According to ESPN, Boston has emerged as a leading destination in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. No deal is on the table (that we know of), but the mere possibility might raise a few concerns.
Boston, MA
Boston, Reno, Savannah Are Best For St. Patty’s Day, According To New Report
The parade is an integral part of St. Patrick’s Day in Boston, which personal-finance website WalletHub says is the best city to celebrate the occasion. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
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Boston has celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a parade through the streets of South Boston for more than 300 years, and up to 1 million people, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says, are expected to attend the parade this year. With such popular support, it may not be surprising that a new report names Boston as the best American city to be in to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
The report by personal-finance company WalletHub compared the 200 largest U.S. cities by 15 metrics, including Irish pubs and restaurants per capita, the lowest prices for a three-star hotel on St. Patrick’s Day and the expected weather.
“Boston is the best city for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and it’s known for its iconic parade, which has been around since 1724,” says WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo. “Over 13% of the city’s residents have Irish roots, and Boston has the sixth-most Irish pubs and sixth-most Irish restaurants per capita.”
The parade will be held on March 16, a day before St. Patrick’s Day, beginning at 11:30 a.m at Broadway station. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority posts a St. Patrick’s Day guide and a map of the day’s parade route on its website.
“Due to street closures and parking bans in the neighborhood, driving to the parade is not recommended,” the authority says. “Please plan ahead for your trip — you may need to wait longer than usual to get on a train.”
If you are not a local resident or don’t plan a trip to Boston, there are numerous other cities with top-flight St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, the WalletHub report says.
The second-best city is Reno, Nevada, and Savannah, Georgia ranks No. 3. Rounding out the top 10 in WalletHub’s report are No. 4 Santa Rosa, California, followed consecutively by Worcester, Massachusetts; Chicago; New York; Henderson, Nevada; Buffalo, New York, and Pittsburgh.
“The best cities for St. Patrick’s Day combine rich traditions with tasty and affordable food, safe conditions to celebrate and good weather,” Lupo says. “Celebrating in one of these cities will increase your chances of having a memorable holiday, as long as you don’t overdo it.”
The report also uncovered some unique findings:
*New York has the most Irish pubs per capita — nearly 35 times more than San Jose, California, the city with the lowest number. New York also has one of the lowest rates of DUI-related fatalities — 32 times less than in Salem, Oregon, the city with the highest rate.
*Naperville, Illinois has the highest share of Irish population — 48 times greater than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest share. Naperville also has the lowest violent-crime rate — nearly 57 times lower than Oakland, California, the city with the highest rate.
*Milwaukee, Wisconsin has the lowest average beer price — 1 1/2 times less expensive than in Anchorage, Alaska, the city with the highest average price.
Tampa, Florida, turns the river waters green for its St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which is held on the Saturday before March 17. Tampa Downtown Partnership
Tampa, Florida, which ranks No. 21 in the report, holds its St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday, March 15, and colors its river waters green.
A Saturday celebration allows more people to enjoy the festivities without worrying about work the next day, says Caroline Keesler, a Tampa Downtown Partnership marketing and communications official.
About 20,000 people attended Tampa’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration last year, and more are expected this year, Keesler says.
The festivities will include artist Trisha Sham, who will paint throughout the event, and a five-piece Celtic band called the Irish Buskers. The headline musical act is George Pennington & the Odyssey, a local band that fuses rock, blues, funk and jazz into its performance.
Concern numero uno is obvious. Giannis is one of the handful of players capable of altering the championship picture by himself. Pairing him with Jayson Tatum would create an impressive combination of size, athleticism, versatility, and star power. The question is whether Brad Stevens and the Celtics can actually pull it off without creating a new set of problems for themselves.
Boston’s path to Giannis is narrower than it first appears. The Celtics would almost certainly need to move Jaylen Brown, either directly to Milwaukee or through a third team. Reports indicate Brown has little interest in joining the Bucks (in paraphrase: “Milwaukee?! Yuck!”), which complicates matters further. We start moving from a blockbuster trade to a three-team puzzle involving contracts, draft compensation, and competing agendas.
Even if Boston finds a way through that maze, there’s no guarantee the resulting team will succeed.
Giannis may be a better asset than Brown, but championships are not won by comparing players one-for-one. They’re won by building complete teams (case in point: YOUR WORLD CHAMPION NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS ).
Brown averaged more than 28 points per game last season while defending multiple positions. He can create his own offense, punish smaller defenders, and absorb primary scoring responsibilities when Tatum is unavailable (as Tatum was for most of last season, recovering from a torn Achilles). Replacing him with Giannis raises Boston’s ceiling, perhaps, but also changes the structure of the roster.
The Celtics have spent years building an ecosystem around two star wings. Remove one and the supporting cast suddenly becomes more important, which means Stevens would have many more decisions to make before the start of training camp.
