Bradley’s Buzz: Frenchy makes an impression in NY minute
The fallout on Francoeur, and there’s a lot of it
The nice thing — well, one of the nice things — about hanging around New York is you can buy four papers a day. Pretty soon, though, you realize most every sports story in all four papers contains the same quotes. (New York writers, of which there are many, tend to travel in packs.) So I won’t offer every link regarding Jeff Francoeur’s arrival, lest we be here all week. I’ll hit the highlights:
• How did the deal happen? According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News: “Mets GM Omar Minaya said assistant GM John Ricco suggested investigating the availability of the 25-year-old Francoeur during an afternoon brainstorming session on Thursday. The deal was completed within 24 hours.” (And you think the Braves weren’t thirsting to dump Frenchy?)
• The headline on Jay Greenberg’s post-trade column in the New York Post says it all: “Minaya’s swap is better than doin’ nothing.”
• From David Lennon of Newsday comes this analysis: “If Francoeur is as screwed up as the Braves believe him to be — and they rarely dump a player before his time — maybe this will turn out to be a regrettable trade [for the Mets].”
• Esteemed former colleague Tim Smith of the New York Daily News asks how long Francoeur’s honeymoon will last: “Given the up and down nature of the Mets, you wonder how long Francoeur, a homegrown Georgia product who rotted on the vine in Atlanta, will maintain his sunny disposition in Queens. You wonder how long [Mets manager] Jerry Manuel will embrace Francoeur.”
• On MLB.com, Tim Britton describes the Mets’ approach to swing-doctoring Frenchy: ” ‘We’re going to take is we’re going to watch for awhile,’ Manuel said. ‘We’re going to try to let him get as comfortable as he can possibly get without trying to make these types of changes.’ ”
• In Newsday, Roderick Boone quotes Francoeur as saying he’s happy to be playing in a pro-sports town: ” ‘I’ve always loved the fans up here, loved the passion,’ Francoeur said. ‘That’s something you don’t get down south. Up here, it’s pro sports. Down by us, it’s always the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Auburn, SEC, Alabama. Up here, this is it. It’s the Mets, it’s the Yankees, it’s the Giants, it’s the Knicks, and that’s what I’m looking forward to is coming to a place where the fans are so passionate, and care and pack the place out every night.’ ”
• Ben Shipgel of the New York Times reports that Francoeur’s last name was misspelled on the Mets’ clubhouse lineup board before Saturday’s game.
• Mike Puma of the New York Post reports Francoeur’s first at-bat as a Met yielded “maybe the cheapest two-run single in Citi Field history.”
• Writes Larry Brooks of the New York Post: “Francoeur is no savior. He is a reclamation project seeking to find plate discipline and consistency on a reclamation project of a team seeking to pitch, throw, catch, run and hit like a professional outfit rather than the stumblebums they’ve been for more than a month.”
After two games as a Met, Francoeur is 4-for-9 with two RBI and only one strikeout. And the Mets are 2-0, having drawn within a half-game of Frenchy’s former club for third place in the NL East.
OK, OK. Who got the better of the deal?
According to Buster Olney of ESPN.com, the Braves did. (Link requires registration.) Writes Olney:
“I liked this trade for the Braves because [Ryan] Church will fit in nicely into the three-guys-for-two-spots platoon with Matt Diaz and Garret Anderson, and he’s got a better chance to put the ball in play more consistently hitting in the No. 6 and No. 7 spot in the Atlanta lineup. And given where Francoeur is in his career, trying to find himself at the plate and become more disciplined, I just wonder if New York might be the absolute worst place for him right now. If he struggles and then has one of those nights when he sees seven pitches and goes 0-for-5, the fans there will let him have it. Hopefully, for his sake and for the sake of the Mets, it’ll turn out to be a great match — a high-energy player for a high-anxiety atmosphere, that’ll bring out the best in Francoeur.
“The fact the Braves moved him is hardly a surprise; rival GMs expected the Braves to non-tender him at the end of this year if they had kept him through the full season because of the depths of his struggles.”
Don’t do it for Kovy’s sake!
I took this selection from Rory Boylen of the Hockey News as something of a rebuttal to my little effort of last week. (Thanks to Wayne in Tuskegee for passing along the link.) I’d written that Thrashers GM Don Waddell is making moves in large measure to persuade Ilya Kovalchuk to re-up. Boylen thinks that’s bad policy. He writes:
“Kovalchuk is a dynamic player whose caliber doesn’t come around often, but if he is unwilling to commit to the team, I’m not sure the GM should be committing the team to him. If Atlanta struggles again next year despite Waddell’s efforts, Kovy will be gone and the Thrashers will be a misfit team without direction.
