Francona Apparently Leaving Sox

[VA Sox Fan]

They should hire Walrus to manage.

 

And it's about time the Budweiser Right Field Roof had a Van Halen cover band on a full-time basis.

 

Seriously, anybody but Valentine!!!

 

I agree especially with regard to Valentine, no fk'n thanks.

 

Why do people think Eck, Rice, Fisk, Remy or any former Sox player wants to manage?

[msubulldogs21]

3.Jerry Remy

 

I'm not sure Remy would be interested, and you also have to take his health into consideration.

 

As for Torre, I'm pretty confident he's done managing. He's got a nice easy gig working for MLB in New York, and I think he's cool with that.

[VA Sox Fan]

Statement from Epstein

 

Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff September 30, 2011 01:40 PM

 

This from the Red Sox:

 

Boston Red Sox Executive Vice President/General Manager Theo Epstein released the following statement today:

 

"John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Ben Cherington and I met with Terry Francona this morning at Fenway Park to exchange thoughts and information on the 2011 season and discuss areas for improvement going forward. We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement."

[Palodios]

So, they haven't decided yet.

[SoxSport]

Francona is leaving because they aren't picking up his option. Because Tito has long service with the team,

he probably is being given some rope here--to make it look like he's decided to leave. After all, Henry and Werner know it isn't all Tito's fault. There's a lot of blame to spread around the organization. I would expect all the coaches to go, for one. For another, you wonder if Epstein is being let off the hook. He is also a part of the problem--though it's more complicated to let him go.

[example1]

So' date=' they haven't decided yet.[/quote']

 

Good.

 

They need to think this over carefully. If there were d-bags in the clubhouse then you need to get them out.

 

Perhpas this serves as a scare moment for Tito, enforcing that the management and ownership have his back to be more of an *******.

 

I hate, HATE the idea that guys were drinking in the clubhouse. It reflects such a lack of understanding about both the responsibility and the privlege that these players have.

 

No wonder Tito and Theo both looked so shellshocked yesterday.

[SoxSport]

I just saw Valentine interviewed on ESPN. Some of what he said you could interpret as an audition.

He also said nice things about Francona, which you would also expect.

[jung]

i wonder at this point if both sides (upper management and Tito) are expressing their concerns and setting expectations if Tito stays and trying to absorb that. I really thought that an initial effort would be made to go down that road before anything else happened. Maybe not. Maybe the decision has in fact been made and the very PR conscience Sox FO is working its way around to the announcement when they want to make it and how they want to make it. That would be so Sox like that I am more inclined to believe that than anything else.

 

The meeting ended with no announcements made yet and Theo posting that there are no immediate plans for an announcement of any kind yet. Tito left the park as did all of the other participants in the meeting. Apparently Tito is back at Fenway now but I don't think the other meeting participants have come back.

[example1]

I just saw Valentine interviewed on ESPN. Some of what he said you could interpret as an audition.

He also said nice things about Francona, which you would also expect.

 

What was he saying?

[SoxSport]

What was he saying?

 

I don't remember.

 

Just a lot of general stuff about managing. Plus a few good words about Tito.

 

You got to think ESPN had him interviewed for a reason, though.

[msubulldogs21]

This is a whole other topic unto itself, but I wouldn't be shocked if Theo bolted for the Cubs. I would at lest expect Chicago to come after him hard.

[Dojji]

I don't understand it. Every time there's a managerial opening, someone mentions Bobby freaking Valentine.

 

There's a dozen dream jobs he could have wound up with if he was even remotely interested. This is a complete dead end.

[example1]

This is a whole other topic unto itself' date=' but I wouldn't be shocked if Theo bolted for the Cubs. I would at lest expect Chicago to come after him hard.[/quote']

 

A good portion of this site would be happy if this happened. No manager. No General Manager, but the team would be better off because the main accountable source of the problem would be gone. The problem would still be there, but at least someone's head would roll.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

No Ken Maccha (guy is an idiot)

 

And yet Bobby f***ing Valentine tops your list?

[jacksonianmarch]

The fact that Theo is in the middle of these meetings makes me think he is wanted back by Henry. If he didnt want Theo back, he'd have excluded him from today's meeting

[Dojji]

The fact that Theo is in the middle of these meetings makes me think he is wanted back by Henry. If he didnt want Theo back' date=' he'd have excluded him from today's meeting[/quote']

 

Not sure you can say that necessarily, until we know who was doing most of the talk.

[BornToRun]

Well, if he does go, thanks for the 2 World Series wins and the 5 postseason appearences. Greatest manager in Sox history and this definately isn't going to be what we remember him by. That said, I hope he stays, Theo too.

[Reck]

Did he "leave" or get fired?

 

I'm thinking the FO took pity on him and told him to announce him leaving instead of being publicly fired and disgraced.

 

Anyhow, this alone will benefit them. Francona clearly lost his edge.

[YAZMAN]

The fact that Theo is in the middle of these meetings makes me think he is wanted back by Henry. If he didnt want Theo back' date=' he'd have excluded him from today's meeting[/quote']

 

Theo is like Henry's adopted son. Both need to be punched in the back.

[d-money]

Something tells me its not official yet.They can still pick up his option and he may return.

