John Henry

John W. Henry became a multi-millionaire in commodities trading, but is best known for his ventures into ownership of Major League Baseball franchises. Henry originally owned a minor league franchise in the late 1980s, but broke into MLB by purchasing a share of ownership of the New York Yankees in 1991. In 1999, Henry became the sole owner of the Florida Marlins, a team which he owned for three years before selling off to Jeffrey Loria, who in 2002 was divesting himself of ownership of the Montreal Expos (now known as the Washington Nationals). In 2002, Henry put together a team headed up by himself and California media magnate Tom Werner, and several minor partners which included former Senator George Mitchell (D-Maine), to attempt to purchase the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were at the time owned by the JRY Corporation, the continuation of ownership by the Yawkey family since 1933, when Thomas Yawkey purchased the Red Sox. John Harrington was the trustee of the JRY Corporation at the time and served as the top figurehead for the Red Sox organization. In a business deal which seemed to be rigged by MLB Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig, Henry and his group outbid concessions magnate Joe O'Donnell, Cablevision head Charles Dolan and other groups and purchased the Red Sox for just under $700 million. The ownership group took command of the Red Sox just prior to the 2003 season. Under Henry's leadership, the Red Sox have turned into a very fan-friendly baseball organization, with the clear intent on catering as much as possible to one of the most rabid baseball fan bases in the nation. Much of this reaching out to the fans might be in the form of appeasement in return for very high ticket prices, but the Red Sox do come off these days as a very likeable organization. Werner has led a television revolution with his development of NESN, the cable TV station of the Red Sox. Henry brought in Larry Lucchino to run the day-to-day operations, and Lucchino has responded with numerous renovation projects on Fenway Park, lavish ceremonies when needed, and good baseball people to keep the talent level at its peak. Henry's management team reached the apex of the sport in October of 2004. The Red Sox became the first team in MLB history to win a playoff series after having trailed 3 games to none at one point, turning the tables on the New York Yankees in seven games to reach the 2004 World Series. And in that World Series, the Red Sox won their first world championship since 1918 with a four-game sweep over the Cardinals. The World Series win cemented Henry's legacy in Boston sports lore, and validated his ownership group's great work in such a short amount of time. Henry and the Red Sox won a second World Series championship in 2007, defeating the Colorado Rockies in a four-game sweep. The Red Sox are the only MLB franchise to win multiple World Series titles in the new millennium. Henry is often seen in the company of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who himself is the preeminent owner in the NFL. It is believed that Henry used the Patriots as a model for rebuilding the Red Sox, and the two men remain good friends to the present day.