Yes, Boston's biggest attraction, Larry Bird, is back to start another quest for the NBA Championship, and yes, the same cast of characters around him are also back...one year wiser, one year more experienced, and one year older.

One may consider last season the beginning of the end for the Boston Celtics, who still dominated the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but were clearly outclassed in the play-offs by the Detroit Pistons. The Celtic skeptics point to K.C. Jones' resignation as another indication of their new status as the league's fallen giant.

However, under new Coach Jimmy Rodgers, and with Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge back, it's safe to expect another Eastern Division crown in 1988-'89 for the Celtics. Only the New York Knicks, who added Charles Oakley and Rod Strickland in the offseason, appear capable of winning more games than the Celtics this year.

But don't plan on hoppin' on the T and heading over to the Garden to catch a Celtics game this year. One more thing that has remained constant is the ticket availability for Boston games. You'd probably have a better chance of finding a Celtics' ticket in the street than at the box office.

Big, Bad Bruins

One team you still can get tickets for are the Boston Bruins. Not many people remember it these days, but the Bruins did make it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year.

Come on...you remember now, the "Fog Game" which never was in the Boston Garden last June. Maybe now the Boston Garden will be renovated after the city lost a Stanley Cup game to the aging facilities at the Garden.

The Bruins return a solid team, under the guidance of Coach Terry O'Reilly. The Bruins may be considered one of the early National League favorites to dethrone the Edmonton Oilers after Wayne Gretzky made like the Oakland Raiders and left Edmonton this summer for warmer climes in Beverly Hills.

All the Sports that Fits

Boston comes equipped with several excellent publications which provide good sports coverage. The Boston Globe has one of the finest, if not the finest, sports pages in the country. Leigh Montville is a first-rate columnist. The Herald puts a flashier twist on the sports news. And, if you want statistics, you can always pick up a copy of USA Today.