Francona enjoyed his year in the broadcast booth, but never lost his desire to return to the clubhouse and the dugout. He loved the game too much. Throughout the summer of 2012, every time he’d walked into a big league clubhouse wearing his gray suit and purple tie he’d felt the urge to get back in uniform and peel open a can of Lancaster. When ESPN granted his request to cover the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Francona was invigorated watching freckle-faced 12-year-olds from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and Kearney, Nebraska.
“I love the Little League World Series,” he said. “It was always on TV in the clubhouse when I was around the big leagues. It was something I’d always wanted to attend. Everybody has got the right attitude about the game. It’s where county fair meets baseball. It’s the joy we all had when we first started playing. It’s the way baseball is supposed to be.”
On Saturday, August 25, the Red Sox shocked the baseball world when they traded Gonzalez, Crawford, Beckett, and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for first baseman James Loney and four prospects. The Dodgers assumed $261 million in future contract payments. It was the biggest Boston baseball trade since Babe Ruth was dealt to the Yankees in 1920, and it signaled the end of a failed era that had begun when the Sox tried throwing money at their problems after they were swept by the Angels in the 2009 playoffs. From 2009 to 2012, the Sox spent $629 million in player payroll and won zero playoff games.
The day the mega-deal was announced, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said, “We are not who we want to be.”
The Sox lost their final eight games and 12 of their last 13. They went 7–22 in September-October. On the night the season ended at Yankee Stadium, a 14–2 loss to the Yankees, Valentine said he’d been undermined by his own coaches during the season.
Valentine went to Lucchino’s home in Brookline the following morning and met with Henry, Werner, Lucchino, and Cherington. At 12:47 PM on Thursday, October 4, exactly 14 hours and 14 minutes after the last out at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox issued a statement announcing that Valentine would not return for the 2013 season. This time Lucchino admitted that his manager was fired. The Red Sox hired Toronto manager John Farrell—Francona’s pitching coach in Boston from 2007 to 2010—to succeed Valentine. The Sox had to part with infielder Mike Aviles to acquire Farrell, who had one year remaining on his contract with the Blue Jays.
On Monday, October 8, Terry Francona was named the 42nd manager of the Cleveland Indians. Tito Francona, who hit .363 for the Tribe in 1959, attended his son’s introductory press conference at Progressive Field.
The circle of the baseball life was complete. Only 100 miles from where he grew up in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, Terry Francona was back in a big league clubhouse, reading scouting reports, and making friends with the clubbies.
“Managing the Red Sox was the hardest job I ever had,” he said. “And it was the best job I ever had. Now it’s time to try it somewhere else.”
Acknowledgments
Terry Francona
I want to thank my dad, who was always there for me, even when he was away playing in the major leagues. His phone calls home were always the same. He’d say, “Did you try your best? Did you have fun?” And then, at the very end of the phone call, he’d sneak in, “How many hits did you get?”
I would like to thank every coach or manager I ever had the opportunity to play for. You might have thought I was not paying attention, but I watched and listened to everything! I’d also like to thank:
Greg Fazio, New Brighton High School baseball coach and lifelong friend: For allowing me to skip study hall so I could drag the infield on rainy days so we could always play.
Jerry Kindall: For teaching me not only to play the game correctly and with respect but also to respect the people in the game.
Larry Bearnarth, Memphis Chicks: For teaching me to never refer to a manager as “coach.”
Felipe Alou: For making me feel fearless on the playing field.
Dick Williams: Even though your stare terrified me, I knew and respected that you were always three innings ahead of the game.
Jim Fanning: For demonstrating that you can be a nice guy and a major league manager.
Bill Virdon: Honest as the day is long, and a sense of humor that flew way under the radar.
Buck Rodgers: For having a way of making the 25th player, me, feel just as important as one of his regulars.
Jim Frey: For giving me a second chance to play in the major leagues.
Gene Michael: For being able to view the game and see the big picture.
Pete Rose: I would have run through a wall for him, and the way I swung the bat, he probably wishes I did.
