GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Terry Francona said his father never quite understood why the nickname made it to a second generation. Tito is what the elder Francona was called since his youth, and it is now what friends and family, and even players in the clubhouse, often use for the Indians' manager.
"Because I care about my dad so much," Terry Francona said, "I always took it as a compliment."
Little Tito was back with his team on Sunday, following the funeral of his dad, John Patsy "Tito" Francona, on Saturday in New Brighton, Pa. Tito, who suited up for the Indians from 1959-64, died at his home on Tuesday night.