Up-Close with PSR
Terry Francona

The big question in baseball is what will Terry Francona do for an encore? In his first season at the helm in Boston, Francona guided the Red Sox to their first World Championship since 1918. He became the winningest manager in club post-season history, as Boston went 11-3 in sweeping the Angels in the ALDS, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the ALCS, and ultimately sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series. He led the Sox to a 98-64 regular-season record - in the franchise's 104-year history, only skipper Jake Stahl posted a better record in his first season (1912). Now in his 26th season in pro baseball, Francona begins his sixth season as a major league manager and his second with the Red Sox. PSR's George Von Benko got up close with New Brighton native in Florida near the end of spring training.

PSR: How have you handled the absolute euphoria of the fans after the World Series victory?

Francona: There's a lot of Red Sox fans out there and they're not just in New England, they are all over the place. It's a pretty consistent message that the title meant a lot and I appreciate that. You don't get tired of hearing that. People say 'thank you' or whatever, they love the Red Sox and you certainly don't ever tire of hearing that.

PSR: How different is this for you in your second year now that you know the players, the media, the city and the fans?

TF: That's the biggest difference. Not the fact that we won, it's the fact that there is a lot of familiarity there. I can be a little more relaxed with the media. I know the players and they know me and they know the staff. I actually think it's easier to get your work done because you know the players and what we need to focus on and things like that.

PSR: You now have first-hand knowledge of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Your thoughts?

TF: I spent the first couple of months trying to downplay it and then I got tired of downplaying it. There's no reason to downplay it because nobody believes it anyway. It's pretty intense - for me, from where I sit, sometimes it's a headache. The games are great, they're tense. Very few blowouts and a lot of great games and a lot of memorable games, but with that comes a lot of almost lunacy…the questions…it kind of gets a life of its own, which can give you a headache from time to time.

PSR: Are you sadden by the steroids controversy and the fact that so much attention has been focused on it and not what is happening on the field?

TF: Maybe it's something that needs to be addressed. I don't think any of us really know, but regardless of how it came about, if the powers that be - who are very intelligent people who really respect the game - if they find away to make this work where everybody's pleased, then even if the way it's addressed is not the ideal or correct way, it will still be good for the game.

PSR: You have been with a small market club and you been with a big market team. We hear so much about disparity in baseball and you've seen it from both sides - is it something that needs to be fixed or can the small market teams still compete?

TF: Well, I think the small market teams can compete - Oakland's a great example of that and I lived through that for a year - you can't make any wrong decisions. The decisions you make, it's not easy to do. It's definitely a disadvantage and there's no way around it. We are very fortunate in Boston that we have a lot of revenue to work with. Not unlimited, but a good revenue and I know Theo (Epstein) and the guys STILL feel like there is no room to ever make an error and they're very careful with the contracts they look at.

I also am not smart enough to know how to fix it. Sure, it would be great for everybody to go into spring training with an equal opportunity. I think small market teams have a chance to win, but maybe not stay on top. The Red Sox, we'd like to think we could show up every year and at least have a chance. I don't know that every team can say that, but in saying that I don't know how to fix it. Sometimes if you don't have an answer, maybe you need to keep your mouth shut.

PSR: You will face the Pirates in Boston this season June 17-19. Hailing from Western Pennsylvania, does that make it special?

TF: It's Pittsburgh and there's always something special. It's where I grew up so it's always special.