I think his forearms are as big as my thigh! Not that *any* major leaguer was really a victim of the strike, but he's probably got one of the more solid arguments. After the strike in '94, with the uncertainty of a '95 season, he headed to Japan. While at the time it looked like it might be a move to extend the twilight of his career (knee injuries were getting to him), he in fact came back to Cleveland in '96 and '97 before a short stint in Milwaukee led to another trip to Japan and Korea. After pretty much a 3 year absence that *did* include some time with AAA Durham and one at bat (a strikeout) for the D-Rays in '99, I thought he was done, and thought he'd be done for sure when the Braves picked him up at the end of September 2001. But here we are, 3 years later, and while he's mostly a platooning back-up, he's still hitting 40 points higher than their regular first baseman with almost identical plate appearance numbers. If it wasn't for the strike and uncertain start to the '95 season, I firmly believe he would have stuck around the majors, and probably be knocking on the 3,000 hit plateau (he's in the 2,400 ballpark now), with debate going on for his inclusion into Cooperstown. Not bad for a lanky middle infielder with a horrible penchant for grounding into DP's, eh?

And yes, he can still rip the pill around the yard!

(BTW, did you know that Franco is one of I believe 3 players to account for all the RBI in an All-Star Game? I forget the rest of the list, but I believe Willie Mays is one of the others. Not bad company.)


And thus ends today's Julio Franco rant. ;)