Terry Francona Has Rough Preparation For Guardians Team Speech

Terry Francona’s offseason would make for an entertaining sitcom.

The former Boston Red Sox manager had his favorite scooter stolen during winter weekend weekend last month. It was found, but his preparation for his annual team speech with the Cleveland Guardians didn’t go too well.

“Terry Francona gave his annual team speech. He was so nervous he was drenched in sweat,” Zack Meisel tweeted Tuesday. “He declined dinner w/ coaches last night so he could make edits. He made pasta, but it didn’t fully cook and broke his tooth. He arrived at camp at 3:30am & spilled coffee all over the speech.”

“It was frozen at the bottom,” Francona said of the pasta, per Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes. “I didn’t think I broke it, but then I started chewing and said, ‘That tastes awful.’ “

The speech “came off without a hitch,” according to Hoynes. But at what cost Cleveland fans might ask.

It’s hard not to think of Francona as an unlucky sitcom character with the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” theme playing in the background during his ordeal.

But Guardians fans likely are hoping the bad omens are left in the offseason and they can make 2023 their year to make a World Series run.