John Henry's Radio Interview: 6 Things Red Sox Fans Can Take from It

Finally someone not on a laptop or on a microphone made some statements with regards to the Red Sox that weren't completely negative and even better they were made by someone with credibility—the owner. John Henry was driving through Boston listening to sports radio yesterday when he heard a few things that just didn't sit right with him. 

When Henry heard these things, he became so upset that he decided to make an impromptu visit to the studios of 98.5 FM " The Sports Hub" which is one of the two biggest sports' radio stations in Boston. He got to the studios and demanded to be heard, and the two men who were on the air at the time Tony Massarotti and Michael Felger were only too happy to oblige. 

Henry say down for a 70-minute interview, and at times, it wasn't clear whether the exchange was more cathartic for Henry, the men in the studio or the fans.

What was clear was that Henry to his credit may in fact be as upset if not more upset about the current state of the Red Sox than even the fans are. This was as unique and candid an exchange between media and owners as any sports' fan will ever be exposed to. 

Henry expounded on numerous issues ranging from the departures of former manager Terry Francona and now former general manager Theo Epstein to the behaviors and rumored behaviors of members of the Red Sox. Henry skirted very few questions and maintained his composure throughout what was at times a somewhat tempestuous interview.

In the end, it's up to the individual listener to decide how much of what Henry spoke about was truthful or not. The key thing to remember is that the actual "facts" regarding much of what has happened within the Red Sox organization are very much unclear.

Anonymous accounts by unnamed sources, assumptions based on circumstantial evidence. It's really hard to tell which way is which these days. It's nice to finally have the public thoughts from the owner of the Red Sox. What did listeners gleam from the lengthy interview with John Henry?

For those wishing to listen to the entire interview the link is here.

It's All about the Pitching

Pitching, pitching, pitching. One thing that Henry stressed is that, in the end, the Red Sox missed the postseason by one game, and the pitching more than anything else was simply inadequate down the stretch. The theories regarding drinking, eating, video games and a somewhat lax attitude toward physical conditioning are all nice, but in the end, it all comes down to pitching and the Sox pitching collapsed in September.

I would have loved to have heard Henry issue a statement in which he would admit to taking a look into the Red Sox organizational philosophy regarding the limiting of a pitcher's workload, pitch count, innings limits, etc, etc. Henry offered up nothing that detailed.  

He did continually stress the importance of maintaining healthy consistent arms, and he acknowledges the Red Sox failures in doing so the past few seasons. 

One point of contention was the continued claims by radio co-hosts Massarotti and Felger that the Red Sox pitchers in particular Josh Beckett and John Lackey were "dogging it" down the stretch. Henry vehemently defended his players, which I find admirable.

It doesn't mean that I think that the players in question were giving 100 percent through September, but I will state that I think it's the right thing for Henry to do. While a statement from Henry ripping the two players might satisfy some of the fans I'm not so sure if that's a good way to begin the long offseason and the long term negative impact of such statements would likely far outweigh the shallow emotional satisfaction it might give some upset fans. 

Going forward Henry was of course optimistic. I'm sure many Sox fans aren't but then again to expect an owner to publicly lament the future prospects of his own team would be a fairly absurd expectation. 

No One Is Responsible for the Terry Francona Rumors

On September 1, 2011, Terry Francona's reputation in Boston was pretty much secure. He was the greatest manager in Red Sox history. 

Sure his teams had experienced a few down years, but he also owned the only two World Series Rings since the end of World War I, and he was 8-0 in the World Series to boot. His teams annually competed and made the post season frequently. 

Fast forward just six weeks and his reputation is dramatically different. It wasn't enough that his team imploded into an epic free fall down the stretch and missed the postseason. It wasn't enough that his option wasn't picked up, and he then decided to not negotiate a new contract in Boston thus resulting in the end of his career as Red Sox manager.

Nope, now there were other issues, personal issues. Reports in major newspapers such as the Boston Globe detailing marital problems and possibly even prescription drug problems. 

Did Terry Francona deserve that? Sure, even Tito probably expected that the fallout from the season's conclusion would involve lots of irrational hyperbole. He'd be ripped for his managing skills. Managers are probably somewhat used to that. It's part of the job. His personal life though?

It wasn't fair—at least in my mind it wasn't. Terry Francona never once in his life spoke out on the "sanctity of marriage." He never publicly displayed some sort of holier than thou attitude involving drug use.

