Well, we think so, anyway; the story has only been reported by the official site of the Mexican League, where Franco had been peddling his wares. And it's all in Spanish. We tried translating it through Babelfish, but that wasn't much help.

This Wednesday at the end of the second game of the series of Tigers in front of Oil tankers, the Dominican Frank Julio definitively announced to the feline director his retirement to him like active player.

After analyzing the situation with the family, the Dominican one ends a trajectory of 26 years like player in where it harvested I title of batting with the Rangers of Texas, more valuable player of American Liga in the 90, three star games and two titles of batting in Mexico.

We think that's probably a retirement story, though we're not sure what the "feline" part has to do with anything.

Anyway, he will be missed, and we will be quite disappointed if he doesn't try a comeback in five years.

Julio Franco anunció su retiro [Mexican League]

Michael Vick finally gets his comeuppance — plus your dog can chew away tartar for a mouth that is clean and fresh — with the new Michael Vick Chew Toy. The Independent St. Paul Saints are giving them away to the first 1,500 fans who attend their game against, appropriately, the Lincoln Salt Dogs on Tuesday, August 21.

This isn't the actual Saints chew toy in the photo here; it's one from another company. The Saints' version is a little different. An e-mail from the team explains.

The toy is an actual rubber dog toy shaped like our mascot — a pig. The pig is adorned with Vick's name and number on its back. Initially, we planned to create a doll in Vick's likeness but it was brought to our attention that we were beaten to the punch by another company. As an organization that prides itself on originality we decided to tie the item in a little closer with the Saints by utilizing the pig shape...and let's be honest, a lot of people would agree that his actions make him a bit of a pig.

I plan to get one for all of my dogs; except for the collie, who will not gnaw on anyone's likeness until proven guilty in a court of law.

Startling Julio Franco news, the wonder of Kenny Rogers Lookalike Night, plus the creeping terror that is The Wave, all after the jump.

• Player Of The Week. You cannot stop Julio Franco, you can only hope to contain him. Franco, who turns 49 on Thursday, has accepted a minor league assignment with the Rome Braves (Class-A South Atlantic League), with an agreement that Atlanta would bring him back up to the Majors on Sept. 1. That's right, Julio is back, and possibly playoff bound! For a sneak preview, he'll be playing tonight as Rome welcomes the Greenville Drive. So Franco is now on the same roster as Cole Rohrbough, who, at 20, is a mere 29 years his junior. So awesome.

• Salute To Bo Jackson. Tonight. Birmingham Barons (Class-AA Southern League). The first 1,500 fans in attendance for the Barons' game against the Mobile BayBears will receive a Bo Jackson figurine, featuring Bo in the Barons uniform he wore while a player for Birmingham in 1991; as well as in an Auburn football uniform (where he won the Heisman trophy). A more versatile collectible you will never own.

• 25th Anniversary Of The Wave. Saturday, Aug. 18. Lakewood Blueclaws (Class-A South Atlantic League). Professional drumbeater Krazy George, who will be at Saturday's game, claims to have invented The Wave in 1982 ... let's get him! It's also Hockey Night, featuring the No. 2 overall selection in the NHL Entry Draft, James vanRiemsdyk of Middletown ... let's get him!

• Potato Night. Saturday, Aug. 18. Williamsport Crosscutters (Class-A New York-Penn League). You know the story. Just peel that potato and get out to Bowman Field.

• Kenny Rogers Lookalike Night. Sunday, Aug. 19. Lancaster JetHawks (Class-A California League). Do you look like The Gambler (the singing one)? Do you know when to hold 'em? Then you could win valuable prizes! (Detroit Tigers pitchers not eligible).

• Faith Day With Sid Bream. Sunday, Aug. 19. Rome Braves (Class-A South Atlantic League). The former Atlanta Braves player, who scored the winning run in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS over the Pirates, will heal your troubled soul. Please do not heckle Mr. Bream. [Thanks to Benjamin Hill]

• Night Of A Thousand Infomercials. Tuesday, Aug. 21. St. Paul Saints (Independent American Association Northern Division). In which the Saints tailor all promotional activities toward "the goofy characters who host infomercials. Plus, portions of the night will be laid out like an infomercial." Look, just enjoy your Michael Vick Chew Toy and be quiet.

• Mascot Of The Week. Bristles. Wilmington Blue Rocks (Class-A Carolina League). Bristles is a large toothbrush who makes periodic appearances at Blue Rocks games, where he races around the bases brushing them sparkling clean along the way. And now he's starred in this commercial for the Massachusetts Dental Society. Represent, Bristles.

• Bobblehead Of The Moment. George McGovern Bobblehead Night. Sioux Falls Canaries (Independent American Association Northern Division). Second in the Presidential race of 1972 but first in our hearts, South Dakota native George McGovern on this night receives the only honor in life that really counts; one's likeness in miniature bobbing-head form. The former U.S. Senator himself will be at the game, and hopefully you will be one of the 1,000 random spectators to receive this prize and get it autographed.

We want your minor league tips! Send all game reports, photos or promotional heads-up to RickChand@GMail.com. My dogs thank you!

