Are you brave?
October 1, 2015 2:12 PM Subscribe
Amazing. I remember watching him play for the Texas Rangers in the early 90s and he was a not-young veteran even back then.
I recall once viewing a nationally televised game in which the announcers invited Ronald Reagan into the booth to provide color commentary for a half-inning of play. (This was shortly before he completely withdrew from the public eye, so he was still relatively lucid.) When Julio Franco came to bat, Reagan pronounced his name with a hard J sound, which my dad and I found to be completely hilarious. After a few pitches, he finally had occasion to repeat Franco's name—and he sort of caught himself, and a little sheepishly asked one of the announcers "Do I say Julio or Hulio?" It was actually kind of a sweet, humanizing moment.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:35 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
I recall once viewing a nationally televised game in which the announcers invited Ronald Reagan into the booth to provide color commentary for a half-inning of play. (This was shortly before he completely withdrew from the public eye, so he was still relatively lucid.) When Julio Franco came to bat, Reagan pronounced his name with a hard J sound, which my dad and I found to be completely hilarious. After a few pitches, he finally had occasion to repeat Franco's name—and he sort of caught himself, and a little sheepishly asked one of the announcers "Do I say Julio or Hulio?" It was actually kind of a sweet, humanizing moment.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:35 PM on October 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
Note for anyone who interpreted the link text the same way I did: not actually cursed to play baseball for all eternity, just really likes the game.
posted by ckape at 3:40 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by ckape at 3:40 PM on October 1, 2015 [11 favorites]
It was obvious even in his later major-league career that Franco was a true gamer, the "stare out the window and wait for spring" kind of guy that you can't even imagine not on a ballfield, and this story is a great confirmation of that. It's fun and interesting to see how that kind of life plays out after the major-league part of it is over, when the sports media usually forgets all about people unless they're broadcasting or coaching.
posted by RogerB at 4:48 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by RogerB at 4:48 PM on October 1, 2015 [4 favorites]
Just to lend some historical perspective, Julio Franco is exactly as old as the Federal Aviation Administration.
posted by Etrigan at 5:06 PM on October 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 5:06 PM on October 1, 2015 [7 favorites]
When I started playing you guys were still in your father's balls.
A wise man with lots of perspective.
posted by AugustWest at 8:30 PM on October 1, 2015
A wise man with lots of perspective.
posted by AugustWest at 8:30 PM on October 1, 2015
I was this close to making that the headline, then chickened out, AugustWest. I couldn't decide if its eccentric person being colorful value was exceeded by its having to hear yet another metaphor about male genitalia downside.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:56 AM on October 2, 2015
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:56 AM on October 2, 2015
When Franco started playing, some of those guys' fathers were still in their fathers' balls.
posted by Etrigan at 7:03 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 7:03 AM on October 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Hat tip to Etrigan, who reminded me in another thread that Franco is still playing professional baseball.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:13 PM on October 1, 2015