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by FloridaBravesGirl
I haven’t been to Turner Field for a few years… I was happy to see that the big chopping cow is not really that prominent & most unhappy to see that the BBQ no longer bears Skip & Pete’s names. Boo hiss.
Is anything cuter than those Little Leaguers parading around the field?
O Canada was sung beautifully by a member of the Atlanta Opera, followed by a somewhat less-polished Star Spangled Banner by a children’s choir. The entertainment value makes up for the few wince-inducing notes.
I was not aware there was a Kosher Day but the rabbi throwing out the first pitch sure seemed excited. Nice throw, sir.
Why do cheap hot dogs taste so good at the ballpark?
Filled out your All-Star ballots yet? I did a handful.
Why do the Braves hire the DMV photographer to take their player pics? Eek.
A very cool thing the Braves are doing: the Hometown Hero presentation. Every Sun. they introduce a recently returned local soldier on the field. The standing ovation for that gentleman was long & loud.
Do y’all think they have fans blowing the cinnamon-glazed nuts’ aroma into the stands? Mmm.
Even when he’s hurting Chipper still comes up with the big hit.
Woohoo! Diory’s 1st ( & 2nd) ML hit! Hope there’s many more.
A 7-run 7th! Jim, Don & Jake got to give away $$$ on radio.
Mac must have known I was wearing my new #16 shirt. That was worth sitting through a rainout the previous Sun., driving down in the rain & back home in a monsoon.
FBG
Braves & Stuff 
Just terrific, FBG! Congratulations! And thanks!!! 😀
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Awesome FBG… really makes me want to go out to the ol’ ballpark!
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Or is that F/GBG? 😀
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Re-post from the last blog:
The Braves have a singles hitter in LF, and a singles hitter in RF. At least they are getting occasional hits. They have an automatic out in CF.
Shafer is completely overmatched right now. The question is do you do more damage to his psyche by demoting him after 45 ML games, or by continuing to send him to the lions? I think he needs to go to AAA and get his stroke back.
It is still early in the trade market; teams at this point will get a premium return for helping a team fill a need. One exception may be St. Louis, who will have to do something when Ludwick comes off the DL. They have 4 OF starters for 3 spots. Don’t look for Ludwick to be moved, though. Ankiel is likely the odd man out there given this is his walk year. Walk year or not, 100 games of Ankiel may not be a bad thing.
Is that the answer? No. It’ll take more than that. If the door to the GM’s office had “Raisins” written on it, I’d work to make that deal now. I think a mid-level pitching prospect and a throw in would get it done. Then I’d sign FA Jim Edmonds for the bench. I’d do that today. Next, I’d work to make another deal at the trade deadline. There will be a bat or two available then, and I fully expect the homewren upstairs to be an active participant.
The bottom line is that one bat isn’t enough. It may be enough to earn the wild card, but not enough to really make any noise. One new bat will only propel the Braves outfield from “man, they really suck” to “they’re OK, but…”.
As Gil said above, the offense as currently constituted simply cannot overcome a less than stellar pitching performance. True dat..
As is, the Braves are a .500 team. One additional bat yields an 86 win season at best. Two new bats equals 92+ wins and October baseball for the first time in 4 years.
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Just saw this on Bowman’s Blog:
“When Garret Anderson and Brian McCann returned to the lineup, Jeff Francoeur wasn’t happy about the fact that he was primarily hitting seventh, where he says pitchers were less apt to pitch to him because he had Jordan Schafer and the pitcher’s spot sitting behind him. “
WHAT!? That pitch 8 inches off the outside corner and ankle high was put there for you to swing at. Nobody’s pitching around you, Jeff. They’re exploiting your weakness. Get over yourself and quit blaming your futility on the rookie. Your mouth has become as wreckless as your plate approach. Enough is enough.
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Gordon Edes of Yahoo!Sports:
The Boston Red Sox have been scouting underachieving Atlanta outfielder Jeff Francoeur as they look to improve their outfield depth, especially in right field. J.D. Drew(notes) has had back and shoulder issues and seldom makes it through a season without breaking down, while his backup, Rocco Baldelli(notes), has ongoing medical concerns that make his availability suspect.
Francoeur, 25, hasn’t regained the power stroke that netted him 29 home runs in 2006, his first full season in the big leagues, but some scouts are convinced a change of scenery would do him wonders. And his durability is unquestioned – Francoeur did not miss a game in 2006 and ’07 and played in 155 in 2008.
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Great job Jennifer…
So, I guess Pittsburgh is not willing to give up Nate McClough…
Reality is the price is going to be high for a commodity in much demand and little supply. I guess this is the real results of the crackdown on HGH and steroids… Lots of players now exhibit warning track power.
And yeah… If a guy is not getting pitches to hit, he should be on base a lot from all the walks he should be taking.
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Slow day on the blog…. I have been trying to muster the energy to go outside and start digging post holes. While in a recumbent position I seem to have all sorts of gumption to get started but once standing, my back and legs tell me otherwise… RATS… 😦
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Very nice Je…Err, FBG! 😉
Clearly you are more relaxed as a writer…none of us here are born writers, but we make do with what we have, right??? Bet a few years back you couldn’t imagine doing something like writing a lead…
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V, I think signing Edmonds would be a fine idea, but is it too late??? I mean we are practically in June…how long would it take for him to warm up???
Speaking of Cardinal outfielder…one I didn’t see you or DOB mention…Chris Duncan??? Of course I see only 4 homers right now…26 RBI’s and he is forever taken out of games for defensive purposes…can’t be any worse than the guy we have in left though, can he/??
And what do we get back from the Sox for Frenchy…Pitching??? That is what they are overloaded with.
I bet anything they would make him go to AAA for a month…and try to get him to unlearn everything TP has taught him.
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can’t real what Olney said exactly(Gotta be an insider), but via mlb trade rumors
Olney heard that “Atlanta hasn’t gotten fully engaged yet” in their attempt to augment their outfield.
Umm, what’s that mean??? Just kinda/sorta talking about it?? Take your time Wren, it’s not like the Phillies are starting to get their act together or anything! 🙄
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Not yet fully engaged… Like going steady… but different
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careful there Gil!
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More evidence emerges that Chrysler Dealer closings was politically motivated
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/05/more_evidence_emerges_that_chr.html
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Not fully engaged means that other teams aren’t willing to help out the Braves without demanding a king’s ransom, or at least Tex’s ransom. At this point, it is a seller’s market. That’ll change the closer we get to July 31. The problem is, the Braves cannot afford to wait that long. A classic Catch 22, eh?
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V, true dat…as a wise man once said! 😉
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from Mlb trade rumors… (Nationals GM)Rizzo said that in general, the Nationals are seeking young, athletic players with high ceilings in trades. It seems possible Rizzo will deal within the NL East, with the Mets seeking a first baseman and the Braves needing outfielders.
Oh, why do I fear Austin Kearns name coming up??? 😯
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Since no one is posting right now..and it’s about to storm…was looking at blogs I don’t normally check out to the right. Checked out JB’s blog, no comments since January. I know the wife was going to have a kid and all, but surprised he just stopped cold. Hope everything is ok!
And so far, I can’t find Scribe’s blog…I must be missing it..but if I don’t find it, can someone tell me the blog name??? Thanks.
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Ber, it’s Braves Today listed in our Blog Roll.
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CL, thanks….I was there early, forgot his name is Bud…and it was an older post since I knew we weren’t playing the Marlins. He hasn’t posted about a game since mid April! Seems like a lot of bloggers I clicked on have given up…either on the daily grind, or the braves. 😕
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😳 “Relaxed” isn’t the right word, Ber. I agonize over every line, wish it came to me easier.
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Frenchy’s not happy about hitting 7th?! Well, we don’t have a lower open spot. I’ve been pulling for him but that annoys me. Grow up, Jeff, you’re not BMOC at Parkview anymore.
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FBG, Frenchy does sound primadonna-ish, doesn’t he??? How does he think Schafer feels, forever having a .145 hitter behind him???
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From all the blogs: “Schafer is a rookie, Frenchy sucks, Anderson won’t run, we need a bat in the outfield,we need a bat in the outfield, we need a big fat bat in the outfield…”
How dumb is that? Yes, our outfield really stinks, but what is a bat going to do out there except maybe trip somebody up? Could be dangerous leaving equipment laying around in the outfield. Sheesh. They might fall on their tuchus or something. How funny would that be? Well, that might actually be funny. I prefer banana peels myself.
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He seems like such a good guy but that ego pops out once in a while. That’s one of the things I love about Mac, he’s so humble.
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Hi, stranger! 🙂
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OK, be back later.
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Almost game time… stuck watching the George Strait special… Generally I stay away from such shows but they do have some pretty good talent lined up. LeAnn needs to ditch the eyebrows though, and Jamie Foxx?? come on folks, pretty lame attempt at PC…
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Ber, there did not seem to be any real rhyme or reason to the way dealerships were shut down. One had been in business for 75 years and was profitable. The sad thing is Chrysler told them they would not take back any parts or inventory, really left them holding the bag.
The political angle makes sense, as much as any I would suppose.
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Ber, a lot of folks have headed to MySpace of Facebook… or maybe a real job… Takes a lot of effort to keep a blog going, just ask CL…
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Gil, one reason I have never started one…thankless for the most part…
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What a fun game to watch! 😛
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Really? I’m having a hard time staying awake with radio.
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Yay, GA!
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that made it more interesting
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Never mind… sigh
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Did David Ross get hurt??? If not, why was McCann in??? This makes 9 straight games he’s played.
Both the Giants and the Braves are 23-23.
And why was there no post game talk??? We just had to go to the middle of some poker tournament eh??? :X
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😡
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Everybody’s sleepin’ in. Must have been a game on late last night. Glad I didn’t stay up late to watch that.
Bear, what might have possibly been said in a post game talk last night that any commentator wanted to conjure up and any reasonable fan would have wanted to hear? Even the Braves PR office is having a tough time coming up with positive spins these days. This season is a game at a time. Looking back or forward is not advised in 2009.
Maybe the Braves PR folks can try, “how ’bout that cow?”
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This season is a game at a time.
True dat…
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I viewed the game until the 5th inning then fell asleep, I woke up just in time to see the final out recorded. Missed seeing chipper strikeout four times in a game for the first time in his career. Will need to platoon him against lefties …
The report on the steroid bust made in Florida was the perpetrator said he sold steroids to professional sports teams. The Washington Nationals was the team named…
Well, so much for the argument that steroids improve your performance… If I was Manny Acta I would sue the guy for making false claims… I would hate to think how bad the Nats might be with no PEDs….
The Braves need for Lowe to be the stopper tonight as the offense has failed to find a starter…. Must be something to the Francouer rumor as it gets louder everyday… Think they will give the Braves Ellsberry??? 8)
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Chipper K’d 4 times because he cannot put any pressure on his foot. He’s hurt and needs to go on the DL. The problem is, amongst many others, the Braves have no fallback at 3B. They haven’t for years. It is a question that continues to rattle around in my little brain, but why do they continue to ignore the fact that there is no heir to the exalted Chipper? Do they think they might offend him? Too bad!
Here’s some truth. They resigned him to the final contract of his career because the franchise owed the future HOF that much. (Don’t go all Smoltz on me for that comment… Smoltz was as much at fault for his departure as anybody…) But the reality is, Chipper is not capable of playing a full season on his continuously decaying body. The lack of backup 3B is a huge deficiency for this team. They should have drafted one 3-4 years ago. There is NOBODY in the pipeline on track to be a bona fide major league 3B. Nobody… that is a glaring problem.
Let’s make a check list of glaring needs, shall we?
1- Outfielder
2- Outfielder
3- Outfielder
4- Leadoff hitter
5- Cleanup hitter
6- Backup 3B
That’s s good start, anyway.
I am so tired of watching our Little League OF’s… I am ready to send Shafer to AA Pearl, Frenchy to anybody who will take him, and GAnderson to the bench. Scrap the whole friggin’ thing and start from scratch. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You can’t get worse than worst in MLB, can you?
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Baseball Prospectus gives the following eleven teams less than a 10% chance of making the playoffs:
* Pirates – 9.46%
* Giants – 8.78%
* Mariners – 6.14%
* Rockies: 4.84%
* Athletics: 4.36%
* White Sox: 4.33%
* Marlins: 3.20%
* Orioles: 2.77%
* Diamondbacks: 2.58%
* Astros: 2.25%
* Nationals: 0.52%
Quote: As far as pure offensive production this year, your trade candidate leaders from these eleven are Adam Dunn, Russell Branyan, Brad Hawpe, and Nick Johnson.
Russell Branyan, .311, 11 HR’s, can play LF, RF, 3B and 1B… on a 1 year $1.4MM contract.
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Raisins… see what happens when you use reason in your argument? Frustrating is it not? The truth is the Braves need to be honest with the fans as well as themselves, are they just playing out the string, are they going to rebuild or are they serious about making it back to the big dance? Hey, if they say they are going to wait until reinforcements arrive from the minors, I can live with that. However, if they plan on making a serious run at the East title they are going to have to dust off the old checkbook.. Just the way it is….
That said, I resent it when the team says they are in it to win and then sits on their hands.
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V, Russell Branyan is a really good idea! I forgot he’s a 3rd baseman, and if he can play the corner positions, at least as well as G.A. plays left, 😉 why not??? The only knock against him(besides his normally low BA) is he doesn’t drive in a lot of runs, but who cares??? I did here him say something to the effect that this is really the first time a manager has said your playing every day…
Now, what do you give up for him??? I don’t think their offense is too good right now, and they are still only 6 back, so probably not going to give him away…
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Gil, I’d be willing to take Ellbury off the Red Sox’s hands! 😛 21 steals for the year, on pace for 73!!!
Braves as a team have 10. You know you have no team speed when McCann is tied for the team lead!
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A good
columnblog by Gammons on the Tigers owner standing up to baseball…sigh, to have an owner like this. Imagine what their rotation would look like with Jurrjens??? Imagine how bad ours would have been without him???Ilitch stands up to baseball, for the fans
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 | Print Entry
Baseball has duly honored Jackie Robinson and the memory of veterans who fought for freedom. Now, with the Red Wings on the brink of another Stanley Cup and the Tigers in first place, it is time to honor Mike Ilitch alongside workers and family shop owners and working victims of the economy.
I don’t know Ilitch and his family, but I know what the automobile industry did to the city he loves. I am staggered that he is constructing the monuments to GM, Ford and Chrysler. I appreciate that he has lost millions upon millions to make the Tigers competitive, which allows his teams to give his people of Detroit diversion and hope and happiness.
There were reports Wednesday that Bud Selig has warned owners that he is going to try to force them to cut back bonuses by 10 percent after the June 9 draft because of the economy.
Ilitch is more loyal to his neighbors in Detroit than he is to Selig, which is why a 20-year-old kid named Rick Porcello won his fifth straight start Wednesday afternoon. If Selig had been able to muscle Ilitch into overruling general manager Dave Dombrowski and his esteemed scouting director David Chadd, Porcello would be pitching for the University of North Carolina on Friday against Dartmouth in the NCAA regionals.
