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By Gil In Mechanicsville
Well, almost, I can dream can’t I? Yes, we are only 30 days or so into winter but with global warming I can hope for an early thaw. Besides, pitchers and catchers report for Camp Leo Camp Roger early workouts in only three weeks. On the baseball calendar it must be spring.
Soon the sweet sound of horsehide hitting leather shall be upon us. Can that mean the sound of that same horsehide being stuck by ash will be far behind? I could have said maple I know but perhaps that would be more appropriately described as the crack of the bat… For all you little leaguer, pony league, college and high school types, it will be the “PING”…….but that is another story…
Now, as the all important early camps approach, who can Braves fans expect to show for early work. I thought that rather than talk about the usual suspects, Gonzalas, Acosta, Moylan and the like, I would throw a few new names into the mix. Some guys who have been acquired and may have a chance to show up in Atlanta or Gwinnett in 2009. Now, while many want to know everything there is to know about newcomer Tommy Hanson, I suspect he will get lots of ink from other sources before the end of spring training is done. Many of the fans will want to call him up to the bigs a bit too early. Folks, let the kid learn how to pitch and develop the arm strength needed before clamoring for him to be the next savior of the franchise. Lest we forget other promising rookies who were ruined from over exposure before they were truly ready, let me toss a few names out there. Steve Avery, Mark Fidrych, Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Dontrelle Willis, I could go on but I think you get the idea.
The Braves’ former pitching coach, Leo Mazzone was a stickler about conditioning. This was especially true about young pitchers. Now maybe it was good luck and maybe it was an aberration but the facts show that during his tenure with the Braves, they had the fewest arm problems of any staff in baseball.
So who might we see this year for the “non-mandatory” early conditioning camp?
Eric O’Flaherty is 23 y/o southpaw. He went from being a rising star with a 7-1 record in 2007 out of the pen to a horrible start in 2008 for Seattle when he appeared in but 7 games and had an ERA of 20.25. Eric was sent down to the Seattle minor league system until June of last year where he compiled a 4.96 ERA in 15 appearances. He suffered a back injury in June and did not pitch for the rest of the season.. One must wonder if he was concealing an injury suffered in spring training. It has been known to happen with young players, afraid they will be labeled “fragile”. The Braves are hoping he has fully recovered from whatever ailment he suffered. He was too good a pitcher to pass up as far as the Braves were concern. Time will tell if he can return to pre 2008 form. O’Flaherty was claimed off waivers by the Braves in November of 2008. A good showing in spring training may make Will Ohman expendable.
Boone Logan is another young lefty acquired by Atlanta in the off season. Just 24 y/o, he came over in the Javier Vazquez trade. Boone appeared in 55 games in 2008 accumulating 42.1 innings. He compiled 42 strikeouts and gave up 14 walks last season while compiling an ERA of 5.95. To say he was another young pitcher in Ozzie’s doghouse is an understatement. Apparently he was used as a situational guy ALA Jeff Ridgeway. Again it looks like even though the Braves will not start many left handers, they potentially have a bevy of lefties available out of the pen.
Stephen Marek is another relief specialist acquired last season. He came to the Braves along with Casey Kotchman in the Teixeira trade with the Angels. 28 years old, he might be on the precipice of his career. Perhaps he is just cannon fodder for the minor leagues. After all, They need to fill the rosters so the real prospect have a place to play. That said, perhaps the Braves can once again catch lightning in a bottle. Buddy Carlyle was another pitcher who supposedly had his best years behind him and he worked out pretty well. Marek was assigned to Mississippi last year and pitched this fall in the AFL with Tommy Hanson. Marek helped hold down many leads for the Solar Sox and aided in the team compiling the top record in the league. He is not a big strikeout pitcher, but has managed a career K/BB rate of 2.62 last fall for Mesa, he compiled 12 innings of work, giving up 9 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7. He gave up zero earned runs and had a WHIP of 0.92. In late November he was added to the Braves’ 40 man roster, both protecting him from the Rule 5 draft and placing him in the bullpen mix for 2009.
I will review some more of the prospects in another post.
~Gil~
Excellent, Gil!!! MANY thanks!! Looks like a lot of potential there!
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Good work Gil. Are you as surprised as I that Ohman hasn’t been signed yet? I’m looking forward to your next report.
“Pitchers and catchers report”. Those words are music to my ears!
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Great lead Gil. It is the time of year to begin some direct ties to the game.
Great info on the youngsters. I think Marek is anything but fodder. He was/is a solid prospect with above average stuff, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t earn a ‘pen spot, or at the very least is included in a trade for an OF. He is a valuable guy that shouldn’t be overlooked.
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Klobber, the surprise is that the market on the LHRP’s is moving so slowly. From what I have read, Ohman’s agent was told to expect an offer from about 8 different teams, and only about 4 or so have actually tendered actual offers, including Atlanta. He’s waiting until he receives all of the offers to decide, which is only prudent. Apparently, Atlanta’s offer, which was the first received, is still on par with the others, and Ohman is on record as saying that he prefers to return to Atlanta, all things being equal.
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Gosh… I’ve had the same avatar for over a week. That’s some kinda record for me. Gotta look for something…
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I can’t remember what the offer was for Ohman but I thought it to be in the $3 million dollar range. Looking at what players are currently earning, that sounds about right. The Braves have indicated they want him back so I think the ball is totally in Ohman’s court.
As for Will, I cannot blame him for waiting. After all, it’s not like he has a 21 year history with the Braves or anything. He is really at the peak of his earning potential so he is merely being prudent. I think however, all things being equal, he will sign before spring training begins.
Did y’all see where the Cubs are likely to be sold for close to $900 million? Someone has money hidden somewhere…
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And CL… Thanks to adding style to my post, I guess that’s why you are the editor in chief… 🙂
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I think however, all things being equal, he will sing before spring training begins.
I’ve seen him do impressions, and he’s really good. He sings too? What a multi-talented guy… 😀
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Y’all are right. Actually, there are a ton of free agents left out there. With P’s and C’s reporting in three weeks or so there is still a lot to be done. Let the Hot Stove burn on!
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Anyone know how much more the Braves have to spend?
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Klobber, I don’t know if there is an exact figure, but I get the idea that they could still add a $10M LF if the right one came around.
I really think they’ll get well into spring, look at their own youngsters, and see how other rosters begin to shake out before seeking a trade partner for a LF. A trade seems the likely solution, but who?
A trade also seems a likely way to create a roster spot for a certain familiar former CF whom I won’t be surprised to see in camp. Just a feelin’…
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Could we no new LF? Certainly. In fact, the Braves could go into the season with a Diaz/Anderson platoon in LF. I could especially see that if the CF job were won by a veteran.
Not saying it will be, just sayin’…
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🙂 You’re most welcome, Gil! Just a little touch here and there to an already great post! My pleasure! (I learn a lot from what you write!)
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Great baseball Headline: “Three Teams Seeking Counsell”
😆
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Any opinion on the recent Brian Roberts to Braves possibility that was floated by Ken Rosenthal? Roberts is a 27 year old, 2-time all-star switch-hitting 2B, who put up slightly better numbers in ’08 – .296/.378/.450 – than his career average. He is a prototypical leadoff guy who stole 40 bases last year. He has a career fielding % of .987 at 2B. He’s in the last year of his contract and will make $8M this season. He is not a Boras client. He would fit the “Furcal” role better than Furcal. This, of course, would assume a move of KJ back to LF, with no LF acquisition.
Thoughts? (Somebody’s got to stir the pot, right?)
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I like the idea depending upon what it costs the Braves in terms of a trade. Don’t want to give up too much for one year. If they can get him to agree to an extension, I saw go for it.
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I would think the Braves would have to make a contract extension a part of the deal, and with his agent being anyone not named Boras, it is possible.
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I like him. His response after the Mitchell report:
“I would like to address the allegations that were made against me in the Mitchell Report. I will begin by saying that I have worked very hard to develop a good reputation both on and off the field. I have always taken pride in being a man of integrity and values. I know that by being a professional athlete, I am held to a very high standard. I never have and never will take that for granted. However, I am also human and I have made mistakes.
“In 2003, when I took one shot of steroids, I immediately realized that this was not what I stood for or anything that I wanted to continue doing. I never used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing drugs prior to or since that single incident. I can honestly say before God, myself, my family and all of my fans that steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs have never had any effect on what I have worked so hard to accomplish in the game of baseball. I am very sorry and I deeply regret ever making that terrible decision. My only hope and prayer is that the Orioles, my family, friends and fans that have supported me so faithfully will forgive me.”
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As I recall, the Braves would have 72 hours to come to an agreement with Roberts on an extension before the trade could be made. Very glad to hear that Bora$$ is not his agent.
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It’s some guy named Mark Pieper.
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Well… that didn’t work…
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I would like to think that the relative silence following a flurry of personnel moves can be attributed to 1 of 3 possible reasons:
1) a typical lull leading to Spring Training
2) Frank is focused on negotiating with Chipper on an extension
3) a communications blackout whilst on the dark side of the moon
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Casey Kotchman is supposed to be on 680theFan at 4:30p today…
http://www.680thefan.com/
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^
/
\
/
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/
3) a communications blackout whilst on the dark side of the moon
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The lunatic is in the hall.
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sing/sign… same thing, only different…. 🙂 Hey, I never claimed to be a pro at this… I could just slip into text lingo… BRB AFK..
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I had a feeling that might draw the Hillbilly out… 😀
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Hey, want to really get upset?
Read this….
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/01/22/obama-adviser-stimulus-shouldnt-only-aid-white-male-construction-work
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The more I think about it, I’m warming to the idea of adding Brian Roberts and moving KJ to LF. You don’t add significant power, but you do add a true leadoff guy that can swipe a few bases.
You can go
Roberts (S)
Escobar (R)
KJ (L)
Chipper (S)
Mac (L)
Kotchman (L)
FrenchToast (R)
Schafer/Anderson/Blanco
Pitcher
Yes, I bat Chipper cleanup. It makes the most sense to me. With Roberts, Esco and KJ 1-3, you have 3 good OBP guys who can run. Set the table with them and let Chipper do his thing.
Yessir, I like it.
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Chipper: I want to stay with Braves
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090123&content_id=3767348&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl&partnerId=rss_atl
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Exerpt:
Given that the Braves are still reconstructing their roster and taking care of their unsigned arbitration-eligible players, there’s no reason to worry about the fact that they haven’t approached Jones. But knowing that he doesn’t want to negotiate during the season, Jones is hoping the process begins soon.
“I’m hoping that an extension will be on the table soon,” Jones said. “I’ve negotiated a contract during a season once before and it worked out fine for me. But there are too many distractions and that’s not something I want to do again.”
Sticking to company policy, Braves general manager Frank Wren won’t comment on these potential negotiations. But at the same time, he added, “I think Chipper understands how much we value him in our organization.”
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“I think Chipper understands how much we value him in our organization.”
Yes, Frank, but do you understand it?
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Realizing his recent health history and understanding that Father Time isn’t on his side, Jones understands why the Braves might be somewhat hesitant with the years and financial guarantees they might provide in any potential offer. With this in mind, Jones is looking for a fair three-year contract and possessing confidence that he’ll still be highly-productive when he’s 40-years-old and in the final year of this potential three-year deal.
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Exceelllent Gil!!! There don’t appear to be a whole lot of openings in the bullpen right now, but…we all know how a pitching staff can go south(past Florida) in the spring! Got to have some decent options in case of emergency.
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Ber, you KNOW it’s bad when even someone who just blogs about the Braves has to have shoulder surgery! 😆 “Braves Blogger on DL after shoulder surgery; not believed to be career-ending.” 😆
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CL,
Gil and I might not have all our back trouble if we weren’t bravos fans…
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What V tried to link to(but it was apparently too soon, as Law said check back later via that link) the top 100 prospects…well, you can only see the first 25 rest are hidden via the insiders crap.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=law_keith&id=3840355
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Well, at least it’s not carpel tunnel syndrome…
Ber, you can never never never have too much pitching. Being realistic, someone will get hurt, someone will be hurt and not tell anyone, somebody will just stink up the joint and maybe, just maybe someone will surprise everyone by actually having great control and great stuff… The two are sometimes mutually exclusive you know…
Anyway, I thought I would mention some of the kids who will not get a lot of coverage other places. After all, just how much time should you give to just one starter.
The other good thing is good pitchers have a much higher trade value than a position player. I don’t always understand why a guy who pitches every fifth day or an inning or two every other day is more valuable than a guy who plays 150 games a year but they are.
If just one of the guys I mentioned in my lead makes it onto the roster then the Braves I think are going to be very happy.
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Speaking of backs… Man, I feel beat up tonight. The tractor will work you over after a couple of hours.
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Wieters: “He’s consistently around 1.9 seconds from home to second.” It takes me longer than that just to get out of my chair these days! 😯
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Where is Salty??
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Just finished reading the piece on Chipper by Mark Bowman (thanks Raisins) I don’t know why I read the comments at the end but boy, there are some real jerks out there. Goodness, let he who is without sin cast the first stone….
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CL, I bet you never had shoulder trouble when Leo was still with the Braves!
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Nope. Never did, Chris. Amazing, huh?
Gil, I learned not to read the comments; the idiocy just makes me mad. Not worth it. 😀
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Just read the Bowman/Chipper article. Chipper has long been one of my favorite players. I remember when he was still in the low minors and Skip and the crew talked about him. As much as losing Smoltz and Glavine and a few others hurt, seeing Chipper in another uniform would just kill me. I hope it never happens.
I am realistic though and I understand that sometimes business is business. I just know that it would be great if Chipper could finish his playing career as a Brave.
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I agree, Chris. The others were bad. This would be insufferable.
Calling it a day here! See y’all tomorrow, Lord willing! 😀
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Please excuse me in advance for this article but it infuriates me.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/23/mideast/detainee.1-414168.php
And BO wants to close Gitmo? I think that stinks!
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Chris, I have to say, a politician actually holding to some campaign promises, is nice and all, but I would rather it would be promises such as going through the budget line for line, and getting rid of the waste. Of course, Dems(and Repubs) would tell him, hey, that’s my money! That will get me re-elected, you can’t take that 25 million from me for the pomegranate museum, we NEED that! 🙄
But, getting to your point, yeah, not the best idea in the world, is it??? Most of their home countries don’t want them back, or the new Administration fears they will be really, actually tortured in some countries.
And I am sure there are some slimy lawyers(but I repeat myself) that would just LOVE to get some of them off on some minor technicality…and what will happen if there are threats to the courthouse, wherever they are tried????
I just saw on the History channel that on some islands during WW2, soldiers would kill every Japanese soldier captured after they got whatever info they had. Pretty shocking, but they said, they were not able to to keep after groups of captives while in battle, and they couldn’t release them, since they would of course fight the U.S. again….I’m sure shooting unarmed men in the back of the head was against the Geneva Conventions as well! 🙄
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I should have said, I just saw this a few days ago, and it might have been on the Military channel as well….
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Berigan, all’s fair in love and war.
This is a very complicated problem. In this country, under our laws you could not hold people for years without them ever being charged or brought to trial. However, if you release them, many of them will return to their old habits which is why they were detained in the first place. What do you do?
Frankly, I have absolutely zero problems with water boarding or whatever kind of torture deemed necessary to extract information from these detainees. These (and I hesitate to use this word) people hate us and want to kill us — the more the better. Releasing them just allows them to go back to doing what they want to do the most.
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Stellar as always, Gil. I have a feeling you & my dad would get along great sitting next to each other at a ballgame. I hope to see some of the young’uns when the Braves come here this spring. Just don’t expect detailed assessments, I’m no scout. I know Chipper & Mac won’t be there so I’d just as soon check the kids.
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The reason I love to talk about the kids is because it’s a blank slate, an unknown quality about which we have much to learn. With the veterans we all pretty much know what to expect. Well, maybe not with Frency but with everyone else… 🙂
I am going to post a description of an account of a game in which one of the Braves’ pitchers played. See if you can guess who it was.
In six innings pitched, He completely dominated , striking out 11 batters while surrendering no runs or walks, and only two infield hits. Only one batter managed to get the ball out of the infield, hitting a harmless fly ball to left field. 55 of 69 pitches were thrown for strikes. He was working his fastball at 94-95 mph, and his change-up – which drew “ooohs and ahhhs” from the crowd – was described as “unbelievably filthy.” He struck out the other team’s best hitter on three straight fastballs (registering 96, 96, and 97), and he touched 98 mph in the sixth inning.