Perhaps Waddell should urge Kovy to sign a one- or two-year deal to give the team ample time to correct itself and get its new ownership group on the same page. Then, if he is still unhappy with the direction, by all means, trade him or let him sign with a winner.
But Atlanta shouldn’t be hastily building a team in a year to appease one player with an expiring contract –- it’s just too risky and too short-term.”
In the abstract, I’d agree. But the harsh reality is that, if the Thrashers can’t hold Kovalchuk, they’ll be starting over after a decade in business. And their chances of keeping him are better than finding a big-name free agent willing to come here and replace him. The future of the Thrash essentially hangs on one man’s whim: Like it or not, Waddell has to placate that one man.
And speaking of whimsy …
What, you’re asking, is Jim Harrick doing these days? According to Hall of Famer writer Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader — Jerry’s an esteemed former colleague, as is John Clay, who passed along the link — Harrick surfaced at the adidas-sponsored It Takes 5ive basketball camp at the University of Cincinnati last week.
Harrick, you should know, was serving as an assistant coach for Pump N Run, a summer-league team based in southern California. Writes Tipton: “Harrick said he was helping coach the team as a favor to Pump N Run officials who are long-time fixtures in recruiting circles.”
I have four words for you: Supply your own punchline.
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145 comments Add your comment
Chris
July 13th, 2009
1:53 pm
Ask John Rocker if batteries are thrown in Queens.
Dolittle Lynn
July 13th, 2009
1:59 pm
Just like I told Loretta, “You need a little more time to learn how to cook. You need a little more time to learn to clean the house. And you need a little more time to learn to please your man the way that you are supposed to. Damn, woman, is there anything that you know how to do right now?” Frenchy just needed a little more time.
NRBQ
July 13th, 2009
2:01 pm
Mac:
If you liked the Nobody’s Fool film, you’ll absolutely love the book.
And if you read it, you will buy everything else Richard Russo has written.
Hint: start with the earliest work.
Chris Broe
July 13th, 2009
2:03 pm
Frenchy was sent to the minors because he was caught hollowing out a Louisville Slugger and pouring a pinetar-cork mixture into it. This wasn’t reported because baseball has enough problems with credibility. Last week in Atlanta, a dog was picked off second and then ejected from the game for arguing the call. Nobody even noticed that there’s not supposed to be no dogs in baseball. Where’s the supervision? What strike zone? Atlanta’s a pro-sports town, alright, a pro-sportsbra town, that is.
Gov. Clinton Tyree
July 13th, 2009
2:06 pm
Let’s see, if I understand Jeff’s point correctly, the lack of passion of the Atlanta pro sports fan (and corresponding interest in college sports) made it….
Hard for him to perform?
Difficult to be passionate about his job?
Made him less inclined to work?
I must be missing something here.
Wait ’til he goes 4-for-39 with no walks, a double and an RBI groundout while offering at the first pitch 27 times coming out of the all-star break. Then the rather more passionate New York professional sports fans will help him understand he was actually fortunate to have woefully underperformed in such a laid-back, forgiving environment.
cphizzle
July 13th, 2009
2:07 pm
ATLFAN15 in no form or fashion did frenchy say that you are a classic example of tryin to get crap stirred up.
Chris
July 13th, 2009
2:11 pm
Granted, I’m making this assumption from a few Bradley commenters and myself, but maybe Braves fans might show some “passion” this weekend.
That is, if they hear about Francoeur’s quote about all the great, loud Mets fans he gets to play for now, as opposed to those apathetic, backwater Braves fans.
I’ll let him hear it a little during BP. Maybe others will do it with me if his quote makes the paper.
(Not a total Francouer hater, but damn, I hate when players dump an entire fan base like that. Blame yourself, blame Bobby, blame the front office. Not the fans.)
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
2:13 pm
pro-sportsbra town…hmmmmm
A trivia question that carries - yes! - an invitation to blog | Mark Bradley
July 13th, 2009
2:14 pm
[...] … here’s a little trivia question for you folks. (As anyone who has been following the extremely unedifying Melanie Griffith discussion today has doubtless realized, I know way too much trivia for my own good.) Someone posed this one [...]
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
2:14 pm
I saw the beers flying at Rocker but I don’t recall any D-cells
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
2:15 pm
“Hard for him to perform?
Difficult to be passionate about his job?
Made him less inclined to work? ”
Don’t they make a pill for that?
