The One Where Shank Pretends To Like A N.E. Patriot

Rob Gronkowski retired from football yesterday, and Shank's there pay fake homage.

There are certain sobriquets that resonate viscerally in Boston sports, conjuring wistful feelings of fandom. They’re more than nicknames. They’re shorthand for the lasting impression left by greatness. Yaz. Cooz. Espo. Hondo.

Gronk.

Like one of his trademark spikes, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski left his mark not only on the NFL as possibly the greatest tight end of all-time, but on Boston sports as a football folk hero — a one-of-a-kind tight end who could play and party with the best of them.

UPDATE AT 1:22 PM: Whoops! The column was written by Chris Gasper. That became obvious once I got to read more of the column, and it was an unusually long column. I'm saying to myself 'Funny - Shank never puts in this much effort into a column', and that's why. My bad!

Since it's Gasper, it's worth reading in full.