Sal Stewart Has Hilarious Reaction After Terry Francona Reveals Michael Jordan Story

When at Redsfest last week, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona revealed to Sal Stewart that he managed Michael Jordan in the minor leagues when Jordan was playing professional baseball.

Stewart was recently on MLB Network and his reaction to the news was hilarious.

"The other day we had Redsfest and he said that he had managed Michael Jordan," Stewart said, "I was stunned. I didn't know that he did that."

Francona managed Jordan during the 1994 season, when he was the manager of the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

Jordan struggled in his only season, slashing .202/.289/.266 with 21 extra-base hits and 30 stolen bases.

Stewart went on to talk about how much he enjoys playing for Francona.

"Honestly, Tito works really hard to have relationships with his players. That is really number one. You don't really get that often. He kind of goes out of his way to have a relationship with you. He understands who you are as a player...Having a manager who lets you be who you are, I am really fortunate to have that. He's a Hall of Fame manager for a reason."

You can see the full clip below:

"He said that he managed Michael Jordan. I was stunned, I didn't even know that was a thing." 😂@stewart_sal talks about his relationship with @Reds manager Terry Francona and what he provides to the clubhouse. pic.twitter.com/TTIRj962YE
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 25, 2026