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CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona walked into his workout day media session on Thursday a few minutes behind schedule, prompting MLB senior vice president Phyllis Merhige to ask what took him so long.I was doing my hair, he deadpanned.Thats a classic response from Francona, who doesnt let a day go by without joking about his baldness, his prominent nose, his lack of a sophisticated vocabulary or his middling talent on a baseball field. You would never know Francona won a Golden Spikes Award as college baseballs best player at the University of Arizona in 1980 or that he hit .274 over parts of 10 big league seasons (albeit with 16 home runs in 1,731 at-bats).Given his penchant for self-deprecation, Francona might blanch at the suggestion that hes on track to be a Hall of Fame manager. But as he oversees another deep run into October, the depth of his résumé and testimonials of his players and peers help make the case on his behalf.I think a lot of guys in here would tell you hes going to be in [Cooperstown] one day or hes well on his way, said Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis. For us, its more about how well he handles players and how much he respects everyone in the clubhouse. Hes such a good guy. You dont get in the Hall of Fame for being a good guy. But you get in on what hes done and the career hes had.Nineteen years after he made his managerial debut with a 68-win team in Philadelphia, Francona is mingling with more elite company. He has two titles in his portfolio -- the first of which broke an 86-year-old curse in Boston. He ranks 30th on MLBs career list with 1,381 career victories, and he looks like a sure bet to pass Hall of Famers Earl Weaver, Dick Williams and Tommy Lasorda by the end of his current deal with the Indians. He is under contract through 2018, and the Indians hold club options for 2019 and 2020.Franconas .533 career winning percentage is a tick below Tony La Russas .536, and Francona takes his managerial game to a different level in October. In 49 playoff and World Series games with Boston and Cleveland, he has amassed a .633 winning percentage (31-18). Among managers with at least 25 postseason games on their résumés, that ranks third behind Ned Yosts .710 (22-9) and Joe McCarthys .698 (30-13).While Baltimores Buck Showalter and San Franciscos Bruce Bochy were tormented by bullpen nonperformance or ill-fated bullpen decisions in the early stages of the playoffs, Francona was on a roll. He massaged a depleted Cleveland staff to a sweep of Boston with aggressive bullpen use, and he kept each player on the 25-man roster engaged.When Francona summoned right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall to make a rare start against a left-handed pitcher, Chisenhall responded with a three-run homer off Bostons?David Price to lead Cleveland to a 6-0 victory. And when he called upon Coco Crisp and Brandon Guyer to start, they responded with big games.Francona has long been hailed as a players manager, which can have both positive and negative connotations. In his case, the absence of walls provides a better insight into player psyches that gives him an edge when it matters most.Francona has mastered the art of communicating with players and letting them know he is in their corner, while simultaneously cultivating a harmonious relationship with the Cleveland front office. As many managers have discovered in an age of greater front-office intervention, relations can get strained when either side becomes territorial.He has the ability to blend the front-office message to the old-school message and get everybody on board, said Indians reliever Andrew Miller, who previously played for Francona at Boston in 2011. Theres a big skill in translating that down to the players. We have all these guys in the front office now who are so smart at crunching all the numbers.But if players arent hitting in a spot in the lineup theyre used to or theyre being asked to do something nontraditional, getting them to buy in isnt always easy.Francona played for 16 managers in his professional career and collected enough insights to develop a style that worked for him. One of the biggest lessons he has learned is that honesty makes it easier for a manager to walk the line between friend and authority figure.It seems kind of silly to be around a bunch of guys you really like and not enjoy them, Francona said. They know and I know there are a lot of times I have to deliver a message thats not what they want to hear, and I dont particularly enjoy it.But they also know Im never going to do something in a game besides try to win and do what I think is right. And they all respect that. I think thats why it works so well.The mood could have gone south in Cleveland this year, when Michael Brantley suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in May or when?Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco went down with arm injuries in the span of a week in September. But Francona kept the spirits high, and the players made his job easy by bonding deeply as a group. Francona took a mental inventory on Thursday and couldnt recall a single time this season when he pinch hit for a player or lifted him from a game and that player complained.Thats pretty rare, he said.Each day brings a new moment to savor at this time of year. During the American League Division Series, Francona got to sit back and enjoy the sight of his 82-year-old father, Tito, who had a long MLB career, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1. And he showed genuine emotion at a news conference to announce the establishment of The Larry Doby Youth Fund, which has raised $1 million to help disadvantaged children and address the problem of youth violence in Cleveland. Francona called it the proudest moment in his baseball