Julio no longer down by the ballyard

Franco, who last played in the majors in 2007, announced his retirement on Wednesday while playing for the Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League. He played 23 seasons in the majors for eight teams and became the oldest player to hit a home run, last season at age 48.

His first career hit was as a Phillie in 1982. The organization sent Franco to the Cleveland Indians in the infamous five-for-one trade that brought Von Hayes to Philadelphia. The native of the Dominican Republic was an all-star caliber player over the next 14 seasons, then played in Japan, South Korea and Mexico, before returning to America as an aging role player for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He retired with a .298 average, 2,586 hits and 173 home runs.

"It was the hardest decision in my life," Franco said in the Mexican Sports Daily Record. "I understand that my time has passed, and the great men and athletes know when to say enough."

You say moving, I say snoozing

Sure, it was a nice moment for Scott, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, and for his family. And a check, in honor of each homer hit at Houston's Minute Maid Park, was donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

But was it really that great an accomplishment? Now, if Tejada assured a triple and made good, we're probably still bawlin'. It's just that the promised homer doesn't carry the weight it once did, especially in this particular case.

For one, Tejada's dinger went over Minute Maid's cozy left-field fence. His feat was so impressive that the next two hitters, Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, also homered to left field. The Astros had five homers in the game.

Then there was the Brewers pitcher: Carlos Villanueva, the one with the 5.56 ERA. Could you imagine Tejada making the same vow with Johan Santana on the mound?

And finally, the moment loses luster because Tejada has been hounded by steroid allegations and recently was caught in two lies. He was not born in 1976, as he always claimed, but in 1974.

And his last name is not spelled "Tejada" but rather "Tejeda." Is it now pronounced te-HEY-dah or te-HAH-dah?

Billy Ball

"Perez has honestly got to step up and know that we've just used every guy in our bullpen the night before," Wagner said at the time. "He can't come out there and decide that, gee, he hasn't got it today, and so be it."

On Friday, Mets manager Willie Randolph told Wagner to keep his comments in-house. "I wouldn't go that route, but that's Billy," Randolph said.

Notable

The Colorado Rockies placed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 30.