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

Must read for all baseball fans.

This is one of the best audio books I ever listened to. I was tempted to start it over immediately after it ended. Every Red Sox fan needs to hear this. Every baseball fan needs to hear this.

Francona Sheds Light on Disastrous End

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

This book is especially interesting to Red Sox Fans, but others interested in baseball can observe the inner workings of a team.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Francona, struggled not only with the players and management, but with his own shortcomings and health issues.

What does Jeff Gurner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Actually, Jeff pronounced some of the names wrong.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Any additional comments?

Worth the read if you like baseball, and especially if you are a New Englander.

Even Non- Red Sox fans will love this book.

Writing of problems and experiences that are unique to managing a big league club. Francona was not afraid of telling like it was, those problems that happened to him during his tenure in Boston. That brings the reader new insights into what goes on in the head of the manager. Yet he does not betray the club house trust of his players and coaches. These little things that Francona does a great job of conveying, is what make this book a must read baseball book.
I was hesitant at first of buying this book, because I am no fan of the Red Sox; but I am a huge fan of the game. So I went a head with this book, and am so glad that I did. I have read many baseball books over the years. Including Joe Torre’s recent book about his managing the Yankee’s. I found Francona’s book just as interesting, and enjoyable. In many ways Francona is better at putting down the nuances of his thoughts while managing than Torre.
So, if you are a fan of the game of baseball and have wondered “what was he thinking” of a managers decision. This book will go a long way in answering that question. Jeff Gruner’s narration of the book is a joy to listen to. His pacing and inflections are good, and he never has any of those annoying moments or things. Over all between the authors and the narrator, they make a five star listen.

Great Listen for a baseball fan

If you could sum up Francona in three words, what would they be?

Great baseball book

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tito! Love his no BS style. Stuck to the only way he knew how to do things and the big business of big-league ownership chewed him up and spit him out with no appreciation for his immense accomplishments. Good luck in Cleveland, Tito!

What does Jeff Gurner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great narration! Straight to the point. Loved his portrayals of Francona.

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

The ugly truth of business behind the game

Manager tells all.

As usual, if you are a Boston fan like me, you know that every time a manager gets fired from his job, no matter the sport in Boston, an article is written that sheds a very negative light on that person. Francona was no exception. In this book, he tells all. He goes through his playing, and managing career telling the good, and bad. He also tells us what happened in his last season as manager, and how he dealt with players like Manny Ramirez. He also explains what it was like to deal with the Red Sox front office. This is a great listen. You will be surprised with some of Francona's revelations.

Extraordinary man - extraordinary book

I had absolutely no idea about crap Francona dealt with every day. To do so with children in harm's way, is nothing short of extraordinary...

Fly on the clubhouse wall

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

Absolutely. Any Sox fan who has felt a little like George Steinbrenner or Bill Veeck has been running things at Fenway for the past few years without quite being able to put their finger on why they have that feeling will find a lot of clarity in this behind-the-scenes look at the ballclub from a manager's-eye-view. Things you may have noticed, without quite making sense of, all add up here. I expected a bit of sour grapes, but Tito's criticisms of the organization all fit with the more-than-casual fan's experiences of the Red Sox over the past decade or so, and he invariably qualifies them with the acknowledgement that the front office and the manager's office have different agendas because they serve different purposes for the organization.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Francona, somewhat obviously. It's good to hear that some of his more seemingly boneheaded decisions were in view of the bigger picture. While it sucks to spend money to go to Fenway on a day the team rolls over, Tito explains why sometimes that's still the best call for the team and the organization.

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

Not sure if I've heard anything else of his, but the occasional mispronunciations of names - it's "Bill Miller," not "Bill Mueller," regardlesss of spelling - exposes him as someone who doesn't follow the team. Distracting? Not terribly. Could they have found ONE narrator who knows the player names for the Boston Red Sox? I'd imagine so.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Funny in spots, sure. Crying....uhh, no.

Any additional comments?

This is, overall, probably the most addictive audiobook I've gotten in the past year. If you've been a Sox fan, especially if you've been around for the entire career arc of Francona at Four Yawkey Way, give it a listen. You'll be surprised at how many of these games you personally remember, and at Tito's commentary on those games and the circumstances in which they were played. A really nice fly-on-the-clubhouse-wall book that tempts a lifelong Boston fan to root for the Indians in 2013....especially once you learn about what a nutroll the ownership group for the Red Sox is.

If you're a sox fan, you have to own this

if you're a sox fan and/or love good baseball stories, you have to read this. Not surprisingly, Francona is very respectful. Says very few bad things about players and is pretty tame when it comes to Sox ownership. But mostly the book is worth reading because of all the fun little baseball stories that aren't newsworthy or earth-shattering but are just pure fun.

Long but entertaining - if you are a baseball nut

Would you listen to Francona again? Why?

I am a Yankees fan but still enjoyed the book. You have to be a baseball nut to enjoy this. The f-word is used a thousand times in this 14 hour audio book. But if you can get past that, you can get a good insight on what it was like to be the manager of the RedSox.

Shaughnessy's agenda too apparent

For anyone familiar with Dan Shaughnessy's work, it is all too obvious this is his book. Francona's quotes and comments are far more gracious than commentary inserted by Shaughnessy. He just loves stirring the pot, and is as guilty as anyone - maybe more so - for amping up the idiotic chicken and beer story.

The narrator does a pretty good job, but sort of does voices for the different quotes. Not extreme, but distracting when you know the voices of all the people involved.

Overall interesting as a Sox fan, but the World Series win of 2013 changes a lot of the perspectives here (which was finished in early 2013).