Tommy Hanson perhaps? Nope…
That folks, was a description of game pitched by righthander Eric Cordier, once considered the best prospect in the Royals system. Who is he? He is the guy whom was acquired from Kansas City for all glove, no bat Tony Pena Jr. in a trade two years ago. Where is Cordier now? Slowly making his way back up the food chain while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
He made a few appearances last year for class A Rome. This spring should tell us a lot as he should be back to full strength. If progressing as he should, he likely will be assigned to Mississippi or possible Gwinnette to begin the season. The kid has four pitches, or did.
These are the kinds of players I like to learn out about. Some never will make it to the majors but you can get pretty involved rooting for them to get there. I guess being in the minors myself for the last 42 years with the Braves has warped my mindset.
It also gives you an idea of how fragile a pitcher is. They can go from hero to zero in a nano second it seems….
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Gil, that’s very interesting! Forgot all about him. Would be nice to see him turn into a nugget for us.
You missed your calling! You should have been blogging about minor leaguers who were under the radar, back in the 70’s! 😛
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Nothing like waking up way too early, finding nothing much to do, and reading Red’s blogs! Anyway, someone posted something from Forbes showing the team has(or at least had in 2008) all kinds of moola to play around with, and here they are crying cheap.
Anyway, it got me thinking I should look at the finances of the Braves on their site… Reds only brought in 41 Mil at the gate, and supposedly “we” only brought in 47 Million at the gate…shows that perhaps 75% of a team’s income comes outside of fans fannies in the seats! I did not know that!
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/33/biz_baseball08_Atlanta-Braves_336642.html
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Well, clicked on the next team, and see they had total rev of 197 Mil, and 90 Mil of that was from the Gate…but still, if 50% to 75% of teams income is not from the gate, that’s still pretty interesting.
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someone wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😥 😥 😥
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Or not!!!! 😛
Well, nuts too you all, I am going back to bed. Hate to miss a cold rainy morn, but you have to make some sacrifices in life…..
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‘Morning, Ber!
Just been busy. Obligations sometimes interfere with my playing time! 😆
Where is BASteve??? MIA?
Salty??? AWOL? MIA?
JBinATL has been MIA way too long!
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Morning all…. Yes Ber, I woke up way too early too, fortunately I was able to go back to sleep a couple of hours before it was too shameful to stay in bed any longer….
Grey here today also but highs will be around 50 or so. Josie is getting ready to go visit my mom this morning and I am looking for something to do which does not require too much effort but I could still legitimately claim as as necessary… Tough call that… I don’t think eating breakfast qualifies.
And if you think it’s slow news around the Atlanta Braves, the Nationals are like a dead zone. Dukes avoided jail time by having his lawyer deliver a check for $40,000 an hour before he would have been guilty of contempt. The other big news is Sutton may return to the Braves.
Anything else.. Nada, Nil , Zip….
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More good information from the esteemed journalist, Mr. Gil. Cordier was with the Rome Braves part of last year and I had the chance to talk to him on several occasions. Very nice kid. He had a scare towards the end of the season when he was experiencing some pain in his surgically repaired elbow but the next time I saw him he told me it was just tendinitis. I wish him well.
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Good morning Chris, tendinitis or scar tissue braking loose… makes a pitcher hesitant to air it out. I still think it takes a pitcher 18 months to 2 years to fully recover.
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Mandatory evacuation?
Beamed up by aliens???
😯
WHERE IS EVERYBODY???
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Chores… 😯
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Baseball Stories:
Right-hander Henry Schmidt, a 30-year old Texan starred in the Pacific Coast League in 1902, and was acquired by the Brooklyn Dodgers for the 1903 season. The rookie won 21 games and lost 13 for the fifth-place Dodgers, hurling 29 complete games, including five shoutouts.
After the season, manager Ned Hanlon and the Dodgers were dumfounded when Schmidt announced he wouldn’t sign with the club because he wanted to go back to the Coast League. He never pitched again in the major leagues.
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Braves prospect Schafer denies using HGH
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/schultz/entries/2009/01/24/braves_prospect_schafer_denies.html
He finally speaks about it…
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He seems to have maturity beyond his 22 years…
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I’m glad he was finally permitted to give his side of the story. He was under some sort of gag order for about a year. Was not allowed to say anything.
But. The question is begged: why was he charged when he didn’t use drugs?? What legal grounds? Or, are legalities forfeited when the baseball investigative unit steps in and wants to throw their (newly acquired) weight around?
Politics. They stink.
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Reliving 1991 WS:
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140320/1/index.htm
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And as a minor leaguer, he doesn’t have the arm-twisting of the Players’ Union. He was basically hung out to dry.
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Yep!
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Of course, it didn’t help JC Romero having a union, much did it??? It’s a weird union. Still a bit of, you are just a piece of property, IMHO.
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Either way, it makes little difference now. To some, he will always be guilty, no matter the denials, to some, he will be falsely condemned and only guilty be association. It’s really up to him now to just play at a high level. If he can do that, all will be forgiven. If not, he will be just another prospect that did not pan out…
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Gil: The good thing is, Schafer appears to realize that himself. It could be another motivating factor for a kid trying to not just make his way to the bigs, but to prove he belongs.
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What do these 7 words have in common?
1 Banana
2 Dresser
3 Grammar
4 Potato
5 Revive
6 Uneven
7 Assess
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Hudson On Braves’ Radar
By Alex Walsh [January 24 at 3:39pm CST]
In the comments section of his blog, David O’Brien reports that the Braves either previously had or currently have their sights on free agent Orlando Hudson.
In the same comment however, O’Brien mentions that he’s not sure the Braves would be too excited about moving Kelly Johnson out to left field. As an alternative to signing Hudson, the Braves may stick with Johnson at 2B, and test the outfield market.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/01/hudson-on-brave.html
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Talk to football only fans, and they just don’t get nearly as upset as baseball fans do about performance enhancers. I think the thought is they HAVE to use them to play every week….
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Plus to compete, and be as big as the other guy…
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What do these 7 words have in common?
1. None of them are adverbs, prepositions, or conjunctions?
2. None use the letters ‘x’, ‘y’, or ‘z’? That’s pretty obvious, though, but true!
3. English?
4. Nothing?
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If you take the first letter and put it at the end of the word, it spells the same word but backwards! 😀
(I didn’t get it, either!) 😆
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Hey, Salty!
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English is a second language for me…. 🙂
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Wonder who it is who has time to sit and figure out these things to begin with?? 😆
OK – off to bed. (I’m a real party-animal, I am! I can hang in there with the best of ’em! Even if the party lasts ’til 9:00!) 😆
‘Night, y’all!
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I knew the answer, but only because I saw the email and found out the answer from it!
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CL… I never was one who could think outside the box because I never could find the box to begin with… 🙂
Actually, I resented being confined to a box…
Anyway….
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Yep, bedtime for me too… Finished doing my taxes tonight… well, mostly. Just trying to decide if I want to be greedy or not. Then again, I can probably use the money more wisely than the government.
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And if they are going to sign a second baseman, I think I would just as soon have Brien Roberts…
I think the Braves are going to add someone however. Just waiting for a few dominoes to fall to free up roster space.
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Woohoo!!! I’ve been watching the US Fig. Skating Nationals (& I know y’all really care). The kids that train here in our local rink won silver in pairs! They’ll get to go to the World Championships. Ladies’ final was exciting too. We’ve got some good talent coming along just in time for the Olympics next season.
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Sounds like Schafer got a raw deal. But the maturity he’s gained will help him in the big leagues. I’m just sorry it was such an “expensive” life lesson for him.
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FLB, I find that at least as exciting as you thought all the car talk was! 😛
I am sure I mentioned before that my Mom was a huge fan of Ice skating, and I am sure she would love the new talent that you say is out there…
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One part of the Shafer article that I found interesting was that he said he was around other guys using illegal supplements. Were those guys Braves farm hands? Or were they during the off season when he may have been working out with other organizations players or some type of non-baseball athlete?
I am glad to hear him say what he said. He sounds very mature for a 22 year old to me. My inclination now is to give him the benefit of the doubt. I hope he makes it and makes it soon!
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Ber, I bet you’d change your mind if you ever saw live skating. They go very, very fast & jump very high. And pairs… 😯 The lifts & throws are huge. I know a lot of people (men) dismiss skating because it’s “pretty” but it’s actually quite a dangerous sport.
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FBG, I used to watch skating a lot, but got disgusted when the East-West politics became so blatant. The Russian/Canadian gold medal debacle was the last straw. Corrupt judging ruined it.
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“I know a lot of people (men) dismiss skating because it’s “pretty” but it’s actually quite a dangerous sport.”
Iron Lotus… right?
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Great quote from another blog… “If you are hanging around with the wrong crowd, u r the wrong crowd”…
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Iron Lotus… right? I think it would be: sharp steel blades 😀
Good quote. And true!
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I take it you did not see Blades Of Glory ? 😀
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uh, nope.
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In fact, I can’t even remember the last movie I saw. Might have been another rerun of GWTW. Too long ago.
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CL!!! It’s one thing not to see new movies, but you have to watch at least one black and white movie a week, for good mental health! 🙂 I watch 4-5 a week, which proves you can have too much of a good thing! 😀
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And FLB, I had to watch a lot of ice skating with my Mom…She sure could get upset when her girl(Michelle Kwan) ran into bad luck, which seemed to be all the time…she never liked the munchkin(Forget her name, real short, tiny girl)
I remember seeing on one show how they had these better skates that took a lot of the strain off the feet and ankles, did they ever catch on??? Made sense that they would prevent many injuries, but no one was really pushing for them to be the standard…
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Well, checking out what if anything Michelle Kwan was up to, I came across this nice story…
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-elliott-michelle-kwan21-2009jan21,0,1505094.column
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Nice story, Ber!
movies: can’t get out of the house to go see one in a real theater; by the time we get Mother to bed at night (she has custody of the TV from 9 am – 8:30 pm), I do NOT want to hear the TV one minute more! 🙂
WAIT! I remember what I last saw! A DVD copy of ‘Faith of My Fathers’ a few months back. Watched on the computer.
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Next week may be your chance CL… Play the “I’m sick too” card and take advantage of a little down time… You’ve earned it.
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I have a stack of DVDs here that I haven’t had time to watch:
Island in the Sky (watched it many times)
Facing the Giants
In Harm’s Way
Flags of Our Fathers
The Right Stuff (ditto)
Victory at Sea
Wind Talkers (seen once)
and some others that I can’t see the titles of.
🙂
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Don’t bother with Blades of Glory. Lord, was that idiotic. I promise you guys that almost nothing depicted in that movie was remotely like real skating.
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Thanks for the link, Ber. Michelle has long been & probably always will be my favorite ladies skater. Despite the fact that she “only” won silver & bronze at the Olympics ( as if that’s nothing 🙄 ) she is one of the greatest ever. Munchkin sounds like Tara Lipinski to me, she didn’t thrill me either.
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And, CL, I learned to ignore the judges & officials long ago. It is harder for them to politic with the new scoring system. The awful thing about that situation was that the skaters were innocent bystanders. Elena & Anton were treated very badly by some people & they had nothing to do with what happened in the judges box.
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Oh yeah, the hinged skates… that never went anywhere. IIRC, they were too stiff to really be feasible for a high-level skater.
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I keep thinking of more stuff…. I think there’s not so much of the East-West issue now. That was kind of a leftover from the Cold War days.
There is a happy ending to that story, you know. Both teams got gold medals. After that, they toured together with Stars on Ice for several years & became close friends. Now Jamie & David are married & have a baby. Elena married another skater from SOI, Stephen Cousins, & they had a baby too. Anton is a successful businessman & is, I believe, a city councilman (or something like that) in St. Petersburg.
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CL, Island in the Sky. I Thought for a second you were talking about No Highway in the Sky (No Highway-on IMDB.com) You might like that one as well, Jimmy Stewart film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043859/
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FLB, yeah Michelle is a loser, she only won what, 9 world championships???
It’s one reason players like Dale Murphy, Jim Rice(til this year) Ted Simmons(Hey, had to mention him, it’s been awhile) get less recognition because they didn’t win championships…Of course, Jack Morris as we all know(And hate the fact) was the man during the playoffs, and it hasn’t helped him much, has it???
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Who is this “Ted Simmons” of which you speak? Never heard of him. Is he a skater too?
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Why you, I oughta, GRRR 😡
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-)
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Let’s try that again……
😀
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Chris, still a bit rusty it seems! 😛
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Just for that Chris, let me dig up a post from the jazz forum I post on(Mainly on the baseball thread, go figure!) From Decemeber 11th, folks were talking about guys that should be in the hall, but weren’t…
I never liked Garvey much, but he was truly a clutch hitter, a guy you hated to see up with the game on the line.
And you all know my broken record. How about a certian player who had 2472 hits??? 1389 RBIs??? 7 seasons hitting .300 or better? A guy that got more hits than Ozzie Smith, Jim Rice , Jeff Kent, Red Schoendienst, Dwight Evans, Mickey Mantle, Pie Traynor, Ryne Sandberg, Enos Slaughter, and many more.
More RBI’s than Johnny Bench, Orlando Cepeda, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Mize, Mike Piazza, Hank Greenberg and many more. 4th on the all time list of RBI’s for a switch hitter.
Oh yeah, and he was a catcher as well. 7 straight years he played in 150 or more games(one year he played in 161!!!)
And he wasn’t even on the list of players eligiable for the HOF this year! Ted Simmons must have p*ssed off a lot of folks during his playing days….
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Then, on the 15th….a guy named Thom(A Red Sox fan) said…
I think the way Simmons’ production fell off so quickly hurt him (like Rice). Even though he was still knocking in runs after a point, his inability to run and his relegation to being a DH made his decreasing batting average stand out more. He definitely would fall into that Garvey range, excepting that when he was a major offensive force, he was stuck on that mediocre St. Louis team. One other guy I think needs to go in is Jack Morris. His high ERA works against him, but anybody who saw him pitch knows the real score.
Then I says to Thom I says….
I agree his numbers fell fast, but he was a catcher, that happens! Look at Johnny Bench’s stats(And no way am I saying he was Bench’s equal) His last good year was at the age of 31, but you don’t hear anyone hold that against him. And looking at the games he played, looks like he was way overworked as well, though I know he played some first(and perhaps 3rd?) as well.
But, if you are considered the 2nd best catcher during the era of the (arguably)best catcher, doesn’t seem like that should hold you back. And it wasn’t til the end of Simmons career you started to hear comments about him not being so good defensively. I recall hearing TV folk during the all star games near the end of Bench’s career say he(Simmons) should have been the starter, or was the best overall catcher in the game, as Bench was playing less and less. But, as long as Bench was playing, he’d be the starter.
Playing in old Busch Stadium, before the walls were moved in, really hurt Simmons power numbers(I’d love to see the splits home and away, can anyone find them?) 7 years he hit .300 or better(Bench never did in a full season) Oh well, Peter Gammons and Keith Obermann think he’s a HOF’er, that should be enought for me! And yes, I’m biased….
Oh, one more thing, check out the fielding stats in the link via Bench’s name! Amazing numbers throwing out runners! in 1974, 37 runners stole a base, 35 were caught! When he was 32, 84 bases were stolen, 34 caught.
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Then a nice feller by the name of Quincy said after this quote of mine…..
Playing in old Busch Stadium, before the walls were moved in, really hurt Simmons power numbers(I’d love to see the splits home and away, can anyone find them?)
You rang? 😉 Simba’s Retrosheet page
Home/Away Slugging % while a Cardinal:
’72 .433/.495
’73 .393/.480
’74 .495/.403
’75 .476/.505
’76 .383/.404
’77 .484/.516
’78 .506/.516
’79 .625/.411
’80 .494/.516
Mostly hurt, though he was a beast at home in ’79.
Lifetime at Busch (and this includes his post-Cardinal years):
.294/.360/.459
His lifetime mark at the 3 other plastic parks from that era.
Veteran’s .322/.389/.516
3 Rivers .310/.371/.484
Riverfront .307/.348/.533
I reckon the Riverfront #s are helped mightily by shaky staffs.
He feasted on the Cubs.
Wrigley .339/.410/.482
He also had a high average in 75 ABs at Old Comiskey. Quite a bit of cherry-picking going on in the above though if you check how he hit elsewhere.
He had a reputation as not being very good defensively, namely his throwing which for a season or 2 appeared to be sidearm (I think because of a sore shoulder.) However I recall Bill James writing an article (probably in one of the Abstracts or the books that followed) defending his defensive abilities.
Catchers have it hard when it comes to the Hall. Even Gary Carter had to wait for awhile.
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There, that’ll learn ya to act like you never heard of Ted Simmons! 😛 😛 😛
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To tell the truth Ber, I had never heard of him until you brought him up a year ago. Sounds like a HOFer to me. Great defensive catchers are never even given a look for the Hall. In fact, a lot of players make it into the HOF purely on offense. Seems a bit skewed doesn’t it?
