It didn’t take long for my mind to drift to the Boston Red Sox once I heard the news that Wyc Grousbeck was putting the Boston Celtics up for sale.
More specifically, to the owner of the Red Sox: John William Henry II.
(Geez, his full name even sounds like a British monarch… fitting this time of the year, no?)
Normally, the opportunity for one successful owner in town to purchase another of the city’s teams would be universally welcomed and celebrated.
Not this time, not this owner…
On behalf of Boston sports fans, John… we’re begging you: stay the hell away from our basketball team.
Henry’s potential ownership of one of the most iconic and successful basketball franchises in history would be nothing short of a disaster for all involved. The Celtics would suffer, the Red Sox would suffer… along with all of Boston’s sports fans.
We’ve already seen what happens when Henry’s asset conglomerate starts to stretch itself too thinly. Teams suffer at the will and whim of whichever asset FSG is prioritizing at the moment. Of late, that’s been the PGA Tour…
What’s going to happen once he adds a $4 billion (I would be surprised if the Celtics didn’t sell for something in the $8 billion range, personally...) basketball team with heavy financial burdens in the way of longterm contract commitments and sky high luxury tax bills?
Nothing good, that’s what. Either the Sox would continue to suffer with a freeze on the free agent and payroll front, or the sell-off of one of the most complete Celtics teams in history would commence. See? Nobody wins in that scenario…
Unfortunately, all this is more than unfounded speculation. We know Henry and FSG have long wanted to add an NBA team to their portfolio, and his statement as reported by The Athletic when asked about his potential interesting in buying the Celtics was… troubling.
“We greatly admire and respect the Celtics organization, its players, and its amazing fans, but have no comment on the forthcoming bidding process,” Henry wrote in an email.
Not exactly a flat out denial of interest there, is it?
After the Red Sox’s fourth title in 14 years in 2018, this outcome would have seemed like the best possible scenario. But a lot has changed in the last six years, and the true colors of Henry and ownership have become too glaring to ignore.
Here’s hoping the Henry corp. focuses its efforts elsewhere on the basketball front. Las Vegas, Seattle… just anywhere but Boston.
Not champs yet
Far be it from me to pour cold water on the Red Sox’s fire… but, well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
As exciting as the Sox’s resurgence — peaking in that highly entertaining Bronx triumph on Friday evening — has been, the reality is… not much has really changed.
On May 19th, the Sox were one game under .500, 9 1/2 games out in the AL East, and a game and a half out in the wild card.
Today, while the Sox may be almost 10 games over .500 after going a league-best 26-16 in that timeframe, they’re still eight games out in the division, and holding a one-game lead for the final wild card.
It’s progress, for sure. It’s certainly better to be in the playoff picture than to be out of it. But we’re really not talking about significant changes here, at least not at this juncture of the season. There’s plenty more work to be done.
Fortunately, Alex Cora and company know that. After Friday’s thrilling win, Cora was again quick to commend his players’ game-by-game approach, saying they would be ready to turn the page quickly and show up and compete on Saturday. Instead, they would lose 14-4…
I’m not too worried about the players getting overly confident, but it’s more so about managing expectation.
It’s sad, in a way, that playing .545 baseball has elicited such a feverish response throughout the region. It’s ultimately a product of a negligent ownership group severely lowering the expectations of the fan base.
Is the goal to be 48-40, eight games out of first and clinging to the final playoff spot? Or is the expectation to compete for championships? Henry and company are certainly hoping you’ll be satisfied with the former...
That’s not good enough, not for me anyway. But one of the things that has been sacrificed during this unprecedented run of Boston sports success has been the ability to enjoy the journey. At least, that’s how it’s been for me.
Instead of looking at the small picture and enjoying it, I can’t help but focus on the bigger picture: a still .500-ish team that’s been hampered by an ownership group that won’t invest in the same way and may very well still not be motivated to invest in this team at the trade deadline.
That would, of course, be a shame. I hope Craig Breslow takes a more optimistic approach and actually adds at the deadline. He’s yet to commit to a direction.
I’m certainly not telling you not to enjoy it right now. They’re playing much better baseball, and there has been plenty to like along the way.
I’m pretty “glass half full” in life, but in this way, I’m definitely still more “glass half empty.” Call me a spoiled Boston sports millennial. I’ll always hold my teams to the highest standards and expect to win, and win at the highest level.
It’s time to extend Cora
Now, with all that being said, how about the job Alex Cora has been doing?
My qualms have (quite clearly) been with ownership, not Cora or the players for the most part. So I can be down on the overall state of the franchise and the limitations they’ve put around Cora, all the while still acknowledging that Cora has done a bang up job.