What catches me up is, if the Bucks believed that Giannis has more great years ahead of him, would they so quickly offload him to a conference rival? Might he actually be a distressed asset?
Giannis will turn 32 this season. He has generally been durable over his career but has dealt with increasing lower-body issues (especially calves and knees) in recent years, leading to more missed time. To wit:
• 2022–23: 63 GP / 19 missed
• 2023–24: 73 GP / 9 missed
• 2024–25: 67 GP / 15 missed
• 2025–26: 36 GP / 46 missed
Wouldn’t that just be the worst if the Celts parted with Brown to get him, and then Giannis missed extended time due to injury? Like, the absolute worst? (Insert diabolical laughter.)
A healthy Tatum-Giannis pairing would present unique challenges for New York. The Knicks would need to defend relentless downhill pressure while also containing one of the league’s best bucket creators. But, given their depth, New York may be better equipped than most teams to handle it.
So if the Celtics’ pursuit of Giannis causes an initial flutter of worry, you can let that just drift on by. The scenario only noses toward Red Alert if Boston nabs him while somehow also acquiring a guard who makes up for what they’d lose with Brown’s departure.
But wait! This just in: Chris Haynes has pushed back on the idea that a Giannis Antetokounmpo-to-Boston deal is close. He writes that Boston does not appear to be a promising destination and suggested the situation could extend into July. Additionally, Marc Stein reported that the Celtics are frustrated by speculation involving Jaylen Brown, while Brian Windhorst said Brown has not been formally offered in a trade. So, to quote the great William Goldman (also a Knicks fan), “Nobody knows anything.”
It’s worth noting that the Miami Heat are also reportedly in the mix. We’ve heard that the lack of income tax is alluring to the Greek Freak. Plus Florida offers sunny, warm weather, which is not a defining feature of Wisconsin. In the end, though, joining Boston would allow Giannis to keep all his favorite green-themed items in his wardrobe, and shouldn’t looking good be a priority, too?
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins said Thursday they are retiring Patrice Bergeron’s No. 37 as part of a ceremony next season.
The date will be shared later, following the NHL schedule release that is expected next month.
Bergeron is set to join fellow 2011 Stanley Cup champion Zdeno Chara with his number in the rafters. Bergeron, when it happens, will be the 14th player to have his number retired by the storied franchise.
He spent his entire 19-year career in the league with the Bruins, playing 1,464 games counting the regular season and playoffs. That included the title run in 2011 and more trips to the final in ’13 and ’19.
“Patrice was the kind of rare, generational talent that every team wanted,” owner Jeremy Jacobs said in a statement. “He was a deftly skilled playmaker and the undeniable greatest defensive forward in the NHL’s history. But it was the leadership he provided on the ice and in the locker room that made him truly stand apart and an all-time legend of the Boston Bruins.”
Bergeron succeeded Chara as captain in 2020 and served three seasons in that role before retiring. He called this an honor that is difficult to put into words.
“When I arrived in Boston as an 18-year-old, I could never have imagined receiving this recognition one day,” Bergeron said. “I have always believed that any success I had was only possible because of the people around me. I was fortunate to play alongside incredible teammates, learn from outstanding coaches and staff and be supported by an organization that believed in me from the very beginning.”
Craig Ferguson set out on foot from Los Angeles with a remarkable goal: to walk 3,500 miles across America. It took him 109 days.
Last week, I had the privilege of joining him for his final steps into Boston. In those first moments after completing his journey, I asked him what the experience had been like. Without hesitation, he called it the hardest thing he had ever done.
What began as a mission to raise money for SAMH, a Scottish charity that provides mental health and social care support, became something far greater. Along the way, Craig inspired thousands of people and helped raise more than $1 million. His arrival in Boston also came amid the excitement surrounding Scotland’s appearance in the World Cup, giving his home country even more reason to celebrate.
Craig’s commitment to mental health advocacy is perhaps best expressed in his own words: “Mental health doesn’t care who you are or where you’re from. It can meet you along the road, sometimes when you least expect it.”
Those words resonate deeply with me. I was raised by a mother who faced significant mental health challenges, and I know firsthand how important support systems can be for individuals and families. Organizations like SAMH provide hope when people need it most. Equally important is continuing to normalize conversations about mental health and recognizing that it is a health issue that touches every community and every walk of life.
There are countless routes Craig could have taken and many cities where he could have chosen to conclude this extraordinary journey. The fact that he finished in Boston is something we should be proud of.
Boston has always been a city defined by resilience, compassion, and perseverance. Those qualities are why “Boston Strong” means so much to so many people. Craig Ferguson may be Scottish by birth, but through his determination, his generosity, and his commitment to helping others, he has embodied that spirit.
As we welcome him to our beautiful and sports-loving city, we thank him for reminding us that even the longest journeys begin with a single step, and that no one should have to walk through life’s struggles alone.
Craig Ferguson is Boston Strong.
Anne Brensley is the Republican-endorsed candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts.
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