I can’t feel nothin’ unless it’s lethal

The image John Henry uses on his Twitter page.

I love Twitter. I really do. Without much action on my part, I can get updated sports news, find out who the latest celebrity is to die and learn where the Jonas Brothers will next be making an appearance. It’s one- stop shopping for the lazy and/or nosy.

To me, it’s interesting to read what’s on the minds of others. Others I CHOOSE to follow. One of those people I choose to follow is John Henry. He’ll be taking heat Monday from small-minded people (read Yankees fans and/or people who cover the Yankees or people who just like giving John Henry a hard time) because of this tweet from Sunday:

News from Yankees’ Universe. Big upsurge in membership. Apparently coming mostly from Pluto. Not doing nearly as well on Mars.

I laughed out loud when I read it. On its own, it isn’t even particularly funny. But the idea that the principal owner of the Red Sox took the time (once again, because he’s done it before) to jab the Yankees HUMOROUSLY via Twitter, cracked me up.

Here’s what the naysayers will say (and are already): He should have better things to do with his time. He should act like a professional. He shouldn’t be worried about the Yankees when his own team just lost their first series after the All Star break.

Meh. Stick in in your hats, naysayers. Here’s a newsflash: John Henry is a gazillionaire. (I could be wrong, there, he might only be a kajillionaire.) He has all the money and time in the world to do whatever the heck he wants to. He isn’t out picking fights with Yankees fans. He isn’t sitting in the “good” seats at the new Yankee Stadium holding a sign that says “You can sit in this spot at Fenway for a third of the price of these tickets!” He is, by most accounts, a good, if socially awkward, guy with a ton of money and the world at his fingertips. And that world includes Twitter. It’s his way of connecting with the fans without having to have a “real” connection. And guess what? Jabs at the Yankees is always a good way to connect with Red Sox fans. (And, come on! After years of making fun of the Red Sox for Red Sox Nation, now the Yankees have a “Universe” that they charge admission to? Sounds to me like they took a page right out of the Red Sox book on marketing, no?)

It’s interesting to note that no one was writing about all the tweeting Henry did while he was on his honeymoon. As a matter of fact, I find it interesting that the sports media obsessed on his wedding and then conveniently ignored the fact that he chose to go to South Africa on his honeymoon. And if his tweets are to be believed, he and his new wife spent a good amount of time not partying or celebrating their nuptials, but meeting with doctors and Archbishop Tutu to discuss the HIV and TB epidemic there. He chose his honeymoon to do some good and he tweeted about it daily…but let’s set him on fire for making a few jokes about the Yankees.

I understand that there are those who probably believe an owner should be above such wordplay but I’m not one of them. I think more owners, gms and higher-ups should use Twitter the way Henry does. Not for any earth-shattering, ground-breaking news, but for entertainment purposes. (Henry has been known to tweet during games when something good OR bad happens.) I really believe that some contact with the little people is a good thing.

Oh well. My solace comes in the genuine belief that when October rolls around, Yankees fans and the writers who cover their team will be looking for alternate forms of entertainment while Red Sox fans are watching their team roll into history again. I can deal with some humorless sour grapes for a few months before we get there.

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