Francona's Challenge - Gary Armida's Blog

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Gary Armida's Blog

Francona's Challenge Stuck

Posted on December 5, 2012 at 05:10 PM.

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(Nashville, Tennessee)--A challenge. When it comes down to it, it is a challenge that drives us. Perhaps it is an ego thing or maybe, there is something in all us that wants to see what we can do when we are not exactly sure we can win. It�s why sports agree with us. There is a constant challenge, a struggle in competition that will keep a competitor coming back for more. And, no matter how much success a competitor has had, there is a need for more.

That need can manifest itself in many ways. Some may want the challenge of winning a World Series by going to a contending team because getting back to that final series is difficult even with the best of teams. Others see bigger challenges. Terry Francona certainly did.

When Terry Francona and the Boston Red Sox parted ways, the 12 year managing veteran took the year off from the field and spent time calling games for ESPN. A two-time World Series winning Manager can afford to take as much time as he wants so there was a thought that he would be selective about his next job. After all, he was very good as an analyst, wasn�t hurting for money, and could wait for his ideal scenario.

That made it all the more surprising that Francona would choose to become the Manager of the Cleveland Indians. �The hurdles don�t scare me. I know they�re there, but maybe I just wanted the challenge. I want to be part of a solution, not the fix,� said Francona.

The challenges are great. The Indians are a small market team in every sense of the word. They have a small budget and every move has to be precise. The management team is smart, very analytical in their approach. At times, it has worked. But when decisions go wrong, even if they are based in logic, it can set them back to where they are today. They are a team that may be trading two of their best players---Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo--and a team that may or may not be active in free agency. In other words, they are at a critical juncture in their organization. One wrong decision and a decade will be lost.

Francona knows this and chose to sign on anyway. �It was evident right away when I sat down with Chris (Antonetti), I knew this would be a fit.�

Evidently, the need for a challenge drew Francona to Cleveland over other destinations. That challenge has him invigorated and already working. �Take every day since the day I got the job, and I've either talked to people or read stuff or watched video, so a lot. Even about the player development system. So it's good. I kind of hit the ground running. Chris and I left that day for good year the day I got hired, and it's been nonstop ever since,� said Francona. He is heading to the Dominican Republic to see six of his players in person and interact with them including Carlos Santana and Nick Hagadone. He�ll also go work with his most important player, Ubaldo Jimenez, along with his Pitching Coach Mickey Callaway. It will be Callaway�s second time working with Jimenez, but Francona felt that it was important for him to go as well. �I�m here, but I�m new. It�s important to get to know everyone, develop our relationship,� state Francona.

Francona believes that if Jimenez can return to the form he showed in Colorado, the Indians can compete. For a while Jimenez was one of the best young pitchers in the game. From 2008 through 2010, he won 50 games and pitched to a 3.25 ERA while making half of his starts in Coors Field. But, since 2010, he�s been an enigma. �I think he has some moving parts that may not allow for his sinker to get down in the zone. We�re working on it,� said Francona.

As Francona speaks, you get the sense that all of his experience has led him to this point, or at least he believes that. He�s won in one of the toughest markets in sports. The end wasn�t all that great. When thinking about how his time in Boston ended, he wasn�t bitter. And, the time helped him.

�Uneven. A little bit of a roller coaster. I think you go back to September of '11, and that was tough, man. I don't care what city you're in. When you go 7 and whatever, 20, if you're the manager, you're wide open for criticism. That's just the way it is. And the way things ended was difficult. I thought stepping back was probably a smart thing. It's not necessarily the easiest thing in the world to tell yourself you need to do that, but it was, I think, really healthy for me. I know I get back into it now feeling like I'm better prepared to do the job correctly because it's got to be almost 24 hours a day to do it right, at least I think so. I was pretty beaten up by the end of that last year,� stated Francona.

He cites communication as one of those things he is better prepared for. And, the year off may have done him some good. �I really missed putting a uniform on. I loved my job at ESPN, but I missed the uniform. I can�t wait to get it back on,� said Francona.

But, the challenge is great. The first three days of the Winter Meetings haven�t given any answers. He could not make a definitive lineup out right now because so many players are in play right now. When asked how he sells this to a fan base, Francona becomes serious. �We will always compete, no matter who we have. Seriously, who thought Oakland would win? Teams have shown you can win without payroll. Tampa Bay, Baltimore. It can happen.�

Only a few Managers have the type of credibility where he can stand up and talk about competing and anything happening. Francona is one of them. It is believable.

How great are the challenges? The 2012 Indians scored just 667 runs, second least in the American League. While the offense ranked sixth in on base percentage, they were 13th in slugging had the fourth most strikeouts. The pitching staff had the worst ERA in the league, struck out the second fewest, and walked the second most. It doesn�t get worse than that.

But, he believes in his team and himself. When asked if he would use the word rebuid, Francona vehemently disagreed. � Bull**** on that. Baltimore competed all year from day one, but people didn't see that during the winter. It can happen. Once you get good and start developing confidence and play the game the right way, things happen, and it snowballs. Just like it goes the other way, sometimes it goes for the good,� said Francona, �That's our job is to show up‑‑ my job is whoever we have is to try to make them the best they can be. I don't spend a ton of time worrying about what could be or what should be. Kind of get energized how are we going to make whoever we have better? That's what I get a kick out of.�

He�s ready for his challenge. The Indians made a wise choice in signing Francona. But, he�s only step one. Now, the front office has to step up and meet their challenge.

Comments

# 1 boomhauertjs @ Dec 6

Challenge? More like a suicide mission. The Indians' front office was very overrated. They missed on a decade's worth of draft picks and have signed all of the wrong players to long-term deals. We're going to see the Phillies-era Francona and not the Boston-era one.