And the Pats Came Back

Well, well, well. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has come crawling back to the Bay State. After a seemingly complete deal that would ship the NFL team off to Connecticut was entering its final stages, Kraft realized what everyone else in Massachusetts had known all along--the Hartford Patriots could never be.

Kraft invoked a clause that gave him the right to back out of his contract in Hartford because he felt the new $374 million stadium the Nutmeg State was building for him would not be completed before 2002. In building a new Foxboro Stadium, Kraft will have a much lesser deal, footing part of the bill himself. After all the hype of the planned move to Connecticut, in the final analysis, the owner simply couldn't take the chance that the new location would detract from the team's fan base. Bostonians would be hesitant to drive the couple of hours to see the team play, especially if they are not playoff-bound.

But Kraft made the right decision. He kept the New England Patriots in the unofficial capital of New England. Boston, the sixth-largest media market in the country, is a significant step up in prestige from Hartford, the 27th-largest. Loyal Pats fans will be there for the team as long as the home field is within distance of the commuter rail or a short drive.

So, while Patriots fans will have a tough time forgetting Kraft's opportunistic attempt to flee the Bay State, they're no doubt relieved to be keeping their team. We look forward to many more years of the National Football League in Massachusetts.