JULIO.
I was reading an article on Julio Franco in this week’s Sports Illustrated. He has played major league baseball for nearly thirty years! He is only 40 years younger than I am! The Atlanta Braves just released him, and the article recaps his illustrious career.
Julio is the last remaining player to face Jim Kaat - who pitched to Ted Williams on the last day of the 1959 season! On April 20th, 2006, as a 46 year old Met, Julio became the oldest player to hit a major league home run! The only reason that I remember him is that he played for the Cleveland Indians 20 years ago. I went to an Oakland A’s game with Cleveland. The A’s weren’t playing very well that year, so they were getting small crowds. I remember that I was about the only one in my row - in the 2nd deck behind home plate. Julio hit a foul ball and it landed on my A’s sweater, which I had placed on the seat next to me. What a strange feeling to see the ball settle there. I have been going to ball games for many years, and I have never seen a ball retrieved so effortlessly. There was no scrum involved, as there was trying to retrieve Barry Bonds 756th home run! There were probably only 8,000 people there - probably not even a break-even attendance. Of course it was a weekday-day game - before the construction of Mt. Davis! This is the only “souvenir” ball that I have ever recovered in the stands! I gave the ball to my oldest grandson, Doug. I should have tried to get Julio to autograph it for him.
Another reason why I remembered Julio after all the passing years, is I like to repeat his name. It has such a melodious ring to it. My link to baseball history - one old guy to another old guy!