I like one-two punches … in sports.
Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask are a perfect example. So too are Tom Brady and Wes Welker; David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were unstoppable, and Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky are one of the greatest examples of all time.
I do not appreciate the one-two punch when it comes to blizzards and snow storms. Especially considering that this year’s snow fall is being compared to the “Big Guy” one-two punch in Boston Sports.
Standing tall at 6-foot-9, Zdeno Chara is 81 inches tall, just four inches shy of the 7-foot-1 Shaquille O’Neal, for whom the Shaq-o-meter was named and is being used as the measuring stick for Boston snowfall this winter.
Shaq should have signed for more money this offseason when he decided to come to Beantown and play for the Celtics. He not only is serving as comic relief for meteorologists and sports fans alike, but he is now being utilized along with the National Weather Service tally at Logan International Airport as an information tool for New Englanders everywhere.
Something tells me that minor detail wasn’t included in his contract wording.
If you have ever had the opportunity to see these mammoth sports figures in person as I have, you will see just how massive and superhuman they are. Considering that the snowfall in Boston for the 2010-11 winter as of Wednesday morning was 70.1 inches — 37.5 inches from the all-time record — it’s unimaginable to think of it in terms of Shaq, who is 85 inches from head to toe.
Considering that Chara and O’Neal are headlining the news and sports sections of the New England newspapers, we just can’t seem to get enough of these sports stars. But that’s not a bad problem to have, considering the barometer for triumph and moisture relies heavily on this one-two punch.
Hopefully, both Zdeno Chara and Shaquille O’Neal become the measuring stick of success in their respective league, and deliver a championship to the city of Boston. Because come June, no one will even remember the soon-to-be record-breaking winter in the Hub.
