Terry Francona appeared on WEEI's "Big Show" with Glenn Ordway and Michael Holley on Wednesday, one week after he managed his last game with the Red Sox.

Perhaps the biggest question left unanswered from Francona's departure from the organization was the agency behind the decision. Was it, as the Red Sox persisted last week, simply Francona's call, or was there some lingering discordance between manager and ownership, as stated by Francona?

"The way we said it was that it was kind of mutual. That's what we said," Francona said, at least implying that calling the break mutual isn't the whole story. "The fact that I was up there having a meeting meant that there were some questions. I understand that. I've said all along, ownership has not only the right but they have the obligation to get the right person. I understand that. I probably wished it was me for a long time, but I started to begin to understand that maybe it wasn't, even if we did win. There were things that were bothering me, that maybe didn't bother me before. If that's the case, I either have to figure it out or go somewhere else."

Francona suggested a narrative in which a lack of support from Red Sox ownership became clearer as the season -- or at the very least September -- went on.

"Some of these are personal conversations, and I hope you respect that. There are guys, eight years together is a lot, and I have a lot of respect for them and what they do. There are some things that were voiced in meetings that I viewed, maybe, as not being supportive. Maybe they didn't. Everybody has their own opinion. I don't want to completely throw these guys under the bus here because that's not how I feel."

By the time the season was over, Francona was less sure he himself wanted to return, especially given the doubts from Red Sox brass about his ability to lead the time. Although he said he didn't know how he would have responded had he been asked to return at the end of the season, Francona didn't hesitate to say he certainly wouldn't have resisted had Boston simply gone ahead and picked up his two option years.

In the end, it sounded more like management convinced Francona the club needed a new voice more than vice versa.

"There was a reason I was sitting up in that office, having some meetings. I have to own a lot of responsibility for what happened because it was my responsibility to not let happen what happened," Francona said. "Regardless of how ownership feels or regardless of how Theo feels or how you feel or the fans feel, I had a responsibility to get something done, and it didn't get done. I need to wear that. I do. Maybe it was just time."

As for the reasoning behind the break-up, Francona dished more about clubhouse culture. He didn't deny the reports -- originally in the Boston Herald -- that pitchers were drinking beer in the clubhouse on their days off.

"If somebody walks around with a cup of beer, this is leading to a life of its own and I'm not real comfortable with it because I don't know a lot about it. I don't think it's the end of the world. I don't think it's like it's being portrayed," he said. "We've actually always had beer in the clubhouse because I thought they were men and I thought they deserved to be treated like it, and they've always handled it."

Francona also didn't take much issue with the conditioning of his pitching staff.

"Some of our pitchers aren't able to run like they used to for various reasons. They do sometimes put on weight. Are we concerned? Sure. I don't think it means they don't work," he said. "Sometimes, there are reasons it happens; we just wanted to make sure it was the right reasons."

The bigger problem, according to the ex-manager, was the support for each other among teammates.

"I used to say when our team would come up after a game, if they were mad, they were mad because we lost, not because they were 0-for-4," he said. "I thought it was a little bit different this year, especially at the end. The personal goals were outweighing some of the team goals. Again, that's my responsibility to change that. That part's on me. I was distraught I wasn't able to change that.

"I just wanted to do a better job of trying to meet this challenge and spend our energy protecting each other as opposed to maybe saying, 'This guy could do this.' That bothered me."

David Ortiz, remember, did suggest that Alfredo Aceves should have been in the rotation instead of the bullpen in the closing weeks of the season.

Francona shed some light on the team meeting he held in Toronto on Sept. 7, one day after a 14-0 victory over the Blue Jays.

"I wanted them to realize that I wasn't particularly comfortable with the energy we were expending on things we could control. I just wanted to make them understand that," he said. "For whatever reason, I wish it would have more impact. There's a certain segment of players that are going to do everything in their power all the time. There were other players I didn't feel like I was getting to, and that's my responsibility."

The team never did respond, however, losing its next five games and 16 of its last 21.

Photo: Elise Amendola, AP
Twitter: @TBritton_Projo