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
2:16 pm
Chris, the powers that be should make it a point of placing the quote on that large HD Screen in Centerfield for all the less than passionate fans to see prior to each at-bat.
Bama Aaron
July 13th, 2009
2:18 pm
That’s the point I was making earlier Gov. In the couple of days since the trade he’s made a couple a comments against the fans. One of the 1st things he said was “he was looking forward to playing in front of 45k every night”.
I get the fact that he disappointed and frustrated at leaving his home town. And he’s also wanting to make a good impression with his new employer and their fans. But I don’t see the need to belittle fans who have supported you since you were in grade school.
He loves the accolades but doesn’t take the critcism well. And obviously he’d been reading plenty of the blogs barking at him the last couple of years. If his skin doesn’t get thicker he won’t last long with their fans.
ATLfan15
July 13th, 2009
2:19 pm
cphizzle, not sure I understand your comment. I’m interpreting Francoeur’s comments, just like everyone else on this blog. The fact remains: he said it and because of that, he probably will get booed by some of the fans when he comes back to Turner Field this week. I think Chris summed it up nicely in his post from 2:11pm.
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 13th, 2009
2:19 pm
I remember vinyl. Got a whole rack full of it still.
Have to take exception to Francouer’s comment about the South being baseball only territory. He’s just too young to know. The South was filled with minor league teams and mill teams at one time. All very well supported. The old Atlanta Crackers were a successful franchise both on the field and at the gate. In my view the Atlanta Braves, basically from 1966-1990 (with a couple decent years thrown in there), did a lot to kill baseball interest in these parts.
Hillbilly Deluxe
July 13th, 2009
2:20 pm
That should have said “football only” territory. Maybe I need one of them editor guys like MB has.
All I'm Saying Is...
July 13th, 2009
2:45 pm
Frenchy is an idiot in terms of his ‘up here its all about pro sports comment’. We may have a stronger passion for college football but in Atlanta, which is where his knucklehead is from, we follow our pro sports closely which is why we not only knew he stunk but also the degree to which his game stunk—namely his lack of plate discipline. His hot start will soon fade as it is certainly a movie we have all seen before….and returning to movies for a moment, by the way, Mark, Melanie Griffith was at her hottest in “Milk Money” with Ed Harris—seldom seen but worth the trouble as she showed off her new twin acquisitions and then some quite nicely.
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
3:25 pm
I could even handle the lack of plate discipline to an extent if his power hadn’t all but disappeared. Escobar is showing more pop than Frenchy.
Ted Striker
July 13th, 2009
3:26 pm
Those offended by Frenchy’s comments don’t have the hide to endure the comments he endured during his tenure here. First off, he was merely speaking the truth.
This IS college football dominated territory — not MLB fan dominated territory. Were this were a college football blog about a UGA starter who’d transferred from Athens to UF — or vice versa — there would be 5x the number of comments.
Call me a liar, we’ll both know I’m telling the truth.
GTSteve
July 13th, 2009
3:42 pm
I cant wait until this weekend when the mets come to town. Everybody on the ATL staff should know how to get him out. I wonder if in a blow out Bmac with tell Frenchy what is coming………
IDC
July 13th, 2009
3:43 pm
I don’t care if Jeff Franceour thinks I am a good fan or not. I just know that if he goes to New York and sets the world on fire, that means he simply was not trying in Atlanta, and that he never would have tried. He got his feelings hurt when he was finally treated as any other player in the yet to end slump in was in would have been treated. He got sent down and he couldn’t handle it. He thought it “could have been handled better.” Guess what son, the next “Natural” or not, you’ve got to pay your dues and you haven’t paid them yet. Screw up in New York and you” understand what I mean.
The_Superhoo
July 13th, 2009
3:56 pm
Mark,
Did you INTEND to mispell Francoeur in the paragraph referencing the mispelling of his name on the lineup card? (You wrote “Francouer”)
If so, hilarious. If not, even more so.
Wren BLOWS
July 13th, 2009
4:10 pm
and besides he never blames the fans he just said there is a difference in the fans in ny and in atl
GTSteve
July 13th, 2009
4:12 pm
Mark, I don’t think you are a “dueche”, i enjoy your articles, and always have, even back when i read the new in paper form…..
GTSteve
July 13th, 2009
4:13 pm
Mark, I don’t think you are a “dueche”, i enjoy your articles, and always have, even back when i read the news in paper form…..
Sting 'em Buzz
July 13th, 2009
4:33 pm
I have to agree with GTSteve
lefty fielder
July 13th, 2009
4:35 pm
Yo Wren Blows
You think Bradley’s a dueche? I didn’t even know he was French. Time had run out on Francoeur. I know it, you know it, the American people know it. (Bob Dole knows it). When the Wren Blows, the cradle will rock.