Instead, Porcello has six wins and a 1.50 ERA in his past five starts. With manager Jim Leyland’s careful monitoring of Porcello’s 85-95 pitch limit, the youngster is on a pace to win somewhere between 17 and 21 wins; for some perspective, over the past 50 years, the only pitchers under 21 years old to win 17 games were Doc Gooden (17 at 19, 24 at 20), Wally Bunker (19 at 19) and CC Sabathia (17 at 20).
Porcello is smart, and he comes from a family that wanted him to go to college. Ilitch had to OK more than $8 million to get him to forget about a dorm room in Chapel Hill, N.C. Ilitch took Selig’s calls and allowed Chadd to go above Selig’s price-fixing “slot” and sign Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller, who in turn gave Dombrowski the chips to trade for Miguel Cabrera, one of the best hitters in the game.
So the Tigers have Cabrera, at 26 a potential Hall of Famer. They have Porcello. They have Ryan Perry, Chadd’s No. 1 from last year, throwing 97 in middle relief.
More
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=gammons_peter&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fname%3dgammons_peter
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This Gammons feller is alright! 😉 from the previous column down the page…talking about why Kenny Williams was trying to swing a trade so early…
Williams has always understood that trades made in May or June are more meaningful than deals made at the July 31 deadline. The buyer gets two extra months from the player, while the seller has a broader market. “If you wait until the end of July, half the teams that may have been interested may have dropped out of their races,” says Washington GM Mike Rizzo.
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Nice report on your visit to the Ted, FBG. Sounds like fun. Meant to say last night but just popped in and out.
Raisins, since you’re replacing one through six, where’s 7 and 8? Whole new team? Maybe I should put it this way: who ya keepin’, by position?
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The truth is the Braves need to be honest with the fans as well as themselves, are they just playing out the string, are they going to rebuild or are they serious about making it back to the big dance?
Gil, they won’t do that. This is a business as usual organization that is biding it’s time until they have the balance sheet just the way they want it to dump the team. The PR and promotions departments will apply simple (nauseating) tactics to attract new, casual fans (they think) and the management will keep their mouths shut and field a team that is just good enough to give false hope to the hardcore fans.
I just don’t believe they’ll show their hand like that. Maybe they’d say sumpin’ like, “we are rebuilding our team, have patience, enjoy the progress, we have good talent in the system, it will take a few years and we are dedicated to building a playoff and World Series team by (add a date). In the meantime, come on down to the stadium, see the big cow chop away, do the wave, have some ‘que, drink and eat and enjoy watching Bobby Cox and our brilliant coaches as they train, mold, shape and sculpt young players with the finer fundamentals of baseball and turn them into superstars. In the meantime, any serious talent that is serious about winning need not apply. They would just rock the boat and ruin the ambiance of the clubhouse”.
Nah, the truth from Liberty ain’t gonna happen. Just PR.
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One thing I will kinda…sorta say in defense of the ownership and management….this team can compete. We are in the toughest NL division, by far. Well, the Dodgers would be a tough team to beat 18 times a year, but still.. we do have a bigger budget than teams like the Cards and Reds. the Cards claim to be some small market town, but just like with WSB, KMOX(until recently, just like WSB) broadcast all over the middle of the country. Tons of fans everywhere. 3 million fans every year. But, they are cheap…they would win every year if they had a bigger budget, with LaRussa and Dave Duncan.
It was clearly we can improve out Outfield or Pitching in a big way…not both. Pitching won out, which it should have…but Abreu, Dunn or Ibanez batting behind Chipper, would have made the team a lot better. Funny, all are lefties…and no one wanted a lefty bat.
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Cincy hasn’t been competitive since MLB forced out Marge… Hey, some of the owners might be flaky but they also want to win, just ask Stienbrenner…
Teams owned by corporations are much more interested on how things look on their spreadsheets. I think sometimes in order to be successful in sports or business (same but different) right?… The guy at the top calling the shots has to have the nerve of a riverboat gambler. No risk, no reward….
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With all the problems the Braves are having getting their pitching and hitting going at the same time, in the same season, make you realize how incredible that run of 14 straight seasons really was….
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Gil, so true….
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Nice, KJ batting leadoff yet again, popping the first pitch up….Kotchman has no power, why not him batting leadoff???
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And no speed… 😦
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Frenchy trying different bats reminds me of myself trying different golf clubs… The common denominator in my poor play was me… not the clubs…
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Today’s game at Gwinnett was more fun than tonight’s. Glavine looked pretty good, I’d say he’s close to being ready. Looked like his 3 boys were in the dugout with him.
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Noticed a distinguished-looking gentleman sitting down front & all the stadium employees shaking his hand. When he stood up & turned, I could see it was the Braves’ venerable head usher Walter Banks. I guess he was having a little busman’s holiday while the big boys are on the road.
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And whose jersey does Mr. Banks wear when he goes to a game for fun? Why, a signed Brian McCann All-Star jersey, of course.
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Way to go, FBG! That’s terrific!!!
(Love your lead!!)
OK, let’s see how long before I get up again! 😆
Night, everyone!
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FBG… Don’t you just love Triple A ball? Nothing like up close and personal vs. having to sit in the nose bleed section…
Richmond’s minor league baseball plans were put on hold again…
To think, The Braves were willing to build a stadium and sign a 25 year lease and Hizhonor the mayor had a stick up his butt and fumbled the deal…
Now that was somebody who seriously needed to meet a bat head on…
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Seriously, is Francouer driving down his value on purpose or is he really this bad?
And poor Shafer, he is not getting any pitches to hit with Frenchy batting ahead of him…
And what was Kelly thinking last night…? Again, one at bat change the entire complexion of the game, you just cannot give a team extra outs and expect to be successful.
I like KJ but good grief… Joe Simpson might be right, try him in centerfield….
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Gil, that game last night was one of the worst I have ever seen! You’d have thought we were playing some powerhouse team, the Red Sox or Yankees, not a sub .500 team.
Forget warning track power, except for the old guy with the bad toe pounding one high off the wall, it was soft fly after soft fly 20 feet in front of the track.
And like we saw last year when the team was in a funk. Absolutely dead on the bench. Beyond dead. Mortuaries have more life inside of them than this club.
I mean, I don’t expect people to be giggling, but dang…something…rally caps??? Pacing??? Something.
They ran that David Justice In his own words last night(Despite the fact the game ended early-do they only run pre game shows now???) And while you were seeing clips of him in the dugout during the playoffs, he just seemed like a live wire, kept everyone loose…Who is that guy today???
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Gil, I missed Joe saying that. That seems like a why not kind of idea. What’s funny is he had made a good play either that inning, or the one before.
Did you know his 2 hits last night brought his leadoff BA all the way up to .224?? I see he has 0 steals, caught twice while the leadoff hitter. Whoever could replace those numbers??? 😛
Back to the game..for some reason… Soft hits and an error were Lowe’s undoing. Not really even an undoing, just really bad luck on his part.
Except for Yunel,(and Infante) we have pretty much the lineup we should have.
Hey, can David Ross play left??? He has some pop, and never will start again. Call up Sammons to have a 3rd catcher, and put him in left. What could it hurt???
Greg Norton hasn’t played one game in the field this year, could he do any worse than Frenchy in right??? Pinch hitters need to start once in awhile.
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Ber.. While I am not yet ready to give up on this team, (hey, 121 games to go) I do feel frustrated. This Braves team has the same look and feel about it that the Triple A club exhibited so many years while in Richmond.
You are right about the lack of a spark plug. No Marc Lempkes in this group…
I was reading on the blog across the street the debate about trying to get DeRosa back. I think the Braves let him walk because he was obviously juiced… All the signs point to it.
Still I think the team needs a shake up. Funny thing is, I am sure if you and can see it I am sure the house wren and the homeboy see it too.
Derek Lowe was not getting his sinker to work at all last night as so many of the hits were in the air as well as so many fly ball outs. As for the Braves lack of offense… Well, this team just has so many places an opposing pitcher can go to for outs. Once past Chipper and McCann, nothing but singles hitters and strikouts…
I think it wears on the Braves pitchers too, thinking you have to throw a shutout in order to have a chance to win…
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Gil, I was a big DeRosa supporter, thinking he should be given a chance to start. He blew it…just looked up his numbers. in 2004, his last year here, 319 AB’s 3 homers, 31 RBI’s .239 BA.
Then, after getting away from TP(I had no idea he’s been hitting couch since 2001!) and going to Texas, suddenly he can hit! .296 BA in 520 AB’s in 2006, 13 Hr’s 74 RBI’s.
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Yep, change of scenery did him a world of good. At some point, the GM has to pull the plug on the country club and actually hire someone who knows how to teach…
Of course I am preaching to the choir here…
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I don’t think TP had any affect on Dero hitting or not hitting… Dero was trying to be the next Braves 3B after Chipper and Vinnie Castilla, with Chipper obviously still wanting to man the hot corner. That’s some tough shoes to fill – especially for a relatively young player getting his first shot at an everyday job. As much as I have taken shots at TP, I can’t lump Dero into that category.
I’d love see him return here, but not as the only acquisition. As I have said earlier, there are a multitude of needs. In actuality, Dero isn’t a real match for the Braves needs. He is neither a leadoff guy or a cleanup guy. He is more of a 5-6 hole hitter, of which the Braves are already stocked… overstocked, actually.
Yesterday I posted:
Let’s make a check list of glaring needs, shall we?
1- Outfielder
2- Outfielder
3- Outfielder
4- Leadoff hitter
5- Cleanup hitter
6- Backup 3B
to which SG asked: Raisins, since you’re replacing one through six, where’s 7 and 8? Whole new team? Maybe I should put it this way: who ya keepin’, by position?
Let me be more specific…
1- CF – leadoff hitter (either Shafer who would probably see more fastballs in the 1 hole, or GBlanco who can’t do any worse than Shafer currently is)
2- LF – cleanup hitter (outside the organization; I still like Jermaine Dye; GAnderson should be released NOW – go with BJones until Dye can be acquired)
3- RF – Jeff needs to get his head out of his @$$ and be a ball player
4- Backup 3B – bench guy not named Norton that could play extended stretches when (not if) Chipper is on the DL
Look… wholesale changes are neither possible nor necessary. They Braves have some serious deficiencies, but they are addressable.
First and obviously, they lack a leadoff guy. In my little manager’s world, Shafer gets the shot to lead off every game until he either succeeds or doesn’t. If he doesn’t, he goes to AAA. Cut and dry. Plain and simple. If he goes, Blanco comes up and does no worse than anyone else already has, and Shafer gets some much needed seasoning at Gwinnett.
Second, a deal MUST be made. If Wren stands pat, it simply means that the organization has chosen to punt in 2009. If they really want to compete this season, they’re gonna have to make a deal – giving up some pitching to get a hitter. Dye still makes the most sense, and would likely cost at least one pitcher (Morton?), maybe 2 and mid-level prospect. It’s a steep price for 1 season, but he does have a mutual option for ’10 at $12MM which he won’t get anywhere else. If he and the Braves want him to stick around through next year, he would keep the spot warm for JHey’s arrival.
Third, Francoeur hasn’t just forgotten everything he ever knew about baseball. He has proven he can hit and hit for power. Somewhere after his rookie season, his head went for a long walk and hasn’t come back. Get the kid hooked up with Dr. Llewellan, Smoltz’ shrink, and get him back on track. I said it before the season started and I still say it – EVEN if they solve their other deficiencies, the braves season still hinges largely on the play of Francoeur. The pressure sucks, but he’s well compensated.
Last, the Braves better get a capable 3B in the system, either on the ML bench or at least at the AAA level. Chipper is gonna be out for extended periods of time. He just is. Truth…
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I think that is what the Red Sox are counting on, that the talent is there, they just need to find the key to unlock it.
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Can the Sox tell it right now though??? He has looked terrible of late. Does it seem like his stance is closing up again??? If it is, why???
I had a thought Wily Mo Peña. I knew he was unsigned at one point this year…hmmmm…see the Mutts signed him. Just checked his stats. .225 BA in 80 plus AB’s. This from a guy who hit .301 in 276 AB’s for Boston during the 2006 season???
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V, I agree with most everything you say…I do think if Infante was well, it would be hard to top his production at 3rd.
Chipper would be well served by being able to play as a DH.
I was just thinking, who’s the next oldest 3rd baseman??? Mike Lowell at 35??? Wait, just thought of Casey Blake, he will be 36 later this year. Old 3rd baseman are rare.
Would first be a better fit??? I know V has been for that. Or would stretching for wide throws cause his legs more problems???
Oh V, I think Dye would be a good move too, but if they just tried to get Peavy, they think they are still in it, and I know their main problem right now is offense. So have to hope they drop off the radar.
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What more can be said that hasn’t already been written? We all know the problems, just waiting for someone to act on the solutions. All we can do is watch… Sorta like a train wreck, but different…
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What else can be said that hasn’t already been said??? TP sucks?? no that has been mentioned. Frenchy can’t hit/?? No…Schafer needs seasoning?? no….
You are right…well, see you guys in the offseason!
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… the talent is there, they just need to find the key to unlock it.
Very well stated, and I think that truly sums up the enigma that is Jeff Francoeur. There is no question that the talent is there. The problem lies somewhere between the left ear and the right ear. If he ever does get it together, he could be the right handed power bat – and cleanup hitter – this team sorely needs. That, my friends, is why he is so exasperating… and why he is such the target of “fans'” ire.
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Glad to see absolutely no effort was made to change up the lineup. What was Einstein’s definition of insanity??? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results???
And Boog was wrong, Bobby Abreu didn’t reject arbitration, the Yankees did. He would have been paid about 16 million. Saved the Yanks some moola that they spent elsewhere.
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Raisins, your 1:32 sure was long.
No, yours was well reasoned and laid out as always. Surely we can’t make over the entire team but there are spots (gaping holes) that need fixing or replacing AND orders that need switching. Even if we were in a rebuilding mode their would need to be changes made for the good of the long term viability of the player and the team. Dero has really improved but I’m concerned that he’s still more passion than execution.
We need a real clubhouse sparkplug that can flat out hit. We don’t really have a leader there. Chipper is a man and he’s respected but he’s never carried the team on his shoulders in terms of motivation or fire. It’s that country club thing. Chipper is good enough to thrive in that relaxed, pampered setting. Many talented young players are not.
For starters, we need a new, teaching manager as has been said many times by many fans.
Remember a week or two back when Bobby shuffled the lineup and it worked? Runs scored and everyone seemed to click. The next game and ever since Bobby hasn’t repeated the order. See if I can remember the order. Something like, ah nevermind… too tired to try and remember. Anyway, KJ was in the 7 spot. It worked… which of course is why Cox didn’t repeat it.
