As Red Sox get off to a strong start, owner's hedge fund in freefall

John Henry acquired the Boston Red Sox in 2002, and led the team to its first first World Series victory since 1918 in 2004. This year, the team is off to a 26-11 start, good enough to give it the best record in baseball. However the hedge fund empire that gave Henry the money to buy the team has not fared so well. In fact it's performed more like the Kansas City Royals, who have the worst record in baseball. Since December of 2004 (2 months after the Red Sox won the Series), his fund has lost a mind-boggling 36% of its value, and assets under management have been cut in half to about $1.4 billion as investors flee in search of better returns.

The recent free-fall has given the investment legend a pretty poor long-term track record, and got me thinking: Is Henry just no longer that interested in trading commodities and such? He's already earned hundreds of millions, and one could hardly blame him for pursuing pennants instead of pork bellies.

This reminds me of a study I read about a few months ago, which suggests that companies whose CEO's have recently purchased large houses are likely to underperform the market. As I wrote then, "Building an expensive home may be a sign that a once-driven executive is getting bored with work. And besides, who has time to manage things like cash flow and strategic vision when there's wallpaper to pick out, home theater packages to choose from, and a wine cellar to design? Being a CEO takes a lot of time and energy, and so does building a palace. Something's gotta give."

My suggestion to investors: Avoid investments where the CEO or fund manager has interests other than making lots of money with your investment. This might sound cold-hearted, but it takes a super-human to build a great art collection and manage a company. As a loyal Red Sox fan, I'm thrilled that his fund has tanked as the Red Sox have soared, and I'm just glad I didn't have money in Mr. Henry's fund.