Morning Briefing

No midlife crisis for Franco

The Atlanta Braves unceremoniously designated Julio Franco for assignment two weeks ago -- ending his reign as oldest player in the major leagues.

Franco, who turns 49 on Thursday, cleared waivers, and he reported to Class-A Rome of the South Atlantic League. There, the next oldest player is 23-year-old Jorge Acosta.

Franco made his major league debut in 1982 -- two years before any of his current teammates were born.

“I never thought I’d be managing a player my age,” Rome Manager Randy Ingle, who is eight months older than Franco, said in a quote on the team’s website. Teammates have treated Franco with the utmost respect, especially third baseman Danny Brezeale, 21, who gave up his uniform No. 14 for Franco.

“You have to make way for your elders,” Brezeale said.

Franco, who said he plans to enter coaching when his playing days are done, is using the assignment to try to help teach, but he remains on the Braves’ 40-man roster and retains his goal of playing in the majors at 50.

“I’ll know when it’s time to quit,” he said. “It isn’t.”

Trivia time

Who was the oldest player to appear in a major league game?

Reverse gear

Baseball, football and basketball have throwback days, so why not NASCAR?

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ’57 Chevy, several drivers -- including Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin -- will drive cars adorned with special 1950s-themed paint jobs this weekend at the Michigan International Speedway.

They thought about driving actual ’57 Chevys, but those old V8s don’t quite pack the same punch as today’s engines.

But the food

is still bad

Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune says that all is not lost for Tim Donaghy, the NBA referee who entered a guilty plea to charges related to his habit of gambling on NBA games.

Downey writes that should Donaghy land in jail he:

Will still be able to officiate games in the yard and earn lots of extra cigarettes.

Will be subjected to threats and to vulgar language, but at least he won’t have to listen to Mark Cuban.

Can get reacquainted with many former members of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Not so fast

New England Patriots running back Laurence Maroney has seen the new Madden NFL ’08 video game, but he told the Boston Globe he wasn’t too sure about its accuracy.

In the game, Maroney was assigned a 90 on a scale of 100 for speed. Teammate Donte Stallworth, a receiver, received a 97.

“Madden must not have watched you for a while,” Maroney said to Stallworth. “Not since you’ve been with us. Unless you did some things with the Eagles I didn’t see, I haven’t seen 95 or 97 out here today.”

An eagle unlike any other

Frank Filice was recently surveying Eagle Ridge Golf Course in Gilroy, Calif., in preparation for a tournament he runs there when he discovered a badly injured golden eagle, weak from starvation, near some trees on the eighth hole.

Animal control officers arrived and took the bird to a nearby animal hospital.

“I’m not a very good golfer, but I got an eagle on the eighth hole at Eagle Ridge!” Animal Control Officer Gary Muraoka was quoted as saying in a press release from the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center in Morgan Hill, Calif.

Veterinarians found two major leg injuries -- one of which apparently was caused by a golf ball.

Officials arrived at that explanation “because of size and markings of the ‘divot’ in the eagle’s joint,” said Sue Howell, executive director of the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, where the bird is now recovering.

Trivia answer

Satchel Paige, 59, absent from the major leagues for the previous 12 years, signed a one-day contract to pitch for the Kansas City Athletics on Sept. 25, 1965.

And finally

Celebrity gossip website TMZ.com reacts to the news that Ryan Seacrest of “American Idol” fame has been tabbed as host for pregame and halftime shows for the Super Bowl:

“Because nothing says manly man like a guy with frosted highlights.”

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