CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Terry Francona bridged the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox gulf in cap-tipping exchanges with Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter before the archrivals' games. He was at the summit of his profession before a September slump in 2011 led to his firing.
Seemingly out of the wild blue yonder four years ago, beyond the farthest-fetched dreams of fans, Francona suddenly wanted to manage the Cleveland Indians.
The immediate question was, "Why?"
After breaking the Curse of the Bambino and managing the Red Sox to two World Series championships, the first since the Great War with its muddy trenches, gas masks, and Doughboys singing "Madamoselle from Armentieres," why would Francona want to come to an irrelevant franchise like the Indians?