6 quotes from (or about) John Henry that made him more hated among Red Sox fans

John Henry rarely makes himself available to media tasked with covering his many sports teams. In the case of the Boston Red Sox, CEO and president Sam Kennedy usually takes the fall for Henry's decisions publicly.

Henry's recent interview with Financial Times, a British daily news publication, reminded fans of his many sports teams of why he chooses to stay silent on his business ventures.

Sara Germano's reporting is thorough, and it goes in-depth about Henry's beginnings, how he acquired his wealth and how he plans to use it to grow his sports empire. Germano got more quality information and time with Henry than Boston-based reporters have been given in years.

Red Sox fans flocked to social media to express their dissatisfaction with ownership and Henry's recent comments about the team, which ranged from apathetic to utterly (and shockingly) idiotic. By the sound of it, Liverpool Football Club and Pittsburgh Penguins fans aren't happy with him, either.

But, in terms of the Red Sox, Henry's attitude towards the team that gives his precious sports group its name has vindicated every Boston fan who has chosen to boycott the team this season (and likely created many more objectors).

After another poor offseason performance, a borderline unfathomable quantity of injuries to begin the campaign, horrendous defense and lackluster offense have Red Sox Nation wondering if ownership cares about the Red Sox in the slightest. Here are some of Henry's worst quotes from the Financial Times interview that prove the answer is "no."

6 quotes from or about John Henry that made him more hated among Red Sox fans

"And during Henry’s tenure, the Red Sox have won four World Series, the most of any baseball team this century. . . Yet fans always want more, and Henry knows the numbers are stacked against him. 'Because fans expect championships almost annually,' he wrote to me, 'they easily become frustrated and are not going to buy into what the odds actually are: one in 20 or one in 30.'"

Henry must've forgotten he was the one who established the Red Sox's championship pedigree. Red Sox fans hadn't experienced a World Series win in 86 years before he took ownership of the club. He secured them four championships in 14 years, then switched his spending philosophy on a dime, with no warning, only to blame Boston fans for their entitlement because they believe in the standard he set himself.

"He also took issue with the obsession over his and Werner’s remarks about 'expensive' ballplayers and going 'full throttle'. The latter had 'overshadowed every other word, paragraph and interview of the winter because it reaches so deeply into the false belief that many fans and media have that you should mortgage the future each year for the present.'"

The Red Sox and their fans have yet to experience the better future Henry claimed he's been saving for. Boston fans have heard the same excuse from ownership and management for nearly five years, and the success they've attested will come with time is nowhere to be found. A five-year rebuild doesn't show commitment to the future, rather, complete apathy from the men in charge.

“I don’t think people in my position can win publicly — your words are often used against you — so the less I say I generally think the better.”

Imagine being worth $5 billion dollars and also air-headed and out-of-touch enough to say this out loud.

Henry's words are used against him because they can no longer be believed. The yearly promises to compete in the following season have become white noise.

"Then [Alex] Cora concluded, 'Let’s be the best f-----g version of the f-----g Red Sox.' [Tom] Werner, Kennedy and [Craig] Breslow each offered brief remarks and paid tribute to essential personnel. Henry stayed in his seat throughout, clapping at intervals and gazing placidly over the crowd."

This is Germano's best description of Henry's priorities — Cora, Werner, Kennedy and Breslow each spoke at the start of spring training and expressed thanks for everyone who keeps the ball club running as Henry sat in silence. He couldn't be bothered to address his own players at the beginning of spring training after he did nothing for them all offseason.

"I mentioned the $3bn SSG investment, which the players on the PGA Tour Policy board had just voted to approve, creating a new commercial entity for the sport. Henry’s eyes lit up. He looked delighted to be asked about what he described as a fascinating new project, but the bustle of the official start of the Red Sox season cut us short."

Sox fans will remember FSG's purchase of a stake in the PGA Tour all too well. News broke of the purchase on Jan. 29, just weeks before spring training and no major moves had been made to improve the Red Sox organization, as promised.

Henry is on record saying that it's expensive to sign talented baseball players. Yet, he endorsed a multi-billion dollar investment while his baseball team waited for the reinforcements they were promised by the other owners and management in FSG. Henry's eyes light up when it comes to growing the billions in his bank account, but not when it comes to helping the clubs he already owns.

"My wife and I live and work in Boston. We are committed to the city, the region. So the Sox are not going to come up for sale. We generally don’t sell assets.”

To the chagrin of Red Sox fans everywhere, Henry shared that he has no plans to sell the team. Not because he's passionate about it, or because he loves the city, or because he loves baseball, but because the Red Sox are just a means to an end — to make him as much money with as little effort as possible.

One of the most historic franchises in MLB has been boiled down to "an asset." No wonder Henry never speaks publicly, he can't even lie in the right moments.

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