Thank You, David Ortiz

Al Zarilla said:

For real? The Patriots were probably the fourth most beloved Boston area team until the BB/TB years, but the Red Sox were always #1, except maybe when the Bruins or the Celtics (many times) were winning a title and the Sox stunk at the same time. Still, Sox in Foxborough? I don't know. OTOH, it would have come down to a business decision, I do know. Giants fans are still grateful their team isn't the Tampa Bay Giants.

Enjoy the retirement Papi, but come back when you get bored.

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We'll never know thanks to 1967. The Sox averaged 10,014 in 1966, which was 5th from the bottom. They were a franchise that if it wasn't for the impossible dream would have slipped to 3rd well behind the Bobby Orr Bruins and the Havlicek Celtics. It's not a question of where the Patriots stood, but more of an economic question of if Fenway was viable as a single purpose stadium. The 70's produced a rash of the cookie cutter multipurpose stadiums and I have little doubt that if not Tom Yawkey didn't make it happen, Leroux and Sullivan would have.

Edit: Found this