Last year I gave up on French playing for Atlanta and after his whining about being sent down. Then the club BLEW it for themselves and French by letting him come right back. That may have been the single worst decision I’ve ever seen with a player on the Braves. Just stupid.
Just don’t see him overcoming whatever bad mojo he has here. With proper coaching and a less pressured environ he may actually get to be a decent mid-level guy. May play on the level of Dero, maybe not. Good kid and I wish him well but hey, at some point, if you can’t change the player, you change the player.
As I write this, French gets a ribby. Heaven forfend. I’m prattling on. Somebody’s prolly gonna gimme a mrgreen for going on so long.
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Garrett Anderson is hitting .290 for May(don’t know if ESPN is fast enough to add that double) .368 the last 7 games.
And Frenchy got a hit, and an RBI!
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Jair finally said to himself, “I’m just gonna win this dang thing me own self”. Braves score two more.
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Well, all right then! Jurrjens gets a huge hit!!! If you want something done, do it yourself son!
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SG, I thought of that first! 😡
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Bear, same time same thought. But I won. Crossed the finish line first. But I copied you on the avatar. By the way, I like your Bob better than the Barry.
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But of course, the braves have a runner on 3rd with no one out and didn’t get him in….sigh… I sure like to complain! 😀
Just better not lose 5-4.
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SG, no one commented on Hope though…
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Now that was a funny clip of Simpson stealing a chair out of the AZ booth! 🙂
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Boy that sprint ad in the ice cream shop…it’s getting to be right up there with that Pepsi ad they ran to death(WAKE UP!!!)every inning, perhaps every half inning.
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Okay JJ, it’s only the bottom of the fourth, need 5 more outs to get the W… Uh.. 4 more
And wasn’t that a looooong homer by Esco?
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452 footer…
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And Frenchy is still jumping at the ball… jamming himself
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A good hitting coach working with him daily could straighten him out…too bad for him. 🙄
10-4 is the score good buddy! 😉
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Ryan Roberts has some ugggly tattoos. And Jair doesn’t know what to do with a lead!
Didn’t know the rockies fired Clint Hurtle. What year were they in the WS, 2007??? They did look bad though…
10-5??? This isn’t funny guys. And Kelly makes Jeff Kent at 40 look mobile.
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Yep, front office trades Holiday and then blames Hurdle for lack of offense…
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Joe and Boog talking about a pitcher throwing against a concrete slab to build up arm strength after TJ surgery. Gee, I did the same thing to learn how to field ground balls…
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And the snakes making this thing interesting… AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH
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Gil, That was Tommy John Joe was talking about. For those that didn’t hear, that was part of his rehab, and Joe was saying fellow players were saying no way he was going to come back, why was he bothering? What’d he win, another 150 after the surgery?
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Tommy John Joe, sounds like a real country name, doesn’t it???
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Wow… Could start a band with that name… 🙂
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Okay, I’m done for the night, catch you folks in the morning…
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OK, missed a bit of the game when the powder room mirror decided to fall off the wall. 😯 Amazingly, the glass didn’t break but the frame needs some repair.
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Am I hearing things or did Frenchy have 2 RBIs? Must’ve put in an emergency call to Jaramillo or Howie.
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Slipped off to watch the game mid-blog conversation and then slipped off to watch the back of my eyelids. Bear, I liked the Bob Hope avatar. Nobody commented on it? That’s life sometimes. Buy a new suit and nobody notices. Which is not why I haven’t bought a new suit in several years. May never buy another… if I watch my weight.
Guess I’ll bop over to the Braves site and see who won.
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Public service announcement for those that snoozed:
Braves beat Snakes 10-6. Jair must have gone into a mild shock when his team scored more than one run, which accounts for his 5 ER last night.
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SG, I think you are right….He concentrates(Really I spelled that right??? Why does it look funny then???) better when the game is closer. He would be great in the playoffs, if we ever get back to them in his career.
Good to see the offense come alive last night. Yunel must be more of a spark plug than I realize.
And V, I keep forgeting but you were right about O’Flaherty, don’t really miss Ohman. Well, might want him still, but O’Flaherty has been quite good. Our pitching coach must be pretty good to not screw up peoples natural talent…might even be helping the younger pitchers.
Oh Gil, you are right, the homer Yunel hit was a monster. About the longest one I have seen the braves hit in…shoot, I don’t know when.
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You all better be having a good day, no posts since I posted???? 😡
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This never gets old, does it??? 😉
Schafer only got 5-6 innings off…someone needs to explain to Bobby what a day off is. Game is 2-2. So no doubt with these two powerhouse offenses, McCann will come in to pinch hit, and play 8-10 innings in the field. 😉
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SG, if you fell asleep again, the braves lost in 11, 3-2. Sad when Eric Byrnes batting .215 seems like so much more of a threat then Frenchy hitting .251.
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Greetings all… I was unable to view today’s game as the Dodgers and the Cubs commanded the larger fan base. Just as well as I would have been disappointed with devoting 4 hours of time to witness a loss.
Day was not a total washout for me, finished putting up my fence.
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Ber, I’m seeing a car avatar. Maybe it’s not showing up for everyone?
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Bear, I didn’t nod off. When we didn’t score in either the 10th or 11th I “walked the dog”. I’ll always follow the Braves and watch as many games as is convenient, but as long as they are the team they are now being managed the way they are now I won’t go two feet out of my way or rearrange other stuff to hang in there for the whole game much less extra innings. I don’t consider it a fair weather fan. They have their stuff to do, I have mine. Mine is more important.
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The whole Jeff Francoeur situation is beyond belief. Watching his struggles play out on the field went from hopeful to frustrating last year, then the weekend in Mississippi and manager malpractice turned it all ugly. That one weekend was telling. Not only was Jeff proven to be a spoiled, self-centered whiner, he demonstrated a serious lack of self awareness and willingness to take a step back for his own good and the good of the team. I harbor zero ill will for the kid… just don’t pull for him like I used to and wish he’d be traded.
Bobby Cox should have retired several years ago. Over the last several years he’s shown to all but the casual fan, the senseless Homer, the sentimental Braves fan and the ‘good old boy club’of baseball affiliates that he no longer has the skill set to manage. He’s around now only because Liberty could care less about winning. Cox is part of the ‘face’ of the winning 90’s. Wren is not going to rock the boat because JS still rules. Bobby is to the Braves brand what Mickey Mouse is to the Disneyland brand… familiar and necessary for the PR and parades but pretty much outdated and unnecessary.
Without the inexplicable Cox inaction, the Francoeur drama would never have happened and everyone would be better off today. Spare the rod, spoil the child. With Cox allowing this to drag on so miserably, embarrassingly long, Jeff may never recover. His and the Braves best chance at success is to be traded soon. The best chance for the Braves players today is for Cox to retire. The best chance for Cox is to retire before his name is associated with a sad, selfish ending to a long, successful career. To fans that seriously follow this team in more ways than wins and losses and the glory years because of Glavine, Smoltz and Maddux, the Cox legacy is already tarnished.
Besides being busy lately, this is why it’s so difficult for me to catch all the games and watch as intently as I used to. The Braves franchise is in its ‘dark, between years’. That’s not the problem, as that’s just baseball. I’d love to see a struggling, young losing team as it rebuilds in the right way. The problem is how current ownership, executives and Cox mismanagement create the perfect storm environment for ugly dramas ala Francoeur. It’s maddening. It’s aggravating. It’s unnecessary.
Jeff was not the first and will not be the last casualty of an inept manager and a franchise that has built a false facade to give the appearance of fielding a competitive team to sell tickets while they work on the balance sheet to sell the franchise. I wish them luck and Godspeed on the latter.
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SG, the more I see this team, the more confused I get. A few weeks ago, the team was aggressive, yet smart on the basepathes, Frenchy looked like he had a clue(well, that may have been back in April) and we know the starting pitching is better than last year…#5 starter is still a black hole, guaranteed loss…but IF Glavine is healthy, should give us a chance.
But of late, like every year what, the past 4 years??? …The team looks beyond flat, if there is such a thing.
The success of the past was great, but it has hurt the teams future. JS was cheap every year(And to be fair, we know his budget was cut year after year) with rejects or hasbeens expected to somehow revive their career and be really productive corner outfielders. How often does that ever happen??? Can anyone name a hitter TP turned around??? (Story for another day, eh?)
Thing is, just tossing their gloves on the field, the braves teams won. It really helped having 3 future HOF’ers starting, it’s true…but the other teams in the division were pretty darned weak. That was then, it’s no longer the case.
The Phils have to have one of the best offenses in the last 20 years. No Braves team I can remember was nearly as good. Thank goodness their starters suck, and Lidge has come back to earth.
I think the Mets are overrated. They have the best left handed starter in the game, but other than that, it seems their starting pitching is just there.
As much as we don’t like it, David Wright is a very good hitter, and will someday learn to make the routine plays along with the spectacular. Reyes can run like the wind. But, old at 2nd and 1st. Center fielder is a star. But they don’t have the greatest corner outfielders either, though better than the dead guys we have.
But, they don’t scare me. Phils scare me. Marlins, if they ever get their act together, they can scare you.
Those teams are not going to go away. Phils will get a starter or two. If they can somehow swing Olswalt and Brad Penny??? the Braves are done. Forget about it.
Where am I going with this??? I don’t know, just wanted to write something longer than SG did! 😀
Or the next blog…
Anyway my point is, the whole organization has thought it was almost a right that the Braves compete.
But, it isn’t. And where is all the talent we supposedly have in the system??? Well, besides on the Rangers big team, and minor league system. I think someone said of all the homegrown pitchers, Glavine had won the most games since 2000 for the braves and he was with the Mets for what, 3-4 years???
Adam Wainwright is the only decent guy we have developed in a decade, and we traded him. We heard such praise for Jo-Jo. Morton. Kyle Davies. Honestly, when one of them made a rare good start(Morton’s first I believe was his very best) they looked like a #3 or #4, not a front of the rotation guy. Not a guy you could count on come playoff time. It’s not fair, but Kris Medlen doesn’t look as good as his numbers in the minors, IMO. We shall see…at least one more time.
Ok, no starters til Hanson have shown much real potential, what about outfielders???
Frenchy used to be good. Seemed like a 90-110 RBI every year. Now he can’t hit a pitch down the middle.
Andruw was from the 90’s, not some young whipper-snapper.
Schafer surely has tools, but what will he be??? a .260/270 hitter with 10-15 homers??? He hasn’t been much of a basestealer in the minors, but he sure got a great jump yesterday…but…what is his really going to be??? Is TP ruining him???
We have developed some great Catching…a very good SS…and a 2nd baseman that…well, when he gets on a streak, he looks very good. But he can go months not hitting a lick.
Man, I am tired, and still haven’t made some of the points I meant to….let me just stop here…in case the electricity went out you could hear me crying in Virginia!!!
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SG, the more I see this team, the more confused I get. A few weeks ago, the team was aggressive, yet smart on the basepathes, Frenchy looked like he had a clue(well, that may have been back in April) and we know the starting pitching is better than last year…#5 starter is still a black hole, guaranteed loss…but IF Glavine is healthy, should give us a chance.
But of late, like every year what, the past 4 years??? …The team looks beyond flat, if there is such a thing.
The success of the past was great, but it has hurt the teams future. JS was cheap every year(And to be fair, we know his budget was cut year after year) with rejects or hasbeens expected to somehow revive their career and be really productive corner outfielders. How often does that ever happen??? Can anyone name a hitter TP turned around??? (Story for another day, eh?)
Thing is, just tossing their gloves on the field, the braves teams won. It really helped having 3 future HOF’ers starting, it’s true…but the other teams in the division were pretty darned weak. That was then, it’s no longer the case.
The Phils have to have one of the best offenses in the last 20 years. No Braves team I can remember was nearly as good. Thank goodness their starters suck, and Lidge has come back to earth.
I think the Mets are overrated. They have the best left handed starter in the game, but other than that, it seems their starting pitching is just there.
As much as we don’t like it, David Wright is a very good hitter, and will someday learn to make the routine plays along with the spectacular. Reyes can run like the wind. But, old at 2nd and 1st. Center fielder is a star. But they don’t have the greatest corner outfielders either, though better than the dead guys we have.
But, they don’t scare me. Phils scare me. Marlins, if they ever get their act together, they can scare you.
Those teams are not going to go away. Phils will get a starter or two. If they can somehow swing Olswalt and Brad Penny??? the Braves are done. Forget about it.
Where am I going with this??? I don’t know, just wanted to write something longer than SG did! 😀
Or the next blog…
Anyway my point is, the whole organization has thought it was almost a right that the Braves compete.
But, it isn’t. And where is all the talent we supposedly have in the system??? Well, besides on the Rangers big team, and minor league system. I think someone said of all the homegrown pitchers, Glavine had won the most games since 2000 for the braves and he was with the Mets for what, 3-4 years???
Adam Wainwright is the only decent guy we have developed in a decade, and we traded him. We heard such praise for Jo-Jo. Morton. Kyle Davies. Honestly, when one of them made a rare good start(Morton’s first I believe was his very best) they looked like a #3 or #4, not a front of the rotation guy. Not a guy you could count on come playoff time. It’s not fair, but Kris Medlen doesn’t look as good as his numbers in the minors, IMO. We shall see…at least one more time.
Ok, no starters til Hanson have shown much real potential, what about outfielders???
Frenchy used to be good. Seemed like a 90-110 RBI every year. Now he can’t hit a pitch down the middle.
Andruw was from the 90’s, not some young whipper-snapper.
Schafer surely has tools, but what will he be??? a .260/270 hitter with 10-15 homers??? He hasn’t been much of a basestealer in the minors, but he sure got a great jump yesterday…but…what is his really going to be??? Is TP ruining him???
We have developed some great Catching…a very good SS…and a 2nd baseman that…well, when he gets on a streak, he looks very good. But he can go months not hitting a lick.
Man, I am tired, and still haven’t made some of the points I meant to….let me just stop here…in case the electricity went out you could hear me crying in Virginia!!!
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Oh goody, longest post in months, and it shows up twice! 😕
Anyway, TP sucks and should be fired. I think that was kinda sorta my point.
What I really was going to mention was 2 outfielders you haven’t heard connected with the braves(At least I haven’t) Luke Scott and Felix Pie of the Orioles.
Getting Luke now would be buying high. Has been on a power spree, 11 Hr’s and 29 RBI’s and he was on the disabled list a few weeks ago! He’s soon to be 31, and bats left handed. Doesn’t anyone bat right handed anymore???
18 Homers in 369 AB’s in 2007, 23 HR’s in 475 AB’s last year.
I don’t know what happened to Pie, did TP help him during an offseason??? Maybe Sweet Lou ruined him. He was the Cubs top prospect, now at 24 a bench player.
He could go to AAA or perhaps he would relax with Bobby as his manager. Might actually give him a month to hit. Would either team want to swap flops????
