Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona is stepping aside for the rest of the 2021 season so he can recover from complications which have arisen from hip replacement surgery. Bench coach DeMarlo Hale, who worked under Francona when he managed the Boston Red Sox, will be the acting manager and have the distinction of being the last skipper under the Indians' banner.
Francona, 62, has had a myriad of health problems going back to his playing days when he had dozens of knee surgeries. He has had blood clots, a pulmonary embolism and a heart ablation procedure in 2017. The blood clotting problems caused Francona to miss most of last season as well.
I do wonder if Francona can realistically keep up the rigors of managing in the big leagues full time although I'm sure it does help his mental well-being to be active and engaged.
Naturally, I have a fondness for Francona in managing the Red Sox to their first World Series title in 86 years back in 2004 and repeating the feat in 2007. Tito also very nearly ended the Tribe's World Series curse in 2016.
But my memories of him go back to his early playing days with the Montreal Expos. Indeed, he played in the first big league game I ever attended. The 40th anniversary of that game is one month from tomorrow.
Above all else I hope Terry Francona gets well soon. If managing in the big leagues isn't in the cards, I hope a date in Cooperstown will be soon.
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