Francona's reaction to Mills' hiring

Seems the Boston media is putting in more work than the Houston media on the Mills hiring.

Terry Francona:
"He's wanted this. I'm so proud, not just of him, but for him. He's not going to shortchange anybody on effort. He embodies so much of what's good in our game. I'm so happy for him. This meant a lot to him, as it should. I'm so thrilled for him. How much we're going to miss him, sure, but it's so far outweighed by happiness."

How will Mills approach his new job?
"Attack is a good word. He's got a lot of skills that are going to help make him a successful manager. He understands communication. He respects the players. I think he'll make the players be accountable, all the things we've talked about for six years in Boston. He's a smart baseball person and he's a very good person. That's a pretty good combination. We've been friends for 30 years. You can't replace that. He got his chance to do his own thing. We're so happy for him, but replacing him won't be easy, that's a given."

And apparently Ed Wade is a bit of a prankster:
Ed Wade called to tell Francona of his decision to hire Mills, but didn't exactly come straight out with the news. Wade, who had fired Francona from his spot as the Phillies manager years ago, tried to get Francona to think that Mills hadn't been chosen, before finally coming out with the truth.

And in this MLB.com article, we see that Drayton was impressed by Terry Francona, whom he immediately tried to send to Tampa Bay:
I've never seen an endorsement like Terry gave Brad.

Mills:
"I just left an organization, the Boston Red Sox, that I owe a lot to, starting with [principal owner] John Henry, [chairman] Tom Werner, [president/CEO] Larry Lucchino and everybody in that organization," said Mills. "They were very special to me the six years I was over there. [General manager] Theo Epstein and his staff, they were absolutely outstanding. And it goes without saying, Terry Francona. The experience that all of them and Terry were able to give me helped set me up for this today. I am deeply proud to say that I was involved with them at that time, and I appreciate it, and I want to thank them very much."

Francona:
"[We were in touch] a little bit. Eddie, he did a good job. He asked a lot of good questions, but personally, I think it's a good fit. I know both of them. I have a lot of respect for both of them, and I think it's a great fit. I've probably taken it for granted that everybody is where they're supposed to be because he's so good at it. We'll certainly have to make some adjustments. But his gain far outweighs any adjustments we have to make. Millsy embodies so much of what is good in baseball. For him to get an opportunity, it sure is nice. It sure is exciting for all of us. I think he's ready. He's been ready. That's subjective, but he's been working his whole life toward this. When he was second in charge, he did a great job. Now he's going to be making the decisions, and he'll do a great job. You can't find a better guy. He deserves this opportunity. Again, I hope he takes it and runs with it. I'm thrilled for him."