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.