Mazz: John Henry not interested in buying Celtics
On Monday’s Felger & Mazz program, Tony Massarotti believes that Red Sox owner John Henry is NOT interested in buying the Boston Celtics.
John Henry NOT Interested?
Parts of conversation abbreviated for clarity.
Tony Mazz: There are a couple of things that struck me about this report. I don’t know if it’s legit or not, but it makes a lot of sense. Jeff Bezos could afford it. He’d be good for the fan base. Deep pockets are what you want with an owner, whether he’s local or not.
The guy could build his arena too without dealing with all the politics. If he wanted to do that then there are a million possibilities. Although, I’m sure there would be some deal brokered with the city.
In theory, six billion seems like a high price. Early on in the process of the sale, the number that I’m hearing was closer to $5 million. We also heard Bill Simmons say that the league wants the team to be sold for $6 billion. The league is going to be involved no matter what.
Jim Murray: As they should. The team is one of the crown jewels of the NBA. We’re not talking about the stupid Atlanta Hawks or Charlotte.
Mazz: Absolutely, Murray. When John Henry bought franchises, he bought undervalued signature franchises. The Red Sox were undervalued and had a greater capacity for growth back then. The Sox were always run like a mom-and-pop organization. There was a lot of chance here for growth and income, which is why it interested the Fenway Sports Group. The same is true for Liverpool. The Penguins are an elite franchise, but they have all these assets at favorable prices.
The Celtics are not at a favorable price. And secondly, if the price is going to cost $6 billion, they’d almost be better off getting their franchise and starting from scratch. The new owners of the Celtics would inherit a tax bill that would come with paying players.
Now, do you want my opinion? John Henry and his group don’t want the Celtics. That’s my opinion.
Murray: So why did that leak out then?
Mazz: Because you want to get as many people involved in the game as possible to drive up the price. It’s like when a sports agent drives a player’s price up by telling one team that many other teams are interested in their client. I’m telling you, my understanding is that Fenway Sports Group does not want the Boston Celtics.
Murray: Well, that’s a good thing to hear.
Mazz: That’s my understanding. It doesn’t mean that I’m reporting that. I’m just telling you; I don’t think they want the Celtics. That’s what I’m hearing.
Segment Audio
Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
16 Best New England vacation spots, according to Felger
TIER 3
-LAKE SUNAPEE
-CAPE COD
-KENNEBUNKPORT
-NEWPORT
-OGUNQUIT
-CONWAY
-STOWE
-WELL BEACH
-PEAKS ISLAND
-MARTHA’S VINEYARD
TIER 2
-KEZAR LAKE
-BAR HARBOR / ACADIA
-WINNIPESAUKEE
-WATCH HILL
TIER 1
-NANTUCKET! (AND ONLY NANTUCKET)
