On Thursday, MLB Network announced that latest edition of its MLB Network Presents docuseries.
Tito: The Terry Francona Story premieres Sunday, April 23rd at 8 PM on MLB Network.
MLB Network released a brief synopsis of Tito and also shared a list of those interviewed, which includes several players from Francona’s tenures in both Boston and Cleveland.
Several MLB personalities, who have enjoyed first-hand experience with Francona, discuss his unifying presence, winning approach, resilient mentality, signature humor, and strong personal connections with so many, including: former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, former Red Sox players Curt Schilling, Kevin Millar, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia, former Guardians player Jason Kipnis, Baseball Hall of Fame electee Scott Rolen, current Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan and pitcher Triston McKenzie, Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff and bench coach DeMarlo Hale.
Having captured two World Series titles together during their eight-year run in Boston, Epstein says, “People love Tito. I’m not surprised everyone wanted to show up for this documentary for the way that they’d show up for him, anywhere, anytime. He is baseball. When you think about Tito, you think about just being in a clubhouse, the bonds that are created, the brotherhood, the friendships and the beauty of it for him is the way he’s developed countless unbelievable connections and friendships with people in the game.”
Francona talks openly about managing NBA legend Michael Jordan in the Minor Leagues, being let go in Philadelphia, managing Boston to its first World Series title in 86 years and subsequent departure, and the jubilation and heartbreak of guiding Cleveland to the 2016 World Series. As a three-time Manager of the Year award winner, Francona is candid on his health struggles and how much longer he wants to manage.
Here’s a clip from the feature.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the MLB Network Presents series. Francona is a beloved figure throughout the game of baseball, and while his career doesn’t quite hit the “nostalgia!” element I crave in docs like this, there are more than enough Francona stories that can be told to help carry the feature along.
This is the first new edition of MLB Network Presents in a year, though the team behind the series has worked on other long-form MLB projects (including July’s The Jackie Legacy) over the last 12 months.. Last April, another then-manager was the subject of an episode: Don Mattingly in Donnie Baseball, which was a smash in the nostalgia department.
Again, Tito: The Terry Francona Story premieres Sunday, April 23rd at 8 PM on MLB Network.
