ESPN’s Doug Glanville reflects on Cleveland, Terry Francona and the state of baseball

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Broadcaster Doug Glanville spent nearly all of his enjoying profession within the Nationwide League, however relating to Cleveland, he has – nicely, attention-grabbing recollections. And it begins with Guardians supervisor Terry Francona.

Glanville performed 9 years within the Majors, ending his profession in 2004. Francona managed the Phillies for 3 of the seasons Glanville performed there, 1998 to 2000.

“Terry Francona I all the time take note of,” Glanville mentioned. “He’s somebody I really like dearly and performed for in Philly. With Terry I test in on the offseason on a regular basis. And so I undoubtedly watch and I really like what he’s doing, as a result of I do know we had been fairly younger again in ‘98. And he acknowledged the opposite day – ‘Properly, I used to be type of studying on the job.’ However he mentioned, ‘Now I perceive the facet behind individuals abilities and regarding individuals and protecting the strain off individuals.’ So he’s nice at that and really a lot about these intangible points of the sport of management.”

Glanville is a cerebral man who doesn’t speak over viewers’ heads, doesn’t yuck it up with non-jokes and, equally vital, doesn’t yell.

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He’s a part of ESPN’s workforce calling the Wild Card sequence at Progressive Subject between Cleveland and Tampa Bay. Jon Sciambi, Jesse Rogers and Glanville are on tv whereas Dave O’Brien and Marly Rivera have the decision on radio.

Glanville has a trove of recollections from his time in Cleveland.

“Oh, there’s so much,” he mentioned. “OK, primary, I hit a house run right here, off of John Smiley. That was enjoyable. And I shocked myself as a result of it went over that actually tall wall. It was like a Recreation of the Week or one thing. So I had a very good recreation. I bear in mind going through Bartolo Colon when he threw 1,000 miles an hour and CC Sabathia – actually good rotation.”

One other reminiscence stemmed from former Cleveland shortstop Omar Vizquel’s e book, “Omar! My Life On and Off the Subject,” by which he’s important of former teammate Jose Mesa.

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“We had a pair incidents right here,” Glanville recalled. “Jose Mesa was actually mad at Omar Vizquel for when he wrote the e book. So he vowed to hit him each time he batted. And Vizquel got here up right here, and we had been up by 4 and he was closing and he hit him. They nearly caught us.” (Philadelphia received that recreation, 7-3, on June 12, 2002. Cleveland had loaded the bases within the backside of the ninth, however Milton Bradley – the potential tying run – hit right into a game-ending double play.)

As a matter of truth, if timing had labored out a bit in a different way, Glanville might need been carrying a Cleveland uniform as a coach.

“After I retired, the primary interview I did was Cleveland,” he mentioned. “I got here right here and met (longtime Cleveland front-office government) Chris (Antonetti), and it was cool. I didn’t know what I used to be going to do. I feel John Farrell reached out to me. He’s like, ‘Hey, you wish to be an outfield teacher, base coach?’ So I got here out right here. I went by the interview course of; it was casual. I type of knew I wasn’t actually able to get proper into the sport on that aspect. I needed to discover.”

Glanville spoke about a number of different points of baseball right this moment. Listed below are excerpts from our interview:

On the playoff format

“I’ve type of ranted prior to now in regards to the sudden-death one recreation, despite the fact that I recognize the thrill to it. And I all the time assume baseball is constructed round a sequence. And when you concentrate on how these groups are constructed with these ace pitchers. … it’s enjoyable for a workforce to have the ability to use the entire workers that type of received them there, to showcase that within the brief sequence. So when you beat them, you need to beat type of all of them, and at the least a couple of recreation. You’ll be able to see that distinction, the truth that you’re uncovered to all parts of the workforce and also you win. Anyone can win one recreation, it doesn’t matter, any two groups. And you continue to can get that one-game impact with recreation three. I felt just like the sequence, that works for me.”

