If the groundswell to nominate Werner evolved as reported, with Reinsdorf & Moreno leading the way as they attempt to corral a pretty small opposition group of at least 6 more owners, then I can only assume Werner's name didn't come up as part of some exhaustive committee search. It was two guys floating a trial balloon.
Based on that I'll further assume it was either Reinsdorf or Moreno that personally approached Werner with this proposal, and that he agreed to accept the post if nominated. And that means Werner is likely in agreement with the agendas of Reinsdorf & Moreno, which would make him anti-Manfred. I could be wrong, but I doubt it. If Werner's name was just thrown out there without anyone actually gauging his interest and positions on key issues, I doubt this "committee" would have included Werner as one of three finalists, and I'm certain we'd have heard a "thanks, but no thanks" statement of flattery and denial from him by now in the wake of yesterday's news reports.
So now I'm left wondering what his motivation would be to break ranks with Manfred. What decisions or postures taken by Manfred could be seen as having irked Werner? What goals of Reinsdorf and/or Moreno would Werner be philosophically aligned with?
I'm also curious how he weighed "continued Red Sox ownership stake" on one hand, and "selling that stake to become commissioner of the sport" on the other and decided on the latter. One possible angle is that despite the value of NESN as a brand and a network, I think we can all agree that, as JimBoSox9 points out, the network's independently-produced content leaves much to be desired in terms of both popularity (ratings) and industry praise for originality and creativity. Take away the actual games and the pre/post-game shows, and the only NESN-created programming that's garnered any sort of popularity or acclaim over his dozen years as an owner is the kids' show hosted by Gary Striewski that just debuted this season.
There's a shitload of bodies in NESN's production graveyard -- Sox Appeal, Pocket Money (that stupid Jaywalking ripoff hosted by Fitzy), Globe 10.0 (the PTI ripoff), Red Sox Small Talk, Dirty Water TV, and virtually every SportsCenter-esque news/update program they've ever developed. Even the pre/post-game shows have had their warts, with a parade of panelists like Sam Horn and Jack Fucking Welch who became laughing stocks. Then there's the embarrassment of having D&C on their airwaves, with two (now three) guys spouting opinions for three hours a day that at best contradict Werner's known political views, and at worst insult and alienate significant portions of NESN's target demographic (not to mention issues with sponsors). For the balance of weekday mornings, the network airs a parade of infomercial garbage. For a guy like Werner, who enjoyed a ridiculous amount of success and critical praise as a Hollywood TV producer, I have to wonder how much this may be a source of professional frustration for him. As far as we know, all the in-stadium stuff is the work of Steinberg, not Werner. So what are the positive contributions he can point to as a TV guy other than the money generated through people watching Sox/Bruins games and their lead-in/recap shows?
I also don't think it's a quantum leap to ask if this development lends more legitimacy to the whispers about Henry (and Werner) possibly selling the team.
