Francona

The Red Sox Years

By: Terry Francona, Dan Shaughnessy

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

From famed baseball manager Terry Francona, a lively, unvarnished narrative of his tenure with the storied Boston Red Sox

From 2004 to 2011, Terry "Tito" Francona managed the Boston Red Sox, the most talked about, scrutinized team in all of sports. In Francona the legendary manager opens up for the first time about his eight years there, as they went from cursed franchise to one of the most successful and profitable in baseball history. He takes readers inside the rarefied world of a 21st-century clubhouse, from 2004 when they won their first championship in 86 years, through another win in 2007, to the controversial September collapse just four years later. He recounts the tightrope walk of managing personalities like Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez, working with Theo Epstein and his statistics-driven executives, balancing their data with the emotions of a 25-man roster, and meeting the expectations of three owners with often wildly differing opinions. Along the way listeners are treated with back-slapping, never-before-told stories about their favorite players, moments, losses, and wins.

Those eight years were a wild, unforgettable ride, and now the fascinating full story can be told in an audiobook that examines like no other the art of managing in today's game.

©2013 Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Narrator Jeff Gurner offers a steady hand throughout a collaboration that has no dull moments…Red Sox fans will enjoy the stories behind some of their team's greatest years. Cleveland Indians fans will love the wonderful insights into their first-year manager. And Gurner's narration will help draw in any person interested in what a manager endures – on and off the field.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Even baseball fans who loathe the Boston Red Sox will find it tough to root against former manager Francona… [Gurner's] reading keeps the narrative moving forward, and Francona's story is compelling. All in all, a solid effort that should generate strong demand from baseball fans.” —Booklist

Love Tito

Good book! I enjoyed hearing all the stories and inter workings of the Boston Red Sox! LETS GO RED SOX!!

Must for Sox fan

This is a great read. It offers a ton of insight into the the inner medlings of the Sox by management. Thanks Tito and Theo for what yo you've done for us!

Amazing Book.....A Must Read For Red Sox Fans

I loved this book. Terry Francona gives you an insight into the Red Sox like no other book before. Amazing what goes on behind the scenes. Absolutely Perfect

A Great Baseball Story

What made the experience of listening to Francona the most enjoyable?

Francona is a family story, about the Francona family, and his baseball family the Boston Red Sox.

What did you like best about this story?

The warmth, honesty and intensity expressed by Terry Francona.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Gurner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A Bronx Tale in Fenway Park.

Like the DeNiro Film, Francona is a baseball purist who has to function in a world run by CEO's, GM's and statistical gurus who try to compromise his belief in the players and the sport.

Tito Tells All!

Any additional comments?

Every ballplayer has a story. And ballplayers are a tight knit family. It's just that Tito's story and family connections are especially interesting.

SPOILERS BELOW

How does one person get to manage the short-lived baseball career of Michael Jordan -and- end the Curse of the Bambino? And mentor a young Jon Lester through his early career and cancer treatments? And gets to return to his father's baseball roots in Cleveland? Fascinating.

Tito definitely gets his last word in against Sox ownership as he and the organization parted ways in 2011, and most everything he says seems (incredibly!) plausible and justified.

From the details of growing up as the son of a pro ballplayer through his career through the locker room dirt of the 2004 Idiots and beyond, this book is great for any MLB fan and a must-read for a Boston fan like myself.

Gurner's narration was just fine. Sure he botches a name or two, but he nails every F-bomb.

Go Sox, go Tito--thanks for sharing your terrific, salty stories with the fans of this game.

Good Sports Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you are a Red Sox or just a baseball fan then it will be very entertaining

Which character – as performed by Jeff Gurner – was your favorite?

Tito was the character best performed

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish I had the time to listen to this in all one sitting. It would be worth the time.

A Fun, Incestuous, Listen

Any additional comments?

Very well written and narrated. The audio book moves quickly and is gossipy and fun. But in the end, it's basically a love story between Franconer and Theo. The two of them essentially do no wrong, but we fans realize it's a little more complicated than that. They did have a great run together though, and this book is essentially a celebration of that. Obviously, it will be of most interest to Sox fans like myself, but I recommend it to other fans of the game as well.

TAKE OUT THE BREATHS!

What made the experience of listening to Francona the most enjoyable?

Wish I could talk about the book itself but I need to get the message out. Breaths every 5 seconds in this book. It's beyond irritating. Please fix this for future listeners!

In the dugout & clubhouse.

As a Sox fan & season ticket holder for many years, I experienced the lows, then highs, and lows again with the team.
Francona's frank, and insider information was very interesting. The "untold story" and behind the scenes tales are eye-opening and shocking at points. His battles with ownership and others (MLB officials) in addition to his kinship with players & coaches has been documented but getting his side of the story was refreshing & made for a great book.
Shaughnessy made the perfect co-writer because of his closeness to, and coverage of the team.
Any Red Sox or baseball fan should find this book extremely entertaining & informative.

I enjoyed it a lot,

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I thought it was interesting. I liked the details of working for such a high profile team.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Terry Francona.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Gurner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't.

Any additional comments?

Even for a more casual baseball fan, this is really good.