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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Given that I'm a Red Sox junky, it's not a shock that I loved this book. More than anything, I was glad that it wasn't all negative. And who doesn't love reliving the 2004 season?
I considered this a trip down memory lane (the good and the bad) with some personal behind-the-scenes insights. Remembering certain games or actions that were told in greater depth.
My one big disappointment was that, given Francona (aka Tito) was give 'top billing' as author. It clearly was his story written by Dan Shaughnessy (which I actually never thought I'd read a Dan Shaughnessy book, even his so called classic 'The Curse Of The Bambino').
In general the Boston Sports market is tough. The baseball market is extra tough! The rivalry with the Yanks is mentioned as the greatest sports rivalry! Though personally I think that fact is all media hype! I don't deny that there's a rivalry with the Bronx Bombers, I've been a blue blooded Sox fan for 48 of my 43 years on earth!
The Sox tale is that of your classic underdog! Dominated the sport in the early 1900's. Winning the World Series the first 5 times they made the fall classic (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918). Then comes the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yanks in 1920. After that the Sox made it to the World Series 4 more times (1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986) only to loose in the 7th game all 4 times! Personally I've hated the Mets with a white hot hate since 1986!
Then in 2004 Tito was hired as the 43rd manager of the team. By 2007 the Sox had won 2 World Series, the 1st in 2004 (an 86 year drought)! When it comes to managers of the Sox the only other one to manage 2 WS winning teams was Bill Carrigan (1915 and 1916). The only other manager that could be considered a great one is Dick Williams the manager of the 1967 Impossible Dream team! For me Tito is the tops!
Now, after 2007 things did tend to go downhill. The starting point can be seen as loosing to the Tampa Bay Rays in 7 games in the 2008 American League Championship Series! The Sox may have never been the same, but they still played great ball for parts, if not most of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons.
The epic collapse in September 2011, was well epic! And hard to read about! The upper managements treatment of Tito is inexcusable in my opinion!
I give it 3 solid stars and a must read for the die hard Red Sox fan and those who just love the great game of baseball
My one big disappointment was that, given Francona (aka Tito) was give 'top billing' as author. It clearly was his story written by Dan Shaughnessy (which I actually never thought I'd read a Dan Shaughnessy book, even his so called classic 'The Curse Of The Bambino').
In general the Boston Sports market is tough. The baseball market is extra tough! The rivalry with the Yanks is mentioned as the greatest sports rivalry! Though personally I think that fact is all media hype! I don't deny that there's a rivalry with the Bronx Bombers, I've been a blue blooded Sox fan for 48 of my 43 years on earth!
The Sox tale is that of your classic underdog! Dominated the sport in the early 1900's. Winning the World Series the first 5 times they made the fall classic (1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, and 1918). Then comes the sale of Babe Ruth to the Yanks in 1920. After that the Sox made it to the World Series 4 more times (1946, 1967, 1975, and 1986) only to loose in the 7th game all 4 times! Personally I've hated the Mets with a white hot hate since 1986!
Then in 2004 Tito was hired as the 43rd manager of the team. By 2007 the Sox had won 2 World Series, the 1st in 2004 (an 86 year drought)! When it comes to managers of the Sox the only other one to manage 2 WS winning teams was Bill Carrigan (1915 and 1916). The only other manager that could be considered a great one is Dick Williams the manager of the 1967 Impossible Dream team! For me Tito is the tops!
Now, after 2007 things did tend to go downhill. The starting point can be seen as loosing to the Tampa Bay Rays in 7 games in the 2008 American League Championship Series! The Sox may have never been the same, but they still played great ball for parts, if not most of the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons.
The epic collapse in September 2011, was well epic! And hard to read about! The upper managements treatment of Tito is inexcusable in my opinion!
I give it 3 solid stars and a must read for the die hard Red Sox fan and those who just love the great game of baseball
I really enjoyed this book. I always liked Francona and now I know he is a caring man of integrity. He demonstrates that you can be a nice guy and be successful in an environment that doesn't necessarily value or reward those qualities in people. I loved the stories of the players. This is a well-written book that any Red Sox fan will enjoy.
