CLEVELAND — Legendary Guardians broadcaster Tom Hamilton will miss another legend, Terry Francona, serving as the manager of Cleveland baseball.

It's why Hamilton said he views Francona's decision to step down as Guardians manager as “bittersweet.”

For the past 11 seasons, the two men have talked about the sport they love and other aspects of life virtually every day.

Hamilton, the longtime radio voice of the Guardians, considers himself fortunate to have experienced those interactions. He explained he wishes he had 11 more years with Tito as manager, but he's also happy Francona can walk away from the job he held for a combined 23 seasons in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland on his own terms and as a future Hall of Famer.

The Guardians hired Stephen Vogt to succeed Francona as their manager. Francona is expected to stay with the organization in a new role.

Shortly before the Guardians played their last home game under Francona on Sept. 27, Hamilton sat down with the Beacon Journal at Progressive Field to reflect on Tito's tenure. The following are highlights from the conversation.

On the list of Terry Francona's keys to success as an MLB manager, what ranks high?

Hamilton: “The very first thing is the kind of human being he is. I have never seen Tito one time think he was better than anybody. It doesn't matter if you are someone cleaning the ballpark after a game, if you're on the maintenance crew or if you're [Guardians owner] Paul Dolan, he treats everybody with the same amount of respect. We don't have enough of that in this world.”

The way Terry Francona treats people helped him connect with Guardians players, right?

Hamilton: “It's why he relates as well to Jose Ramirez as he does the 26th man on the ballclub. Tito was a star when he was at the University of Arizona. He was the best college player in the country, first-round pick, was a guy that could win a batting title someday in Major League Baseball, and then injuries derailed that career. It really impacted the career that it looked like he would have. But I think that's given him the kind of perspective that he has as a manager on how he treats everybody from top to bottom.”

What made the relationship between Tito and Cleveland blossom the way it did?

Hamilton: “I think because of where he grew up in New Brighton outside of Pittsburgh. The two cities are very similar in my mind. These are blue-collar cities. They're hardworking people that live in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. I know Browns and Steelers fans may not like each other, but the two cities have more in common than probably most any two cities that you can think of. So Tito is the same kind of person that has grown up and raised a family here. To me, it was a perfect fit. If you look at Tito, probably the outlier was him going to a city like Philly or going to a place like Boston. I think he's much more comfortable in a city like Cleveland.”

Guardians column: Jose Ramirez guiding his Cleveland teammates will have more value than ever with the Terry Francona era ending

Terry Francona tried to keep the final stretch of the 2023 Guardians season from being about him. What does that say about Tito?

Hamilton: “This guy doesn't have an ego, and so he always wants it to be about the team. That's why he is so revered in our clubhouse by the players. He has always made it about the players. … He has said it to me: He feels like the thanks should be from him to the city of Cleveland. Well, we all know that that's not true. Too many times, I think, people don't realize what they've had until it's gone. I think people will realize that in the future, but I just think we've been incredibly fortunate to have him for 11 years, and look what it's done to this franchise. What we've had are 11 years of relevancy in Major League Baseball. That doesn't happen in many cities for that kind of a period of time.”

More on Terry Francona stepping aside: Jokes, respect, support and baseball defined Tito's MLB career

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians' Tom Hamilton on Terry Francona's Cleveland legacy