Francona’s best player hit .202, made it into Hall of Fame anyway

Red Sox manager remembers minors with Jordan

BOSTON — When Michael Jordan was inducted into the basketball hall of fame on Friday night, Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona was 90 miles away trying to shuffle his pitching staff to deal with a rain delay.

Francona didn’t get to see the induction ceremonies at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, but he got a good view of Jordan back in 1994 when the NBA star was attempting to make it to the big leagues as a ballplayer and Francona was his manager at Double-A Birmingham.

“That was the best experience I could have ever had,” Francona said Friday before Boston’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays was rained out. “I couldn’t believe how he handled things. He was put in some horrendous situations, unfair situations and he always handled it with grace. It amazed me how he did that.”

The Red Sox and Rays got in just 12 minutes of baseball before their game was postponed because of rain on Friday. The umpires called for the tarp with the bases loaded in the top of the first, with one out and a 1-0 count on Pat Burrell.

The rain varied in strength but it was falling heavily when the game was called at 9:48 p.m. after a delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes.

The teams will start fresh on Sunday at noon as part of a doubleheader, with Clay Buchholz facing Matt Garza. The regularly scheduled 1:35 game will be moved to 5 p.m. Lester, who threw 23 pitches, will face James Shields, who warmed up on Friday but never made it to the mound.

“As it turned out, neither team was really hurt by it because both pitchers tonight can pitch on Sunday,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s a push.”

Lester had a brief talk with the umpire after the delay was called, then as he left he threw the ball toward the grandstand. He said he knew he was likely done for the game, without a chance to pitch out of the jam he created.

“It’s frustrating to go out there,” he said. “Obviously I wasn’t dominating the inning, but you don’t want … somebody else to give up runs and you get a loss for pitching a third of an inning and throwing 20 pitches. Fortunately, it didn’t turn out that way and we can start all over on Sunday.”

Jordan was well on his way to the basketball Hall, leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight NBA titles, when he decided to give baseball a try. He played one season in the Chicago White Sox organization, batting .202 with three homers, 30 stolen bases and 51 RBIs before returning to basketball and leading the Bulls to three more championships.

“It was tough for him. He had big, tall, lanky arms so he had to fight to keep his swing short,” Francona said. “In the situation he was in you needed to be patient with him. But it was easy to be patient because of the way he treated everybody else. It was a really good year. … Basically (I) spent a year with him and feel better off for it.”

Francona said he found out that he would have Jordan on his team during a meeting and brushed it off with a simple, “I’ll handle it.”

Then he encountered a media swarm that would rival the one he’d see while leading the Red Sox to two World Series titles.

“We went from (local media) doing the radio to Nightline, so it was a good learning experience for me,” Francona said. “You learned to be organized and to deal with the media and it was probably a very good learning experience.”

Francona also learned about Jordan’s desire to win, whether it was in pingpong or pickup basketball or golf.

“He is the most competitive person you’ll ever (meet),” Francona said. “The stories you hear about his competitiveness are true.”

Francona said he sent a message to Jordan, but understanding the demands the basketball superstar faced he didn’t want to bother him by trying to get in touch.

“I got to see, first-hand, how his life is,” Francona said. “I wouldn’t do that to him. I couldn’t believe how many people wanted a part of him. We have stayed in touch from time to time but it’s just too crazy.”

NOTES: The Boston Red Sox observed a moment of silence before their game against the Tampa Bay Rays, covering the Green Monster with a giant U.S. flag while members of the Boston Fire Department sang the national anthem. … Francona said Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch on Tuesday, leaving Paul Byrd a possibility for Wednesday. … The stats from the game don’t count.

AP freelancer Mike Petraglia contributed to this story.