Julio Franco steals second?

[Brooklyn]

I have ESPN gamecast on my desk at work, and I see "Julio Franco steals second".

Anyone watching this? Stragiht steal? How does a 47 year old man stead a base? Anyone know if he would be the oldest to steal a base?

[dmay13]

Yes, he is the "oldest man" to steal a base. Last year when he stole a base with the Braves he was oldest, so now he broke his own record. It is amazing that a 47 year old is still able to play baseball, much less steal a base. Thanks for the info!

[Bronxbombers]

He had like 32 steals one year

[Honus Wagner Rules]

He had like 32 steals one year
Franco had 36 SBs with the Rangers in 1991. He also had 32 SBs twice, 1983 and 1987. In 1983 I was a sophomore in high school...:crazy

[Brooklyn]

The box score for him reads SB (2), so apparently he stole one earlier this year that I missed. Unbelievable

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Franco is hitting .349 in 43 ABs so far this season. Why so little ABs? I thought that the Mets signed Franco to be a backup first baseman and pinch hitter. I figured he's get something like 250-275 ABs this season. He certainly deserves to play more.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

The box score for him reads SB (2), so apparently he stole one earlier this year that I missed. Unbelievable
Franco had his first SB of the season on 4/26.

[CROM]

as a braves fan i hated losing franco.. his worth ethic and conditioning is amazing.. hes a good role model for younger players.. not to mention hes still a quality player who would have added much needed depth to the braves bench this year.. he would have received a lot more playing time with the braves with laroches offensive woes..

[redban]

Franco is hitting .349 in 43 ABs so far this season. Why so little ABs? I thought that the Mets signed Franco to be a backup first baseman and pinch hitter. I figured he's get something like 250-275 ABs this season. He certainly deserves to play more.

Well,Delgado literally plays every day.So Julio Franco doesn't play backup for anyone.

I do agree that he deserves more AB's.Early in the year,Jose Valentin was the main pinch hitter.Since he was a switch hitter.But now that Valentin plays everyday,Franco will pinch hit more frequently.

& Sorry to say....but Julio isn't the oldest man to steal a base.He's the 2nd oldest.Arlie Latham was 49 when he did it.

[SamtheBravesFan]

as a braves fan i hated losing franco.. his worth ethic and conditioning is amazing.. hes a good role model for younger players.. not to mention hes still a quality player who would have added much needed depth to the braves bench this year.. he would have received a lot more playing time with the braves with laroches offensive woes..

No he wouldn't. Lefty/righy. LaRoche starts against all right-handers and Franco starts against all lefties. That's the way it was last year. And that's the way it is this year with the super-stinky Brian Jordan instead of the dependable Franco.

[Sweet Lou]

& Sorry to say....but Julio isn't the oldest man to steal a base.He's the 2nd oldest.Arlie Latham was 49 when he did it.
Wow, I checked this out at Baseball Almanac, and not only did he steal a base, he did it after not playing professionally for 10 years. He played 4 games, had 2 AB, stole 1 base, and scored 1 run. I'd be interested to know what he was doing those 10 years.
Here's the link.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lathaar01
Lou

[Elvis]

I have ESPN gamecast on my desk at work, and I see "Julio Franco steals second".

Anyone watching this? Stragiht steal? How does a 47 year old man stead a base? Anyone know if he would be the oldest to steal a base?

You make it sound like Julio should be using a walker and eating a 4 o'clock supper at Denny's.

He's 47, not 77.

[Sweet Lou]

You make it sound like Julio should be using a walker and eating a 4 o'clock supper at Denny's.

He's 47, not 77.
He'll still be playing when he's 77. :D

[Elvis]

He'll still be playing when he's 77. :D

Why not - he's in amazing shape. Jack Lalaine is 91 and can still do 25 pushups and swim laps. I remember seeing a real old-timer, I want to say Luke Appling hit a homer to left field in RFK Stadium during the Cracker Jack game around 1990 or so. I think he was in his 80s!

[baseball junkie]

Franco's performance is just another sign that the Mets are the team of destiny in 2006.

I know it's early to be predicting a WS Champ but with a 47-year-old man hitting like that, you've got to have some awfully good karma.

[Sweet Lou]

Why not - he's in amazing shape. Jack Lalaine is 91 and can still do 25 pushups and swim laps. I remember seeing a real old-timer, I want to say Luke Appling hit a homer to left field in RFK Stadium during the Cracker Jack game around 1990 or so. I think he was in his 80s!
That's nuts! I wish I could have seen that.

