For Better or For Worse: Terry Francona

Wrapped in the title "player's manager" is both a complement and an insult. Personable and charming as to relate to players, this manager is too cowardly to make tough personnel decisions, too soft to win championships. Yet, what is often overlooked, is that many of the greatest skippers in baseball history have managed in this style. Arguably the two best managers of the last decade have been of this "undesirable" type: Terry Francona, winner of two World Series titles since installed as Red Sox skipper in 2004, and the legendary Joe Torre, manager of the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees, and Dodgers since 1977. Torre was made a household name by his years with the Yankees in the late 90s and early 2000s. Often credited as the quintessential "player's manager", he was always the first to take responsibility for the team's misgivings, yet last to take credit for its successes. For this, he won numerous titles - and lost his job. Terry Francona, in m...