Dave Portnoy erupted in a furious tirade against Boston Red Sox owner John W. Henry on Monday morning, following the decision to dismiss manager Alex Cora. The Red Sox terminated Cora and five of his coaches on Saturday night, despite a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles earlier that day, citing the team's dismal start to the new MLB season.
The team's record now stands at 11-17 after a win over the Orioles on Sunday under interim manager Chad Tracy, but they remain at the bottom of the AL East. In the aftermath of the firings, billionaire owner Henry declined to take questions from the media, instead sending Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to face the press.
Portnoy, an avid Red Sox fan, labeled Henry—whose Fenway Sports Group also owns Premier League soccer giants Liverpool—a 'coward' for his silence, although Henry did issue a statement when firing Cora on Saturday. During Monday morning's 'Wake Up Barstool,' Portnoy launched into a passionate rant against the owner.
Portnoy said, 'The Red Sox is a special team. It doesn't matter if you're locked in for 162 games. When you grow up in New England you're a Red Sox fan. That's it.' He recalled his elderly father and mother asking about the team, emphasizing the deep generational connection: 'It's just something that's important to the region from generation to generation.'
He criticized Henry for not being from Boston and for having 'blown up the Florida Marlins,' adding, 'He doesn't care about winning baseball—he cares about the bottom line. They hate him in Liverpool as much as they hate him in Boston.'
Portnoy contrasted Henry with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, saying, 'I don't think anybody can doubt that Steve Cohen is going to pay whatever and would cut off his fingers to win a World Series. It's not working for them, but I can live with that. He's out there spending, doing everything he can. But this guy... we are letting guys go that are clearly at the height of their profession and should never be let go. It's just going on and on and the guy won't face the music. I hate his guts.'
Portnoy then proposed a protest similar to the 'clown towels' used against Roger Goodell, suggesting 'we're gonna have to do that at Fenway with John Henry's face.' He concluded, 'There is nothing more infuriating than what is going on with this team and having the owner not answer questions. If he stood up there and answered questions and it felt like he cared even a little bit, maybe I would have a different tune today. It's such arrogance. You've got to be a sociopath, honestly, why would you make so much money... and become the most hated person in these cities? To squeeze out a couple bucks? It doesn't make sense to me.'
Cora, an infielder who spent over three seasons in Boston and won the 2007 World Series with the Red Sox, was a bench coach for the Houston Astros when they won in 2017. The Red Sox hired him to replace John Farrell, giving Cora his first major league managing job. In his first season, the Red Sox won 108 regular-season games and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to claim a fourth World Series title in 15 years.
The Red Sox finished third in the AL East the next season, missing the playoffs for the first time in five years. During the offseason, reports emerged that Cora was a ringleader of an illegal sign-stealing scheme with the Astros. Following an MLB investigation, Cora stepped down, and Ron Roenicke replaced him. After a last-place finish in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Roenicke was let go and Cora returned.
The Red Sox reached the playoffs again in his first season back but have not won a playoff series since. In all, Cora was 620-541 as the Red Sox manager. Henry issued a statement on Saturday thanking Cora for his contributions, saying, 'Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude.'
