OT: Remember when this was a Red Sox town?

[Family]

If they were winning they be would be getting more attention, but even my most diehard Red Sox friends are completely turned off by them right now. Ownership isn’t willing to pay to keep their best players, despite clearly having the means to do so. They need new owners and a new stadium if they want to get back to the top.

Yes, more attention, but women's soccer and boxing got attention here when there was a hometown winner.

Let's not forget that many years when the Red Sox were much worse than this year's team in the 50's/60's, they were still #1 in the town, but that was somewhat before the Patriots.

New owners might get them to the level where they still have niche fans, and the interest is at the level of the Celtics, but the days of Red Sox nation is #1 in this area are gone.

Baseball is the culprit.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

If you listen to Sportstalk Radio these days, which I do less and less of, they focus on the Patriots mostly. With a smathering of the Bruins and sometimes Celtics, nary a mention of the Red Sox. The RS have been relegated to #4 and with the advent of Chaim Bloom rightfully so..
Sportstalk focuses on how bad the Patriots daily, how they continue to make piss poor moves, how bad BB is blah, blah, blah rendering that medium unlistenable, so I listen to Pandora..

It was not always that way. Only 10 years ago or so, the local sports talk radio was filthy with Sox this and Sox that. Even during the Patriots glory years, it was baseball talk and ads with only a tiny smattering of Patriots talk. I had to tune to a Boomer and Carton on a NYC station to get Patriots talk, really. WEEI was really bad this way, their only saving grace was The Big Show with the Big O whch was the best sports talk ever (the Whiner Line was awesome).

 

[Lansdowne]

I used to listen to WEEI religiously. Would reluctantly listen to the tail end of Dale & Neumy waiting for the Big Show with Big O to start. I remember hearing the intro to James Brown’s “Living in America” when the Big Show was coming out of commercial break. The Whiner Line was always a treat. Good times. I was caught up in the Red Sox hype back then too, and I think that came from a strong desire to see them finally win the big one. But I too noticed the disrespect the Patriots were getting especially when they finally were winning. I never cared for the hubris of guys like Shaughnessy and Massarotti and their attitude for anything that wasn’t Red Sox. I don’t remember exactly when I stopped listening to sports radio but it was some time around the time WEEI switched to FM.

I’ll always love all four sports teams whether they’re winning or losing (the Celtics were my first love and that was just after Bird had retired). But these Red Sox are hard to root for. Once they chose to trade Mookie rather than find a way to keep him I lost interest. The Yankees would never trade away their best player, in his prime, over a luxury tax. That what small market teams do. Boston isn’t a small market but the Sox are trying to act like they are and it’s disgusting. No thank you.

 

[DarrylS]

It was not always that way. Only 10 years ago or so, the local sports talk radio was filthy with Sox this and Sox that. Even during the Patriots glory years, it was baseball talk and ads with only a tiny smattering of Patriots talk. I had to tune to a Boomer and Carton on a NYC station to get Patriots talk, really. WEEI was really bad this way, their only saving grace was The Big Show with the Big O whch was the best sports talk ever (the Whiner Line was awesome).

Could not agree more, was living in Me. in early 2000's, could not wait until got to the other side of Portsmouth and could listen to WEEI all day, now on the the Sports Hub after 10:00 AM it makes my ears hurt.. I used to really enjoy Toucher and Rich but now they have gone to the dark side as well and are painful as well.
Remember Patriots Monday with Big O, Smerlas & DeOssie... Michael Holley was also quite knowledgeable... those days are all gone now with the advent of conspiracy theories and what if's... today's hosts seem to prefer stirring up **** more than discussing issues. Fans still listen, unfortunately so it will not change for the better in my listening lifetime..

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Oh yeah, Patriots Monday was awesome. Smerlas and DeOssie are a pair of jabronies, but I loved them. The Big Show was the best; I just cannot believe that WEEI could be so incredibly stupid and cancel the show...seemingly because they wanted to imitate the Douchbag on the other station.

Although those two delightful goobers, Smerlas and DeOssie are gone, I have to say that Gresh and Fauria are pretty darn good.

 

[borisman]

I don’t see how no one mentions that a really big problem with Red Sox is the ownership group. It’s just not the same it was. The changes have been dramatic. Henry should 100% sell the team. I no longer wear any of my Red Sox gear because I had enough going on few years now. That kunt of a wife didn’t help the situation either.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

Less and less people watch or care about baseball nowadays. The other three sports are all a far superior product.

the dude on the angels might be their last hope

 

[Kasmir]

It's always been a fine line and I would never call Boston a "red sox" town even though these things come in waves.

