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Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. "Eloquent and dazzling," the story of Terry Francona's tenure as manager of the Boston Red Sox (Philadelphia Daily News).
When Terry Francona took over as manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2004, the storied franchise hadn’t won a World Series championship in eighty-six years. Led by Francona, the team won two over the course of four years. During the full eight years of Francona’s tenure, the Red Sox were transformed from “cursed” into one of the most successful and profitable teams in baseball history—only to fall back to last place as soon as Francona was gone.
Francona: The Red Sox Years lets readers in on the inner workings of the Red Sox clubhouse like no book has ever done before. From the highs of the World Series to the lows of the final months of the 2011 season—the most epic collapse of a team in baseball history—this book features the never-before-told stories about Sox fans’ favorite players, moments, wins, and losses.
“A scorched-earth memoir . . . [that] touches fleetingly on steroid use, sabermetrics, and Michael Jordan’s stint in the minor leagues . . . but saves its heaviest artillery for the owners . . . [and] Theo Epstein backs him up.”—New York Times Book Review
"It’s not often that baseball aficionados and gossip gluttons can plunk down on a shared portion of outfield grass with the same book for an afternoon of readerly delight, but Francona can bridge those kinds of differences.”—Boston Globe
About the Author
Terry "Tito" Francona was a first baseman and outfielder in the majors from 1981 to 1990. After retiring as a player, he managed several minor league teams in the 1990s before managing the Philadelphia Phillies for four seasons. In 2004, Francona was hired to manage the Boston Red Sox, and that year he led the team to its first World Series championship since 1918. He won another World Series with Boston in 2007 and continued to manage the team until the end of the 2011 season. He is now a commentator for ESPN, joining in on their Sunday Night Baseball telecast and contributing to ESPN.com.
Dan Shaughnessy is an award-winning columnist for the Boston Globe and the author of several sports books, including The Curse of the Bambino, a best-selling classic. Seven times Shaughnessy has been voted one of America’s top ten sports columnists by Associated Press Sports Editors and named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year. He has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Early Show, CNN, Nightline, NPR, Imus in the Morning, ESPN, HBO, and many others. He lives in Newton, Massachusetts.
Praise For…
Longlisted for the 2014 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing "Surprising…brutally honest…Francona’s tenure included the highest-high, the first Red Sox title in 86 years and the lowest-low when a collapse kept the team from the playoffs that led to the manager's ouster." – USA Today "The long-awaited memoir…It’s not often that baseball aficionados and gossip gluttons can plunk down on a shared portion of outfield grass with the same book for an afternoon of readerly delight, but Francona can bridge those kinds of differences." – Boston Globe "Terry Francona's new book is not only a must read, but it is a fascinating and entertaining look into the daily life on Yawkey Way during that memorable time period...full of surprising and fun anecdotes…There are glimpses of his relationships with the players – good and bad…and in most cases Shaughnessy’s thorough reporting includes perspective from the players, executives and owners." – MLB.com "A scorched-earth memoir …[that] touches fleetingly on steroid use, sabermetrics and Michael Jordan’s stint in the minor leagues…but saves is heaviest artillery for the owners…[and] Theo Epstein backs him up." – New York Times Book Review "A good read, well worth it for any Red Sox fan or anyone interested in the last decade of baseball. Francona and Shaughnessy tell how the Red Sox became champions and also how it all fell apart." – CBSSports.com "A great read…good fun and dishy." – NBCSports.com "A bombshell." – Comcast Sports "Francona: The Red Sox Years is a compelling behind-the-scenes depiction…of an eight-year period that witnessed both the most spectacular successes in franchise history as well as some of the most devastating failures." – WEEI.com "An exhilarating and torturous recounting of Francona's eight-year run as the Red Sox manager…He knows how the game is supposed to be played, and how the players are supposed to act…Francona gets it. That's what the book reveals most." – The News Herald "An often hilarious but never salacious peek behind clubhouse doors…much of the book’s advance buzz has focused on management’s backward emphasis on sizzle…but it’s the candor, often delivered with deft humor, about the players that will appeal to Red Sox fans. " – Chad Finn, Boston Globe "Reveals [Francona’s] favorite highs from his historic stint with the team, and how he dealt with the crushing lows." – Men’s Health "A fascinating and detailed look at how a franchise so desperate to win big and attract huge television ratings can lose its soul in the process." – Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer "Francona’s depiction of the Boston organization…provides insight…[and] cements every perception we have of a dysfunctional Red Sox hierarchy…internal proof that the Red Sox were forcing business wants on their baseball needs purely in the name of greed." – Tony Massarotti, Boston.com "You don’t have to like the Red Sox to enjoy this book. Francona: The Red Sox Yearsshows the manager’s true grit. Francona puts the reader behind the scenes in the often fiery, turbulent, never dull world of the Red Sox…It is vintage Francona, earthy blunt, comical and disarming… Francona and Shaughnessy together tell the story of a gritty baseball lifer who brought untold joy to Red Sox Nation, and Shaughnessy has captured Francona, warts and —