Terry Francona on 2011 Red Sox: ‘I Can’t Wait to See This’

While the emotions of Red Sox fans have been running high all winter long, you'd think it'd be a safe to assume that the even-keeled manager of the team wasn't going overboard with excitement early in spring training.

But even Terry Francona can't help himself.

"I actually think that we're better than people think," Francona told the New York Post's Kevin Kernan. "I don't usually say that, but I think these two additions are so significant. The one guy [Carl Crawford] runs, the other guy [Adrian Gonzalez] hits for power.

"I can't wait to see this."

Fracona, of course, has good reason to be excited. With a healthy Dustin Pedroia, a likewise healthy Jacoby Ellsbury, a determined Josh Beckett, a motivated Kevin Youkilis and the aforementioned new additions, hope abounds in Fort Myers. Part of Francona's excitement might stem from his surprise in the offseason.

"I'm not gonna sit here and say, 'Oh yeah, I know we could get those two,'" Francona said of Crawford and Gonzalez on Sunday's Red Sox Live. "To get both of them, it's really exciting. … I think our organization really clutched up."

It sure did, and Francona finds himself having something in common with millions of Sox fans worldwide.