The Mets announced today that veteran Julio Franco has been designated for assignment. A lot of Mets fans have expressed their frustrations with Franco’s play as of late. Julio has been a Met for about a year and a half and in that time, I would say he carried himself like a good teammate, a classy individual and a professional.

I will always remember Franco funneling a reluctant Carlos Beltran out of the Mets dugout for a begrudging curtain call after a homerun early on in the 2006 season after  Beltran’s  underwhelming 2005. If Julio wasn’t there to intercede, the Mets fan base and Carlos would have slightly different attitudes toward each other.

Things I will not miss about having Julio Franco on the roster

• The words “ageless wonder”
• Two on, one out, ground outs to the second baseman
• Any mention of egg whites
• The tired old bit from opposing play-by-play crews involving “Julio Franco was a rookie before So-and-So was born”
• An automatic out for the first pinch hitter of the game

Thanks for the memories in Mets unis, Ranger unis and all the other laundry over the past three decades, Adios Julio!

Welcome to Queens Lastings!

The Truth looked arrived in time to start off the second half  providing the spark to break a 2-2 tie. Lastings looked solid all around including a backdoor slide at the plate to put up the third run of the game. Stings brought the hustle and so far is playing like a man who doesn’t fancy a trip back to the Big Easy when Moises Alou makes his return from the DL.

Rick Down Out; Rickey in?

Rick Down was dismissed as the teams hitting coach on Wednesday; the Mets announced that former Met and noted card player Rickey Henderson has been added to the club’s coaching staff. Much to the assumed chagrin of Rick Down, the Mets led off the series opener against the Reds with back to back leadoff homeruns. Those two events can not be related by any rational connection, its one of those things that works for reasons beyond me.

If you’ve ever seen Rickey Henderson interviewed, it’s the best. It’s sweet, it’s sweet glorious music. It’s like he’s communicating secretly to an intergalactic leader from another space federation. Every time he says Rickey Henderson he’s giving coordinates to the planet, or whatever.”  David Cross