Steve Swisher: For believing that a 28-year-old with two rickety knees could fight his way back to the big leagues.
Doc Edwards: For allowing his players the freedom to play the game.
Tom Trebelhorn: For teaching me how important it is to communicate, be enthusiastic, and be organized.
Gaylen Pitts: For making Triple A baseball—after ten seasons in the big leagues—feel like a wonderful experience.
I want to thank Buddy Bell for believing in me and giving me an opportunity not only to manage in the minor leagues but also to serve under him as a major league coach. Without him, I would probably still be retaking the test for my real estate license.
Thanks to Brad Mills, John Farrell, DeMarlo Hale, and many other coaches who not only are some of my best friends, but help babysit me through thick and thin.
Thanks to the Philadelphia Phillies and Lee Thomas for going out on a limb and hiring a 36-year-old first-time manager. And to Ed Wade, who fired me, but who I enjoyed working with and respect to this day. Some people in this game become almost like family, and Bill Giles is one of those special people.
I want to thank Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti for showing me friendship and direction when I needed it most. And Ken Macha for allowing me to serve as his bench coach and inspiring me to want to manage again.
Thanks to the Boston Red Sox for allowing me seven years and five months of the hardest but best years of my life. Special thanks to Theo Epstein for believing in me and trusting me with the responsibility of being the manager. Thanks to the hardworking men of Boston baseball ops, who will be friends for life.
If you had told me on September 1, 2011, that by November of 2011, I would be jobless and writing a book with Dan Shaughnessy, I would have told you as eloquently as only I can do that this would happen as soon as a 200-pound hog jumps out of my ass. It turned out to be not only fun but very healthy for me to look back at the eight years of whirlwind ups and downs.
Thanks to Joe Buck for being gutsy enough and crazy enough to talk me into working two playoff games in the broadcast booth, which opened a whole new door for me, and a wonderful year with ESPN.
Dan Shaughnessy
Nobody predicted this pairing of authors. I am a sports columnist for the Boston Globe and Terry was manager of the Boston Red Sox for eight amazing seasons. Terry was mad at me for a good portion of his Red Sox years, and a couple of times per season I’d get a call from a team publicist telling me that Terry wanted a word. This usually resulted in a mildly heated exchange. I liked the fact that the manager could engage in a spirited debate or clarification, then move forward as if nothing had happened. I loved his daily press conferences with the Boston media. I always thought the two of us could have had a strong relationship if our jobs, by definition, hadn’t placed us in a perpetual position of conflict. This turned out to be true.
In a sense, I started working on this book when my dad drove my brother and me to my first Red Sox game at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles in 1961. Dad saved up enough S&H Green Stamps to get me a Tito Francona mitt in the summer of ’62.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt editor Susan Canavan and my agent, David Black, both sent me emails on September 30, 2011, the night Terry was fired by the Red Sox owners. They wanted me to see if Terry would like to work on a book about his eight
seasons in the Sox dugout. I sent Terry an email the next day, and though he was hesitant, he told me he would meet with David Black.
On November 29, 2011, Terry picked me up at my Newton home in his Cadillac Escalade. He was packed for our trip to New York, where publishers wanted to talk to the ex-manager of the Red Sox about a book project. Still skeptical, ever-hilarious, Terry’s opening remark when I got in his car was, “Our first stop is going to be someplace where we can get these windows tinted so nobody’ll see me driving you around!”
Our interview process for the book was exhaustive, thorough, and fun. We met dozens of times—in hotel lobbies and coffee shops in Boston, Brookline, Bristol, Fort Myers, Detroit, Chicago, and New York. We met at the Burger King at the Charlton rest stop on the Massachusetts Turnpike. I had my Sony digital recorder, and Terry had five decades of baseball stories, including tales of two World Series winners in a town that hadn’t won a World Series since 1918.
