John Henry Takes on the Boston Media for Ortiz Reporting

Red Sox owner John Henry has a new post up on NESN where he vehemently defends David Ortiz and says that the media owes him an apology for their reporting. He specifically calls out Dan Shaughnessy and Tony Masserotti. in the article.

David spent more than a week trying to get to the bottom of why he was on that list. He began only with the knowledge that he had never used steroids. It was a nightmarish week of frustration for David. I could not believe the rush to judgment that took place.

I understand why people want to support Ortiz in this matter and I understand why the members of the media are skeptical. We still do not have the full story and Henry has a right to defend his star player but the way Ortiz addressed the situation at the beginning and during the press conference has allowed for some doubt in his story. The Boston media is not responsible for an injustice to Ortiz. The MLBPA, MLB and those that have broken the rules before him have led to a climate of guilty until proven innocent, especially when there is circumstantial evidence. Henry never apologized for the Red Sox signing Gagne when they knew he was a steroid user.

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John Henry Joins the Blogosphere

Red Sox owner John Henry has started a blog on NESN and in his first post he warned readers not to take him so seriously:

Now I realize that if I, for instance, joke around about a curse ... oooeuff! Some people seem to take everything seriously in sports -- everything. I don’t know how anyone can take curses seriously!

I kidded about Yankees Universe and the fact that Red Sox Nation has ceded many of the planets in our own solar system to the Yanks ... oh boy. Some took great offense. “SOX OWNER BASHES YANKS!”

So let's be clear. This blog will often be written with a sense of humor. And it will be controversial for at least a couple of reasons. Number one -- I'm writing it. Number two -- I have had a lifelong tendency to be blunt.

It should be an interesting read.

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John Henry Gets in Teixeira's Head

As the Red Sox were sweeping the Yankees, Red Sox owner John Henry wrote, "the MT curse?" referring to Mark Teixeira on his twitter account. When Teixeira found out about the remark he told reporters the following:

"There's no reason to get into it with a 70-year-old man about baseball."

John Henry is 60 years old so Teixeira is obviously trying to get into it with him. When told of Henry's email to WEEI saying it was "purely entertainement Nothing more. I don't believe in curses." Teixeira responded with:

"You guys make the decision," Teixeira said to the reporters around his locker. "Whose reputation looks better right now?"

Guessing by the boos Teixeira gets in Baltimore, Boston, and Anaheim I am guessing that Henry's reputation looks better now. John Henry had one more thing for Tex:

After reading his heartfelt quotes I turned to Shakespeare for a response, but was worried he, too, might take offense.

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John Henry to Get the 'Tek Ball Rollin'

Alex Speier of WEEI and Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald are both saying that John Henry will be meeting personally with Jason Varitek tonight, without Scott Boras.

He's leavin' (leavin'), on a Jet Blue plane to Georgia (leavin' on a Jet Blue plane)...

Said he's goin' back to sign a catcher for the Red Sox nine.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Sure Gladit's (to)Knight.... doh!

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John Henry Discusses the Off-Season

John Henry answered questions from NESN's Tom Caron and explained the Red Sox approach this off-season:

TC: Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona have often pointed out that championships are won in October, not in the middle of winter. That said, do you feel good about your current team’s ability to compete for another championship?

Henry: Yes. It’s hard to predict how one player and especially a group of players will do from one year to the next. The recent history of the Cleveland Indians is illustrative of that point. They have a great organization and a great group of players, but recently they’ve only been able to put things together successfully only every other year. We have a young team and that bodes well for the future, but as the Indians, Yankees, Tigers, Rays and others have shown recently — the game is changing. It’s getting harder and harder to predict who is going to do well.

Henry makes an excellent point that the moves in the off-season and a player's past performance do not guarantee anything, look at where Andruw Jones has been the last few seasons after what he did earlier in his career. Theo and Red Sox management have shown the ability to adapt throughout the season and do what it takes to get into the playoffs and then play from there. It is really amazing just how sucessful the Red Sox were last season when you consider the injuries to Papi, Lowell, Lowrie, and the whole Manny situation.

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Theo's To-Do List is Pretty Short

In any other off-season fans might be happy with what Theo has done; the team that came within one game of the World Series has been preserved, the MVP second baseman has been locked up for the future, and some good additions have been added while the payroll is down.

Has the Yankee spending spree made us all feel like we are lagging behind? I never thought the team really needed Teixeira but the idea of adding a little more thump to the lineup is very appealing. It is almost like we got practical gifts for Christmas and not the really fun toy that we had wished for.

If the Red Sox bring back Varitek they will be a very solid team, perhaps the favorite to win the division. If they trade for the catcher of the future the Red Sox will be without their captain who helped them win two World Series and will also be without atleast one of their most promising prospects. The Sox can add some power to the lineup by replacing Tek but it will be a bittersweet moment for the Nation.

Theo's last to-do item is to add a 4th outfielder; not a very exciting thing for Red Sox fans. The 4th outfielder however will play a very significant role on the team this season. Drew is bound to miss 1/4 of the season with injuries and Ellsbury showed some fatigue last season.

The Teixeira money may be burning a hole in fan's pockets but I don't think John Henry and company are looking to get a big name just to match the Yanks. As frustrating as it is, look for the offseason to continue in this manner and wait for the Red Sox to compete with the Yankees where it really matters: on the field.

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John Henry Calls the Bluff of Boras...

…and Boras just shit his bed. He bluffed one too many times. Players will drop him like the bag of shit that he is. He becomes a nobody, a has been, nothing. Players salaries return to normal, as do ticket prices, and a tall glass of Sam Adams will be only $4.

I was dreaming when I wrote this....

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Manny Stirs the Pot

As the season hit the second half Sox fans will have to come to the realization that next year's team could be very different. Varitek will be a free agent and Boras will try to get as many years possible in a deal which the Sox may balk at. Manny has a $20 million option for next year but if he is to stay on the team he will most likely be given a long term deal. The uncertanties about Manny's future found their way into the media yesterday when Manny made this comment to the Herald:

“I want no more (expletive) where they tell you one thing and behind your back they do another thing,” Ramirez told The Herald. “I think I’ve earned that respect, for a team to sit down with me and tell me this is what we want, this is what we want to do.”

John Henry was none to happy with Manny airing some dirty laundry out in the press and responded with an email to the Herald:

“I find remarks that we have been anything other than completely straightforward to be personally offensive,” Henry wrote. “Manny has been a crucial part of two world championships. I do not believe we would have won either without him. He has never played a more important role than he has thus far this year.”

We will see more of this as the season comes to an end, right now we need to get back to playing some baseball and hope the salary discussions are done in private and don't become a distraction.

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John Henry Makes Steinbrenner an Official Member of Red Sox Nation

Red Sox Owner John Henry told the Boston Herald the following in an email:
""Just to ensure he knows how cool Red Sox Nation is, [Saturday] we officially inducted him as a member of Red Sox Nation and we are sending him his membership card giving him access to an array of options including our newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz."

If you want to send anything to Hank yourself you can mail it to:
Hank Steinbrenner
Legends Field
1 Steinbrenner Dr.,
Tampa, FL 33614

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