After Boston's embarrassing and catastrophic collapse at the end of the 2011 season, there was no one quite to blame but Manager Terry Francona. He was the first and best target to attack for the fall of the Red Sox. Two weeks following the team's last loss in Baltimore, an article was released from the Boston Globe, "Inside the Collapse," in which it questioned Francona's professionalism and the team's deteriorating clubhouse. Francona was extremely hurt and disappointed in the organization he had worked for for so long AND was apart of for the last two World Series wins. It is not surprising to hear that he has denied the invitation to attend Fenway's 100th Anniversary game on April 20th against the Yankees. Francona claims, "It’s a shame. I’m sure they’ll have a great event and I was part of a lot of that stuff there, but I just can’t go back there and start hugging people and stuff without feeling a little bit hypocritical.’’
Every living ex-player and manager has been invited to celebrate with the Red Sox, but Francona rejected over a phone call with owner John Henry in March. CEO Larry Lucchino tried to convince him yet again last week, but he had no luck. "He got a little perturbed at me, telling me I was being unfair to them. I called him back last night and left him a message. He called me back and we ended up getting into an argument. I just feel like someone in the organization went out of their way to hurt me and the more we talked I realized we’re just not on the same wavelength. They’re probably better off going forth and leaving me out of it,’’ stated Francona.
For Red Sox fans and just for the history of Red Sox baseball, it is sad to celebrate an exciting birthday without an important piece of the puzzle there with them. Terry Francona was the manager of the 2004 team, the team that brought the Sox back to life and kissed an 86 year curse goodbye. He was also there for the 2007 World Series win, but in this case, the negatives are weighing out the positives.
As we saw in Moneyball, working for a baseball organization is nothing what we would have imagined. It is not all fun and games. Billy Beane was constantly on his toes, with concerns stretching farther than just wins and losses. When he indeed had the opportunity to join the Red Sox organization, he couldn't come to leave the team he had worked so hard to rebuild. They were important to him and money couldn't convince him otherwise. It is understandable why Terry Francona is hurt and doesn't want to be involved in a special occasion for the team that tossed him out just two days after their season ended. He had worked hard and created relationships within the organization, for it to then appear as if it meant nothing. It is completely unfair to blame the collapse of the 2011 Red Sox entirely on him.