 | |
| Author | Michael Holley |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers |
Publication date | 2008 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 202 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-145854-5 |
| 796.357'640974461 22 | |
| LC Class | GV875.B62 H65 2008 |
Red Sox Rule is a book written by Michael Holley that documents the 2007 Boston Red Sox season, a year in which they won the American League pennant and went on to win the World Series.
Although Red Sox Rule is a book that appears to be about the team, it is actually more focused on the team's manager, Terry Francona, rather than the team itself. HarperCollins, the book's publisher describes the book as an "... inside look at how it all happened ... [and] reveals the private sessions and the dugout and front-office strategies that have made the Boston Red Sox a budding dynasty." [1] Francona's selection as the team's manager followed the firing of his predecessor, Grady Little whose decisions during the 2003 American League championship series were widely criticized by the media, the public, and the teams ownership. [1] In his first year as the manager, Francona took the Red Sox to the World Series where the team defeated the St. Louis Cardinals and won its first championship title in 86 years. Subsequently, the team was generally successfully during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, but it was not until the 2007 season that the team attained the same level of success as it did in 2004, and once again won the World Series.
The book discusses Francona's childhood and his relationship with his father, Tito Francona, who was also a major league baseball player. Several chapters are then devoted to Francona's early baseball years from high school in New Brighton, Pennsylvania to the University of Arizona, to his 10-year career as a major league player. Following his professional playing career, Francona went on to manage in the minor leagues where he gained national attention as the manager of the Birmingham Barons whose roster included NBA Hall of Fame player Michael Jordan. Francona's efforts in managing Jordan as well as managing the unprecedented level of media coverage won him admirers in both the baseball community and the press. [1]
The book also discusses his battle with health in chapter 10: Life And Death
The book was well received by the public and appeared on both the Nw York Times Best Seller list as well as regional lists. [2] [3] Critics generally provided positive reviews, highlighting the inside information that Holley was able to obtain from spending countless hours with Francona during the season, but also criticising the scarce amount of material in the book regarding the 2004 season [4] [5]
What's there is very good -- there are plenty of interesting details that aren't public knowledge placed here# But the story jumps around a little bit and feels incomplete. For example, there is surprisingly little information on the 2004 season, which of course changed the lives of every Red Sox fan alive. And it's not as if there wasn't room for more material, "Red Sox Rule" checks in at 202 pages of text, and it's easy to breeze through this in a couple of days. [6]
This is a good read for Red Sox fans looking to learn a bit more about Francona, both on and off the field. Like many, he's taken an interesting route to get where he is, and like most, it hasn't been a straight or easy path to the manager's chair. [7]
At least one Boston-based critic stated that Holley's relationship with Francona was much too close and personal for the author to provide an unbiased look. The same reviewer also questioned the author's ability to gain access to Michael Jordan although he did not go as far as to claim that Holley falsified information. [8]
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in 1901 as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the team's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The "Red Sox" name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, c. 1908, following the lead of previous teams that had been known as the "Boston Red Stockings", including the Boston Braves. The team has won nine World Series championships, tied for the third-most of any MLB team, and has played in 13 World Series. Their most recent World Series appearance and win was in 2018. In addition, they won the 1904 American League pennant, but were not able to defend their 1903 World Series championship when the New York Giants refused to participate in the 1904 World Series.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher, who pitched professionally for 23 seasons, 16 of them in NPB, 7 in MLB. He is currently a baseball color commentator, critic, reporter, and YouTuber. Daisuke is nicknamed "the Monster of the Heisei Era" in Japan and "Dice-K" in the United States by The Boston Globe and USA Today. He played for the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Saitama Seibu Lions, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
Keith Charles Foulke is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. A graduate of Hargrave High School in Huffman, Texas, Foulke attended Galveston College and Lewis–Clark State College. Between 1997 and 2008, he pitched for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. Foulke was an All-Star in 2003 and he earned the save in the final game of the 2004 World Series.
William Francis Carrigan, nicknamed "Rough", was an American Major League baseball catcher and manager. He played for the Boston Red Sox between 1906 and 1916, and he was a player-manager for the last four of those seasons. In 1915 and 1916, Carrigan's teams won back-to-back World Series. He was said to exert a positive influence on young Red Sox star Babe Ruth, serving as his roommate and his manager. He has the highest postseason winning percentage (.800) of any manager with multiple postseason appearances, and was named to the Honor Rolls of Baseball in 1946.
