Stirring The Pot, Again

Major League Baseball takes over the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise citing financial concerns, and that has Shank wondering about future ownership:

Within seconds of the announcement that the Dodgers were becoming a ward of the state, speculation swirled that Red Sox bosses Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner might be headed out of town to rescue or buy the National League’s signature franchise.

It's difficult to find any evidence of other writers swirling this speculation, so I'll point the finger at Shank being the source of these rumors.

Lucchino sounded annoyed when I asked him about the possibility.

“This is a highly charged, controversial issue of some real importance to baseball, and I’m not going to complicate it any further by saying anything or making any comment about the Dodgers situation,’’ he said from his Boston office last night.

OK. That’s a non-answer, I told him. It’s sort of like when you ask a guy if he’s running for president and he won’t say yes or no.

I gently asked Lucchino if he realized his vague response might be interpreted as leaving the door open.

“No, I don’t realize I’m doing that,’’ he said. “I realize I’m not making any public comment on the Dodger situation.

“I’m very happy right where I am. I love Boston and that’s really all I’ll say about the Dodgers. I love my position and I’m proud of my position with the Red Sox.’’

Werner is also at the top of the rumor list. He’s a former owner of the Padres, he’s tight with Uncle Bud, he’s a big-time Hollywood guy, and he has been decidedly marginalized in the John Henry regime.

Reached at his California office yesterday, the Sox chairman said, “Anything you can do to quash that [rumor] would be appreciated. I’m very happy as the co-managing partner of the Boston Red Sox.

“I look forward to summers in Boston, I pay property taxes in Boston, my daughter’s in Boston. I’m a member of Old Sandwich [Golf Club]. I’m very happy to be moving to Boston for the summer.

Doesn't sound to me like Lucchino or Werner have heard these questions about a hundred times already, and Shank's well documented use of the passive voice ("speculation swirled") to deflect any blame from him as the source of a rumor lead me to conclude that Shank's the source of this rumor. Don't want to piss off one of the guys that helped Shank's daughter get an internship a few years ago, right?