NEWPORT — It’s hard to imagine many Double-A baseball managers finding desirable tee times so easily.
Terry Francona had a ringer in his Birmingham Barons lineup during one particular summer in 1994. Michael Jordan was in the midst of a brief hiatus from his sensational NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, and golf was a shared passion.
Francona and his new outfielder were frequent playing partners in between those long Southern League bus rides. It’s one of several lifelong connections to the game enjoyed by the two-time World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox.
“I went from playing public courses to really nice country clubs,” Francona said. “There wasn’t a course we didn’t play.
“I remember going to TPC Sawgrass. We were in the car and I was like, ‘MJ, what time is our tee time?’ He’s like, ‘Whatever time we get there.’ ”
Francona was at the Newport Marriott serving as the honorary chair for the upcoming U.S. Senior Open. He planned to play golf in the media outing on Tuesday afternoon at Newport Country Club. That came just one day after teeing it up at the Boston Hearts Classic, the charity event hosted by former Boston slugger David Ortiz.
“I’m an avid, passionate golfer,” Francona said. “I wish I could say that translates into being better — that’s not the case. But I absolutely love it.”
Francona left the Cleveland Guardians at the close of the 2023 season, completing his 23rd year as a manager in the big leagues. His pair of championship rings in 2004 and 2007 cemented his legacy in New England — the first came with the famous Red Sox curse breakers. Francona was an eventual three-time American League Manager of the Year who was just starting his managerial career when he crossed paths with Jordan.
“Everybody knows you hit one good shot and you think you’re good,” Francona said. “Then the next hole brings you back to earth.”
Francona started playing the game as a teenager in Pennsylvania. A standout on the baseball diamond in the spring and summer, he brought home a football permission slip from New Brighton Area High School for his dad, Tito, to sign. It was an autograph the veteran of 15 seasons and 1,719 games declined to give, and it sent his son in a different fall sports direction with the Lions.
“My dad looked at me and said, ‘What is wrong with you? You’re going to get killed,’ ” Francona said. “He went and got some left-handed golf clubs and I joined the golf team.
“That’s when I was 16 years old, and I’ve been playing ever since.”
Francona currently lives in the Tucson area. The PGA Tour Champions visit every March with its Cologuard Classic. Rhode Island natives Billy Andrade and Brett Quigley stayed with Francona while competing in the 2024 version — Andrade finished tied for 14th while Quigley tied for 36th. Joe Durant beat Jerry Kelly, Kevin Sutherland and Steven Alker by two shots, and Francona recounted trying to stay out of Andrade’s way while being paired at a tournament several years earlier.
“I said, ‘This is your job,’ ” Francona said. “And he was so friendly.”
Francona cited the daily physical wear and tear as his reason to step away from the dugout. He looked tanned and relaxed — the only public stress Francona suffered through this winter came while following the men’s basketball team at Arizona, his alma mater. He’s keeping loose tabs on the Red Sox, who entered Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay at an even .500 and 8½ games behind the New York Yankees in the A.L. East standings.
“I’m a big Alex Cora fan,” Francona said. “I’m a huge Craig Breslow fan.
“I don’t follow them that closely — I know they’re injured. I know they have extra lockers in their locker room because they have so many injuries.
“It’s a really long year. I have learned in the middle of May don’t count anybody out or count anybody in, because there’s 120 games left.”
