Winning isn't the only thing

Meanwhile, in four years as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Terry Francona, the man introduced yesterday as Little's replacement, compiled a winning percentage of .440. You had to go back to Jimmy Wilson, whose teams had a winning percentage of .371 from 1934-1938, to find a Phillies manager who had managed as long as Francona and had less to show for it. In his last season in Philadelphia, 2000, the team's marketing campaign was built on the slogan, "Bring It On." The Phillies finished in last place with a record of 65-97.

And yet, here were the Red Sox yesterday afternoon in the .406 Club, all smiles and handshakes and slaps on the back in front of a thicket of TV cameras, introducing Francona as the great equalizer in their never-ending quest to end the Yankees' hegemony in the American League East.

And Francona, unlike Little -- who was given a two-year deal and an option that was never exercised -- was signed to a three-year deal, giving him a measure of security Little never had. All Little had was Theo Epstein saying all summer long how much he loved Grady, and how big a part of the team's future he would be. What Little might think about that today we may never know, not after the Sox gave him an extra quarter of a million dollars just to go away.

"You're not trying to run me out of town already?" Francona said in jest to a reporter who asked the team's 44th manager whether he was prepared to deal with the media jackals ready to pounce at the drop of a losing streak.

No, that would be unfair, though hardly a surprise to one of Francona's biggest boosters, Curt Schilling, who anchored Francona's staff on those lousy Phillies teams.

"If you've met him or talked to him, it's hard not to like the guy," Schilling said earlier this week. "The problem is, in a hotbed like Boston, they're already working themselves into a frenzy over why he shouldn't be manager of the Red Sox. Which is to be expected, and is one of the things that attracts you to Boston because they live and die for it."

Schilling insists Francona was the victim of organizational failure in Philadelphia and is exactly what the Sox need.

And maybe he is. Imagine the howls in New England if, say, the Red Sox had hired a veteran manager who in 15 seasons of managing in the big leagues had finished first just once, and in his previous job finished three straight seasons in third place, then was fired with his club in fourth place.

That was Joe Torre's track record when the Yankees hired him to replace Buck Showalter in 1996, and George Steinbrenner was blasted for hiring a tired old name. Seven first-place finishes and four World Series titles later, Torre is a future Hall of Famer, and in many minds the Yankees are now his team, not Steinbrenner's.

Although at 44 he is 11 years younger than Torre was when he was named manager of the Yankees, there is a lot of Torre in Francona, and not only because of the Italian surnames. He is a former big-league player, he has National League training, he is popular with his players, he is highly regarded even by the celebrity types he has managed (Michael Jordan, Nomar Garciaparra, and Schilling), he's articulate and extremely well prepared, and he projects in the media as well as Torre does. Epstein praised him yesterday for having tremendous baseball instincts, but with a hunger for new ideas and resources as well, ideal for the New Age manager.

All Francona lacks is a track record, and in the ever-escalating rivalry with the Bombers, the Sox may feel they have their Torre, and it is in the dugout they suspect they lost last October's ALCS in the Bronx. Francona said he realized this job was the perfect fit for him on the first day he interviewed, and what's not to like? He's taking over a team with a record-setting offense that has already added another ace in Schilling, is working on adding a premium closer in Keith Foulke, and is daring to dream about adding the best player in the game in Alex Rodriguez.

But just when the Sox seem to be nudging the advantage in their favor, the Yankees respond, this fall at perhaps an unprecedented fever pitch. Sox get Schilling? Yanks counter by trading yesterday for Javier Vazquez, the best young pitcher available on the market. They also are determined to re-sign Andy Pettitte, and may even take a run at Kevin Brown, the aging but still effective sinkerballer who informed the Dodgers he would be willing to waive his no-trade to go to New York. They also have Jon Lieber, the former Cubs ace who sat out a year because of Tommy John surgery.

Sox pursue Foulke? The Yanks reload in their bullpen, with pending deals for Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill.

The Sox have more offensive muscle? The Yanks counter by coming to terms with slugger Gary Sheffield, in another deal yet to be announced.

And it's just the first week of December. Plenty of shopping days before spring training.

For other teams, in other cities, it is enough to win. Terry Francona, who has never won before, must do more than win here.

Just ask Grady Little.