[otis89]

Franco's performance is just another sign that the Mets are the team of destiny in 2006.

I know it's early to be predicting a WS Champ but with a 47-year-old man hitting like that, you've got to have some awfully good karma.

Or a 47-year old man determined to stay in shape.

[baseball junkie]

This is completely the wrong forum for this, but is Franco a Hall of Famer?

I know he doesn't hit the traditional metrics. But he's doing something unique in baseball history, no?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Why not - he's in amazing shape. Jack Lalaine is 91 and can still do 25 pushups and swim laps. I remember seeing a real old-timer, I want to say Luke Appling hit a homer to left field in RFK Stadium during the Cracker Jack game around 1990 or so. I think he was in his 80s!
The Crackerjack Old-Timers Game was in 1982. Appling hit his HR off of Warren Spahn. Appling was 75 years old at the time. :crazy

[Mattingly]

http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/gamecenter/playbyplay/MLB_20060615_NYM@PHI
Mets 9th
Geoff Geary pitching:
Ramon A. Castro: Strike looking, Ball, Ball, Ball, Castro popped out to shortstop
Julio Franco hit for Duaner Sanchez.
Julio Franco: Strike swinging, Foul, Ball, Foul, Foul, Foul, Foul, Ball, Franco singled to center.
Jose B. Reyes: Ball, Reyes lined out to center.
Endy Chavez: Ball, Ball, Franco stole second, Ball, Chavez walked.
Carlos Beltran: Ball, Franco to third, Chavez to second on passed ball, Ball, Strike looking, Strike swinging, Beltran struck out swinging.
End of Inning (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)

[Elvis]

The Crackerjack Old-Timers Game was in 1982. Appling hit his HR off of Warren Spahn. Appling was 75 years old at the time. :crazy

I remember that well - what a great moment, but, I doubt it was 1982, in fact, I'd bet money that it was later than that.

EDIT: I just checked, I guess you're right. Hmmm.

[W_Marone]

He's as fit enough to play till he's fifty

[Baseball Guru]

Anyone watching this? Stragiht steal? How does a 47 year old man stead a base?


Yeah, straight steal.. They totally were not prepared for him to take off and it really wasnt close....

[RuthMayBond]

Wow, I checked this out at Baseball Almanac, and not only did he steal a base, he did it after not playing professionally for 10 years. He played 4 games, had 2 AB, stole 1 base, and scored 1 run. I'd be interested to know what he was doing those 10 years.
Here's the link.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lathaar01
Lou
I think he was in Japan and Latin America

[RedSoxVT92]

Wow, I checked this out at Baseball Almanac, and not only did he steal a base, he did it after not playing professionally for 10 years. He played 4 games, had 2 AB, stole 1 base, and scored 1 run. I'd be interested to know what he was doing those 10 years.
Here's the link.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lathaar01
Lou

Actually he blew out his arm ending his essentially career. Latham had a wicked stong arm. Charles Comisky, his manager bet 100 bucks that Latham had a stonger arm than catcher Doc Bushsong. Comisky won the bet but because Latham did not warm up properly and he blew out is arm. I guess he made a small return at the age of 49. Very very fast. Stole career 739 bases, 129 in 1887.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I remember that well - what a great moment, but, I doubt it was 1982, in fact, I'd bet money that it was later than that.

EDIT: I just checked, I guess you're right. Hmmm.
To bad I'm not a betting man...:D


In 1982, more than thirty years after his retirement, Appling was the centerpiece of one of the most touching moments in baseball history. Playing in the inaugural Cracker Jack Old-Timers Baseball Classic, the seventy-five-year-old legend, who hit only forty-five career home runs, blasted a dramatic round tripper on a pitch thrown by his fellow Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, leading the American League squad to a seven-to-two victory.

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-735

[BaseballHistoryNut]

I remember that well - what a great moment, but, I doubt it was 1982, in fact, I'd bet money that it was later than that.

EDIT: I just checked, I guess you're right. Hmmm.

I remember that well, having already been 29 at the time. I recall Ted Williams' having applauded him for it, and Appling's having beamed from ear to ear at receiving hitting accolades from Him!

I wonder how old Williams was before retired pitchers would let him play in those oldtimers' games. Sixty? Seventy? I mean, can you imagine?

