Guardians manager Terry Francona’s captain’s chair
\n”, “providerName”: “Twitter”, “providerUrl”: “https://twitter.com”, “type”: “oembed”, “width”: 550, “contentType”: “rich”},{ “__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: “I put two and two together,” Kohnke said. “A gentleman who does some work for me here at the ballpark when I need welding or various metal work, he and I put our heads together and came up with the bass boat chair.” And then he put a bracket in for me “We got the bass boat chair and glued it in there, and I don’t want to say the rest is history, but it worked out great for him.”\n\nOver the course of his entire tenure with the team, Francona had to delegate batting practice responsibilities to his coaching staff so he can stay off his feet in his office. The chair lightened the load in the game, allowing Tito to do a job that everyone else couldn’t. Objectively speaking, he did well. In his 11 seasons in Cleveland, the team’s .549 winning percentage trailed only the Dodgers’ .613 mark and the Yankees’ .560 mark – two of the all-time best teams in the MLB.\n\n”I think you’ll be on this one.” “Look back at that time in the history of this franchise and how well he did,” said former Cleveland closer Cody Allen. “I mean…he inherited a club that lost about 95 games \\[94, to be exact\\]And then next year we’re in the playoffs. It will be one of the better windows for this franchise to come along in a long time.
On the occasion of Terry Francona’s final home game as CLE manager, I remember the astonished reaction when this accomplished captain left for a small club. He did it for a truly respectable reason: it felt like family to him.
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) September 27, 2023
\n\n”, “providerName”: “Twitter”, “providerUrl”: “https://twitter.com”, “type”: “oembed”, “width”: 550, “contentType”: “rich”} ,{“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: Along the way, Francona’s “negotiations” with the front office over contract extensions became something of an inside joke. Francona did not have to bring an agent into the process. He knew where he wanted to be, and team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff knew they wanted him here for as long as he wanted. It was a refreshingly friendly – even familial – relationship in a cutthroat industry.\n\nThis relationship extended to other parts of the company. You’ve heard the stories about Francona waking up with ice cream or pizza all over his chest after dozing off during a late-night snack. These stories are not exaggerated. If anything, Francona’s mess away from the ballpark will be minimized. PreferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:”https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-04/20/e98ffeaa-4549cbe1-80dab730-csvm -diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″,”type”:”video”,”description”:”In this preview of Tito: The Terry Francona Story – MLB Network Presents, we delve into the uniqueness of Terry Francona”,”displayAsVideoGif”: false, “duration”: “00:01:30”, “slug”: “the-uniqueness-of-Terry-Francona”, “Tags”:[{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlb-network”,”title”:”MLB Network”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”mlbn-presents”,”title”:”MLB Network Presents”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”: “Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/cmw0hf996pcewkzxalog”},”title” : “The Uniqueness of Terry Francona”, “relativeSiteUrl”: “/video/the-uniqueness-of-terry-francona”}, {“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: “Let’s just say it’s not straight Standard operating procedure in the MLB, in which a clubhouse attendant is assigned to the skipper’s residence to assist him in completing relatively basic tasks. Francona is so focused on his work and the hours he spends on the yard that The lack of order in his own home is a secondary problem. He’s a dynamo in the stadium, one catastrophe away from it.\n\n”If he were any other manager who lived like that, you’d be like, ‘What the hell what’s wrong with this guy?'” said a Cleveland club member who took on the helper role. “But with him you get it and you see how hard he works here.” “contentDate”: “2023-09-27T22:44 :47.855Z”, “preferredPlaybackScenarioURL({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”: “https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com /FORGE/2023/2023-09/27/c20b7453 -c6260f3e-c55d5288-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4”, “type”: “video”, “description”: “Terry Francona shares his feelings about his retirement announcement, his baseball career and officiating his final games,”” displayAsVideoGif”:false,”duration”:”00:00:33″,”slug”:”terry-francona-on-retirement”,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-114″,”title”:”Cleveland Guardians”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:114″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”interview”,”title”:”interview”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”retirement”,”title”:”retirement”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-114378″,”title”:”Terry Francona”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:114378″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”}],”thumbnail”:{“__typename”: “Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/vgzd3dsxns6hwvhyh1ni”},”title” :”Francona on possible retirement”,”relativeSiteUrl”:”/video/terry-francona-on-retirement”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content=”So that was a productive pairing. Francona was already a successful administrator of the force (or captain of the ship, if you will), and the force took pretty good care of him too.\n\nThe chair is proof.\n\n“Maybe it will Next guy do I want it,” Tito joked.\n\nActually no. The Guardians already had plans to remove the chair immediately after Francona’s final home game. Your next stop will be the club’s collection of historical artifacts. He’s sure to be on display there one day. Fans can reflect on a man who, even while sitting, was a stand-up figure for this franchise “CLEVELAND – It stands on a metal base mounted on the first of four steps leading from the Lead the Guardians dugout to the pitch. For most of Terry Francona’s 11 seasons as Cleveland’s manager, this padded, fade-resistant vinyl-covered seat was his captain’s chair.\nThe”,”tagline({\”formatString\”:\”none\”})”: null,” tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”storytype-article”,”title”:”Article”,”type”:”article”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-114″,”title”:”Cleveland Guardians”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:114″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”ContributorTag”,”slug”:”anthony-castrovince”,”title”:”Anthony Castrovince”,”type”:”contributor”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-114378″,”title”:”Terry Francona”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:114378″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”,”slug”:”gamepk-716418″,”title”:”2023/09/27 cin@cle”,”type”:”game”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”apple-news”,”title”:”Apple News”,”type”:”taxonomy”}],“type”: “story”, “thumbnail”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/c7ncwomqcsbky8brnvib”, “title”: “Guardians manager Terry Francona 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September 27, 2023
CLEVELAND — It sits on a metal base mounted on the first of four steps leading from the Guardians’ dugout to the field. For most of Terry Francona’s 11 seasons as Cleveland’s manager, this padded, fade-resistant vinyl-covered seat was his captain’s chair.
