CLEVELAND: They are slowly becoming Cleveland’s Odd Couple, the Indians’ 57-year-old manager and the Cavs’ 31-year-old shooting guard. On the surface, Terry Francona and J.R. Smith seem to have little in common. But there is an admiration and respect between them that they hope will soon blossom into more — as soon as their schedules allow.
Francona and Smith will be squarely in the crosshairs Tuesday during a historic night in Cleveland. Smith and the Cavaliers will receive their championship rings and raise their banner on the same night Francona guides the Indians into Game 1 of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. Afterward, another round of congratulatory texts between the two could be in order.
“I think it’s great because we have two totally different fields and backgrounds, but it shows people can still come together over sports,” Smith said. “That’s one of those things why sports are so big in people’s lives today.”
Haven’t met yet
To be clear, Francona and Smith haven’t actually met yet. But Francona is a big basketball fan who has admired Smith since his days with the New York Knicks. He’s also an avid golfer, which is what has grabbed Smith’s attention.
Francona attended a celebrity golf outing last year and heard that Smith was also there — because he was suspended from the Cavs. Presumably, this was when Smith was suspended by the league for punching the Boston Celtics’ Jae Crowder during the 2015 playoffs. It is the only time he has been suspended while with the Cavs. When Francona heard Smith spent his suspension at the golf course, he roared laughing.
Later, when Francona spotted Smith across the field sitting behind the visitor’s dugout at Progressive Field, he waved at him from the Indians’ dugout. Smith saw him waving and looked over both shoulders before pointing to himself with the “you mean me?” gesture. Francona sent a ball boy over to Smith with a message: “I’m going to kick you’re a-- one of these days on the golf course.”
Smith gave his phone number to the ball boy, and Francona texted him after the game. They have been text pals ever since.
When the Cavs won the championship, Francona congratulated Smith. When the Indians advanced to the World Series, Smith did the same for Francona. They have been trying to plan a golf date for months, but their schedules haven’t cooperated. Now it might have to wait until next year.
Francona is a fixture at Cavs games during the winter. He loves to arrive early and sit near the court so he can watch the huddles and interactions between players and coaches.
Transformation
“When J.R. came here, I knew him from the Knicks. It was shoot first and not necessarily play defense,” Francona said. “And to watch the transformation, I loved watching that stuff. His teammates like him and that says a lot. He turned into a good defender. It was easy to like him. Watching him offensively, he can do anything. Then to watch him with the way his teammates reacted to him, you just knew there was a real guy there. It’s easy to pull for him.”
Smith attended plenty of Indians games this summer and during his contract dispute. He even won $100 off a buddy when he launched a baseball from the luxury suites past the mound between innings. He grew up playing baseball and says his father, Earl, believes he could’ve had a future in the sport.
Smith was fast. He pitched and played center field. He liked to drop bunts just to beat out the throws, then he’d steal second and third. On the mound, he dropped down sidearm to throw a sinker and threw overhand curves and fastballs. Even today, he still has arguably the strongest arm on the Cavs. He gave up baseball his freshman year of high school.
Smith has a history of making friends with golfers. He is close to Bubba Watson, who typically attends Cavs games with his wife when they play at Orlando and sits near their bench. Smith is also friends with Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley and Smylie Kaufman. But he has plenty of room for another golf buddy in Francona.
“The older I get, the shorter I hit it,” Francona said. “I’m probably a 6 or 7 [handicap]. If I use Vaseline, I’m probably a 4.”
Smith says he’s a 4 handicap now, but Francona is skeptical.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say they’re 4s and they’re not,” he joked. “I’m going to find out.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.