The End Of The Tour

John Franco's days as a New York Met are over. And while this is certainly cause for celebration as regards the 2005 bullpen, we shouldn't forget the many effective years Franco gave the Mets before he decided having Tommy John surgery at forty-one years of age and subsequently staging a major league comeback was a good idea. After being acquired on the sixth of December, 1989 from the Cincinnati Reds along with minor leaguer Don Brown in exchange for Randy Myers and Kip Gross, Franco spent several years as the team's closer, racking up as many as thirty-eight saves in a season before being moved into a lesser role in favor of Armando Benitez. Franco had some ineffective years as well, topped off by this most recent one in which he posted a 5.28 ERA in forty-six innings, and even when he was at his best his easiest saves often escalated into tense moments. Much was made in recent years about Franco's alleged undue influence over the team's front office, and that shouldn't be ignored, however difficult it may be to quantify or even verify. But today the news is all good; the Mets' bullpen for next year is down to just one horribly overrated lefthander bubbling over with "veteran presence" and so I choose to look on the bright side. John Franco served the Mets well for a long time and it's not like he was the difference between a good team and the 2004 Mets. Now that he and the Mets have chosen to part ways, the least I can do is wish him well in his future endeavors.  ¶ joe | 7:42 PM |