The above may sound like suggestive skipper language. But no, in every sense of the word Francona’s seat, which he may have occupied one last time for his final home game as manager of the Guardians on Wednesday night, is more intended for captains.
“It’s a bass boat chair,” said head groundskeeper Brandon Koehnke.
Tito has his place at the top of the coaching wins list in the team record book. In all likelihood, in addition to his likely one in Cooperstown, he will also receive a plaque in the team’s Hall of Fame at Heritage Park. And of course there’s his famous scooter, which, until it was recently stolen and destroyed (not exactly a sentimental send-off), was his means of transportation to and from Progressive Field.
But the swivel seat from which Francona oversaw that team is arguably the best representation of his entertaining and franchise-changing time in Cleveland. Because it gives us two fundamental insights about Tito – the physical difficulties he endured in doing that job, and the security he gained and enjoyed in a job where most men are hired only to be fired .
The Guardians had to replace Francona’s seat a few times as it fell victim to wear and tear. But Tito himself proved to be built to last, despite his physical ailments. He is the sport’s longest-serving active skipper and his time in Cleveland is now three years longer than his career with the Red Sox, where he built a legacy.
“The people here have been so good to me,” Francona said. “Every time I think, ‘Oh, I wish we could do that,’ they say, ‘Well, we’ll do that.’ You kind of hate to ask, but they just do things for you. The people here are just nice. It’s Cleveland, the people are nice.”
This is how the chair was created.
First, Francona, who suffers from poor circulation, knee, hip, foot and who knows how many other ailments, mentioned how difficult it is to stand near the dugout for three-hour games.
“We got him this comfortable pad [that sits in front of the steps]“said Köhnke.
Still frustrated by the physical difficulties, Francona asked club staff if there was a way to get him something to sit on during games.
“I put two and two together,” Kohnke said. “A gentleman who does some work for me here at the ballpark when I need welding or other metal work, he and I put our heads together and came up with the bass boat chair.
“And then he installed a bracket in the concrete for me. We got the bass boat chair and stuck him in there, and I don’t want to say the rest is history, but it worked out great for him.”
Over the course of his tenure with the team, Francona had to delegate batting practice responsibilities to his coaching staff so he could stay on his feet in his office. The chairman lightened the load in the game and allowed Tito to do a job that, objectively speaking, he did well. In his 11 seasons in Cleveland, the team’s winning percentage of .549 was only behind the Dodgers’ .613 mark and the Yankees’ .560 mark – two of the all-time best teams in the MLB.
“I think you’ll look back at this time in this franchise’s history and how well he did,” said former Cleveland closer Cody Allen. “I mean…he inherited a club that lost about 95 games [94, to be exact]And then next year we’re in the playoffs. It will be one of the better windows for this franchise in a long time.”
On the occasion of Terry Francona’s final home game as CLE manager, I remember the astonished reaction when this accomplished captain left for a small club. He did it for a truly respectable reason: it felt like family to him.
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) September 27, 2023
Along the way, Francona’s “negotiations” with the front office over contract extensions became something of an inside joke. Francona did not have to bring an agent into the process. He knew where he wanted to be, and team president Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff knew they wanted him here for as long as he wanted. It was a refreshingly friendly – even familial – relationship in a cutthroat industry.
This relationship also extended to other areas of the organization. You’ve heard the stories about Francona waking up with ice cream or pizza all over his chest after dozing off during a late-night snack. These stories are not exaggerated. If anything, Francona’s mess away from the ballpark will be minimized.
Let’s just say that it’s not exactly standard operating procedure in the MLB for a clubhouse attendant to be assigned to the skipper’s home to help him handle relatively basic tasks. Francona is so focused on his work and the hours he spends in the garden that keeping order in his own home isn’t even a secondary concern. He is a dynamo in the stadium, a disaster away from home.
“If he were any other manager who lived like that, you’d be like, ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?'” said a Cleveland club member who has taken on the role of reliever. “But with him you understand it and you see how hard he works here.”
So it was a productive pairing. Francona was a successful administrator of the troupe (or captain of the ship, if you will), and the troupe took pretty good care of him too.
“Maybe the next one will,” Tito joked.
Not really. The Guardians already had plans to remove the chair immediately after Francona’s final home game. The next stop will be the club’s collection of historical artifacts. It’s certain that it will be shown one day and fans will be able to reflect on a man who was a stand-up figure for this franchise even while sitting down.