Francona will have back surgery

First, I wish Francona the best.

Second, the Globe couldn't even get through an article about Francona's back issues without a derogatory comment about Manny Ramirez. I suppose he's responsible for Francona's numerous health issues as well as everything else that's wrong with the world. Just get over it Globe. It's old news and very tiring.

"While Jason Varitek is the most urgent Red Sox free agent concern" - yeah like finding a one way to ticket to the bench, can't we make him Wakefield's personal catcher?

Hello, Mike M!

Quit being such a jerk. Why don't you try playing the majors and see where that takes you, huh? It's amazing how the ones who couldn't hit a volleyball with a bat are such experts on major league hitting. Shut up already. Your ignorance is grating and so is your stupidity. You are also an ingrate. Forgot very quickly how much those two contributed for so many years. Hey, Mike, why don't you join the Sox (that is if they even bother to look at you w/o laughing all the way to next year) and lets see how much batting or pitching you are capable of.

Good luck to Terry on his back surgery!!

I've said this several times in this forum, and the idea gets no traction. Alas. But I''ll give it one more shot.

Look at the number of back, and similar 'alignment' injuries (Beckett) on the Sox this year. This is directly related to travel - especially hotel beds, buses, and airline seats. The problem was exacerbated this year directly due to the Japan trip. The Sox have a lot of high-priced talent experiencing downtime. They NEED to seek out the services of a chiropractic specialist who can recommend inexpensive but effective countermeasures (back supports, portable mattresses, etc, as well as a chiropractic specialist who would travel with the team.).

Back surgery is a terrible thing, and it leaves you permanently scarred. Francona will be in pain for the rest of his life. I wish he would seek alternative treatment.

Wow,
I know Varitek had a bad year, but he is coming off a divorce. Give the guy a break, he is the best catcher the Red Sox have ever had IMHO. How many other catchers have caught 4 no-hitters? NO ONE. The guy has one bad season hitting and so many are ready to throw him under the bus. I hope Jason retires a Red Sox. He should be given a two year contract with incentives. Otherwise the Sox are in a thin FA market for catchers or have to trade away some young talent to get one.

mister snitch - beckett didn't go to japan.

Snitchy,

You're right on the back thingy, but remember: Beckett did not make the trip to Japan.

Agree...from a fellow back sufferer who avoided surgery. The key is not having numbness and coldness in your legs. Otherwise you may need surgery. I avoided surgery and stuck with my chiro....that was eleven years ago after I was told I had to have surgery. Wish Sox would consider alternatives...the Phillies do.

Most importantly, the best of luck and health to the greatest manager in the history of the Red Sox. Terry, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Now, elccpa24, your another MannyWood suckup and a nit with to go along with that. Wake up and smell the coffee, you moron! Honestly, things should get better if you tried moving out of mom's basement and get a real life.

As for Kotsay, Varitek and Casey...... time to move on! To Kotsay and Varitek, thanks for leaving nearly 40 runners on base in the playoffs. But thank you Jsason for the years of service to the Sox, you will not be forgotten. To the "Mayor", too bad the manager didn't play you more and didn't have confidence in your pinch hitting capabilities through the playoffs. You might as well go somewhere where you can get some playing time.

Hey Costanza, how about Dux beds to go with those cotton uniforms. (What do you suggest as an alternative to travel and hotels, all games at Fenway so the players can sleep at home?) As to Tek- uh, if you don't know how important he is, you either don't watch much baseball or, if you do watch a lot of baseball you must: A. Not pay attention; or B. Are a complete and utter moron. He runs the pitching staff. This is the AL, you can live with a minor hole ion the batting order (one that can provide a rinely homerun as well). There ar not many superstar catchers anymore. The team needs tek until a suitable alternative can be developed.

A chiropractic specialist could ruin a career with one crack (rhymes with quack)...there is a reason these folks were not approved by the AMA for decades...

Yeah...Mister Snitch? The broad comment about Francona being in pain for the rest of his life is not necessarily accurate. Maybe they taught you that through the on-line Guadalupe School of Chiro-quakery? At any rate, no need to be alarmist. I had cervical spine surgery to repair a problem made worse by a chirocracker and 10 years later, still pain free and fully mobile. Sorry to ruin your sales pitch.

Tek wears the "C" for a reason....I'll take his management of the game, his positive impact on pitchers and leadership in the clubhouse over his hitting any day. I am confident he and Theo can come to a mutually beneficial contract agreement.

