John Henry on getting booed: That’s a ‘false narrative’

Red Sox ownership is having a tough offseason answering to Red Sox fans.

John Henry, principal owner of the Red Sox, was ruthlessly booed at a Winter Weekend event in Springfield, MA. Also, fans attending the 2023 Winter Classic at Fenway Park directed their best jeers towards ownership. But, according to him, the media is reporting ‘false narratives’ surrounding the team. 

Jen McCaffrey, staff writer for The Athletic, conducted a brief Q&A session with Henry, via email.  

On Monday’s Toucher & Rich program—McCaffrey joined Joe Murray and Ted Johnson to discuss Henry’s responses to her email.   

Parts of conversation are abbreviated for clarity.

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  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 15: Red Sox Owner John Henry addresses the departure of Alex Cora as manager of the Boston Red Sox during a press conference at Fenway Park on January 15, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. A MLB investigation concluded that Cora was involved in the Houston Astros sign stealing operation in 2017 while he was the bench coach. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Joe Murray: So, you had communication with the Red Sox owner. Could you at least tell us how this happened? How did you get a hold of the man? I don’t think Red Sox fans have heard from him publicly. Can you tell us how all this came together?

  Jen McCaffrey: For several years, he hasn’t spoken publicly with the media, so any communication with him is via email. But yeah, it’s not very frequent, so I sent him a few questions.

  Today’s the first full-squad workout for the whole team–pitchers and catchers reported last week. Ownership is here in Fort Myers today. I knew he probably wasn’t going to be speaking to the media. So, I sent him a few emails and got replies that tell you what we already knew about the booing at Winter Weekend. Also, I got answers about Bogaerts and everything under the sun.

• 🚨 | John W Henry booed by Red Sox fans immediately after saying “expensive” 👀 pic.twitter.com/XStxyFQ631

  — Anfield Agenda (@AnfieldAgenda) January 21, 2023

• Joe Murray: What’s the media vibe like there right now? Does it feel like the old Red Sox spring training days, or is it lighter media coverage? 

  Jen McCaffrey: It’s definitely much lighter. You know this, but the journalism industry has changed, and there’s not as much money floating around, either. But there are fewer reporters and local TV stations here than in the past. The national reporters aren’t flocking here right away. So, yeah, it’s a much lighter contingent. 

  That’s based on the general interest of the team. People are frustrated with this team and not paying attention as much. Media places want to cover where fans want to read. And if you don’t want to read about the Red Sox, then there won’t be as many people down here. 

  Like you guys were saying at the top of this segment, you haven’t talked much about the Red Sox. That’s an indication of where the rest of the media market is going. The beat writers are down here, but it’s a much smaller national presence. And it’s definitely different than several years ago. 

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  Feb 24, 2019; Fort Myers, FL, USA; A general view of the left field wall aka the green monster at JetBlue Park prior to the spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

• Ted Johnson: Jen, you asked John Henry if he recognizes the frustration within the fan base. I found his answer to be a little shocking. When he says that there’s a false narrative surrounding the club, that’s overblown. Can you explain what you think about that answer?  

  Jen McCaffrey: I was surprised by this answer. I thought these questions would give him time to discuss his thoughts about frustration from fans. And how they might want to try and do things differently. 

  Instead, he said there are false reports of booing, even at Winter Classic. The booing was on video. I’m not quite sure what the point of that was because people were there and heard the boos. I was at Winter Weekend, and it was pretty uncomfortable to hear ownership getting booed so mercilessly. 

• What, if anything, do you think you could have done differently in the negotiations with Xander Bogaerts?
  
  "We could have offered 12 years!"
  
  Red Sox principal owner John Henry does a brief Q&A with @jcmccaffrey. https://t.co/bZxK817MnS

  — The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) February 20, 2023

• Jen McCaffrey: [Henry] asked, “Did anybody report on the cheering?” It’s just a strange disconnect. Maybe he’s trying to focus on the fans that block out all the negativity. I don’t think the negativity is just a media-driven thing, either. 

  The fans are angry going back to Jon Lester. And about Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts too. The last-place finishes and the whiplash in the standings also contribute to this. I don’t think this is a media-driven narrative by any means. It’s just a surprising answer. 

• Full Segment

• Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

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