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If you didn’t follow the AL you might wonder why the Orioles would trade Scott. They may not want to, but…Nick Markakis in right has 40 RBI’s Adam Jones in center is hitting .350 and has 36 RBI’s (can you imagine having outfielders, you know…producing???) and they called up Nolan Reimold who has 5 HR’s in his first 16 games, and I was hearing he was likely up for good.
Hearing about all the ML ready or soon to be ML ready Orioles on baseball tonight, gosh…I was jealous of their fans! Wouldn’t want to be in that division though! 😯
But seriously Matt Wieters of Georgia Tech is supposed to be the next Johnny Bench…Gammons said 3 of their starters in the minors are supposed to each have #1 stuff, and 2 of them should be ready by next year if not sooner!
We do have Hanson and Heyward, and that’s great. It’s the first exciting guys we have had since Salty came up.
But that is still only one pitcher, and only one outfieler….
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“just wanted to write something longer than SG did! 😀
Or the next blog…“
Oh, wow! THANKS, BER!!! Can’t wait to read it!!! It’s such a relief to not have to worry about the next lead! Thanks again!!!
😀
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Uhhhh, Ber… Now you done gone and stepped in it… 🙂
You didn’t think you could slip that by CL did you?
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Today’s lineup:
1. KJ
2. Yunel
3. Chipper
4. Mac
5. GA
6. Kotch
7. Diaz, RF **no Frenchman**
8. “K”-fer
9. Medlen (in his last chance to establish any trade value)
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Carolina Lady May 31, 2009 at 12:48 pm
“just wanted to write something longer than SG did! 😀
Or the next blog…“
Oh, wow! THANKS, BER!!! Can’t wait to read it!!! It’s such a relief to not have to worry about the next lead! Thanks again!!
Glad to help CL! I do think there is some confusion though…that 11:45 AM post was it! I am all out of word ammo! 😛
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Really nice game tossed by Medlen today. The strike em out throw em out DP in the first changed the entire complexion of the game for the rookie.
It is really what you expect from a rookie pitcher, that is one good start for every three outings… Just the way things are…
And I have concluded that Garrett Anderson is Lonnie Smith’s illegitimate love child, only left handed…. Also reminds me of Lightning, a character from the old Amos & Andy Show. No wasted effort on his part.. no siree…
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Only heard the last half of the game since we had 2 different sets of relatives here but what I heard sure was nice. Medlen seemed more like the pitcher we saw in Gwinnett.
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Quite an epic, Ber. I agree, it’s time to thank TP for his service to the Braves & wave bye-bye.
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Good morning folks… An off day for the Braves, let’s hope they reset and come out with a determined mindset. The past few years, June has been the undoing of the season for the Bravos. However, it could be worse for the Bravos, one need only to look at the Pirates and the Nationals to understand what it means to have a really bad team.
Still, yesterday was a good example of what can happen when you don’t have too many automatic outs in your line-up. All signs point to a Francouer trade. Having Kershin pinch hit was a very telling indication that Frency was on the “do not injure” list.
Time will tell but I suspect he will be moving today.
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Good morning all…
Yes, Gil, having KK pinch hit with Jeffrey on the bench was an odd occurrence, without question. It will be interesting to see what shakes out from this.
Also, I have read this morning that the Braves could dangle Vazquez in seeking a trade for a big bat. It makes sense on several levels. First, he has alot of value in that he has an ERA under 4 (3.58) and is tied for the league lead in K’s (86). He has been absolutely dominant at times. As you all know, contending teams are clamoring for that type of pitcher in July. Second, he makes $11.5MM this year and next, and the Braves could certainly use that $$$ for the bat they desperately need. But Kenny (or Raisins, or VOR… whatever…) you say, how can the Braves afford to give up a valuable starter? Well, I am glad you asked. With TommyG slated to come back in the next week or so, and TommyH ready to burst on the scene, (not to mention the imminent return of Huddy in August), the Braves have a surplus of starting pitching. I agree that you can never have too much pitching, but you have to all agree that you can certainly have too little offense. The Braves need offense. Badly…
I am kinda sitting on the edge of my seat to see the other shoe drop with regard to Jeffrey, but I am also keeping my eyes and ears open to see how the rest of the trade market begins to shape up.
It could be an interesting couple of months off the field as well as on…
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Gil, didn’t even think about that with Kawakami! And V, are you reading that about Javy on the ajc blog, or somewhere else??? I can’t find anything about it on mlbtraderumors… Someone is clearly listening to what I said a few weeks back about trading him. No one but me could have a brilliant idea like this! 😛
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This will give you confidence.
The 31-Year-Old in Charge of Dismantling G.M.
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/the-31-year-old-in-charge-of-dismantling-gm/
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Well, it makes almost as much sense as the clowns who were in charge of staffing the administrations of Iraq for dubya.. To heck with knowing what you are doing, what are your political inclinations? It is why the government is so bad at running things, they can’t keep their opinions separate from common sense.
At least at We-Say-So they would put the rookies on the first line. Their screw up were generally limited to one shift….
Perhaps Obama was running out of folks who actually had paid taxes…. Then again, when I was 31 I knew a lot more than I do now…. Was too dumb actually to be afraid of failure…
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Hey, B. Go about 3/4 of the way down to read about JV:
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11805901/rss
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This presentation was put together by a 15-year old girl. Wow.
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Awesome link CL… Thanks…
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I decided to take some of my owe advice to CL and start taking afternoon naps. Wow, do I feel better for it.
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Ah….thanks V!
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Carolina Lady, that presentation was put together by a 15-year old girl. Wow is right. Can you imagine what she’ll be able to do when she gets to the ripe old age of 20? 😀
Gil taking afternoon naps? May be posting up all night.
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I have found that since I am retired, I no longer am able to rely on boring meetings at work to induce much needed sleep. 🙂
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CL, taking the new John Deere mower to the shop tomorrow. It starts and runs fine but the transmission is making a horrible racket. I am not certain the problem but it sounds expensive…
And has anyone else noticed the jump in gas prices? Guess they need a way to keep us common folk in line… Yep, take any extra cash we might think we have and give to the poor starving arabs…
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Good morning! I have some weird web issue, I have to sign in at every site I go to…every time I go to it! 😯
Weird glitch??? Fairly harmless virus??? never had this before….
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“taking the new John Deere mower to the shop tomorrow…
Get used to it, Gil! It will spend more time in repairs than it does on the lawn.
You didn’t actually go out and BUY that thing, did you????????
😯 😯 😯
Gas prices here starting rising shortly before Memorial Day weekend. Just in time to rip off anyone who had travel plans to start off the summer. From $1.879 to $2.459. And rising.
I did something drastic yesterday. Got a haircut. I mean a REAL haircut. Short. Very short. And I like it! No more long hair! 😀
How’s the new lead coming, Ber! I’m so eager to read it! Thanks, again!! 😀
Hey, SG! You’re a welcome sight here!!
Hey, Raisins! I know you’re out there somewhere! 😆
OK – got to get back to work!! Later!
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Hey, Raisins! I know you’re out there somewhere!
Yes… I am here. I have been to the dentist this morning. 😦 I’d go into detail, but you know the drill…
😀
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Raisins’ sense of humor is intact! 😆 (Believe me, I understand the dental….uh, drill….) 😆
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In case any of you have forgotten, here is a little back-story to get you all prepared for the upcoming Braves/Cubs Series.
2007
–Alfonso Soriano hit 3 homeruns in a game against the Braves.
–Tim Hudson drilled Soriano the next day because AS stood and admired one of the aforementioned homers.
–Ted Lilly hit Edgar Renteria in the chin in the first inning of the final game of the series and was ejected.
–Renteria planted an intentional elbow to Mike Fontenot’s jaw on a pop-up slide at second base immediately following Lilly’s ejection.
2008 June Series
–Greg Norton hit a 3-run home run, and Ted Lilly’s next pitch sailed behind McCann’s head.
–The next day, Jeff Bennett hit Alfonso Soriano (to load the bases) breaking his hand and sending him to the DL for a while.
–Ryan Dempster hit McCann with a fastball, later in that same game.
2008 August Series
–Alfonso Soriano stood at home plate and admired a loooong single off the wall.
–Francisely Bueno got ejected from his ML debut after throwing at Soriano’s head later in that same game.
–Ted Lilly continued his quest for the kill the next day by going for Yunel Escobar’s face, but YE blocked it with his elbow.
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Oh, yes! Thanks for the reminder, HB! It will be interesting! 😀
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CL, it only has 135 hours on it. I did buy it new 3 years ago, maybe 4, I can’t remember (oldtimer’s disease)… Anyway, I guess it got tired of hauling my big butt around. I also have 2 others. A 212 with a 54 inch mower deck that is as old as I am. Well, maybe not quite but close. It burns oil like a mosquito fogger but boy does it run sweet. Can mow three times as much as the other two. I think next winter I will re-ring it. Just a tough old mower….
And congratulations on the new do…. I know it is a big step to lop off your tresses but most women do look better with the shorter hair. There comes a point when you are no long 16… Not that there is anything wrong with that. Anyway, the biggest thing is the extra 5 hours a week you will have not having to worry with the long hair. Hey, there is a reason most guys cut their hair short…. Ber excluded…
Anyway, it finally got hot here. I tried to do my chores early today then get into the pool to cool down. Josie and I came to the conclusion it is what retirement is suppose to be about.
And isn’t it funny how we managed to get by without A/C when we were young but would not think about suffering through it now? Of course my mom’s house had twelve foot ceilings and eight foot windows and 100 year old oak trees…
And Ber, sounds like somehow your cache (sp) got cleared. Did you do a de-frag? All those cookies and fragmented files can slow you down you know…
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I had a dream about the up coming game between the Braves and the Cubs, I dreamed Bobby and Lou got into it…. let’s see if I am clairvoyant or not.
Sounds like there is some history between the teams however… Love it….
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Schafer down, Blanco up.
http://www.ajc.com/braves/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/06/02/braves_jordan_schafer.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab
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Tonight’s lineup:
1. KJ, 2B
2. Yunel SS
3. Chipper, SS
4. Mac, C
5. GA, LF
6. Prado, 1B
7. Frenchy fresh off the benchy, RF
8. Blanco, CF
9. KK, P
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Schafer was on a pace to whiff a whopping 204 times for the season. To put that in perspective, Andruw holds the Braves record with 147 K’s in 2004, the “corkscrew into the batter’s box” season.
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Here’s how last season ended between the Braves and Cubs:
<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080814&content_id=3311215&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb" rel="nofollow" Clip of Yunel getting hit by Lilly’s pitch last year with a replay of Escobar almost beheading Lilly with a line drive earlier in the game.
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Tried to get fancy…I’ll do it the Raisins way:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080814&content_id=3311215&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
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Wow, I figured there would be a shakeup in the outfield, but thought it would be in right. Only way to give Schafer a day off I guess.
Think a deal fell thru on Frenchy??? Bag of balls got lost???
Hillbilly, forgot about all the trouble we have had with the cubs. Doesn’t bode well with them not having a very good year. We don’t need Yunel or Chipper getting hit on the wrist by a pitch…I guess Chipper would be left alone. Headhunters usually leave old, HOF’er types alone, don’t they???
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Chipper won’t be in the line up against Lilly anyway. He can’t hit right-handed because of the toe.
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Hillbilly, right forgot about that….
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Somethin’ is weird with my computer…
So, who the heck is Randy Wells??? When I heard there was a no hitter going on (was just getting into the car after dinner) I thought, aren’t Zambrano and Lilly pitching later on??? Rich Harden’s got no hit stuff, but he’s on the DL.
Well, never heard of the guy, but he had a 1.69 ERA in 5 starts before this game…Frenchy got a walk, which must be akin to a homer right now…G.A. hit another homer…he can be streaky….
Holy smokes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
Frenchy just hit a 2 run homer to ty the game up!!!!!!!!!!!!
They are pounding on him in the dugout!!! 😀
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Umm, excited…tied the game up. 5 runs on 3 hits, hard to do!
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Braves win, braves win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice to see such enthusiasm on the team!!! Chipper was beaten up by his teammates, but they know he’s an old man and didn’t give him the beat down they gave Frenchy! 😉
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Whew….. great comeback….
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I missed it all until SportsCenter highlites this morning… 😦
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So lemme make sure I got this right…
Braves come back from a 5 run deficit late in the game, GA hits another home run, Francoeur hits a game-tying 2 run HR with 2 outs in the 9th, Glavine tosses 6 shutout innings in his final rehab start, and Gregor Blanco – wha? 0 for 5? OK… balance…
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Check out this amazing photo of a tree going thru a roof of a house in St. Louis…fairly close to where I went to Junior high…
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/68B65C0586B004FA862575CA00117E6E?OpenDocument
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The first baby eagle has flown! He lit in a tree app. 700 ft from the nest, and is expected to return to the nest for feeding and will stay in the area for a while.
The youngest one, exercising its wings, fell from the nest yesterday. It glided to a safe landing. Biologists rescued the bird, and the people from Nuckles Tree Service, who donate their time and equipment when it is necessary to climb up to the nest 90′ above ground, returned the eagle to its nest, apparently none the worse for the wear.
I have so enjoyed watching the babies from the egg to the present this year. It is amazing that we can watch a wild eagle nest high in a pine tree out in the woods! A solar-powered cam was donated by the company that made it (my understanding) and is mounted on an adjacent tree. I can sit in the comfort of my home and observe. Just amazing! 😀
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Raisins, actually Blanco had 4 good at bats out of 5, just nothing to show for them. He hit the ball hard, just right at people. His last at bat, he was robbed of a hit by Fukadome.
Let’s give him a couple of weeks before writing him off.
The Braves look pretty inept until the eighth inning as far as hitting. The pivotal play however an error by Derrik Lee. Dropped the throw from the shortstop.
The Braves took advantage of the Cubs mistakes last night. Easy to see why the Cubs are in fourth place in the Central.
And now the Nationals… With the dismissal of Randy St. Clair as pitching coach, only Manny Acta is left from last years staff and the ties to Jim Bowden. With Jim Riggleman as the current bench coach, I don’t thing Manny should sign any long term lease agreements around D.C. He is the last guy standing and think unless the Nats have a huge turn-around Acta will be gone by the All-star break.
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WTF??? Tom Glavine has been released????
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9642590/Sources:-Braves-release-legendary-P-Glavine
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And Glavine did not want to be released! Why did they bother having him rehab????
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4228623
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TommyG was given the option to retire and asked for his release…
Meanwhile, TommyH is already penciled in to start on Saturday. A new era is starting…
Many will call for Wren’s head over this; I applaud him for not letting emotion cloud his judgment in trying to build a winning ballclub not only for this year, but the future as well.
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The fella across the street says the Braves are working a deal for Nate McLouth!!! 😯
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I’m sorry V, this ____’s me off. Why did they have Glavine rehabbing???? Just totally bush league to release him now, after 6 shutout innings. Were they hoping he’d not be healthy???
