“I got two shoes on, so right off the bat, I’m better than I was last year,' Francona cracked at the team's training complex in Goodyear on Monday.
Tom Withers Associated Press CLEVELAND — The name has been changed on the front of Cleveland's jerseys and there's a new logo on the team's caps. There's another thing notably refreshing and different about this young squad as it opens spring training.
The past two seasons have taken a toll on Francona, a two-time World Series champion with Boston and one of baseball's most popular managers. He struggled with simple tasks, and the inability to function tested his patience and made him irascible. He then had surgeries on his hip and toe in the offseason, and Francona pushed himself as far as he possibly could in 2021 before stopping in July and turning the team over to bench coach DeMarlo Hale.
Major League Baseball's lockout was yet another obstacle for the personable Francona as he was not permitted to have contact with any players. There was no checking in on guys during the winter, and the lack of communication gnawed at him. Like just about everyone else, Guardians president Chris Antonetti couldn't be happier to have Francona at full strength.
Francona has always felt blessed, and said the past two years didn't change his appreciation for what he does.