Tito returns to baseball, screens, and hearts in New England.
I think the first thing that ever truly bothered me about Red Sox ownership was in 2011 in the aftermath of Terry Francona’s dimissal. An article was published, pointing to anonymous sources who suggested that he had developed a chemical dependence in the wake of his divorce, and that this had impacted his ability to manage the Red Sox during the season that had just ended.
I don’t mean to rehash that and certainly don’t want to give it any additional oxygen, especially because it was a thoroughly dirty thing to do. No one can say it better than Tito himself:
“I thought, ‘OK, I’m done here. I’ll take responsibility and go away.’ Little did I know I was going to be going away limping because someone cut my legs out from under me.” —Terry Francona
They smeared him in one of the most ugly ways possible. That has always left an awful taste in my mouth on Tito’s behalf, and I’ve been happy to see him have success in Cleveland over the years, moving on from that shameful, undignified display from the Red Sox. And now he’s on to Cincinnati to lead the Reds, excited about the possibilities of that young team, taking care of his health, losing weight, enjoying his grandkids. Good for him.
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
I’ve remembered this incident from time to time, as well as the speculation about which one of the Red Sox ownership group supplied the actual quote. It occurred to me again when Francona didn’t appear for Joe Castiglione’s retirement ceremony, and I couldn’t really blame him for not coming back to Boston.
That’s why I was so surprised to see that he’d participated in the upcoming Netflix documentary about the 2004 curse-breaking World Series championship. It wouldn’t be the same without him. Welcome back, Tito. We’ve missed you here.