JEFF FRANC"SURE"

I was upset to hear Church was traded. I think he got a bad rap by the Mets and more specifically Jerry Manuel. When Church was injured all the rumors swirled that he would not play very long with the Mets. Manuel had him play part time yet played FMart over him when Church was one of our best players. I kept hearing how Church fell out of favor with Manuel even before he missed 3rd base. Manuel and Church deny this, however. Church is a good player but is very injury prone. He has only played over 100 games once and he has been the league a while. Now at 30 he has shown himself to be a decent major league hitter, a very good fielder, and a guy who busts his ass and puts his body on the line for his team.

Franceour now comes in (I will have to learn how to spell his name) 5 years younger than Church, has in the past shown he can be a good hitter, and is a great fielder. He has been having problems the past couple of years at the plate but at 25 he is still growing as a major leaguer. It's important to note that with his struggles lately, he plays at least 150 games each year. With out rash of injuries it's important to have guys in the line-up every day. So this will probably turn out to be an excellent trade for the Mets. They get a younger, less injury prone, better fielding outfielder. Joe Negative approves of this deal even though it saddens me to see Church go.