Terry Francona is an old-school baseball guy. He knows that, and he’s proud of it. That’s likely one of the reasons the Cincinnati Reds hired him as their new manager: He’s able to adapt his old-school mentality to what works best with today’s players.
It feels like Francona has been around since Babe Ruth was in short pants (Cincinnati is his fourth managerial assignment since 1997), but any Reds fans who didn’t know what they were getting with Francona have certainly found out. His introductory news conference on Monday was essentially a crash course in Baseball According to Tito.
Here’s Francona joking about being old and calling random people when he tried to reach out to every single Reds player.
Francona was asked a lot of questions during the news conference and answered them candidly. One reporter asked him about his managerial style, and Francona emphasized that he needs to get to know the guys before he knows what they’ll respond to.
Francona didn’t even shy away from answering questions about his “retirement” from baseball in 2023 after managing the Cleveland Guardians, and why he decided to come back.
“I honestly didn’t see myself managing again, I had a really good year away from the game… [the @Reds] came out to visit and it just felt right.” – Terry Francona on his decision to return to the dugout pic.twitter.com/Jri0PhoYZX
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 7, 2024
But when it comes down it it, 65-year-old Francona returned to baseball not just because he loves the game, but he loves beating the ever-loving crap out of the opposing team.
“I think players like being coached, I think they enjoy working hard, but you have got to be organized…..what I think is enjoyable is playing the game right and to be honest trying to kick someone’s ass.”#Reds new manager Terry Francona pic.twitter.com/nvalLd7oW7
— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) October 7, 2024
All of this illustrates why the Reds decided to go after Francona to manage their team for the 2025 season and beyond. He’s ready to work and make the most out of what he called a “talented” Reds team. He can’t promise that they’ll win a World Series (“I’m not that dumb,” Francona said when a reporter asked him the question), but they’ll sure as heck try.
