"Surprisingâ¦brutally honestâ¦Francona's tenure included the highest-high, the first Red Sox title in 86 years and the lowest-low when a collapse kept the team from the playoffs that led to the manager''s ouster." USA Today "The long-awaited memoirâ¦It's not often that baseball aficionados and gossip gluttons can plunk down on a shared portion of outfield grass with the same book for an afternoon of readerly delight, but Francona can bridge those kinds of differences." Boston Globe "Terry Francona''s new book is not only a must read, but it is a fascinating and entertaining look into the daily life on Yawkey Way during that memorable time period.full of surprising and fun anecdotesâ¦There are glimpses of his relationships with the players good and badâ¦and in most cases Shaughnessy's thorough reporting includes perspective from the players, executives and owners." MLB.com"A scorched-earth memoir â¦[that] touches fleetingly on steroid use, sabermetrics and Michael Jordan's stint in the minor leaguesâ¦but saves is heaviest artillery for the ownersâ¦[and] Theo Epstein backs him up." New York Times Book Review "A good read, well worth it for any Red Sox fan or anyone interested in the last decade of baseball. Francona and Shaughnessy tell how the Red Sox became champions and also how it all fell apart.
" CBSSports.com"A great readâ¦good fun and dishy." NBCSports.com"A bombshell." Comcast Sports" Francona: The Red Sox Years is a compelling behind-the-scenes depictionâ¦of an eight-year period that witnessed both the most spectacular successes in franchise history as well as some of the most devastating failures." WEEI.com"An exhilarating and torturous recounting of Francona''s eight-year run as the Red Sox managerâ¦He knows how the game is supposed to be played, and how the players are supposed to actâ¦Francona gets it. That''s what the book reveals most.
" The News Herald "An often hilarious but never salacious peek behind clubhouse doorsâ¦much of the book's advance buzz has focused on management's backward emphasis on sizzleâ¦but it's the candor, often delivered with deft humor, about the players that will appeal to Red Sox fans. " Chad Finn, Boston Globe "Reveals [Francona's] favorite highs from his historic stint with the team, and how he dealt with the crushing lows." Men's Health "A fascinating and detailed look at how a franchise so desperate to win big and attract huge television ratings can lose its soul in the process." Terry Pluto, Cleveland Plain Dealer "Francona's depiction of the Boston organizationâ¦provides insightâ¦[and] cements every perception we have of a dysfunctional Red Sox hierarchyâ¦internal proof that the Red Sox were forcing business wants on their baseball needs purely in the name of greed." Tony Massarotti, Boston.com"You don't have to like the Red Sox to enjoy this book. Francona: The Red Sox Years shows the manager's true grit. Francona puts the reader behind the scenes in the often fiery, turbulent, never dull world of the Red Soxâ¦It is vintage Francona, earthy blunt, comical and disarming⦠Francona and Shaughnessy together tell the story of a gritty baseball lifer who brought untold joy to Red Sox Nation, and Shaughnessy has captured Francona, warts and all.
" Tampa Bay Tribune "Revenge is a dish best served cold? So is a tell-all book, even if it doesn't tell all. But Terry Francona tells enough in his new book with longtime Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy to take us into places with the Red Sox that the camera never goesâ¦.through the deft hands of the very accomplished Shaughnessy, Francona is also very insightful into ⦠the pressures of managing in a white-hot media market like Boston." Providence Journal "Even Yankees fans are going to want to read this Red Sox book." NY Daily News "There are terrific anecdotesâ¦the language is course and the opinions unfiltered. But for fans who want more than the team-approved version of events, it's a fun read. Just how much Francona loves baseball and the people in the game comes through. For years, you had to wonder what Francona really thought.
We'll probably never know 100 percent, but this book gets you very close. My thoughts after finishing the book? Good luck to John Farrell." Peter Abraham, Boston Globe "A searing indictment of Red Sox ownershipâ¦.Red Sox Nation is eating up this new book⦠Francona's account of big shots screwing up is exquisite off-season sport." Publishers Weekly "A 349-page firebombing." Gerry Callahan, Boston Herald "The hottest sports book on the market." Steve Buckley, BostonHerald.com "This is the best book looking inside the mind of a big-league manager I have ever read, because Francona is sharp and loves the game, because Shaughnessy is eloquent and a dazzling storyteller.
" - Philadelphia Inquirer.