A newspaper report quoting team sources said the Red Sox believed manager Terry Francona was distracted last season by marital issues and his use of pain medication.
Francona has been separated from his wife, Jacque, this year.
Francona told the newspaper that he consulted with the team’s internist, Dr. Larry Ronan, during spring training after one of his children expressed concern about a pill bottle in his hotel room. “I went and saw the proper people and it was not an issue,’’ Francona said. “It never became an issue, and anybody who knew what was going on knows that.’' ESPN
I know he had 20 surgeries and I know how hard pain pill addiction can be, but you can't have your manager popping pills like a motherfucker. This is probably why Francona hasn't got a job because his mind is elsewhere. And who would hire someone who's full attention isn't in the game. This is by no means excusing Francona as a shitty coach as he was for the passed 8 years with the Red Sox and before he was backed by money he had a losing record as a manager.
Francona needs to take care of himself before he gets another job.
DP alluded to this earlier, and I was kind of shocked since DP is the biggest Francona hater of all time, but even he had to admit that the owners kind of handled this Francona departure poorly. I mean why did it take this long to come out and talk about what happened, and at least give the guy some credit for all the work he had put in? I mean the guy put in 8 years, and although he may have lost the clubhouse over the last 2 years the Red Sox did enjoy their best success they have had since the early 1900's during his time here. I am a huge Francona supporter, but I had to admit to myself that after hearing everything that had happened that it was best for the Red Sox and Francona to probably move on. That being said, there is classy ways to do it, and I think they let Francona take the bullet by himself.
Anyways, there did finally come out and talk today on WEEI (a little bit anyways). Here are some main points I found interesting from the interview...
"He did a fantastic job for us over the years," Lucchino added. "He was contemplating his ninth year in this pressure cooker that is Boston. Different teams require different skill sets and different talents. I think he made a self-assessment, with which we concurred. To that extent, it was mutual and the phrase mutual does fit. It was still a sad occasion. There was no joy that day."
"We went through challenge after challenge, various reasons for the breakdown. We talked to Tito about whether he was ready for this, given all the challenges he enumerated," said Lucchino. "He made clear to us that he wasn’t. What were his words. Something like, ‘You need a new voice down there. I’m not your man for next year. I think my time here is up.’ In some ways, he took that position. That is a very determinative factor when your manager feels spent and feels like there needs to be a change.
Here are of the rest that I found interesting.
- They would not discuss the Cubs request to talk to Theo, but it was damn obvious that they had since they wouldn't deny it. They also said that anytime that anyone asks to talk to someone that they almost always grant it as long as it's a promotion.
- They are not interviewing any managers yet, but Theo is actively involved, but it was interesting from them to keep pointing out that Ben Cherington is also very involved. May be of them getting people ready for him taking over. Kept repeating that "no one person makes these big decisions" (Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford).
- "Theo will not be the GM forever".
- "Younger players have a much bigger impact now then they ever did". Could mean the Red Sox will look to their minor leagues, more then going out and trying to make a splash in free agency, but also admitted they will not back off free agent signings just because they sucked at it recently."
So, overall as much as they tried to put out the fire of Theo leaving, it certainly sounds like it is a very real possibility, and I would even go as far as to say it kind of sounded like they were trying to soften the blow a little bit. Maybe I am wrong, but that's what I took from it.
This is certainly going to be a very interesting offseason, but this Theo crap needs to end before the end of the World Series. Either way it goes, you can't hire a manager if you don't know who you're GM is going to be (in my opinion). I have come to the conclusion that I want Theo here, unless the Cubs are willing to give some worthwhile back (taking Lackey's contract, or a player that can come in and start right away), or if Theo won't sign an extension with the Red Sox then I would just rather have him leave now. I would at that point rather just start fresh across the board, then patch together one more year. Otherwise, I think the Red Sox should extend him.
Here are some quotes: "I have to own a lot of the responsibility for what happened," Francona said of the team's 7-20 finish to the season. "It was my responsibility to not let what happened happen. So regardless of how ownership feels or regardless of how (general manager) Theo (Epstein) feels or how the fans feel, I had a responsibility to get something done and it didn't get done. ...
