The Boston Red Sox's fan festival, Winter Weekend, presents Boston's die-hards with a rare opportunity.
Red Sox ownership and management take center stage at Winter Weekend to answer fan questions and vouch for their vision for the club.
There's next to no justification for the way John Henry has treated the Red Sox in recent years — he knows it, the fans know it, and the five billion dollars in his wallet know it.
When Boston's management backed out of the usual town hall at Winter Weekend, Red Sox Nation let them have it to the point that they re-committed to attending the event, just not in panel format.
Well, except Henry, of course.
Per MassLive's Chris Cotillo, members of the Red Sox front office and management will address the media before Winter Weekend's welcome event, including Alex Cora, Sam Kennedy, Craig Breslow and Tom Werner, the speaker of the 2024 offseason's most infamous words; "full throttle."
According to the Red Sox: Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy, Craig Breslow and Alex Cora will address the media Friday night prior to the welcome event at Winter Weekend.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 17, 2024
The Red Sox haven't officially provided fans with a time for the welcome event on Friday evening and they're struggling to determine when management will address the media. The welcome event is not listed among the scheduled activities on the Winter Weekend website.
After the town hall had been officially canceled and replaced by a "late-night talk show" inspired panel hosted by Jonathan Papelbon and Tom Caron, Boston's front office decided it would be best for them to attend the festivities. It took a huge amount of backlash from fans, but at least they changed their minds.
It seems, though, that Henry didn't plan to attend his own fan festival in the first place. A source told Sean McAdam of MassLive that Henry has a "scheduling issue" that prevents him from attending Winter Weekend, regardless of whether there was a town hall planned or not.
At this point, Red Sox fans should expect nothing less. This is the latest, and arguably the plainest, indication that the Red Sox are not high on Henry's list of priorities.
John Henry never planned to be at the Red Sox's Winter Weekend
Men as rich as Henry don't have scheduling conflicts — he's not at the mercy of anyone else's time. Henry refuses to make time for the namesake team for his sports group, and fans are getting the message loud and clear. Despite claims that the Red Sox are still of first concern for Henry and Fenway Sports Group, his actions show anything but.
It's been years since the Mookie Betts trade when Boston's front office told fans to be patient with its vision and that crafting a good team takes time. What they really meant was, "Be patient so Henry can pursue his other interests."
Many members of Red Sox Nation have called for boycotts of Fenway Park and Red Sox events, while others plan to attend Winter Weekend to give the front office a piece of their minds.
Regardless of how the Winter Weekend festivities go and any answers fans get from Boston's staff about the future of the team, the only thing on anyone's mind will be Henry's cowardice.