There will be no town hall at the 8th annual Red Sox Winter Weekend, which returns to Springfield’s MassMutual Center on January 19-20.
Instead, the customary introductions of this year’s players and coaches will be followed by “The Cinco Ocho Show with Jonathan Papelbon,” which the Red Sox described as a “late-night talk show-style segment.”
“Alongside co-host Tom Caron of NESN, Papelbon will lead conversations about the upcoming season and the state of the club. The evening will conclude with a reflection on the life of Tim Wakefield,” the release read.
This came about “just recently,” Papelbon told the Herald by phone. Yet a change to the schedule of events was expected after last year’s debacle, when Red Sox principal owner John Henry not only made an unexpected appearance at the MassMutual Center, but actually joined CEO and president Sam Kennedy, then-chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, and Alex Cora for a chaotic town hall.
The event, described as a “fan-interactive Town Hall Meeting with Red Sox leadership on hand to answer questions from fans,” seemed like a risky undertaking before the weekend began. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first Winter Weekend since the month before the Red Sox traded Betts, so fans had been waiting almost three years to air their mounting grievances with the brass in person. Henry, who hasn’t sat for the media since the Mookie Betts trade in February 2020, took the stage to raucous boos. When Henry and Bloom attempted to answer questions, they were repeatedly cut off or drowned out by the crowd.
The chances of a repeat this year were infinitesimal. With or without Henry, the town hall format is a recipe for disaster in the club’s current climate. After winning a franchise-record 108 regular-season games and a major league-leading fourth championship this century in 2018, the Red Sox threw their own reputation in the wood chipper in the name of saving money. They traded Betts and lowballed Xander Bogaerts out of town. They’ve finished last in back-to-back seasons, and three of the last four. They were once the ultimate free-agent destination. Now, they’re baseball’s Bates Motel.
As such, this year’s Winter Weekend is leaning heavily on past glory. For reasons unknown, Rafael Devers, Boston’s marquee player and the highest paid in franchise history, won’t be there. Though several rising stars and top prospects are slated to attend, their potential won’t be enough to draw a crowd until the team starts winning again. Thus, the star-studded alumni attendee list includes David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Dennis Eckersley, Fred Lynn, and Carlton Fisk. It’s still not sold out.
However, shelving the town hall altogether was also somehow unexpected. Because even now, it beggars belief that the same ownership group that facilitated the end of an 86-year championship drought, spent lavishly to construct a league-leading four World Series winners this century, and committed over a billion dollars to preserving and enhancing Fenway Park, no longer cares. That they no longer feel the need to show up and face their paying customers.
Red Sox ownership and leadership keep saying they’re still committed to winning. Kennedy said championships were still their “North Star” after Bloom’s mid-September firing. Chairman Tom Werner promised a “full-throttle” offseason at Craig Breslow’s introductory press conference in November. “We’re fully invested, not just monetarily, we’re fully invested in wanting to win championships. I promise you,” Henry assured belligerent town hall audience.
Actions (and inaction) speak louder. Nothing’s worse than empty promises, except silence and absence.
“Over the years, we’ve given everything that we can give to this franchise,” Henry said on that snowy night last January.
Really, it seems they have nothing left which they wish to give.