Husband of 26 years, dedicated father of four, and loyal skipper of the local nine, Terry Jon Francona recently completed his fifth full regular season as the manager of the Red Sox, an extraordinary feat. Until this year, only one Red Sox manager in history, Joe Cronin, endured at least five consecutive full seasons in what may be the hottest seat in town. Since the birth of the franchise in 1901, there have been more Red Sox managers (44) than there have been American presidents through all of US history.
And so now, along comes Francona, known to many as Tito, same as his father, who played 15 major league seasons from 1956-70. While America is preparing for another presidential election in a time of economic crisis, the Red Sox are in the midst of what is indisputably their Golden Age; no matter what happens to the team over the next month, there will be a 44th US president before there is a 45th Red Sox manager.
Now 49, Francona has yet to even begin a three-year contract extension through 2011, with a two-year option that could very well keep him in Boston through 2013. And yet, during his time in Boston, Francona already has accomplished a great deal more than merely guide the Red Sox to four postseason appearances and two World Series championships (and counting?).
What Francona has done, quite simply, is redefine a tenuous Red Sox position historically calibrated in dog years, where lesser men have aged seven times as fast and accomplished a fraction as much.
"You've got to be politically correct in this job, but [getting fired] is one thing I've never feared. If I do my job as best I can, I'm fine," Francona said. Boston "is a volatile place. It's a hotbed. People are so passionate, and maybe that's the downside, but there's so much upside, too. You can't have people be that passionate without catching some flak. I think I understand that. There are probably three or four times a year where, for whatever reason, it gets under my skin for about a day or a day-and-a-half. And then I say, 'Wait, why are you letting this get to you?' And then I'm OK."
Inevitably the criticism returns.