The best for Francona, hope everythig goes fine for him,

In my opinion there are not many good catchers around and Varitek should be some one to be considered by managers keep him in Red Sox, has lot's of experience.

I am an allopathic medical doctor and perform some surgery in my pactice. I also believe in the Proper use of chiropractic care. They can often resolve spinal pathology without surgery or dangerous medcations. I was able to avoid cervical spinal sugery through a chiropractor I work with a lot. Surgery can be risky even under the best conditions. Just look at the complications Tom Brady has had with his knee surgery. Yes, there is a time for surgery,but I always believe in conservative care first. Dont put down all chiropractors just because there are a few poor practioners out there.

ADD (oops AAD),
You just don't know how much I appreciate the "getting out of mom's basement" comment considering I just got my own kids out of the house (finally) and am feeling rather old. Thanks for the pick me up. I did not say one word defending Manny for anything. I just said I don't know what Manny has to do with Francona's back issues so why did the dig need to be included in the story. When your reading comprehensive skills get past first grade then come back and tell us how you really feel..

Sorry but the reason chiropractors were not approved by the AMA was not anything but political at that time. And for all you complaining about chiros, I wouldn't be walking without mine today. Again, I was told if I had numbness and coldness down my legs , I would have needed surgery. I didn't and I am thankful I didn't get the surgery. Chiros are like surgeons...some good and some bad. Sorry Jake had a bad experience. But neck surgery isn't the same as lower back surgery. I never thought in a million years chiropractic would help me, but it really has.And it has worked for eleven years, now.

Get well soon Tito!!!!!!!!!

Well hopefully this will sideline Tito for the season. Why he gets such accolades for "leading" this team is beyond me. As far as I'm concerned, I would take more than half the other managers in baseball over Francona. How many bad decisions does one need to make before people realize how bad he is? Hey Terry, the seasons on the line, we've got a man on in the ninth inning of game 7 with no one out, down by two runs, let's let Kotsay hit. Strikeout. Oh hey, now that there's one down, let's let Varitek hit. Strikeout. Fantastic decision making! Way to go again Tito. He is the Phil Jackson of baseball, surrounded by extremely talented players and in the right place at the right time. I'd rather keep Varitek than keep Francona.

Despite the results, Kotsay made solid contact with the baseball pretty much every time he came up. He was a terrific late season acquisition and I wish him the best.

"The guy has one bad season hitting"
this year he hit .220, the year before .255, the year before that .238 and there are many other years of so so hitting. Only twice has he hit above .280. He has had a nice run but his lack of offense is ONE of the reasons the sox are not in the Series. Time to move on IMO, why offer a 37 yr old catcher more than a year deal; and don't say his handling of pitchers as in games 2, 3 and 4 that was a non-factor. Ya can't have it both ways. When the pitchers pitch well you can't give all the credit to Tek and then say its the pitchers fault when they blowup.

"Francona said he never would put a player in an “unfair” position, even in a game of such magnitude."

Then why did he use Timlin in game 2?

The anti-Tek comments hardly warrant a response as the author is clearly clueless. THE TEAM left too many men on base; that's why the Phillies aren't getting comfy little back adjustments near the Fens right now. Part of that failure, obviously was related to health, as was (I can only presume) Beckett's trouble in game 2. It's hard to believe we are talking about this here, but beyond chiropractors, perhaps an alternative health regimen is not a bad idea to consider given that injuries played a role in diminishing our postseason squad. No need to eat each alive, though. Don't you chowderheads have someone to love? Spend more time on that and less tearing each other apart. It's going to be a long winter for Christ's sake.

One thing is dead certain, Tek will be back. Look around. There are no catchers anywhere; majors or minors. Maybe Kelly in Cleveland? Salta-malta?

"mister snitch - beckett didn't go to japan."

Right. I don't mean to make a blanket claim, sorry. Some of the alignment injuries may have their roots in other causes. Nevertheless, there is a preponderance of the same issue throughout the team.

"The broad comment about Francona being in pain for the rest of his life is not necessarily accurate. Maybe they taught you that through the on-line Guadalupe School of Chiro-quakery? At any rate, no need to be alarmist. I had cervical spine surgery to repair a problem made worse by a chirocracker and 10 years later, still pain free and fully mobile. Sorry to ruin your sales pitch."

Sorry you feel the need to condescend. Usually that's a byproduct of having a poor case to stand on.

Different back problems require different surgeries, which lead to different results. Nevertheless, most surgeries, while certainly relieving whatever the original problem was, leave after effects. Usually this includes decreased mobility. Sometimes it includes lasting pain.

