An Open Letter to John Henry

This is from the blog of Dan Roche, sportscaster for WBZ4/UPN38 in Boston. I couldn't have put it better myself. Thank you, Dan. -mjr
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An Open Letter to John Henry

Nov 16, 2005 12:55 pm

Dear John,

I know I may be overstepping my boundaries here, but I have to get this off my chest. It's just time.

It's time to mend fences for the good of Red Sox fans and the organization. It's time to look ahead to the future. Look ahead to winning another World Series championsip. Look ahead to implementing some "young, homegrown talent" to the major league club. Look ahead to the ongoing renovations that are making Fenway Park the best "old/new park" in all of sports. Look ahead to watching David Ortiz battle for another MVP trophy (and this time... do what he should have done this year and win). Look ahead to the return of a healthy Curt Schilling. Look ahead.

I am asking you to do one thing. Invite Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Theo Epstein, and Charles Steinberg down to your home in Florida. I want you to all "air out" your feelings about what happened and how things fell apart. Don't hold anything back. Promise each other that there will be "better and more open lines of communication" within the front office. Make sure all of you... from John all the way down to the baseball operations personnel, manager, and players are on the same page and are there for each other. Get it all off of your chests. Put your egos aside. Say what you need to say to each other, swallow your pride... and then fix it.

Make things right. Theo Epstein should be the team's GM. It's time for Theo to realize Boston IS where his heart is. If you want, have Larry agree to "mentor" Theo about the job of team president. Show him all aspects of the job. Then agree that in three years, Larry will move up to "Special Assistant to the Owners(John and Tom). Larry can also assist Theo and guide him on being President of a team. Meanwhile, John, you can continue to use the system that has worked so well.

Let you, Tom, and Larry stand proudly and watch what Theo and his baseball ops people have done the last three years in re-building a depleted "farm system". There may be some "rough periods" with the youth as there always are, but you'll all be there to go through it. Remember how "low" it was after the 2003 ALCS, but then how high it was a year later. That's what makes baseball such a great game.

Now I know things will work out if they remain the way they are. There's no doubt in my mind that Larry will find a "competent solution" when it comes to a GM. Larry has a proven track record of doing so.

But that's not my point John. This group of people you have are special. Learn a lesson. And also don't be afraid to simply "do the right thing" here. Now. The group that you've put together in 2002 should stay together and 25 years down the road, it should be remembered, along with the Kraft family, as one of the greatest ownership groups in the history of Boston sports. No more, and certainly no less.

It's time to stop all the nonsense. It's just time John.

Sincerely,

Dan Roche
CBS4/UPN38 Sports