While it is "all the rage to beat up" Red Sox Owner John Henry, Chair Tom Werner and President & CEO Larry Lucchino, what is "confusing is this emerging perception that they are 'bad' owners," according to Steve Buckley of the BOSTON HERALD. They may be "slumping owners, but they are not bad owners." They have produced two World Series titles and "made major renovations at Fenway Park." Additionally, the Red Sox Foundation is a "solid player in the community." Henry, Werner and Lucchino "are .330 career hitters who hit .219 last season and .254 the year before that." This is their season to "show that they’ve merely been slumping" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/24). In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote, "I'm often asked how the Red Sox baseball operations department escapes blame from the media for the downturn in the team the past few years. Short answer: Don't think they do." Their decisions have been "scrutinized by the more objective media." The decision-makers on player personnel have "been kept and sometimes promoted." The owners "don't seem to think baseball ops is the problem, at least not for now." Cafardo: "I will say this, the people in that department work incredibly hard trying to make the right decisions" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/24). Also in Boston, Dan Shaughnessy wrote, "Here's the reality, people: The 2013 Red Sox might be really bad. Worse, they might be really boring. Anybody talking about baseball in your neighborhood these days?" Shaughnessy: "'Scrappy' doesn't sell in Boston in 2013. Not after everything that's happened." For $170M, a "little more prime-time talent would have been nice" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/24).
