Thank goodness.  This is what is needed.  Loyalty is important, it might even be of paramount importance, but at some point Franklin's loyalty to his team and teammates trumps La Russa's loyalty to Franklin, and if he can't see that then he needs an apt messenger to arrive at his doorstep and open his eyes . . . or close them, as need be.

APRTW wrote:

Who comes up if Franklin goes away?

Aren't they still carrying 13 pitchers?  That means it doesn't need to be a pitcher.

Did J.C. Romero clear waivers?

forsberg_us wrote:

artie_fufkin wrote:

Did J.C. Romero clear waivers?

It appears so.

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/mlb/2929/jc-romero

That link indicates the Cardinals aren't pursuing him. Because Miller and Tallet have been lights out this year.
What's Tyler Johnson up to these days? Hanging out at a tattoo parlor on Venice Beach listening to bootleg Swahili Blonde CDs?

It's over. Thankfully.

I dont know what Franklin deserved better for.  The Cardinals gave him more chances then he deserved.  I think he was treated more then fair.  Keeping him in the bullpen allowed him to cling to a major league roster.  Something he wont do again.  Even Bernie says that hurt the team.  Bernie can say this is along time comming but he cant claim Franklin was shafted.

Last edited by APRTW (6/29/2011 8:08 pm)

This part is funny . . . and revealing:


"La Russa suggested afterward that the club would seek a "creative" way to deal with Franklin's situation. Mozeliak indicated that the club might pursue placing Franklin on the disabled list.
Alternatives seemed fewer Wednesday. La Russa said on Tuesday night that Franklin was physically sound and Mozelak insisted the club would not abuse the disabled list by suggesting a phantom injury.
"The problem with the DL is he's not hurt," La Russa said. "I know that's gotten stretched over the years by teams. But there's an integrity thing there the Cardinals have never gone for.""

My interpretation is that La Russa was willing to offer Franklin a chance to go on the DL, an offer that Franklin refused.  That left no wiggle room for 'creative' solutions, and they had to use the old fashioned route.  I particularly enjoy La Russa's line, "I know that's gotten stretched over the years by teams. But there's an integrity thing there the Cardinals have never gone for."  There's an old line about the denial that confirms the accusation, and in this case, I think we're hearing La Russa anticipate an accusation and offer a preemptory reverse denial . . . which nevertheless seems to confirm the unstated accusation.


Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_aa6884ec-a288-11e0-8363-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1QiWVzBaQ

APRTW wrote:

I dont know what Franklin deserved better for.  The Cardinals gave him more chances then he deserved.  I think he was treated more then fair.  Keeping him in the bullpen allowed him to cling to a major league roster.  Something he wont do again.  Even Bernie says that hurt the team.  Bernie can say this is along time comming but he cant claim Franklin was shafted.

I tend to agree with Miklasz. The worst thing you can do with a pitcher is stick him on a shelf and leave him there for 7-10 days, especially a guy who relies on location. He doesn't pitch often enough to stay sharp, so when he does pitch, he gets hammered, and then his confidence erodes. You could tell from Franklin's body language, especially in his last two or three outings, that he was going out there completely unarmed.
Where the team is at fault the most is being in denial about Franklin's skills eroding. They probably quietly knew he wasn't the same pitcher back in March, but they rolled him out there like it was still 2009 and then wouldn't cut their losses when he started coughing up games that counted.
As someone else here wrote, loyalty is admirable, but it doesn't trump performance at the major league level. You can't be dragging around a guy for three months hoping he'll find it. Not in this day and age, and especially the way LaRussa uses all 25 guys on the roster.

Last edited by artie_fufkin (6/29/2011 9:33 pm)

artie_fufkin wrote:

As someone else here wrote, loyalty is admirable, but it doesn't trump performance at the major league level. You can't be dragging around a guy for three months hoping he'll find it. Not in this day and age, and especially the way LaRussa uses all 25 guys on the roster.

That was me, but where we differ is that I argue the team was waiting for Franklin to display some loyalty to his teammates, or else acknowledge some mysterious ailment that justified a trip to the DL.  But he didn't do either and ultimately had to be sacked.