"Maybe it was just time. It certainly hurts. Some things I felt like was able to get done in the past, I wasn't able to quite get done this year, especially at the end. That bothered me, a lot."
He didn't take issue with the idea that there may or may not have been players drinking, but rather with what they weren't doing.
"If someone walks around with a cup full of beer ... I don't think it's the end of the world," Francona said. "I don't think it's like it's being portrayed. More in general was the idea that I wanted the guys that weren't down on the bench I wanted them on the bench, I wanted them to support their teammates. Things like that. Whether they had a cup of beer or not wasn't the end of the world to me. It was more of an attitude toward our team that distressed me."
Francona's style, he said, was to give players the benefit of the doubt and not react to every little thing. That's a philosophy he's questioning in the aftermath of his departure.
"Maybe it cost me a little bit in the end," Francona said. "Theo and I had this conversation too about whether I was the right person for this team going forward. Because obviously there need to be some changes made here, and I don't think I was.WEEI
Know what would really help? If John Henry issued a statement rather than release bullshit tweets. If he help a press conference saying, "You know it's been 8 years and I feel we needed a change." People would stop making their own assumptions and just realize he's the owner of the team and he has the final say.
Although I hate Francona and have been happy to see him go, I do think management has handled his departure poorly.
Francona was over his head without a team leader, he didn't have a Kevin Millar, Curt Schilling and it seems that Pedroia, Varitek, and Youkilis weren't as strong of a presence as we thought.
I hope that with the firing of Francona and 1st base coach Ron Johnson means they are going to wipe the slate clean and almost hitting the reset button with the coaching staff. Maybe some fresh faces will be more effective in the dugout.
Everyone is saying that Terry Francona would be a great fit for the White Sox and aren't really seeing the big picture when it comes to his managerial style. Francona is best suited for a team that manages itself and not a team in complete turmoil. If anyone followed the White Sox this year, they know that it's a team with a ton of underachievers Alex Rios, Adam Dunn, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Gordon Beckham and Terry Francona isn't the motivator that would get these guys on the right track.
Also, Francona is going to come with a huge price tag and if they want someone to pat their players on the ass and tell them it will be ok, they can hire me for an 1/8th of the cost. Francona would be more fit for a St. Louis type of team than a team like Chicago.
Anyways, I think Chicago passes because they no his deal and will hire a good manager.
Although he wasn't fired, and although it seemed to be a mutual breakup, the Red Sox' owners were not supporting Francona. Even if Francona wanted to work in such an environment, I doubt the Sox were going to pickup his option. There have already been reports that the ownership decided 2 weeks ago to cut him lose. This seems like a mutual breakup but it's not. Imagine if your girlfriend said "I'm not attracted to you and want to sleep with other men." You probably wouldn't want to see her anymore, but it wouldn't be a mutual breakup.
The Red Sox' collapse was not Terry Francona's fault. At least not nearly as much as the players' fault. No manager, no matter how insightful, inspiring, or ingenious, could get Erik Bedard to be anything but Erik Bedard. No manager could coax a shred of decency from John Lackey.
A very vocal and very stupid minority in Red Sox Nation are blaming Francona for lack of control in the clubhouse. The leaked incident about starting pitchers drinking during games is being used as People's Exhibit A against Francona, who has always been a player's manager.
It's funny how this vocal minority aren't blaming the grown men who acted like this. Francona isn't a disciplinarian, but he's not supposed to be a babysitter. During a game, is he supposed to do surprise inspections of the clubhouse? Like some college dorm RA, looking for booze.
I think we can guess who the problems were in this clubhouse. John Lackey is quite clearly a scumbag. He sounds like he's drunk all the time. He also pitches like he's drunk all the time.
Erik Bedard doesn't strike me as a good character. Some players, when they get a chance to play for a contender in a pennant race, step up their performance. Bedard seemed to lazily cruise.
JD Drew, at the very least, is not a positive influence.
Josh Beckett is a fraud. He's a fake Texas Tough Guy. He's a wannabe Stone Cold Steve Austin that gets sidelined by blisters and the slightest of illnesses. I can't say he was a clubhouse problem, but he doesn't seem to be much of a leader.
