Time flies when you’re having fun, according to the cliché. And when the baseball team you follow has been successful, it flies by even faster.
The Indians on April 6 were getting ready for their sixth home opener under manager Terry Francona. He was asked in a pregame news conference what advice he had for fans who a couple hours later would pack Progressive Field.
“Stay warm,” Francona said while grinning.
Anything else?
“This is my sixth year, now; time kind of goes fast,” Francona said. “I remember the first press conference. I said ‘If you’re an Indians fan, I want you to be proud to be an Indians fan.’ They certainly can do that.
“We have high expectations, and I think the fans do, too. There’s nothing wrong with that. As the players and myself go, there’s a process to get there. For the fans it’s show up, enjoy yourself and hope your team wins.”
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The Indians made it to the World Series in 2016, won 102 games last year and have essentially the same team back for another postseason run. Their record of 454-354 is the best in the American League over the last five years.
“This is an easy team to like,” Francona said. “They’re good guys. They try hard. They give you an honest day’s effort. It’s an easy team to kind of latch onto.”
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The Indians carry a 2-4 record into the game with the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. No one in the Indians clubhouse is concerned about the slow start. Instead, they were excited for another home opener. It is only the second for shortstop Francisco Lindor, but the 24-year-old native of Puerto Rico says the home opener will never grow old.
“I’m very excited,” Lindor said. “It’s always fun playing at home. Playing the first home game is cool.
“We’re going to continue to compete and have fun and see what happens. Me personally, I want to be the best player I can be in every aspect of the game to help my team win. I want to become a better defensive player and score as many runs as I can to help my team.”
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By contrast, Francona has been in 18 home openers as a manager with the Phillies, Red Sox and Twins after eight seasons as a player. Francona turns 59 later this month. Openers don’t get old for him, either.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” Francona said. “Opening day is, I mean, it’s just — I wish I could explain it better. I’m guessing if I did drugs it would be somewhat like that because it feels good.
“It’s exciting and it’s nerve-wracking. It’s a pretty cool feeling.”
It must be a pretty cool feeing for fans, too. The game April 6 was the 26th consecutive home opener to sell out for the Indians.
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