redsoxfan wrote:Hello everyone, I've been a Boston Red Sox fan my whole life and I thought I might give you some insight about John Henry.
Overall, he is a fabulous owner. The Red Sox have the #2 payroll in baseball. He is not afraid to spend money...but he doesn't spend money like a drunk sailor. His General Manager Theo Epstein is always trying to get the most value for the money. Since Henry's group has taken over, the Red Sox have become a powerhouse and won 2 World Series (2004 and 2007) after not winning one since 1918. They are usually in the baseball postseason playoffs, and only missed by a bit this year because the team was decimated by injuries.
The stadium is Fenway Park, the oldest in baseball, built in 1912. There was a lot of talk about building a new park, but they decided to revitalize Fenway. Lots of new concessions, bathrooms, etc. The Red Sox currently have the longest sellout streak in history at over 500 games in a row.
Henry's a very good man, a little quirky, but nice. He apparently is quite rich - a self-made made who is an expert at stock trading. Not only does his group own the Red Sox, but they have the very profitable regional cable New England Sports Network (NESN) and own a stake in one of America's top Nascar racing companies (very popular in the southern US, not so much here in Boston).
Speaking honestly, I think you'll be happy with him if these rumors are true. Your only reservations should be 1) who will run the football operation, as I don't think he's a football expert, 2) the Red Sox have the highest ticket prices in Major League Baseball - will the same be true at Liverpool, and 3) does he have enough money to match the insane owners that are in the Premier League?
Overall though, he's a good businessman, very smart. His co-owner is Tom Werner who made his money in television (owned the Cosby Show, Roseanne and others). The President is Larry Lucchino, a very savvy baseball man. And the rest of their management team is great too. They are considered to be in the top echelon of owners in baseball.
If you want to investigate, here are some good links:
The main Red Sox forum: Sons Of Sam Horn
The two Boston papers: http://www.boston.com/sports/
http://www.boston.com/sports/
The Red Sox: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos
The Fenway Group: http://www.fenwaysportsgroup.com/
A video about how old Fenway Park has been renovated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCfmaq7wXI
And here's a long interview with him in 2004 which can introduce you to him: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/1113
I confess to only knowing a little about football. I follow the Premier League a bit but am a child in terms of knowledge. But I am aware of your frustration with your current owners. I just wanted to reassure you all that Henry and his group would certainly seem to be an improvement. They are liked by 95% of the fans here, which isn't easy, as the Red Sox are rabidly followed and critiqued, arguably as much as their famous and more historically successful rival the New York Yankees.
Good luck. I'll drop by again soon.
Welcome and thanks very much for that info
by 
