPTED AT THE GOAL LINE BY MALCOM BUTLER" when Malcom Butler intercepted Russel Wilson during superbowl 49 to seal the game.
My overall thoughts about this book was I thought it was really good. One issue I had with it though was the fact that in each chapter they would talk about a few of the sports so it made it confusing at some times.But other than that it was a good read, which coming from me is really hard. I would definitely recommend this to other if they are interested in Boston sports or if they just like sports in general. The book is very straight forward with the information and all of it is true. The book helps give people a different perspective on "The City of Champion" which is kinda hard depending on the fan base.
My favorite part of this book was learning about all the Boston sport moments before I was born.One of my favorite moments in the book was the interview with the Celtic's organization about the historic 2008 NBA season. For example, Massarotti writes "Most everyone in the basketball world regarded Bryant as a superior player-and he was.But the 2007-2008 Finals proved to be Pierce's show"(135).I thought that this was interesting because I've always seen Kobe as one of the most dominant players during this time. But after reading this, I learned that their were a lot of bumps that the Celtics had to go through to get to the Finals and win.Another moment I liked about this book was when Massarotti talked about the Patriot's Superbowl wins. For example, The St Louis Rams might have won the Super Bowl that ended the 2001 season if they had just committed to running with Marshall Faulk, but head coach Mike Martz had bought into the hype surrounding his "Greatest Show on Turf" and wanted to throw; the Seahawks could have ended their 2014 season with a championship if they had just handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the goal line"(326). What made me really like this moment was reliving the joy of Al Michaels "INTERCEPTED AT THE GOAL LINE BY MALCOM BUTLER" when Malcom Butler intercepted Russel Wilson during superbowl 49 to seal the game.
My overall thoughts about this book was I thought it was really good. One issue I had with it though was the fact that in each chapter they would talk about a few of the sports so it made it confusing at some times.But other than that it was a good read, which coming from me is really hard. I would definitely recommend this to other if they are interested in Boston sports or if they just like sports in general. The book is very straight forward with the information and all of it is true. The book helps give people a different perspective on "The City of Champion" which is kinda hard depending on the fan base.
June 18, 2024
There are two sides to Tony Massarotti. On one hand, he’s the consummate baseball expert, a guy who hosted an evening baseball show on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub. Objective, serious, and analytical in a thoroughly professional way, Tony was at his best when hosting that show. (He may still host it. I long ago stopped listening to the toxic wasteland that is Boston sports radio.) On the other hand, he’s Mazz, one half of the afternoon “Felger and Mazz” on 98.5. Mazz is troll (as is Mike Felger) who needles and antagonizes Boston sports fans for ratings. Sadly, it works.
Both versions of him are present in this book. The chapters on the Sox and Bruins are thorough, informative, and engaging to read. He doesn’t hold back about either team’s successes or failures at any point. It’s very probable that he does the same in the chapters on the Celtics, but I skipped those because I don’t follow the NBA at all. The chapter on the aftermath of the Marathon bombing might well be the best writing he’s ever done. He superbly balances the emotional backdrop of the days and weeks following that tragedy - one which went well beyond sports - with the ways in which both the Bruins and the Red Sox played a role in helping to heal the ugly wounds it left behind.
Mazz is present in all of the writing about the Patriots. It’s no secret that Bill Belichick was and is loathed by the Boston sports media - probably more than he’s loathed by the national sports media (which, if you’ve watched one iota of how ESPN treated the Patriots during Belichick’s tenure, is saying something). There’s certainly no attempt to hide the sneering bitterness and disdain in the chapters on the Patriots. Mazz acknowledges they were very, very good, but he chalks many of their victories up to luck, provides not a microgram of balance in his discussion of the media-concocted farce that I call Defakegate, and even fuels the idiotic conspiracy theory that the Patriots spied on the Rams’ walkthrough prior to Super Bowl 36. Rumors fit only for ESPN’s smear piece from 2015 are presented as facts. So sadly, the chapters on the Patriots reek of obvious bias and agenda-pushing.
The other reason for only 3 stars is that this book is riddled with errors that even reasonably competent editing should have caught.
Both versions of him are present in this book. The chapters on the Sox and Bruins are thorough, informative, and engaging to read. He doesn’t hold back about either team’s successes or failures at any point. It’s very probable that he does the same in the chapters on the Celtics, but I skipped those because I don’t follow the NBA at all. The chapter on the aftermath of the Marathon bombing might well be the best writing he’s ever done. He superbly balances the emotional backdrop of the days and weeks following that tragedy - one which went well beyond sports - with the ways in which both the Bruins and the Red Sox played a role in helping to heal the ugly wounds it left behind.
Mazz is present in all of the writing about the Patriots. It’s no secret that Bill Belichick was and is loathed by the Boston sports media - probably more than he’s loathed by the national sports media (which, if you’ve watched one iota of how ESPN treated the Patriots during Belichick’s tenure, is saying something). There’s certainly no attempt to hide the sneering bitterness and disdain in the chapters on the Patriots. Mazz acknowledges they were very, very good, but he chalks many of their victories up to luck, provides not a microgram of balance in his discussion of the media-concocted farce that I call Defakegate, and even fuels the idiotic conspiracy theory that the Patriots spied on the Rams’ walkthrough prior to Super Bowl 36. Rumors fit only for ESPN’s smear piece from 2015 are presented as facts. So sadly, the chapters on the Patriots reek of obvious bias and agenda-pushing.
