Red Sox '02 Tix Prices Announced; Henry Wants To Save Fenway

The Red Sox officially announced their '02 ticket prices yesterday, and some seats will be increased by 7-10%, according to Michael Silverman of the BOSTON HERALD. While the club is "heralding the price increase as its lowest in the last seven years," some ticket prices in cheaper seats will not be raised. Incoming Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino said in a statement, "It is important to us to keep the lowest-priced tickets ... unchanged. ... Tickets cannot bear the burden of club revenues by themselves; fans cannot bear the burden of club revenues by themselves" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/31). In CT, David Heuschkel reports the Red Sox' average ticket price for '02, "already the highest in baseball," is $39 — about $2.50 higher than '01 (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/31). Meanwhile, in Boston, Scott Van Voorhis reports new Red Sox co-Owner John Henry and other members of his ownership group on Tuesday "were taken on an in-depth inspection tour" of Fenway Park by Baltimore-based architect Janet Marie Smith. Smith, who helped design Camden Yards, will oversee a six-month study on the feasibility of renovating Fenway. Sources said that Henry was "encouraged about the prospects for saving Fenway" following the tour and his meeting with Smith (BOSTON HERALD, 1/31).

ART OF MAKING MONEY: In Boston, Joan Vennochi writes the new Red Sox owners "seem nice enough, if you like slightly quirky, moderately cocky multimillionaires." Vennochi adds the new group is "already talking about transferring $100[M] in state infrastructure funds that outgoing [Red Sox CEO] John Harrington won for a proposed new ballpark in the Fenway neighborhood. In a gubernatorial election year? During a state fiscal crunch? Sorry, boys. Wrong time, wrong place" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/31). Meanwhile, BLOOMBERG NEWS' Mark Tannenbaum reports Henry's $1.1B money management firm "has lost half its assets in the past three years." John W. Henry & Co. President Mark Rzepczynski said that the company "plans to introduce new funds to attract money," and that the firm "opened a new currency fund." Tannenbaum notes the firm "may introduce two others: one for U.S. stocks and one for single stock futures — contracts to purchase or sell company shares on a specific date" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/31).

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