A word about the process of this book: The narrative represents Terry’s perspective and his recollections of his eight years in the Red Sox dugout, fortified by my own thousands of hours behind the scenes with the 2004–2012 Boston Red Sox and almost four decades of baseball coverage dating back to 1977 when I was a cub reporter covering the Orioles for the Baltimore Evening Sun.
We had a lot of help. The great Tito Francona was always available when I had a question about the Francona family or Terry’s youth. Terry’s trusted lieutenants Brad Mills, DeMarlo Hale, and John Farrell submitted to lengthy interviews, as did Sox players (and ex-players) David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis. Brian O’Halloran gave me an hour at spring training. In briefer sessions, I also spoke with Derek Lowe, Johnny Damon, Darnell McDonald, Bud Black, Twig Little, Derek Jeter, and Mark Teixeira. Sox traveling secretary Jack McCormick was a tremendous source on all things Tito. Clubbies Pookie Jackson and Steve Murphy embraced the project. Veterans Tommy McLaughlin and Joe Cochran were terrific, as always. A big thank-you goes out to Sox publicist Pam Kenn (she was Pam Ganley before August 2012), a Tito favorite. Thanks to Sox employees Ken Nigro, Dr. Larry Ronan, Ben Cherington, Sam Kennedy, Jon Shestakofsky, Leah Tobin, Abby DeCiccio, Peter Cohenno, Dick Bresciani, Debbie Matson, Sarah Narracci, Sheri Rosenberg, Brita Meng Outzen, Dr. Charles Steinberg, Billy Broadbent, Sarah McKenna, John Carter, Larry Cancro, Kevin Doyle, and Guy Spina. Thanks to Jenn Katz, Bernadette Serrette, John Perolito, John Keenan, Bob Mosher, Holly Munroe, Caitlin Neves, Abby Taylor, John McDermott, and Bob Allen on the EMC level. Bill and Alli Achtmeyer and Jan Aughe get big props for their help behind the scenes. Thanks to Jim Kaat, Tim McCarver, Dan Shulman, and Orel Hershiser. Thanks to Bobby Valentine for letting me inspect the “new” manager’s office at Fenway. Thanks to Sox CEO Larry Lucchino and chairman Tom Werner for their cooperation during a difficult season. Both agreed to be interviewed for this project.
The Boston Globe has been great to me. Thanks to Chris Mayer, Marty Baron, Caleb Solomon, and Joe Sullivan. Big thanks to Pete Abraham, Nick Cafardo, and Mike Vega for all they do on the Sox beat. Thanks to Bill Tanton, Dave Smith, Vince Doria, Don Skwar, John Lowe, Tim Kurkjian, Laurel Prieb and Wendy Selig-Prieb, Phyllis Merhige, Bob Ryan, Chris Gasper, Amalie Benjamin, Jonny Miller, Steve Buckley, Gordon Edes, Sean McAdam, Rob Bradford, Bill Ballou, Mike Fine, Lenny Megliola, Mike Silverman, Ian Browne, Gary Tanguay, Tony Massarotti, Bill Bridgen, Joe Amorosino, Lou Merloni, Jessica Moran, Mike Barnicle, Wendi Nix, Tom Verducci, and Joel Feld. Books like this are impossible to write today without a website like baseball-reference.com. Michael Holley’s Red Sox Rule was a terrific source.
Owing to his enduring respect for Terry Francona, Theo Epstein submitted to a three-hour interview (at Starbucks in Brookline) with multiple follow-ups.
David Black is master of the universe and has great taste in whiskey and New York eateries. Susan Canavan steered the ship from the first day, believed in us at every stop, and paid the tab at Post 390. Friends Paul Comerford and Christy Lemire were terrific early-version editors. The ever-patient computer whiz Sean Mullin gets his own thank-you page. Thanks to Jeremiah Manion and Charlie Smiley in the Globe library. Stan Grossfeld brought his soul and perspective to the project. Thanks to Ashley Gilliam for taking my calls and printing a million versions of the book as we went through the summer. Copyeditor Cindy Buck had more saves than Mariano Rivera. Thanks to Gary Gentel, Linda Zecher, Eric Shuman, and Bruce Nichols at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Thanks to Jeremy Kapstein, Ed Kleven, Lesley Visser, Kevin Dupont, Stephen Stills, Steve Sheppard, Sue Lodemore, and everybody else who tolerated a cranky author.