So when these allegations and rumors were seen in print, people naturally wanted to know who the sources were. The author of the Boston Globe story Bob Hohler quoted "unknown team sources." Basically anonymous people who worked for the Red Sox.

Immediately the finger pointing in Boston began and the ownership specifically John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino were the ones taking the most heat.

Yesterday, Henry issued a total denial of having anything to do with those rumors. He included both Werner and Lucchino as part of that denial.

Let's assume that Henry is being truthful. That's fine. It still leaves a gaping hole in the story though. The details surrounding Francona were the types of things that would generally not be known by too many people. Someone clearly opened their mouth or Bob Hohler wrote a column in which he just made stuff up. While Hohler isn't a perfect human being I doubt this was a work of fiction.

Maybe Henry is being totally truthful. That still doesn't change the fact that someone who works for the Red Sox took matters of a real personal nature and used them against someone who was for the most past an exceptional manager and man in Boston for eight very intense and successful seasons. It's unlikely that the public will ever find out who leaked that info, but it would be nice if Henry knew enough about what was going on to handle this better even if it was done behind the scenes.  

Theo Epstein Can't Really Be Commented on Yet

For Red Sox fans looking for yet another reason on the long list of " reasons to not like Alex Rodriguez" yesterday offered up one more. 

"No Comment" 

Which is pretty much how John Henry answered nearly every question pertaining to the seemingly inevitable departure of Theo Epstein to the Chicago Cubs. It was Alex Rodriguez who chose to announce in the middle of Game 4 of the 2007 World Series that he was opting out of his existing Yankee contract and heading for free agency. Baseball officials were livid at the selfish timing of it and made it well known they wouldn't stand for that type of self-promotion during the MLB postseason. 

With both the AL and NL Championship Series underway, Henry was smart to not make any "major announcements." That doesn't mean that Sox fans aren't clamoring for some answers though. 

All Henry would acknowledge was that Theo had been granted permission to talk to another team. It's likely that he really was not in a position to answer these types of questions yet. That doesn't mean he won't down the line. 

Henry did expound on his sentiments that he'd have loved Theo to be the GM for 20 years. He also said he felt that Theo may have felt the pressure of the white hot focus on everything Red Sox in Boston and needed a change. 

Those most cynical toward Henry may dismiss this as total nonsense, but let's face it. The Theo situation was never totally harmonious in Boston. Personally, I was much more surprised by Francona's departure than Theo's. He had left once before, and that was when the public and the team were in a very different place.

2005 ended with a first-round playoff exit, but it was only one year removed from that 2004 title. Perhaps, the rumors of Theo having differences with Larry Lucchino were true? Perhaps, those expanded to Henry? Maybe Henry is right? Maybe Boston did get a little too brutal on Theo's constitution as the years wore on? I'm not glad Theo is gone, but I'm also not totally shocked. 

The Liverpool Soccer Team Is Not an Issue

Here was an issue I found myself in total agreement with Henry on. 

The Liverpool Soccer purchase has been fodder for the Boston Sports Media since it was announced one year ago today on October 15th, 2010. It's all been rampant speculation about whether or not Henry can run two different sports entities, how they're run, how the money is spent, etc, etc. 

While Henry may be somewhat unique in his ownership of two major sports franchises he's not totally unique. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is a majority owner of the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL as well as the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA. 

In addition, nearly every major sports owner made their money pursuing other business interests before purchasing whatever team they eventually purchased. If the price of oil drops will Cowboy fans worry about Jerry Jones ability to run the team?  ( they should be worried about that regardless of oil prices). 

Henry, as he clearly explained in the interview, owns both teams but runs neither on a day-to-day level. Smart executives put people in places to handle things like that. Larry Lucchino has nothing to do with the operations of the Liverpool Soccer Franchise but everything to do with the Red Sox. The bulk of the soccer-baseball hoopla has been unfounded and based on a string of assumptions that are largely unfounded. 

Many of the problems the Red Sox have experienced over the past year in some way, shape or form were also present in other seasons. It's just that those didn't feature monumental collapses. Injuries, some bad signings, these were all present before 2011, and they'll be present down the road as well. Red Sox fans just have to hope the impact isn't as severe and not worry about a soccer team playing in a different continent.  

