TITO Redux

This from today's Herald, and then a comment (surprise!) from me......

"Toss out the balloting for the 10th Player Award and just give the thing to Terry Francona: I’m serious. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I don’t agree with every move the skipper makes (leaving in Curt Schilling for 133 pitches on a cold night in April and allowing a spent Josh Beckett to pitch to Alex Rodriguez a couple of weeks back quickly come to mind). But on a team with an alarming array of injuries, not to mention health scares involving Ortiz and young Jon Lester, Francona has maintained decorum in the clubhouse at a time when flare-ups are not uncommon. Francona seems particularly worn down by all that has gone wrong, and he deserves some kind of public affirmation that he has done a lot of things the right way."

Peter here, and I agree with this blurb from the Herald so much. Terry Francona is our 10th player, and 11th through 28th. He's been hit hard by all of the woes we've experienced this year, the countless injuries, the devastating health news, and the sometimes frequent wrath from fans and media alike. He is not without health problems either. One example? The blood thinners he has to take to combat the threat of blood clots that he has been known to suffer from. And he remains standing. Courage. Fire. Mistakes? Sure, he's made a few. To borrow a line from a Billy Joel song, ".....we're only human. We're supposed to make mistakes." Tito. Listen. Thank you for a job well done. And after the season ends in the first days of October, sit back, recharge. See your doctors. And regain your health. We need you for 2007. And beyond.