WERNER TABBED FOR WINFIELD AWARD

TOM WERNER TO BE HONORED WITH
“DAVE WINFIELD HUMANITARIAN” AWARD
AT PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL SCOUTS FOUNDATION’S
10TH ANNUAL “IN THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME” SPECTACULAR AT HYATT REGENCY CENTURY PLAZA ON JAN. 12, 2013

LOS ANGELES, CA (November 14, 2012) – Television Producer and Chairman of the Boston Red Sox, Tom Werner, will be honored at the “In the Spirit of the Game” Sports and Entertainment Spectacular as the recipient of the “Dave Winfield Humanitarian” Award. Werner’s leadership and dedication to the game will be recognized at the Foundation’s 10th annual affair at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013.

Werner will be presented with the award by its namesake, Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, who spent 22 years in the Majors. Dodgers’ manager Don Mattingly will receive the Tommy Lasorda managerial award and Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully will be honored with the Bud Selig Executive Leadership Award.

Prior to becoming a baseball owner, Werner created some of the top television hits, including “The Cosby Show,” “Roseanne,” “Third Rock from the Sun” and “That ‘70s Show”. He then turned his love for baseball into becoming an owner of the San Diego Padres and later Chairman of the Boston Red Sox.

RED SOX COMMENT ON LOU GORMAN

Lou Gorman dies at age 82

 

BOSTON RED SOX STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF LOU GORMAN

The Boston Red Sox mourn the loss of Executive Consultant and former General Manager James “Lou” Gorman, who passed away earlier this morning.  Lou, who courageously battled against a variety of health issues in the last year, died of congestive heart failure at the age of 82. The team extends its deepest sympathies to Lou’s beloved wife Mary Lou and extended family, as well as his legions of friends in baseball and beyond whose lives Lou touched.

“Lou Gorman was a legendary figure in the game of baseball,” said Red Sox Principal Owner John W. Henry. “Over the course of a career that spanned five decades, Lou helped to build winning teams across the sport, including the 1986 American League Champion Red Sox. Lou also served his country with honor and distinction, spending more than eight years of active service in the United States Navy. Above all else, Lou Gorman was a profoundly decent man who always had a kind word and an optimist’s perspective. His warm spirit and fundamental goodness will be greatly missed.”

“Lou Gorman truly was a good man and a friend to all,” Chairman Tom Werner said. “A proud son of Rhode Island, he returned to his native New England in the mid-1980s and chartered the Red Sox baseball operations department. Lou promptly led the club to the AL Pennant and the 1986 World Series. But for those who had the good fortune to meet him, Lou will be remembered as much for his disposition and character as his baseball acumen. The Boston Red Sox and the rest of baseball will not be the same without Lou, but we are all better for having known him.”

“Lou Gorman was first and foremost a gentleman: kind, warm, decent, and positive.  He treated everyone with dignity and saw each person he encountered as a potential friend,” said President/CEO Larry Lucchino.  “I will deeply miss sitting and watching Red Sox home games with Lou, learning from his wisdom and character.  They just don’t make them like Lou Gorman.  That is not a cliché; it is a historical fact.

“Lou Gorman was a giant in our industry,” said Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein. “During half a century in the game, Lou impacted and helped so many people in countless ways. We’ll dearly miss this good, humble man who leaves an unmistakable legacy on the Red Sox and Major League Baseball.”

In addition to his active role as Executive Consultant to the Club, Lou had been serving as Coordinator of the Red Sox Hall of Fame, one of several Halls of Fame to which he belonged. A graduate of LaSalle Academy in Providence and Stonehill College in North Easton, MA, Lou was an outstanding student/athlete who also earned a Master’s Degree in Education at Bridgewater State. Before his time with the Red Sox, he helped construct winning teams with the Orioles, Royals and Mets, in addition to launching the expansion Seattle Mariners.  Lou Gorman leaves behind his loved ones and a baseball industry full of dear friends.

FENWAY SPORTS GROUP NEWLY CREATED

Today New England Sports Ventures (NESV) announced that it has officially assumed a new corporate name, Fenway Sports Group. 

 Created in 2001, Fenway Sports Group is one of the largest sports, media and entertainment companies in the world.  Fenway Sports Group’s portfolio of companies includes some of the most storied names and clubs in worldwide sports including:  the Boston Red Sox, a Major League Baseball club; Liverpool FC, an English Premier League football club; Fenway Sports Management (formerly FSG), a sales and marketing company; 80% of New England Sports Network (NESN), a regional sports television network; and 50% of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR racing team.  The company also owns two of the most renowned venues in sports:  Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox; and Anfield Stadium, home of Liverpool FC.  Fenway Sports Group is led by Principal Owner John Henry and Chairman Tom Werner, with additional ownership interests being held by a select number of prestigious individuals and The New York Times.

 The name change occurred following the acquisition of Liverpool FC, which solidified the more global nature of the Company’s diversified holdings and set its course for more world-wide pursuits.  Fenway Sports Group, which began using the name informally over the last few months to replace NESV, made the change official today and has launched its new website, www.fenwaysportsgroup.com. 

A change in the parent Company name to Fenway Sports Group initiated re-branding efforts for FSG, the sales representation and sports marketing arm of the Company.  Boston-based FSG will now operate as Fenway Sports Management (FSM), which preserves the connection to its former name under which it operated for the last six years, while providing a more accurate reflection of the firm’s service offerings and world-wide aspirations.

 FSM specializes in property representation, sponsorship sales, and brand management consulting, and serves as the global sports marketing and sales arm of Fenway Sports Group.   Since its inception in 2004, FSM has created successful integrated sports marketing programs for the blue chip brands it represents including: the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, NESN, Roush Fenway Racing, Major League Baseball Advanced Media, Boston College Athletics and PGA TOUR Playoff event the Deutsche Bank Championship. FSM’s current and former consulting clients include Verizon Wireless, Dunkin’ Donuts, JetBlue Airways, Solar Blue, Gulf Oil, Athletes’ Performance and the Green Bay Packers.

 FSM will continue to operate with an entrepreneurial spirit, and seek opportunities to create and be involved with a select number of new projects with an eye toward those that are beneficial to the parent Company.  In 2010, FSM helped bring the NHL’s storied outdoor Winter Classic to Fenway Park, where the Boston Bruins hosted the Philadelphia Flyers.  To capitalize on the excitement of the Winter Classic, FSM developed Sun Life Frozen Fenway, the first-ever outdoor college hockey doubleheader to take place at the historic Park.  That summer FSM also produced Football at Fenway, an international friendly match played on the ballfield featuring legendary Scottish Premier League contender Celtic Football Club vs. Sporting, a leading club from Portugal.