Fox Sports is reporting tonight that Terry Francona and the Red Sox brass will meet in Boston on Friday, and the team will decline the options they have on him for 2012 and 2013, rather than fire him. That would officially end his spectacular run with the Red Sox.
Count me in the group that doesn't like this.
Here's the Fox Sports story.
John Tomase has an interesting article in the Boston Herald about Francona and some of the issues with the players during the season that may have led to the September train wreck.
Q:
ReplyDeleteI'm a Yankees fan and while it did not disappoint me to see the Sox not make the playoffs this year (a reaction borne more out of respect than loathing), I think Terry Francona is about as good as it gets in MLB.
I read some stuff on-line this morning from the Herald and the Globe and a lot of it read very familiar to me. It sounded a lot like what Torre endured in the latter part of his run with the Yankees when management brought in players who were not necessarily "his" guys. If he walks away from Boston or they decide to let him go and a team like the White Sox does not pounce on him in about 9 seconds, then they are fools.
I'm a Yankees fan who is a big Joe Torre fan and Torre has never said anything other than good things about Terry Francona. That's good enough for me.
I would bet Tito takes some time off, Adam. Managing in Boston is really being in the fishbowl, and with the health problems he's had, I bet he stays out a year or two.
ReplyDeleteI tend you agree with you about the players brought in who were not "his" guys. The clubhouse was not good, and I think Tito thought this was the perfect time to leave.