Terry Francona Signs With The Sox For Three Plus Years...Colon Signs...

Finally, our oh so valuable manager who goes by the name of Terry Francona but is known to his players as Tito has signed a three year contract with his (and our) Boston Red Sox. This is from the Boston Globe...

"With two World Series titles behind him and a clubhouse full of players always ready to sing his praises, manager Terry Francona has reached an agreement on a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Red Sox that takes him through the 2011 season.
The Sox have the option to add two more years, bringing the potential total value of the package to $20 million, or an average of $4 million a year. The two option years must be exercised together after the 2011 season. If the options are not exercised, Francona receives a $750,000 buyout, guaranteeing him an average payout of $4 million over the three years.
The $4 million mark is a significant one, placing Francona just behind Joe Torre of the Dodgers (a reported 3 years, $13 million) at the highest level of the managerial salary scale."

Peter here, and this is a contract that makes sense! Tito has led the Red Sox to two national championships in the last four years, a feat accomplished by only one other man. I couldn't be happier for him, and now he can set his mind, without any distractions, on the quest for yet another World Series trophy. Good job, Sox FO! GREAT job, Tito!!

In other news, the Sox have signed the up and down Bartolo Colon to a minor league contract. This is also from the Globe, and then I'll be back with something to say about Mr. Colon, who is NOT one of my favorite baseball players on the planet, not by a long shot...

"There were indications late last night that the Sox had offered Colon, who turns 35 May 24, a $1 million make-good contract pending a physical, a spectacular comedown from the $16 million he was paid last season by the Los Angeles Angels, where chronic arm problems long since had forced him to yield his status as staff ace. Colon won the American League Cy Young Award in 2005, then won a total of seven games in the next two seasons.
Like Curt Schilling, whose own shoulder problems are the reason the Sox were drawn to Colon as a possible add-on, Colon's mid-90s fastball is now mere memory. He has had a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and an impingement in his elbow, opting to try rehabilitation over surgery."

Peter here. He's less than three years removed from a Cy Young award season, and he's a MESS! But I want to emphasise that this is a "no stress" signing for the Boston club. One million bucks will not break anyone's bank, and with Colon's shoulder and elbow problems, who knows what to expect from him. But there are only positives surrounding this signing...the Red Sox don't expect much, and they probably won't get much. But that's OK...there's only petty cash involved, and maybe he'll surprise Red Sox Nation and Red Sox International. Don't hold your breath, though. Please don't.

If you have time, click on the title of this post for the entire Terry Francona article. I wish you the very best of Mondays, and I hope your weekend was a wonderful one. It's nice to be back for yet another week, and we're all seven days closer to the umpire's loud cry of "Play Ball!" And I'm ready to play. Bigtime. As always, BE WELL. And thanks for stopping by...I'd love to read and respond to any and all of your comments.