i think the guy deserves his own thread, at least for a little while

Julio Franco, one of the most copied batting stances in all of backyard baseball history, was retired officially at the tender age of 49

hes the oldest player in MLB history at 48 to hit a home run

so long, Julio!

If you're going to mention the stance, you gotta post a photo.

Amazing. I wish he would have made it to 50.

Awards and Highlights
* 3-time All-Star (1989-91)
* MVP All-Star Game (1990)
* Led American League in batting average (.341, 1991)
* Led AL in singles (156, 1991)
* 2nd in the AL Rookie of the Year selection (1983, behind Ron Kittle and over Mike Boddicker)
* Led AL in at-bats (658, 1984)
* Top 10 MVP selection (8th, AL, 1994)
* Carolina League MVP (1980)
* Twice hit over .400 in the Mexican League (.423, 1999; .437, 2000)
* Oldest player to hit a Grand Slam (47, 2005, breaking his own record set in 2004 at 45)
* Oldest regularly-playing non-pitcher player in MLB history (48)
* Second-oldest player to appear in MLB postseason play (48, during the 2006 postseason)
* Oldest player in Major League history to hit a home run (48)
* Second-oldest player to steal a base (48, during the 2007 season)
* Led all Dominican players in MLB history in seasons, games, at-bats, hits, and bases on balls
* Has compiled over 4,200 hits in his 26-year professional career:
o Major Leagues: 2586 (through end of 2007 season)
o Minor Leagues: 618
o Mexican League: 316
o Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball: 286
o Dominican Winter League: 267
o South Korea's Korean Baseball Organization: 156
o TOTAL: 4,229

Pete Rose and Ty Cobb are the only other players with 4,200 hits (combined majors, minors and international play) in their careers.

* As of 2006, Julio Franco was the only active player to face a pitcher who pitched against Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who retired in 1960. The pitcher is Jim Kaat, who played in the majors from 1959 to 1983. Williams had batted against Kaat the final day of the 1959 season, Kaat's rookie year. Kaat walked Franco in the latter's rookie season in 1982.[5]
* Franco was the last MLB player eligible to wear a batting helmet with no ear flaps. He elected to wear a helmet with an ear flap throughout his career.
* Franco was the sixth batter that Roger Clemens ever faced, and when the two faced each other on June 15, 2007, they became the oldest batter-pitcher pair in the major leagues since October 1, 1933.[6]
* Franco's true birth date is always in question. Although his current reported birthdate is in 1957, many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961.[7]
* In 2006 earned the nickname Moses from teammate Billy Wagner according to Sports Illustrated.
* Franco attributes his exceptional shape and lengthy career to his disciplined diet, similar to Satchel Paige. He drinks a lot of tea, which he started doing while playing in Japan, and eats fish, vegetables and rice. He doesn't eat desserts and fatty food, nor does he drink soda, coffee or alcohol. [8]
* In October 2007, the city of Atlanta became home to to the oldest player in both Major League Baseball (Franco), and the NFL (Falcons' kicker Morten Anderson).

So long Julio! Enjoy your retirement and have a beer already.

he's probably really 55

He likely would have gotten to 3,000 hits had he not disappeared for a while in the late 90s...which would have given HOF voters quite the dilemma.