TheLynchTrain Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Flash Back to 1993. The Patriots* had not made the playoffs since 1986, almost as long as the Bills. They had an aging, 70 year old stingy owner who wouldn't put a buck in the team. His debts were piling up. All of a sudden, their team was sold to James Orthwein, a descendent of Budweiser's Busch family in St. Louis. Like any out-of-town owner, Orthwein wanted to move the Pats* back to his hometown of St. Louis, who had been without a team since the Cards moved to AZ in 1988. Seemed like a logical move. The Pats* were one of the least valued franchises in the league, had made the playoffs only 6 times and had NEVER sold out a season of games in 33 years. Did I mention that they didn't have a fan base? But there was one sticking point in Orthwein's plan...Robert Kraft held the rights to the stadium and the stadium lease. Orthwein needed to buy out Kraft so he could remove himself from the lease, and he offered Kraft 75 mil. Kraft responded by counteroffering Orthwein 175 mil for the team, the highest ever paid for a franchise at the time, and considered a pretty bad deal by most who covered the league. The rest, they say, is history. The Pats* have made the playoffs in 9 of 13 years under Kraft's reign, and are now valued as one of the richest franchises, highest ticket prices, and have arguably the best media exposure. ---------------------------------------------- Obviously, this is only a comparison, and the scenarios between Buffalo and the Pats* are strikingly different. Buffalo actually had a rich history and GREAT fan base, while the Pats* never had one. To New Englanders, the Pats* were always 4th or 5th best on their list of teams to root for, and I'm pretty sure just as many people were BC Football fans as there were Pats* fans. Moreover, Boston has the corporate, financial, and media wealth and population to support a rich team and a pool of billionaire-would-be owners to choose from, while Buffalo does not. But there is one thing we can get out of this: Winning solves almost all problems. Even if Kraft had bought the team for such an inflated price, they would have never been so financially successful if they didn't win. I'll say it again: the Pats* did not have any fan base, they were one of the least valued franchises in the league, and most new englanders would not have cared if they left for Saint Louie. Consistently winning allowed them to raise ticket prices, fill the stadium, build a new stadium, and build from scratch a pompous, egotistical and idiot fanbase like they have. And what Bostonian would have told you in 1993 that the Pats* would have won 3 titles down the road in a 5 year span, much less that they would have stayed in New England past 1995, or even the fact that he would have even CARED if the Pats* one a title? We gotta keep the faith people, no matter how bad it gets, how sh------- the coaches are, how bad the players might get, how many times Ralph ralphs on a decision, ect ect ect....because winning that big one will erase all the pain and hardship this team has brought us. IT WILL HAPPEN...keep the Faith! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Cold Bruschi Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Lol no it won't, they should post "Abandon all hope all ye who enter here" on all the entrances to the Ralph lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyDingo Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Wait, I don't get it... So...we cheat? I'm lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantstopbeastmode Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Striking Differences: Bill Belichick vs Dick Jauron Striking Differences > Striking Similarities Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murra Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Striking Differences: Bill Belichick vs Dick Jauron Striking Differences > Striking Similarities Probably the biggest difference, and reaason that makes that story completely irrelevant: The saving grace for the Pats was Kraft owning the rights to the stadium. The major difference is that Ralph-o owns the stadium. Unless Ralph has some fight-club esque multi-person transfiguration, what your suggesting is impossible. Ultimately by you're logic we're doomed because the only way we can keep the team is if Ralph buys the team from...himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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