Farewell, Old Friend

Between the tragic Kentucky Derby, the baseball season, and the Boston Celtics being stretched to 7 games this weekend, a major news item flew under the radar.

Julio Franco, playing in the Mexican league, has retired from professional baseball at 49 years of age.

I'm actually fairly sad about this. Franco played for my beloved Cleveland Indians in the 80s, and the first teams I remember had him on their roster. I have bunches of his baseball cards. Unlike just about anybody else, I could look at him and say, "a guy that played for my team when I first remember baseball is still around." And he was the only player who was still playing whose baseball card I had. I also just loved that he was still around, playing on his own terms. I was really hoping he'd make it to 50 - I just thought it would be wonderful to have a major-leaguer who was 50, even if he was a bench-warmer. Alas, for whatever reasons, Julio Franco has retired, and with him goes one of the final good bits of my childhood that was still present. But a little nostalgia is nothing next to a good career. And maybe he'll become a coach, now....