25-Year Braves Fan
July 13th, 2009
4:41 pm
Bobby Cox hoped the Braves would be two games behind Philadelphia at the break. Phillies went on a tear and Braves played about the best they can. Braves are now six games behind. Second half will be more inspired effort by a club that does not have the necessary weapons to finish above third. My prediction is Philadelphia, Florida, New York, Atlanta and then the International League champions. I must commend Frank Wren for getting the pitching right. Perhaps fixing pitching and offense inside a single season was just too much to offer. I wish they had not signed Chipper Jones to a long-term deal because watching his game decline will make me cringe. He has been a unique and extraordinary player for such a long time. Watching the errors, the injuries and the singles is hard. And, we all believe Chipper is doing everything possible to add as much as possible.
DirtyDawg
July 13th, 2009
4:52 pm
Hey Jeff, Atlanta has always been a ‘pro-sports town’ whenever Atlanta’s pro sports franchises gave them something to be a fan about. You were probably still nursing momma when the Braves started their run of consecutive Division titles…the attendance and the ‘chops’ were legend…the Falcons win, the Falcons sell out…the same with the that basketball team and even the Thrashers when they made a mini-run at success a couple of years, if feels like, back.
You seem determined to burn your bridges here Jeff, so be it. If I’m at the game when you swagger back into town you can bet that you’ll get, what do they call it, ‘a Bronx Cheer’ from me…how’ll that be for a ‘pro-sports fan’…you punk.
Wren BLOWS
July 13th, 2009
5:07 pm
yeah i dont disagree time ran out…he needed to go play somewhere else cuz atl wasnt right for him….but the dueche mark doesnt need to continue to write about him and try to find bad things to write…let him go mark, i cant tell if you hate him or you wanna be gay with him, find somethin in ATLANTA to write about…maybe how the bullpen blew again for us last night…and we made the dumb choice to leave crazy mike our best reliever home
Wren BLOWS
July 13th, 2009
5:07 pm
Enter your comments here
Brendan
July 13th, 2009
5:29 pm
Thank you, Mark Bradley, for commenting on Ilya Kovalchuk and Don Waddell, and the upcoming Thrashers season. Hockey fans don’t really want to think of a “post-Kovalchuk era,” but it’s that the case, Atlanta still does have some fine prospects like Kane, Little, Valabik, Pavelec in net, maybe even a re-signed Kari Lehtonen, and there’s Zach Bogosian, too. And if Kovalchuk doesn’t re-sign, there’s so much cap room that the team could field a team with free agents, if they all agreed to come here. Something I don’t recommend. I advocate drafting prudently, then re-signing proactively.
But, I see your point, Mark. If Kovalchuk is gone, the reason to see a struggling hockey club diminishes. And in this town, there is competition for the sports dollar. People are leaning towards the Falcons, when they’re not spending for college hoops or grid iron action. I’ve actually heard people say, “Forget the Braves and Thrashers, let’s take a better family vacation this year.” Hey, I understand it. I truly do.
Mark Bradley
July 13th, 2009
7:28 pm
Thanks, Brendan. Your comments are always insightful and welcome.
And Superhoo, NO I DIDN’T misspell Francoeur’s name for effect in that paragraph. I did it out of sheer inherent stupidity. (But I have since corrected it, thanks to your copy-editing skills.)
tralfaz
July 14th, 2009
1:09 pm
Well, if Frenchy takes off in NY, maybe we’ll FINALLY take a hard look at OUR hitting coach
Dorothy Davis
July 14th, 2009
1:30 pm
I do not wish Frenchy any hitless at bats in NY, but he is certainly not “THE NATURAL” he was portrayed early in his career. I do believe the Braves got the best of the trade in an outfielder that thnks more about the game than his contract. And maybe the NY fans will convince Frenchy he actually has to perform to earn his salary before he asks for more$$$.
pinoy110
July 14th, 2009
1:36 pm
I admit I wanted Francoeur to be traded to Texas or Boston where they have excellent hitting coaches. Because the Braves tried to change him completely instead of teaching him to adjust his style. Then he goes to the Texas hitting coach to teach him what the Braves wanted to but can’t teach and they get upset. When he comes back TP keeps helping him until he so throughly confused he is doing part of everyone’s teaching. Never blame the teacher always the student. A little league coach could do better than TP. It took TP years to mess him up but you want the Texas coach to be able to straighten out immediately. In several years when he has messed up the other good players like Prado and Diaz, what will your excuse for him be then?
