A few short years ago, a new Fenway Park seemed inevitable. Plans and models were drawn up, architects were commissioned, and some limited public financing was arranged.

Now, though, those plans seem more like a pipe dream. Massachusetts faces a massive fiscal crisis, meaning what little public assistance was to be available is now gone. And, having spent $700 million to purchase the club from the Yawkey estate a year ago, the new owners don't have the resources to construct a new ballpark (conservative pricetag: $500 million).

	Fenway Park opened for business in 1912.

Boston is one of the few cities which has steadfastly refused to fund pricey athletic playgrounds. In the last decade, both the Boston Garden and Sullivan Stadium were replaced, but each was built largely by private money, with only a modicum of tax relief and infrastructure assistance from the city and state.

So the Red Sox, chained to the oldest and smallest ballpark in the game, have decided to make the best of the situation. The club recently unveiled plans to construct some seating above the famed left-field wall. Additionally, more premium seats have been added behind home plate and along the base lines.

Unchanged, for the most part, for decades, Fenway has undergone more renovations in the last 12 months than it had in a long time. Last year, in addition to introducing two rows of premium seating that ran near the dugouts, the Sox unveiled a plaza in front of the ballpark, attempting to recreate the experience of going to more modern ballparks like Camden Yards.

While new ownership balances questions about aesthetics, the real focus is on improving the bottom line.

"We need to do some of these things to accomplish our goals,'' said team president and CEO Larry Lucchino. "We want to put a championship-caliber team on the field, improve our farm system, sign more of our draft picks, add some scouts and expand our international operations.''

MLB sources indicate that the Sox were second in revenues last season, but more money is needed to keep pace with the rival Yankees. As the Yankees payroll spirals into the stratosphere, the Sox have to remain close. When they lost out to New York on pricey Cuban free agent Jose Contreras, it reinforced the futility of trying to match Yankees owner George Steinbrenner dollar for dollar.

Naturally, the Sox are walking a fine financial line as they attempt to maximize revenues without alienating their fan base. A seemingly innocuous plan to offer additional tickets in a pre-sale to season-ticket holders unexpectedly backfired last week when fans charged that fewer single-game tickets were being made available to the average fan.

Other purists have charged that the Sox are emphasizing profits over history when they add seats atop the Green Monster. Neighborhood groups continue to chafe at the slightest mention of ballpark expansion.

Already, the Red Sox have the highest average ticket price in the game, and having played before nearly 98 percent capacity last season, there's little more that can be done to the antiquated structure. In purely mercenary terms, the Sox must strive to sell every single ticket to every single game at the highest price the market will bear.

The new Wall tickets may be the talk of the town, but they won't provide much of a economic windfall. At $50 per ticket and limited to a couple of hundred seats, the new seating section will pay for a few middle relievers and a utility player -- but not much more.

Despite missing out on the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, the region's appetite for all things Red Sox remains strong. The Sox set new attendance records in each of the last three years and advance ticket sales for 2003 have reportedly topped two million even before the equipment van leaves for Florida.

But how long the lyric little ballpark, even with all the renovations and additions, remains economically viable is open to question.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.