John Franco
John Franco on September 28, 2008
Pitcher
Born: (1960-09-17) September 17, 1960 (age 51) Brooklyn, New York
Batted: Left	Threw: Left
MLB debut
April 24, 1984 for the Cincinnati Reds
Last MLB appearance
July 1, 2005 for the Houston Astros
Career statistics
Games pitched	1,119
Win–loss record	90–87
Earned run average	2.89
Strikeouts	975
Saves	424
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (1984–1989) New York Mets (1990–2004) Houston Astros (2005)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990) 2× NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1988, 1990) 2001 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award

John Anthony Franco (born September 17, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher. During a 21-year baseball career, He pitched from 1984-2005 for three different National League teams, the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and Houston Astros. His 1,119 career games pitched is an NL record, and is ranked third in major league history; his 424 career saves ranked second in major league history when he retired, and remain the most by a left-hander. For 14 of his 20 seasons, he played for the New York Mets, serving as team captain in his final years with the team.

Early life[link]

Franco grew up in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. His father, the late Jim Franco, was a New York City Department of Sanitation worker who encouraged his son's baseball aspirations; Franco honored his father by wearing an orange Sanitation Department work-shirt under his jersey. John graduated from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn and St. John's University in Queens, where he pitched two no-hitters in his freshman year.

Personal life[link]

John is married to his high school sweetheart, Rose whom he has known since he was 17.^[1]

Career[link]

Franco was originally selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 8, 1981 in the 5th round of the amateur draft. Before reaching the major leagues; however, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on May 9, 1983 with Brett Wise for Rafael Landestoy. Landestoy batted under .200 before retiring the following year while Franco was a star reliever for much of the next two decades. Franco debuted with the Reds on April 24, 1984. Franco was a traditional relief pitcher with a "90-mph fastball and a change-up that breaks away from a righthanded batter like a screwball."^[2]

Throughout his six seasons with the Reds, Franco was a successful closer, winning the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1988. He helped the Reds finish second four seasons in a row (1985–1988).

On December 6, 1989, at the age of 29, he was traded with Don Brown to the Mets for Randy Myers and Kip Gross. He remained with the Mets organization until the end of the 2004 season. During his time with the Mets, he won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 1990, became team captain, and remained the closer until 1999, when he moved to a setup role for new closer Armando Benitez. He led the league in saves for the 1988, 1990, and 1994 seasons. He reached the postseason for the first time in 1999 and the World Series in 2000.

Injuries caused Franco to miss the 2002 baseball season, but he made a successful recovery from surgery and returned in June 2003. He signed a one year contract for the 2004 season. He finished with a 2-7 record with 36 strikeouts and a 5.28 ERA in 46 innings.

In January 2005, he was signed to a one-year deal with the Astros, at the age of 44, making him at that time the oldest active pitcher in Major League Baseball. On July 1, 2005, Franco was designated for assignment, and he was subsequently released, which proved to be the end of his baseball career.

He also most recently appeared on the television show Pros vs Joes. During a recent interview, he revealed that he never threw a screw ball, but instead only threw a circle change-up[3].

On March 29, 2009, Franco threw the ceremonial first pitch in the first game played on Citi Field, a Big East college game between St. John's (his alma mater) and Georgetown.

Career accomplishments[link]

• Pitching record: 90-87
• Saves: 424, 4th most in major league history behind Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith and the most for any left-handed pitcher.
• Strikeouts: 975
• ERA: 2.89
• Innings pitched: 1245⅔
• Games pitched: 1119
• 4-time All-Star (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990)
• 3-time NL Save Leader (1988, 1990, 1993)
• Postseason record: 2-0, one save, 1.88 ERA in 15 postseason appearances
• New York Mets 3rd team captain (2001–2004)
• Inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

See also[link]

• List of Major League Baseball saves champions
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009)

Turk Wendell
Pitcher
Born: (1967-05-19) May 19, 1967 (age 45) Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 17, 1993 for the Chicago Cubs
Last MLB appearance
May 13, 2004 for the Colorado Rockies
Career statistics
Win-Loss	36-34
Earned run average	3.93
Strikeouts	515
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1993-1997) New York Mets (1997-2001) Philadelphia Phillies (2001, 2003) Colorado Rockies (2004)

Steven John "Turk" Wendell (born May 19, 1967 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher from 1993 to 2004.