I guess your attitude toward me stems from having been treated badly by a chiropractor. I am truly sorry for you in that regard. But here's the difference between COMPETENT chiro care and surgery: Surgery is invasive and permanent. You cannot ever go back to where you were before the surgery. If the Red Sox players, for example, who have suffered back problems opt for surgery, it could end their careers. At best, it would affect them adversely.

As things stand, the very valuable JD Drew has and WILL CONTINUE to miss time due to back problems. Notice that he has said that sitting in the dugout 'makes him stiffen up'. That's a classic problem that sounds as if it may be correctible simply by doing something OTHER than merely sitting on that bench between innings. Possible remedies include special seating, a back brace, and stretches designed precisely to counteract the problem. Cortizone shots and the like should be a LAST resort, as they tend to mask the problem while it gets worse.

The Sox should seek counsel on this. By doing so, they might have a healthy Drew for an ENTIRE season next year. There's virtually no downside (a few dollars lost in consultations) and a major upside. Think about that.

I resent the tired 'sales pitch' crack, since I am not selling anything. I am not a chiropractor and do not gain financially by recommending the service. As it happens, I was unable to walk several years ago, and feared I would need surgery. I got chiro help first, though, since logically if I went to a surgeon, well, that would have been it. No undoing that - serious stuff. The chiro took time but it's gentle and noninvasive.

And let me touch on "fully mobile". What constitutes full mobility for you and for a major league ballplayer are two different things. Fusing bones of the spinal column together certainly does NOT restore previous mobility. (Sorry to ruin YOUR sales pitch.) For Francona, obviously this is not such a factor, but I have seen people before and after these surgeries. My observation is that it slows them down. Your mileage may vary.

Obviously, there's a range of competence out there in this and all things. Some restaurants will kill ya too, but that doesn't mean you should never eat out.

As for this:

"there is a reason these folks were not approved by the AMA for decades..."

What IS that reason? Ignorance? Professional jealousy? Fact is, many if not most insurance plans plans today DO cover chiro. There's a reason for THAT, too.

Bob Rules,
"A minor hole in the lineup"? More like The Grand Freakin Canyon...Veritek leaves more folks stranded than Hurricane Katrina. If you believe this was an off year, he hit .220, yet his average for the last 3 is .232. See a trend? I like the moron who said here ealier, give him a break he's coming off a divorce. His wife's divorcing him because she said he even swings and misses at nails, when doing repair jobs around the house. He couldn't hit a bull in the arse with an ironing board.

Bob Rules,
"A minor hole in the lineup"? More like The Grand Freakin Canyon...Veritek leaves more folks stranded than Hurricane Katrina. If you believe this was an off year, he hit .220, yet his average for the last 3 is .232. See a trend? I like the moron who said here ealier, give him a break he's coming off a divorce. His wife's divorcing him because she said he even swings and misses at nails, when doing repair jobs around the house. He couldn't hit a bull in the arse with an ironing board.

RichinNH, you think Tek is the best catcher the Red Sox have ever had? Perhaps you’ve heard of this guy named Fisk. He's a Hall of Famer and his number hangs in right field. Tek isn’t half the catcher Fisk was.

The only reason to keep Tek is because the free agent pool for catchers is non-existent. I would hate for the Sox to send some of the young arms (Bowden, et al) for a catcher. The only team with catchers to spare is Texas and they will receive a king’s ransom for them in such an anemic catching market.

To the earlier point about Tek catching 4 no hitters, that’s a nice factoid, but it ultimately means nothing. Catcher ERA has been dismissed by SABR for sometime. If he truly is that great at preparation (and I believe he is), then he can be an advanced scout or bench coach and can call in pitches from the bench.

Tek is a black hole in this line up. He hit an atrocious OPS+ 74. Because this is the AL you CANNOT allow such a dearth of hitting in the line up. AL line-ups for elite teams need to be tough 1 through 9, especially in the AL East. The Rays and Jays pitching is flat out nasty. If the Sox hope to compete in the coming years, they cannot afford Tek’s bat in the line-up much longer. It isn’t like his defensive makes up for his offense. He threw out only 22% of all steal attempts. For comparison, Cash threw out almost 30% of all steal attempts this year, which is no small feat when you primarily catch a 65 MPH knuckleball.

The best the Sox can really do is try and lock up Tek for a short term deal (2 year max), but with Boras as his agent who knows how easy that will be to accomplish.

Here is a question. If the Rays win it all this year, will MLB punish them and make them go to Japan in late March too?