Gabe Kapler speaks at his introductory press conference. (Frank Klose/SportsTalkPhilly)
By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler regularly talks about how Terry Francona, his manager in Boston, helped him to get through tough times. When Kapler was in a slump, he says he would look down to the end of the dugout and see Francona smile, which helped him to remain confident. That was in the mid-2000s. In 2018, Francona doesn't seem to have a smile left when he sees Kapler.
According to Kristie Ackert of The New York Daily News, Francona had no interest in speaking to Kapler at the Winter Meetings, when Kapler hoped to squash any tension that may exist between him and the Francona family:
Kapler, who cited Francona's father as an influence on his baseball career, approached the Cleveland manager at the Winter Meetings in an attempt to clear the air. The senior Francona, however, made it clear that he did not appreciate what had happened to his son and rebuffed Kapler's attempt to talk, a source who was told of the interaction said.
This paragraph has since been removed from Ackert's story, but when asked by SportsTalkPhilly.com, Ackert says that was simply done for editing space. That paragraph was not retracted.
On top of that, a baseball source confirmed to SportsTalkPhilly.com Monday that Kapler did attempt to speak to (Terry) Francona at December's Winter Meetings, but Francona was uninterested in talking to Kapler. The source added that while Francona thought highly of Kapler when he managed him, the two hadn't talked in years prior to this failed interaction, an indication of how Francona currently views Kapler.
The seeming tension between the two exists because of Kapler's time as the Los Angeles Dodgers director of player development. During his time there, Nick Francona, Terry's son, alleges that Kapler told vice president of baseball operations Josh Byrnes that he was "too hardened" and "ruined" by his time in the military.
This, according to the younger Francona, came after he told Kapler that he was going to "seek an assessment" at the Home Base Program in Boston, which brands itself as a program that is "dedicated to healing the invisible wounds for post-9/11 veterans, service members and their families." Despite not asking for any help from Kapler or the Dodgers, Francona alleges that Kapler immediately recommended that he take a leave of absence. Ultimately, Francona was taken out of the player development department, and according to him, refused to resign or take a lesser role, leading to the Dodgers organization firing him.
Francona, who now works in the New York Mets organization, sent the MLB a nine-page letter in 2017 discussing what, in his view, was misconduct from the Dodgers organization. The MLB did do an investigation on these claims, but weren't able to discuss specifics when Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer, who published the nine-page letter, inquired after the hiring of Kapler. All that Pat McCourty, the MLB's Chief Communications Officer, said when Brookover asked about the investigation was that the Phillies had reached out about the investigation before hiring Kapler.
Francona's situation isn't the first time that Kapler has encountered controversy. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported last November that during the Dodgers' 2016 managerial search, when Kapler was considered the early front-runner, Clayton Kershaw and Adrian Gonzalez were among veterans that pushed against the idea of Kapler succeeding Don Mattingly. A source close to the situation confirmed that report to SportsTalkPhilly.com, while also noting that there was even internal push-back against the idea of Kapler serving on the staff of Dave Roberts, who the Dodgers ultimately selected as manager.
In Philadelphia, Kapler remains in the honeymoon phase with many fans. That's not to say that there aren't some that are skeptical about how Kapler will fare as manager, but he's done a very good job of using the media to make a positive first impression. In his introductory press conference, he displayed world-class preparation. Earlier this month, the video below, where Kapler talked about how the Phillies would look under his tutelage, went viral:
Phillies manager Gabe Kapler explains what will lead to a "shitload of wins." pic.twitter.com/eYe1WkwXVa
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) January 18, 2018
Kapler, of course, will have a short-lived honeymoon phase if the Phillies stumble out of the gates in 2018. However, if Kapler leads the Phillies to their next era of sustained success, his personality will make him one of the most beloved coaches in the history of the city. It doesn't feel like there's going to be much of an in between.
Through any ups and downs that Kapler may encounter in Philadelphia, it doesn't appear that he'll be able to count on a smile from the man who managed him and the 2004 Boston Red Sox to the organization's first World Series title in 86 years.
