The proposed takeover by the Red Sox owners is:

[little dave hedgehog]

yes, we should all be very happy nobody is comparing us to the royals yet.

the cubs, on the other hand...

i also can't stand to watch baseball unless the red sox are playing in the world series.

also my apologies for not making an "it's terrifying" poll option.

[MrMichael]

I've barely had the heart to log on here in recent weeks; just gutted over the state of club, barely anything to say that wasn't absolutely obvious to everyone. That said, I am very happy that the Red Sox owners have bought the club. They are good at what they do, they are competitive, they know a few things about a blood rivalry and ending title droughts, they even have their own version of Istanbul (the 2004 ALCS). That said, economically, I am not sure if they're able to compete with billionaire oil money. Hopefully, they can get us into shape, but the on the field problems still remain; H&G aren't the ones running out the wrong formations and the wrong tactics week after week. so, while I am hopeful, we have a lot of work to do; still, much better position to do that work with the Sox in charge.

Now, to avoid establishing a curse of El Niño...

If memory serves me, Henry owned the Marlins for all of three seasons (post 1998 season to pre 2001 season). However, Henry's tenure as owner of the Marlins was more of a stepping stone toward his ultimate ambition of owning the Red Sox. He's a shrewd businessman who doesn't throw money around needlessly and isn't afraid to take a gamble calculated gamble on young talent.

What strikes me about both his stints as an MLB team owner is the way the two clubs have successfully sought out and drafted young talent on the field, and appointed young visionary talent in the backroom. He promoted Dave Dombrowski to GM in Florida, whom eventually left around the same time Henry sold the team and turned Detroit (the perenial worst team) into a winner again. He also appointed Theo Epstein, an unheard of mid-30s statistics oriented "geek" as GM of the Red Sox. Both GMs have been extremely successful at their new roles, despite some marked opposition to them initially.

In addition, Henry has overseen a shift away from signing pricey over-rated free agents to draft and blooding good young players. While the GMs are typically reponsible for choosing the players to draft and trade for, Henry has a track record of finding the right man for that job.

I'm with Dave on this, while I understand people are uncertain about the new owners and somewhat skeptical of jumping from the frying pan into the fire, Henry and his group know the sports business from a commercial side and know how to delegate responsibility for on field matters to the right people. While I don't think we'll be going out to sign a load of new players in January and next summer, I believe that these guys understand the value of a winning team on the field and how that translates into success off the field - which is ultimately what one would assume they are after.

BTW - I'm a Blue Jays fan, but have a lot of respect for what Henry has done with the Red Sox over the last ten years. They are what we aspire to be - perennial contenders.

Cheers fellas; its encouraging to read what seems like very similar thoughts from each poster here from the US / who knew a bit about these guys (or had even heard of them) before yesterday

[SB]

i got excited and posted **** :grr:

Business as usual

[little dave hedgehog]

Business as usual

super boot.

[little dave hedgehog]

If being scum means the club invest most of the profit back into the club, than I am all for it.

The Red Sox owners are well respected so it should be fine, however I would rather be owned by the Evil Empire.

you are aware that the yanks are in nearly as much debt as we are, right? probably more in real dollars. i was just talking about percentage wise. they're worth around a billion and carry nearly 100% of that figure in arrears.

[SB]

super boot.

[Gingawaria]

Glad to see the "**** all Yanks" option has very few votes. Was listening to the radio on the way home from work last night and there was a "fan" saying they'd rather see us relegated than be in the hands of American owners again.

It's like saying they wouldn't want us to sign Messi because Paletta was ****; just because they're both Argentinian.

[Pablo]

Glad to see the "**** all Yanks" option has very few votes. Was listening to the radio on the way home from work last night and there was a "fan" saying they'd rather see us relegated than be in the hands of American owners again.

It's like saying they wouldn't want us to sign Messi because Paletta was ****; just because they're both Argentinian.

Exactly. I cringe when idiot callers like that make a complete fool of us all in public.

Messi is **** though by the way

[EwarWoo]

Maybe it makes me a mug, a fool, an hopeless optimist but that shade of hope is re-emerging.

I'm now moving towards feeling good.

Possibly just relief taking over, but I think some decent signs are there to cling on to, and no point moping about what may go wrong, let's give it a chance.

Let's just hope all the yanks out stuff get's binned sharpish, wouldn't do to get off on the wrong foot.

[the rev leeroy brown]

i'm worried that the small minded liverpool "fans" such as SOS and people who sympathise with them will just see them as another version of hicks and gillette.....all because they are american.
whether or not they are the best option for us, i cant see them getting more than 3 months ( january transfer window ) before people begin to turn on them. had the asian bid been accepted, again whether or not they are the best option, i could see them getting more time to get things right . . . . . all on the basis that they are not american.
i just hope and pray the idiotic fans who clammer for instant and immediate success realise we are still a club with a lot of work and improvement needed and it will take time - just as it will roy time to get things right on the pitch and yet he has been given no time.
i do hope though that this is the start of a brighter and better time for our club and the reports that these business men are indeed proper business men fills me with frsh optimism for our future.

[lickedlollipop]

i'm feeling pretty good about it.

why? because that's the best news in a few years.....

[Pablo]

Maybe it makes me a mug, a fool, an hopeless optimist but that shade of hope is re-emerging.

I'm now moving towards feeling good.

Possibly just relief taking over, but I think some decent signs are there to cling on to, and no point moping about what may go wrong, let's give it a chance.

Let's just hope all the yanks out stuff get's binned sharpish, wouldn't do to get off on the wrong foot.

It's potentially what most of us reasonable fans asked for: A respected business man with a history of running a big sporting institution successfully, who will run us as a business, without excess debt.

It looks promising so far, but once bitten, twice shy

[little dave hedgehog]

It's potentially what most of us reasonable fans asked for: A respected business man with a history of running a big sporting institution successfully, who will run us as a business, without excess debt.

It looks promising so far, but once bitten, twice shy

don't forget that all the above is true but also it happens concurrently with winning.

[red g]

I have thought, i should have voted best news ever.

To get rid of those cunts, feels great

[Mostar]

Now, to avoid establishing a curse of El Niño...

Glad to see you posting again