The team released the following statement today:

Neither John Henry, Tom Werner, nor any affiliates of the Boston Red Sox are involved in any sales discussions or negotiations with regard to the acquisition of the Boston Globe.

Remember, just a few days ago, Henry struck a very different tone in an email to the Herald:

Perhaps it's my inner Grinch/Twins fan talking, but I was struck by Sox owner John Henry's response to losing the Mark Texeira sweepstakes to the Yankees. From the Globe's Nick Cafardo:

"From the moment we arrived in Boston in late 2001, we saw it as a monumental challenge," Sox owner John Henry said in an e-mail to the Associated Press, in reference to competing with the Yankees.

In my recent column on media conflicts-of-interest and their disclosure, I credited the Boston Globe for finally realizing that the connection between its corporate parent, the NY Times Co., and the Boston Red Sox should always be noted.

But judging from today's Sox advertorial--which opens with the dubious claim, "When the Red Sox are up, it doesn't matter that the Dow is down"--I spoke too soon.

Amalie Benjamin is taking over for Gordon Edes as the paper's Red Sox beat writer. Also, Tony Massarotti is jumping from the Herald for a new online-focused job. Plus, Boston.com gets a new sports reporter!

Here's the memo* sports editor Joe Sullivan sent this afternoon:

We have some very exciting changes to announce in the sports department.