Terry Francona Says He's "Still Trying To Stop The Bleeding"

Former Boston Red Sox manager, Terry Francona, told the Boston Herald that he's "still trying to stop the bleeding."

“It was probably five months too late,” Francona said, when asked about a recent conversation with Red Sox owner John Henry. “We talked. It doesn’t matter anymore. That’s what I kind of told him. I said, ‘We should have had this conversation a long time ago because anything you say now doesn’t matter.’ But he was good.”

“It’s a little awkward for me,” Francona said about a return to Fenway Park.  “I’m not quite ready for the hugs yet, I’m still trying to stop the bleeding.”

Francona and the Red Sox parted ways last fall after the embattled manager led his team to a 7-20 record in the month of September. In doing so the team with the third highest payroll in 2011 blew a nine-game wild card lead in the last month of the season. It was later reported by the Boston Globe that the 2011 Red Sox were plagued with clubhouse issues, including reports that three of the team’s starting pitchers would drink beer and eat chicken in the locker room during nights in which they weren’t pitching.