Red Sox fire GM Duquette

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - The new owners of the Boston Red Sox fired general manager Dan Duquette on Thursday, less than 24 hours after taking control of the historic, hard-luck franchise. <br> <br> His former assistant Mike Port will be the interim general manager. <br> <br> In his eight-year tenure, Duquette grew to be one of the most polarizing figures in Boston sports, guiding the team with a robotic style that never quite clicked with the most passionate fandom in baseball.<br> <br> ``Things went very professionally,&#39;&#39; said new president Larry Lucchino. <br> <br> Duquette was absent on Wednesday when new owner John Henry and Lucchino leaned out of an office window at City of Palms Park and gave two thumbs up to reporters watching from the press box. They had just received the phone call from Boston telling them the deal was done, ending seven decades of ownership by the Yawkey family and its trust. <br> <br> Lucchino said he, Henry and co-owner Tom Werner met with Duquette in Duquette&#39;s hotel to give him the news. Duquette scheduled a news conference for later Thursday. <br> <br> It was unclear how long Port would be interim GM. <br> <br> ``It could take a few weeks or a few months,&#39;&#39; he said. ``It is a key long-term decision that should not be dictated by a clock or a calendar.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Manager Joe Kerrigan, who went 17-26 after Jimy Williams was fired in August, will keep his job for now. But the new owners have said that other changes are coming in the scouting department and front office. <br> <br> The $660 million purchase includes 80 percent of New England Sports Network plus $40 million in assumed debt. The price more than doubled the previous record for a baseball franchise - $323 million paid by Larry Dolan for the Cleveland Indians in 2000. <br> <br> Port served as general manager of the California Angels from 1984 to 1991, a period that included the 1986 last-inning playoff loss to the Red Sox. <br> <br> Port joined the Red Sox as assistant GM in 1993 and became vice president of baseball operations in 1996.

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