Terry Francona’s Indians Are Laying Off the Fried Chicken and Beer

How good is former Red Sox Manager Terry Francona feeling right now? Good enough that he can joke about the dark old days of September 2011. Asked what’s fueled his Cleveland Indians’ September surge, he replied, “We stayed away from chicken and beer. That helped. Might as well get that out of the way.”

That, of course, is an unusually lighthearted reference to ugly days when the Red Sox’s epic collapse was compounded by reports that Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey often ate eat fried chicken, drank beer, and played video games in the clubhouse during games.

But happy days are here again. Whereas the Red Sox were 7-20 that fateful September, the Indians have gone 21-6. It’s easy to laugh about the bad times under such circumstances. And hey, with the season we’ve had, Boston’s inclined to laugh along with you, Terry. Unless you win the one-game playoff against Tampa Bay on Wednesday and get the chance to face us in the ALDS.

Then you must be eliminated.