The biggest disservice though was the HOF snubbing Buck O’neil when the first Negro League players were inducted. They gave it to him after he died.. Like he know… Why are people so petty?
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all that said… Ber, you should write the BBHOF veterans committee and lobby for Simmons, you never know when the right person might be listening.
I would not mention anything about declining defense however. They can look it up for themselves…
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Gil, that was purely crazy keeping Buck out, wasn’t it??? He was so old, such an ambassador for the game. I remember some people being so mad that he didn’t get in, and someone said, he was probably the least upset about it of anyone! Quite a man….
You make a good point about defense. Everyone claims it is important(And of course it is) but, you never hear of someone being kept out of the hall for bad defense, do you?? Manny will get in their in spite of being one of the worst left fielders ever.
I should put my money were my mouth is, so to speak, shouldn’t I???
I even had the thought of a blog with the title of ted simmons should be in the hall of fame…but the writers, that is a good angle.
I have read Peter Gammons and Keith Obermann(Hey, he knows baseball, if nothing else! 😉 ) both say he should be in the hall…. Don’t know why he isn’t…isn’t even on the regular ballot. Don’t know why Dale isn’t either. At least he is still on the ballot. Talk about a goodwill ambassador for the game!!!
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Some of the greatest players will always remain unsung, or at least until someone decides to make a movie about them…
My experience has been that the accolades always go to the one with the best publicist.
Speaking of which… Capt. Sullenberger is one smart dude. He knows he cannot say anything about his experiences on board the US Airways flight that ditched despite all the clamoring for him to appear on TV shows. That is experience there in knowing no good deed goes unpunished…
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‘Morning, y’all!
Ber, you had the material for a terrific lead in that above! See, I done tol’ you you could do it! 😆
OK – here’s a song that really needs to be heard. The presentation is unique! http://www.bornagainamerican.org/
Ber, I know ‘No Highways in the Sky’. Good movie.
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Joe Buck?
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The filter is vicious lately… 🙄
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Interesting quote in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
[Pirates President Frank] Coonelly, on those 100-plus remaining free agents: “That’s extraordinary, and the reason for it is simple: The economy has collapsed, and the agents for those players still haven’t realized that the economy has collapsed. They’re still asking for prices based on yesterday’s market.”
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Maybe those agents are asking for prices based on the Yankees’ market…
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Betcha a bunch of those unsigned FA’s start signing this week. The time of “waiting to see how the market shapes up” is over. The market has now shaped up, or down depending on how you look at it. Betcha these FA’s start competing for the remaining contracts available.
It’ll be interesting to see how some of them “settle” just to get signed. Don’tcha know Randy Wolf is kicking himself over the 3 year/$28.5M contract offer he had from the ‘stros that has since been pulled? Greed’ll get you every time. He’ll probably end up with 1 year at around $5M.
I’m inclined to think the Braves are gonna sign somebody rather than wait and trade. They have given every indication thus far that they won’t part with their youngsters. Unless they can get somebody for Blanco or BJones, I don’t think they’ll do it. IMO, the talk of “several trade possibilities” is just posturing.
Maybe a low-ball 1 year offer to Abreu. We’ll see…
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SI’s Jon Heyman last week listed “teams that could still have a big deal or two left in them …”
He said, “Deals can still be made. Teams still have plenty of money to spend. Not all of the teams, perhaps, but some do.
Yes, the economy’s bad. And many clubs remain reluctant to open their purse strings. But baseball’s revenues aren’t expected to be off that much from the record $6.5 billion of a year ago, and holes still need to be filled.”
In his list:
5. Braves. They’ve rebuilt their rotation with Lowe, Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami and now are looking for an outfielder, with as much as $10 million to spend. They’ve tried for White Sox star Jermaine Dye (“They’re the best fit, but there’s nothing happening now with that,” according to one person familiar with the talks) and have also looked at the Yankees’ Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
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It has been 80 days since the Dodgers offered Manny Ramirez a two-year contract, for a guaranteed $45 million. It is 22 days until the Dodgers report to spring training. Ramirez has not signed here, there or anywhere. If he has another offer, no one has said so — not even Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez. The Dodgers aren’t blinking. Boras isn’t blinking. The Dodgers do not believe the San Francisco Giants are serious about Ramirez. The Giants are happy to let the Dodgers think that way. Colletti and Boras say they talk regularly. Hard to imagine what they say, after the first 30 seconds, when nothing seems to change. — Los Angeles Times
The circus continues…
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Prediction:
Glavine goes to Dr. Andrews on Wednesday for a “check-up” on his elbow. Here’s a prediction. If he get’s a thumb’s up from the esteemed Doc, he’ll sign a 1 year deal with the Bravos before the end of the week…
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Ber, thanks for filling me in on that Simmons guy you speak so highly of! 😀
It’s too bad defense isn’t more highly valued when being considered for the HOF. The catcher has the most physically demanding job on the field over the course of the season. Seems pretty unfair IMO.
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With regard to the relatively huge number of FA’s still available, it makes sense to me that FW should try to sign someone like Abreu or Dunn for a one year deal until the market (hopefully) comes back around. That way they don’t have to part with prospects PLUS pay someone’s exhorbitant contract.
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I’m listening to Huddy on a Alabama radio station right now. He sounds great and says his rehab is ahead of schedule. He says he fully expects to return around the 1 year period, which will be August. He says he feels good enough to return earlier, but is realistic enough to know that the 1 year point is the right target.
And was interrupted in the middle of his interview (and this post) by work! 😡 Darned reality…
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Raisins, when are you going to get your priorities straight? 🙂
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Royals sign Zack Greinke to a four-year contract through 2012
http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090126&content_id=3772608&vkey=pr_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc
Nice move for Dayton Moore.
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Yeah Raisins, I went back and corrected the “Joe Buck” thing shortly after I first posted it. Sometimes I suffer from Oldtimer’s … That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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CL, I wrote about Simmons for a lead once here, I thought that was the absolute limit!!! 😛 Of course, that was before you started putting all those purtty pictures with stories…not that ol’ Teddy was that handsome a guy!
Perhaps a photo of him in a braves uni for Gil? 😉
Must have played for them BC. Before cable for Gil! It was the late 80’s, and he was just a back up at that point. BG as well, before the braves were good.(I guess that would be BBWG 🙄 )
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Gil, funny, I knew just who you were talking about, didn’t even notice the wrong name! I must suffer from that oldtimers as well! 🙂
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Braves Sign Yamarin
The story of Yoshinori Yamarin, which I followed a bit around draft time last year, has come to a conclusion with the young pitcher signing a minor league contract with the Braves. Sanspo has the details in Japanese, complete with a picture of him in a Braves hat that appears to be two sizes too small. Yamarin went unselected in last October’s NPB draft, but reportedly reaches 92 with his fastball, and has some projectability at 6″1, 187. He’s certainly not nearly as polished as Junichi Tazawa, and will begin his Braves career in an instructional league in Australia. — npbtracker.com
Uh, they have their facts a bit wrong with the Tazawa thing. Obviously he signed with Red Sox. Interesting on the Yamarin kid, though.
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V, I think(It happens sometimes) the writer is talking about Yamarin beginning his career with the instructional league in Australia, not Tazawa. I say this in mortal fear of somehow missing something in the article above…I think the writer could have worded it a bit better.
Man who wants to go to Australia to work with young pitchers??? Sounds like fun to me! 😀
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I think he got Tazawa and Kawakami confuzed.
Doesn’t matter.
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Courage:
http://www.4marks.com/videos/details.html?video_id=723
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V, this was buried in the MLBtraderumors page, but sounds like It wasn’t all Wolf’s fault, …
Astros Pulled Offer To Wolf
By Steve Adams [January 25 at 1:31pm CST]
Many people have felt that Randy Wolf grossly misread the market this offseason, by rejecting a three-year, $28.5MM offer from the Astros early on. According to Ken Rosenthal, however, Wolf didn’t even have time to reject that offer before Houston pulled it off the table, citing the economy as a reason:
“Wolf told me Saturday night that he was close to re-signing with the Astros in late November when the team abruptly pulled its offer, citing a changing economic climate.
Astros general manager Ed Wade confirmed Wolf’s account, saying the team was ‘fully engaged in negotiations and had to stop. It had nothing to do with a lack of interest on our part or Randy’s part.'”
Rosenthal reiterates that the Dodgers are currently the leading suitor for Wolf’s services, but they’re still talking with Jon Garland and Braden Looper as well. The Mets could be another fit, but are focused on Oliver Perez.
Wolf may have to settle for a one-year deal, and if he does, it will almost certainly be at a lower rate than the $9.5MM the Astros initially offered. Rosenthal points out that would mean the downturn in the economy could cost Wolf upwards of $20MM. That could be ok for Wolf, though, who explicitly states that signing for him isn’t about who offers the most money – his goal is to pitch in October.
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Bowman:
The Braves are just a little more than three weeks away from holding their first full squad workout, and as they enter January’s final week, they still haven’t finalized plans for two of their outfield spots.
Full story:
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090126&content_id=3773138&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
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V, I just don’t get the Swisher interest, do you??? I understand over Nady’s one year, but why would you want him for 3 years??? Sign Dunn or Abreu for a year, say, 7-8 Million(Something not too insulting! 😉 ) and worry about left in 2010 when the off season comes. If Dunn hits 40 homers, hits .260, and with Chipper in front of him, drives in 110+ RBI’s we might want to sign him for 2 (more)years. But, we will also know where Heyward is at that point as well. There are guys who are plenty ready to play at 20 or so.
I forgot one good thing about Swisher, he plays with a lot of fire. Something the braves seem to be allergic to these days…
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The way I see it, the Braves have until April first to settle on a left fielder. A lot can happen between now and then. That said, it’s a great opportunity for one of the rookies to shine.
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Guys (and gals)… I don’t think the Braves are too concerned with the status of left field as it relates to Heyward. He is a right fielder. If FrenchVanilla does return to the level of play he displayed in his first 2 years, it’ll make him a more attractive trade piece. Unless he becomes a more complete player, his days in Atlanta are numbered. Have the Braves given any indication they want him long term? Not really. They just want some offensive contribution from him in ’09. Then they’ll consider ’10 and beyond.
That’s my thought, anyway…
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Ber… you’re too young for oldtimers More likely you suffer from Sometimers 🙂
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Sometimers! 😉
Gil, about your avatar….that ain’t a nekked boobie, I am sure! 😯
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Gil, about your avatar….that ain’t a nekked boobie, I am sure!
If that’s a boobie then that boobie looks like it’s wearing a hat!
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Well, sometimes it appears as a loggerhead turtle.. Sometimes it’s just the knuckleheaded me…
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My eyes must not be too good…just see a…umm, well, you know…. 😳
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If you’ve never traveled to Mount Rushmore but wondered what was on the other side of the mountain here is a glimpse.
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OK… I’m going to throw a name out here just because I find it interesting. I was looking on a popular rumor site and saw that the Phils are trying to find a right handed bat for their club also. One of the names I saw listed among the FA options was Kevin Millar. It intrigued me, so I started looking.
Did you know that in Millar’s 10+ year career, he has played 196 games in LF? In those games, he achieved a .988 Fielding Percentage. For comparison, FrenchKnot posted a career high in FP last season with .987. Not too shabby.
Over his career, Millar has averaged 20 HR’s a season, including 20 dingers last year. His career AVG/OPB/SLG is .277/.361/.457. To compare, new Phillie Raul Ibanez’ 12+ year career numbers are .286/.346/.472 – a little better, but not a whole lot.
Most of his career was spent batting 5th or 6th, but he does have 196 games at cleanup. His numbers .vs RHP and vs. LHP are virtually the same; he is not a platoon kinda guy.
Millar has 3 seasons of postseason experience with Boston, including a World Series title in ’04. He made $3.8M last season with Baltimore, but doesn’t project to make that much in this year’s glacial FA market.
For the sake of discussion only, let’s project Millar into the Braves lineup. NOTE: This is my projection. I like Chipper at cleanup, even if Chipper doesn’t.
1) Anderson (L) – .364 OBP in 203 career ML AB’s, can steal bases
2) Escobar (R) – .303 hitter averaging 35 2B’s and 11 HR’s over his young career
3) KJ (L) – Sept. ’09 numbers: AVG: .398, OPS: 1.071, HR: 3 2B: 9.
4) Chipper (S) – he’s Chipper
5) Mac (L) – again, ’nuff said
6) Millar (R) – numbers are above
7) Kotchman (L) – batted .296/.372/.467 in ’07. ’08 marred by death of his Mom and a mid-season trade. Was batting .287/.327/.448 prior to those events.
8) FrenchBread (R) – well documented; has changed his batting stance and has reportedly shed the upper body bulk that was a part of his ’08 ills.
I say all of this for the sake of discussion only – I am not advocating his signing, neither am I trying to dissuade it.
So… talk amongst yourselves… 😀
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Correction:
KJ’s numbers shown are for Sept. ’08. I can’t see far enough ahead to see his Sept. ’09 numbers… 😳
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… and if you post an 8 followed by a ) to show the 8th place in the batting order, you get a 8)…
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… actually you get a 8) unless you put … directly behind it, in which case you get 8)…
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I’ll stop now…
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Today’s Ken Rosenthal opinion:
Yes, the free-agent market could get even weirder.
Some position players might wait until mid-March for the right opportunity, figuring they only need two weeks to get ready for Opening Day.
Meanwhile, many of the biggest remaining names — Adam Dunn, Bobby Abreu, Orlando Hudson, Jon Garland — could settle for one-year deals.
At this point, some free agents might even prefer such contracts, depending upon the team and price.
A player who is willing to sign for only one year will increase his marketability, sparking interest from a greater number of clubs.
He also will put himself in position to re-enter the free-agent market next offseason, hopefully in a better economy.
Take Dunn as an example.
The Red Sox could sign him for one year as protection against further decline by David Ortiz.
Dunn, by putting up big numbers for a high-profile contender, would raise his standing in next winter’s free agent class, which features a weaker group of hitters.
For clubs, such one-year deals would create multiple options. The team could trade the free agent without his permission after June 15 or sign him long-term if the arrangement proves worthwhile. Trading another player to reduce a surplus also would be a possibility.
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Raisins, thanks for the smiles! 😀
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Rough morning, CL. I need another cup of coffee. 🙂
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Good morning folks, more global warming here as we are having an ice storm this morning… Sigh, If folks are so worried about lowering emissions then they can stop flying their private jets….
Does not seem as if I will get much done today. It’s not as if I can’t drive in this stuff, it’s just I’m smart enough not to.
Fireproof Marriage comes out on DVD today, if you folks have not seen it yet, get a copy. It is a great movie.
Raisins, that is an interesting concept. That said, I don’t think it has been from a lack of offers to players that FA signings have not occurred, it appears to me the ball has been squarely in the players’ court but they are holding out for more money that I don’t think clubs other than the Yankees are willing to spend.
And good news for us who have access to the MLB network. They are going to televise games from the Caribbean world series beginning February 2nd.
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I really hope that Dish Network gets over themselves and picks it up soon. I may switch to Direct TV.
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Raisins, it may depend on the level of service (package) you have. That said, it just showed up one morning for me. Dropped into one of the unused ESPN slots. At least you live in an area where you are not considered out of market for the Braves so you can get all the Braves telecast without having to pay the extra $150 for the MLB package.
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Gil, Dish Network and MLB had a little difference of opinion when it came to the new MLB Network. Apparently, DirecTV has a financial stake in it, and Dish Network felt it needed some financial interest as well, or else carrying it helps their competitor’s bottom lime. There were also some Congressional Hearings involved, believe it or not, because MLB tried to make some other “monopolistic” demands regarding the network, and Congress said “NO”. It had something to do with exclusivity and the MLB Extra Innings deal. Anyway, Dish Network can choose to carry it, but apparently haven’t found the financial motivation to do so.
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It’s all about the Benjamins…. Always is….
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As the Braves continue their search for an outfielder, they’d like to fill the need with a reliable power hitter who would rest in the middle of the lineup between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.
But if they’re feeling lucky and confident enough to take a gamble, Jones believes the Braves already possess the power-hitting right-handed batter to hit behind him and provide consistency in the cleanup spot.
“Frenchy is going to hit cleanup for us this year,” Jones said with a sense of confidence earlier this month.
See Bowman’s entire new piece on FrenchMaid Here:
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090127&content_id=3775308&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
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Interesting…
According to Keith Law of Scouts Inc., Adam Dunn was the 7th rated overall FA of this off-season, and the 2nd highest rated among those still unsigned, behind only Manny. Bobby Abreu is not in his Top 10.