The other reason for only 3 stars is that this book is riddled with errors that even reasonably competent editing should have caught.
August 26, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Abrams Press. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In the book's description, it mentions this is "a valentine to Boston sports" and that is a very apt description. Tony Mazz does a remarkable job weaving 20 years' worth of stories among the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and Celtics, including both the highs of championship years and the lows that we Boston fans came to expect once upon a time. Although a lot of the book rehashes previously published stories, quotes, etc, it somehow comes across as fresh and revealing. There are many things you might have forgotten (oh yeah! forgot about that!) throughout those 2 decades, and some behind-the-scenes info you might not have known in the first place. I particularly enjoyed learning about the relationships among the 4 teams' coaches and how they help(ed) one another. Overall, an entertaining book for all Boston-sports fanatics, of which I proudly call myself one.
(3.5 stars, mainly because I'm not a huge football fan and a large part of the book is Patriots-heavy)
In the book's description, it mentions this is "a valentine to Boston sports" and that is a very apt description. Tony Mazz does a remarkable job weaving 20 years' worth of stories among the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots and Celtics, including both the highs of championship years and the lows that we Boston fans came to expect once upon a time. Although a lot of the book rehashes previously published stories, quotes, etc, it somehow comes across as fresh and revealing. There are many things you might have forgotten (oh yeah! forgot about that!) throughout those 2 decades, and some behind-the-scenes info you might not have known in the first place. I particularly enjoyed learning about the relationships among the 4 teams' coaches and how they help(ed) one another. Overall, an entertaining book for all Boston-sports fanatics, of which I proudly call myself one.
(3.5 stars, mainly because I'm not a huge football fan and a large part of the book is Patriots-heavy)
September 13, 2022
As a die-hard Red Sox fan, I knew I was destined to love at least 25% of this book. I wasn't wrong! Reading about the 2004 ALCS had me smiling and racing to re-watch my World Series DVD. The marathon bombing was also stirring and gave me goose bumps. I'm not a huge fan of the other three sports so spent less time on them but the book does provide a comprehensive analysis of each. New England sports fans will devour this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
January 17, 2023
Really a fun read. There were no earth shattering revelations in the book, but Mazz spins an entertaining and insightful narrative, painting the success of Boston’s four sports teams, within the context of the city they call home. It was a surprisingly human tale, with the author mixing the drama of the biggest sports moments of the past two decades with the more personal stories of the players, managers, executives, and fans that have made the past two decades of Boston sports so memorable. It’s a fun, nostalgic look back at not only what played out, but more importantly why it played out.
March 18, 2023
3.5 Stars. I'm curious who outside Boston reads this book. It's well laid out and gives a solid overview of Boston sports, primarily since 2002, but isn't all that diverse or deep. It's enjoyable and written by a longtime newspaper scribe, so it reads well, but you read it once and ignore it from there.
May 12, 2024
This book does a great job of recounting the history of Boston's sports dynasty of the past 20 years. But that's all it does. It repeats things we already know and offers no new insights. This stuff has already been written about.
If you want to read about stuff you already know then this is the book for you.
If you want to read about stuff you already know then this is the book for you.
September 23, 2024
An entertaining trip back through my childhood as a Boston sports fan featuring some details about each team that I had since forgotten or had never known. The voice gets a little too "homer"-ish for my liking at times, but that's par for the course of a book like this. A fun and easy read.
November 23, 2024
I bought this book but didn’t really begin reading it until the summer. Well done by Mazz to create a nostalgic and compelling story to tell the tale of the glory of Boston Sports.
January 11, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
June 30, 2024
Borrowed this on my phone, because Celtics! Boston is back on top, baby. I wanted to relive all my favorite championships.
I had kind of mixed enjoyment of the book though. It's partially my fault, because I've already read the Dynasty book about the Pats, and watched the TV series, and I read Homegrown about the 2018 Sox, and other books about the 2004 Sox. So especially with the Pats stuff I ended up skimming some of the chapters. But the book did really take me back. I had completely forgotten about that time Epstein quit for a few months. I was living out of state during the 2007 Red Sox run, so that was fun to remember. And I honestly don't pay much attention to the Bruins, except when they are making a deep playoff run, so I had a lot to learn there.
You know what was kind of funny was that this book is only like two years old, and reading the end it already felt out of date. He closes with like, hey, who's excited about Mac Jones? Huh? The Pats are on their way back up. And hey, Chaim Bloom did a solid job with the 2021 Sox, right? Back in the driver's seat!
Yeah, not so much. It's the Celtics turn! Such an awesome championship saga. Honestly best since 2004 I think.
I had kind of mixed enjoyment of the book though. It's partially my fault, because I've already read the Dynasty book about the Pats, and watched the TV series, and I read Homegrown about the 2018 Sox, and other books about the 2004 Sox. So especially with the Pats stuff I ended up skimming some of the chapters. But the book did really take me back. I had completely forgotten about that time Epstein quit for a few months. I was living out of state during the 2007 Red Sox run, so that was fun to remember. And I honestly don't pay much attention to the Bruins, except when they are making a deep playoff run, so I had a lot to learn there.
You know what was kind of funny was that this book is only like two years old, and reading the end it already felt out of date. He closes with like, hey, who's excited about Mac Jones? Huh? The Pats are on their way back up. And hey, Chaim Bloom did a solid job with the 2021 Sox, right? Back in the driver's seat!
Yeah, not so much. It's the Celtics turn! Such an awesome championship saga. Honestly best since 2004 I think.
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