On the postseason home-field benefit construction

“I like how they’re making an attempt to create incentives, whether or not it’s, ‘OK, you win the division and also you’re the highest workforce, you get a bye.’ I feel 162 video games, that’s loads of proof of how good your workforce is. And I feel you deserve sure privileges for profitable. From my standpoint, yeah, there ought to be an extended highway for those who didn’t type of catch that crown.”

On baseball’s statistical emphasis

“There’s these fixed waves of evolutions and completely different generations that change the sport in numerous methods you undergo. I grew up in an period of getting a beginning pitcher that went 9, and there have been loads of turf groups stealing bases, just like the Phillies. What I recognize about knowledge is it’s good to have info. For instance, somebody who’s a defender, like myself at heart discipline, I want there was extra knowledge to show what I did defensively in my time. I feel that might have given me extra worth. As a result of now they’re targeted on these knowledge factors, you possibly can see these issues. However I feel what typically you may have the data, then how do you resolve to make use of it in actual time? … I all the time discovered the low share play is definitely what excites you about issues like, ‘Oh, the chances had been this, however they nonetheless made it.’ That’s thrilling. … Whenever you’re all the time hedging in opposition to threat, and also you’re making an attempt to attenuate threat and maximize return, you could possibly lose that sense of wonderment, or ‘Hey, I wish to steal a base proper now as a result of I’ve one thing that’s immeasurable.’… I feel it’s vital to quantify and qualify typically issues that perhaps you didn’t measure earlier than. However I feel you additionally all the time have that pushback on the soul of the sport and the way you need it to be and the way it’s entertaining.”

On guidelines modifications

“I really feel like they’re making an attempt to regulate and be responsive. Just like the shift subsequent yr, the pitch clock-only factor. I feel the pitch clock, given the place the sport has gone, is an effective factor. I feel that’s simply the place we’re, there’s a lot time and useless time and lack of rhythm and tempo, that it’s one thing that’s simply addressed. … You’re making an attempt to look at the sport, have its pure evolutions and pushes, however then additionally making an attempt to deliver it to a spot the place you need the sport to be. So I feel the tempo is vital. I feel the truth that the ball is in play extra is vital. I feel it’s showcasing athleticism and issues which might be thrilling – triples and stolen bases. These parts you wish to rejoice extra, as a result of in any other case, it’s simply ‘Stand at plate, press button and hit the ball over the fence and strike me out.’ And there’s nothing in between.”

On the steroid period

“Properly, whether or not it’s a matter of individuals right this moment doing X, Y and Z, or is it a matter of the shadow solid, I simply assume that shadow goes to final a very long time. And that was the selfishness of it. As a result of whether or not your private accolades or your worry of getting old or all of the issues which might be actual, tangible insecurities, and mixed with greed and loads of different issues, and yeah, once you make these selections, then the sport will get to be misplaced.”

On remembering the pure love of the sport

“That’s what excites me about Shohei Ohtani as a participant. … (With gamers utilizing steroids) you lose a bit little bit of the awe. that you simply nonetheless wish to have the childhood enthusiasm of this, you wish to take pleasure in that. And I feel this (steroid period) took that away, I discovered as a participant. And so after I watch Shohei Ohtani I type of really feel that once more – it’s ‘Oh, wow.’ And that’s good. It’s one thing that reduces you to your unique state, your childhood love for the sport. That’s to me is one motive he’s vital.”

On his center title ‘Metunwa’

Glanville mentioned it’s Nigerian and pronounced “Meh-TOON-wah.” He discovered from a pal in faculty on the College of Pennsylvania that as one phrase it doesn’t imply a lot. “However when you break it into two elements,” she advised him, “it means ‘contact the kid.’ ” “I received’t say I embraced it at first; however I wasn’t like, ‘I wish to be named John.’ I did type of go along with it. After which, yeah, fairly quickly it was cool, particularly realizing that heritage my dad and mom had been making an attempt to attain.”

I’m on cleveland.com’s life and tradition workforce and canopy meals, beer, wine and sports-related matters. If you wish to see my tales, right here’s a listing on cleveland.com. Invoice Wills of WTAM-1100 and I speak food and drinks often at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

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