After going from 1918 to 2004 without one, Boston fans of a certain age know the odds all too well. But fans of any age could have reasonably expected the Red Sox, with their sold-out ballpark and prominence in a huge market, to keep their generational player, Mookie Betts, for a generation. They do it their way, and that way changes as they change regimes and philosophies, always supposedly ahead of the curve. They do have some good young players, Jarren Duran comes to mind, and more on the way, and with three wild cards available the longer they stay around .500 the better the chance they could sneak into the playoffs and get people in Boston old-school fired up for a crack at the Yankees.

Sports’ ultimate dynasty, the Yankees have been waiting since 2009 for championship No. 28, but they don’t lack for star power with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, both north of 1.000 in on base-plus slugging at the top of the lineup and Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole about to return. They’re good enough to win it all, but being good enough and winning it all are two different things.

At this fixed moment in time, UConn men’s basketball is the resident dynasty in New York and New England, the organization that has figured out how to get the right players under shifting rules and knows what to do with them. Being good enough and doing it are one and the same at UConn at this fleeting moment – a moment not to be taken for granted. The Huskies have six championships since 1999, the women’s team has 11 since 1995. If there is such a thing as a dynasty in college basketball, these qualify.

But Hurley, after spurning the Lakers, has his sights set higher. Red Auerbach’s Celtics, Joe Torre’s Yankees, Bill Belichick’s Patriots and John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins are among the peaks of sustained dominance to which he now aspires. Wooden, who won 10 titles between 1964 and 75, is the only coach to win three in a row in this sport.

“There’s a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since the 70s,” Hurley said. “And there are two more rounds (in the NCAA Tournament) now, so you’re trying to do something that has never been done since the Tournament expanded and join those historic teams. The UCLA program is the biggest ever in college and (Wooden) was the greatest coach, so that’s a lot of motivation.”

Hurley has a picture of Wooden in his office, says he’s read everything ever written by or about him, and his father was a disciple of Wooden’s ways. There was a time, if you’re old enough to remember, when it seemed UCLA would go on winning forever, but its program has won one title since 1975. There was a time when it looked like Geno Auriemma’s 12th title was just a matter of time, and it probably still is, but No. 11 came eight years ago. The Yankees don’t win every year, no matter what stars they grow or acquire, nor do the Red Sox, no matter how much smarter they are than others in the room, nor the Celtics, when Larry Bird and Kevin McHale aren’t waiting to enter the room. Even the Belichick-Tom Brady era had its expiration date down the road in Foxborough.

Right now, Hurley’s Huskies have that look, like these best of times will last forever. Enjoy them, enjoy idyllic days like Saturday in Boston for all they are worth.

“Yes, we do have a dynasty,” Karaban said. “The dynasty’s not over yet. We’re going to keep building on what we’ve done already.”

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