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Terry Francona: Red Sox Banning Booze In Clubhouse Is A “PR Move”

Former Red Sox manager and current ESPN analyst Terry Francona thinks that former ESPN analyst and current Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine’s banning of alcohol in the clubhouse is mostly a “PR move.”

Francona made his comments on this morning’s Mike and Mike ESPN Radio show. For the record, Francona sounded like he agreed that the ban was a good move on Bobby V’s part, PR move or not.

A quick refresher: The Red Sox, after being the best team in baseball for much of last season, suffered an epic September collapse that caused them to miss the playoffs. Soon after, it was revealed that some members of the pitching staff had been inside the clubhouse during said collapse “drinking beer and eating fried chicken” during games.

The image of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey drinking beer and eating chicken while the season fell apart around them was a convenient one for the media to package, even though Boston’s decline had to do with more than that. In any event, Valentine, the incoming manager, has decided to ban beer in the clubhouse, perhaps as a message to reporters (and fans).

Here’s what Francona said about the move this morning:

“I think it’s a PR move,” Francona, now an ESPN analyst, said on ESPN Radio’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” show. “I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one. You know, it’s kind of the old rule … If your coach in football says no hard liquor on the plane — I mean, you serve beer and wine — somebody’s going to sneak liquor on the plane.

“If you furnish a little bit, it almost keeps it to a minimum.”

Audio of Francona’s comments here:

[ESPN]