As I mentioned the other day, Jeff Francoeur is a blogger, just like us! In case you aren't up to date here are some highlights from Jeff's site:
Happy Birthday Delta! 80 years. Wow, you guys are getting up there! I just wanted to wish you a very happy 80th birthday and thank you for not only everything that you've done for me and my family, but also for what you guys continue to do for all of your customers.
and
I started the visit out by surprising Delta customers and employees at check-in...shaking hands, taking pictures, and signing photos and even boarding passes. I snuck up on a couple of travelers who were using Delta's self check-in units and asked if they needed any help - I don't think they were expecting to look up and see me rather than a Delta representative.
and more subtly
Hey guys. If you haven't already heard I am on a Delta flight headed to New York to join my new team the Mets. I am looking forward to getting up there and playing in front of a packed house every night at Citi Field. Tune in to watch us take on the Reds at tonight at 7:10. More to come...
Well Jeff sent me a draft of his newest post for review, and I thought you folks would be interested in reading it.
Old Friends, New Beginnings By Jeff Francoeur 7/16/09
Leaving Atlanta for New York has been a tough but exciting transition for me and my family. Growing up in Atlanta, I always knew I wanted to play baseball for the Braves. When I hit .443 at Parkview High School and began to receive scholarship offers from multiple football and baseball powerhouse schools, I knew my career was really taking off, like a Delta jet off the runway. I grew up in Atlanta, I met my wife in Atlanta, I played for the Braves, and took my first Delta flight out of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
In recent years, however, my relationship with Atlanta had become pretty rocky, like a Delta plane running into an unusual amount of turbulence. My performance at the plate just hadn't been up to par. As hard as I tried, I couldn't regain my stroke and my power and average numbers suffered as a result. Coach [Terry] Pendleton tried to explain my problems to me in extremely simple terms, like a Delta flight attendant demonstrating the safety features of a Boeing 707, but I just couldn't make an adjustment, like an extremely obese passenger in between two of Delta's ultra-comfy armrests.
This year things didn't improve very much. I made several mechanical adjustments to my swing over the winter, but like Delta's Super Hot Summer Deals, it was just a repackaging of the same crappy product. I knew my teammates and manager supported me, but the burden was on me to go out there and perform. Even while Bobby [Cox] was benching me, he said I was an important component of the team, but like the emergency seat flotation devices featured on every Delta plane, it was false comfort. My statistical value to the team was as far in the red as Delta's profit margins.
As sad as I am to leave Atlanta behind, I'm equally as excited to join the New York Mets! New York is a fantastic city with two fantastic baseball teams, and more importantly, two fantastic airports, which both harbor Delta flights. I was super-excited to meet my new teammates, particularly David Wright, who has an entire Delta flight from New York to Washington named after him. That must be the American equivalent of being knighted! Hopefully the change of scenery will help me, like it helps many of the escaped convicts knowingly smuggled everyday in Delta luggage compartments.
To the Mets fans, I promise I will no longer neglect mental important aspects of the game, like the thousand of Delta employees who, on a daily basis, neglect to properly load luggage and fuel onto planes. I will work as hard as the thousand of child slaves employed offshore by Delta Airlines. I will listen to my coaches as intently as Delta's CEO listens to his financial adviser, Lenny Dykstra's, advice.
My new motto for 2009 is "Why walk, when you can fly! (with Delta)"*
*subject to availability. prices may vary. Jeff Francoeur® is a registered trademark of Delta Air Lines.