Saturday: Oh Jesus

So, remember the Francona post from yesterday, when I said he was a diva and a douchebag and what-all for the way he treated my friend? If not, you can read it here. It got quite a few hits, and 16 negative replies from mostly Boston fans (to be fair, Yankee fans reacted about the same way on a fan forum). The main points they hit were:

1) It was probably not as bad as it sounded.
2) It's a total non-story either way.
3) I'm a douchebag for posting it.
4) I was just looking for hits.
5) Duke sucks.

Well, my friend just sent me the audio. Unfortunately, it now seems clear that points #1-4 were all correct.

Crap.

I mean, this shit is worst case scenario. I'll post it at the end, but basically I could detect almost no animosity on Francona's part, and the exchange was far less involved than I thought. Nick said "coach," Francona gave him a quick shot about whether he was covering the Red Sox or Patriots, and then he said "this should be good, go ahead." From hearing it, it certainly doesn't sound menacing or arrogant or even slightly bullying. I think Francona is even laughing.

So, to mimic the format of the last post, here's what we've learned:

1) I jumped on a gossipy bit of news because I thought it would be interesting and funny and, yes, because I wanted to drum up some traffic. It worked for that last purpose, but I do not feel awesome about it. This has not been my modus operandi in the past, and believe me, it won't be in the future. It's a bullshit way to do business; I was taking the chance that the audio would be vicious, and I got deservedly burned for it. I should know the story before it's posted.

2) Nick made a small mistake by calling Francona 'coach,' and didn't appreciate the little jab he got in return. The incident probably blew up in his head a bit between the time it happened and when he listened to the audio. Which is totally understandable; I would've felt the exact same way. I have, actually, under different circumstances. The fault here is 100% mine. And by the by, Nick is not "Nick Masuda," whoever that is.

3) Francona is, in fact, not a dick or diva or douchebag, or any other derogatory term beginning with "d." (Except perhaps 'depraved'...I'm looking into a rumor I read on the internet...this could be BIG!)

4) I fucked up large, and I owe Francona a huge apology (even though, thank God, this story will never reach his ears). I also owe an apology to anyone who read this post. This is not my proudest moment, and rest assured that I feel properly chastened and ashamed.

5) DUKE IS IN THE FINAL FOUR! I'm going to try to forget about this shit, play some ball today, have a drink, and enjoy the games.

I'll leave the old Francona post up for a while. That's called taking my medicine, and it's got to be done. By Monday, though, expect it to be taken down. Here's the audio:



If you need me, I'll be scrubbing myself down obsessively in the bathtub.