They did this for money alone. Didn’t want to pay Glavine a million. Hanson has been ready for quite some time. Money was the reason he didn’t come out of spring training with the team.
I read Glavine was throwing 83-86, which is good enough for him.
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Now give me time and I will definitely warm up to Hanson. Looking forward to him finally starting.
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Pittsburgh press is reporting it’s a done deal!
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09154/974921-100.stm
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It’s official!!!
Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez and Jeff Locke…
😯
Wow!
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UN
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BE.
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.
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.
ievable!!!!!
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WOW!!!! We must have given up a lot for him….Schafer and Medlen perhaps??? If I were them, I wouldn’t do that…
Frenchy????????
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OK… after picking myself up off the floor, let’s assess.
Woo-hoo!!!
Morton was a nice pitcher with no spot in the rotation. Doesn’t hurt the organization.
Hernandez is a potential star CF, blocked by Schafer… and now Shafer is blocked by McLouth! Doesn’t hurt the organization.
Jeff Locke? Another pitcher who could become another Charlie Morton… See above. Doesn’t hurt the organization.
Folks, this is why you develop top talent in you farm. Some make your club, some are used to make trades.
Another A+ for Wren, IMO.
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Well, my guesses were way off!!!!
Gorkys is a ways away, isn’t he???
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And lost in the flurry of activity is that Campillo was DL’d again, and Brian Barton, OF, was brought up to take his spot on the roster. Interesting in light of the McLouth deal… Who gets bumped when McLouth is added? Blanco, maybe? Something cooking with Francoeur? Still something else to happen, IMO.
Also, Hanson is to start Saturday, and Medlen is moving to the pen. Who gets bumped there? Or does the remainder of the Blanco/Barton duo go back then?
Stay tuned to this bat-channel…
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NOW we can make the deal for Dero and I will look a happy fan.
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Oh, and in Nate’s 481 career games, he has batted leadoff in 186 of them with a .343 career OBP in the leadoff spot.
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Nate signed an extension prior to this season for 3 years/$15.75M (2009-11), plus 2012 club option. Pretty cheap for an All-Star CF, don’tcha think?
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It’s pretty clear that the Glav release was a part of this. He was due an additional $3MM if he was on the active roster for 90 days.
I personally would rather spend the $$$ on McLouth…
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Oh, and McLouth has 7 steals already this year…
22 in ’07, 23 in ’08…
😀
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Just when I was all ready to be mad, Wren makes a great trade…
Got to hand it to the guy…
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Did I mention he one the Gold Glove in CF last season? 😀
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“won” 😳
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And the first Cub gets drilled… let the floodgates open.
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So, do you guys think Schafer is done with the braves????
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The rotation just got stronger, the ‘pen just got stronger and the everyday lineup just got stronger. Infante will be back in a few more weeks.
What a day!!!!!
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So, do you guys think Schafer is done with the braves????
Nope… but he ought not be in too big a hurry to come back to the big club…
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Are we done with the outfield moves????
GA has been hitting of late…
the rotation will be mighty tough if we don’t trade Javy…
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Wait a minute!
Who’s on first again???
And we did what??
Got the partridge, too?? with the pear tree????????
Wow.
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I still bet there is another move to be made. My money says Dero comes back and is the new RF and part time 3B. I bet Francoeur is gone. Why else would Barton have been called up?
Dero would be the final piece to make the 2009 Braves a real contender.
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OK – lots of new material waiting to put into a great lead. Who’s got it??
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Gil<—–Whistling past the cemetery….
I stop in across the street to get a sense of the opinion of the Braves fans in reference to all the moves made today. Still a lot of and idiots over there. Decided it would be a waste of my time and effort to post there.
CL, I cannot promise I can come up with anything lead worthy in a short time but I will try to have something together by Monday. I know, that is a lot of time but I am old and slow and just can't wordsmith like some of the folks around Stuffville…
Sad the Braves lost tonight but actually it was still a decent game. Not like I felt like I needed to be talked down from a ledge or anything.
Wicked bad thunder storms here between 6 and 8 PM. About 2 inches of rain and some things blown around the yard a bit. Suppose to be cool the next couple of days.
And oh by the way, Gwinnett is going to really stink up the place now their starting pitchers are gone. Not like they were offensive power houses to begin with. Welcome to life as a minor league franchise…
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There’s always Parr and Armas… 😀
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Wilson Betemit DFA’d…
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What part of I wrote a blog as a post a few days ago, do people not understand??? 😛
Actually, I was writing a anti TP one a few days ago…haven’t gotten very far though…one paragraph. Then kinda ran out of steam with it. Is one paragraph enough? 😕
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Wilson Betemit released eh??? I think Prado does just fine defensively at least, filling in for Chipper. Wilson Betemit has more power though. Torre may want him again as well….
Still can’t get over the Braves getting McLouth for as little as they did. Steve Philips said it was smart of the braves to get him now, before a bidding war began. I bet the white sox really wish they had known he was available.
Gil, the Ajc is a hard place to read these days. A bit better with more comments per page, but only really want to know what news there is on the team.
For once I agreed with what DOB said….he (at first at least-didn’t go thru every page) said the way the Glavine thing was handled made the Braves look bad…
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I’m not exactly at 100%…might not be able to bat against tough lefties.
Been trying a gluten free diet to see if wheat is a reason for the constant stomach issues…and weird skin problems…so far only difference is I am really, really tired….I was so tired, I went to bed with the game tied up in the 10th…that’s just not like me…after 5 hours of sleep, up…I need some of those feel good pills of Gils! 🙂
Going to try to get some more sleep…TMI???
And were is the former Florida Braves Girl????
Does she have mouse elbow???
Laptop finally decide to blow up???
Snow in north Georgia???
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One wonders if Jeff Francouer will be hitting eighth in the line-up when Nate McLouth is inserted in the batting order. I expect McLouth to be hitting lead-off. Frank Wren indicated as much during an interview with Chip and Joe during the game.
Funny thing, in looking at Nate’s stats, he, like Kelly Johnson, has a higher average against left handers than righties.
I thinks Raisins is right too, I still think Jeff is on the trading block…
Any guess where Glavin may end up? I know who will give him the most money but who would be his best fit. The Phillies have a need but I don’t know if he isn’t too much like Jamie Moyer to be an asset to their line-up.
Will he be effective? I don’t know but I guarantee he will get a shot with somebody, maybe Boston….
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the way the Glavine thing was handled made the Braves look bad…
Well, when you consider that the gave him the option to retire, and he asked for his release, I think it was purely business – and prudent. And TommyG has shown in the past that business is business. So…
Look, the Braves have a better rotation with TommyH over TommyG, and TommyG would have potentially made an additional $4.5MM just for staying on the roster for the rest of the season. At some point you have to let go of the past to allow the present (and future) to reach its potential. We were at that crossroad. The acquisition of McLouth is a clear indication that the Braves were not content just floundering through another .500 season.
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I think coming into 2009, whether they would actually admit it or not, the Braves were content to ride this season into next when they really expected to be true contenders. Having the sentimental favorite of Glavine in the rotation was a nice PR move, but not a great strategic move. But when the Mutts and Phools showed they were both flawed and catchable, Wren & Co. recognized that they actually could make a run this year. At that point, sentiment had to give way to prudence.
Speaking of “Prudence”… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ppmdvXsMBE
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Time for me to disagree with everyone…again! 😀
Gil, Nate McLouth has the highest steals to caught steals ratio in the majors, over the last several years. Great. He’s on pace for only 24 this year. He’s hitting .256, with a .349 OBP. His 9 homers(Chipper and KJ have the team lead with 5 each) and 34 RBI’s translate into 31 HR’s and 117 RBI’s for the season, and we are going to have him bat leadoff???
Does that really make sense???? Sure doesn’t to me, unless we are truly going to trade Frenchy…and get some other run producer in place of him.
It also means 6 of the 8 hitters will be swinging from the left if a righty is on the mound.
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Well, when you consider that the gave him the option to retire, and he asked for his release, I think it was purely business – and prudent. And TommyG has shown in the past that business is business. So…
Well, TG like Smoltz might feel a bit like suckers after years of taking less, giving a hometown discount to stay with the braves,and to allow the team have moola to get other players, only to not be given a chance to finish with the club. Ok, you’re right…they could have finished with the team, for a lot less money.
How does it look for a team to have a player like TG take a much smaller, incentive laden contract, instead of guaranteed money (Like Pedro has insisted on) and still release him before he’d get a million, after working so hard to get back to the Majors??? I heard he was tossing 83-86(Forget where now, read it I think?) which is plenty fast for him.
I think him breaking down, or not pitching well was what they were hoping for, and it didn’t happen.
And even though I was sure hoping Hanson was going to be up much, much sooner(No doubt a money saving ploy only) well…didn’t we all think Schafer was going to be the cat’s meow??? Do the youngsters still say that???
What if Hanson has all the tools, but sucks because of the pressure of being in the majors??? back to one good start every three, Medlin?(as Gil so aptly pointed out about rookies) or one good start every 10 Jo-Jo???
I think Glavine can got 5-6 innings every time, and give up 2-3 runs.
I’d respect the braves much more if they didn’t try to say Glavine didn’t have it anymore, and instead said we were going to take on salary in future moves, and can’t afford Glavine at this time….
Make this diarrhea of the mouth(keyboards?) a blog CL! 😛
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Yep, deny it as they may, the Glavin move really is about the money. Baseball is a business. I might understand why something is done, it does not mean I have to agree with it or even like it.
I understand why the Braves moved their triple A franchise to Gwennett, didn’t mean I loved the idea. It’s just business… Now, does that mean I should cheer for one corporation verse another? See how confusing the world can be?
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Gil, don’t get me started on corporate greed, I’ll start sounding like a liberal! If GM, Ford and Chrysler made every single car overseas, just think of the money that would be saved! 😡
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OK, Ber… here we go.
Over Glav’s last 3 seasons, including an abbreviated 2008, here are some numbers to chew on:
2006: ERA 3.82, batting average against .267
2007: ERA 4.45, batting average against .281
2008: ERA 5.54, batting average against .288
See the pattern? And 83-86 on a fastball is NOT gonna get out Major League hitters… it just ain’t. In his prime, Glav hit 90-92 consistently and worked the changeup as his bread and butter. There is a big difference from 92 to 80, but not so much from 86 to 80. Not so big a “change”, if you know what I mean. And his cutter no longer cuts. He was done, finito, kaput. He’ll realize it when NO other team makes his celly ring. Players always want to bring up the business side when it benefits them, but not so much when they feel “owed”. (Actually, I have heard nothing where Glav says he feels betrayed.) The fact is though, in 2009, MLB must be run like a business. I applaud Frank Wren for doing so.
As to the mythical “hometown discount”, don’t fool yourself. Players do not give a “discount” out of any perceived loyalty. It is simply value versus value. The value of the $$$ proposed vs. the comfort of familiar surroundings, a home where the family is comfortable, a city that offers the amenities you want, etc. No player, and I’ll repeat it, NO PLAYER says, “I really want to go over there, but I’ll forego several million dollars from them to be a nice guy for this team.” It always benefits the player in some fashion. Always.
And don’t even get me started on Smoltz…
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…And 83-86 on a fastball is NOT gonna get out Major League hitters.
Tell that to Jamie Moyer and Trevor Hoffman(14 saves in as many chances) 😛
V, you make good points, but if that is truly how the braves felt all along, why did they make him a incentive laden offer in the first place???
Glavine has his millions to keep him warm, and a hot wife. Still could have been handled better.
I still think he can get folks out, time will tell….
Ok, now that that’s all settled, wanna talk the future??? Read about 16 year old Bryce Harper, the most exciting prodigy since Lebron James.
Check out the cover first, might not be what you expect…
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/11258/index.htm
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1156215/1/index.htm
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One more thing while I am on a roll…
I never criticized TommyG for taking the Mets deal because it was in his best interests, so he took it.
I won’t criticize the Braves for letting him go now because it is in their best interests, so they did it.
The Braves are a better team today with TommyG not in the rotation, and TommyH in it. TommyG was the past attempting to hang on; TommyH is the future ready to emerge.
And you cannot compare Schafer and his struggles to TommyH. Schafer made the jump from AA, and needed the seasoning in AAA – as was evident. TommyH dominated AAA, and had nothing left to prove.
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but if that is truly how the braves felt all along, why did they make him a incentive laden offer in the first place???
To see if they would be happy with his pitching after he rehabbed – hence the incentive laden nature of the deal. According to reports, the scouts who were monitoring his progress felt he was done.
What else could they have done? Let him make one start – a potentially embarrassing one if he truly was done – and then released him? And blow a million bucks in the process? I realize a million seems small compared to the bloated figures thrown at us by our spend-happy government, but it is still a ton of coin. They gave the dude the option to retire, and he ASKED for his release. They complied. Again, what else could they have done?
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Tell that to Jamie Moyer and Trevor Hoffman
Jamie Moyer – never has thrown above the low 80’s, and also features a cutter and a curve. Currently sports a 6.75 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .321 against him. That is what TommyG would be. He only has a job in Philly because they have nobody else. That just reinforces my point.
Trevor Hoffman – throws a palmball that dies at the plate. It doesn’t rely on a change of velocity to be effective. Also throws a slider, a curve and a cutter. That said, his strikeouts have diminished from a peak of 111 in 1997, and as many as 85 in 200 and 69 in 2002, to 44 in 2007 and 46 last season. He is on a pace for 45 this year. Don’t forget, too, that he only tosses one inning at a time. He is a special player, a certain HOF’er that I’d take on our roster today. He is the exception, though, not the norm.
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One last thing and I’ll shut up…
Suppose they activated TommyG, and for 3-4 games, he stunk up the joint, couldn’t get past the 4th or 5th innings, taxed the bullpen, and generally looked bad. Meanwhile, TommyH continued to mystify AAA batters, and wasted away in Gwinnett winning meaningless games? How many people, including B&S’ers, would ne giving Frank grief up one side and down the other for “giving away” every 5th game? (Kinda like we all did when Jo-Jo was in the rotation.) Then what? You have 3 or 4 more “L”s to overcome, and still have PR nightmare to deal with.
The bottom line is, it had to happen sooner or later, and there was no real “right” way to do it. Better sooner than later.
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The situation with Glavin has been played out countless times in every business and every sport in the world. Cost verses value, risk verses reward, reality verses hope, and of course “What do you mean I’m not good enough?”
Like I said, I understand why, does not mean I can’t be in denial.
I am sure time will heal all wounds, fractured egos will mend. Life goes on, with or without our consent.
I have no doubt Glavin will pitch somewhere if he wants to. And I can’t feel too bad for him, after all, they did pay him a million dollars to try to return to form. Not like he did it gratis…
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I’ve thought and said about all I’ll say on the Tom Glavine situation, but this link pretty much says it all and I agree with it. Owners, manager (and f) can be cold, calculating lot at times and seem to forget that respect, class and honest dealings are not superficial tactics. So much of our world has forgotten that people do business with people, not chips or pieces or trading cards. The old, “what have you done for me today” attitude prevails.
