Grill Room Gang: Loving, loathing Beantown

• By Golf Channel Digital
• Aug 30, 2012 2:32 PM ET

With the playoffs turning to Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship, the gang discussed their likes and dislikes of Beantown. Here are the passionate offerings:

Al Tays, Boston-area native:

What I love: 1967 and The Impossible Dream; Yaz; Teddy Ballgame; El Tiante; Game 6, 1975; Red’s victory cigars; Bird, McHale and Parish; “Havlicek stole the ball”; Tom Brady; Troy Brown; Adam Vinatieri in the snow; Gino Cappelletti; Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito; Don Cherry; Brookline, 1999; Brookline, 1963; Brookline, 1913 (no, I wasn't there); the Wall (original version); the Marathon.

What I don't care for: Obnoxious bandwagon fans; Roger Clemens; Bruins ownership; Game 6, 1986 (don’t hate Buckner, never have); Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe; Manny being Manny; the Wall (current version); Eli Manning and David Tyree; Spygate; Bucky Effing Dent and the Choke of 1978; Roger Clemens.

Jason Crook

What I love: Rob Gronkowski – Not only is he the best player at his position on the gridiron, he’s probably the most awesome human alive off of it. Despite the “Belichick way” preached by everyone around Patriot headquarters, the Gronk does what he wants when he wants. The Zubaz-pants endorsing, beer funneling, ESPN Body Issue cover boy seems to never stop dancing shirtless – whether he’s at the Playboy Mansion or he just lost the Super Bowl – and I wouldn’t want my favorite football player behaving any other way. “Yo soy fiesta” indeed. I also love the Red Sox … when they play the Yankees. While this new breed of Sox fans is just awful, and getting worse by the year, is there anything better than watching a Yankee fan’s reaction to their team losing? I don’t even like baseball and the 2004 ALCS is in my top sports moments of all time for this reason.

Things I don't care for: Baked beans – I’m just not a fan; I don’t care if they’re Boston’s finest or if there is some talking dog on television trying to sell them to me, they’re gross, and I’m not afraid to say it.

The Golf Guy

What I love: The names Green Monster and Boston Garden; Larry Bird – now that he is retired; spoofing the line "It's not your fault" from "Good Will Hunting"; my M.I.T. and Harvard brethren; the fact that they love drinking beer; Ralph Waldo Emerson (just kidding – I just think that is a fun name); the name "Beantown."

What I don't care for: Despite never having visited the city, there are things I dislike. For starters, the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics. Clam chowder – what an absolute disgusting freak show of a meal. OK, that's pretty much it. I can hate the city's sports teams but can't hammer them for things of which I am not aware.

Birdie Bailey

What I love: The entire city invigorates me. I love the architecture and the cobblestone roads. I love walking around Harvard, shopping on Newbury Street and catching a game at Fenway. I love a good bowl of ‘chowda’ and a spicy Bloody Mary. I love the big-city hustle coupled with the feeling of a small-town bustle. I love the history and the culture. And I love how much Bostonians love Boston – it's contagious. 

What I don't care for: The weather – this current Floridian grew up in the desert and will take a snow cone over shoveling snow any day of the year.