Part of his assessment: Dunn is, as you might imagine, patient at the plate to the point of passivity, with almost 44 percent of his plate appearances in 2008 ending in a walk or a strikeout. He is extremely strong and lays off of a lot of hittable pitches because he’d rather get one to drive out of the park. This can be maddening to a manager or a general manager, but there’s tremendous value in all those walks. Of course, where’s the value in his walks if your cleanup guy is expected to drive guys in with his bat? Isn’t that like a self-contained intentional walk?
I am not so sure I agree with everything Law says, especially in light of his use of boutique stats like VORP and “Win Probability”. My question is, did Dunn elevate the D’backs to anything after they got him? They were basically a .500 team when they traded for him, and they were basically a .500 team at season’s end. And he didn’t really elevate those Cincinnati teams to anything, did he?
I don’t know. Yeah, I do – no thanks…
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Oh, yeah… 40 HR’s and only 100 RBI? Pitchers don’t give him anything to hit when guys are on. That’s a pretty simple and effective strategy. He had 122 BB’s and 100 RBI. Who won those battles?
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MASN Sports:
Don Sutton, MASN’s former Nationals color analyst since 2007, asked to be released from his contract with two years remaining for personal reasons.
“I have truly enjoyed the two years I had in Washington covering the Nationals and working for MASN,” Sutton said. “I will always be thankful that my wife Mary, my daughter Jackie and I had this experience. MASN is a first-class operation and deserves great credit for their pioneering success at presenting the Nationals games and effectively promoting the team. I appreciate that MASN has granted my request to be released for personal reasons, and I’m grateful for their understanding and cooperation. I’m going to miss the class, the professionalism and the friendship of the folks who made sure we got good pictures on the air.”
Yeah… personally, he’d rather broadcast Braves games… 😀
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Raisins, what in the heck is a VORP, anyway?? Sounds like it ought to be a part of the space shuttle!
So. Sutton coming back to the Braves, maybe? I have mixed feelings about that…..
Do you realize it has only been five months since Skip died??? Boy, I miss him!
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Raisins, I can understand where he is coming from. Sutton is a southerner. DC and in northern Virginia is like living in New Jersey. It is definitely not like living in and around Atlanta, although I am not so sure that isn’t the same any more. Just a totally different atmosphere in the deep south.
Of course the friendliest folks I have met have been from the Carolinas and South Carolina in particular. Biggest snobs are right here in Virginia… Sad but true… However, that is not so true about the folks in the mountainous part of the state.
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V, I believe Kevin’s last name is Mill-r, from the way red sox fans pronounce it! 😀
We were all talking amongst ourselves about him, then someone said, hey, maybe Raisins was wanting us to talk about it on the B&S! 😳
I’d be fine with him as well…not a classic cleanup hitter, but I really think we need to sign someone who walks a lot, for the younger folks to see.
Chipper walks a lot because pitchers don’t want to face him, that’s different.
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V, about Dunn…it’s weird. Looking at his stats over the last 3 years, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=4808&type=batting3
He sure doesn’t hit much with runners on, does he???
Dunn also hits better batting 5th, than 4th.
Might make sense to have McCann bat 4th, and the 30 games he doesn’t start(if Bobby has finally learned his lesson) put Dunn in there.
And it is usually hard to drive in only 100, when you hit 40 homers, isn’t it???
I do think though he’d drive in 110 if it’s Anderson/Schafer, Yunel, Chipper, Mac, in front of him, and with him walking all the time, in theory, Frenchy should learn some, and with the new approach….
V, I read an article that had the players of the diamondbacks claiming he was helping them be more patient….didn’t help them in the standings though, did it???
I also read(baseball-reference.com) that even at 18, Dunn was a walkin’ fool! very weird!
And why would Abreu rate lower than Dunn, other than age???
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I’ll be honest with you, I’m about ready to see a platoon in LF of Diaz/BJones or Anderson or whatever. And I’m ready to go with Schafer in CF also. Let’s see what we’ve got…
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Well, trying to find that Dunn article I read late last year, I came across this article from 2007, about Dunn(Well, starts with a bash of Marty Brennaman, bashing Dunn) interesting to read the comments of folks afterwards about Dunn. I have heard Dunn was working out to be thinner this year. He always plays 150+ games every year, and I do think the Reds had some crappy players around Dunn last year. Dusty is like Bobby on Crack. Who was it he had play so many games in CF last year??? Oh yeah, Corey Patterson. 366 AB’s .205 BA, .238 OBP!!!!
http://www.redreporter.com/story/2007/2/4/232932/3817
And I don’t know why I am defending Dunn so much, I could be quite happy with Abreu, Millar, Nagy, I’m not picky! 😉
I just would be curious if with a team with more runners on, would cause him to drive in more RBI’s
Look how terrible the BA’s were on that Reds team last year! My goodness!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CIN/2008.shtml
O
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I still think the Braves will go after Swisher. One reason is so they can clear space on the 40 man roster. by trading a few prospects. That’s just my perspective. That may also be why the Braves are slow to sign Andruw. That and other obvious reasons…
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Something else was irksome (B&S first?) about what Law said about Dunn….
Dunn is, as you might imagine, patient at the plate to the point of passivity, with almost 44 percent of his plate appearances in 2008 ending in a walk or a strikeout. He is extremely strong and lays off of a lot of hittable pitches because he’d rather get one to drive out of the park.
I really don’t think he struck out 194 times last year with this bat on his shoulder, so he must have swung at some pitches he thought he’d drive out of the park, and didn’t.
And yes, Dunn and I are getting married on Valentine’s day, 😛
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What I think is strange is how long it has been since the Braves have actually had a left fielder who was a run producer. Who was the last one, Klesko?
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Still don’t totally get Swisher,(Like the fire he plays with-might have to tone it down here 🙄 ) but he is only 27, might be a buy low situation. He hit 35 homers in 2006.
You all know what position he played the most games last year, don’t you???
Center field! 😯
http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/swishni01.shtml
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Ber… And then you would be one and Dunn… 🙂
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Gil, that’s pretty good! 🙂
Chipper perhaps, in left???
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Well, it never hurts to have guys who can cover a lot of territory in the outfield.
Question… how long after Nady/Dunn/Swisher show up and TP has them hitting a brisk .180….
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Of course if they want a power hitting left fielder Cliff Floyd might be available cheap…
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Sutton has been officially announced.
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I still think first base is in Chipper’s future if he stays in the NL. DH if he goes to an American League team. Like they say, the legs are the first thing to go with a third baseman. He never had the hamstrings to play the outfield…
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Well, Washington’s loss is Atlanta’s gain…. 🙂 Or something like that…
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Like they say… No gain, no pain… 😀
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“Sutton and Powell, who was announced at the Braves Diamond Gala event on Friday, will replace Pete Van Wieren, who retired after 33 years in the Braves broadcast booth, and Skip Caray, who passed away in August.
What poor word choice.
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CL, yes it was. Probably the work of some young copy writer. I;m sure it was unintentional.
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Pitcher Tom Glavine is expected to meet with Braves general manager Frank Wren later this week in what could be a first step toward the pitcher returning to Atlanta for a 23rd major league season, a baseball source said Tuesday.
Glavine, who underwent elbow and shoulder surgery in August, received a positive report in a recent visit to Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., and expects to be ready in time for Opening Day. The Braves want an update on Glavine’s health and potential spring training regimen before they proceed with contract talks, the source said. — Jerry Crasnick, ESPN.com
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Raisins, what do you think? Will they bring Glav back or will he finish up as a Nat? So far, they’re bringing Lowe, Vazquez, JJ, Morton, JoJo, Hanson, Kawakami, and Campillo in to compete for the five SP slots. Obviously Lowe, Vazquez, KK and JJ are locks. Will Bennett, Carlyle and Lerew get a look too? Do the Braves really have room for another SP?
After asking all those questions I think back to last spring when the Braves brought in 10 guys to compete for the five spots. You see how well that worked out for them. Maybe they need to bring in 15 this year so they don’t have to patch up the rotation with gum, baling wire and spit like last year. Of course, most, if not all of the guys competing this year have good history as being healthy and young unlike Smoltz, Glavine and Hampton. Of course, Hudson hadn’t ever had any major problems before last year either. I’ll never forget seeing him in the dugout in Miami when he came out of a game after about six innings and the cameras showed him pointing to the inside of his pitching elbow.
Man, I can’t wait for baseball to start!
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No, they will merely fill 2 positions that I for one was not ready to have vacant just yet. No one will ever replace Skip & Pete.
At least Sutton is familiar. And Dad found a clip online of Powell interviewing Pete last season. Voice sounded good & it seemed he was a big fan of the Professor, which makes me happy.
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Good article on Frenchy, VOR. I’ll trust Chipper’s opinion over some sportswriter’s anyday.
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Gil, you may have forgotten about the time that Chipper spent in LF. He did relatively well there with 26 HR and 100 RBI in 2002 and 27 HR and 106 RBI in 2003. However, your point is well taken.
One of the reasons that I have so much respect for Chipper is the fact that he left his natural position of 3B to play LF for the good of the team.
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Hey, where is everybody?
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Was it something I said? 😦
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Hey, Clobber.
I’d love to see Glav win the 5th starter job. For one, he’s be the sole lefty. Second, if he’s healthy enough to win the job, he’s good enough to be one of the best 5th starters on any staff.
It’s all about the competition, though. Whoever wins it from a group containing Glavine, Campillo, Morton, Reyes and maybe even Hanson, will have to step up big time.
I like that situation.
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er.. Klobber… 😳
It’s still early. Where’s my coffee? 😦
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Gil, you may have forgotten about the time that Chipper spent in LF. He did relatively well there with 26 HR and 100 RBI in 2002 and 27 HR and 106 RBI in 2003.
Chris, you may have forgotten about my 5:09 PM post as well! 😛 Though, I did sound pretty meek about it…
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V, he may have to clobber you for saying that!
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🙄
Sorry about that, I couldn’t help myself.
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Good morning all, I for one would like to see Glavine come back. I think he will be a much better pitcher now he is pain free. On being a lefty, yes again. You need at least one. I am not in the least worried about having too many pitchers, that’s like being too rich… Maybe Gwinnette will have a decent staff this year instead of the sweat hogs Richmond had last year.
Let the 22 and 23 year old kids learn their craft where they are in a more controlled environment. If folks in Atlanta want to see Hanson pitch all that badly they can ride up the road a few miles and watch him mature. There is no down side.
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Ber, sorry dude. I didn’t understand that your “Chipper” comment was in response to Gil’s comment about LF. My bad.
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Gil:
Gwinnett could potentially have a staff that includes Charlie Morton, Jo-Jo Reyes, James Parr, Tommy Hanson and Anthony Lerew. Not too shabby, huh?
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Raisins, not to worry. I get called worse than that just about every day!
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Good morning, world! Everybody OK?
Beautiful day here – blue skies, nice breeze, 62. Gotta love it! 😀
Off WallyWorld, Sam’s Club, etc to get next month’s supplies in before my D-Day appt next Tuesday. Complications with the insurance company (wouldn’t you know it??) but they’ll just have to get over it. Premiums are paid, and they wrote the policy. 😛
This is one of those morning that a gallon of coffee wouldn’t help! I think I slept TOO hard for a change! My body doesn’t know how to handle it! 😆
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Gil , you have convinced me on Hanson. I was really looking forward to him here, and not Jo-Jo, or some other not quite as good as the team claimed him to be starter. Then I thought they would want him in AAA for a month or so, so they could save some moola in 3+ years. But, you said something to the effect of let him be brought along at a slower pace, and I thought of Bobby having him start on 3 days rest, pitch with a blister for weeks, you know the JJJ treatment, and well….let that arm get the right amount of work in the minors.
Of course, I say this before seeing him in ST. If he’s got a .050 ERA at the end of spring training, I will be demanding we trade Javy for a bag of balls and to let him start immediately! 😀
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I think I slept TOO hard for a change! My body doesn’t know how to handle it!
CL, I have been there! 😉
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I am envious CL. Foggy and cold here. I feel like I’m in England… And I don’t like England all that much. No baseball there….
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Chris, you made a good point last night about how we had 10 starters last year in spring training. There I was thinking we had 2-3 guys we could trade to other teams early in the season…
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Gives you flexibility when you have good arms. Atlanta’s problem last year was trying to throw guys who were number 4s and 5s into the breech against 1s and 2s. In the regular season, the way a team builds a good record is taking a lot of games started against another team’s 3, 4 and 5 guys.
In the playoffs you only need two aces because of the spacing of the games.
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I love the beauty of the English countryside and the incredible history – but English food is like pasteboard. YUCK! I like the cool of the average weather Spring through Fall, but English winter is dismal.
One tourist-y experience that will absolutely take your breath is looking at the Crown jewels in the Tower. Just beyond words!
Don’t much like the cities – anywhere – but I LOVED driving through the countryside. I could fill up a camera card in no time flat! 😆
OK – gotta get myself in gear and get something worthwhile accomplished!
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Hey CL… Know the difference between the roads in Ireland and a pack of cigarettes?
There is more tar in the cigarettes…. 😀
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Buster Olney:
As recently as a week ago, the asking price on Bobby Abreu was said to be locked in place, a three-year deal for something in the neighborhood of $16 million a year. But those numbers were based on appraisals made before the motor companies got an executive bailout, before the Dow Jones Industrial Average shrunk to four digits.
In the last few days, Abreu — like so many other veteran players — has come to grips with the reality that the lush multi-year deal is simply not going to be there for him, and the All-Star who hit 20 homers and accumulated an on-base percentage of .371 last season is said to be willing to take a one-year deal.
Full column:
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3865815&name=olney_buster&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3865815%26name%3dolney_buster
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V, it’s funny, I just read a few days ago that Abreu was talking 3 years at 10-11 mil a year, and my first thought was dude, take a one year deal! I guess the big issue for these guys(besides ego) is moving from one team, to another in another year. It’s not that big a price to pay for making millions, but I am sure someone like Dunn, after playing in 2 towns last year, doesn’t want to just sign for 1 year, and have to leave that town….
Did I mention Dunn only hit .195 against lefties last year????
V, I think that finally puts me in the thanks but no thanks category.
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There is a reason the Braves faced more left handed starters last year than any other team. Until the Braves develop a line up that proves they can hit lefties, that trend will continue. I like Abreu but I still think the Braves need a right handed power hitter.
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Make that a right handed power hitter not named Dunn….
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Gil, Dunn hits from the left side. Well, he swings from that side! 🙂
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Well, to be totally acurrate, he hits from the right side of the plate, but he hits left handed….I need sleep…
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Hummmm… A guy who has tremendous power who can’t hit lefties, sounds like Scot Thorman but walks a lot…
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sigh….I knew I misspelled accurate, but wasn’t fast enough to save myself.
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I’m still inclined to go with the Diaz+BJones/Anderson/Blanco platoon in LF. It may not supply an increase in power numbers, but those guys CAN get on base. FrenchManicure really has to step it up in HR’s and RBI this season. It’s amazing how much hinges on a guy that’s such a question mark himself…
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French maid, Frenchmanicure, just don’t call him Frenchkiss! 😛
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It’s amazing to me that we have knocked ourselves out all winter to find a right handed power bat to round out the lineup, when a guy with the potential to do just that is already in right field. It shows how little confidence there is in him..
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Do you realize how easy the lineup would be to set up if you could drop FrenchKiss in the cleanup spot?
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still awake!!! 😯 This story should help put me out…. algore has made so much moola off this scam, and even more will be made by and for him….
Gore to Crank Up Heat On Senate as Snow, Ice Hit Washington
Former Vice President is urging Congress not to be sidetracked by the current financial crisis and to take ‘decisive action’ this year to reduce greenhouse gases.
WASHINGTON Former Vice President Al Gore is urging Congress not to be sidetracked by the current financial crisis and to take “decisive action” this year to reduce the heat trapping gases responsible for global warming.
Gore, scheduled to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, planned to tell lawmakers that a bill capping greenhouse gas emissions is needed if the U.S. is to play a leading role in negotiations for a new international climate treaty.
He also was pressing Congress to pass President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan, saying investments in clean energy and green jobs will help dig the country out of its economic rut, according to his prepared testimony.
The Bush administration pulled out of the last treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, because of the lack of participation by developing countries. Negotiations on a new agreement are scheduled for later this year in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Gore — recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize whose book on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth,” became an Oscar-winning documentary — said the economic recession and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should not cause another delay.
“The road to Copenhagen is now very clear. It starts with the passage of President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill in its entirety. And then, secondly, we need to put a price on carbon by passing cap and trade legislation,” Gore said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press. “In other words, this crisis is an opportunity.”