life.Now its back to baseball -- and the inevitable self-deprecating wisecracks that make Francona so much fun to be around.When informed that former Indians executive-turned-Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins refers to him as inclusive in his approach, Francona jokingly asked, Whats inclusive mean? After the laughter subsided, Francona did his best to explain why his approach works for him.I had the good fortune of playing for 16 major league managers, and part of that was because I wasnt very good, Francona said. But thats a lot of ideas and a lot of personalities, and you learn a lot.I was with Dallas Green where hed walk in and he could command that room just by staring at you. I cant do that, so we do it a lot of times with humor. Players may not all be Ivy League guys, but if youre not true to yourself, they can see through it and you might as well go home.A lot of teams with more star power and higher payrolls have gone home for the offseason, but the Indians and their manager keep on springing surprises. If Cleveland can overcome the skeptics and win a World Series, it will make for a heck of a line on Terry Franconas Hall of Fame plaque. Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Cheap Ray Ban Sunglasses For Sale . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. 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Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are hoping a change of scenery will give two disappointing first-round picks an opportunity to realize their potential. The Chiefs traded wide receiver Jon Baldwin to the 49ers on Monday for fellow wideout A.J. Jenkins. Its the second significant trade between the teams this year after the Chiefs sent two draft picks to San Francisco in the off-season to acquire quarterback Alex Smith. "We are pleased to add Jonathan to our team and look forward to incorporating him into our offence," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said in a statement. "Both players have been presented a great opportunity for a new beginning with their respective teams." Baldwin was the 26th overall choice of the Chiefs in 2011, but hes had a tumultuous career right from the start. Baldwin broke his thumb his rookie season when he got into a fight with a teammate, and then struggled to adapt to three head coaches in his first three seasons. Hes also had trouble with dropped passes throughout training camp under new coach Andy Reid, including one when he was wide open in last Friday nights preseason loss to San Francisco. That drop alone apparently was not enough to dissuade the 49ers from making the deal. "Theres no reason that both of these guys cant end up having a great career," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. "Both of these young men have that opportunity, and they definitely have the ability and license to get it done." Jenkins was the 30th overall pick of the 49ers last year, but may have had a more perplexing rookie season than Baldwin. He appeared in three games but did not make a catch, even though he was healthy throughout his teams NFC championship season. "We felt like this trade was beneficial for all parties involved," said Chiefs general manager John Dorsey, who was hired in January to replace the fired Scott Pioli -- the GM who drafted Baldwin. Dorsey and Reid clearly werent enamoured of the big wide receiver after breaking down video of him upon their arrival. One of their major acquisitions in free agency was Donnie Avery, a veteran wide receiver who was expected to compete with Baldwin for the job opposite Dwayne Bowe. Baldwin didnt do much to change the Chiefs opinion of him this off-season, either.dddddddddddd Even though theyre desperate to give Smith some downfield options, Baldwin never seized upon the opportunity. He routinely dropped balls in practice, struggled to get open in preseason games and never showed signs of being the kind of playmaker the Chiefs need on the outside. "You dont know what you will get out of him," Chiefs offensive co-ordinator Doug Pederson said before Sundays practice. "If hes down from drops or mental errors or whatever it is, you just work yourself out of it. You continue to press on. We always talk about short-term memory. You have to have it in this business and move on." Otherwise, your team eventually will move on, as Kansas City did Monday. The 49ers are hopeful that Baldwin can flourish without having to deal with the pressure that came with being a primary target in Kansas City. Even though Michael Crabtree is out with a torn Achilles tendon, San Francisco still has veteran Anquan Boldin, Kyle Williams, Mario Manningham when healthy, and tight end Vernon Davis to carry most of the load in its passing game. Still, all that help wasnt enough to help Jenkins break out. The speedy wide receiver had another rough preseason showing against the Chiefs last Friday night, and many were beginning to question whether the former Illinois star would even make the team. He was targeted twice in the game, but failed to catch either pass. Jenkins had one reception in the 49ers preseason opener against Denver, but also lost a fumble. "I have to support the organization and my coach, but I think its a great stepping stone for him because he gets to start over and start new," Davis said Monday. "To me, he still has a lot of potential. His careers not over. Hes just starting somewhere else." Williams said the opportunity to reunite with Smith could help things click for Jenkins, who was often criticized for his work ethic and off-the-field habits in San Francisco. "Honestly, Im happy for him," Williams said. "Its kind of a breath of fresh air. He gets to go over there, get in a new system, get over there with Alex, and Alex will bring him up to speed. I couldnt be happier for him, because I know its going to be a great opportunity for him." ' ' '