Boston, specifically, like actual Boston. More than anything was a Bruins and Celtics town. Sox had their times but those two ruled the decades more than anyone else.

I must be older than you (I'm 70). The Celtics were ignored during the Bill Russell years, despite being an historic dynasty. They never sold out! Bill Russell was lucky to be seated in a restaurant. It was only when Larry Bird arrived that folks that folks started taking an interest in the Celtics.

The Patriots were dogsh*t here until at least 1976, and really didn't take over the town until the Brady/BB years.

Before Brady converted a new generation, Boston fans were probably the least knowledgeable football fans in the country

The RedSox were it before then. Even Bob Ryan who covered the Bird Celtics confessed that baseball was his game.

Never cared for hockey so I can't comment on the Bruins history here, but from a column inches in the newspaper sports pages here, the Red Sox were kings until the 80's or 90's.

 

[FredFromDartmouth]

Never cared for hockey so I can't comment on the Bruins history here, but from a column inches in the newspaper sports pages here, the Red Sox were kings until the 80's or 90's.

I think the Bruins had a very devoted following. I know I was seriously addicted to the Bobby Orr Bruins. I have never seen player that could dominate his field of play as Orr did. It is a shame he never got to face off against the Ruskies in his prime.

 

[DarrylS]

Oh yeah, Patriots Monday was awesome. Smerlas and DeOssie are a pair of jabronies, but I loved them. The Big Show was the best; I just cannot believe that WEEI could be so incredibly stupid and cancel the show...seemingly because they wanted to imitate the Douchbag on the other station.

Although those two delightful goobers, Smerlas and DeOssie are gone, I have to say that Gresh and Fauria are pretty darn good.

Can't listen to Gresch he used to be on a local RI sports talk show, The Score, he was really really immature.. remember a discussion about how he was going to a country western show at Gillette and how is wife was gonna get drunk and how great the sex would be for him after the concert. Why can't radio that is supposed to be about sports, be about sports??.. I could give a rats ass about your sex life.

 

[bormio]

I must be older than you (I'm 70). The Celtics were ignored during the Bill Russell years, despite being an historic dynasty. They never sold out! Bill Russell was lucky to be seated in a restaurant. It was only when Larry Bird arrived that folks that folks started taking an interest in the Celtics.

The Patriots were dogsh*t here until at least 1976, and really didn't take over the town until the Brady/BB years.

Before Brady converted a new generation, Boston fans were probably the least knowledgeable football fans in the country

The RedSox were it before then. Even Bob Ryan who covered the Bird Celtics confessed that baseball was his game.

Never cared for hockey so I can't comment on the Bruins history here, but from a column inches in the newspaper sports pages here, the Red Sox were kings until the 80's or 90's.

You have it right, and he must not be old enough. The Sox of the 70’s had the town (and before then because baseball was king). The Bruins have very loyal fans, but hockey is the #4 sport. Bird made the Celts (in popularity) but then 20 years of wilderness. And the current team is maddening. For all the bellyaching about the Sox, they have had 4 parades this century - more than any other MLB team.

 

[borisman]

I think the Bruins had a very devoted following. I know I was seriously addicted to the Bobby Orr Bruins. I have never seen player that could dominate his field of play as Orr did. It is a shame he never got to face off against the Ruskies in his prime.

That would have been been something because in the mid 70’s the “Russkies” had their best team EVER with Kharlamov (and his entire line were like the Gretzky line of ‘82) and Tretiak were on par with any NHL great at that time, Orr included.

 

[Triumph]

Soccer is gaining in popularity because kids today grow up playing the game.

The USA team is very good and with the World Cup coming to the US, it will only generate more enthusiasm for the game. The USA team beats Mexico like a drum and every time they lose the Mexico fans go berserk throwing trash on the field.

 

[1960Pats]

Listening to the radio the other day, I came to the realization that even the hosts and callers don't want to talk about the Red Sox anymore. They seem to bash them and then quickly move to one of the other teams. Right now, you can make the strong argument that the Red Sox are the fourth imporant/cared about team in this town right now.

For long standing listeners of sports talk radio in this town, the irony is thick and heavy. Back in the early parts of the Patriots Dynasty, there was an arogance of the Red Sox beat writers and analysts and hosts on sports radio that this is a Red Sox town and will always be a Red Sox town and the Patriots, Celitcs, and Bruins need to take a back seat to them. Any little news of the Sox would take priority over any other team's monster news in terms of discussion on the shows.

