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Terry Francona Joins ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, Baseball Tonight

Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who parted ways with the team after an epic collapse that knocked the Sox out of playoff contention, has found a new gig: ESPN baseball analyst.

“I’m excited to join ESPN and to be able to talk about my passion for baseball with fans who love the game as much as me,” said Francona, in a release. “In some ways, I’ll be a rookie all over again, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Tito will serve as an in-booth analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball alongside Dan Shulman and Orel Hershiser. He will also work as an analyst for Baseball Tonight and for Sportscenter. He made his ESPN debut Monday night from the Winter Meetings on Sportscenter.

Francona is essentially swapping places with former ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, who is the new Red Sox manager.

Soon after his exodus from the Red Sox, Tito joined Joe Buck for FOX broadcasts of Games 1 & 2 of the ALCS (and clearly made an impression on TV executives). He then interviewed for the managerial opening in St. Louis and also briefly spoke with Theo Epstein about the opening with the Cubs, but neither situation worked out and he opted to sit out of baseball for the year.

About KC Downey

KC is the "head coach" of the Sports of Boston, LLC blog network. Follow him on Twitter: @kc_downey

Tags: Baseball Tonight, Bobby Valentine, ESPN, Karl Ravech, Red Sox, Sunday Night Baseball, Terry Francona