Archive for the ‘John Franco’ Category

Cut The Man Some Slack

BY RANDY SHEMANSKI
STACHE WRITER

On the nearly three-hour drive to Citi Field on Friday afternoon, my friend and I talked about what kind of reception Billy Wagner would get if he pitched that night. We both agreed that he’d be received positively. Apparently we felt that way only because we planned to cheer if he came in from the pen.

When Wagner sprinted in to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the Braves ahead, 4-2, my friend and I stood to clap for him while seemingly everyone else in attendance rained boos on the hard-throwing lefty. I looked around and didn’t see anyone else clapping, but there had to be someone else in the building not wearing a Braves jersey who showed their appreciation for Wagner, right?

Look, we’ll all remember Game 2 of the 2006 NLCS when Wagner gave up three runs in the top of the ninth for a 9-6 loss that turned out to be huge later in the series. And there were other moments in his Mets career – back spasms that sidelined him late in 2007 being one of them – that leave a sour taste in our mouths.
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Has Johan been the leader? (PHOTO BY ICON/SMI)

In the second part of our look at the deeper issue facing the Mets, leadership, we will look at the potential leaders on the current roster. As previously mentioned, neither the Carlos Delgado’s or Pedro Martinez’s of the organization in the past few years has been a true leader or have been able to get others to follow for one reason or another.

However, there are a few players on the current roster who will need to try in order to right this sinking ship that we call the New York Mets. Those players are Johan Santana, David Wright, Francisco Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Ike Davis and Jose Reyes. None of these players are the current leader of this team. They have all led in a particular moment or game, but not for any stretch of time longer than that.

First is Johan Santana. Let me say this before getting into Johan, personally, I like Santana. With that said, he was brought in to put the team over the hump and to carry them on his back at times. He is the supposed to be the team ace. The unwritten definition of an ace is two-fold. They are supposed to bring a reputation and an attitude with them.
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BY MICHAEL GANCI
EDITOR

Brian McNamee has recently come out with a new book, so before you go any further, consider the source. This guy has ruined the lives of many, and he seems to be looking to gain at the cost of others. What was a major surprise in his new book was an excerpt that spoke about Mike Piazza and John Franco being very upset with him following Piazza’s inability to retaliate after Clemens threw the bat at him. Here’s the quote.

“So I went over to the clubhouse and I grabbed Franco,” McNamee said. “I’m talking to Jon right outside the clubhouse and I’m going, ‘Yeah, John. Roger just feels bad. He’s in the locker room and he wants to speak with Mike.’ And [Franco] goes, ‘[Piazza's] in there. He’s a [expletive that questions manhood.] [Expletive] him. He’s in the trainer’s room.’”

Why would Franco do such a thing? Weren’t he and Piazza close? I know when Piazza came to New York, Franco shed the number 31 without question for baseball’s all time leader in homers for a catcher. Piazza’s character has been questioned in the past, as people have seemed to always think that he was uncomfortable in New York, but I don’t buy it.

He relished the big moments. He carried a team that had no business being in the World Series, and he almost accomplished the impossible. Franco loved him. If you ask me, I think McNamee is trying to sell copies of his book, and he has nothing better to do than start childish rumors.