"My Palms Are Sweating" - Terry Francona Embraces Excitement in First Reds Staff Meeting

The new Reds staff got together on Wednesday.

New manager Terry Francona answers questions from the media during an event to introduce the new manager of the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Reds coaching staff was in Cincinnati on Wednesday to meet for the first time. Manager Terry Francona was excited to meet with his staff.

"I texted Brad (Mills) this morning at about 6:15 and said my palms are sweating and I have a heartbeat going," Francona said on the Reds Hot Stove. "I was up at five. Yeah, this was our first time together and I was kind of nervous, a good nervous. I hadn't been like that in a while."

Francona mentioned these types of meetings help the staff get on the same page in their quest to learn more about the players on the roster.

"We want to get to know our players inside and out," Francona said. "The reason is, not to pick them apart, but we want to try to maximize what they do well and then minimize what they don't do so well. When they come through our doors in Goodyear, and we recognize them and know where they are from, it starts to build that relationship. It's important. A lot goes on, you guys know, in 162 games, even on good teams, there are a lot of challenging days, and there are a lot of difficult conversations. But if you know them and they trust you, it helps move those conversations along."

"After watching our guys on video, listening to DJ talk about the pitchers, I actually came away from today feeling better than I did. And I was already excited."

The Reds are hopeful Francona can lead them back to the playoffs in 2025.

You can listen to the full interview here.

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