MLB Champion Boston Red Sox have a Manager, in Terry Francona, someone that exemplifies the attitude of the recent two-time World Series Champions.
Cool, intelligent and easy under fire, it was this kind of personality at the top that helped steady a ship that had been at sea for over 80 years.
Terry Francona came to the Boston Red Sox in 2004, just one year after the Red Sox had lost a classic, heart-breaking 7th game to their hated rivals, the ever-present New York Yankees.
That loss screamed for change up in Boston, where losing to the New York Yankees, especially in such a fashion, is akin to a cardinal sin of Beantown sports.
With Francona's arrival, the Boston Red Sox, poised and close already, were able to take that final step, one that would spike the New York Yankees after being down 0-3 in the 2004 American League Championship Series, to the realm of World Series Champions.
That Terry Francona was the Manager of the Boston Red Sox team that finally broke through, was no accident.
There needed to be a match between Manager and personality of that Red Sox team.
The team, comprised of laid-back personalities that would probably have revolted against a hard-ass Manager, took Francona into its clubhouse, creating a snug fit that helped weather storms during that 2004 season, and once again while winning the World Series in 2007.
So Terry Francona, armed with a well-deserved contract extension, is set to once again lead the Boston Red Sox, this time with the idea of a World Series repeat in mind.
No doubt the New York Yankees will be standing in their way once again, and visa versa.
Should the Red Sox not repeat, it will not be for lack of a steady hand at the helm.