In "what turned into a feisty exchange" on Boston's WBZ-FM, Red Sox Owner John Henry Friday "denied the team was in chaos and said it would be 'great' next season," according to Peter Abraham of the BOSTON GLOBE. Henry was "cruising through town in his Volvo SUV" listening to the station when he "heard some caustic claims about him and his Sox that he simply could not let go unchallenged" and drove to the station's studio. In the "wide-ranging 70-minute interview that followed, a combative Henry had his say, answering questions that surely had his employees back at Fenway Park squirming." Henry said, "I think the chaos that’s going on is much more external than internal. There’s this feeling, I think you said that we’re in ashes, that the Red Sox are in ashes. That’s not how we feel about it." Henry said that he "did all he could to keep" Exec VP & GM Theo Epstein from leaving the team, a fight Henry "ultimately lost when Epstein agreed on a five-year deal to run" the Cubs. Henry: "I'd love to have Theo back. I would have loved for Theo to have been our general manager for the next 20 years. ... But you don't always get what you want." Henry said that Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino "will be staying on." Lucchino's contract "runs out at the end of the year, but he and Henry have discussed a multiyear extension." Henry also said that he "opposed the landmark $142 million contract given to free agent outfielder Carl Crawford last winter." Henry: "Anyone involved in the process, anybody involved in upper management with the Red Sox, will tell you that I personally opposed that." Henry said that it "was 'preposterous' to think that the Sox traded for Adrian Gonzalez and signed Crawford in an effort to improve the ratings" on NESN. Henry: "It wasn’t a PR move." Henry also explained that his wife, Linda, "would not own the team in the event of his death" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/16). Henry "vehemently denied that details of former manager Terry Francona's marital problems and use of painkilling medication were leaked by ownership to the Boston Globe." He rejected the idea that ownership would run a "smear campaign" against Francona (BOSTON HERALD, 10/16).
FOCUSED ON SOX: In Boston, Shira Springer notes "with fan loyalty in question, Red Sox nation turns to Henry and wonders if his interests in Roush Fenway Racing and English Premier League team Liverpool have diluted his focus on the Sox." Henry said, "The fact is that very few owners run their clubs day-to-day exclusively. They usually run other companies. But Tom [Werner] and I spend most of our waking hours working on ensuring these entities have the resources necessary to be champions, that we are adhering to sound business practices and philosophies as organizations and ensuring the right people run them. You wouldn’t want us making the baseball decisions, other than financial decisions. That’s not our expertise. But we do question and we are constantly looking for ways to improve everything." MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said, "Henry, Werner, and Lucchino were the right people at the right time for the Red Sox franchise, and I still feel that way today." Springer notes Henry's "impromptu visit to" WBZ-FM on Friday "was an uncharacteristic move for Henry, who prefers his interviews conducted via e-mail with the opportunity for carefully worded responses" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/17).
OWNING UP: In Boston, Michael Silverman wrote Henry's surprise radio visit "was the first sign since September's crash-and-burn to the Red Sox' 2011 season that ownership finally realized it has to accept responsibility for creating this mess." Until Friday, it seemed as if Henry, Werner and Lucchino "did not understand their role in the debacle." Silverman: "That Henry wants to provide answers and be accountable and honest is a smart move." By going on the radio show Friday, Henry "began to lead the Red Sox out of this mess" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/16). Also in Boston, Tony Massarotti wrote, "At least say this for Henry, who at least projects the image of a thoughtful, benevolent man: for the first time in a long time, there was the sense ... that he truly cared about his team" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/15). The BOSTON GLOBE's Dan Shaughnessy writes, "Unfiltered Henry was great stuff." Shaughnessy: "He should feel good about his impassioned defense of all things Red Sox. He should also be mindful of one great takeaway from all this noise: The Red Sox rule. Even in chaos." Shaughnessy adds, "Now that Epstein is gone, look for Lucchino to insert himself in larger, if not more public, fashion" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/17).
STILL IN BOSTON: The BOSTON GLOBE's Abraham reports Epstein for now "remains -- technically at least -- in the employ of the Red Sox as compensation talks" with the Cubs continue. A source described them as "business-like, civil and moving forward over the weekend" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/17). The BOSTON HERALD's Silverman notes a major reason the deal is moving slowly "has to do with Epstein's desire to surround himself with a front office as talented and familiar as he can make it." Silverman: "When it comes to the Red Sox' desire to get fair return on a brain drain while not denying their own employees the chance for a promotion by joining Epstein in Chicago, it takes some time to sort through the moves." Silverman indicates three Red Sox personnel who could be part of Epstein's request are VP/Baseball Operations Brian O’Halloran, Special Assistant to the GM Dave Finley and Head Athletic Trainer & Assistant Dir of Medical Services Mike Reinold (BOSTON HERALD, 10/17). In Boston, Scott Lauber writes under the header, "Hit Or Whiff, Theo Dealings Fearless." Lauber: "At age 28, he rewrote the book, literally, on the franchise's philosophy of team-building" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/17).
