Very interesting rumor: Fenway Park at Gov’t Center?

Very interesting rumor: Fenway Park at Gov’t Center?

Here’s a very interesting rumor I heard recently. It’s a little out of left field (if you’ll excuse the pun), but it sort of makes sense.

First some background. When the current owners of the Boston Red Sox bought the team a few years ago, they began to talk about building a new replacement for Fenway Park to maximize their ticket revenue so they could compete to pay ever-increasing player salaries. Nostalgic, old Fenway with a max of 33,000 paid attendance couldn’t compete with the newer and bigger parks that seat 40,000 or 50,000 or even more. However, their plans went nowhere and they had to settle for smaller improvements to the park for now, like the Monster seats. It wasn’t just resistance from neighbors, but the fact that there was nothing in it for local politicians. They had no reason to buck the voters.

Meanwhile, across town, Boston Mayor Tom Menino has recently floated a proposal to build a new city hall on the South Boston waterfront, leaving behind the current ugly city hall in the expanse Government Center right downtown on the edge of the Financial District. But Menino has also met resistance because of accusations that it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars and that Tommy wants to build the Taj Menino as a monument to his ego. Besides, who would want to buy up the old city hall and Government Center, demolish it, and build what? Another office tower?

Who, indeed, could be found to buy the property? See where I’m going with this?

The rumor is that the City of Boston is looking to sell Government Center to the Boston Red Sox, who would buy the property and build a new, more spacious and profitable Fenway Park. Very interesting.

Now the mayor has a reason to support a move from the beloved “old bandbox” in the Fens and has a buyer with the money to pay for the Government Center property.

Is it just a spurious rumor? Is there substance behind it? Is it a serious proposal? I don’t know, but it certainly bears watching.

And if it does come to pass, you saw it here first.

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