Terry Francona, manager of the 2004 World Champion Boston Red Sox, was in town for a banquet and fundraiser benefiting the University of Utah baseball team.

Bill Kinneberg, manager of the Utah baseball team, arranged the event for his good friend, Francona, who was excited to come. Perhaps the hottest topic of the night was Francona’s successful team.

Francona said everybody wants to hear the story of the team’s drive to the championship, and he enjoyed telling it.

“Every time somebody says that…it’s a great feeling,” Francona said. “It’s exciting. It’s the one thing that can still make my palms sweat a little bit. I hope that never goes away.”

This was not only an evening for the players, but it was also for the fans. Francona hoped he could help people start thinking about baseball with the season right around the corner.

Much of the talk centered on the Red Sox’s incredible run to the World Championship. When asked what people could learn from this Red Sox team, Francona said persistence.

“In my opinion, it would be never give up,” Francona said. “That’s probably an oversimplification…we were down 0-3 to the Yankees, nobody gave us much of a chance. We probably didn’t have much of a chance, but because our guys never for one second doubted that they could come back, we were able to overcome the odds.

“We were able to because of how special these guys were. They never gave up for one minute. They never stopped believing, and instead of being 25 guys, we were one.”

Francona and Kinneberg also talked about the importance of college in the lives of players.

“You’re seeing more and more often, especially with the financial obligations and the economics of baseball, those high draft picks are coming out of college,” Francona said. “They’re more polished. They’ve grown up. They’ve had a chance to mature a little bit; they’re stronger. It’s a big part of what we’re trying to do.”

Francona, a talented, former player at the University of Arizona, had been drafted right out of high school but decided to attend college.

“It was probably the greatest decision I ever made, smartest decision of my life.”

Excitement filled the room as Francona visited with media, fans, and the Utah baseball team.

“It’s a pleasure for us, I mean Coach Francona is such a big name,” said Doug Beck, a senior infielder for the Utes. “We were excited just because it’s one of Coach Kinneberg’s good friends and he was even able to get him up here.” .

Many Boston fans have waited many years for their team to win the championship.

Laura Cortes, a fan from Salt Lake City said she has been a Boston fan since birth and suffered through 1975, 1986 and 2003. She also said she was sent to the principal’s office many times after being caught with a transistor radio in the classroom, listening to the Red Sox game.

Fans of all ages came to see the man behind such a popular team.

“He is a really good coach," said Stanley Dillon, 12, of Farmington, Utah. "And I think it’s really cool that he came down to Utah.”



Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Jan 2005