Gore’s appearance is another sign that the Democratic-controlled Congress plans to act quickly on climate change. It comes days after Obama signed orders that will boost the fuel efficiency of the nation’s cars and trucks and could allow states to limit emissions of greenhouse gases from exhaust pipes.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also named a special climate envoy this week to lead U.S. negotiations on a new international treaty. She picked Todd Stern, a former White House assistant who was the chief U.S. negotiator at the Kyoto talks.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he asked Gore to testify before the panel so “the message can go out loud and clear that the committee is going to be relentless and super-focused” on preparations for Copenhagen.
Gore is the perfect messenger, Kerry said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/28/snowstormhits-dc-gore-turn-heat-senate/
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Good point Raisins, I agree with that too. Like I mentioned earlier, the Braves have been very good at getting guys on base. It’s been getting them home which has been problematic (blog first) …
Tex gave them good production but between Andruw and Frenchy, there has been some guy who the opposing team would see in the on deck circle they could wait to get to in order to get the double play or strikeout needed.
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While I’m at it, remember how much Shane Victorino got under our skin last season? I envision Jordan Schafer being our version of Victorino. I really want him to win the CF job this spring.
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between Andruw and Frenchy, there has been some guy who the opposing team would see in the on deck circle they could wait to get to in order to get the double play or strikeout needed
It underscores my contention that SO MUCH rides on the fortunes of French’sMustard.
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Okay, how many people here remember the dire warnings of the coming ice age when they were teenagers in the 60s? Sorry but I must be a Republican because I just don’t believe there is global warming… I do agree with removing all the crude we spew out in the form of noxious gasses and particulates but not CO2….
To play a bit on a comment made by someone else here on the old BS… Al Gore is a climate pimp… How’s that for inconvenient truth?
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The thing I loved about the ’91 Braves team was all the clutch hits they managed, especially those coming with two outs and guys on base. It was just incredible how they put up numbers in those situations. It was not the three run homers that made that team exiting, it was how they scored runs…
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Gil, imagine a team in the future that features youngsters Jordan Schafer, Gorkys Hernandez, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman to go along with veterans Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar and Brian McCann. That’ll be a nice mix of power and speed. I wonder who’ll be playing 3B? Perhaps free agent signee Ryan Zimmerman.
Ah…… to dream is nice……… 😀
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I know y’all already saw the Glavine piece by Bowman, right? I case you didn’t, here it is:
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090127&content_id=3777542&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
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I still say teams will spend what they want to spend. They play the poor card to keep wages down a bit or lower expectations. It like a shell game. They don’t have any less money than they had before John Smoltz left. They will try to get Glavine to sign for as little as possible. That said, Tom could do worse than DC. It’s an easy flight to Atlanta from there. Takes more time to drive to the airport than it does to fly between cities…
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And yeah.. Zimmerman is a hoss…
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I still say teams will spend what they want to spend.
Gil, I do believe you are right on the money there. did you see that link from Forbes I posted several days ago???
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/33/biz_baseball08_Atlanta-Braves_336642.html
I mean, we all know it’s a business, and all teams want to make money, but as maddening as the Yankees and Red Sox can be with their crazy spending, at least they are spending the money they have to put a better product out there, which will ultimately make them even more money.
Padres, Reds, teams that cry poor…I just don’t buy it for a second. They will get welfare from the Yankees, Red Sox, and any other teams paying luxury tax this year(Is it just them???)
Every owner has to be a billionaire to buy a team, right???
That former Owner of the Twins, Carl Polad(SP?) just died a month or so ago. So cheap, the team nearly had to leave (Or get contracted) but I heard he had almost 2 billion when he died! So, back when free agents were downright cheap, he still wouldn’t put a few million on the line….bet the twins still get some money for being so cheap as well. They don’t seem to draw 3 million a year anymore either,even though their teams are always competitive, I wonder why? 🙄
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Well, now you know why he was worth 2 billion dollars, he didn’t want to give any of it up. I have seen owners turn their community against a franchise before.
Don’t think it hasn’t already happened in Florida. The current ownership in D.C. is on the same glide path…
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I still remember the Jim Varney promotions the Braves tried in the late eighties, and how the fans (all three that bothered to show up at a game) booed.
I remember how the town fell in love with the Braves in the 90s and Skip Caray saying “winning, the best promotion there is”, when the crows started filling up old Fulton County Stadium.
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Gil, my dad talks about buying any old ticket & then sitting behind home plate. Nobody cared, you could sit anywhere you wanted. You just hoped Murph would hit a HR ’cause you knew they were gonna lose.
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Yes FBG, they were pretty much a one trick pony…
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And not really that good of a trick.
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Ber is right, the only people who are complaining about how much money the Yankees and the Red Sox spend are the fans of the other 28 teams in the majors.
The teams will make up whatever they spend for free agents with increase sales for jerseys and caps. They might not always win but their fans know the owners of the respective team are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
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Hey, I got stuck helping to take my little cousins to the zoo. Orange elephants, anyone? At least at the ballpark I could’ve sat back, ate some junk food & not chase those 3 around. Freaks me out that they’re all in college now.
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Okay, it’s beddie bye time for me, catch y’all in the morning…
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My cousins, not the elephants.
Gil, I think the Red sox ownership does a great job. They’re making a ton of money but they put it back into the team, Fenway & the farm system.
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Good morning all, I can see clearly now, the rain is gone… 🙂 Yes, the fog has finally lifted and we are blessed with a bit of sunshine today.
Now baseball, duh….
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Bowman:
While meeting with Braves general manager Frank Wren for breakfast in suburban Atlanta on Wednesday morning, Glavine provided an update about his health and indication of what he’s seeking from a contractual perspective.
Wonder who picked up the tab? 🙂
While the Braves have some interest in giving Glavine the chance to strengthen the back end of their rotation, they have just $6 million to $7 million to satisfy both this interest and their need to acquire an outfielder.
The Braves won 14 straight division titles with pitching and defense, not outfielders and defense.
Because they have Jorge Campillo, Jo-Jo Reyes, James Parr, Charlie Morton and Tommy Hanson in place to potentially fill the fifth spot in the rotation, the greater need for the Braves is to upgrade an outfield mix that combined for just 27 home runs last year.
Would you rather paste your fortunes to Abreu plus Morton, Reyes or Parr, or a healthy Glavine plus Diaz, Anderson , Blanco or BJones? Or how ’bout this? Can you realistically count on Abreu/Dunn/whomever to drive in an extra run or 2 every time the 5th starter toes the rubber? That’s the measurable difference…
As for me, I’d rather invest my remaining funds in a healthy, effective, left handed starter.
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Here’s an option:
According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star tribune, “Twins General Manager Bill Smith declined to comment, keeping with his policy on every negotiation, but there were indications the Twins had broken off talks with Gagne and were instead exploring trade options for bullpen help.”
The Twins have been shopping Delmon Young all winter since they have 4 outfield starters, and he is seemingly the odd man out. He’s only 22, bats right, plays LF, has a ton of potential, and is relatively cheap given his short time of ML service.
Perhaps during Spring Training, the Braves’ abundance of relievers can meet with the Twins’ logjam in the outfield.
Just a thought…
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I’ve got to say, that as a voter somewhat more to the left of center, What in the world are those morons in congress up to? This so called stimulus package is the biggest load of fertilizer that I think anyone could have conceived of (or not if the provisions for birth control remain in it). Whatever happened to the idea of putting people back to work and putting money in their pockets? This bunch of manure sure doesn’t do it-Not that the Republican alternative would work any better, but these people have no concept whatsoever.
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Sounds doable to me. The Braves have quite a few good arms available. I don’t think Glavine’s demands will be all that high, likely around 5 million. (easy for me to say when it’s someone else’s money)
Raisins, you have been right all along when you said Frenchy is the key. Glavine brings so much more than just an arm to the mix. I don’t know if Tom can recover that quickly but then again, players have recovered more quickly as the surgeries have become better. The key for Glavine is separating the change in speed between his fastball and his change-up.
I think the Braves discovered they could not win by trying to out slug the opposition when they signed Tex for a year and a half. Yes, run production was up but so was the team ERA…
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Lew, it’s because many of them have never worked, owned a business or served any other useful function in their short sighted lives.
I still contend the unraveling of our economy was the combination of high gas prices combined with risky and fraudulent investments by the banks that were exposed when people could no longer pay their mortgages.
Folks have been living on the edge for years, paycheck to paycheck and it just caught up with everyone.
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And Lew, when so many manufacturing jobs have been shipped overseas, it is difficult for us to spend our way out of this.
I’m doing my part, I have hired a local contractor to make some modifications to the my home. I just can’t see where buying a big screen TV is going to help us all that much. Still, if Uncle Sam wants me to buy one and he sends me the money, I will seriously consider doing so. After all, it would then be my patriotic duty to spend someone else’s money…
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Lew, it doesn’t matter which side of the aisle our politics reside, $750 million for free condoms doesn’t stimulate anything but the loins of the indigent.
Did I really just say that? 😯
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I think some in congress “misheard” what the President ask for. They thought he wanted to titillate the economy…
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Of course what is not being reported is the huge pay off to ACORN that is also in the package.
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And more baseball…. Can’t wait to hear about the guys showing up for “voluntary” duty tomorrow.
I doing my research for a new lead, I discovered some bad stats attributed to one of the Braves prospects but was actually someone else. I wonder if the misinformation is intentional sometimes to keep opposing organizations confused.
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Lew, you got what you voted for.
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We need somebody, in addition to our always-dependable and excellent Gil, to do a lead. Start scratching those heads and think of one! 😆
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Rosenthal’s thought’s on Glavine and Los Bravos:
Braves general manager Frank Wren met Wednesday with free-agent left-hander Tom Glavine, but not to negotiate a new contract. Glavine gave Wren an update on his progress from elbow and shoulder surgery last August. The pitcher’s agent, Gregg Clifton, did not attend.
All signs point to a one-year contract agreement rather than an acrimonious, John Smoltz-like parting — or, for that matter, a Glavine-like parting, circa 2002. The Braves, though, have limited payroll flexibility after signing free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe to a four-year, $60 million contract, and they still want to add an outfielder, preferably Swisher, in a trade.
Glavine, who turns 43 on March 25, will not demand the deal the Red Sox gave Smoltz — $5.5 million plus $5 million in incentives. But he probably will want the chance to earn as much as Mets righty Freddy Garcia, who can max out at $8 million, though his minor-league contract includes no guarantee.
A move to the Nationals? Yes, Glavine is friendly with Nats president Stan Kasten, but it’s difficult to imagine the pitcher leaving the Braves for a team that is unlikely to contend. Smoltz, at least, went with the Red Sox, a team that has reached the postseason in five of the last six years, winning two World Series in that span.
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This will make you smile!
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/weird/Trucking_Duck_All__National_.html
Just really neat!
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Ma’am-No, I didn’t vote for but one person in that congress. That’s how many representatives Vermont has-ONE, and I am contacting both of my Senatorial types (one of them gave me my copy of the Constitution) and letting them know changes must be made. No matter whether or not you think Obama is the Anti Christ (can’t believe I actually heard THAT one the other day), he’s the one that had them pull the condoms off their-well off their agenda. The Republican’s ideas of trickle down economics didn’t work before and won’t work now, but some of the crap The House loaded into this bill (again, not the Pres’s doing) is absurdity personified. Funny how much of the proposed money has to do with birth control and related afflictions. Could this be a metaphor for what this bill will do to US citizens? Wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Rather they bought me dinner first, but I’m sure that’s out of the question, as the proposed tax cut won’t cover a decent Pizza, much less a real meal.
I’m sorry, but a $20 a week tax break before taxes won’t even cover a tank of gas. If they want to teach about STD’s, then they should make a DVD (cost several thousand to make it and .10 for each copy) and send it to all schools to be shown. Multiple hundreds of Millions of dollars won’t teach it any better and will not put any more people in jobs. However, repairing and building new schools and roads will.
BTW-Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid can go back where they came from and you will hear no complaints from me. They’re And Idiots. Voting Republican, however, would just have given us different set of And Idiots. Maybe it’s like that old improv group, Firesign Theater’s old album-“We’re All Bozos on This Bus”. Could very well be.
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Lew:
While we may subscribe to different political philosophies, every one of the clowns under the dome, on both sides of the aisle, are shameless whores for the special interests. One thing that is truly bi-partisan is the addiction to power and fame. In fact, I contend that their respective hard-line party leanings are more for appealing to the far leaning voter base than to further any personal beliefs. They will do anything to get re-elected, including selling out every constituent they have. Term limits would solve that problem, but none of them has the guts to effectively kill their own golden goose.
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No, and they won’t ever NOT vote themselves a raise. Taxation without representation may be tyranny, but taxation WITH representation ain’t so great, either.
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Interesting article here about the history of global warming…..
http://www.kusi.com/weather/colemanscorner/38574742.html
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Greeting all… I really am tired of all the politics… Not the fault of anyone here, just feel beaten up with all the shenanigans that take place. Maybe it would not be so bad if it were confined to one group or party but it permeates to all levels. It is one reason I love cruises, you can forget about it all for a week or two. At least until the money runs out. Sometimes I feel we are too informed….
I could stand a little bit more global warming right now. At least enough to take the chill off of things. I am running out of inside projects. I have trees that I need to take down and a fence I need to remove so I can put up a new one. Sounds a little bit like “a make work” project I know but there is a reason for my madness.
When I moved here 6 years ago, my goal was to make it look like a park. If you had any idea of how bad it looked at the time you would have thought me crazy. Maybe so but like any other good southerner, appearances are important. 🙂
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Thanks Chris, Yes, I am one of those ignorant nabobs that decry the fallacy of global warming. Again, it’s all about the Benjamins…
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Well, sounds like we all are in more agreement, than disagreement with the state of politics today. They all must laugh hysterically when someone in the room calls them public servants. We are the servants, these days.
There has always been abuse of power, but I don’t think you saw it to quite this level, in just about every branch of our government.
And V, you are right, they will never vote for term limits.
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Much stuff on the blog to catch up on. A good thing.
It’s all about the Benjamins…. Always is….
Except in the good old days, when it was just keeping up with the Jones’.
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Taxation without representation may be tyranny, but taxation WITH representation ain’t so great, either.
“I’m proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money.”
–Arthur Godfrey
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Global warming WOULD be nice. Can’t wait for the heat wave on Monday-high of 36 and low of 31. Think I’ll wear an Hawaiian shirt to celebrate.
We got 22 more inches of snow yesterday and had to have the driveway plowed TWICE. There goes another $60 in less than 24 hours.
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Well Lew, at least the guy who owns the snow plow feels stimulated…
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Gil, it’s ALWAYS about the Benjamins, unfortunately.
Lew, sorry to hear about so much snow. I can’t imagine having to deal with that like you do. I’ve seen that much snow before but only at Tahoe and Steamboat during ski season.
SG, I was just about to put out an APB on you and your invisible friend. 🙂
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Hey, thanks Klobber… no APB needed. Actually I was away on biz travel for a few days, then sick as a dog laid up for about three days, then, before getting well, back to biz travel for the last several days. Not much fun but glad to be alive and home again.
The Invisible Man has, uh, disappeared. Maybe in Las Vegas. Fly went along for the ride or to report… not sure. An APB probably wouldn’t help with those guys.
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May be of some interest: (from the local fish-wrapper):
Indians manager to highlight Seahawks’ dinner
By Chuck Carree
Staff Writer
Talk with almost anyone associated with the Cleveland Indians and they say Eric Wedge, the keynote speaker for Friday night’s UNC-Wilmington Spring Training Baseball Banquet is a remarkable public speaker.
“After hearing him speak, probably every one of the players will want to grab their uniforms and spikes and go out and play,” said John Mirabelli, an Indians assistant general manager. “He is a great speaker and passionate about the sport.”
Wedge is the Indians’ manager and a former backup catcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Dave Miller, the Indians’ minor-league pitching coordinator, lives in Wilmington and knows Wedge well.
In 1999, Miller was Wedge’s pitching coach with Kinston in the Class A Carolina League. He says Wedge is a motivational speaker who will deliver a strong message.
“He is a great communicator and everyone knows where they stand with him,” Miller said. “He wants you to play the game the right way. He is a good leader and is consistent in how he deals with people. He sets rules and expects guys to adhere to them. He is consistent in everything he does.”
He said Wedge was destined to be a big league manager, and fulfilled that dream in 2003 with the Indians at age 35. Wedge was the American League Manager of the Year in 2007 after guiding the Indians within a game of the World Series.
