Before signing contract extension, Terry Francona didn't know how much he was making

Francona didn't know how much he was making

By Michael Clair

November 4, 2014

Chances are you are highly aware of how much money you earn -- constantly doing the mental math of "If I fix my car and pay this dental bill, will I still have enough money to eat a large pizza by myself tonight?"

Turns out that Indians manager Terry Francona doesn't share those concerns. After inking a new deal with the club that will keep him in Cleveland through 2018 with options for '19 and '20, Francona revealed that he didn't know how much he was earning.

Said the skipper:

"I e-mailed [GM Chris Antonetti] and said, Chris, before I can send you a proposal, you need to write me back and tell me what I'm making now,' because I didn't know. On one hand, I don't think that's terribly intelligent on my part. But on the other hand, I think it shows that, once I sign a contract and I'm comfortable, I don't look back. That's where I wanted to be with this one, too."

I can only imagine what ideas Francona had for finding out his salary before deciding to just ask Antonetti.

Was he going to put on a fake mustache and pose as an FBI Agent whose hunt for a murderer hinged on knowing Francona's salary?

Would he try for a dangerous Mission Impossible-style drop from the ceiling to rifle through accounting files?

Or would he simply attempt to casually drop the subject into conversation, saying something like, "Hey Chris, did you see the score of the game last night? If my salary were a score, what would it look like? Exactly?"

Fortunately, it all worked out for a guy who said he just wants to "do baseball." Which is going to be my excuse whenever it's my turn to wash the dishes.