Fire Terry Francona
Written by Rick Silva   
Thursday April 7, 2011

Many people will call for the head of Boston Red Sox Manager Terry Francona this season.  Let me be among the first.

Hear me out.  Yes, I know there are 162 games in the season and only six games have been played.  But I also know that the Boston Red Sox are in last place at 0-6.  It's literally impossible for them to have done worse so far.

I also know that the Red Sox have the third highest payroll in baseball at $161.8 million.  Doing the math, that means that each win so far has had a cost of [let's see... carry the seven...] INFINITY.

After only six games, they are already four and a half games out of first place.  So yes, with only 3.7% of the season in the books, I say give 'em the hook.

The team once again came into the regular season unprepared and dug themselves into a hole right from the giddyup.

The Sox' former pitching coach, John Farrell, is the manager of the Toronto Blue Jays this year.  It's bad enough that the Sox' pitching staff has fallen to pieces without Farrell, but Toronto - those perennial underachievers - and their rookie manager have four wins.

That is exactly four more than the Sox have.

Today the Red Sox got shut out by the lowly Cleveland Indians.  There's no excuse for it.  Sorry, but Tito's got to go.
 

Comments  

 
+2 karen thibeault 09/11/11 12:45 pm
I agree; “Tito's got to go” We have lost so many games this season; 2011 all because Terry either takes the pitcher out to late; (after the damage has been done) or keeps a pitcher in when it is obvious they are not in control; I think Terry enjoys humiliating his pitchers’
There is even a commercial with a baby watching the game where Terry pulls Becket out and the baby starts to cry. Even the commercial industry knows about Terry’s bad choices, Wake up; John Henry and Theo Epstein
You have my vote
Karen A Thibeault
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+2 Daniel Margolick 09/11/11 06:56 pm
If the Sox don't make the playoffs thisyear, which appearslikely-Tito is gone. Lots of bad decisions this year-like bringing in Daniel Bard in close games. He's another Calvin Schiraldi-can't handle pressure.
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+1 Marcelus Wallace 09/19/11 11:25 am
The Red Sox are perennially the worst coached team in baseball. Even if you take the "managerial" decisions out of it, the aren't coached.

By that I mean they are the worst baserunning team in MLB year after year. You just don't see other teams getting thrown out by 20 feet as much as you do Boston. Heck, our guys never throw anybody out by 20 feet.

We also can't complete otherwise simple plays that need to be coached throughout the year. In the last few days we've bunted into a ridiculous double play, and then bunted and got the lead runner out. Nobody can argue that the Red Sox aren't the worst bunting team in MLB. Big Papi was quoted as saying the biggest difference between the Twins and the Red Sox when he came over was that "in Minnesota you don't get into the game if you can't bunt and in Boston they don't even work on bunting."
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+1 Rick 09/19/11 11:47 am
Agreed.

It still bugs me that they start off every season unprepared. If they had just gone 500 at the beginning of the season, they would have already clinched a playoff spot and could be resting players. They would have been in a very different position right now.
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+2 Marcelus Wallace 09/19/11 11:26 am
I watch every game for the most part, and I'm amazed at how many of the little things don't get done on this team. Things that would drive a manager like Tony Larussa crazy, ot pretty much any other manager. Schilling used to be the police on the Sox and when he left so did any discipline at all on this team.

Fire Francona please!
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+2 Sean 09/19/11 01:25 pm
The Sox clearly lack discipline, but let's not forget leadership either. Francona has to go now! Too many bad decisions. This team lacks fundamentals and these guys are constantly coddled by their favorite uncle Tito. Carawford is sitting out game 1 today with a stiff neck. First, no heart on his part, and second, I am sure nobody on Francona's coaching staff even encouraged him to cowboy up and get in there. Tito loves to rest his boys for October, while ceding the division to the yankees and rays. Well, the sox will be getting plenty or rest this october, while counting their absurd, undeserved paychecks. Let's hope the Sox ownership has enough sense to show Tito the door and the path to the unemployment line.
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+1 Rick 09/19/11 01:40 pm
It's going to be interesting. They are losing to Baltimore now. If the Rays beat them out of the wildcard spot, I'm sure that will cost Francona his job.

I'm glad you guys found this article and are commenting on it. But the article is a few months old, so I'm curious how you found it. Did you follow a link from another site?
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+1 Dex Dean 09/19/11 04:13 pm
With the kind of payroll this club has, you would think that they would have some kind of a conditioning coach. These guys are always laid up with something. This manager is joke with the kind of talent that they have and it appears that they are going to miss the payoffs due to the fold at the beginning and the end of the season. September and April disasters!
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+1 Sean 09/20/11 11:12 pm
Rick: just Googled "Fire Terry Francona." I was curious if anyone else had this opinion too. Another ridiculous loss tonight. Wish we had more guys like Youk, Pefroia, and Tek. They could change the clubhouse culture. This team should hang its head in shame. Boston's fans deserve (and paid for) better.
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0 Rick 09/20/11 11:20 pm
Thanks for the info. I re-added this article to the main menu because, sadly, it is generating a lot of interest again.

Assuming they can stumble into the playoffs, it is hard to imagine them going very far.
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+1 Ron 09/26/11 09:10 pm
This Team has underachieved like no other I have ever seen. It's time for new leadership. If Theo doesn't fire francona then I hope he's fired.
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+1 Sean 09/28/11 11:35 pm
Tonight was the culmination of an epic collapse. The 9th inning is an example of poor defense and this team not doing the little things. A decent throw from Drew gets a slow runner at second, and the game winning hit should have been caught by Crawford for out no 3. This sloppy play is all too common with this poor excuse for a red sox team and is a direct result of Tito's take-it-easy approach. Fire Francona tonight!
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0 Rick 09/29/11 08:42 am
Nicely said. "An epic collapse".

Francona is a goner. The fans will be rioting in the streets if they don't give him the hook now.
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