Wendell was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1988 (a 5th round selection) and made his professional debut with the Pulaski Braves of the Appalachian League in June 1988. He made his first major league appearance on June 17, 1993.

Wendell was named the most superstitious athlete of all time by Men's Fitness.^[1]

College career[link]

Wendell attended Quinnipiac University, where he is among the school's all-time leaders in strikeouts (single season) and earned run average. Wendell played his summer baseball during college with the independent Dalton Collegians and with Falmouth in the Cape Cod League.

Major league career[link]

Wendell was generally regarded as a workhorse relief pitcher who threw a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider, and a change-up. Wendell was commonly seen as having above-average control, average movement, below-average power, and a good pick-off move.

Rocky start[link]

Wendell was traded by the Braves to the Chicago Cubs in 1991, and pitched in their minor league system for two years before making his major league debut in 1993. Wendell got off to a rocky start, pitching in only 13 games in the 1993 and 1994 seasons combined, posting a 1-3 record and a 7.30 ERA.

Becoming a solid reliever and fan favorite[link]

From 1994 on, however, Wendell improved to a 3.88 ERA in 187 game appearances for the Cubs. Toward the end of the 1997 season, Wendell was traded to the New York Mets, where he spent three and a half seasons. Wendell was extremely well liked by Mets fans, given his friendly personality, sense of humor, outspoken nature, and frequent antics (see below).

In his Met career, spanning over five seasons, Wendell posted a solid 3.34 ERA and a 22-14 record in 285 appearances. He led the team in games pitched in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

As a Met, Wendell appeared in the playoffs twice, in 1999 and 2000, including an appearance in the 2000 World Series.

Plateau and decline[link]

In mid-2001, Wendell was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where he spent the remainder of the season. After missing the entire 2002 season due to an elbow injury, Wendell returned to pitch in 56 games for the Phillies in 2003, with a 3-3 record and a 3.38 ERA.

After the 2003 season, Wendell became a free agent, and was not re-signed by the Phillies. Instead, Wendell signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies, where he spent an injury-plagued season moving back and forth between the major league squad and various minor league rehab assignments. Wendell was released by the Rockies toward the end of the 2004 season.

Wendell signed a minor league contract with the Houston Astros in early 2005, but was unable to earn a spot on the team's major league roster in spring training, and announced his retirement in March, 2005.

Speaking his mind[link]

Wendell made a name for himself not only through his pitching and personality, but through his outspoken nature as well. One of the most notable examples came in 2004, during the heart of the public debate over Major League Baseball's steroid problem. When asked about Barry Bonds, one of the most controversial figures in the debate, Wendell said that Bonds "obviously" took steroids, noting the fact that Bonds's trainer had admitted to giving steroids to baseball players and that Bonds's physical appearance strongly suggested steroid use. Bonds responded aggressively, telling Wendell, "You got something to say, you come to my face and say it and we’ll deal with each other. Don’t talk through the media like you’re some tough guy."

This was not the first time Wendell had been known to ruffle some people's feathers, however. In early 2001, after Vladimir Guerrero (then playing for the Montreal Expos) took exception to being hit by Wendell, Wendell remarked, "If he doesn't like it, he can freakin' go back to the Dominican and find another line of work."

Less than a month later, Wendell was ejected from a game against the St. Louis Cardinals for throwing behind batter Mike Matheny. After the game, Wendell asked rhetorically, "When [Rick] Ankiel is out there and he throws balls everywhere, why don't they throw him out of the game?"

