By Peter Abraham, Globe Staff

In his eight seasons as manager of the Red Sox, Terry Francona generally protected his players when they veered off the path. It was one of the qualities that made him the best manager in franchise history.

In his new book, which comes out on Tuesday, Francona stays loyal to that ideal. But there are some interesting passages in "Francona: The Red Sox Years."

The book, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, was written with Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy. It's essentially a biography of Francona with an emphasis on his time with the Sox. Along the way you will learn how difficult it was to manage Manny Ramirez and Pedro Martinez. You'll hear about the time David Wells threatened to punch the manager.

Daisuke Matsuzaka was a diva and the end of Nomar Garciaparra's tenure in Boston was difficult. No surprises there. But even a few selfish moments from David Ortiz are detailed.

Reading the book will give you a new-found appreciation for Francona and all the personalities he had to contend with.

The book details the 2005 incident when Ramirez refused to play in Tampa Bay when the team was shorthanded. Francona made it clear he was annoyed when he spoke to the media and a controversy erupted. When John Henry told Francona he wanted him to make a public apology, Francona was prepared to quit.

"John had a blind spot for Manny," Francona says in the book. "Manny was the perfect player because of his numbers. But I was livid that day."

Francona and Shaughnessy started the book soon after Francona was fired by the Red Sox. So it's not unexpected that Henry, chairman Tom Werner and team president Larry Lucchino are targets for his ire.