The Mets designated Franco for assignment yesterday, and in the worst cut of all, it was for that whipper-snapper Lastings Milledge. Franco's gonna be 49 years old next month, and his agent says he plans on continuing to play, if he can find someone to sign him. (The Cardinals will probably sign him just to avoid having to bring up Ankiel.)

If this is all for Franco, though, man, we're really going to miss him in every way. To honor him, we direct you to the great Progressive Boink tribute. We're lost without him.

Franco Is Cut But Won't Quit [NY Daily News]
Julio Franco's Career In Pixels [Deadspin]

Julio Franco, who recently celebrated his 89th birthday, is becoming a "clubhouse cancer". Since the losing streak, my source told me that Franco has become the ringleader of a "racial divide" in the clubhouse between the Latinos and non-Latinos. While it isn't a straight divide, it was painfully obvious there was something going on during last night's debacle at Yankee Stadium, where the Latinos were sitting in the dugout while the non-Latinos were on the dugout railing the entire game.

We find it amazing that Franco could ever be considered a clubhouse cancer, considering, well, he is actually older than cancer. We are always wary of the whole "Latinos vs. non-Latinos" subplot people like to ascribe to the Mets — or any other baseball team — because it always carries a smack of the "they're taking over our game!" xenophobia you see from time to time. But if there is a revolution, we do fully expect Julio Franco to be leading it.

The Mets Are Falling Apart [Nyjer Please]
I See Great Things In Baseball [Faith And Fear In Flushing]

(UPDATE: Metsblog wants to make it clear it has nothing to do with this story. In fact, it would be safe to call them "skeptical.")

Want to know how Julio got his start? He describes life in 1986, with RBI Baseball. "I don't know, I just didn't take care of myself," he confesses. "I gained weight big-time. Fans used to point at me and be like, 'Hey, isn't that the cartoon astronaut from the opening credits of Reading Rainbow?' It hurt a lot."

The whole retrospective ends with a stirring video of Franco homering off video Mark Prior, to some damn stirring tunes, if we so say ourselves.

Go read this, then read The Dugout, and come back in an hour or so. We'll still be here, happy to wait.

The Dugout [Progressive Boink]
Julio Franco, A Life In Pictures [Progressive Boink]

• 1. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard. The desert tortoise has the longest active lifespan of all creatures; 80 to 100 years. Next comes the Mets' Julio Franco, who on Thursday became the oldest player ever to hit a home run in the Major Leagues, a two-run shot in the eighth to help New York to a 7-2 win over San Diego at Petco Park. Rounding the bases on his Lark scooter, he was met at the plate by Wilford Brimley, who presented him with a free diabetes testing kit. Franco, who broke into pro baseball in 1978, is 47, a year older than the previous oldest player to hit a homer, the Athletics' Jack Quinn, 46, on June 20, 1930. Of course, there is speculation that Franco might actually be older than 47, as he is from the Dominican, where players sometimes forge birth certificates to break into baseball.

• 2. Wonder Boy. OK, just for the record, pitchers are supposed to read the entire scouting report. As an example of what can happen when you skip around, we present Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips, career .216 hitter, who looked like Roy freakin' Hobbs on Thursday with two homers — one a grand slam — in the Reds' 12-8 win over the Brewers. Edwin Encarnacion and Phillips, the seventh and eighth hitters, were 4-for-8 combined, with nine RBI and five runs scored.

• 3. Twins Bandwagon Makes Unscheduled Stop. Is Francisco Rodriguez the best closer in baseball? That's for guys with pocket protectors and calculators with many unneccesary buttons to decide. For our part, we'll just call him one of the best; as proven in the Angels' 6-4 win over the Twins on Thursday. Rodriguez saw his club-record 22-game save conversion streak end on Wednesday, but came back to pitch 1 1/3 of one-hit relief for his fifth save.

• 4. The First 1,000 Wins Are Always The Toughest. Some things you perhaps didn't know about Frank Robinson: He was a high school basketball teammate of Bill Russell at McClymonds in Oakland, Calif.; while playing for the Orioles, he hit back-to-back grand slams on June 26, 1970 — against the Washington Senators; in the 1960s, he was once arrested for waving a gun at a cook who refused to serve him. And he now has 1,000 career victories as a manager, following the Nationals' 10-4 win over the Phillies on Thursday. Equally impressive: his 1,095 losses.

• 5. What Do They Do For An Encore?. Our Orioles-Indians three-game series recap: 56 runs scored, 81 hits, 8 errors. That was fun! On Thursday they topped if off wth Baltimore's 9-4 win, featuring 19 hits — 11 by the Os. Baltimore's Miguel Tejada had an OK three games, going 6-for-12 with 5 RBI.

And so, apparently, does Mets general manager Omar Minaya. In one of those stories we are going to very much enjoy tracking in this fine city of ours, the Mets are about to sign the 47-year-old first baseman. He'll be backing up Carlos Delgado

But that's not all: It's a two-year deal. At the end of the contract, Franco will be 49 years old. Forty-nine.

Just for a little perspective: Don Mattingly will soon turn 49. If you consider 2010 "soon."

Mets Ink 90-Year-Old To Two-Year Deal [Three True Outcomes]