Terry Francona, manager

After much speculation of who would be replacing last year's skipper, Grady Little, Oakland A's bench coach Terry Francona was selected to guide the club in 2004. His selection was met positively by Boston fans, as well as Red Sox players, particularly free agent signee Curt Schilling. The former NL Cy Young Award winner and the new manager had previously worked together with the Phillies.

Being the son of a former Major Leaguer (Tito Francona, a utility outfielder), it seemed only natural that Terry would also make it to "The Show", first coming on the scene with the Montreal Expos as a first baseman - outfielder in 1981. His tenure as a starter ended with the arrival of "the Big Cat", Andres Gallarraga. 1986 marked the first of several moves, as Francona resided at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs. Following campaigns saw him make stops in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Milwaukee, where he ended his playing career in 1990. A distinction which he and Tito hold - they are a handful of father-son combos who were struck out by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan.

1992 saw Terry's first foray as a manager at single A South Bend. The following year, the parent club Chicago White Sox promoted him to managing the Birmingham Barons, where he guided the team to the 1993 Southern League championship. During his tenure with the Barons, Francona regularly filled out the lineup card with the team's most famous alum playing the outfield - Michael Jordan.

Terry Francona comes to Boston having managed 648 games for the Philadelphia Phillies (1997-2000), with 285 wins, 363 losses and a .440 winning percentage, a point doubters highlight quickly. However, it must be noted that the Phillies were in a rebuilding mode at the time, having lost several key players to free agency and retirement.

With his positive outlook and better than average knowledge of the game, Francona seems a natural fit for the pressure oriented position, and his calm demeanor should be a positive influence in the BoSox clubhouse.

2004 Coaching staff - Ron Jackson, Lynn Jones, Brad Mills, Dave Wallace, Euclides Rojas, Dale Svuem