BHN

[RuthMayBond]

I remember that well - what a great moment, but, I doubt it was 1982, in fact, I'd bet money that it was later than that.

EDIT: I just checked, I guess you're right. Hmmm.July 19, 1982

[RuthMayBond]

I remember that well, having already been 29 at the time. I recall Ted Williams' having applauded him for it, and Appling's having beamed from ear to ear at receiving hitting accolades from Him!

I wonder how old Williams was before retired pitchers would let him play in those oldtimers' games. Sixty? Seventy? I mean, can you imagine?

BHNReminds me of an old-timers game in Cleveland. There were guys who had retired just a few years ago, and none of them could hit one out the entire batting practice. One guy did. He had retired several years ago. He was a pitcher :eek: Or Luis Sojo? playing in an old-timers game and then playing in the bigs later that year :laugh

[Captain Cold Nose]

I remember that well, having already been 29 at the time. I recall Ted Williams' having applauded him for it, and Appling's having beamed from ear to ear at receiving hitting accolades from Him!

I wonder how old Williams was before retired pitchers would let him play in those oldtimers' games. Sixty? Seventy? I mean, can you imagine?

BHN
That was great, wasn't it? There were a few deep ones that game, if I'm not mistaken. I may be mixing up old timer's games, but I vividly recall Sandy Koufax getting taken deep, as well.

[Mattingly]

I remember that well, having already been 29 at the time. I recall Ted Williams' having applauded him for it, and Appling's having beamed from ear to ear at receiving hitting accolades from Him!

I wonder how old Williams was before retired pitchers would let him play in those oldtimers' games. Sixty? Seventy? I mean, can you imagine?

BHN
Perhaps they'd wanted to make sure that since Satchel Paige was the world's oldest rookie, that Teddy would be the oldest rookie in the old timers' games. :p
The Crackerjack Old-Timers Game was in 1982. Appling hit his HR off of Warren Spahn. Appling was 75 years old at the time. :crazy
Which stadium was this at?

[Elvis]

Perhaps they'd wanted to make sure that since Satchel Paige was the world's oldest rookie, that Teddy would be the oldest rookie in the old timers' games. :p

Which stadium was this at?

It was at RFK. They still had the movable seats in place in LF, so it wasn't a tremendous shot like it is now.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

Perhaps they'd wanted to make sure that since Satchel Paige was the world's oldest rookie, that Teddy would be the oldest rookie in the old timers' games. :p

Which stadium was this at?
RFK I believe...

[Honus Wagner Rules]

It was at RFK. They still had the movable seats in place in LF, so it wasn't a tremendous shot like it is now.
It was about 260 ft down the line when Appling hit his HR. But he was 75 years old at the time so we can give him a break, can't we? I actually saw the game on TV I think...

[Go Bravos!!!#1]

You have to love Julio Franco. I wonder if he will retire at 50.

[flash143817]

You make it sound like Julio should be using a walker and eating a 4 o'clock supper at Denny's.

He's 47, not 77.


Well we can't be completely certain about his age...

[Outta Here]

Is my PC messed up or did it say Franco has just stole 3RD BASE in 7th Inning v BAL? :eek: WOW

[Sweet Lou]

Is my PC messed up or did it say Franco has just stole 3RD BASE in 7th Inning v BAL? :eek: WOWYep, you read that right.
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/wrap.jsp?ymd=20060618&content_id=1511694&vkey=wrapup2005&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Ursa Major]

The Crackerjack Old-Timers Game was in 1982. Appling hit his HR off of Warren Spahn. Appling was 75 years old at the time.I was at the game, and it was as magical as they describe it. It was drizzly and it wasn't clear that they'd even get the game in.

When Appling came up, you figured it would be one of those weak tappers to the mound and he'd run/walk to first and that would be it. As I recall, it was early in the game and I believe Appling worked the count a little. Then, he popped it over the wall in left and the place went nuts. There you had a zillion Hall of Famers -- Aaron played some miserable centerfield only 8 years after hitting No. 755 --- and Appling's home run was all anyone could talk about after the game.

To be sure, the wall was short because it was a football only stadium then and they weren't going to alter things for an old-timer's game. And he didn't make it by much. But that doesn't change the story.... nor should it.

[Go Stros]

Anytime Franco does something it will be labeled "oldest player to ever _______". :lookitup