Breakup of Boston Red Sox Starts Already: Is Terry Francona out Today?

It's been just a touch over 24 hours since the Red Sox 2011 season came to its unfathomably painful end. The speculation about who would pay the price for the team's demise began within split seconds of the 4-3 loss to the Orioles. 

Now it seems as if the first casualty may be revealed. Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston is reporting that as early as tomorrow Terry Francona, the manger that led the Boston Red Sox not just to their first World Series Ring in 86 years but to a second championship three years later, will be clearing out his office in Fenway.

This would be a stunning and unexpected end for a manager who may very well be the greatest manager in Red Sox history. Francona would exit Boston with a World Series record of 8-0. Is there any historical precedent to that? In his eight full seasons he made the World Series twice and never lost a game. 

The real question is whether Francona is being forced out or if he's leaving on his own terms? That's going to be a very tough thing to determine because the odds of anyone ever getting a real concrete answer out of Theo Epstein, John Henry, Tom Werner or Larry Luchino are equal to those of catching Bill Belichick singing ABBA in a karaoke bar. 

At a press conference in Boston on Thursday, Francona was asked if he wanted to come back as manager. His reply:  "It's a fair question". That's not exactly a "I can't wait to come back and right the wrongs of this season". In fact, with options on his contract the Red Sox could simply let him walk away. 

All of this, of course, raises yet another question for Sox fans to ponder. Would letting Francona walk away be the first step in fixing the Red Sox troubles, or would this be just another bad decision by the organization? 

In order to let Francona go, the Red Sox really should have another manager in mind. Firing a manager is a two-step process: There's the part about no longer feeling the manager or coach in question can effectively lead the team and if there is someone better out there for the job.

If the Red Sox are going to let Francona go, with his 8-0 World Series record and overall .574 win-loss record, then they better already have someone good in mind to replace him. Are there worse managers out there than Terry Francona? Yes, and if the Red Sox brass don't think so, then all they have to do is bring in someone who fails to make the playoffs next year.