Terry Francona named AL's most handsome manager: 'Worst thing' to happen in his career

CLEVELAND — When Guardians manager Terry Francona woke up and checked his phone one fateful morning nearly two weeks ago, he was flooded with messages.

He had won an award. Except, he knew he'd be hearing about it — in a joking manner — from just about everyone in the game who knew him well enough to know he'd be embarrassed by it, if anything. When it comes to positive lights, Francona often likes to shift that attention to those around him, crediting players or the rest of the coaching staff before himself.

But this one was all him, and he couldn't escape.

Francona was named the American League's most handsome manager by gambling.com, which used the Golden Ratio Face app. The app uses "facial symmetry, facial structure and the golden ratio to calculate the beauty of anyone," according to its description.

"I'd like to announce it: in between now and spring training, I'll be holding some modeling sessions," Francona joked while speaking at Guards Fest on Saturday. "That's the single worst thing that's ever happened to me in my career, hands down."

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Francona has a history of pranks or a jesting nature with those close to him, which includes a prank war with Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash. Francona, president of operations Chris Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff and owner Paul Dolan have all, at times over the last decade-plus, commented on how well the trio has worked together and how close they are while guiding the franchise.

Francona, especially, has made sure to mention how much trust he has in the front office and how working with them has made managing in Cleveland a positive experience, among other things. Francona also knew they'd all be wearing him out for this prestigious award.

"Oh, I'm just finding out how many people I have aggravated throughout my life and it's coming back in full force," Francona joked. "Well, I kind of figured that the voters were probably like Helen Keller or Ray Charles. I just thought it was a gag and I was getting these texts in the morning and I was like, 'Man, they must be sending this to somebody else.' Then I kind of caught on and I was kind of embarrassed."

According to the app's rankings, Francona was fifth in MLB overall. New York Mets manager Buck Showalter placed first, following by Philadelphia's Rob Thomson, Arizona's Torey Lovullo and the Cubs' David Ross.

Physically, Francona noted over the weekend that he's been feeling better than he had in a long time. He was forced to leave the team during both the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to health complications, which among other things included a gastrointestinal issue that put him in the intensive care unit and surgeries on his hip and foot. He was in a walking boot for some time, but now more than a year removed from most of the major stuff, it has been like a breath of fresh air.

"For the first time in quite some time, I can actually have an offseason and I can swim. I golfed a little bit — kind of helps," Francona said. "I mean, dragging that boot around was getting hard. I was getting tired of it. And then our team, it's no lie, they've kind of energized everybody. So it's exciting to get back again."

Shortly after the Guardians' season concluded, with Francona winning his his third AL Manager of the Year Award in a 10-year span, he confirmed he would be back for the 2023 season. It was also noted then that the team would continue communicating with him as it related to his health, while also making it clear Francona is welcome to manage the team as long as he'd like.

"I think they're trying to be so respectful," Francona said. "Chris and Cherney and Paul, man, they've been so good to me. And for a while there, I think it was about a year and a half ago, I told Chris, I said, 'Hey, if you ever think you need to move on, you gotta tell me.' I said, 'Man, you'll never hear a peep out of me.' … That's how I feel because I don't want to let people down. So I think they've just got to the point where, I mean we have a contract, but if for some reason I need to call it quits, I can do that. That's all it really is."

That kind of trust if one of the reasons Francona is now MLB's longest tenured active manager, not including the health-related absences.

"Well, I came here for the right reasons, and it was for people," Francona said. "And now I'm here going on my 11th year and those relationships have grown, which, it's not always the case. And, I mean, I get probably too much credit for some things that happen here. I think there are so many people in place here that certainly make me better.

"I know Chris and Cherney, man. I know I say some things sometimes and I'll go home and think, what the hell were you [thinking]? And they know I'll reel it back in and they — it's a wonderful working environment, and I know Paul catches some grief here from time to time and that bothers me because if you're around him he is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. So that's the side I see. And it's just a good place to work. It's a great place to work."

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians Terry Francona named American League's most handsome manager