Terry Francona is on the hot seat. It didn’t take him long to get there.

On Thursday, he was introduced as the 44th manager in the 103-year history of the Red Sox. While most considered the Francona hiring the worst-kept secret in sports history, there’s another well-known fact about the job: the man holding it will be subject to more second guessing than any other person in New England.

“You’re not trying to run me out of town already?” Francona said during his meet-and-greet with dozens of media types.

No, Terry, we were just welcoming you. And trying to get you to understand the scrutiny you’re about to face.

It’s something Grady Little never fully grasped (and, to Little’s credit, never really cared about.)

Francona faced similar pressure in Philadelphia, where he managed from 1997-2000. He’s been in pro baseball for a quarter century, and grew up in the clubhouses where his dad, former major leaguer Tito Francona, played.

By all accounts, the new manager blew Theo Epstein and company away in his first interview.

He broke from the starting gate and never looked back. That’s why he’s the manager of the Sox today.

Epstein described Francona as “somebody who would excel both in the clubhouse and in the dugout, somebody who had an absolute commitment to preparation, somebody who had the integrity and the interpersonal skills to forge meaningful relationships.”

Now, we’ll see if all of those skills help him get through to Manny this winter.

It became obvious that Francona would become the manager when Curt Schilling waived his no-trade clause to join the team on Thanksgiving weekend. Epstein was asked about the image that Schilling’s former manager was chosen in order to get the ace to come to Boston.

“I’ve done a lot of dumb things,” said Epstein, “but nothing as dumb as choosing a manager to get a player.”

Concerning Schilling’s endorsement, Francona joked the pitcher “just wants to pitch Opening Day.”

In the press conference, Francona was witty, energetic, and even admitted to reading the sports pages (something Grady Little vowed he never did.)

On a December day that began with the Yankees adding a very good pitcher in Javier Vazquez, Francona vowed to get the most out of the players on his team. As a bench coach for Oakland last season, he marveled at how the Sox offense “just kept coming at you. There was no quit in that lineup.”

Now that lineup is backed by improved starting pitching. And managed by a man who is more likely to use the statistical information supplied by his organization (like, one would assume, how much less effective Pedro Martinez is after throwing 120 pitches in the seventh game of the ALCS.)

The Red Sox will also be managed by a man who knows what comes with the job. “I’ve been released by six teams, fired as manager,” said Francona. “I’ve got no hair and my nose is bigger than it should be, so I think my skin’s pretty thick.”

It had better be. The average job-span of a Red Sox manager over the past 103 years is under three years. Just ask the last guy who held the job.

He won 188 games over two seasons and went to extra innings in Game 7 of the league championship.

Lewiston native Tom Caron is a NESN sports analyst for Bruins and Red Sox telecasts.