Scan barcode
A review by theartolater
Francona: The Red Sox Years by Terry Francona
3.0
This is a very generous three stars, as it's merely an extended recap of the Red Sox under manager Terry Francona over the previous eight years. It's similar to Joe Torre's book The Yankee Years in that it's less about Francona and more about the writer (in this case, Dan Shaugnessy) interspersing years of game stories and sports reporting with Francona's commentary.
As it's Dan Shaugnessy, you know what you're getting coming in. If you're a local Boston reader, Shaugnessy's writing style and themes are pretty obvious throughout, and you're forced to wonder if the otherwise-diplomatic Francona was okay with some of the spin here and there.
Otherwise, though, in a market that's been inundated with Red Sox books since the 2004 World Series win, this is a surprisingly inessential entry. Lacking significant insight and providing little more than a cursory look at the inner workings of the Red Sox, the book is really only worthwhile to the casual Sox watcher or someone who hasn't spent much time with the team on a whole.
As it's Dan Shaugnessy, you know what you're getting coming in. If you're a local Boston reader, Shaugnessy's writing style and themes are pretty obvious throughout, and you're forced to wonder if the otherwise-diplomatic Francona was okay with some of the spin here and there.
Otherwise, though, in a market that's been inundated with Red Sox books since the 2004 World Series win, this is a surprisingly inessential entry. Lacking significant insight and providing little more than a cursory look at the inner workings of the Red Sox, the book is really only worthwhile to the casual Sox watcher or someone who hasn't spent much time with the team on a whole.