The fact that Glavine was not his same HOF pitcher and Hanson was (we hope) superior and keeping Glavine would’ve cost a few million dollars has nothing to do with how this was handled. Besides, how many fans can truly relate to a few million dollars in a game where such riches are made. Money is not the issue, Hanson is not the issue and neither is Tom Glavines effectiveness. That rationale seems disingenuous.
Many fans will disagree of course, just as many disagree with the golden rule unless they’re on the receiving end of a broken promise, an unethical or botched deal.
From Olney: “…the Braves aren’t playing a board game. They were dealing with Glavine, who had played a major role in hoisting up the franchise after decades of failure.”
Buster Olney Blog
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What? Should say: (and fans).
I am sure time will heal all wounds, fractured egos will mend. Life goes on, with or without our consent. I have no doubt Glavin will pitch somewhere if he wants to. And I can’t feel too bad for him, after all, they did pay him a million dollars to try to return to form. Not like he did it gratis…
You seem to be in the majority with that opinion, Gil… but I don’t agree with the entire premise. Like saying, “I ripped you off and lied to you, but you’ll get over it, time will heal, yada yada”. See?
Here I go again. I’m not disturbed by the who’s the better baseball player aspect of this. It’s the lack of integrity shown by JS, Wren and company.
That’s the point.
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Thanks SG, for putting it better than I could.
I heard one of those in his own words shows with Bobby(and after listening to him not in a typical Q&A after a game, but a relaxed session with Joe Simpson, you understand more why players love him so) and he’d talk about how Smoltz, Glavine, or Maddux, before he’d even think of asking them, would knock on the door and ask if he had a minute. They’d then say, hey we know we are short a starter, I’d go on short rest, then Smoltz will, then Maddog…and how he(Bobby) can’t easily ask guys to risk their health, their future pitching on short risk. They loved the team, they loved Bobby…and I bet if it was up to Bobby, Glavine would have been given a chance to prove himself.
Liked this part in particular from Olney…
The Braves signed on for the Tom Glavine tour, shortly after they broke ties with John Smoltz. They knew then that they were not going to get an electric fastball, and that there might be days of ugly line scores from a 43-year-old pitcher. But it was important to them, at that time, to maintain ties with the future Hall of Famer, a guy whose plaque in Cooperstown would contain their logo, someone they would invite back for special events, for Opening Days, to throw out first balls and to wave.
Glavine did everything the Braves asked through spring training, and Atlanta wrote him into the rotation for mid-April. He had a setback, and the Braves had a chance to jump off the Glavine comeback train then, to be direct and honest with him in telling him that they didn’t think he was good enough. But the Braves kept him, kept arranging rehab outings for him, with Glavine under the impression that he was making progress and pushing toward a day when he could rejoin Atlanta’s rotation. It is the Braves who have complete control over his rehab schedule. He went out and did as well as he could do in his last outings in the minor leagues; he had done his part.
So it is especially odd that the Braves pulled the plug in the way that they did, and quite frankly, he deserves better — and if they didn’t know that when they re-signed him in February, then they should have.
Before teams agree to bring back a historically great player, they owe it to themselves to have this conversation: What happens if the guy is bad? What happens if he just can’t play anymore? Is the ending going to be ugly? And if they determine that the ending might get ugly, then they pass on the player in the first place, because what you don’t want, especially, is to have a future Hall of Famer storming out of your park in midseason feeling as if he hadn’t been dealt with honestly and respectfully. And that’s about how Glavine felt as he drove away from Turner Field.
Tommy Hanson, who now takes a spot in the Atlanta rotation, is going to be a star, and he might have a chance of making the Braves better in the short term, as well. He also plays for minimum wage, and because the Braves spend less on him than they might’ve spent on Glavine, they are in a better position to stay within their budget while pursuing outfield help. If you are running a fantasy team, this is the move you make.
But the Braves aren’t playing a board game. They were dealing with Glavine, who had played a major role in hoisting up the franchise after decades of failure.
Glavine had honored the contract he signed with Atlanta in February, done the work, pitched where he was told to pitch and done so with good results. At the very least, he had earned a start or two or three in the majors. If he had gotten pounded, well, then it would’ve been clear that Glavine couldn’t help the Braves.
But the Braves cut him and shoved him out the door before they had to pay him any more money, a move that is beneath them.
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at times and seem to forget that respect, class and honest dealings are not superficial tactics. So much of our world has forgotten that people do business with people, not chips or pieces or trading cards. The old, “what have you done for me today” attitude prevails.
Two words: Players’ Association. Respect, class and honest dealings left the building when the Players’ Association moved in.
And I will repeat the question I have asked over and over… How should it have been handled? I have read all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth, but have yet to see one realistic option that would have been “better”. Kinda like “change”. I hear the word, but don’t see a positive alternative.
And from an interview with the respected Pete Van Wieren: More than one Major League scout monitored Glavine’s rehab, and they were in 100% agreement that Glavine could no longer get Major League hitters out effectively. I’ll defer to them…
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Buster Olney’s job is to sell newspapers, or blogs, or whatever. I give no credence to his opinions, and that’s all they are, whatsoever. He gets paid to stir the pot.
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Olney: But the Braves cut him and shoved him out the door before they had to pay him any more money, a move that is beneath them.
Maybe he wouldn’t mind shelling out the potential $4.5MM out of his pocket. It’s so easy to spend other people’s money. (Just ask Nancy Pelosi…)
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And I will repeat the question I have asked over and over… How should it have been handled?
By not offering him a contract and trusting the farm in the first place.
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SG… Like I said, I can see how and why, does not mean I liked the move or even how it was handled. Maybe it is because I have seen it a hundred times before. Baseball does not have a corner on the crassness market. Could it have been handled differently, of course.
All I am saying is that at some point we have to accept the fact things change.
Let it be a lesson to folks as to how to treat a valued employee, let folks understand how important it is to always give your best effort to your employer.
I think the comparison between Atlanta vs Seattle I think really show the difference between a corporate run organization where the bottom line is always on profit and loss as opposed to one owned by a family or single individual. I have experience the difference first hand.
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It amazes me how we can bend reality to rationalize our own opinions and behaviors at times when they don’t fit a particular situation, even when it contradicts what we usually promote or exibit as our ehtical and moral standards. Either that, or we (fans) just have a different set of beliefs for some situations than those we profess to live by. Disappointing, really.
On the blogs I’ve seen common sense and ethical standards stretched about as far as they can be to support what was done to Glavine. Money saved, velocity down, performance probability, comparison to Hanson, age, union rep, payback for his departure for the Mets, blah, blah.
Then the old, “he’s rich, got paid for nothing last year, made a million bucks to rehab” and so forth. This is an idiotic argument and either disingenuous or ignorant.
You can’t talk about a $15 million dollar deal for 4 years with a certain player as a bargain on Tuesday and then on thursday talk about how repulsive it was to pay a million dollars Glavine with any credibility at all. Then, when all other arguments against Glavine are not enough some resort to the class envy tactic by saying things like, “I’d like to have that million along with all the other hard working normal people out there”.
I guess because it’s baseball we can all just park our common sense, fairness and ethics at the entrance gate turnstile. Then, when we leave after the game, we can pick them back up. Never know when we might need to play the righteous card.
Wouldn’t that be called situational ethics? Sunday morning righteousness? Clintonesque compartmentalization? Rationalization? Like Groucho might say, “The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made.”
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By not offering him a contract and trusting the farm in the first place.
Then Wren would have been killed for not giving Glavine an opportunity. They paid this guy $1MM, plus the best medical care available, for him to attempt his comeback. They were all in agreement, Glavine included, that this was a process. In the end, the Braves organization did not feel he was capable of being a #5 starter. Based on the reports I have read and heard, I agree. If he makes another club and is semi-effective, I’ll be the first one to order up a heaping serving of crow. But if he is washed up, as the professional scouts say he is, why continue the charade? Only Glavine’s pride prevents him from seeing the evidence. You want to talk about lacking class? Maybe Glavine should have retired and rode into the sunset. Quite honestly, he has set himself up for some criticism by continuing the comeback attempt.
If he can’t crack another ML team, will everyone then come back and say, “Gee, I guess the Braves were right…”? Nope, it won’t happen.
When Jo-Jo couldn’t cut it as the #5, everyone wanted him gone. When Schafer couldn’t make contact with the ball, everyone wanted him sent down. And Francoeur? He is at least hitting in the mid .200’s, but the popular sentiment is that he should be shipped off for a couple of maple bats and a jock strap. Glavine is assessed by Major League scouts as being done, but the cry of “Foul” is loud and long. Why the difference?
The real difference? They are all currently under contract an are being paid to produce. Glavine was only under additional financial obligation if activated. That would have only served to only muddy the waters.
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Gil, I truly can accept change. I may not accept it happily and, in the case of the political “change” we’re seeing play out in this country, I’ll never accept it or abide by it. When things are not in our control to change we must accept that fact, not accept the thing that we feel is unjust. We ignore it, get over it or change it.
I’ll never accept dishonesty, unfairness and unethical behavior wherever I see it and I’ll never accept those that practice them… even if the person can sign good players, hit 100 home runs, win 25 games or give a good speech with teleprompters.
Change is like the Richmond Braves moving to Georgia. No harm, no foul, right? Maybe there were lies and maybe Richmond got shafted, dunno. The BS Wren & company pulled on Glavine was different.
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SG:
The quotes and examples you reference have not appeared on this blog. If you are calling me out for inconsistency, I challenge you to show it. I believe I have been consistent in all of my comments with regard to Glavine.
I guess because it’s baseball we can all just park our common sense, fairness and ethics at the entrance gate turnstile.
Common sense says you don’t activate a guy that your scouts says can’t help you. Fairness? Is it fair to the fans, to the other players, even to Glavine to hand him the ball when your scouts tell you he can’t do the job?
I ask the question again: What would you have done?
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Raisins, looks like we’re coming down on opposite sides of this issue, bud. That’s OK. We live in a two story house. You have your story and I’ve got mine. 😀
Would love to stay and sort this a bit more (well, maybe just stay, no beat this horse more) but gotta run back to the salt mines now.
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Just saw that last one Raisins and I’ll try and come back later to say what I would’ve done. Later gators and taters.
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OK, SG…
What I appreciate most about this blog is that we can have different opinions and still have adult discourse. That is not occurring across the street. I do respect your opinion, even if I don’t share it. It’s all good… 😀
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Gee, and I was just about to say there was nobody here but us “and idiots” .. 🙂
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Ber… you earlier asked what now becomes of Schafer, in light of the acquisition of McLouth. The prevailing thought is that McLouth will be moved to LF next season, with Schafer taking back over CF. Then, when JHey is ready…
Don’t you think Francoeur sees this writing on the wall? He’ll never see a long term deal in Atlanta. He may not see another 1 year deal…
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VOR: My brief survey of this recent conversation implies you and I are on the same side of the river. I actually just finished writing something about this move. I like it. I never expected to see Glavine come back to Atlanta, and if he managed to sneek onto the mound I fully expected him to last 1+ innings allowing 10+ runs.
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This “and idiot” is gonna start the daily lineup guessing. Now that McLouth is here, what will the lineup look like?
Even though he has been a leadoff guy for the majority of his career, he has batted 3rd this season. Does he lead off here? I say he does, at least that’s where I’d bat him. We all know Chipper isn’t budgeing from the 3-hole. So how does it shake out?
For the sake of this discussion, I am plugging Kotch in, since he will hopefully be out only a couple more days.
1- Nate (L)
2- KJ (L)
3- Chipper (S)
4- Yunel (R)
5- Mac (L)
6- GA (L)
7- Kotch (L)
8- Franc (R)
I know Yunel hasn’t hit out of the 4 hole, but why not? He has the power to bat there, and is tearing the cover off the ball right now. Having Mac at 5 lets you give him a day off every now and then. As much as I want him in the lineup day in and day out, the reality is that a catcher has to have off days to be effective in September and October. Let Ross be JV’s personal catcher, and bat him 6th, moving GA up one on that day.
Thoughts?
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Howdy 10Paul. Good to see you around these parts…
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Well said, 10Paul, well said.
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TommyH is on 680 the Fan right now.
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VOR: Thanks. I read just now that Vazquez is available. I’d imagine that is only possible for a big bat. Could be a solid move. Medlen would fill in until Hudson was ready.
My line up:
1-McLouth
2-Yunel
3-Chipper
4-McCann
5-Anderson
6-Johnson
7-Francoeur
8-Kotchman
Though I might flip Johnson and Francoeur in the hopes that having KJ and Kotchman backing him up might get him more “hittable” pitches.
Actual 5-8 could be tossed around in any order and I’d be fairly happy. Getting McLouth in there sure makes a difference. I love that trade.
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I just don’t get why everyone wants to put Nate leadoff. 26 HR’s last year(Started to write yesterday! 😳 ) on pace for 31 this year. Yunel has 20 homers for his career. Seems to have more pop this year,(Just realized he has 5 homers along with KJ and Chipper) but as good as he is with RISP, he’s still doing that in the 2 hole, so why not leadoff for him??? I thought there was more of a sampling, 1-11 this year batting first. Hmm, lets see what he did last year batting leadoff. .285, vs. .289 batting 2nd.
Ok, my lineup would then be…
1-Yunel
2-KJ
3-Chipper
4-McLouth(9 Hr’s, 4 more than anyone else on our team, 34 RBI’s 7 more than anyone esle)
5-McCann
6-Anderson
7-Johnson
7-Kotchman(no reason he should bat before the black hole
8-Francoeur
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Tonight’s lineup… and I really like it.
1. KJ
2. Yunel
3. McLouth
4. Chipper
5. McCann
6. Anderson
7. Francoeur
8. Prado, 1B
9. Jurrjens
I absolutely LOVE it.
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Har, I admit it, I am lazy and stole most of 10 Pauls order, just moved it around…not very well
Hopefully corrected.
1-Yunel
2-KJ
3-Chipper
4-McLouth(9 Hr’s, 4 more than anyone else on our team, 34 RBI’s 7 more than anyone esle)
5-McCann
6-Anderson
7-Kotchman(no reason he should bat after the black hole)
8-Francoeur
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V, that lineup makes a lot more sense!!!! 🙂
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Well, I’m not quite sure how I feel about this. I’m really glad they made the trade – that’s a given.
About Glavine, I’m not sure. He’s done a lot for this franchise, but he has also taken home a boatload of money from it in exchange. He left to join a bitter rival for even more money.
He wanted one last summer in the sun before retiring and he wanted to do it in Atlanta. Surgery intervened.
Having just gone through the rotator cuff thing, I truly understand the sheer physical sweat and pain of rehab – and he had a lot more of it than I did.
He met all the requirements and was fully expecting to pitch in a Braves uniform within the next few days.
I think the timing and the abruptness of it is was I find jarring. When it comes down to brass tacks, it’s not really about money or who did what when, it’s about human beings.