Then there's the excuse makers. Every time this team struggled, there were excuses. Injuries. The lack of a DH in interleague play. God. Et cetera.
This clubhouse was full of babies and jerks. And while they were winning, these character flaws were hidden. They were exposed when the losing started. It's the chicken and the egg, really. Does poor chemistry cause losing, or does losing cause poor chemistry. One thing I know from the past is that good chemistry prevents losing from lasting too long (See: 2004 ALCS).
Blaming Francona for how adults act is a bit silly. He's not a schoolteacher or a babysitter. He's a baseball manager. And he is who he is. He's not going to change his style because the players under his charge are misbehaving.
But even though it's not his fault that the players didn't respect him, when the situation deteriorates like it did in September, it's time to change managers. If employees don't respect their supervisor, even if it's not the supervisor's fault, you have to change supervisors.
This team is poorly assembled, though. Do Bill James and his mathmagicians take character (or lack of) into consideration when they recommend a player to Theo? I feel like Francona was a teacher given a classroom of drug addicts, troublemakers, and morons. Then he was fired because they acted like drug addicts, troublemakers, and morons.
The question now is who replaces Francona? Who replaces a man who averaged 93 wins in his 8 seasons here? Who replaces a 2 time World Series winner? Who replaces a guy who handled players like Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis while simultaneously handling the Boston Sports Media and did so while never throwing anyone under the bus? What kind of man can juggle that well?
The Nation wants discipline. But Earl Weaver is not walking through that door.
Sox fans are clamoring for Joe Maddon. That'd be fine with me. It couldn't hurt Crawford's performance. But that guy is hardly Bill Parcells. He's not as laid back as Tito, but he's not a whip-cracker either. And why would he want to leave Tampa Bay? Why would he want to leave a contender that has great young pitching for a semi-contender that has awful veteran pitchers? Why would he want to leave a clubhouse full of character for a den of drinking and excuses.
To be honest, I don't think changing the managerial situation will turn this team around. Signing a top starting pitcher (CJ Wilson would be nice), giving Lackey his outright release (it's a better investment to pay him $15 million to not pitch here), getting Buchholz and Youkilis back, adding a reliable set-up man to the bullpen. These are the things that will bring October baseball back to Boston.
All you Francona ball washers out there are turning your anger towards Theo after the collapse and saying it is equally his fault. It's not, Theo gets players and that's where it ends. He doesn't let them get fat and drink in the locker room, he doesn't mismanage a bullpen, he doesn't leave our dead arm starters out there too long, he doesn't mismanage the line up, and he doesn't directly effect the game. Francona did. Theo has made some mistakes in John Lackey, Brad Penny, and John Smoltz and Bobby Jenks. JD Drew signing was fine in my eyes and I'll leave the Crawford alone for now.
If Theo does leave to the Cubs that would absolutely kill the Red Sox, I don't get why John Henry is letting him interview because he will really effect the team. The Yankees thought about getting rid of Cashman and he would be the only acceptable guy to replace Theo is they do infact let him go. Theo has done a lot right in Boston, including getting our home grown talent up and making some awesome trades that directly got us to the World Series (Nomar and Beckett/Lowell).
Leave Theo alone, stop projecting your bitterness of Francona on him. Shut up!
Terry Francona, who was the first Red Sox manager to win multiple World Series titles with the team since Bill Carrigan (1915 and 1916), will no longer be managing the Sox.
I'm not sure if this isn't a semi-mutual decision. Francona didn't seem pleased with the team he was given, nor with Theo Epstein, and I wouldn't be shocked if he told the Sox owners that he didn't want to be back, and at the same time management said to him that they didn't want him back.
We'll undoubtedly get some leaks in the Sox controlled media about a lack of discipline in the Sox clubhouse. Francona has a reputation for leniency, for being a "player's manager." To me, that's what allowed the Sox to be relaxed in the 2004 and 2007 ALCS. But those teams also had more veteran leadership to keep things in line.
They also had better pitching on those teams, which may have helped them win. I know that's a crazy idea, that good pitching wins games.