He also starred at Wichita State, where he was national player of the year 20 years ago. He led the Shockers to the College World Series crown in 1989 and then was a third-round pick of the Red Sox. He spent nine seasons in the minor leagues and played in the farm systems of the Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers.
Following his playing days, he managed in the Indians’ minor league organization for five years.
The Seahawks tried to get Wedge to speak last year, but he had prior commitments. Wedge will give the Seahawks’ players a pep talk about two hours before the banquet, which begins at 7 p.m. at the Burney Center.
Tickets are $60 per person or $600 for a corporate table of seven.
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Hey CL… How about sponsoring a corporate table? 🙂
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OK. How well can you do??
The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls.
If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It’s been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~pontipak/redsquare.html
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I never can even launch…
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Sure, Gil! Got two reserved, as a matter of fact! Since we-all-know-WHO regained his sanity, we actually have a little extra in our account after we got the saloon bills, et al paid off! 😀
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WHO did WHAT? 😯
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😆
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Hey, we-all-kn-, uh, SG!
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Just a little political rant to get off my chest from recent events. Made me think about politicians and Wall Street package and sell their ideas.
Anyway, there is much to be disturbed about in our country today, especially if you’ve watched much of the news lately. I did for a few days while laid up and it’s not good for anyone that cares about this country. Many blatant changes these days.
Many cheats, thieves and liars are in power… an overwhelming majority of scoundrels. What really disturbs me are the dubious titles that things, Bills, organizations and such are given to purposefully conceal their true motivations and character.
Reminds me of the “Big Lies” and propaganda of Joseph Goebbels. When will we open the indoctrination camps (a slight shift for public schools), burn books, outlaw dissent, give our treasure and property to the government and declare one group as pariahs to be persecuted or eliminated?
Now, we have more “public enlightenment” from all quarters today in our Capital, on Wall Street, in the networks and other large news organs. We are being lied to and policies are being misrepresented every day as a means to a dubious end. Nikita Khrushchev may have been a few decades off, but could he have been more accurate? Add greed and a sense of entitlement to ignorance and apathy and you’ve got the American socio/eco/political environment of today.
Here are some particularly irksome “definitions” that have either changed over the last few years or that have been created out of deception:
“Bailout” means Taking Money From Taxpayers and Giving It To Wall Street, Insurance Conglomerates, Financial Institutions and Banks.
“Real Estate Bubble” means Government In Cahoots with Fannie and Freddie to Steal Taxpayer Money.
“The Stimulus Bill” means The Stifle Economy Pork Barrel Spending Bill.
Recovery Package means Redistribution Package
“ACORN Community Group” means ACORN Multi-National, Anti-Corporate, Voter Fraud Activists.
“Progressive Democrat” means Liberal That Knows Most Citizens Don’t Realize That “Progressive”; “Liberal”, “Socialist” and “Marxist” mean the same thing and Have The Same Purpose Throughout History.
“Capitalism” means Greed.
“Hypocrisy” of Hiring Lobbyists by Liberals means Expediency and Necessity.
“Nationalized Healthcare” means Waiting in Lines, Poor Service and Government That Determines Who Needs Care and When They Need It.
“Spreading The Wealth” means Robbing Workers and Doling Out A Few Crumbs To Non-Working, Welfare Voting Blocs.
“Victim” means Any Special Interest Group of Individual That Has No Fault.
“Republican” means Centrist Democrat.
“Democrat” means Far Left Socialist.
“Liberal” means Socialist.
“Conservative” means Minority.
“Minority” means Most People In The Country Outside Of Big Cities.
“Majority” means Northeast, Washington DC, Big Cities, Oregon and California.
“House of Representatives” means House of Smoke and Mirrors.
“Senate” means Power Hungry Ruling Class.
“Presidential Administration” means Socialist Regime
“Presidential Cabinet” means Band of Cheats, Crooks and Liars
“The Fairness Doctrine” means Silence-If-You-Disagree-With-Us Doctrine.
“Global Warming” means Corporate and Private Redistribution.
“News Journalist” means Liberal Propagandists.
“Hope and Unity” means What’s Mine Is Mine, What’s Yours Is Mine.
“A New Direction” means The Same Old Deal and Failed Policies Of FDR.
“Change You Can Believe In” means You Idiots Were Too Stupid To See Obama’s True Agenda, His Dubious Chicago Relationships, His Inexperience and His Character.
“Change” means Either Something For Nothing or You Will Be Destroyed From Within, Depending On Your Own Perspective, Motivation and Ability.
So many changes… President’s change, Congress changes (not often enough), economy changes, societies change, weather changes and even the meaning of words change. It’s all naturally cyclical… we can learn from the repeating cycles of history or be doomed to repeat them.
We’re now in an upside down bizzarro world where “intelligent” means ability to articulate and give great speeches and we now live in a society where words speak louder than actions. Politicians can lie, cheat, steal, wrap programs in pretty packages, change the meaning of words and, like adding polish and perfume to feces, their programs remain nothing but turds.
Change happens, like shyte, only different.
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There… all better now. 😀
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…”only different.” But not much different!
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Wow. This is really scary – especially considering our extremely porous southern border.
http://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/venezuela_iran_alliance/2009/01/29/176415.html
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from Rosenthal:
The Yankees’ goal in moving Swisher or Xavier Nady is to recoup some of the prospects they lost in their respective trades for both players, according to rival executives. Nady and left-hander Damaso Marte cost the Yankees four prospects in their deal with the Pirates. Swisher arrived from the White Sox with a minor-league pitcher in exchange for infielder Wilson Betemit and two minor-league pitchers …
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Wow. A very interesting story!
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jfk-funr.htm
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CL, that was a very interesting article about Kennedy’s funeral. His assassination is something that I’ve always been interested in. Aside from all the conspiracy theories, I was born about ten weeks later (in Houston). My parents both grew up in Dallas and my grandparents lived very near the parade route and saw him about ten minutes before he was shot. Thanks for the post. Interesting perspective.
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Sorry to hear you were sick, SG.
I made a test batch of bite-size cheesecakes today that will hopefully get me a catering job tomorrow. Dessert for approx. 100 people. I can do that… I hope. Cross your fingers.
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FBG, if you send a couple my way I’d be happy to test them for you. You know, all in the name of “quality control” of course. 🙂
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Sure, Chris. Send the rented refrigerator truck down & I’ll load it up.
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SG hs it right now. I’ll send him down with it. Unless he sold it to buy South Florida property, of course.
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CL, I could only get about 1/3 of a second the first time, then made it a full 4.54 seconds. Quite proud of that fact…
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He could take his pick. Nobody’s buying anything down here.
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That’s good, Ber. Took me a few tries but I went just over 4.
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Well, found out the trick with that game is to always go straight down, otherwise you are road kill. No joke, got zapped about 10 times at 9.75 seconds, they just didn’t want me to get to 10! Then the batteries in my mouse died, and was finally about to get to 10.25 seconds. HAD to get to 10, but that was enough!
CL, if you could get to 18, that’s amazin’!
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Good morning friends…. Nothing new on the Braves front overnight. However, pitchers and catchers are no doubt shaking the sleep from their eyes and readying themselves for early morning workouts as Camp Leo uh.. pitching camp begins. Now, does anyone actually know what takes place in these camps? Long toss? Jumping jacks? Meetings? Golf sessions… Does anyone actually throw off the mound?
Anyway, still much discussion in other quarters over who will be signed or traded for in the Bravos’ quest for a power hitting left fielder. One must wonder what untold riches the Yankees are asking for the likes of Nady or Swisher. I say roll the dice and make Manny an offer he can’t refuse. It would tilt the entire baseball universe were that to happen.
I know… very doubtful for that to happen but it would make things very interesting in Atlanta….
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G’morning, all.
Gil, they do throw off mounds this week. They basically get a 10 day jump on ST, all completely voluntary, of course. The purpose is that they don’t spend all of ST getting their arms ready, rather working on pitches, location, etc.
Given Rosenthal’s take that the Yanks really want some return of prospects for what was given up in the trades for Swisher/Nady, I wonder if they’d take back some salary? That could make everyone happy.
Me? I’d just as soon go into ST with Diaz/BJones platooning in left, and Schafer or Anderson in center, and spending the remaining $$$ on Ohman and a healthy Glavine. But that’s just me.
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Ya know… I can’t stand the Manny circus. It’s not like the Barroid circus, but distasteful nonetheless.
That being said, he’d sure put butts in the seats, wouldn’t he? I wonder what the revenue enhancement to salary ratio might be? Would he pay for himself in tickets, merchandise, concessions, etc.? Maybe…
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Don’t get me wrong, I don’t equate Manny’s vices to those of Barroid. I just believe Manny quit on his team (Sox) in the middle of a pennant race over contract issues. I can’t get past that. Barroid is a cheater; Manny is a quitter.
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In the old days, Manny would be the perfect star of a little TV show found on Superstation WTBS called America’s Team.
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Anyone remember how some other folks who came to the Braves had reputations as being badboys? Two off the top of my head were JD Drew and Gary Sheffield. Of course there was the human spin machine Neon Dion..
They all worked out pretty well while in Atlanta. Perhaps it’s the laid back atmosphere that allowed them to fly under they wire a bit.
Some of the worst did not even make a blip until traded. Anyone remember the name Tim Spooneybarger?
I know it is not realistic to think the Brave would pay 25 million for a left fielder. They just don’t put that kind of money in a player not named Mike Hampton. (adjusted for inflation of course)
Anyway, I expect a trade to develop for someone we have not heard of before for some players we also have not heard of before. Just the way the Braves operate.
And oatmeal? That must be some good oatmeal to get up early and have a meeting over. I’m going for the 3 egg western omelet myself…
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Raisins, I don’t think Manny is a quitter as much as he is sensitive… I know, I know… Supposed to be adults making that kind of money but money doesn’t buy brains….
I just don’t think Manny liked Boston, the town. They’ve got some pretty bigoted folks up there.
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Mornin’. I’m inclined to agree with Raisins on LF, Ohman and Glavine. Thing is, I could care less about saving Liberty money on LF… I’d just like to see what the kids do. Otherwise, just wait and spend big bucks on a top tier bat whenever they become available during the first half.
The only big problem is cleanup. Having no power threat there changes the entire order and production. Chipper won’t see nearly as many to hit. BMac would shine in the 5 spot but cleanup is not his strong suit.
Kotchman has promise as a good first bagger on D and a decent hitter but not as a cleanup. So, with no changes, we don’t have a big bat at first, LF or RF. That’s gonna make for a long summer unless most of our offense plays great small ball, gets on base, move runners over, drives doubles into the gaps and score runs throughout the game.
Either way, the Braves may not be stacked with All-Stars like Boston and NY but it’ll be a good lineup to watch and, if everyone has a good season, they have the talent to win games. The kids in LF or a big bat there. Mox nix.
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Gotta have my Pops… 😀
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I expect a trade to develop for someone we have not heard of before for some players we also have not heard of before. Just the way the Braves operate
That was a signature tactic of John Schuerholz. I wonder if Frank learned that art…
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Yes, the 4 hole is/has been a problem for the Braves. Abreu or Nady or Dye would fill the bill nicely I think, Swisher too but he reminds me a lot of Kelly Johnson but without the patience.
Heck, Nick Johnson would be a good fit if the Braves could teach Kotchman to play left field. Okay, maybe not…
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As I have said often, much hinges on the ability of FrenchVanilla to put up pre-2008 numbers. And I have and will again advocate Chipper at cleanup. My lineup:
1- Anderson (L) – .364 OBP in 203 career ML AB’s, can steal bases
or Schafer (L) – if he wins the job
2- Escobar (R) – .303 hitter averaging 35 2B’s and 11 HR’s over his young career
3- KJ (L) – Sept. ’08 numbers: .398 avg., 1.071 OPS, 3 HR’s, 9 doubles, when he’s on he is a doubles machine
4- Chipper (S) – he’s Chipper
5- Mac (L) – again, ’nuff said
6- FrenchBread (R) – well documented; has changed his batting stance and has reportedly shed the upper body bulk that was a part of his ‘08 ills
7- Kotchman (L) – batted .296/.372/.467 in ‘07. ‘08 marred by death of his Mom and a mid-season trade. Was batting .287/.327/.448 prior to those events
8- Diaz/BJones (platoon) – Diaz kills LHP, BJones is a ?, but can’t be any worse than what we had last season
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I see where the Cubs traded Olson to the Mariners for Heilman I guess that takes care of the Peavy rumors to Chicago.
I think Tom Glavine is going to be in great demand by the end of spring training if he can still pitch.
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I hope Diaz comes back as the 2007 version and not the 2008 version of himself. I don’t know what happened to him in the off season last year but he went from being a very clutch hitter who put good swings on the ball to a guy who would swing at just about anything thrown around the plate and took some ugly hacks while doing it….
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The Braves are going to have to come up with a line up that can hit leafties as well as they hit righties. Of course, just having a line up that can hit period would be an upgrade from last year’s squad.
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Had a fairly interesting afternoon, yesterday. My wife had a doctor’s appointment yesterday in Little Rock, and I went along with her so she woudn’t have to make that long drive by herself. She ended up having to have some blood work done and I have been known to get quesey at the sight of human blood, so I stayed in the waiting room. Everything went fine until the walk back to the elevator, and for some reason I just started thinking about it and started to get dizzy. We got in the elevator on the 5th floor, headed for the 1st. Before we got to 3, I went down like a sack of potatoes. I woke up propped in the corner of the elevator on the 1st floor with about 10 people staring at me. My wife is an RN, so she pretty much had it under control, but she grabbed a doctor in the lobby and they helped me into a room with a bed until I gained my composure. After about 10 minutes I was fine…embarassed, but fine and able to walk out the door.
Now I can field-dress heart-shot deer by the truckload or watch the bloodiest movie you can throw at me and never give an inch, but for some reason, human blood in person is different. That’s the 3rd time it has happened to me, but it’s been about 15 years since the last episode. I’m just glad it happened in Little Rock, where nobody knows me 😳
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Getting use to it is an acquired trait Hillbilly. Some things you never get use to. I was in EMS for 42 years. We had one guy who had somatic distress every time we would have a DOA. It was like someone turning on a light switch. At the sight of a dead person, he would have diarrhea within five minutes. Poor guy, always seem to run (no pun intended 🙂 ) the most of them too. So you see, a little fainting spell is not so bad… you could have had 10 people trying to get as far away from you as possible… 🙂
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By the way, are you allowed to hunt with a high powered rifle where you live? They are restricted pretty much to west of the Blue Ridge in Virginia.
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Yes Gil, we have Bow season from October 1st to February 28th, Modern Gun (rifle or shotgun) Season from the 2nd week of November until Christmas, and Black Powder gun season for a week in the middle of October and again for 3 days around New Years.
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I can field-dress heart-shot deer by the truckload
But can you field dress a gut shot hog without getting queasy? I’ve seen lifetime Dan’l Boone’s gag, turn pale and get all weak in the knees with those.
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‘Morning, everyone!
HB, I think each of us has our ‘Achilles heel’ – and it always seems to pop up when we least want it – such as, in some public/embarrassing place or situation, doesn’t it?!
Did y’all see this??? That young woman who had the eight babies a few days ago? She already had SIX children – ages 7, 6, 5, 3, and 2-yr-old twins – when she went to a fertility center which resulted in these 8 additional babies. And she’s single. Lives with her parents.
14 children ages 7 and below. Single. No income. Mooching off her parents.
The doctor/clinic who gave her the fertility drugs should be sued. By the US taxpayer who will support her and the current 14 children plus (since she’s young) whatever additional babies she has.
Common sense is surely a rare trait in the world today.
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Less’ee… under Obama’s plan, she’ll get $290,000 per for 14. That comes to $4 mil and change. Seems having square heels could really pay big.
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Did you know that aspirin is a very effective birth control device?
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Yep… just get the lady to hold one between her knees, and it is virtually fool-proof. 😀
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Hillbilly, after my wife had major surgery I was required to do her wound care for months. It did take some getting used to… not fun, but after a few times it got easier. I think you just have to think of it as a doctor… just blood and debris.
An old friend of hers showed up for a few days during this time. She had just gotten into nursing school and was interested in helping me with the wound care. By then, the wound was very small and barely a trace of blood.
I got the gauze, gloves and ointment, and basically did it myself while she watched so that she could do it herself next time. Upon the appearance of a tiny trickle of blood, no more than a few droplets, she gagged and had to almost run out of the room. It was pretty funny, seeing a student nurse do that over such a small wound at the time.
Needless to say, after that she decided to go into radiology and not nursing.
