http://www.thewrightstache.com/2009/03/26/better-know-a-metstache-john-franco/ The internet leader in encouraging David Wright to grow a mustache since 2009. Because naked lips don't win championships. Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:14:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 http://www.thewrightstache.com/2009/03/26/better-know-a-metstache-john-franco/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Teufel Stubble Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:18:54 +0000 http://www.thewrightstache.com/?p=568#comment-101 Nerdzah, it's a touchy subject. 14 years is a long time. I agree, I had my share of adolescent cardiac episodes watching Johnny try to finish out some games. But he toiled away of some crummy mid-90s teams. I mean, really, Joe Orsulak?! So, while Johnny was by no means a dominating force, neither were the Mets teams that he played for. Cut him some slack. Or at least respect his stache! Nerdzah, it’s a touchy subject. 14 years is a long time. I agree, I had my share of adolescent cardiac episodes watching Johnny try to finish out some games. But he toiled away of some crummy mid-90s teams. I mean, really, Joe Orsulak?! So, while Johnny was by no means a dominating force, neither were the Mets teams that he played for. Cut him some slack. Or at least respect his stache!

]]> http://www.thewrightstache.com/2009/03/26/better-know-a-metstache-john-franco/comment-page-1/#comment-95 Nerdzah Ball Soup Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:00:26 +0000 http://www.thewrightstache.com/?p=568#comment-95 I'm a loyal Mets fans and reader of thewrightstache, but I have to take issue with this post and 99% of Mets fans on the subject of John Franco. This is a subject close to my heart - so much that I won't even use a common nerd tactic of "statistics" or "facts" to support my argument. What I will say is that my friends and I watched Franco come out of the bullpen for 14 long years and could never understand the citywide love affair with him. Put aside the stupid tomato plants in the bullpen and garbage man dad and all that other blue collar New York bullshit, and what you have is a very average relief pitcher who managed to hang around long enough to get a bunch of saves. We used to refer to Franco as Captain Cardiac, because when he came in late in a game, you knew he would give you a heart attack before getting out of the inning. His normal outing went like this: walk, groundout, double, pop-up, single, walk, groundout. He was a junkball pitcher who survived by getting out terrible hitters by bouncing 80mph screwballs 6" in front of the plate. I can't remember him ever striking out a decent hitter - because he wasn't very good. If people identified with him as a New Yorker and a tomato fan, that's fine - I root for guys who wear glasses. But don't fool yourself into thinking he was anything but a middling, junk throwing lefty specialist who everyone drank the cool-aid on. I’m a loyal Mets fans and reader of thewrightstache, but I have to take issue with this post and 99% of Mets fans on the subject of John Franco.
This is a subject close to my heart – so much that I won’t even use a common nerd tactic of “statistics” or “facts” to support my argument. What I will say is that my friends and I watched Franco come out of the bullpen for 14 long years and could never understand the citywide love affair with him.
Put aside the stupid tomato plants in the bullpen and garbage man dad and all that other blue collar New York bullshit, and what you have is a very average relief pitcher who managed to hang around long enough to get a bunch of saves. We used to refer to Franco as Captain Cardiac, because when he came in late in a game, you knew he would give you a heart attack before getting out of the inning. His normal outing went like this: walk, groundout, double, pop-up, single, walk, groundout. He was a junkball pitcher who survived by getting out terrible hitters by bouncing 80mph screwballs 6″ in front of the plate. I can’t remember him ever striking out a decent hitter – because he wasn’t very good.
If people identified with him as a New Yorker and a tomato fan, that’s fine – I root for guys who wear glasses. But don’t fool yourself into thinking he was anything but a middling, junk throwing lefty specialist who everyone drank the cool-aid on.

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