The Kid's Alright

But Derek Lowe had a skin cancer lesion removed on his nose two weeks ago, expected to be fine for spring training; missed baseball writers dinner.

After Dinner Minutes

Grady on the lineup at Boston Baseball Writer's Dinner: ""We've been running our lineups through the paper this morning, trying to figure out what we'd do in 'this situation, that situation'... and we're nothing but awfully proud of what we see when we write our lineup down if nothing else is done"

January 17, 2003

Sox Get Barstoolo Colon

White Sox.

Livin' Large

Bartolo Blows Up Like a Balloon

Wait Goes On, Price Comes Down, as Colon's Weight Goes Up: ML Scout: "He's gotten so big all over, his eyes are ready to shut."

Lucky Returns

Lucchino on WEEI's Dennis & Callahan - New Seats, Sean, Sabermetrics, and Season Ticket Trouble

1.30.03 - JD: Did the criticism of the deep pockets or as he (Sean McDonough) describes it a lack thereof, bother you more, or the fact that he's taking Theo to task about not trading Fossum and getting Bartolo?

LL: No, the second area is fair game for most journalists, and Sean is sometimes a journalist and sometimes a play-by-play employee for the club, he has an ambiguous role, but I would say, the things that he knows least about, the ownership financial situation, the politics of the acquisition of the team and whether another group was better financed, most of those things are just wrong.

John Henry Clears the Air

Owner Defends Finances. Sean McDenies His WFAN Comments

JH on The McDonough Group with Sean

1.30.03 - On difficulty getting tickets:   JH: Last year I was following a lot of the internet banter about the... really complaints... people were posting on different websites their complaints, not with us, but just among themselves about the problems trying to get through... sometime two days, no seats left. This year, a lot of it going on online.

On scalpers getting more tickets now:  One danger of new policy is that more seats may end up in the hands of scalpers and so this is a one year trial.

SM:  You mentioned early on... I think you used the word fret, I'm not fretting over your finances, I'm sure you're doing very well and I hope the team's doing very well too...

JH: whoa... you sure we're doing well?  You said "we can't afford to own the team"... 

SM: Well, I didn't really say that!...

JH:  "we don't have any money left"...

SM: I guess the question I would ask is, the, and Dan Shaughnessy alluded to it too... his suggestion was that perhaps you guys didn't understand what you were getting into financially... I find it hard to believe, that part of it, when your laying out that kind of money and given your track record in finance. But obviously there is a lot of debt that comes with buying something at the price at which you bought it, and I think the fans look at the income from NESN going way up, you already mentioned that you're number two in revenue, that tickets going up - price and number of them - so they see revenue streams going up, payroll going down, still, as you say, over $100 million, but going down. I think it's those sorts of things that lead to concern about, and when they see signage on the tarp, the ground crew's brought to you by Toro, uh much more signage all over the park, the stuff on Yawkey Way, which a lot of it is involved for the fan experience, but obviously some of it generates revenue too, I would think. When you put all those things together, it does lead people at least to ask about the financial viability of this for you or anybody else who is involved in this kind of an undertaking.

JH: That's why I wanted to come more than anything else today, to address it directly. If you look at the facts though. If you look at what's actually happened, we do have $104-105 million payroll. We tried our best to get Jose Contreras. We went after Jeff Kent. We went after Alfonso. We went after Colon. And we still have room in our budget. We're still actively pursuing an outfielder. And we're pursuing another gentleman who probably won't be available, but I don't think that payroll, if it ends up being down this year, it's going to be down marginally... re: having debt - interest rates lowest since great depression, 1.3-4%?  I don't think debt service is an issue for this franchise... if you are concerned, call our banker, chairman and CEO of Fleet Chad Gifford... he probably would tell you, he's a straight-up guy, I would certainly try to be straight up about our finances, we don't have financial issues at this point. From the moment we got involved in the process, people said we wouldn't be able to pay for it. They said we borrowed too much money... debt service not even eight figures (under $10 million).... what you were trading was three years of Shea Hillenbrand and four years of Casey Fossum for one year of Bartolo Colon, who may very well, before the trading deadline, be available unless the White Sox are in the thick of the pennant race. We may be the only team in baseball, and I'm not being facetious, that has money to spend. We didn't think that was a good deal for this franchise. That's been the Red Sox MO, but we have some confidence in Casey Fossum. It will be interesting to see who's better this year, with the caveat, that Casey develops a third pitch.

Deal Going Down

Sox are "involved" with Millar, but Colon may be gone.

Will McDonough Dies in His Home

Will passed away at his home yesterday. Our Deepest Sympathies and Condolences to the McDonough Family.

Bob Lobel:
"We've lost the 800lb Gorilla of Boston Sports"

Penny Wise. Pound Foolish?

Colon to Florida Trade Goes South.

Montreall Done?

Theo Pessimistic About Doing Deal for Colon

Montreal GM Omar Minaya on Trade Negotiations with Red Sox: "You have some good days and bad in this process, I spoke to Theo twice today, I hope to speak to Theo over the next couple of days but if I don't work something out with him, we're talking to some other teams as well... I'm an optimistic person"

January 7, 2003

Mueller Time

Third baseman finally on board.

Sox are Still Involved with Starter Deal

Give it time.

Start Me Up!

Red Sox Nation Getting Impatient for Another Starter.

Sox, Mets, Expos Close to Three-Way Deal?

Hillenbrand would end up in NY, Colon to Boston

January 4, 2003

Gammons Slams Steingrabber

Spending is obscene

Yankees Can't Handle the Truth

Tomase tells it like it is

Tuesday December 31, 2002

Mueller Time?

Sox close to signing Giant third baseman, Gammons says "agreement in place"

Ortiz Tease?

Listin Diario 'done deal' was just drivel.

Grady Does Dallas

Dallas Williams hired as Sox first base coach. With Papa Jack, Little's "stamp" complete

Leaving Las Vegas

Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson officially named
new Red Sox hitting coach

The Man with the Plan

Theo sticks to it.