Terry Francona will not Manage in 2012
By Editorial Staff
After being passed over by the St. Louis Cardinals in their search for a new skipper, Terry Francona told Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com that he is “not going to try to manage” in 2012. During the interview, Francona confirmed that he would not manage next season for his own benefit.
To many, Francona seemed like a perfect fit in St. Louis as the franchise’s replacement for the recently retired Tony La Russa. But, instead of going with Francona and his experience, the Cardinals decided to select an in-house candidate, Mike Matheny.
When Francona was interviewing with the Cardinals he told McAdam that he “was genuinely excited about it”. To Francona, coaching in St. Louis “was such an exciting opportunity”.
Even after the Cardinals announced the hiring of Matheny, rumors continued to link Francona to the Chicago Cubs. But it looks like the two-time World Series champion is going to sit out a season “to take a step back and re-energize”. Francona told McAdam that a break from coaching is probably in his “best interest right now” and that it’s “the best thing” for him to do.
Francona said that he has had communication with Theo Epstein, his former general manager in Boston, about the Cubs’ managerial vacancy. According to Francona, he and Epstein “know each other well enough” that they can be honest with one another. Francona doesn’t think the Cubs’ job is “the right opportunity” for him at this time.
This postseason, baseball fans everyone praised Francona’s abilities as a television broadcaster while filling in for Tim McCarver on Fox. Since his split with the Red Sox, Francona has already been contacted by several TV networks including Fox, ESPN and the MLB Network. Francona said that he will “explore some things in broadcasting and see where it leads”, noting that this may be his opportunity “to stay in the game”.
Even if Francona is able to stay near the game, it will be difficult for him to transition from the bench. Francona has been a coach of some sort since 2001 and next season will be the first since his college days that he won’t be collecting a paycheck from a team.
Francona told McAdam that he’s sure it will be “really difficult” for him to get used to at first. “Not going to spring training will certainly be a huge void”, according to Francona, but he says he’s glad to have the opportunity to get himself “re-energized”. Francona finished by saying that “when an opportunity arises” for him to manage again, he will be ready.