Santos Alomar Velázquez, known as Sandy Alomar Jr., is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher between 1988 and 2007, most notably as a member of the Cleveland Indians where he was a six-time All-Star player and won two American League pennants. Alomar was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2009.
The 2004 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2004 season. The 100th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox and the National League (NL) champion St. Louis Cardinals; the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in four games. The series was played from October 23 to 27, 2004, at Fenway Park and Busch Memorial Stadium, broadcast on Fox, and watched by an average of just under 25.5 million viewers. The Red Sox's World Series championship was their first since 1918, ending the Curse of the Bambino.
Terrence Jon Francona, nicknamed "Tito", is an American former baseball manager and player who was the manager of the Cleveland Indians/Guardians in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons. Previously, he was the manager of the Boston Red Sox for eight seasons, whom he led to two World Series titles, ending the franchise's 86-year championship drought.
The Yankees–Red Sox rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Both teams have competed in MLB's American League (AL) for over 120 seasons and have since developed what is arguably the fiercest rivalry in all of American sports. In 1919, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold star player Babe Ruth to the Yankees, which was followed by an 86-year period in which the Red Sox did not win a World Series. This led to the popularization of a superstition known as the "Curse of the Bambino," which was one of the most well-known aspects of the rivalry.
William Grady Little is an American former manager in Major League Baseball, currently working in the front office of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002 to 2003 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2007. He was inducted into the Kinston, North Carolina, Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, Charlotte Baseball Hall of Fame 1985 and was inducted into the Hagerstown Suns Hall of Fame on April 13, 2009.
James Bradley Mills is an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an infielder for the Montreal Expos from 1980 to 1983. He managed the Houston Astros from 2010 to 2012, and served as a coach in MLB for the Expos, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians.
Dan Shaughnessy is an American sports writer. He has covered the Boston Red Sox for The Boston Globe since 1981. In 2016, he was given the J. G. Taylor Spink Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Shaughnessy is often referred to by his nickname "Shank," given by the 1980s Boston Celtics team for the often unflattering and critical nature of his articles.
Robert José Watson was an American professional baseball player, coach and general manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman and left fielder from 1966 to 1984, most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he was a two-time All-Star player. Watson had a .295 batting average over a career that also saw him play for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and the Atlanta Braves.
Kevin Forrest Cash is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Cash played catcher in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. As a player, Cash was listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg); he batted and threw right-handed. He was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians before being hired as the Rays' manager in December 2014. Cash was the American League Manager of the Year in 2020 and 2021, the first AL manager to win the award consecutively. Cash will enter the 2024 season as the longest-tenured manager in MLB.
Thomas Charles Werner is an American television producer and businessman. Through his investment in Fenway Sports Group, he is currently chairman of both Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Red Sox.
Gene William Lamont is an American special assistant to the general manager of the Kansas City Royals. He was a catcher and manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Chicago White Sox (1992–1995) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1997–2000) and served as a coach for the Detroit Tigers (2006-2017). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Clay Daniel Buchholz is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Buchholz made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2007. In his second major league start, he pitched a no-hitter, becoming the third MLB pitcher since 1900 to throw a no-hitter in his first or second start and the first Red Sox rookie to throw one. He was a two-time MLB All-Star.
John Edward Farrell is an American former baseball pitcher, coach, and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). During his eight-season playing career, Farrell was a member of the Cleveland Indians, California Angels, and Detroit Tigers. He was the pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 to 2010, before serving as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2011 to 2012. He returned to the Red Sox as their manager in 2013, winning the World Series with them in his first year, and led the team until 2017. Since 2018, he has held a scouting position with the Cincinnati Reds.
The 2004 Boston Red Sox season was the 104th season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. Managed by Terry Francona, the Red Sox finished with a 98–64 record, three games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Red Sox qualified for the postseason as the AL wild card, swept the Anaheim Angels in the ALDS, and faced the Yankees in the ALCS for the second straight year. After losing the first three games to the Yankees and trailing in the ninth inning of the fourth game, the Red Sox became the first team in major league history to come back from a three-game postseason deficit, defeating the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, capturing their first championship since 1918.
Benjamin P. Cherington is an American baseball executive serving as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) since November 2019. He previously served as the vice-president of baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was the executive vice president and general manager of the Boston Red Sox from 2011 to 2015. He succeeded Theo Epstein in that position, having worked in the team's baseball operations office since 1999, before Epstein's arrival.
