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Visions of banner headlines were dancing in my head late last week after I read a story by colleague Rick Foster on Page 1 of Thursday's Blue Ribbon Daily.

"Hotel putting cap on Patriot Place site," was the headline, and the story told the tale of the grand-opening festivities at the new Renaissance Boston Hotel and Spa at Patriot Place. But you had to read down to the end of the story before reaching the part that set off alarm bells in my head.

Jonathan Kraft, No. 1 son of Patriots' owner Robert Kraft and one of the driving forces behind the Patriot Place development, had just accompanied reporters and other VIPs on a tour of the only four-star hotel in our midst when he began telling a story. I quote from Rick's report:

"Kraft joked that Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick was not a fan of Patriot Place, believing it might create distractions for his football players. When the coach saw the first drawings of the planned hotel overlooking the Patriots' practice field, he said, Belichick became alarmed.

"Kraft said Belichick was concerned guests in upper floor rooms might be able to see his team running plays. He said the coach was assured the Patriots would make the necessary adjustments." Jonathan's last remark on the subject was, "We'll take care of it."

Ever the investigative journalist, I decided to see if this was just a case of Jonathan making happy talk, or if there really was a possibility that Bill Belichick, super-secretive control freak that he is, could have rival coaches training high-powered video cameras upon his practice fields from fifth-floor rooms at the Renaissance - sort of a "Spygate" in reverse.

And you know what? Indeed they could, unless the Patriots' plans to counter this potential espionage are effective.

Before I proceed, a little shameless self-promotion: You can see the actual view from the fifth floor of the new hotel if you go to my blog and watch my latest Blog Show, entitled "From Foxboro With Love." Just go to thesunchronicle.com/farinella and click on the post for "Blog Show 12." Now, back to the story.

Understand, the security of his practices is something Belichick takes very seriously. During the season, reporters are only able to view the first few minutes of the Patriots' practices, and it's mostly stretching and other mundane pursuits. Reporters can view that small portion of practice from a severely restricted area, and wandering outside the allowed perimeter is not permitted.

Even during training camp, when practices are open to the public, reporters are still restricted to a viewing tent or the stands where the public sits. One time, I and two fellow scribes (Glen Farley of Brockton and Chris Kennedy of Springfield) wandered onto the ramp outside the press box of Gillette Stadium that overlooks the practice fields for a few seconds of fresh air, and Belichick ordered the stadium's security forces to shoo us back inside. The guy has the eyes of a hawk.

So, as I walked that same ramp the other day and saw that the Renaissance's top-floor rooms had a direct sightline to the practice field, I could understand why Belichick might be paranoid.

It's not a new phenomenon. Several years ago, during Kevin Gilbride's brief tenure as head coach of the San Diego Chargers, he went ickybalookey the first time he realized that a nearby hill overlooked his team's practice facility. Often, the Chargers and their fans accused former Denver coach Mike Shanahan of planting spies on that hill, although Shanahan vehemently denied it. Closer to home, the New York Giants are always paranoid about what can be seen on their practice fields from the higher floors of the nearby Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel.

But recognizing a sightline and actually seeing it from one's own perspective are two different things, so I realized I had to get into the Renaissance to see for myself.

I'm not going to drop $224 for a club-level room for one Thursday night (although I could get in for $95 on my Pro Football Writers of America VIP card) just to prove I can see Bill Belichick's practice field. But why should I? I've walked into and out of thousands of hotels in my lifetime without raising as much as an eyebrow of any house detective. So, last Thursday, feeling a little like James Bond (Sean Connery, of course, not those other guys), I armed myself with a palm-sized digital video recorder and walked through the front doors of the Renaissance for the first time. I nonchalantly strolled about the lobby and took a quick peek at the bar - fighting back the urge to order a vodka martini, "shaken, not stirred ..." - before stepping into an elevator for the ride to the fifth floor.

Once there, I walked briskly to the end of the east hallway and peered through a window. Before my eyes was a panoramic view of the Patriots' practice field and the Dana-Farber Field House. I pointed the tiny camera at the expanse, recorded about 25 seconds of video, then beat a hasty retreat before sirens and flashing lights went off and burly SPECTRE guards in polyester jump suits started chasing me to my Aston Martin coupe.

I got in touch the next day with Stacey James, the Patriots' VP in charge of media relations, to give him a heads-up about the results of my espionage mission.

He chuckled.

"We know about the view," he said. "We've known ever since the hotel was on the drawing boards. In fact, it's sort of a selling point for the hotel."

"But you can see everything," I said. My little digital recorder didn't have the capability of zooming in for great detail, but any high-end mini-cam (such as those used by TV stations or every NFL team for shooting game and practice video) could cover the expanse between the hotel and the practice fields and zoom in on a gnat on Tom Brady's helmet if so desired.

And for the time being, James said, that's OK with the Patriots.

The next activity on the practice fields is training camp, which starts July 30. That's open to the public, and James said the Patriots don't particularly care who can see what from where. Anyone who books a room and sets up cameras can knock themselves out.

Once the regular season starts, however, that will be a different story.

Over the next few weeks, the Patriots will erect several tall poles along the perimeter of the practice fields facing the hotels. Once complete, the support crews will be able to hoist opaque screens that will hopefully be tall enough to obstruct the view of the fields from the hotel. The screens may have photos of past players on them, or they may have advertising (leaving no revenue stream un-navigated), and they'll be raised only when practice is in session.

That may be enough to satisfy Belichick's desire for privacy, but I doubt it. I'm still looking for the hidden anti-aircraft missile silos that will enforce the no-fly zone over the practice fields. Maybe I should wear a tuxedo while I'm doing it ...

MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com. Read Farinella's blog, "Blogging Fearlessly," and view "The Blog Show" at thesunchronicle.com/farinella.