Template.php not being processed correctly

I am trying to override the theme_node_submitted($node) function by placing the code below into the template.php file. After adding the code and clearing the registry, the code below appears across the top of the drupal page. What is causing it not to be picked up??

<?php
function freestyle_node_submitted($node) {
  return t('Art by !username on @datetime',
    array(
      '!username' => theme('username', $node),
      '@datetime' => format_date($node->created),
    ));
}
?>