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SG,
A gut-shot hog doesn’t bother me much either. I might use a little “Blue language” toward the the smell {or toward the shooter for his shot placement 🙂 }, but the thought of what’s on my hands doesn’t make me light-headed and ready to hit the dirt like I did yesterday.
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CL, so that you know: the hunter’s “blue language” that Hillbilly refers to is saying stuff like, “Heavens, that smell is horrid”, “Gee willikers, that’s a real stinker” or “Yukky” and stuff like that. 😆
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😆
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I had no doubt! 😆
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There is an odor that is etched into my memory I shall never forget, that was the smells associated with hog killing time and boiling the hide off of them…. There are some others but in deference to the lady of Carolina, I shall keep those to myself… WHEW-WEEE…
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“Heavens, that smell is horrid”, “Gee willikers, that’s a real stinker” or “Yukky” and stuff like that.
Yeah, something like that, but different…….waaaaaaaaaay different.
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Hunters are animals. Predators. Cave men.
Yea, if the smell was really bad and the hunters were all drinking too much Iced Tea and GatorAde around the skinnin’ rack, invariably you would hear somebody around camp stoop to really bad language and say, “Eww, gross”.
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Mountain Dew. That’s what always gets me. I can be in total control of myself and my actions, and somebody will break out the Mountain Dew. Then… well… I’ve been know to throw out a “dang” or “dagnabit” myself…
I’m not proud of it, but I have to face it. 😳
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Wash that mouth out with soap Raisins. There are Ladies present.
Boy, this blog is slow for only 333 posts. Must be more WordPress improvements.
Now baseball: So, I understand we have roughly between $90 and $100 mil locked up in salaries with between $5 and $10 mil to spend. If it’s the lower side of that number we can forget Dunn, Abreau and other top-tier big boppers for LF. If we still have and spend the high side of that guesstimate, we could sign one of those guys, a backup catcher and Glavine. A few mil one way or the other could make the difference between, on paper anyway, a second place team and a fourth place team. We shall see.
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Abreau, Abreu, tomato tomaato, potato pattato… let’s call the whole thing off.
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When I was a kid, I HATED getting my finger pricked for blood. Not the blood,but the pain, since they didn’t have the adjustable finger prickers and the nurses at my pediatrician did it all day, didn’t care that my finger would hurt the next week.
Anyway, first time I had to give blood from the arm for tests, little to no pain! Loved it! Didn’t mind watching either. Then, one time when I had mono(Have had it twice in my life, never from kissing a girl! ;( ) and was feeling pretty weak, as soon as they started to take the blood, I started to feel weak and like I was going to pass out, the staff started to get all panicky, and had me lay down. It passed in a few minutes.
Figured it was my sickness, and didn’t think about it again. A while later, I had more blood taken for tests, but it was a day I hadn’t eaten for a few hours, and my blood sugar was low(Back when that was my problem) Anywho, soon as they took the blood out, and I watched, I started to feel woozy again, and had to lay down and eat some sugar.
After that, then I worried about watching the blood being taken out, and rarely watch. Sigh…..
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Got a BUC, SG. David Ross… signed December 5 for 2 years/$3M.
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finger pricks… 😆
As an older teenager, I had already been playing guitar for several years, and had some pretty impressive callouses built up on the ol’ fingertips. I can remember going to the mall, and they would have booths set up to do finger pricks to check for diabetes. I’d always go to ’em and give ’em my left hand and watch as they’d get frustrated trying to hit my finger with those little needles that didn’t stand a chance. It was pretty funny watching their faces as they got frustrated. 😆
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I know… crazy teenagers… Must have been the Mountain Dew. 😀
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Huddy sighting!
Tim Hudson participated in the Braves pitching camp, which began Friday, on a limited basis.
The Braves right-hander is recovering from August ligament transplant surgery. He has been throwing from 120 feet as part of his rehabilitation, working to build his arm strength.
Hudson may begin some light throwing from a mound next week.
Hudson is still targeting an August return to the Braves starting rotation. –ajc.com
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Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson, Mike Gonzalez, Anthony Lerew, Blaine Boyer and Eric O’Flaherty were the only pitchers in the voluntary camp today, according to the beat writer across the street.
Clint Sammons and some dude named Alan Butts were the only catchers. No McCann.
Who the heck is Alan Butts?
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Started to reply to the finger pricking Raisins but thought better of it, I didn’t want to get banished to land of misfit bloggers… 🙂
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Wasn’t he the bullpen catcher for the Braves last year?
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Pictures from camp:
http://projects.ajc.com/gallery/view/sports/braves/braves-pitching-camp/
Apparently, Stephen Marek was there, too, although not named by Mr. O’Brien earlier.
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evidently there were a lot of players not mentioned. 16 total according to the pictures.
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Roger sure doesn’t have much of a camp there. No tents, no campfire… and that mosquito netting wouldn’t keep anything out. Roger must be a city boy.
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Boy, Merek is really young isn’t he.. I swear he looks like Lillibridge’s kid brother.
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Gonzo’s the only one who didn’t look like he just rolled out of bed.
Hillbilly, I feel your pain. I have a tendency to faint, not at the sight of blood but when I’m overheated & such. Very embarassing. I’ve gotten so good at reading the warning signs that’s it’s been years since I actually fainted. I guess I could be very Southern Belle & say I “swoon”. If you feel it coming on, lie down & get your feet higher than your head.
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Umm… why would anyone who already had 6 kids be accepted as a patient by a fertility doctor? His or her license had better be under review pronto. Something is very wrong there.
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The cheesecakes were a hit. Looks like I’ll have a catering job.
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Congrats FBG!
That is an excellent question about that crazy woman. Apparently she lives with her parents. While I don’t know whether or not she is married I do have questions about her ability to pay for all those children. The hospital she’s in (Kaiser) is the hospital that poor folks go to (according to my wife who lived in Ca. for many years).
What the hell was she thinking and what the hell was her doctor thinking?
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Hey gal… glad to hear of your success. Josie is prone to getting overheated too. I suppose that is why she like to keep the thermostat at sub arctic levels. I have learned o compromise however, I wear a lot of sweaters and flannel shirts…
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What were they thinking? Stimulus checks>>>>>
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I don’t know about her but her Dr. better be thinking up an explanation for the review board. She probably thinks she can get on TV or something.
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You know what they say, It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature…
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Yeah, there are times when Mom & Melissa are bundled up & I’m still in shorts & a t-shirt.
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Our very own Lew Hartman is featured in the latest copy of “Chop Talk”. Here’s a link with a scan of the article (you might need to enlarge it to read).
I guess the rest of Braves nation is going to find out what we’ve known for a long time! Congratulations Lew!
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Speaking of temperatures, ours has plunged again. 30s tonight & tom. night. This is the most cold weather we’ve had in the past several winters. We’re going to Disney so I think some hot chocolate will be drunk & some quality time will be spent by the humongous fireplace in Wilderness Lodge.
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Woohoo!!! Yay Lew!!!! 😀
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I realize that I’ve only been back a week or so but I don’t recall Willy Wally, Grinch or Scribe around. Those cats ever wander in?
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Haven’t seen WW or Scribe in quite a while & I don’t know how to get in touch with either so I hope all is well. Grinch is under an avalanche of schoolwork & family obligations. He’s supposed to come visit me when the semester ends in May ( that’s when I’ll be on the extended trip to Tiger) so I can make sure he takes a break.
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That’s too bad. THey all bring good stuff to the equation.
All right, I need to go to bed. Been sick the last couple of days and need my beauty sleep. And a lot of it!
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Poor baby. Get better soon!
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Another cheery little fact about Octomom : Apparently she filed for bankruptcy last year.
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OK kids, I’ll see y’all Sunday night!
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According to the last news report I read about octomom, she is NOT married, her father is Iraqi and is “going back to Iraq to earn more money to support all the children.”
Now that sure raises some questions! What about all the rigid rules of purity, etc forced on Muslim women vs having 14 fatherless children? He can earn more money in Iraq than in the US? What is the purpose of having all these children??
These last babies were embryos implanted by the fertility doc. He is from India. “I’m not the baby cop. It isn’t up to me to tell people how many babies they should have.”
Octomom: “I had no idea I’d have so many babies.” Duh…..
Somebody has some mental issues – at the very least!
Something just isn’t kosher! And no pun intended.
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NOT married, her father is Iraqi and is “going back to Iraq to earn more money to support all the children. What is the purpose of having all these children??
So they can be indoctina… uh, schooled and trained properly before coming back and running for President one day?
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Oh, wow. Read this article on her:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,486248,00.html
Yep. Mental issues. And one of the sons she had already is autistic. Yes, she had been married but that’s all right because he wasn’t the father of any of her children. oooookay! That lady is a mental case!
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And they all live in a 1550 sq ft house??
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Heavens… Nadya Suleman is a nut case. The mother should receive immediate psychiatric care and be closely monitored to make sure the children are safe. She should immediately have her tubes tied.
Her “unknown” fertility doctor should immediately lose his or her license to practice medicine. The clinic should lose all funding and both parties should be required to pay for the Suleman kids until they are 18 years old. Special prayers and church, good Samaritan or volunteer assistance should go to the grandmother and the children.
The unwitting donor (father) should change his name and move to another country as fast as possible.
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Slow day on the blog… Uh, maybe ABC will do a home makeover for her… seems to fit the criteria…
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Gil, she doesn’t have a home. She lives with her parents.
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Braves and Kotch avoid arb:
http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/st/archives/2009/01/braves_sign_kot.html
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Philthies are looking at Ohman:
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/features/rumors?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fmlb%2ffeatures%2frumors
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Slow day and sleepy town tonight.
Stuffville is hibernating. Just when you think there might be some action, the lights are even off down at Klobber’s Saloon. Such is life in a small town in winter. Guess I’ll just shrug shoulders, put the jacket collar up to avoid the breeze, hands in pockets, mosey off and kick this old can down Main Street.
These aluminum cans just don’t kick like they used to…
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lights off at the saloon?
Blasphemy
I don’t know that I can forgive any of you.
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Welcome stranger…. Knock the dust off and stay awhile.
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It has become a little slow around here on weekends Steve.
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Geoff Bodine gonna qualify for the 500, Gil?
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BAS has lived in San Fran for so long, he’s as white as Lew, and the Invisible Man!!!
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And I bet ol’ Steve doesn’t talk about his secret shames at the oxygen bars. Not a lot of love for Braves lovin’ NASCAR fans in SF, I imagine! 😛
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Mornin’, All! Playing (lotsa) catch-up on Stuff-ville happenings!
That being said, he’d(Manny) sure put butts in the seats, wouldn’t he?
I don’t think anything/anyone will put butts in the seats this year…’cept hope…real hope…stimulatin’ hope, if you catch my drift. Hope has been passed, apparently, but the stimulation was omitted. 😦
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Steve…help us out! Are you up late, or arising early! 😆 Let me guess, on a whim, after leavin’ ye old waterin’ hole, you hit Starbucks before it closed for a double espresso! It kicked in, and won’t wear off until Starbucks opens again? 😛
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Octomom=Reality TV
The Iowa family has been upstaged!
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Enjoy Super Sunday…will try to check in before Braves head north from ST! Busy….busy, busy, busy…SG kinda busy!
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Good morning all… ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL??? Another commercialize holiday is upon us. And to quote Michael Vick, I don’t have a dog in that fight….
Steelers will blow the Cardinals out. I expect it will be an ugly game, lots of beer will be sold today too… And what of counter programing? Not much available I’m afraid.
Real baseball begins tomorrow at 5PM on the MLB channel. Caribbean world series will be televised live. Perhaps a chance to see some of the Braves’ rookies play.
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What’s with all this work? You fellas act like you have to make a living or something… 🙂
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will try to check in before Braves head north from ST!
You trying to say we may not hear from you until April?!?!? 😯
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You’ve probably seen it by now, but this is a GREAT article on Gonzo!
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090130&content_id=3786670&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
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Another good article (this by O’Brien) which you also may have seen (I’m catching up after a busy few days!):
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/01/30/braves_pitching_camp.html
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Salty, you do not have permission to be AWOL!
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Gil, Kurt Warner is a great comeback story(And we all know those turn out like they do in hollywood)and the cardinals will kick those pansy arsed Steeler’s butts!!! 😡
My friend in Savannah things since I, and the Cardinals were once in St. Louis, I should be rooting for them.
Kurt Warner is the reason though. I will flip by at some point, and if it’s a blowout, I will not watch any more. If it’s close, I’ll flip by more often.
Berigan<—- fair weather fan of football.
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CL, I had to laugh at the AJC article when I first saw that Bobby was excited about the rested Gonzo and Hanson, of course they are rested, he hasn’t had a chance to overuse them yet! 😛 Hopefully, with all the guys that pitched 200 + innings here, they won’t get too worn down this year. Watch, Javy and Lowe will run into each other at full speed in spring training, and miss the first half of the year! Always with the positive thoughts!
saw this recipe on the website, I can feel my arteries clog with the first bite!!!
FLB, will you be making these????
http://projects.eveningedge.com/gallery/view/evening-edge/bacon-explosion-recipe/#sldr
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The bacon thing: 😯
Where is everybody, Ber??
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Where is that can SG found? Gotta be around here somewhere…..ah! there it is!
Hm. He’s right. It doesn’t kick very well…..
sigh….
OK…..
bye…
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I guess they are watching that game, some bowl of some sort….I thought all the college games were over! 😀
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As usual in my household, Josie is rooting for one team while I root for another. Guess who’s team is winning???
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Gil, at least it stops at sports, and doesn’t go into politics, does it???
If it does, 😯
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We have very civil disagreements. I am very proud of her in how much she has grown in politics. She has progresses from being a single issue voter to a person who really studies each candidate and is very informed in her decision making. Proving she is smart as well as beautiful… 🙂
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What a good Super Bowl game this has turned out to be..
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I gave up when it was 20-7, looks like that was still a smart move, not getting all excited, to only see the Cards lose anyway…
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That was way more entertaining than I thought it’d be. The Cardinals should hold their heads up high.
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We took the backroads from Disney to home, trying to stay as far away from Tampa as possible. I4 is a mess at the best of times & when there’s extra cars… 😯 .
No bacon explosions here, Ber. Sounds revolting.
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Dad watched the game, though he’s not into pro football much. He loves college & high school football. I read. I did see a few weird commercials & some wild hair on a few players. Doesn’t it get pulled out?
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FLB, I LOVE bacon, but thats pretty gross, I have to say. But, “they” say it’s really popular…for some reason.
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Well, I’m not very carnivorous so it was really nasty-sounding to me.
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Even a long hair hippy like myself hates the long hair on football players. Looks crazy. Heard one guy hasn’t cut his hair since his Mom died, and now has dreds like she had…so I’ll cut him some slack.
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I’m very carnivorous, perhaps too carnivorous. I never went all Elvis with bacon(Eating the whole pound)but, I sure could.
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You’d think it would get ripped out, crashing into each other all the time.
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Mmmmm, bacon.
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You me and Elvis, Steve!
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An Atkins Dream meal…
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:mrgreeen:
I predict, V will post here soon, since his avatar is all funky colored….
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mee speel goud
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Define “soon”. 😀
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since his avatar is all funky colored…
That’s my 1981 Kramer Pacer. Cool color, huh?
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Define “soon”
Presently???
Right about now???
In a fair piece???
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Yep, were you bathed in purple light??? Or is that just an old Polaroid???
Good gravy the blog is slow today! Why doesn’t someone write a new lead?? Oh wait…nevermind…its fast enough! 😀
Actually, CL or Gil, I just sent one…short but it’ll do….
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Morning Y’all… An entertaining football game last night. I thought I was going to be neutral but found myself pulling for the Cardinals. I guess I just love rooting for the underdog. They gave a pretty good account of themselves I think.
Real baseball games start tonight at 5pm on the MLB channel. Caribbean World Series. I have no idea who is playing but at this point I don’t care. I am sure I will recognize somebody…
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Thanks Ber… I have part II ready I think, I think CL will be around one more day but just in case I will check the mailbox.
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I think CL will be around one more day but just in case I will check the mailbox
Uh… hopefully she’ll be around alot longer. 😀
Seriously, she does have that surgery thang hap’nin’ tomorrow, doesn’t she? She’ll have several prayer warriors around here, I’ll bet…
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Such a slow news time…
It’s the lull leading up to Spring Training. Traditionally, most teams have met their greatest needs according to their ability to do so, and are approaching Spring Training to look at what they have, assess what they still need, and try to match up with another team.
This year, it’s the same, just different. This year, only the Yankees and Cubs can shop at Macy’s; everyone else is waiting for the Thrift Store to open. Now, everyone is waiting for Spring Training to look at what they have, assess what they still need, and try to match up with another team who also is trying to cobble a team together with the least committed dollars.
