He was being facetious, but there is no way the 65-year-old Francona would emerge from retirement without assurances from the front office that the team is dedicated to doing something other than give away bobbleheads, have fireworks shows and promote post-game concerts.
And you can be certain Francona has insisted upon having a say in personnel decisions and to have a hands-off promise from the front office on line-up construction and to have total on-the-field control.
Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. Terry Francona is a Cincinnati Red. pic.twitter.com/SR4drjQq2I
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) October 4, 2024
This hiring is on the level of Sparky Anderson, Davey Johnson, Jack McKeon and Dusty Baker. Francona is on the same plateau as those managerial legends.
And he comes in with almost a turnkey operation. He has an on-the-rise young pitching staff, several young up-and-coming stars and some fast-rising players in the minors.
All the club needs is an established, productive veteran or two to provide guidance and leadership.
The Reds will introduce Francona as manager on Monday morning in a press conference.
But in a release, Francona said, “I am so excited and honored to join an organization with the tradition and history of the Cincinnati Reds. I only played one season for the Reds in 1987 but in that season, I learned that Cincinnati is a great baseball city. I can’t wait to start meeting and interacting with these good young players of ours.”
In making the announcement, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall said, “Terry is a future Hall of Fame manager that has experience winning with young talent. I’m extremely excited that he wanted to be a Reds and he is the right person to take us towards our goal of winning a championship.”
Added Reds Principal Owner Bob Castellini, “Terry’s track record speaks for itself. He is an outstanding manager who will lead our club forward.”
Apparently, the 65-year-old former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians (now the Guardians) is healthy again.
Francona resigned as manager of the Guardians after the 2023 season, citing health issues, ending what most believed was his 23-year managerial career.
His biggest success was in 2004 and 2007 when he took the Red Sox to the World Series. He became a Boston icon in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series, ending an 86-year run of never winning one.
In Cleveland he won nearly 55% of his games and he nearly ended that team’s long draught of not winning a World Series since 1948. He took the 2016 team, known then as the Indians, to the World Seres, but lost in seven games to the Chicago Cubs.
It was the Cubs’ first World Series title since 1908.
His career record is 1,950-1,672.
Francona, a near-certain future Hall of Famer, is known as a player’s manager and is famously known for being dismissed by the Red Sox for being too lenient.
The team often ate chicken and drank beer in the clubhouse during games, unbeknownst to him. And he took the fall for it.
But he is more famously known for being an outstanding leader and baseball tactician. His experience and knowledge of the game should serve the Reds in an extremely positive way.
It took the Reds only 11 days after they fired David Bell to coax Francona out of retirement.
Francona is familiar with Cincinnati. He played as a utility player in 1987 under manager Pete Rose.
And when he managed the Guardians, the Reds and Guardians shared the spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz.
He is a baseball lifer, a man who spends more time at the ballpark than anywhere else. As manager of the Red Sox, he was known to sleep overnight in his ballpark office.
Francona’s early morning sessions with the beat writers in his clubhouse office were so entertaining and informative, I would often stop in to listen on my way to the Reds portion of the complex, even though I wasn’t covering the Guardians.
His hiring is an extremely popular move for the fan base, eager for the Reds to become relevant. The Reds haven’t played in the postseason after a full season since 2012.
They made it during the COVID-19-shortened 60-game season in 2020. But they lost two straight to the Atlanta Braves and didn’t score a run.
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