I remember in the 2003 season when the Pats were racking up wins and were like 10-2, the only talk allowed on WEEI were A-Rod trade rumors and callers giving ridiculous trade offers by callers. Yes, the rumors and then the trade that was blocked by MLB were big news and deserved to be covered extensively, but that was all the covered. Nothing about the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins got any air time. And if I remember correctly the trade didn't even happen until after the NFL season ended and they were in the playoffs. If I remember correctly, the Pats winning the Super Bowl didn't even get much air time because A-Rod was traded to the Yankees like a week or so later. But any caller trying to call in to talk the Patriots were ridiculed for wanting to talk about the Patriots when there are twenty callers waiting to get on the air to pitch their ridiculous A-Rod trade.

And I also remember NFL draft weekend in like 2003 or 2004, Steve Buckley admonishing callers who called in on Sunday morning wanting to talk about who the Pats' drafted claiming this is a Red Sox town and they are only going to talk baseball.

I may sound bitter or petty, maybe I am a little, but I am more fascinated by the fact that in a relative short period of time this town has gone from all things Red Sox to them being an after thought.

I wonder if this could happen to the Patriots. I tend to doubt it since the NFL is so dominant. Maybe in several decades, but not in the immediate future.

MLB has been an afterthought for me since the strike in 1999.

And I absolutely remember the way the talk 20 years ago was all about where A-Rod was going and not the Pats great run. I even remember talking about it with other Pats fans who were pissed. I wonder if Bill's attitude toward the media had anything to do with that.

In the past my issue with sports talk in this area wasn't just about the negativity. It was also that they never seemed to cover any of the other teams around the country.

 

[1960Pats]

Could not agree more, was living in Me. in early 2000's, could not wait until got to the other side of Portsmouth and could listen to WEEI all day, now on the the Sports Hub after 10:00 AM it makes my ears hurt.. I used to really enjoy Toucher and Rich but now they have gone to the dark side as well and are painful as well.
Remember Patriots Monday with Big O, Smerlas & DeOssie... Michael Holley was also quite knowledgeable... those days are all gone now with the advent of conspiracy theories and what if's... today's hosts seem to prefer stirring up **** more than discussing issues. Fans still listen, unfortunately so it will not change for the better in my listening lifetime..

I was a big Sports Huddle guy back in the day. Goodnight Pumpsie Green wherever you are.
And the Big O, Smerles and DeOssie were great too, probably because they talked more football.
Now I hardly listen to anything on radio. It mostly blows.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

the dude on the angels might be their last hope

I was about to say, sign Ohtani (?) and see if the sawx don't take over the media up there again, barring a remarkable Patriots resurgence.

 

[Steve102]

The problem with the red sox is they brought in a guy to basically gut the team. Henry has been trying to play Oakland athletic and tampa bay rays style of baseball where he spends as little money as possible, but hes ****ing terrible at it.

So he brings in a GM that is really bad at scouting talent, and then he lets his home grown guys walk and signs lesser talent for just below what the home grown guys would have gotten, and everyone they bring in is absolute trash

It results in a team with no identity, and no reason to root for them. The players we like get shipped off, and the players they bring in are like walmart brand replacements.

That's it, right there. I want to watch, but then I tune in and it's like watching the KC Royals. They should just be the Yankees and be done with it. That's how they won the first one to begin with. This nickel and diming BS is horrible.

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Except the Yankees are like 9.5 back of the Rays

The reason it's cool to win pennants or be in contention is that most teams don't, and aren't. It's just a ***** when that's us. But good point. It's great to say "we're going to be really smart and spend less and win anyway," but if everybody could, there'd be 5 penants awarded just in our division. Tip of the ballcap to TB, but apparently we can't do that, so after being on both sides of it just in this post, yeah let's spend, and when I say "let's" I mean that owner guy.

 

[Joker]

THIS was baseball......

 

[Jim Beankie]

For me, the tell was 2018. Sox were a juggernaut. They steamrolled through the regular season, the playoffs and the WS. One of the best teams in baseball history. They had every right to take victory laps in this town for months.

......2018 was all Josh Gordon, Gronk, Tom's contract, etc. Pats dominated the news and the psyche of the region

Once late Oct rolled around...the Sox were relegated to the Living & Arts section of the Globe.

One of my best friends had season tix to the Sox (good seats), and I just couldn't get myself to accept his invitations in '18 - even to an AL championship game! I just cared about the Pats even though the Sox were easily my favorite team 15 years earlier. Once I had kids, it was hard to follow baseball. I do have to say that the new rules to speed up the game have been good for me, personally.