Francona Calls Red Sox' Beer Ban 'A PR Move'
BOSTON (CBS) - There's nobody that knows the culture of the Red Sox better than former manager Terry Francona, and his insight as an ESPN analyst this season will be second to none.
He's off to a good start, too, as he discussed Bobby Valentine's beer ban on Mike & Mike on ESPN Radio on Monday morning.
"I think it's a PR move. I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one," Francona told the hosts. "I don't think it's a surprise that they put this in effect, or the fact they announced it. It's probably more of a PR move just because, you know, the Red Sox [took] such a beating at the end of the year."
Francona did explain that he understands why Valentine would enforce such a rule in his first year, as he just doesn't know the players well enough.
"You look back at this, these are guys that earned my implicit trust ... So I probably felt different about it than a new guy coming in," Francona said. "And he certainly has the right to do what he wants because he is new, and that's why you get different people."
