It’s always tough to watch the losing team’s coach/manager give that obligatory TV interview following the completion of a championship series or Super Bowl.
That was the case again Wednesday when a clearly devastated Terry Francona spoke with FOX Sports’ Tom Verducci after the Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the World Series in what will go down as one of the greatest baseball games in recent memory.
While it was heartbreaking to watch Francona talk about his team, it should be clear to anyone who watches the interview why he is so beloved by his players.
Here’s just a bit of what he said:
“You know, we ask our players to play the game with respect and to leave it on the field,” he said. “That was it, they gave everything they had. And I kind of talked about it before the game, what an honor it was, but it really is. To go through that with this group and these people, it was an honor.”
…
“The (Cubs are) a good team, and they keep coming at you. I mean, that was tough for them. We tied that — lot of teams might fold, they didn’t. But we didn’t either. We just ran out of time. It hurts. It hurts because we care so much. But I still want our guys to carry their heads high because they deserve to do that.”
…
“We met for a minute. I mean, they know how we feel. But I just wanted to thank them for me and the coaches, because, like I was telling you, it’s an honor to go through something like this with this group, and we don’t take it lightly. And we appreciate it and we care. I just thought they deserved to hear that.”
You can watch the entire interview in the video below.
Thumbnail photo via Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports Images
