AT FIRST, the discussion was about missing Opening Day. Then April. Then May. And now it is possible John Franco is out for the rest of his career.
Franco learned yesterday that to extend his pitching life, he must undergo ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow. He will decide in the coming days with a clearer head whether he wants a procedure that at best has him on a major-league mound at this time next year.
But the 12-month time frame for recuperation is associated with pitchers in their prime, and Franco’s prime coincided with the George Bush Sr. administration. When team doctor Andrew Rokito showed Franco the results of an MRI yesterday – the ligament and tendon so far off the bone that Bobby Valentine could see it with an untrained eye – the veteran lefty cried, a tacit acknowledgment he understood he may never be serenaded to the Shea mound again by “Johnny B. Goode.”
“I would never bet against John Franco,” Met GM Steve Phillips said.
Indeed, Franco built a borderline Hall-of-Fame career on grit, driven to excel at Lafayette High in Brooklyn, St. John’s in Queens and various minor-league outposts because so many told him a guy his size, 5-foot-10 only in his imagination and the Met media guide, could not make it in The Show.
But determination is one thing at 20, the age he broke into pro ball; or 32, his age the first time Dr. David Altchek cut his elbow. He is 41 now, though, and heart may not be enough to recover from more than a season missed.
“I’m sure it [that his career is over] is in the back of my mind,” Franco said yesterday before he knew the MRI results. “But with today’s medical practices, if something is wrong, you can get it fixed and get it right.”
Franco chose not to talk publicly after learning the news. Obviously, though, this is not how he wanted to go out. The last major-league pitch he has thrown for now was an 0-2 changeup that Brian Jordan hit for a walk-off grand slam Sept. 29 at Turner Field to essentially eliminate the Mets. His elbow already was killing him.
Franco may yet negate the need for a baseball obituary. But his legacy should be more about using guile and will to translate good, but not great stuff, into a memorable career. Two decades ago, he would not have been given a chance at one save. He has 422, second-most ever. If he never gets a chance at 423, those 422 saves honor him.
“He didn’t have great physical skill, but he epitomized New York with guts and determination,” Mike Piazza said. “That is why I wouldn’t bet against him now.”
Yesterday, Franco invoked the name of the patron saint of lefty relievers in noting Jesse Orosco had elbow surgery two years ago and is pitching now at 45. It sounded like a strong-willed man trying to first convince himself that there were more meaningful pitches in what is currently a useless arm.