John Henry says he won’t sell Red Sox in lengthy interview originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Here’s news that many Red Sox fans don’t want to hear: John Henry has no plans to sell the team.
Henry gave his first lengthy interview in years to the Financial Times via email and discussed proposals to take a stake in the PGA Tour, as well as the status of his other interests in Fenway Sports Group, but locally his thoughts are of primary interest. on the Red Sox, and he shared many, starting with whether he plans to sell.
“My wife and I live and work in Boston,” Henry said. “We are committed to the city, the region. So the Sox will not be for sale. We generally do not sell assets.”
Some other highlights:
“Because fans expect championships almost every year,” he said, “they quickly become frustrated and don’t believe in what the odds really are: one in 20 or one in 30.”
“(Werner’s comments) overshadowed every other word, every paragraph and every interview of the winter because it penetrates so deeply into the false belief that many fans and media have that you have to pawn the future for the present every year,” he said. “You have to base acquisitions and dispositions on the future, not the past. That’s generally unpopular.”
Counterpoint: It’s not that Red Sox fans think the team should mortgage the future, but that Henry should show more interest in the present.
“I don’t think people in my position can win publicly – your words are often used against you – so the less I say, the better I think,” he said.