On the eve of the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and the Mets, Wendell is quoted as having said "Yankee Stadium? I don't give a hoot about it. We've played there before. It won't be a surprise. The Yankees have tortured us for years and years, and beating them would be sweet for me." During the Yankees celebration of their win, it is reported that every five minutes, someone would call for a toast "To Turk Wendell!"^[2]

In numerous interviews, Wendell repeatedly told reporters that he wanted to play his last season in baseball for free. "I want my last season to be a testament to the game," said Wendell. "I only wanted a few things out of life -- a wife, children, to play baseball and to hunt deer." When he was informed that the Players Association (the union for major league players) would not allow him to play for free, Wendell said, "Then I'll drop out of the union when the time comes."

In March 2006, Wendell was quoted by the suburban Chicago Daily Herald as believing that former Cubs teammate Sammy Sosa "of course" used steroids. Wendell alleged that Sosa's home run totals increased significantly only after he began using steroids.^[3] He also stated that "everybody in baseball" (including coaches, managers, and owners) knew about steroid use by players such as Sosa, and that he agreed with the information in José Canseco's book Juiced.

Contributions off the field[link]

Wendell was also well renowned for doing a substantial amount of charity work during and after his career. Wendell was particularly dedicated to working with children through various organizations. Despite his explicit desire to not receive media coverage of his volunteer efforts (Wendell stated that he didn't want any recognition or notoriety for what he did), Wendell was given the "Good Guy Award" by the New York Press Photographers Association in 2000, in honor of his considerable contributions.

In October 2006, he visited troops stationed in Afghanistan as part of the "Heroes of the Diamond Tour."

Post-career[link]

Wendell owns Wykota Ranch,^[4] a 200-acre hunting and fishing camp in Larkspur, Colorado ^[5]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Turk Wendell

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• ESPN player page

Dennis Bryan Cook (born October 4, 1962 in La Marque, Texas) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with nine teams from 1988 to 2002: the San Francisco Giants (1988–1989), Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1990, 2001), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1991), Cleveland Indians (1992–1993, 1995), Chicago White Sox (1994), Texas Rangers (1995–1996), Florida Marlins (1997), New York Mets (1998–2001), and Anaheim Angels (2002). He made his major league debut on September 12, 1988, and played his final game on September 18, 2002.

Cook was a member of the 1997 World Champion Marlins, pitching in the World Series and was the winning pitcher in relief of Game 3.

Although not on the postseason roster, Cook was a member of the 2002 Angels team that won the World Series, defeating the Giants.

On February 1, 2010 Cook was announced as Team Sweden's new head coach along with Scott Scudder in the coaching staff.^[1]

Prior to his major league career, Cook graduated from Dickinson High School in 1981. In college Cook was named to the All-Southwest Conference Team as an outfielder at University of Texas in both 1984 and 1985.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference

This biographical article relating to an American baseball pitcher born in the 1960s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

David Wright may refer to:

• David Wright (artist) (1912–1967), British artist and illustrator
• David Wright (baseball) (born 1982), American Major League Baseball player
• David Wright (British musician) (born 1953), British keyboard player, composer and producer
• David Wright (British diplomat) (born 1944), British ambassador to Japan
• David Wright (Canadian diplomat), Canadian diplomat
• David Wright (footballer) (born 1980), British footballer
• David Wright (poet) (1920–1994), South African poet
• David Wright (politician) (born 1966), British politician, Labour M.P. for Telford
• Dave Wright (runner) (born 1951), South African ultramarathon runner
• David Wright (writer) (born 1964), American writer and journalis5
• Hoss Wright (David Wright), American drummer
• David McCord Wright (1909–1968), American economist
• David McKee Wright (1869–1928), Irish-born Australian poet and journalist
• David R. Wright (born 1935), American politician from Pennsylvania
• David Wright (swimming coach) (born 1948), New Zealand swimming coach
• David McKenzie Wright (1874–1937), Conservative member of Canadian House of Commons

See also[link]

• Dave Wright (disambiguation)

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