Quite frankly, I don't think that baseball managers have much of an effect on the game. It's not like football coaches who call the plays, or hockey and basketball coaches who constantly shift people in and out of the game. A baseball manager is relatively uninvolved in the winning and losing of a team.
That's why I feel this is unfair to Francona. He can't make John Lackey a better pitcher. He can't make JD Drew a tough, gutsy player. And he also doesn't have any power to punish these guys for not performing. What's he supposed to threaten JD Drew with? Benching him? "Either get out and play or I'm not going to let you play."
This team was not well assembled. And that's Theo Epstein's fault. John Lackey, Carl Crawford, and JD Drew commanded over $44.5 million in salary this season. What did they contribute? If I'm John Henry, and I've invested over $160 million (plus the luxury tax) into this team, I want to hold Theo accountable for how he's spent it. "What are you doing with my money?"
Sox fans want a manager that will be more of a disciplinarian. Do you think that will work in a clubhouse full of overpaid bums and underpaid superstars? Guys like Pedroia and Youkilis will fall in line, but those two are disciplined on their own, even without a manager. Sox fans are clamoring for a change in personalities. And I have a feeling that if Sox brass listen to them and hire some guy who will fine players for not shaving their sideburns, this team will suffer not prosper.
I understand the move, but if the Sox really want to turn the proverbial ship around, they can't just fire the ship's captain. They have to get rid of the guy who put the lazy crew together. In terms of results on the field, the Red Sox have let go of the best manager they've ever had.
Reports are that Terry Francona will not have his option picked up after the historic collapse. "It has not been decided yet whether (Francona) is wanted back or will want to come back," the source said. Francona's fate could be decided in a meeting of the team's upper management of owner John Henry, CEO Larry Lucchino and chairman Tom Werner. The meeting is expected to be held on Friday.
*****UPDATE***** It's official!
According to the New York Daily News, Red Sox owner John Henry scheduled a meeting with manager Terry Francona Friday morning to tell the skipper the team will not pick up his option for 2012 and '13. Daily News writer Bill Madden credits sources with the information and reports that the decision was Henry's and not general manager Theo Epstein
THANK GOD! Terry Francona and his bad managing of the team has been haunting us for years and finally will be let go. I can't believe it took an epic collapse for Theo, John Henry, Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner to see the light. I could have told them this years ago.
I love how BMack and the Captain have washed this losers balls for the past years and probably still will. Like always, they are wrong and their blind loyalty makes them look like assholes now.
I could care less about the 2 world series and his win percentage because I think the Captain could have coached that team to that. To coach an AL Team isn't hard, it's actually very easy, you don't need to worry about line up changes or a pitcher hitting, you just have to worry about when our pitcher should come out, and somehow Francona fucked that up.
Nah nah nah, hey hey hey Goddbye
We are going to look back and realize the collapse was the best thing that happened to us due to Francona losing his job.
Seriously Captain and Bob are you still going to live in la la land and not realize all of this is Terry Francona's fault. Yesterday was a winnable game, we should have won it, our fucking beloved Tito cost us a a huge game that could ultimately cost us the season. You could tell that Beckett didn't have it in the 5th when he was walking and letting up hits to everyone. He was lucky to only get out of the inning letting up 1 run and leaving the bases loaded. It was tied at 2 and Aceves could have came in. But no, fucking Tito decides to throw Beckett out there in the 6th and he promptly lets up 4 runs on another homerun (although inside). Buck Showalter understood the writing was on the wall with Tommy Hunter and pulled him after the 5th for relievers, you know why? Because he manages to win, not to protect and not hurt his players feelings.
Yesterday a candidate got removed that would be a hell of a manager in Boston. Ozzie Guillen, all reports say he is headed to Miami, but maybe just maybe our we can swipe him up before the Marlins get him. Ozzie is a firey guy, who has managed a World Series championship team with far less talent than Boston has. Ozzie puts pressure on his players and tells it like it is, kind of the opposite of Francona, and that is exactly what we need.
Francona's season is inexcusable and he must go, how does not everyone say this?
