Francona is a class act
Posted: Thursday, November 01, 2007 12:16 PM
Leftover thoughts from, sadly, another short World Series:
Anyone think Jonathan Papelbon goes to spring training as a starter in 2008?
Anyone going to give Terry Francona credit as the next Joe Torre? Here is a man so decent that before this year’s playoffs he made a point to tell a professional acquaintance of his joy for longtime Phillies execs Bill Giles and Dave Montgomery on the Phils’ shocking division title. This was the franchise that fired Francona after the manager took the heat for an organization that was committed to the chase of a new ballpark over winning a pennant. Francona wasn’t Larry Bowa and still the man holds no bitterness.
In case anyone is counting it's two World Series winners for Francona. That equals Tony La Russa and is one more than Jim Leyland and Bobby Cox. Suddenly, Joe Torre’s four in a row look pretty good.
While we talk about Torre here’s something to consider for a frustrated Yankees' fan who has been conditioned to believe that spending equals a birthright to a World Series: When the Yankees were eliminated in this year’s playoffs Carl Pavano ($10 million) and Kei Igawa ($4 million plus a $26 million signing fee to Japanese baseball) were MIA, Roger Clemens ($17.4 million) was useless, and Jason Giambi ($21 million) was a pinch-hitter. That’s a good chunk of dead money from the “$200 million roster that anyone can manage” as we too often hear.
Glad to hear the unanimous condemnation of agent Scott Boras after he leaked the A-Rod opt out story during Game 4 of the World Series. Not that it makes one bit of difference. A-Rod will get an insane contract and Boras will once again be the hero. Never begrudge Boras his job to maximize money for his clients, but it is very right to condemn when he shows no respect for the game and its good people.
Same principle applies to the Major League Baseball Players Association. Can it just once, somewhere, sometime, display one ounce of understanding of the bigger picture. No phonier apology has been uttered than Boras apologizing for his World Series leak. He had 10 MORE DAYS to notify the Yankees. There was no rush unless one’s thought was to seize the Fox airwaves, which, again sadly, was a successful ploy.
Since Monday’s entry, the Tigers traded for Edgar Renteria. Scratch them from the A-Rod derby and enter as a dark horse the Red Sox. For Boston even greater than A-Rod’s regular season play would be the double hit of thoroughly weakening its hated rival -- the Yankees. Oh, by the way, the Red Sox made Boras’ last Christmas merry by signing Daisuke Matsuzaka and tossing a 5-year gift contract to J.D. Drew.
