Nice and easy for Sox
Epstein & Co. knew Francona was their man from the start
In the end, Theo Epstein harbored only one major concern about entrusting A's bench coach Terry Francona to guide the Red Sox toward their first world championship in 86 years.
"Is the guy too nice?" the Sox general manager wondered after Francona all but blew away the competition last month in his initial interview to become the 44th manager in franchise history. "Does he treat people too well?"
So Epstein scrubbed the record of Francona's run as manager of the Phillies from 1997-2000, discovering numerous cases in which Francona cracked down on wayward players with an intensity that belied his reputation as one of the most personable individuals in the game.
It was in Philadelphia, after all, that Francona held a team meeting in his first year as manager to upbraid pitcher Bobby Munoz for publicly criticizing catcher Mike Lieberthal's pitch-calling. Later in his tenure, Francona stood up to one of the team's stars, Bobby Abreu, telling him to go home for the rest of the season for repeatedly showing up late (Francona was overruled by the front office). But additional examples of his fortitude abounded.
"In doing my follow-up research, I was very satisfied that he has a tough side to him and can show the authority that is sometimes necessary as a major league manager," Epstein said yesterday at Fenway Park after signing Francona to a three-year contract with a club option for 2007 as Grady Little's successor. "I found lots of instances where he had shown a lot of discipline in sending players home and making sure the line is not crossed."
As thrilled as Francona was to land one of the most prized and perilous jobs in sports -- "This is the most exciting day of my baseball life," he declared in a news conference in the .406 Club -- he gave every indication the lessons he has learned since he first entered a big league clubhouse in the 1960s as the son of 15-year veteran Tito Francona have steeled him for the challenge. Francona himself survived 10 years as a journeyman first baseman and outfielder in the majors.
"Think about it for a second," he said in his self-deprecating style. "I've been released from six teams. I've been fired as a manager. I've got no hair, I've got a nose that's three sizes too big for my face, and I grew up in a major league clubhouse. My skin's pretty thick. I'll be OK."
Welcome to Boston, where a thick skin for a Sox manager is as much a prerequisite in summer as an overcoat is in winter. That should be no problem for Francona, whose initial reception in Boston was far warmer than the greeting he received in Philadelphia when he was named to succeed Jim Fregosi as manager after the '96 season. Imagine Francona sitting in the stands for a 76ers basketball game with third baseman Scott Rolen soon after he got the job.
"All of a sudden, the arena was booing," Francona said. "It was a timeout, and I could hear [the boos] coming up toward us. I looked up and saw my picture on the [screen above center court] and Rolen was moving away from me. That was my welcome to the city."
Philly fans favored Larry Bowa rather than Francona, who should anticipate no similar backlash in Boston -- at least until his first questionable managerial move.
Francona, 44, prevailed over three other finalists -- Anaheim bench Joe Maddon, Los Angeles third base coach Glenn Hoffman, and Texas first base coach DeMarlo Hale -- in the scramble to replace Little, who was jettisoned after averaging 94 wins in his two-year tenure. The Sox also wanted to interview Anaheim pitching coach Bud Black, who declined the invitation. And they sought permission to speak with Seattle manager Bob Melvin but were spurned by the Mariners.
Yet the search process turned all but perfunctory after Francona's first interview a month ago today.
"Really, he kind of blew us away," Epstein said. "It was a fantastic interview. What you see with Terry is what you get, and that's a great thing."
Epstein said the Sox were seeking "somebody who would excel both in the clubhouse and in the dugout, somebody who had an absolute commitment to preparation, somebody who had the integrity and the interpersonal skills to forge meaningful relationships, and someone who would be a dynamic partner for the front office as we continued to build the organization."
Enter Francona. "We feel like we found all those things and more in Terry Francona," Epstein said. "We feel he's the ideal man for the Boston Red Sox."
Francona, whose wife, Jacque, accompanied him to Yawkey Way, was waiting in a 30-degree chill for his daughter's basketball practice to end near their home north of Philadelphia when Epstein and Sox president Larry Lucchino called to tell him the job was his.
"I tingled," he said. "It was a neat feeling. I'm ready for spring training tomorrow."
First, he plans to help round out his coaching staff -- he needs a bench coach, third base coach, and first base coach -- and begin reaching out to his players. It's no secret that Little was as popular in the clubhouse as any manager in recent Sox history, but Francona also has a strong record as a respected leader. In 1994, he managed basketball great Michael Jordan, who two years later recommended Francona for the Phillies job.
"People talk about stars," Francona said. "I had a lot of experience early on dealing with the biggest star."
Francona also managed Nomar Garciaparra in the Arizona Fall League in 1994 and briefly crossed paths with Pedro Martinez when he led a Dominican All-Star team in the 1996 Caribbean World Series. But the new Sox skipper has dedicated himself to treating the most borderline players with as much respect as the superstars.
Asked how he would deal with Manny Ramirez, Francona said, "I have given no thought to how I'm going to handle Manny Ramirez. I have given a lot of thought to how I'm going to handle our ball club. Everybody that comes through that door has the right to feel important. I know there are some guys on this team who are going to go to the Hall of Fame. They will be treated as they are very important. So will the 25th guy who makes the ball club."
The only current Sox player Francona has managed in the big leagues is Curt Schilling, a major supporter who dropped his initial opposition to accepting a trade to Boston because Francona was the front-runner for the job. But as much as Francona praised Schilling in his introductory news conference, he also vowed not to give him any special treatment.
"My relationship with Schill won't be any different from the other players once I get to know them," he said.
Francona also took his first step in getting to know some of the most fervent fans in baseball.
"I've never seen a place where the passion is passed on from generation to generation like the Red Sox," he said. "I think that probably leads to a ton of second-guessing, but I don't have a problem with that. Any time there's interest in what we're doing, I think it's wonderful."
