This is a really unique and interesting card to me for many reasons. Terry Francona is a former player and then became a manager seven years after his playing career ended.
As a player, Francona played for the Montreal Expos the most from 1981-1985. He then played for the Brewers, Indians, Reds and Cubs before retiring in 1990. Francona had 474 hits, 16 home runs, 143 RBIs, while maintaining a .274 batting average throughout his ten year career.
I find this Francona particularly cool because it depicts Francona right before he makes history and wins a World Series with the Red Sox in 2004. I had no idea he helped them win it in his very first season!
The card helps tell a sweet backstory of the Red Sox winning it all. Of course, players ultimately get the job done, but from Francona's perspective, December 2003 is where his journey started. He'd help the Red Sox win it all again in 2007. I remember Francona really well since my papou is a big Red Sox fan, as I've mentioned many times.
Francona was hired by the Guardians after the 2012 season and he's been there to this day. He helped the Guardians win the AL Pennant in 2016. As of now, the Guardians aren't doing all that great but they're not totally out of the playoff race yet. They're 8.5 games back of the final wild card spot.
Terry's a pretty interesting baseball figure!
