Orthwein R.I.P.

I could tear down another disappointing preseason performance by the New England Patriots, but instead I'm gonna take a moment to appreciate the fact that the Patriots play in New England.

Over the weekend former Patriots owner James B. Orthwein passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 84 years old.

Even though Orthwein owned the team for just two years, he played a huge role in guiding the franchise towards respectability and keeping the Pats where they remain today.

When Orthwein bought the team from Victor Kiam back in 1992, Orthwein rescued Kiam and the franchise from bankruptcy. With Orthwein a St. Louis, MO native, rumors errupted that he would move the team to his home town. Those rumors persisted during Orthwein's tenure as owner.

Despite the location of Orthwein's roots, he said he didn't want to move the team. I didn't belive him. I feared that Orth-swine was giving lip service and was working behind the scenes to transport my team in Mayflower trailers a la the Baltimore Colts (How ironic would that be, considering it was The Mayflower that brought Pilgrims to Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts, then centuries later the Mayflower moving company would had transported the Patriots).

But Orthwein kept his word. I'm sure it wasn't the popular choice for him either since he was part of a group trying to bring a NFL franchise back to the Gateway City.

I wasn't convinced until Orthwein sold the team to Robert Kraft. That day was a huge relief to me because I could stop worrying that my team would be moved. It would had been especially painful because New England was finally showing signs of becoming respectable after their worst three-year run.

As owner of the Patriots, Orthwein fired likeable head coach Dick McPherson and replaced coach Mac with two-time Super Bowl winner Bill Parcells in 1993. With the first pick overall, Parcells drafted quarterback Drew Bledsoe. The only move I didn't like was the new uniforms and logo.

I hated the new look but the 5-11 season gave me optimism. In early 1994, Orthwein sold the team to Kraft. Finally I had peace of mind.

I was wrong about James Orthwein. I spent two nervous years, fearful that the news I dreaded would appear either on tv or in the newspaper. Thankfully it never happened. We owe our appreciation to Orthwein because the recent success of the Patriots likely would had belonged to a different city if someone other than Orthwein bought the team.

I don't know if Orthwein ever felt like he was a partially responsible for the three championships the Patriots won. If not, I'd hope this season is dedicated to him and the team wins a Lombardi Trophy just to honor him.

Thanks for keeping my team as my team, Mr. Orthwein. I still remember what you did for us Pats fans.