CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I saved this story from spring training because I figured I'd use it when the Indians could use a smile.

When the car belonging to Jose Ramirez showed up parked at shortstop on one of the practice fields, Terry Francona shook his head about a young player having a BMW.

The Major League minimum salary is about $500,000. Ramirez made at least $300,000 last season as he split time between Columbus and Cleveland.

The Tribe's manager was a top college player at Arizona and a first-round pick by Montreal in 1980. I asked him what kind of car he bought with his bonus money.

"It was a Datsun," said Francona, laughing.

He then told the story of how he was first drafted in 1977, a second-round pick by the Cubs.

"I wanted to sign, but all they offered was $18,000," he said.

Francona waited and waited: "They finally called to say they were raising their offer -- to $19,000!"

So he went to college. When picked by the Expos, Francona knew he would sign.

Expos Minor League Director Jim Fanning was coming to the Francona family home for a meeting, Francona's father -- former Indian Tito Francona -- sent his son to pick up Fanning at the airport. His mother cooked a feast for Fanning and her family. Tito Francona ran the negotiations while Terry retired to help his mother with the after-dinner dishes.

"I wanted $100,000 and a week off before I signed," said Francona.

His father served as the agent, and a week later, Francona signed for $100,000.

He then told a story about owning a 1971 Volkswagen van "where the heater would never shut off." That was in the late 1970s. He sweated a lot during the summer.

And that led to yet another story about when his father was trying to get a better contract out of the Tigers in 1958. John McHale was the general manager. Tito Francona mentioned how his wife was pregnant, so there was a real need for more money. McHale's response was "that's not my problem."

After Terry Francona signed with Montreal for the $100,000 -- Tito Francona placed a call. It was to McHale, who then was president of the Expos.

"Guess what?" said Tito Francona. "Remember when my wife was pregnant and I wanted a raise. Well, that baby is Terry and he just cost you $100,000!"

Now a millionaire manager, one of Francona's methods of transportation is a scooter.

ABOUT CODY ALLEN

When Cody Allen gave up four runs in 2/3 of an inning in a loss to Detroit last weekend, it was the worst game of his young career. Consider the following:

1. Allen bolted through the minors, throwing only 98 innings with a 1.74 ERA. The 698th player picked in the 2011 draft, he was in the Majors by June of 2012. The right-hander became the closer last May, and converted 24-of-28 saves. He had a 2.07 ERA.

2. Allen appeared in 76 games last season and never allowed more than three runs in a game -- and that happened only three times. His worst stretch was late in August when he blew saves against Kansas City and Detroit in consecutive games. But then he finished the season with an 0.96 ERA and was 4-of-4 in saves.

3. This season, Allen was hopeless against the Tigers (2/3 innings, 3 hits, 3 walks, 4 runs) and had a shaky save (1 inning, 1 walk, 1 hit batter) three days later against the White Sox. There is nothing wrong with his arm. His fastball averaged his usual 94 mph, and his curve was at 85 mph. His control was off as he walked four in his last 1 2/3 innings. Heading into the weekend, he has thrown 43 strikes compared to 30 balls -- not a good ratio.

4. The Tigers have been a tough opponent for Allen, whose career ERA is 5.63 vs. Detroit.

5. Allen did open the season with a 1-2-3 save in Houston, striking out two of the three hitters that he faced. The challenge for Alllen will simply be how he deals with the pressure of closing after blowing a save. This could be the first real adversity he has faced since signing a pro contract.

ABOUT JERRY SANDS AND COLUMBUS

The Indians hope that Jerry Sands can help them against left-handed pitchers. The 27-year-old has been in the Majors in parts of three seasons with Tampa Bay and the Dodgers, covering 82 games (242 at bats) entering this season -- a .240 batting average (.690 OPS).

Consider the following:

1. Sands is a career .210 hitter (.588 OPS) against right-handers.

2. He is a career .314 hitter (.887 OPS) against lefties.

3. He's acceptable in the outfield. Part of his overall hitting problems were due to a wrist injury, and that ended his 2014 season at the end of June. He had surgery in July.

4. If Sands can produce against lefties, the outfielder will keep a spot on the roster.

5. Meanwhile, there is not much hitting help at Class AAA where Columbus has a .146 team batting average. The team has two homers in eight games.

6. Some Clippers batting averages: Jesus Aguilar (.143), Francisco Lindor (.154), Tyler Holt (.250), James Ramsey (.231) and Carlos Moncrief (.158). Destin Hood and Audy Ciriaco are a combined 1-of-37. Good news is that it's very early in the season.

7. Veteran starter Bruce Chen has allowed only one run in 12 innings. If the Tribe needs another starter from Class AAA, it probably will be 37-year-old Chen.

ABOUT THE TRIBE

1. No surprise that the Tribe has decided to keep Danny Salazar in the rotation because Zach McAllister had the same problems as a starter that he did last season (3-7, 5.67 ERA). McAllister has a fastball, but no other reliable pitch. I think he can be tremendous in the bullpen for a few innings. He had a 2.77 ERA in relief in 2014.

2. McAllister is out of minor league options. The Tribe would have to put him on waivers to send him back to Class AAA, and some team would probably claim him. They want McAllister for their bullpen. A year ago, the Tribe sent McAllister to Columbus and he was 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA as a starter. His fastball and so-so curve was enough to win big at that level.

3. The big question is Salazar ... how will he pitch? He threw six scoreless innings in his first Class AAA start. He was horrible in spring training (8.14 ERA) and his confidence was shaky. He has a good curve and changeup when things are going well, along with a fastball in the 93-97 mph. The physical ability and stuff are there, but can the 25-year-old put it all together?

4. The ligament strained by Yan Gomes is the medial collateral ligament. It's a much milder injury than damage to the ACL or some other ligaments. He also had no real cartilage damage. So it appears the 6-to-8 week recovery period for Gomes is realistic.

5. The Indians don't want Carlos Santana to catch because he is comfortable at first base. Also, he's had at least two concussions -- one in 2014, one in 2012. There may have been others when he was in the minors. Those foul balls off the catcher's mask have done some damage to Santana. That's why the Indians called up Brett Hayes to be the backup to Roberto Perez. Hayes is 31 and has a career .209 batting average in the Majors in 175 games. He is not expected to play much.

6. While Shaun Marcum allowed only one run in five mostly mop-up innings against Detroit, he was throwing 85-to-87 mph with his fastball. The Indians had a roster problem and wanted to send him to Columbus so he can continue to pitch regularly and strengthen his arm. He cleared waivers, meaning no other team wanted to take a chance on him. The lack of velocity was the reason as Marcum continues to recover from a major arm injury in 2013.