Thank You Tito: Guardians Fans Say Farewell to Francona
Cleveland is a great sports town and we've been lucky to have some great characters in our locker rooms over the years.
But as long as there is baseball in Cleveland, there will never be someone quite like Terry Francona.
The winningest manager in Cleveland baseball history is going to retire in a few days, ending a stretch of 11 incredible seasons at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
Tito's never liked the attention, and true to form, wanted none of it as the city and organization prepare to celebrate him on Wednesday night in the home finale.
The stories are well-documented at this point: all the ice cream he admitted to eating during the 2016 World Series, the peanut butter on his glasses after he fell asleep with a television remote poking his ribs, cracking a tooth while eating uncooked pasta during spring training. You'd never believe some of the stuff you've heard over the years, until you found out Tito's name was attached to the tale, and then you were convinced it was true.
Francona also fostered an environment in the clubhouse that will linger long beyond his days wearing a Cleveland uniform. He has a way about him that makes his players and staff members feel cared for. He respects his peers enough not to sugar coat the truth, no matter how bad it is. Many of them have mentioned his communication is one of his best qualities.
But there is a levity (and an informal nature) about him that is hard to come by. He knows how to strike the right balance of having some heavy moments with ones that included a little fun at someone's expense. Just ask Kevin Cash, who now manages the Rays, but often found his less-than-stellar Major League stats plastered on the jumbotron when he came to town.
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona looks on from the dugout at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
© Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
There is an electricity to his personality that's contagious. But he also has a resume that will likely send him to Cooperstown.
Perhaps no moment was ever more important to Clevelanders than when LeBron James, in the prime of his career, chose to come back home after spurning the city a few years earlier. He was the biggest star in the NBA and he wanted to be here to chase championship lore.
Outside of LeBron's return, I can't think of another acquisition in the last 25 years that ignited the city's fans quite like the addition of Francona on October 6, 2012.
Let's get one thing straight - Clevelanders are comfortable in their own skin. There's a pride in calling this beautiful part of the country home. It's a 3-sport town with a tradition and history that spans generations.
We didn't need someone of Tito's national prominence to come here to validate us to the rest of the country.
But I distinctly remember feeling something special when hearing that news for the first time. The manager with Cleveland ties, who ended the curse of the Great Bambino in Boston, wanted to lead our team. There were a couple good seasons sprinkled in, but the teams of the 2000's were mostly lean in the win column after the late 90's Indians made their deep playoff runs.
Francona's arrival ignited a fanbase with a belief that a "small market" Major League franchise could still attract top talent that would finally get the over the hump for that elusive World Series title.
While it ultimately never came to fruition the way we would have liked (especially in 2016), the Terry Francona era in Cleveland will always be remembered as one of the great runs in franchise history.
Thank you, Tito.
