Francona wants Day 1 energy to permeate camp

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians manager Terry Francona liked the energy level he saw from his players during Friday's full-squad workout. He is hoping that the team continues to display the same intensity as Spring Training rolls on.

"That's the idea," Francona said. "It's easy the first day. Everybody is all excited. The idea is to match that every day. Weather-wise, it was perfect. You're not fighting the elements. And the idea moving forward is to have that energy every day regardless of what drill we're doing. It's easier said than done, but that's the idea."

Francona jumped right in to the workout, manning first base during infield drills and helping catch throws back to home plate at one point. Francona said he enjoys being a hands-on manager as much as possible.

"I like to try," he said. "As you get older, it's not quite as easy. A couple times I saw a couple balls coming over. Once I almost blew out. But, yeah, I enjoy it. You want to be out there with the players. It's important to me. But that's the importance of putting together a staff, too.

"There's so much confidence in [third-base coach Brad Mills] putting the day together. I could walk off that field, come in here and talk to you guys, and I know the day would go exactly like that if I wasn't there. That doesn't maybe say much for me, but I think you get my point."