The trade deadline has come and gone and the guy affected the most by it was never traded.

He was released.

When the Atlanta Braves acquired slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira from Texas, they no longer had a need for Julio Franco.

So they released him — and may have ended the 48-year-old's major league career.

It seems doubtful another team will give Franco a shot, though he played every day for the Braves during his recent 13-day stint with the team and delivered numerous big hits for the club while doing so.

Franco wants to play until he's 50. I'll be turning 50 next month myself and I'm rooting for the guy.

This is a man who turned his body into a temple. He eats 20 egg whites every morning. He drinks a shake consisting of beets, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, garlic and onions every afternoon.

He doesn't eat desserts or fatty foods. He eats fish, vegetables and rice.

He doesn't drink pop, coffee or alcohol. He drinks teas.

And he can still spray hits all over a baseball diamond — using the heaviest bat allowed.

Franco is the oldest regular position player in major league history. He is the oldest player to hit a home run in the big leagues, to hit a grand slam in the big leagues or to pinch-run in a game.

His last home run — May 4 of this season — came against future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson.

Franco has faced a pitcher in the major leagues — Jim Kaat — who also faced Ted Williams in the major leagues. He's had that kind of staying power.

He waited 24 years between big league starts at third base, for goodness sake.

Now, finally, after eight major league teams, two Mexican League clubs, one team each in Japan and Korea, Franco may have worn out his welcome.

The guess here is that he could extend his career as a designated hitter in the American League. Franco carries a .298 career average in the big leagues and has 2,582 career hits.

Combining his play in the majors, minors and international baseball, Franco has 4,219 hits. Only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb have accumulated more hits in professional baseball.

It's unlikely Franco will wind up in the Hall of Fame. Four years of playing international baseball cost him any shot at 3,000 hits. He headed to Japan in 1998 to extend his career after he was released by Cleveland the year before.

One thing Franco has done is beaten Father Time. This guy was twice traded for prospects — Von Hayes in 1982, Oddibe McDowell in 1988 — who went on to enjoy lengthy major league careers themselves. And Franco's career far outlasted both.

If this man does fade into the sunset now, middle-aged America should doff its cap to him.

Julio Franco taught us that you're never too old to play, just adjust and find a way.

He's probably working on that second point right now.