[NativeBostonian]

Sometime, no matter how good a manager is, it's time for a change. He was good while it's lasted. But, it is time to get someone new in there and see if he can whip these over priced asses into plays.

[Hawkguy]

During the loosing streak I didn't hear once of a players only meeting! Yes the manager is untimately responsable for motivating/repremanding players who are slacking off. But outwardly there is no player leadership. I keep saying this but Shill would have closed the door and let it fly. I hate to say this but everyone knows that it's Jeter's team. Screw up or slack off and you he will come find you. Where was Tek through all this? He's the Captain, the voice of experience. And if it did happen, that should tell you how he is looked upon. I know for a fact that when Teddy Bruschi closed the doors, you had better be listening. Now I know you can't compare baseball to football. But there is still a team dynamic involved. Tito tried to bring up accountability in his own way (pat-pat, huge-huge, Kumbayah) but the players didn't respond. Why 04 and 07 worked with Tito's management style was due to great player leadership on and off the field. That ladies and gentleman is what we have lost! I keep waiting for petey to be that kind of leader of this team. I don't think it will happen as long as Tek has that "C"! Just my $0.02

[example1]

During the loosing streak I didn't hear once of a players only meeting! Yes the manager is untimately responsable for motivating/repremanding players who are slacking off. But outwardly there is no player leadership. I keep saying this but Shill would have closed the door and let it fly. I hate to say this but everyone knows that it's Jeter's team. Screw up or slack off and you he will come find you. Where was Tek through all this? He's the Captain' date=' the voice of experience. And if it did happen, that should tell you how he is looked upon. I know for a fact that when Teddy Bruschi closed the doors, you had better be listening. Now I know you can't compare baseball to football. But there is still a team dynamic involved. Tito tried to bring up accountability in his own way (pat-pat, huge-huge, Kumbayah) but the players didn't respond. Why 04 and 07 worked with Tito's management style was due to great player leadership on and off the field. That ladies and gentleman is what we have lost! I keep waiting for petey to be that kind of leader of this team. I don't think it will happen as long as Tek has that "C"! Just my $0.02[/quote']

 

I think that having a figurehead who doesn't play as a captain is pretty unproductive. I like to think that if Youkilis were playing regularly he wouldn't have let it stand. I don't know about Pedroia's team leadership skills. Clearly neither Lester or Beckett stepped up and took on the leadership. They were both struggling too much with their own performance to call out anyone else's.

 

Adrian Gonzalez is really the only other legitimate leadership option I can think of on this team, but he's more mild-mannered.

[SoxSport]

They won a couple of championships. You have to give them credit for that. Yawkey never did.

Remember the 07 Series against Colorado? Tito pushed all the right pitching buttons--pitching only the 3 or

so bullpen guys who were effective.

I think complacency set in the last two years. Injuries last year suggested a lack of conditioning.

This year, there has been very little team play. Guys were up there hitting away every at bat, regardless of the situation. Tito's laissez faire approach got away from him. He could have used a few of the old dirt dogs. Pedey and those guys pushing in contract years weren't enough.

[Cocos Disciples]

Pete Abe is saying it's official now. Really, they had to wait until the Rays-Rangers game started?

[SoxSport]

I think that having a figurehead who doesn't play as a captain is pretty unproductive. I like to think that if Youkilis were playing regularly he wouldn't have let it stand. I don't know about Pedroia's team leadership skills. Clearly neither Lester or Beckett stepped up and took on the leadership. They were both struggling too much with their own performance to call out anyone else's.

 

I think they missed Youks. No doubt he's a plugger. But switching to 3B may have been too much for him at his age. Another miscalculation by Epstein, who did not make things easy for Tito this year with all those lineup changes. Clearly, Tito had problems handling it.

[Meh]

Francona was a classy guy, did everything right with the media and is a nice guy. He deserved better than being the fall guy. I wrote him a letter before the 2009 season and wished him good luck, said I hated the Red Sox but respected him. He wrote me back and thanked me and gave me an autograph. He'll find another job rather quickly, if he wants one.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

I wouldn't call him a fall guy, him being let go is at least somewhat justified. Again, managers have shelf lives. Players just stop listening after a while, whether you're a hardass or a softie like Francona.

[Cocos Disciples]

Francona was a classy guy' date=' did everything right with the media and is a nice guy. He deserved better than being the fall guy. I wrote him a letter before the 2009 season and wished him good luck, said I hated the Red Sox but respected him. He wrote me back and thanked me and gave me an autograph. He'll find another job rather quickly, if he wants one.[/quote']

 

I wouldn't call him a fall guy' date=' him being let go is at least somewhat justified. Again, managers have shelf lives. Players just stop listening after a while, whether you're a hardass or a softie like Francona.[/quote']

 

Agree with both of these. In the course of Red Sox history, Francona was a great manager. But it does seem that he was kind of losing the clubhouse. Plus some shaky in-game strategy.

 

And as Meh said, if he wants a job in 2012, he'll get one. As he should.

[Hawkguy]

Also, when a manager looses control of his team no matter what the sport. He can never get it back, period! I too wish him well and thank him for his service. But he is too cerebral of a coach for this team now. We need a "tow-the-line-or-else" type manager right now. We'll see Tito in Chicago next year.