As ever, thanks to Marilou, Sarah, Kate, Rob, and Sam for their help and support at home in Newton.
Index
Abraham, Peter, [>], [>]
Abreu, Bobby, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Arroyo, Bronson, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
Bard, Daniel, [>], [>], [>]
Barnicle, Mike/Nick, [>], [>], [>]
baseball
beer and (summary), [>]–[>]
cultural change and, [>]–[>]
manager/general manager relationship changes, [>]–[>]
performance-enhancing drugs and, [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
phone call rules, [>]–[>]
Baseball Abstracts (James), [>], [>]–[>]
Baseball America, [>], [>]
Bay, Jason, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Beane, Billy, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Beckett, Josh
background, [>]
personality, [>], [>], [>], [>]
Red Sox/Francona, [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Red Sox trading, [>]–[>]
Belichick, Bill, [>], [>]
Bell, Buddy, [>], [>], [>], [>]
Bellhorn, Mark, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Beltre, Adrian, [>], [>], [>], [>]
Berra, Yogi, [>]–[>]
Black, Bud, [>], [>], [>]
Black Sox scandal (1919), [>]
Boddicker, Mike, [>], [>]
Bogar, Tim, [>], [>], [>]
Boone, Aaron, [>], [>], [>]
Boras, Scott, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Boston Globe, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Boston Herald, [>], [>], [>], [>]
Boston Red Sox
Cardiac Kids (1967), [>], [>]
clubhouse workers benefits program, [>]
Fort Myers location problems, [>]
meetings/clear-the-air meetings, [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]
“rebuilding” and, [>], [>], [>]
sabermetrics, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]
seventh inning stretch, [>]–[>]
switchboard and, [>]–[>]
tickets for players, [>]
2001 sale/purchase, [>], [>]–[>], [>]
Yankees rivalry, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]
See also Fenway Park
Boston Red Sox/Francona as manager
before games, [>]–[>]
card playing, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
chew, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
clubhouse workers and, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
computer skills, [>]–[>]
cribbage games, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
Fenway Park sellout streak record, [>]–[>]
first contract, [>]–[>]
hiring process, [>]–[>]
house in Boston, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
Japanese language and, [>], [>]
managing style, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]
media and, [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
office/toilet and, [>]–[>]
open-wallet p
olicy, [>]
players family matters and, [>]–[>]
routine on home dates, [>]–[>]
sabermetrics and, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
spring training accommodations, [>]–[>], [>]
status/statistics on, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
uniform issues, [>], [>]–[>], [>]
See also Boston Red Sox specific years; specific individuals
Boston Red Sox/Francona leaving
clubhouse culture (“chicken and beer”) and, [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]
Epstein, [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]
family and, [>], [>]
Hohler’s article/“team sources,” [>]–[>], [>]
media and, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>]–[>]
meeting with owners, [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]
on owners, [>]
pain medication and, [>], [>], [>], [>]
players on, [>]–[>], [>], [>]
press conferences, [>], [>]–[>]
press release, [>]
Boston Red Sox (2004)/Francona as manager
getting thrown out of game, [>]
homework before season, [>]–[>]
meetings, [>]
spring training, [>], [>]–[>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]
team rules, [>]–[>], [>]
See also specific individuals
Boston Red Sox (2004 season)
American League Championship/playoffs, [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
games, [>]–[>], [>], [>], [>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>], [>]–[>]
scarf fight, [>]
starting rotation, [>]
See also specific individuals
Boston Red Sox (2004 spring training)
accommodations, [>]
first “big” meeting, [>]–[>]
game wins/losses, [>]
See also specific individuals
Boston Red Sox (2004 World Series)
Francona: The Red Sox Years Page 42