Not being present, but having read several accounts, Glavine had no inkling that this was coming. I can understand his shock.
Bowman wrote that when he spoke with Bobby afterward there were hints of tears in his eyes and his voice. I can only imagine.
I truly hate to see people hurt.
Everyone will survive, without doubt, but such events leave scars. We’ve all got them and in quiet moments when we look at them, we still feel some of the same sadness felt at the time of the event.
I just don’t like to see anyone hurt.
And I don’t like to see the Braves lose.
I’d make a pretty lousy manager wouldn’t I??
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Everyone will survive, without doubt, but such events leave scars. We’ve all got them and in quiet moments when we look at them, we still feel some of the same sadness felt at the time of the event.
Poetry, my good Lady… poetry.
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Frank Wren is coming up on 680 the Fan after the commercial break…
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It appears that Barton’s stint on the big club is very short lived. He has been optioned to make room for Big Nate.
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Mr. O’Brien: Chipper told Bobby yesterday that he was fine batting wherever he wanted him. Said he prefers third, but if this helps him get some more fastballs to hit, and brings him up to bat with a couple of runners on base sometimes in the first inning, then it’s good.
I love Chipper Jones. I’m glad he finally came around to my way of thinking! 😉
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See y’all later… I am off to take my family to dinner.
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Yes, actual adult discourse, and without the “and idiot” calling… Refreshing. Sometimes we agree for different reasons to the same things and sometimes we disagree for different reasons but at least we agree that CL is the best for the same reasons…. 🙂
Even if she is mean to us sometimes and makes use write leads when we don’t want to… 🙂
Now baseball, will they get the game in tonight? I hope it is a little less damp in the Atlanta area than it is here. We got about 3 inches of rain since yesterday and more is on the way… and the lakes were not low here to begin with. Time to buy lake front property in Georgia again?
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😳 Awwww, shucks, VOR and Gil…. y’all making me blush! 😆
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Is there any doubt why The esteemed Carolina Lady is the Stuffville Mayor? Well, it’s because she’s diplomatic. She’s kind and fair. She’s righteous. She likes birds, racoons and cats. She likes people and does not like to see anyone hurt. She has short hair.
And, she does most of the work to keep the lights on.
Now, Raisins… what were we talking about? I just got back from a very nice charity event and met these great people that, well, nevermind. The story is probably only interesting to me.
It’s too late to wade back into what I would do about whatever is was, so I’ll just leave that for when I have the energy to do whatever it was. Oh, Glavine. Right. Well, that’ll certainly have to wait. But I said I’d return and I did, regardless of whether anyone gave a hootin’ holler.
I’ll just leave it here and return as soon as I can.
Political in nature.
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Now baseball, will they get the game in tonight?
I’m going to say no…since they just called it. 😕
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Hey I like CL too!!!!! 😛
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Gee, TP was hurt that Frenchy sought help from the Rangers hitting coach over the winter…
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2009/06/04/terry-pendleton-on-hitting-that-individual-has-to-step-up/
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Hi, kids! Sorry I’ve been absent. El Grincho came up for a visit & then Mom & Melissa arrived last night to spend a few days before we all go home Sun.
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Dad is furious about Glavine’s release & wants to tar & feather Wren. I have mixed feelings. I dislike the way it was handled but I’d never completely forgiven him for going to the Mets & honestly the highest speed I saw him hit in Gwinnett was 84.
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I am quite pleased about the McClouth deal.
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Well, another milestone reached in Major League Baseball. Randy Johnson achieved his 300th win last night defeating the Washington Nationals 2-1. How is it the Braves are the only team not able to roll over the Nats?
It’s going to be a tough stretch in June when the Braves have to make up last night’s rainout. I guess we will see if the Braves are contenders or pretenders at the end of this month. Boston, New York, Detroit… all tough customers.
I think it still goes back to what we all agree upon before the start of this season, that Francouer’s performance is the key for the Braves’ if they are to compete this year.
Ber, thanks for the link to Bradley’s column. I think it is pretty telling the relationship between Pendelton and Francouer by the comments made by each. I don’t look for Frenchy to be sending any thank you notes TP’s way when Jeff moves on.
I still think it is up to the hitting coach to get the most out of the tools each individual has. I always said, any dummy can teach the talented. it takes a real motivator to get the best from the rest.
Sometimes it just comes down to chemistry. Some folks just don’t get along, no matter how hard they try.
Perhaps the most telling thing about a hitter is if he is giving himself a chance to succeed? Hard to ht a pitcher’s mistake when you are always popping out on the first pitch. It only improves a pitcher’s chance for success.
Nate McLouth might not be the “BIG BAT” the Braves needed but he certainly is a better bat than they have had. He has had some big hits against the Braves in the past.
Kind of sad really for the fans in Pittsburgh however, it’s not like they haven’t experienced success in their town with other sports franchises. The Steelers and the Penguins don’t appear to be affected by “small market” syndrome. At some point they must think the Pirates are just another farm club for the Yankees and the Braves…
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According to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, Jose Reyes has a tear in his right hamstring tendon. The Mets will wait till Friday to make a decision on the matter, but Burkhardt guesses Reyes will be sidelined till the All-Star break. –MLBTR
I take no joy in anyone’s injury, but it couldn’t happen to a nicer team…
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According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have designated Blaine Boyer for assignment. Boyer, 28 in July, had allowed 19 baserunners in 16.3 innings, striking out nine.
Yikes 😯
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Blaine had shoulder surgery for a torn labium. Another reason the Braves did not think Glavin or Smoltz would ever be effective again. Blaine has lost the snap on his fastball he possessed when he first burst on the scene and has tried to compensate for that loss by overthrowing the ball. That results in loss of control.
A real conundrum for a pitcher who has had some success, throw harder in the attempt to muscle a pitch past a batter at the risk of losing the ability to locate or take something off a pitch to increase control but having no life on a pitch and thus making it appear like a batting practice fastball to major league hitters.
For pitchers who grew up relying on speed it is tough to learn how to pitch using feel pitches like cutters and curve balls.
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And one last comment on the Glavin situation and the he said, she said going on… My advice to Tom Terrific is,,, it’s done, get over it, move on, chalk it up as a life lesson…. You don’t have to like the results but if you don’t move past it, it will drag you down.
One of my favorite bromides is “You can never get ahead if you are always trying to get even”
Do people (Frank Wren) lie? Yes… is that a surprise? People lie all the time, we might not like that fact but unfortunately, it is the way of this world.
Are people always lying? No, but that does not mean we should not take things with a grain of salt. People, (and by extension corporations) use people to further their own agendas all the time.
Tom is a very glib and articulate individual and has a great future ahead of him in broadcasting if he so chooses, I wish him well and thank him for all the wonderful memories but it is time to move on. Hey, if I can get over the moving an entire franchise he can get past this. The thing he should understand is he is not dealing with a Ted Turner or an Arthur Blank, he is dealing with a corporation that has a much different agenda that he.
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ummm, err…
Braves Interested In Penny
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [June 5 at 1:42pm CST]
According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney the Braves are “in conversation with the Red Sox” about Brad Penny, who is pitching better as the season progresses. The Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur, who the Braves may be interested in moving, in part because he makes over $3MM this year and the Braves are watching their payroll carefully.
If the Braves were to acquire Penny, they could add him to their struggling bullpen or slot him into their rotation and bump Kenshin Kawakami to the ‘pen. Atlanta just released Tom Glavine in part because they had no room for him, so it would be a surprise to see them give up much for Penny.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/06/braves-interested-in-penny.html
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And from Bowman…
Braves not interested in Penny.
It’s been an eventful and hectic week for the Braves. But contrary to an ESPN.com report, a Major League source said that the Braves don’t have any interest in acquiring Brad Penny from the Red Sox.
If John Smoltz gets through another rehab start tonight, the Red Sox will view Penny as even more expendable. But the Braves won’t be among the teams showing interest in the big right-hander.
With Tommy Hanson’s arrival on Sunday, the Braves will have form a rotation that they envision keeping in place for the rest of the season. If Kenshin Kawakami would struggle, Kris Medlen could vacate his bullpen spot and return to the rotation.
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Jon Heyman on Glavine and all things Brave…
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/06/05/braves.glavine/index.html
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Hanson. I truly hope and fervently pray that the Braves aren’t putting too many eggs in one basket.
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I just checked the Saloon. The dust is an inch thick in there! Where is Chris??? What does a lady have to do to get a cold Diet Coke around here??!
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What would you have done?
Raisins, the quick answer would be along the lines of what Buster Olney said in the link I posted above. That’s what I would have done. You may not like or respect Olney, maybe he does typically “stir the pot”; I don’t follow him but I don’t doubt you have good reason to feel whatever way you feel about him and his reporting… but that particular article pretty much voiced the way I felt about the Glavine debacle.
In my own words, I would have simply let Tom pitch. That was the only way to prove whether he could. The worst that could happen is that he’d give up a few runs and be taken out of the game. If that happened the second or third time, Tom himself would have come to the conclusion to retire in a dignified way.
The extra million or two dollars, not compared to what we make but what players make, would have been a drop in the bucket. There would have been NO negative impact on the team if Tom had come back and failed. Yes, a few million bought a good to very good upgrade in center field, but we would have done that anyway. Wren said so himself… it was a non-issue. A few mil to us is huge. To a professional sports franchise, it is peanuts. Or hot dogs. Or beer. Or merchandise. A very small amount.
The best that could happen is that Tom pitched great, won his games, not because he threw 95 mph but because he knows how to pitch. Further, by letting Glavine rejoin the team, the Braves would be living up to their promise. Not the technical part of the contract but the personal promise and spirit of the deal. Then Atlanta would have honored the commitment, honored a HOF player that, without his contribution, the 90’s would not have seen consecutive pennants. They would have also honored someone who worked his butt off to get back to the team.
Some, including Wren, have said that even though Glavine pitched a great few games, he didn’t have the velocity to make it in the majors. Not only was that unnecessarily cruel and unproven but it had no merit. If it did have merit, how do we know what Hanson can do in the bigs? It’s all a gamble. Braves owed Tom a chance even if they were certain he would fail. It just would have been the right thing to do. Not sentimental, just honorable. Braves management hasn’t displayed much of that lately. Nor are they respectful or diplomatic.
Atlanta would have a proud, long-time HOF advocate, PR advantage, a loyalty case story for future desired trades and a great, feel good story for fans and a beacon for our minor league players.
The best that could have happened for JS, Wren and company would be to have a great pitcher for minimum wage and/or a great PR story to counteract the Smoltz debacle. That, and Wren would have earned respect and trust with everyone.
Doing the right thing by people is never a bad thing, yet it seems out of vogue these days. So, to make a long answer even longer, I would have done the right thing and planned for the worst outcome. Then, nobody gets hurt and the Braves don’t lose a relationship with Glavine, who could have continued to do so much for them off the field.
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SG, I have to agree that that would have been a much better way to handle the situation. If he failed, he failed. If he succeeded, we would be ahead. But he was never given the CHANCE to try. I think that’s what bugs me. I think he was owed that much.
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I do see were V, 10 Paul and to a lesser extent Gil and FBG are coming from. But, like SG and CL said, there is just a bad taste in the mouth from this.
It’s like getting ready for a big trip to Hawaii, then finding out your trip has been canceled.
Just wanted to see him pitch. If they had said call it a day when he had the first setback, that would have probably made it easier for him to step aside. But, he thinks he’s ready, and will never know if some other team doesn’t take a flyer on him.
Ok, I have said my piece, everyone else has a well. Ain’t gonna change nothing. Let’s move on now, if that’ ok with everyone???
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Hey, just be glad we don’t live in Pittsburgh, or were fans of the Pirates! Listen to how the players there feel about McLouth being traded! 😯
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4233488
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Pittsburgh is 6 out in the central, the braves are 6 1/2 out in the East. 😯
Mets are really suffering from injuries , Reyes has a tear in his hamstring, Delgado’s hip surgery, and now JJ Putz will miss 2 months to have a bone spur removed.
We really should be able to pass them soon. If we can’t get past that team, we will never get past the Phils.
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The Braves went retro tonight… Just like the teams in the eighties when they wore gloves for no apparent reason… Pretty bad when you have more errors than hits.
Tough assignment tomorrow night as well.
Washington was doing some serious lolly gagging tonight as well.
Before all is said and done, McLough may feel like he has dropped into the Bermuda Triangle.
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Bermuda Triangle indeed.
From Mark Bradley article: “If Bobby Cox has anything to do with it, Pendleton is going nowhere. “Terry is good,” Cox said, emphasizing the adjective. “He’s an endless worker. He works harder than any hitting coach I’ve ever seen.” And Cox has worked alongside some fine ones: Cito Gaston, Clarence Jones, Don Baylor, Merv Rettenmund.”
Bobby confuses activity with achievement.
Welcome to the good ‘ol boy country club, Terry. Live the good life, ride the Harley, wear black leather chaps, go to a few meetings, cut up with the players, lean on the dugout rail and look serious during the games. Oh, and don’t forget to tell the players that their approach at the plate is all wrong, especially if they seem to be doing all right.
Frank Wren doesn’t have a clue about what this team needs to do. I suspect he’ll ‘Baltimore-ize’ this team until Liberty sells. With a new owner that cares about building a buttoned up organization and a winning franchise, like an Arthur Blank, Wren would be instantly seen as the empty suit that he is. He “likes stats”, has the look of a corporate executive, he has the grey hair, he’s got the Brooks Brothers suits but he doesn’t have a clue. He doesn’t seem to possess the people skills, the communication ability or the character to be a successful leader.
If I decide to buy the team myself, I’ll have a meeting with Frank, tell him to spend the entire off-season in around the clock management training at Wharton’s summer school, then public relations and diplomacy school, then I’d have him sit in the dugout and chart Sally League games every night so that he learns to see more than stats on the field.
Then, when Wren’s completed all of that I’ll have another meeting with him to release him and make a public statement along the lines of “Wren is not able to compete at the major league level. He’s had, uh, an influence on the Braves during the short time he was here. But no velocity. We offered retirement or release. He chose to be released. We wish him well. Hopefully another NL East team will like his style and hire him.”
Shouldn’t there be new, more appropriate titles for our Braves managers? The title ‘Manager’ seems such a misnomer for Bobby in the last, oh, four or five years or so. General Manager seems too general for Frank. Hitting Coach seems to be missing the swing and all.
Yes, when I buy the team we’ll replace them all. Then I’ll contact and interview Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine about positions with the club. Even if I don’t hire them, I’ll mend fences and involve them somehow. I’ll give Bobby a nice check and a big pat on the back and give him a light job at the Ted. He will be given a golf cart to ride around the warning track before some home games. He’ll be sent on assignment to talk with scouts about players… which was his best talent to begin with. Certainly it wasn’t game strategy. Anyway, Bobby will have a place somewhere. He deserves it. I’ll even buy him a lifetime supply of Kleenex, just in case he shows up at the office.
