Terry Francona: Sox Always Contenders

In the eyes of Terry Francona, the Boston Red Sox will always be contenders. Francona, the ex-manager of the Sox, made an appearance on WBZ-TV Sports Final on Sunday night with Dan Roche, where he shared his thoughts on the upcoming season for the team that he guided to two World Series championships in 2004 and again in 2007.

"They're always going to have a chance. They're the Red Sox," said Francona. "You have some talented players. Some were injured. Some were probably embarrassed and feel like they have a lot to prove, they maybe feel like they have a chip on their shoulder. Whatever the reason, you're going to see some guys coming back and probably have pretty good years." (via WEEI)

Hopefully, Tito is right. After the way last season ended -- the Red Sox blew a nine-game lead in the AL Wild Card in September and finished the month with a 7-20 record while missing the playoffs -- there certainly is a lot to prove. We'll see if they listened.

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