A CHAPTER IN HISTORY CLOSED FOR GOOD The Red Sox announced Friday that they would not pick up their option on Terry Francona’s contract, cutting ties with the manager who led them to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007 after decades of failure. Francona, who managed eight seasons in Boston, oversaw a collapse this season in which the Red Sox went 7-20 in September and lost a playoff spot to the Tampa Bay Rays.