Have the Braves been slumping lately? Yes. Was Julio Franco cut by the Mets last week? Yes. How do we solve the problem? Bring "Rip Van-Franco" back to ATL and let the Tomahawk chop begin. With Julio in the line-up tonight, Andruw hit his 19th home-run and Julio made playing first base in the big leagues look (as Victoria Beckham would say) "Major" as the Braves beat the Cardinals 10-1. Remember earlier this week in the Team USA post when the Bushido gave you the "universal" (baseball/softball) stat that 73% of your runs are scored with 2-outs? Well, the Braves kept the stat alive by scoring 8-runs, with 2-outs tonight.
(Photo credits: Getty Images via UmpBump.com)
The Older the Berry
Some say the older the berry, the sweeter the juice. If that's the case, Franco (who turns 49 on August 23rd) is not only the oldest man in MLB history to hit a home-run, he is also a better ball player then I was at 23-which really isn't saying much. As a Braves fan, I hated it when the Bravos released Franco in 2005 because they didn't want to sign him to a two-year contract. But as the faites would have it, the Braves' front-office could mend the wounds and save a dime or two. Because not only did Julio return to ATL, the Bravos only have to pay him the pro-rated MLB minimum wage of $380,000. The Mets (ever so graciously) will pick-up the rest of Franco's tab ($1.15 million). So good news all around, unless your Scott "Mr. Slump" Thorman who is moving back to Richmond to play Triple-A ball. Welcome home Julio!
Braves Players Not Born Before Julio Franco's Major League Debut (April 23, 1982)
- Jeff Francoeur
- Brian McCann
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia
- Yunel Escobar
- Jo-Jo Reyes
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