The Victory Lap

Shank is there to report on Red Sox owner John Henry's one and only annual press conference.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox owner John Henry — the only man wearing a sportcoat on a blazing hot and humid Florida afternoon — stood in the shade, chatting, moments after his annual “state of the Red Sox” address Monday.

While Henry visited, camera crews broke down equipment, and it was hard not to notice a piece of red confetti breaking loose from a tripod and fluttering to the ground.

“That was probably a camera used to cover our parade,’’ offered Zineb Curran, Red Sox vice president of corporate communications.

A surprisingly snark-free column from Shank, but hey - you don't go pissing off the man who's cutting your paycheck every two weeks.