Among the feedback I have received on the time I spent with Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner was some related to his focus on winning. It compelled me to share some insight that didn’t make the final story from my conversation with team officials who are well aware of Werner’s competitive zeal and how that factors into his manner of watching games at Fenway Park.
“Tom goes out of the way to see people early in the game, because once it gets to the later innings, I don’t want to expose all the sponsors or broadcast partners to Tom when he is in game mode,” Red Sox President Sam Kennedy says with a laugh. “The third or fourth inning would be about the latest I’m comfortable with him being with others. Intense games are comical to watch because he is so into every pitch and every play.
“Tom and I talk after every game. If we talk after a win, it is probably a seven-second phone call. We say it was a good game; it may have been a walk-off grand slam, but we just say, ‘Good game, see you tomorrow.’ But when we lose, he’s down and dissects every play. He gets very worked up. The good news is that a couple hours later, he recovers and rebounds. He has a healthy ability to turn the page. But we have some fun with this. If we are watching the game with John Henry, and we know Tom is watching on his iPhone or traveling, John will joke about it. If we get behind, John will say, ‘Well, Tom is not happy right about now.’”
— Abraham D. Madkour
