Howell Franklin
Howell Franklin is a player for the Houston Spies and has been with the team since Fall Ball. Franklin has previously played for the Charleston Shoe Thieves, Seattle Garages, and Hellmouth Sunbeams.
Official League Records
Franklin joined the ILB as a lineup player for the Houston Spies with the Return of Blaseball.
On Season β3, Day 98, Franklin swallowed a stray peanut and had an allergic reaction, resulting in a combined 8.4 → 4.2 stat decrease.
Franklin's batting was maximized, and they were traded to the Charleston Shoe Thieves in exchange for Joe Voorhees during the Season β6 elections via the Who? blessing.
On Season 9, Day X, Franklin gained the Flinch modification after the Shoe Thieves lost to THE SHELLED ONE'S PODS.
On Season β10, Day 66, Franklin's defense ability was siphoned by Hawai'i Fridays lineup player Spears Taylor in a game with Blooddrain weather, decreasing it 1.2 → 1.0 . In the Season β10 elections, Franklin received Noise-Cancelling Headphones, becoming Soundproof. (The Headphones would later be lost, along with all other Discipline Era items across the league, at the beginning of Season β15.)
On Season β12, Day 60, Franklin's pitching ability was siphoned by Kansas City Breath Mints pitcher Winnie Hess in a game with Blooddrain weather, decreasing it 0.4 → 0.2 .
On Season β14, Day 96, Franklin’s allergy was cured by The Crabitat’s Peanut Mister.
On Season β16, Day 32, Franklin was exchanged to the Seattle Garages due to Feedback. Franklin was replaced by Oliver Loofah.
Franklin was traded to the Hellmouth Sunbeams in exchange for Brisket Friendo during the Season β17 elections via the Sunbeams' Equivalent Exchange will.
During the Season β20 elections, Franklin's moxie increased 6.4 → 7.4 and thwackability increased 5.5 → 5.8 as a result of the Global Guts blessing.
During the Season β22 elections, Franklin's Flinch modification was changed into the High Pressure modification by the Sunbeams' Reform will.
During the December 16, 2022 Fall Ball, Franklin fell to the Houston Spies.
COMMUNITY REPORTSThe remainder of this article contains lore created collaboratively by the Blaseball community.
Blaseball Career
Career with the Spies
For much of league history, Howell Franklin had distinguished themselves by being deeply mysterious, even by the standards of a shady and inscrutable organisation such as the Houston Spies.
However, Franklin eventually drew the public eye when they blew their cover as a cook at the stadium of the Mexico City Wild Wings. While on a brief fact finding mission after hours in the players' locker room, Franklin encountered the Wild Wings' José Haley, ending in Franklin contracting Haley's lycanthropy. Franklin is the second known werewolf blaseball player in the history of the splort.
While both parties claim that the bite was the result of an accidental trip and fall, teeth first, many rumors have spread about the bite originating from illicit redacted activities, described in blaseball tabloids as "both literally and figuratively saucy". These rumors are fueled by the normally discreet Franklin being sighted many times in Mexico City in the vicinity the Wild Wings' stadium, despite the fact that their uncontrolled transformations often result in blown cover and their removal from undercover operation.
Both players disavow the rumors.
Despite their transformations being reported to cause significant chaos among the Spies, Franklin refused to ask Haley for assistance controlling them, citing a wish to discourage speculation. Players on rival teams at risk of getting seriously injured by Franklin's raging wolf form complained to league officials, who responded that there is no existing regulation addressing an existing condition which, up until recently, only one relatively manageable player was afflicted with. As a representative for the Commissioner stated: "Ain't no rule that says a werewolf can't play Blaseball."
Career with the Shoe Thieves
While wandering the streets of Houston in wolf form following the Season 6 postseason, Franklin stumbled into NASA's Johnson Space Center. Now running past security and tearing through the secure facility at high speeds and entering the Lunar Sample Laboratory Facility. Light bouncing off the samples of lunar rock stored in the LSLF had an effect on Franklin similar to the light of the full moon, but significantly amplified, causing Franklin to transform into a massive lupine form, whose strength proved too great for NASA's Lycanthropy and Occult Lunar Phenomena team to subdue. Franklin escaped from the facility and, afraid of the reaction of their teammates, hid in the wilderness outside of Houston for the remainder of the off-season.
The Spies marked Howell as MIA and subsequently traded them to the Charleston Shoe Thieves, leaving the problem of finding a replacement batter up to them. However, Cornelius Games was able to locate Franklin through unknown means, finding them in the desert and offering them a home in Charleston as well as a cross country trip in Stu Trololol's blimp.
Franklin initially struggled to adapt to the decidedly not-clandestine culture of the Charleston Shoe Thieves, though with guidance from Esme Ramsey they quickly proved talented at the Charleston past time of footwear larceny, successfully lifting a pair of thigh high boots from Cornelius Games's notoriously well-secured locker in their first month on the team.
Charleston fans have enthusiastically embraced Franklin, who's newfound strength and stamina have placed them as one of the top batters in the league. When Franklin bats, Charleston fans are known to howl in celebration, chanting "shoot for the moon" and holding signs printed with the popular fan slogan "Awoo Allowed," the source of Franklin's nickname on the Thieves, "awoo."
Personal Life
Franklin formed a close bond with Shoe Thieves pitcher Beasley Gloom, whose lifelong experience with canine forms proved invaluable in helping Franklin learn to manage their new hyperlycanthropy. Gloom encouraged Franklin to embrace their canine instincts, teaching them to fetch, roll over, and instructing them in a secret baserunning technique he had developed known as "zoomies." This tutelage, combined with Franklin's growing bond with their new teammates, proved remarkably effective in calming their episodes of uncontrollable aggression, and in an interview recorded during the Season 7 playoffs, Franklin told reporters, "For the first time in my career, I think I'm genuinely happy to wake up and play ball," before being distracted by a passing squirrel and darting away into the nearby underbrush.
Fan Works
Howell Franklin by @kyl_armstrong
Mini-Blaseballer
by @HetreaSky
Howell by discogoth on Discord
Franklin by Ash
by Ash
Franklin & Iggy Delacruz relaxing with each other
by Ash
Franklin & Delacruz napping together
by Ash
“When ur crush wears cargo shorts and u realize ur in deep.”
by Ash
“Yeah he's got no idea what he's doing.”
by Ash
Family
by @desmodusrotunds
Bake Sale
by Ash
Nerves
by Ash
by Chamomile
by @pitayapandi
by Ash
WE GET IT, YOU'RE JOCKS
by Ash
Franklin with Elvis Figueroa and Paula Reddick
by Olive
“sometimes life ain't so bad”
by Ash
No Worries
by Ash
by Ash
THE TERRIBLE MURDER OF THE SOLARIUM BUSINESS CENTER FACILITIES, SEASON 24
by Ash
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| Players | Batters | |
|---|---|---|
| Pitchers | ||
| Shadows | ||
| Buried | Leo Baron · Munavoi Rochester | |
| Former |
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| Stats | Season | β1 · β2 · β3 · β4 · β5 · β6 · β7 · β8 · β9 · β10 · β11 · β12 · β13 · β14 · β15 · β16 · β17 · β18 · β19 · β20 · β21 · β22 · β23 · β24 1 · 2 · Full List |
| Circuits | Gamma 1 · Gamma 2 · Gamma 3 · Gamma 4 | |
| Ballpark | An Undisclosed Location | |
| Community Lore | ||
| History | Houston Spies' History | |
| Fan Culture 📣 · Fan Works 💌 · Tlopps Cards 🃏 | ||
| Bang BANG | ||
