Alex Cora is going to attack this looming decision like every other decision he’s made since taking over as manager of the Boston Red Sox.
Shortly after Cora and his team won the World Series on Sunday night, reporters asked whether the Red Sox planned to attend a potential celebration at the White House. And as Cora explained at a year-end press conference Wednesday, the club will gather all the information, weigh it among themselves and make the decision they think is best for the greater good of the organization.
“I read a few things they asked me, and that was the last question when we won,” Cora said. “I’ve been using this platform the right way the whole time. We’ll talk about it as an organization and whatever we decide is going to be respected. If we decide to go, I will use my platform the right way. If you start looking at this team, we’ve got guys from the United States, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico. I’ll use the platform the right way.”
Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, is in an interesting spot when it comes to a potential trip to Washington, D.C. Cora was a somewhat outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, criticizing the president for his handling of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last year. The United States territory still is recovering, and Trump’s response — not to mention his criticism of Puerto Rico’s own leadership — has been a lightning rod for controversy.
Cora called the president’s comments “disrespectful” in the wake of the deadly hurricane. But if the Red Sox decide to go to the White House, it sounds like Cora will be making the trip, too.
“And like I said before, I know the headlines don’t show it, but I respect the president of the United States and I know he helped our country, so whenever we have to make that decision, we’ll make it, and (the decision) will be respected,” he said.
Red Sox owner John Henry indicated it’s likely the Red Sox will go to D.C. if invited, but he also noted that they haven’t been invited yet.
