Perhaps even Sandy Alomar Jr. would consider picking Terry Francona over himself.
Alomar and Francona are both reported to be interviewing for the Indians' managerial opening, but that didn't stop Alomar from heaping a ton of praise on Francona in advance of each candidates' sit-down with the Cleveland front office.
Alomar, who is currently serving as the Tribe's interim manager following the firing of Manny Acta, may ultimately feel that he's the best man for the job, but he clearly recognizes that his resume doesn't quite stack up with Francona's.
"I don't have the resume that Terry has," Alomar said, according to MLB.com. "Obviously, that's a slam dunk. Geez, I wish I had that. As a player, maybe I did. But as a coach? He has an unbelievable resume. Obviously, anybody would want a Terry Francona. I'm just going to go out there and do what I have to do and let the rest take care of itself.
"Who wouldn't want a guy like that," Alomar continued. "He has everything. He has championships. He's a great guy. He's a great communicator. He's the perfect guy to have; I'm not going to hide it. I'm not going to say I'm already a slam dunk, because I'm not. Nobody owes me anything. That's always been the approach in my life."
We'll see if the Indians also view Francona as the "perfect guy to have," but Alomar has long been considered a manager-in-waiting, so Cleveland could certainly do worse than moving forward with either skipper. Regardless of the decision, it's already obvious that Alomar will continue to hold Francona in high regard.
"I have a ton of respect for him," Alomar reportedly said. "The organization has to make a huge decision. It's not about who's the most popular guy or that I played here or did this in the playoffs. They've still got to make a decision for the organization. I feel like I'm prepared for it."
We should all probably prepare to see both of these guys managing in 2013.
