ESPN’s Buster Olney probably said it best, “And there are a lotof people around who believe that he’s crazy to take the Cleveland job.”
Photo Courtesy of Keith Allison via Flickr.com
When CBS’s Jon Heyman first broke word that Francona could potentially end up in Cleveland in mid-September it seemed to be a pipedream at best, nothing more than rumor mill fodder. As I previously wrote, the match seemed to be a bit of a stretch. The Indians organization from top to bottom is a bit, well, scattered; the parent club has more than a few holes to fill and the farm system is devoid of any upper level prospects. And beyond that, the franchise hasn’t shown the propensity to pony up the big bucks to bring in any type of top level talent, in any respect. I also thought that Acta’s dismissal wasn’t a sure thing either.
I, of course, overlooked his Cleveland ties. He not only played briefly for the team in the late 80s, but he was a member of the front office in 2001. Oh, yeah, his dad Tito is one of the more iconic players to ever don a Cleveland uniform.
But in signing Francona to a four-year deal – terms have not been disclosed yet – it potentially revitalizes the entire organization, creating not only a fresh start for both manager and team, but, finally, Cleveland was able to reel in the big fish.
Since the organization’s inception in the American League in 1901, there have been 45 managers to skipper Cleveland ship for at least one game. Among them are several Hall of Famers– Lou Boudreau, Tris Speaker, Al Lopez, Nap Lajoie, Frank Robinson, Joe Gordon, and Walter Johnson. All but Lopez went in as a player.
None of them – or any incoming manager, for that matter – ever began his Cleveland tenure with a resume that would even come close to Francona’s, who was at the helm for two Boston championships. And with that comes added credibility, particularly among potential free agents, an area that has plagued the Indians for quite some time.
After questioning 291 players about the most popular manager, Sports Illustrated released its findings late August of 2011. Number two on the list was Terry Francona, just weeks before he was to get canned. Like it or not, Cleveland is a struggling franchise located in a city that’s barely keeping its head above water. They need another selling point and Francona is just that.
He knows how to handle a mishmash of egos in a heavily scrutinized media market and has shown the ability to cultivate young talent at the big league level. But most importantly – and this is not a knock on Manny Acta in any way – Francona has a proven track record of leadership.
The Indians front office needed to make a big splash in the free agent market this offseason – maybe to even save their own jobs – but Francona has the potential to become quite the coup, a big name manager with Cleveland ties that actually wanted the job.
At the very worst, this probably saved Mark Shapiro’s and Chris Antonetti’s job for at least three more years, maybe more depending on the results.
ank Robinson, Joe Gordon, and Walter Johnson. All but Lopez went in as a player.
None of them – or any incoming manager, for that matter – ever began his Cleveland tenure with a resume that would even come close to Francona’s, who was at the helm for two Boston championships. And with that comes added credibility, particularly among potential free agents, an area that has plagued the Indians for quite some time.
After questioning 291 players about the most popular manager, Sports Illustrated released its findings late August of 2011. Number two on the list was Terry Francona, just weeks before he was to get canned. Like it or not, Cleveland is a struggling franchise located in a city that’s barely keeping its head above water. They need another selling point and Francona is just that.
He knows how to handle a mishmash of egos in a heavily scrutinized media market and has shown the ability to cultivate young talent at the big league level. But most importantly – and this is not a knock on Manny Acta in any way – Francona has a proven track record of leadership.
The Indians front office needed to make a big splash in the free agent market this offseason – maybe to even save their own jobs – but Francona has the potential to become quite the coup, a big name manager with Cleveland ties that actually wanted the job.
At the very worst, this probably saved Mark Shapiro’s and Chris Antonetti’s job for at least three more years, maybe more depending on the results.
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