Baseball players seem to approach the biography in two very different ways.
On one end of the spectrum, there is the squeaky-clean approach. This method was chosen recently by former outfielders Doug Glanville and Andre Dawson. As authors, both players pulled their punches and largely bypassed controversial topics that might prove to be inflammatory (steroids, team executives, Sammy Sosa). Bios like these encourage kids to work hard, get a good night’s sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, and so on. No bridge is burned.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have what Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy delivered. The Red Sox Years -- especially the second half -- airs dirty laundry. To be fair, this is not a vindictive tell-all of the Jose Canseco variety. But calling it a fire-bombing, as others have done, is pretty fair.
The key targets of said fire-bombing are Red Sox owner John Henry’s business partners Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner. Bill Madden’s terrific biography of the late George Steinbrenner notably recounts Steinbrenner’s advice to Henry regarding Lucchino and Werner: “Those are two treacherous, phony backstabbers you’ve got there, John. You’re a pal, but I’ve got no use for those two bastards.”
Turns out that Terry Francona is no fan of Lucchino and Werner, either. The back end of the book is a detailed account of ownership incompetence and Francona’s take on his bizarre departure from the Red Sox. It still seems unclear to him or to the reader if he was fired as Red Sox manager or not.
Overall, the only challenges I encountered with the bio were a few in-game sequences that were a bit too detailed relative to my interest level. In addition, despite the book’s title, the content drifts early on to cover preceding managerial experiences.
Naturally, The Red Sox Years will appeal most to Red Sox fans. The second most likely audience for this book are Yankees fans due to the rivalry. Unexpectedly, I think Cubs fans would enjoy this behind-the-scenes look into Theo Epstein’s management style. Through Francona’s story, we learn how Epstein aspires to build and operate a franchise.
It’s extremely difficult to write a tell-all book without coming across like a creep, but Francona pulls it off. Francona puts a lot of things in print that he probably shouldn’t, but the result feels authentic and that’s admirable. Perhaps “Francona: The Indian Years” will be the next book? If so, I look forward to it.
Favorite Line:
Epstein bristled at the notion he was Lucchino’s creation and was uncomfortable with the number of Sox employees who’d migrated from San Diego with Lucchino.
On one end of the spectrum, there is the squeaky-clean approach. This method was chosen recently by former outfielders Doug Glanville and Andre Dawson. As authors, both players pulled their punches and largely bypassed controversial topics that might prove to be inflammatory (steroids, team executives, Sammy Sosa). Bios like these encourage kids to work hard, get a good night’s sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, and so on. No bridge is burned.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have what Terry Francona and Dan Shaughnessy delivered. The Red Sox Years -- especially the second half -- airs dirty laundry. To be fair, this is not a vindictive tell-all of the Jose Canseco variety. But calling it a fire-bombing, as others have done, is pretty fair.
The key targets of said fire-bombing are Red Sox owner John Henry’s business partners Larry Lucchino and Tom Werner. Bill Madden’s terrific biography of the late George Steinbrenner notably recounts Steinbrenner’s advice to Henry regarding Lucchino and Werner: “Those are two treacherous, phony backstabbers you’ve got there, John. You’re a pal, but I’ve got no use for those two bastards.”
Turns out that Terry Francona is no fan of Lucchino and Werner, either. The back end of the book is a detailed account of ownership incompetence and Francona’s take on his bizarre departure from the Red Sox. It still seems unclear to him or to the reader if he was fired as Red Sox manager or not.
Overall, the only challenges I encountered with the bio were a few in-game sequences that were a bit too detailed relative to my interest level. In addition, despite the book’s title, the content drifts early on to cover preceding managerial experiences.
Naturally, The Red Sox Years will appeal most to Red Sox fans. The second most likely audience for this book are Yankees fans due to the rivalry. Unexpectedly, I think Cubs fans would enjoy this behind-the-scenes look into Theo Epstein’s management style. Through Francona’s story, we learn how Epstein aspires to build and operate a franchise.
It’s extremely difficult to write a tell-all book without coming across like a creep, but Francona pulls it off. Francona puts a lot of things in print that he probably shouldn’t, but the result feels authentic and that’s admirable. Perhaps “Francona: The Indian Years” will be the next book? If so, I look forward to it.
Favorite Line:
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