Disappointing. If you're a diehard Sox fan, there's almost no new information here, and the writing is bland. Interestingly enough, I actually found Francona to be less likable after reading the book, as there's quite a few examples of him being quick-tempered, petty and unreasonable. I found that very surprising. It's not a bad book per se, but nothing to go out of your way to read.
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
As a fan of the Sox, I was very interested in Francona's perspective on events. While some of this is interesting, it is not much of a book.
First off, I'm not sure why the book is "by" Francona since there is no attempt to even hide the fact that he did not actually write the book in the text. For example, it quotes him often. Actually, that in may tell us more about Francona and his ego than anything in the rest of the book.
So, Dan Shaugnessy wrote it and he's a hack, so readers should know going in that it is not going to be particularly well written.
Casting all of that aside, however, if Francona wanted to get his story out there, he might have thought about waiting a few more years -- maybe 10 years, and then done this. A lot of it reads petty and comes back to the same points again, and again, and again. Oh, and then it hammers them again.
Interesting to read if you are a fan of the team, not worth if it you are not a fan. I actually think less of Francona -- both as a coach and as a person -- than I did before I read the book. That was probably not his goal.
First off, I'm not sure why the book is "by" Francona since there is no attempt to even hide the fact that he did not actually write the book in the text. For example, it quotes him often. Actually, that in may tell us more about Francona and his ego than anything in the rest of the book.
So, Dan Shaugnessy wrote it and he's a hack, so readers should know going in that it is not going to be particularly well written.
Casting all of that aside, however, if Francona wanted to get his story out there, he might have thought about waiting a few more years -- maybe 10 years, and then done this. A lot of it reads petty and comes back to the same points again, and again, and again. Oh, and then it hammers them again.
Interesting to read if you are a fan of the team, not worth if it you are not a fan. I actually think less of Francona -- both as a coach and as a person -- than I did before I read the book. That was probably not his goal.
Was this the book of the year? Nope. Was it full on unknown truths, oddities or wisdom? Nope. Was it a fun read, with some witty parts to it? Yes. The book reads really well, and has a simple flow to it, logically breaking the chapters into years and eras. I didn't find it to be a biography so much as a data dump. There is a lot of reminiscing, but it isn't a memoir.
If you are a Red Sox fan, you'll enjoy this. I think you might if you are a baseball fan. If you care about neither, why are you looking at this book?
If you are a Red Sox fan, you'll enjoy this. I think you might if you are a baseball fan. If you care about neither, why are you looking at this book?
This is a nice review of Tito's time in Boston. I enjoyed it. But as someone who follows the Sox fairly closely it didn't add anything really new that I hadn't already heard from WEEI or the Globe. Good summer reading for a baseball fan.
A fascinating look at the Francona years of the Boston Red Sox (2004-2011), which encompassed 2 World Series victories (including the first in 86 years) as well as the biggest collapse in baseball history in September of 2011. Many people were obviously exhaustively interviewed by Dan Shaughnessy for this book, and his many hours over many years in the clubhouse as a reporter are obvious- Shaughnessy clearly knows his way around this organization. The book is well written, though I did find it to be repetitive- I found myself often reading about a situation or a conversation, only to have it re-expained only a few pages later. I wondered if this was a newspaper thing- if people are going to be reading articles that are published days or weeks apart, then you have to go back and recap things that might have been talked about earlier... but in this case, the book is such a quick read that it was a detriment, though only a small one.
Francona is the real star here, and his quotes are funny, insightful, and honest. I felt very sympathetic towards him anyway before reading this (the way he was dissed and dismissed was, in a word, gross), and his book only makes me feel even more strongly in his corner.
Obviously this book isn't for anyone. I don't even really know how people outside of Boston would feel about it. But for Red Sox fans, it is very, very good.
Francona is the real star here, and his quotes are funny, insightful, and honest. I felt very sympathetic towards him anyway before reading this (the way he was dissed and dismissed was, in a word, gross), and his book only makes me feel even more strongly in his corner.
Obviously this book isn't for anyone. I don't even really know how people outside of Boston would feel about it. But for Red Sox fans, it is very, very good.
I did not want to put this down. It was like watching a disaster unfold. Readers got a great look inside the workings of the Red Sox.