You Don't Like the Carl Crawford Signing? Neither Did Henry

One revealing aspect of he interview was a glimpse into the manner in which Henry runs the Red Sox. He clearly doesn't micro-manage them. 

Apparently, he was against the Carl Crawford signing. This may or may not serve as comforting news to Sox fans since the contract is already signed, and there are still six potentially long years remaining on it.

Henry rightfully felt that in Crawford the Red Sox were overpaying for past performance and acquiring a player who batted left-handed on a team that already was left-handed heavy. He also felt that the skills Crawford did posses were already present on the team in the form of one Jacoby Ellsbury. 

There will be those that would ask; " If Henry was so against it how did it end up happening? Isn't it his team?" 

Henry was clear on this that he is not a "baseball guy." In that, he's never been a scout, a general manager or a player. He's also not part of the Bill James stat crew that comes up with complex mathematical formulas to evaluate both past and future performance.

Those guys have been front and center in the Red Sox organization since Henry bought the team, and while one would hope that these guys would get more free agents right, their record on player development is outstanding.  

Let's face it folks. If he's being honest on this, he totally nailed the signing, and it's potential pitfalls. I doubt that anyone including Henry or Crawford himself could have foreseen just how dramatic a drop off Crawford would experience in 2011. Here's the key issue: Henry is right to defer to people who do know more than him.

There are so many decisions that go on with regards to the running of a baseball team. Fans get very familiar with only the most high profile of those decisions. Henry has been privy to probably almost 100 percent of them. The "baseball guys" probably get a lot of things right, they just might have missed on this one. 

I'm betting Crawford bounces back with a very impressive 2012 season. It still probably won't validate the contract's size and length, but it could be a huge help to the team on the field.  

None of Us ( Media Included) Know What We're Talking About

This is where Henry skated dangerously close to coming off as arrogant, and yet, he's certainly got a point. There were times in this interview when Henry rightfully pointed out that no one in the media really knows what it's like to run the Red Sox or to work for them in a high capacity. 

Here Henry is of course correct. Sure, there are some real experienced columnists like Bob Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Gordon Edes, Nick Cafardo and Peter Gammons who have been around both baseball and the Red Sox for years. They certainly have about as much insight into that franchise as anyone on the outside does. 

There are also beat writers and other columnist who know a ton about baseball. Guys like Peter Abraham, Chad Finn, Tony Massarotti, Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian over at ESPN. There are also people like me who have just spent a ton of time watching baseball, in particular Red Sox baseball for the better part of the last 30 years. I've done my fair share of reading on the subject as well. 

At the end of the day, no one listed above has played in the majors, run a draft, signed a free agent, negotiated a player or team option. No one has ever placed someone on waivers or sent someone back to AAA. Never made a trip to the mound to tell someone that they're coming out of the game. None of it has been done by anyone of the numerous skilled media members listed above.

Yet, we care. We all do care. John Henry is right that some in the media were absolutely out of line in printing some of the really salacious details about players or managers who at the end of the day are likely no more imperfect than the people writing the stories.

Henry is correct that we really don't know what it's like, and I think Henry showed some guts getting on Boston Sports Radio in prime evening drive time to answer some tough questions in the midst of the toughest period of time in his tenure as owner of the Red Sox.

With that being the case, why did it get to this? It wasn't all the media's fault. The players did play poorly, the upper management was very much absent throughout much of the ensuing drama until yesterday. Henry and company could have stepped up and made statements of greater clarity earlier, perhaps Henry could have issued a public statement condemning the less baseball related aspects of some of the past few weeks storylines? He didn't though. 

Henry may have miscalculated just how passionate Red Sox fans are. That may be hard to believe since he is the owner, but he's owned them for nine years. The Red Sox have owned me for over 30. That may make me nuts to some readers but not those in New England. Not in the most intense bastion of baseball fandom in the nation.

Those on the outside can never appreciate how much passion the people of New England feel for the Red Sox. For those on the inside it's as natural as eating or sleeping. Passion of course cuts both ways. At times, it can cause irrational behavior. The past few weeks have seen the worst of Red Sox nation. Let's hope that a new manager and a new general manager get hired. Let's hope that 2012 concludes with Red Sox Nation's best attributes.

John Henry, Josh Beckett, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, they've all got rings. I'd like to think those weren't flukes.