Part of me says this is the responsible way to do it. Past GM’s have committed too many guaranteed $$$ to risky contracts. This year, the risk is being scaled back. Just look to Andruw, who can’t even get a sniff, if you don’t believe it. Abreu? Dunn? Last year, they would have raked in the coin. This year, they’re still raking leaves.
Oh yeah… I hear Don Fehr has already uttered the “C” word. Collusion…
I’d love to have owners who would just pony up the dough to buy a couple of outfielders. I would have loved to see an owner tell Smoltz, “Here. Fill in your own figure. You’re a franchise icon. It doesn’t matter if you can realistically contribute a full season or not.” I’d love to see an owner toss cash around like Ted Turner once did. But times have changed. Responsibility is more than an affliction affecting the middle class. It’s the new way of doing business.
Silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud?
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Hard to argue collusion the way the Red Sox and the Yankees are spending. I think it is much more like an auction in that folks are waiting to see what the opening bid is going to be.
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I think every club knows pretty much what everyone else has and needs. I also think they have a pretty good handle on what they have spent and what they have committee to as well as how much money they still have available. If they don’t, they are not very smart…
They may not know the hole cards but everyone sees the river…
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28 straight 12 hour days starts today. Full refinery shutdown. See y’all in March 😦
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I think the Mets may be a bit nervous too. CitiCorp is having it’s spending looked into and I don’t see stockholders honoring naming rights as a priority.
A lot like Gwinnett, but different….
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Hillbilly, been there and done that… Not a lot of fun but it sure does keep the wolf away from the door. Hope you have automatic deposit…
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Hillbilly, that sucks! But, you might be able to buy Adam Dunn for us with all the moola you’ll make! 😛
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Hey, open a second brower make a post, then go to this thread on new brower. Post is there long before it goes through!
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look how fast i can post this way!
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amazin’ ain’t it?
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Salary job…no overtime. Damn, that college education.
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Obamanomics…
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List of players out of options going into ST. Likely trade candidates, unless they have a spot sewn up…
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List of players out of options going into ST. Likely trade candidates, unless they have a spot sewn up…
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/02/out-of-options.html
Posting the link makes a little more sense… 😳
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Too funny…
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filtered yet again… 😦
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WP hates YouTube. Bet I can get around it though. Let’s try this link:
http://boortz.com/more/video/unusual_mug_shot.html
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😀
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Man, depressing and funny all at the same time V!
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Perhaps Selig can lend a team a million or 2 so they can sign Abreu or Dunn
Only 3 players made more than Selig
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3878964
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Wow, B. Never really thought about how much coin Selig was pocketing. Bet he doesn’t have to worry about being laid off, either.
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Hillbilly, they have to give you comp time… Unless you are a retail manager, you still have to be compensated. Now, they may choose to give you a bonus but comp time works pretty well. If you want me too, I’ll get the site from which I am referencing.
We had the same situation come up at DuPont, just because you are salary does not mean you are not supposed to be compensated. Now they might try to intimidate you but the law is the law.
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Hillbilly.. Here is the link.
Click to access wageindex.download
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Yep, that’s 4 players who can feel pretty confident they will be in the majors this year. Look for Blanco to be sent down this year rather than Anderson if they are still with the club at the end of spring training. I am going to be very interested in how Larew does this spring.
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28 straight 12 hour days
Hillbilly, I feel for ya an all, but man… I spent a large part of two decades with 12 hour days. Pace yourself and count your blessings. After a few weeks you’ll see whether this is going to be a company habit or just temporary crisis management due to the economy. If it seems to be a company habit or unfair business practice, pick your best time and re-negotiate. That is, after making yourself indispensable to the point of causing fear of losing you. Make the company and the boss helpless without you. Works every time.
Unrequested advice is painful, eh? Sorry.
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Then again, if you’re a Union man, scratch that advice. Gil’s gotcha covered.
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Tomorrow CL to the DL. Godspeed with recovery.
Could be Smoltzy sympathy pain? 😆
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Gotta sign off, y’all, my eyes are bleary and my brain is running out of my ears. It’s been another 14 hour, yes… 14 hour day. Were’nt the first, won’t be the last.
Now, I’ve DVR’d a new House and a new 24 so I can FF the commercials.
Rainy night, popcorn and TV time! 😀
G’nite all.
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SG, I keep forgetting to say I am watching 24 as well…..it is a show that has to be watched with commericals FF’ed, ain’t it??? Too suspenseful to wait 4-5 minutes to get back to the plot….
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Jayson Stark is reporting that the Dodgers have offered Manny a 1 yr/$25MM deal with a 48 hour deadline to accept/decline.
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I saw that too Raisins. I hope he declines it and the Dodgers move on. Then Man Ram can tell Boras to kiss his arse and get lost. It’d be great to see him lose a high roller like Ramirez.
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VOR’s all purple! I love it! ( and really, aren’t raisins supposed to be purplish?)
Hang in there, Hillbilly. We’ll be thinking about you.
Anybody know what time CL goes in tomorrow ( later today really) so I know when to start fretting?
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in honor of cl who’s on the dl, im blogging with only my left habnd roday. spelling, puntuatuion aan capitalization will all suffer
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Good morning, all! Time of surgery changed to NOON… 😡 Will leave here in a few minutes. Should be back late this afternoon. Will probably (hopefully) be DRUGGED so not sure when I’ll be in blogging shape. I told Kelly to leave a note here sometime after I get back home.
THANKS for you prayers!!!!! Please keep it up!!!!! See ya later!
love to all of you,
CL
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manny says no
http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodgers-manny-ramirez3-2009feb03,0,3789499.story
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According to the NY Daily News, the ChiSox have offered Abreu a 1 yr/$8MM deal. Don’t they have a full OF already? Does this mean Dye might be traded to make room both on the field and on the payroll?
Intriguing…
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:oops;
i fofgot aboit my one handedd bloggong there for a seconnd.
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OK.. My one handed blogging lasted about 5 hours. CL, you have my prayers and my sympathy, but I must have both hands on the keyboard. I am too much of a perfectionist, and too impatient. I hope you don’t share those qualities to much for a few weeks.
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Another tax cheat won’t be allowed to be part of the Obama Cabinet, sadly enough, we won’t have Daschole to kick around. He’ll have to go back to that 86K a month consulting job. Now, he just needs to remember to pay taxes every month.
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OK, I want to bring a topic out of, well… out of left field.
Much has been hashed and rehashed here and elsewhere about the Braves woeful power shortage in last years outfield. It was so pitiful, I won’t even bother to post the sad numbers here. Not necessary. I agree that the Braves must improve in that area; they must find more power in their lineup. We gotta have that boppin’ left fielder, right? Well, I would like to take a slightly altered stance, no pun intended, Jeff. (OK, it was intended… ) I’m not so sure they need to concentrate all of their energy in finding the “power bat” they lacked last season.
In 1991, the Braves had a lineup that was pretty impressive offensively. They had Ron Gant and David Justice who could both jack the ball a mile. They had Sid Bream at 1B, with whom I think it is fair to compare our current 1B. They had the very consistent TP at 3B. Our current 3B is the same consistent, only better. They had nominal offense from 2B; KJ is better. They had decent to nominal offense from SS; Yunel is better. To me, though, the one piece that made that whole offense go was… Otis Nixon. He was the key.
In 1991, Otis Nixon hit .297 with a great OBP of .371, but a relatively minuscule SLG of .327. Know how many HR’s he hit? Zero, zip, zilch, nada, none. Not a one. But he got on base, and he let the hitters behind him drive him in. In 1991, Otis scored 81 times in just 124 games. He also stole 72 bases. Did I mention he could really play a great CF?
Leadoff is pretty dang important.It truly sets the table for the run producers. What about last season’s World Series teams, Philadelphia and Tampa Bay? Their respective leadoff hitters were:
Phi: Shane Victorino, avg. .293, OBP 352, 36 stolen bases
TB: BJ Upton, avg. .273, OBP .383, 44 stolen bases
On April 1, 1991, John Schuerholz pulled a rabbit out of a hat and traded catcher Jimmy Kremers (yeah, I know… who?) to Montreal to get Otis. Nobody saw it coming, but JS did what he seemingly did often as GM and pulled off a trade during Spring Training that made an impact on the team’s success. How close of attention did Frank pay to his mentor’s slight of hand?
And who is this year’s Otis?
Well, Manny just said NO to LA, and the only other team remotely interested seems to be San Fran. They have a pretty crowded outfield already with Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn. Rowand’s contract will keep him from going anywhere. What about Lewis or Winn?
Randy Winn: (S), .306 / .363 / 25 SB’s, age 35, true leadoff hitter
Fred Lewis: (L), .282 / .351 / 21 SB’s, age 28, also a leadoff hitter
Isn’t that interesting? What about the almighty dollar?
Randy Winn: last year of contract that will pay $8.25MM
Fred Lewis: will make $392,000 in 2009 with only 1.129 years of major league service
The way I see it, we all need to hope SF gets Manny. We need to be there to pick up the remaining outfielder, which should be…
Randy Winn.
I’ll take him.
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Kelly here mom home safe and she says home. drunk. later. 🙂
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Raisins, White Sox have a similarly crowded outfield. I still say Anderson could fill the lead-off role. Perhaps we are over analyzing it. What has been the cause of the Braves’ failures the past three years? First year of the downward spiral was a lack of bull pen help, second year, just pitching in general and last year it was the starting rotation which caused the bullpen to collapse from over use.
Texieria was good for about 1 earned run a game more than without him. Still, between Andruw Jones and Jeff Francoeur, at lot of runners have been left on base.
More than just a power guy, it seems to me we need players who understand situational hitting.
You bring up a good point about Otis Nixon, Furcal filled the same role when he came up. It seem as if the Braves would always score in the first inning when he was leading off.
Thing is, Otis wasn’t just fast, he was quick and he made it his business to study opposing pitchers and could detected when to go and when to stay. Anderson and Blanco are fast but they are not real savvy.
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And Kelly, tell your mom we are thinking of her and glad she came through it ok. Drunk is actually a good thing right now….
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Just dropped in to see what condition CL’s condition was in.
Thanks Kelly. Glad to see the good report. Home safe is a good thing.
So… she stopped off at Klobber’s on the way home?
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Kelly, great news!!!! 🙂 Give her our best!!!
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Kelly, I’m glad to hear that your Mom is okay. Please give her my kindest regards and tell her that my thoughts are with her and I hope she has a speedy, yet full, recovery.
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Interesting article from Tom Verducci of SI.com titled “Who Will Be The Next Rays?”. He talks about teams with losing records in 08 that are poised to make the playoffs in 09. Here’s the link:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/02/03/2009.rays/index.html?eref=T1
If you don’t want to read the whole thing (which I recommend) here’s what he says about the Bravos:
Atlanta Braves. It’s hard to believe that the Braves sunk to 12th in runs allowed, their worst showing in 18 seasons. But they’ve done something about it. They added three starting pitchers: Lowe, the enigmatic Javier Vazquez and Kenshin Kawakami. Jair Jurrjens and Jorge Campillo are fine at the back end of the rotation. Are the Braves short on offense? Perhaps, but they did rank sixth in the league in runs last year, so if the run prevention improves as expected, they still should have enough offense to at least be a contender again.
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Thanks, Kelly!
You know, it might be entertaining to get CL on the blog while she’s medicated. 😉
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FBG, I could slip a little Knob Creek in her Diet Coke when she’s not looking and really spice things up!
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That combo is probably not a great idea.
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Happy Birthday, Chris!!!!! (((hugs))) It’s my dad’s B-day too, so I’ll never forget it.
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Thanks FBG, that’s so sweet of you to remember!
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🙂 🙂 🙂 Happy Birthday Chris!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thanks Ber!
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Good morning all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY KLOBBER….
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Yo, Klobber – Happy Birthday! 😀
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It’s 16 friggin’ degrees outside in Jefferson, GA. I’d like to kick Al Gore’s $%^&.
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Good thing we have global warming or it would be 12 degrees there. 🙄
It’s 25 here but the wind is howling at about 40mph. Blows right through ya out there… yeow. brrr.
Happy belated birthday Chris. Hope it was a good’un.
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Happy belated birthday Chris. Hope it was a good’un.
(Pssst… SG… it’s today. You didn’t miss it.)
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I knew that. 😳
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V, you’d just cause Algoracle brain damage if you did that…..
Colder than they said it would be!!! Yikes!!!! 😯
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Just went by Klobber’s Saloon to make sure the heat was working. Might need to huddle in there tonight. Gonna be a cold one. What does that say about Klobber, having a birthday on an arctic blast like this? Cold heart?
Anyhoo, as I was leaving, I saw a little note scrawled on a bar nap sitting beside an empty Knob Creek bottle, a Diet Coke can and one of those little umbrellas.
The note was kinda scratchy. Best I could tell, it said, “hellllooo efferbudy in Shuffville. My surschery wentt jusss fine annd guess what??? Noooo pain at all!!! Tee Hee. Hay, theesssee diet cokes shuuure are guuud hear at Klobber’s. Make me a nuther one’a those delichsce… dee… deelish… uh, good umbrella coke thingys for tha road, Klobberpoo… thish time hold the umbrella and the caffen… cafffien… uh, dite coke. Tee hee, Hic! Oops… tee hee…
Not sure who wrote it. 😯
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Was it written with a left-handed pencil?
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Hey, I am left handed! Where can I get one of those???
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It has warmed to 19 degrees now. Must be the cows in the pasture behind my lot…
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Ben Stein is my hero:
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/TV/People_Ben_Stein.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
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Rosenthal:
The Phillies decided Tuesday not to pursue free-agent left-hander Will Ohman,/b>, who could have helped fill the void created by J.C. Romero’s 50-game suspension. The team is close to its budget limit.
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Well… my HTML was a little off there… oh, well…
I need another cup of coffee. 😐
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SG, I think CL left the keys where you can easily find them! 😛
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Man I’m conflicted I just can’t seem to settle on a position with regard to Glavine.
On one hand, I think, if healthy, He’d be a great 5th starter. For one, he’s left-handed – something the Braves don’t have in their projected top 4. Second, he’s a veteran leader – something a young team can always benefit from.
On the other hand, the Braves have Jorge Campillo who can capably hold down the #5 job. He pitched well last season, at times the most dependable starter we had. He is already under contract and cheap. If he doesn’t start, he’ll cost either Jeff Bennett or Buddy Carlyle a job.
Let’s face it, $$$ is at the root of the conflict. A team can never, as we learned oh so well last season, have too much pitching. But Glavine’s potential $8MM can be used to pay Ohman, leaving a few $$$ left for an outfielder.
I can’t make up my mind how I really feel about it… I’m glad it’s not my job. 🙄
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Man, I thought the economy was bad before, listen to this! Nancy Pelosi says 500,000,000 people are losing their jobs every month!!!! 😯
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She is dumber than a bag of hammers. 😆
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thank goodness she’s not in any position of power! oh wait….
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Raisins…don’t pick on the hammers…they do their job! 😛
CL…get well…and keep an eye on your Diet Coke…don’t want your medication conflicted! 😆
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Happy Birthday, Klobber!
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Good pointy, Salty. I apologize to the hammers.
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don’t pick on the hammers…they do their job!
Good point Salty!
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Good pointy
😆 :lol:: 😳 😆
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A source close to the club has indicated the Giants are willing to offer Ramirez two years. Can you imagine Manny being so furious with the Dodgers, he would accept the same two-year, $45 million deal he rejected in L.A.? Unless he has a major problem with AT&T Park and the Bay Area weather, it could happen. — San Francisco Chronicle
Extra outfielders… I said it yesterday… don’t be surprised…
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Another step toward socialism…
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/US_President_And_White_House_Advisers/Bailout_Executive_Pay.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
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Boy, I’ll bet Bud is glad baseball didn’t accept any of the government’s money…
Funny thing of how history can prove a guy to be right. Bush should have fired the SEC chairman for incompetence. Actually, the whole bunch should share a cell with Madoff… Then again, they would probably like Barney’s present digs…
And baseball, did Frank Wren just exhale with the news from Philly? And Glavine, Sign him…. If he can pitch he is a number three….
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The same folks screaming about caps on executive salaries are the same folks who screamed because the rank and file wanted an extra 50 cents an hour.
Personally, I don’t think folks should be rewarded for failure. Feel the same way about labor too. Do a good job, be rewarded. Do a bad job, shown the door…
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And as for Madam Speaker, I think she is a “rock” star.. As in dumb as a box of rocks….
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Ah, Spring! 😯
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In honor of Chris’s Birthday, I am going to post part two of my pre-spring training report…
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New blog up
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