Cora was dealt a hand full of off suit, numbered cards. He has played them just right, at times making them look like a pair of aces. Whether it’s all been a bluff or not, we’ll ultimately find out… but right now, it’s working.
And it’s past time he's rewarded for it.
Cora has said he wasn’t interesting in talking about his next contract during the season. Breslow has been lukewarm all season long about Cora’s future as manager of the Red Sox. But the reality is, there’s no one better for the job in the modern era.
Cora’s ability to toe the line of old-school baseball feel and sabermetrics has been seamless. He’s pushed the buttons that need to be pushed with the young guys, held his veteran players to higher standards while getting the best out of them, and has continued to present a united front and a positive spin as the most-seen public face of the organization.
And the reality is, if the Sox don’t re-up Cora, somebody else will. If the rest of the league holds him in such a high regard, then why aren’t you?
Cora and Breslow may not be perfect ideological matches. But Cora is a face the fan base likes and trusts, one they know has been there and done that… and is capable of doing it again. The man just wants to be a part of a winner, plain and simple. Why should he be punished and shown the door because of it?
It still feels more likely than not that Cora and the Red Sox will go their separate ways at the end of the season. But as was astutely mentioned in a question during this week’s BSJ Live Q&A, it’s going to be a lot harder for Breslow to spin his ultimate departure if this team reaches the playoffs.
I know you want to put your mark on the organization, Craig. But do yourself a favor and don’t overthink things here. Fans like Cora, players like Cora, and most importantly, Cora can do the job.
Just pay him already…
Here to stay?
Once seemingly a leading candidate to be dealt at the deadline, it doesn’t look like Nick Pivetta will be going anywhere after all.
Despite drawing interest from around the league for most of the season, the odds of Pivetta being on the move were summed up by the New York Post as such…
“Trade chances: very low.”
Aside from his recent gem against the Marlins — in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh and finished with seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball with 10 strikeouts to boot — Pivetta hasn’t been at his best for quite some time.
The 31-year-old right-hander pitched to a 5.13 ERA in five June starts after posting a 5.55 ERA in five May starts. Overall, Pivetta is 4-5 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP through 13 starts this season.
Would parting ways with Pivetta be the worst idea? I still don’t think it is if you can get commensurate value, either in the form of future pitching prospects or some long- or mid-relief to help this year.
But holding onto him wouldn’t be the worst idea, either. For all his inconsistencies, we know Pivetta is dominant at his best. He’s also shown in the past that he can be effective out of the ‘pen, which could help this team if they acquired a starter at the deadline and deemed him to be the odd man out.
Speaking of Red Sox pitching rumors, another interesting nugget from the Post this week indicates that former Sox rotation target Jordan Montgomery didn’t want to be here after all…
Montgomery, who ultimately signed a high-AAV one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was reportedly offered a multi-year deal by Boston, but turned it down because “he didn’t want to go there and was holding out for a Rangers return.”
Well, it’s a good thing he didn’t come here. Montgomery has been flat out bad this season, posting a 6-5 record, a 6.44 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 13 starts this year. Score one for team Breslow, I suppose…
Bleep ‘em
Jarren Duran’s redemption arc continues to be an entertaining one.
The latest endearing tale about Duran involves a certain shirt you may have noticed him wearing a time or two. Actually, all the time…
It simply reads “F*CK ‘EM.”
Straight and to the point, no?
Anyway, if you and I have noticed Duran’s shirt, then you'd better believe MLB has, too. And they’re not happy about it.
Duran reportedly returned to his locker in Miami to find a warning from the big league brass to stop wearing the shirt on-camera.
Duran’s response? Well, essentially… “F*CK ‘EM.”
“That would be a fine I'd be happy to pay. It’s just me wearing something that means a lot to me,” Duran told MassLive.com about the warning letter.
Duran went on to explain that the phrase represents a mindset he took on toward his critics during his early struggles at the big league level in Boston.
Even Duran acknowledges the warning is understandable and said he was grateful MLB didn’t immediately fine him. In future situations where the undershirt could be visible, like a walk-off hit for instance, Duran says he’ll simply take off the shirt before going on camera.
The language is crass, and I tend to be more on MLB’s side than not here, but I appreciate Duran's mentality. And there’s no question, it’s been working for him. His story is such a good life lesson for us all.
When things in life get tough, and they will, you can either pick up your ball and go home, or you can face your problems head on. Duran has had nothing but the right approach in the time since his troubled beginning in MLB. He’s a joy to watch on the field, and he’s been entirely respectful of the media during the postgame interactions I’ve seen and been a part of this season.
You’ve got a fan in me, Jarren. In fact, you’ve got a fan in most of us…
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.