Liverpool owner John W. Henry was booed by Red Sox fans at Fenway Park on Monday, and a reporter from Boston explained that he was “lucky it was only booing.”
Henry attended the NHL Winter Classic on Monday when the Pittsburgh Penguins, owned by Fenway Sports Group, met the Boston Bruins at the Red Sox home.
After the Red Sox finished last in the American League East in the 2022 season, there is growing concern about the hiring of the Red Sox in the offseason, which causes jeers from fans in the stands.
In a column for NBC Sports, reporter John Tomase explained that the Red Sox are “going through one of the most frustrating offseasons in their entire history, playing eternal bridesmaids at large and losing more talent than they have gained.”
Liverpool fans can draw parallels with their views on the lack of investment in Jurgen Klopp’s team, as the club operates on a “sell-for-buy” model with strikingly low net costs compared to their rivals.
Interesting line from @jtomase after John W. Henry was booed by Red Sox fans at Fenway Park on Tuesday.
"Rather than build to compete with the Yankees or Astros, they seem content to try their chances at the bottom of the wild card standings vs. the White Sox and Rangers." pic.twitter.com/O3lITcZnoh
— Jack Lusby (@LusbyJack) January 4, 2023
Elsewhere in his column, Tomase claims that Henry “seems to be following the same tactics” with the Red Sox as with his Premier League club, which is supposedly up for sale as the FSG is looking for a buyer.
This is due to the fact that FSG plans to enter the NBA by buying a franchise in Las Vegas along with LeBron James.
And speaking on NBC after the scandal with the 73-year-old at Fenway Park, Tomase suggested that even his staunchest supporters are running out of patience.
“I want to say that he was lucky that it was only whistles and not tomatoes or something like that,” he said.
"Every bit of outrage Red Sox fans feel is justified, I don't care how many World Series they've won."@jtomase reacts to fans booing Red Sox (and Penguins 😒) owner John Henry during the Winter Classic at Fenway this afternoon pic.twitter.com/hxt6WhcKZE
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) January 3, 2023
“Since the last couple of years of his ownership of the Red Sox — and having the Penguins in town really highlights that—we feel the Red Sox are no longer a priority.
“He insists that they are.
“I’ve been the one defending him for the last year—plus, saying he’s invested in this team and we’ll see this offseason – this offseason has come and pretty much gone and he hasn’t and they haven’t done anything.
“I think any outrage from Red Sox fans is justified.
“I don’t care how many world Series they’ve won, in the world of “what have you done for me lately?” the answer for Henry is “not much.”
Interestingly, Tomase was asked if he could provide a response to Henri, similar to the one that welcomed the consequences of his decision to merge Liverpool with the European Super League in 2021.
As Liverpool supporters were furious over the league’s secession campaign, FSG quickly withdrew and Henry issued a public apology for betraying their trust.
“It seems to me a change of course, unfortunately. They’ve changed to that,” Tomase replied.
“I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt this offseason.
“They had a lot of money that they could spend, they did not hide their intentions to spend it, and then they were outbid by every player in the market.
“Maybe some of it has to do with [chief baseball officer] Chaim Bloom, but I have to feel that a lot of it has to do with Henry and what he’s prioritizing right now as an owner, which is spending his money efficiently and all that. from this material.
“And what this will lead to is the last place in the American League East, not only this year, but also in the foreseeable future.”
