By: Ian Tasso, YawkeyTalkies Staff Writer

This weeks elections was historic day for the city of Boston. When Scott Brown was elected as state Senator Tuesday night, filling Ted Kennedy’s empty chair with an everyman Republican, it sent shockwaves throughout not just Massachusetts, but the entire nation as well. Yesterday marked the state’s first official day under this fresh-faced Senator, and the city of Boston was feeling alive.

Even Big Baby got in on the fun, enjoying a nice little piece of history for himself, as he forever engrained his name in Boston Sports lore among the likes of Pedro Martinez and the 1979 Bruins – for all the wrong reasons. During Tuesday night’s tough loss to the Pistons, a team fresh off a 13-game losing streak, Glen Davis snapped back at a heckling fan who was calling him “fat boy,” and “chubs.” Big Baby then indulged in a war of words with the fan, something that didn’t impress Head Coach Doc Rivers.

He’s not the first Boston sports figure to engage in off-the-field activities with opposing fans, nor is he even the first Celtic to do so. But last night’s incident with a Detroit Pistons fan reminded everyone in Boston that athletes actually are humans after all – something that may be hard to stomach in the region that has crowned Tom Brady as a god among mere mortals. Nonetheless, when Glen Davis took to a shouting match with a Piston’s faithful, he joined numerous other professional athletes that are remembered throughout the Boston area as more than just an athlete. And before we chalk this one up under the ‘Well, it is Detroit…” column, we have to take a long hard look at our own city’s track record – because it isn’t as shiny as you might think. Sure, Detroit may have the ‘Malice at the Palace’ going for them, but Boston isn’t exactly a knight in shining armor.

Here’s a look back at some other memorable Boston moments that brought players and fans together as one:

Gary Sheffield vs The Corner: Plenty of athletes have had problems with Fenway’s right field corner. But few have ever taken it to the extreme that Gary Sheffield did that chilly April afternoon in 2005. With the Sox leading the Yankees 6-5 in the bottom of the 8th inning, Jason Varitek laced a ball deep into right field, which found itself firmly planted in the infamous right field corner. As two runners came across to score, Gary Sheffield embarked on the long and treacherous journey of digging the ball out of the corner and sending it back in to the catcher. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get very far before he was clipped in the head by an unruly fan, prompting an immediate reaction. Sheffield shoved his glove hand into the fans face, and fired the ball back into the infield. Sheffield then went back at the fan, and had to be restrained by his teammates. “I almost snapped,” said Sheffield after the game. The fan was later thrown out, but not arrested. We’ve seen Red Sox fight Yankees, Yankees fight Red Sox, and even Red Sox fight coaches, but this – this was a first. “I guess there’s always one idiot in the stands,” Derek Jeter added. Oh, come on. Cold, Jeter. Cold.

Larry Bird vs Mike Harlow: Rumor has it Harlow started it all. Apparently, he had gotten into a little scuffle with Bird’s friend while at a bar in Boston, presumably over a girl. Like any good pal would, Bird intervened – keep in mind, this of course was back in the day when heading to a pub between Games 2 and 3 of the 1985 NBA Finals was acceptable. But whatever the story may be, bottom line is when Larry Bird got involved in the brawl, things took a sour turn. Bird knocked Harlow out, taking him to the ground and injured his hand in the process. Harlow was then admitted to Mass. General Hospital, and as for Bird? Well, his Celtics fell to the Lakers in the ‘85 Finals, a loss many chalk up to Larry’s injury in the fight. Bird may have won the fight – but it appeared to have cost him in the end.

1979 Bruins vs The Rangers Fans: It all started on the ice – but it ended very far off it. On December 23, 1979, the Boston Bruins had just wrapped up a 4-3 victory over the Rangers in Madison Square Garden, and a few of the skaters had actually headed back into the locker room. But then things got a little testy on the ice. Both teams got into a little bit of a scrum following the final whistle, and had pushed each other around in the left corner of the rink. Then, the Ranger faithful got involved. It all started when a fan reached over the boards and grabbed Stan Jonathan’s stick, hitting him with it as the players on the ice were in arms. Other fans then followed suit, pestering the Bruins players. That’s when Terry O’Reilly hit his boiling point. Big number 24 then launched himself over the boards, charging into the stands. Plenty of Bruins followed him off the ice, including Mike Milbury, who ripped off a fan’s shoe and beat him mercilessly with it. O’Reilly himself received an eight-game suspension for the fight. He also received a lifetime in Boston folk-lore.

Red Sox Fan vs Pizza: The only reason this ties players and fans together is that the Los Angeles Angels seemed to get a kick out of it. In the seventh inning of a 2007 Patriots Day game between the Red Sox and Angels, JD Drew popped up a 1-2 pitch down the third base-line. Left Fielder Garret Anderson gave chase, but pulled up just shy of the foul-line, as a Red Sox fan reached up into the air and knocked the baseball out of Anderson’s reach. It was a tremendous display of fandom, saving a possible Red Sox out, despite the fact that Boston held a 7-1 lead at the time – that’s dedication. Naturally, that fan should be rewarded with a pizza to the face. Right? Well, wrong. In a perfect world, he would have gotten a trophy or something. But on this particular day, he would have to settle for a pizza, as another Red Sox fan felt the need to pelt his brethren with a perfectly fine slice of Fenway cheese pizza, for reasons unknown to this day. Regardless of motivation, one thing rings true – what a waste of $7.00.

This article also appears on WEEI.com

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