pinoy110
July 14th, 2009
1:47 pm
Now to Bobby Cox and his overworking of the bullpen. You should expect meltdowns. The reason starters are not lasting long enough into games is that their legs are out of shape. When a pitchers legs get tired then the pitches start to come up into the strike zone. Bobby Cox then has to call in the bullpen early and overwork it. The starting pitchers don’t do enough running. if you don’t believe me then watch their pitches start to rise in the strike zone. There are excellent starting pitchers on the Braves. Technique is only one part of pitching, the other is conditioning. David Wells looked like the Pillsbury doughboy on top but always kept his legs in excellent shape.
pinoy110
July 14th, 2009
1:52 pm
I’m sorry Bobby Cox but if the only way to get rid of Terry Pendleton as hitting coach is to move him up to manager then I want you to retire. TP would make an excellent manager. Bobby you have not earned the right to keep have losing seasons no matter how great a manager you have been in the past. And you are a Hall of Fame manager.
Time
July 14th, 2009
2:25 pm
Still disgusted over the Frenchie trade. At best it was a lateral move. At worst, all of Atlanta rues the day we traded him for a decade. My gut tells me it will be the latter.
What’s done is done though. Now just go get Andruw back. Yep, get Andruw back. Best I can tell, he looks to be healthy again and whacking homers at a nice pace. On pace for what, 28 homers given full time at bats this season. Texas is filthy with young outfielders they want to develop, so Jones is expendable and cheap. A mid level pitching prospect should do the trick. Low risk, potentially high reward. The lineup needs a ‘aircraft carrier’ in the middle badly.
Doc
July 14th, 2009
3:16 pm
Four things: 1) The only reason McCann has been a four time all-star is because he’s a catcher and you only have a handful of good ones in the NL, unlike the number of outfielders you have, genuis. Francouer had better numbers than McCann in both 2006 and 2007, but didn’t get chosen because of the large number of OF’s and limited spots.
2) The only people that made Francouer a super star was the morons in the press and you overbearing, ignorant fans. Most teams would love to have his numbers for a gold glove outfielder. Now we have two rejects and and old foogy out there trying to get the job done.
3) Frank Wren is an idiot. We continue to lose games because of the coaches on the bench, not the players. Bobby has got to go and Terry Pendleton is the absolute worst hitting coach I have ever seen in my 25 years as a Braves fan. He couldn’t help Andrew Jones or Mark DeRosa and look at them now. Oh and how is he doing with Kelly Johnson and Jordan Schaffer. He is pathetic and we will never win a World Series as long as he is in the dugout. On top of that, you don’t treat loyal, dedicated playes that love this city the way Wren does. He is absolutely clueless and should be shipped to AAA, just like the great, new leaderoff hitter of the future J. Schaffer.
4) And he is right that this is a college town not a pro town. Just look at the number of ignorant Georgia fans we have around here who couldn’t locate Athens on a map if needed, let alone attend the school.
Another wasted season, ruined more by the people off the field than on it.
Marty
July 14th, 2009
5:06 pm
Someone mentioned before that Frenchy started his decline after McCann got this big contract. But if I recall correctly, Frenchy was offered a similar long term deal and turned it down. Talk about regrets. Bet he regrets that almost as much as Meg Ryan regrets what happened to her lips. Nasty.
Skeezix
July 14th, 2009
6:21 pm
Frenchy loves NY fans huh? We’ll see….They are the ultimate fair weather fans and they can be brutal— if he goes into a slump, anything he experienced with ATL fans will be very mild in comparison. The media is much tougher than anything he experienced from the AJC or local TV/radio. He is right that, in general, the south has fans that are more college oriented and the north more pro oriented. But the city of Atlanta and a huge chunk of the south follow their Braves just as much as Mets fans follow their team. For his sake, I hope it works out for Frenchy and he turns it around–or it will get ugly. The comment above re: Queens is right—my wife and I took a wrong turn one time, wound up in Queens, U-turned it and got the hell out of there. It is a scary place.
Wren BLOWS
July 14th, 2009
6:27 pm
Doc you are a very smart man
don
July 15th, 2009
8:43 am
We have finally found someone in New York who is as ignorant as the management of the Braves. David Lennon said that the Braves rarely dump a player before his time. Man, is he dumb- and uninformed.
IDC
July 15th, 2009
9:48 am
Doc: Good God man, take a valium or something, that much anger can be harmful. By the way I think it is old “fogey”, not sure what a foogy is.