After beating cancer, Red Sox manager John Farrell is focused on baseball again
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In what was likely one of his first public appearances of the offseason, Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell seemed eager to get back to baseball. Farrell was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Burkitt lymphoma in August, and immediately took a leave of absence from the club in order to receive treatment.
In early October, the Red Sox announced Farrell would return as the team’s manager in 2016. Just a few weeks later, the club sent out a release saying Farrell’s cancer was in remission.
[Elsewhere: Check out our Winter Meetings Done Deal tracker]
It’s been a frenzied couple of months for both the Red Sox and Farrell. While Farrell was receiving chemotherapy, the Red Sox experienced major changes in the front office. Dave Dombrowski was brought in as the team’s president of baseball operations while Farrell was away from the club.
The move signaled a significant shift in the organization. Ben Cherington, who had hired Farrell, announced he would leave the franchise. While Farrell had more important things to worry about at the time, he said he’s been able to get on the same page with Dombrowski recently.
Here’s a transcript of Farrell’s comments about his situation from Tuesday’s media session at the Winter Meetings:
Q. Ben obviously is the GM who hired you. When all of that transition happened pretty quickly, and maybe unexpectedly, how anxious were you kind of at that time as to what would happen? Understanding you were involved in other things.
JOHN FARRELL: I was obviously dealing with another situation that probably dominated my thoughts at the time. Disappointed that Ben is still not with us for the obvious reasons, he bringing me here or back to the Red Sox.
But as Dave mentioned earlier today, we did have a couple of two-hour meetings initially when I first got there, or when he first came in. So that was a chance to at least better familiarize one another. But still, coming out of the treatment and realizing remission, yeah, there’s been much more interaction since then.
Being able to create a relationship with Dombrowski is great and all, but it’s far more encouraging to hear Farrell talk about beating cancer. August was obviously a difficult time for him, as he admitted baseball wasn’t his top priority at the time.
All of the news concerning Farrell’s battle and recovery from cancer has been positive, and his statements seem to be more confirmation of that. It appears he’s primarily focused on baseball again, and that’s a pretty strong indication that he’s feeling healthy.
[Elsewhere: The Cubs signed utility man Ben Zobrist to a four-year deal]
The team has already received plenty of praise for signing superstar pitcher David Price, but Farrell’s return to health is already the best thing to happen within the organization this offseason.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
