A decade now! How the major leagues cheered us up.

It was a depressing fall, 2001 - with the September 11 attacks, and deep economic gloom all around. It seemed there wasn't any good news. There was then news of another crash, colored coded terror threat levels, the shoe bomber, an attack on Parliament in India, fortress like airports, people looking at each other suspiciously, and people getting laid off every day.

In the States, the major leagues stepped up, I thought.

1. First, even news that Michael Jordan was returning to the NBA with the Wizards gave cause for cheer
2. The Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in a thriller in a November World Series
3. Then for us in the Boston area at least, the New England Patriots removed a lot of the glumness

The Pats will be at the Superbowl this Sunday for the fifth time in a decade, with three wins thus far. Until their magical 2001 season, I didn't watch or follow football much. Then I did, for what happened that November onward. Haven't stopped since.

Boston area fans, as many have said, have never had it so good. Can you believe the Patriots now are the club with the longest championship drought?! (The Sox won in '07,  the Celtics in '08, and the Bruins in '11)

Payback, I hope, at the Sunday, February 5 rematch vs. the Giants. I'll be thinking of ten years ago this week in Boston, all through.