Until then or until someone else buys the franchise, I’ll try to keep a sense of humor about it. Braves are still my team even in the dark years. It’s pretty darned dark these days for the home team. We need a new owner that will bench a player for not trying hard enough. We need a new owner that’ll hire a manager that the team, likes, respects AND knows how to use a bullpen, sit a player that has hit in the low .200’s for way too long and knows how to put a successful leadoff hitter in the leadoff spot and not diddle with the lineup every blasted day.
Yes, it’s dark and rainy in Braves Nation. We need some sunshine. We need some patience. We need some humor. We don’t need to be blind Homers. We don’t need to hang on every misplay. We don’t need to get irrationally exuberant over picking up a new center fielder hitting .250, or pick the flesh off of them when they don’t bat .300… as with other sports blogs. But if we are being honest with ourselves, we need to be critical. They are our team. Who else cares enough to be critical?
Oh, and we need other hobbies in the mix during this stretch. Maybe buy another dog or two for walkin’ in the late innings. We’ll get through. All things must pass.
Now, where am I going to get the money to buy this team?
The Lottery!
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There is a common thread between the golden boy of the Atlanta area, Jeff Francoeur; the more swish than strut Jordan Schafer; the hesitant and self-conscious Kelly Johnson; the undeserving of cocky bat-flipping, gold-tipped Yunel Escobar. They should all take note:
“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.”
– Lou Brock
He was so right about that. Lou was a man among the ‘boys of summer’. Our boys would do well to forget the trappings of attempting attractive swagger and just scratch out hits. Singles, walks… just get to first. They need to get ugly until they can bat closer to 300 consistently and in clutch situations. Then the swagger and attractiveness will come naturally, because they won’t have to fake it.
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So Buddy actually has a medical reason for his decline in performance:
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/06/05/braves_carlyle_diabetes.html
Maybe they should test some other Braves…
(Oh, and the last para of the story tells alot about Buddy as a person. He has shot way up on my list of favorite Braves.)
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CL, still workin’ on that blog…seems it was easier in the past….
“Bobby confuses activity with achievement.”
SG, I think you are on to something there. I think that’s why Bobby couldn’t bring himself to take Frenchy out of the lineup more last year…he was working his butt off.
Fat lot of good that did. I would much rather someone do that than pull an Andruw and think about looking at videos in the off season.
But, if something doesn’t work, try other ways, including a different hitting coach for a guy in a true career struggle. Like leaving him in the minors for a few weeks with his AA coach that he said really helped him. Nah, might hurt his psyche to do that… 🙄
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V, wow!!! Interesting…My Mom was a type ll, as I am…Last thing we ever had to worry about was losing weight! Didn’t even know that was a sign of type 1. Always something to learn about the disease.
Now, if I can just figure out how to keep my blood sugar from skyrocketing in the a.m., like it did today….
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That post was all about me….I should have said I wish Buddy the best. He is a real gamer, hopefully he will be back good as new.
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Good luck Buddy. Good attitude too. Godspeed.
My lineup – batting side:
Nate McLouth – L
Yunel Escobar – R
Chipper Jones – L/R
Brian McCann – L
Garrett Anderson – L
Matt Diaz – R
Casey Kotchman – L
Kelly Johnson – L
Platoon Brian Barton – R (in the 8 spot), in right field with Diaz.
OK, lemme have it. 😀
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While I’m at it, French spends most of June in Mississippi. Also, Barton can sub for Garrett as well as Matt. That’s my team for the next two weeks.
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CL, you’ve got mail!
While writing that latest lead/blog/whatever, I needed to find the name of the Rangers hitting coach, instead of calling him that Rangers Hitting coach.
Came across this great USA Today story on him from 2006. Him being Rudy Jaramillo! 😳 Read how much praise players such as DeRosa and Gary Matthews Jr give him for their success. Also talks about him battling Cancer as well…
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/rangers/2006-08-24-jaramillo_x.htm
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Managing is easy. Have to go buy my Lottery ticket now so I can buy the Braves. Stuffville gets free seats where Jane Fonda used to sit with Ted.
Jane will be moved to the outfield seats, to strattle the arm of the chopping cow… where everyone can photograph her but no one can hear her.
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SG, I could live with that lineup….I would still like to see Nate at least bat 2nd, with his power.
Actually, if Nate can hit well with guys not wanting to face Chipper, the lineup Bobby has right now might really work. Well, except for Jeff…Barton/Diaz might just be the way to go. G.A. hits lefties fine anyway….
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Bear, I’d bat Nate in the leadoff spot because he’s used to it and he’s comfortable there. And he’s excelled there. He’s not hitting so well this year as it is so why add pressure on him? Plus, he’s a scrappy gamer that can wreak havoc on the bases. Don’t want that in front of Chipper, who says he’s distracted by base stealing and such while he’s trying to drive the ball. Seems a double-whammy to force him into the 3 spot.
After the first inning he’s no longer a leadoff hitter and his power can drive in the 7-8-9 spots. Besides, if we need McLouth to always be a power hitter and stick him in the 3-hole, that means we’re not getting it from Yunel, Casey, Garrett and Kelly anyway. If that is the case, losing with Nate at leadoff is no more painful than losing with Nate at leadoff.
Nate ain’t Bernie Williams but he can be a spark plug.
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A big salute and thank you to our ultimate boys of summer… those brave American troops that stormed the beaches of Normandy 65 years ago, into the teeth of overwhelming German guns and artillery.
God bless those brave souls that fought and died there. Truly the greatest generation.
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And Bear, in the 1-2 spots we need them to get on base. Nate and Yunel have power and they can be the lightning strikes, but Chipper, BMac and Garrett should provide the big thunder.
In theory and based on past performance anyhoo.
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Get a hobby… What, another one????
SG… Same thing I said… only different 🙂
Now, where were we? Oh yeah… Braves looked really bad last night. I don’t think they could have won that game if Sandy Kofax had been pitching for them.
Okay, that’s all I’ve got this morning, originally Josie and I had planned to go to the horse races today to enjoy the ambiance of folks thinking they are going to get rich playing long shots. Unfortunately, mom took a spill last night so we spent most of the night at the hospital trying to came her down. No real damage done but her prognosis is still pretty poor.
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Sorry to hear about your Mom Gil! Getting old is no fun.
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If Gil plays the long shot horse and wins, maybe he can buy the Braves. But then they’d have to move the big club to Richmond and the AAA team over to Mechanicsville.
I’ve never followed horse racing. I have learned that one must be very careful following the horses. Watch where you step and such.
Well, I just scrolled back up above Gil’s post to see who else is strolling around Stuffville and all I see is me and a little Bear. Lots of me. Lots. A lot.
So I re-read my own posts. I was quite impressed. Many brilliant points made. Maybe I’ll read them again. 🙄
Back to the garden I go before the rain comes. Must feed the skeeters.
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Sorry to hear about your mom, Gil.
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I missed this, since I don’t go to the AJC everyday
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2009/06/05/schuerholz_apology_braves.html
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I am so glad to see that from Schuerholz to Glavine. They DO realize they handled it poorly.
Gil, I am so truly sorry to hear of your mother’s accident. You know prayers are going for for all of you. Please keep us posted. You’re important to us!
SG, it is SO good to see you posting again! 😀
Ber! Good job on the email!! THANKS!! (Gil, you get a short reprieve! Very short!) 😆
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Ber found this gem. Take a moment and meet Arthur Seltzer, who was a 19-year-old American kid on Omaha Beach 65 years ago today.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525263,00.html
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Too late, SG. I bought the winning ticket today. 😉
Re: your 8:29, that’s one of the reasons I am so fond of Mac. He’s very humble & is not remotely concerned about “image”.
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Gil, sorry to hear about your mom.
And I’m sorry to see that about Buddy. Sounds like he has the right mindset to handle it though.
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Hey, doesn’t anyone want to talk about the Braves offense???
😕
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What offense?
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FBG, funny, didn’t see your 10:45 post, when I posted.
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It’s offensive, our offense. And you must be confused, I have the winning ticket! 😛
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The neighbors: Goats on the Roof
http://www.tigergoats.com
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Sad man, just sad… This team couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat….
SG is right, I hope Tommy Hanson brought his bats because all the ones the Braves are currently using all have holes in them… Maybe they could get Chief Noc-a-homa to do some kind of war dance or something…. Chase all the evil spirits away…
Maybe it is the curse of the Goats on the Roof… Goats are pretty powerful creatures you know, ask the Cubs… Or maybe they could just get some goats, besides Frank Wren I mean…
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Rep Randy Forbes corrects PresBO. It’s refreshing to see someone with an actual backbone!
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The END is NEAR!!
Reverend Boudreaux was the part-time pastor of the local Cajun Baptist Church and Pastor Thibodaux was the minister of the Covenant Church across the road.
They were both standing by the road, pounding a sign into the ground, that read:
‘The End is Near
Turn Your Self Around… Now! ! !
Before It is Too Late!’
As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, ‘You religious nuts!’
From the curve they heard screeching tires, and a big splash…
Rev. Boudreaux turns to Rev. Thibodaux and asks, ‘Do you think maybe the sign should just say….. ‘Bridge Out?’
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Everyone is watching Hanson now, right??? Everyone is wondering why we wasted games with Jo-Jo and Medlen, right??? Well, a 2 run homer to Braun ties the game at 2. Still looks dominating.
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Love the squirrel vs Dog email CL!!!
How about the day Chipper is having??? A Man among boys. That last homer…if you guys missed it, catch the hit on espn later on…Never have I seen a homer on a swing like that…swing looked like it would cause a pop up in shallow left, instead ended up 5 rows back. Frenchy show borrow his heavy bat.
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Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, ‘How old was your husband?’
’98,’ she replied, ‘Two years older than me’
‘So you’re 96,’ the undertaker commented.
She responded , ‘Hardly worth going home, is it? 😕
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Hello, Strangers!!! 🙂
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gee, think Glavine could give up less than 7 runs in a start??? 😕 Like I said, the bum Hanson should have stayed in AAA!!! 😛
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Uh, Tommy…welcome to the ‘Show’! 🙄
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Hey Salty!!!!!!!! 😀 How goes it????
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Good one Berigan… I can just imagine what is being written across the street.
Kid looks a little like Blaine Boyer.. Pitches like him too….
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Being a veteran of many minor league games, I can tell you it is a big difference between getting batters out in Triple A and the bigs.
Now, that’s not to say Hanson doesn’t have a huge upside, just can’t expect for him to be an Ace right off the bat.
Personally, I think by the end of June, the Braves will start positioning themselves for next year. Sellers rather than buyers this time around….
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Gil, I checked, yup…some are ready to give up on Hanson. 🙄 He’s going to be fine, just needs to throw more non fastballs…In a way he looks like a harder throwing Jake Peavy…
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Hey, Salty!!! Great to see ya!
Why did ‘they’ think that Hanson would come up to the bigs and immediately pitch like Greg Maddux??? A few days back, I made the comment that I felt the Braves were putting too many eggs (depending heavily on Hanson) in one basket.
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Ever notice that when your team is playing poorly, all the close calls go against you?
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First game up for Steve Avery he got shelled too…
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Gil, how can Morton pitch so great in his first start, and Hanson,with clearly better stuff…dominate then blow up??? Nerves should have calmed down…oh well.
And Counsell was easily out at 3rd, ump really screwed up.
And Gil, don’t know if you have the Joe and Boog feed, but Boog said that the braves have the toughest 12 games any team will have with the Red sox twice and all…and nicely put it that the braves would be in big trouble if they didn’t pick it up soon.
We are so lucky the Mutts and Phils have run into trouble of late…but you are right…if the Phils get a starter or two, they will really take off on us.
Hard to imagine us going from buyers to sellers in less than a month, but it could happen
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All the questionable calls too. Strike zone gets narrow for your pitchers and wide for your hitters….
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I said the same thing about the up coming tough schedule several days ago. We will know if the Braves are contenders or pretenders.
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If Brewers reliever Todd Coffee is 6-4, 240, I am 160 Pounds!!!!
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Does anyone else think the deal with Frenchy is starting to be funny? Really, can only laugh it’s so improbable. Hey, a lot of us stated the Braves’ fortunes this season would hinge on Francouer’s ability to step up.
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Gil, not to spoil my fab new lead, but I talk about Frenchy a bit, and how TP, instead of being hurt like his wife cheated on him, should have realized that another hitting coach might be able to find something that would work with Frenchy. After all Rudy Jaramillo was a hitting coach while TP was still playing.
He should have done everything to keep Frenchy doing what worked for him in Spring training and the first few weeks. Looking at the video when he was hitting earlier. He doesn’t look like the same guy in April. Heck, seeing the Frenchy in his own words segment, he looked better swinging in high school than he does now…
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McLouth doubles to tie the game up!
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My biggest failing was I always made things look too easy… Then other folks did not give me credit for working hard… until they tried to do the same thing. I learned too late not to give away all my secrets…
TP covers up his lack of ability as a hitting instructor with hard work…
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It takes a lot of confidence to not feel jealousy. What’s the old saying? Other people cannot make you feel inferior without your permission.
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Prado has really turned himself into a pretty good first baseman.
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Cardiac kids,,
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I just knew we would come back!!!! 😛
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Joe covered how the Brewers would adjust to Hanson in his pre-game. Tommy might buzz through the line-up the first time around, but the Brewers would make adjustments, which clearly Braun did…with a little help from Tommy’s pitch location. He’ll be beyond fine…no worries. Glavine and Smoltz didn’t make the future look too bright in ’89-’90…and Mad Dog was nobody’s pick in ’87. Look at the guys who nail it out of the box…not many.
Now, hitting…gotta say I love TP…but nothing’s happening. The only two hitters on the team have personal coaches…hope they say ‘Thanks!’ in a big way on Father’s Day.
Hi, Ber! I be fine!
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Reporter interviewing a 104-year-old woman: ‘And what do you think is the best thing about being 104?’ the reporter asked..
She simply replied, ‘No peer pressure.’
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Salty June 7, 2009 at 4:35 pm – 😆
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Perspective, CL…it’s all about perspective! 😆
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Now, this, is a diet!!!
Know how to prevent sagging? Just eat till the wrinkles fill out.
On the other hand:
It’s scary when you start making the same noises As your coffee maker..
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Nobody was around Stuffville and now the streets are bustling. Hey Salty!
Great game today. I liked what I saw in Hanson’s potential and his stuff. Good calls behind the plate and a few less nerves and he’ll be fine.
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Dang…. Well CL, looks like it’s my week to boost the local economy. Broke a drive belt on the mower deck this afternoon…
Always something….
Just like the Braves line-up.
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CL was on a roll today. Rep Randy Forbes was spot on. Nora can tickle those ivory’s. Salty was on a roll too. Left paw prints all over the place.
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Left paw prints all over the place. 😯
HEY! I wiped before I typed! 🙂
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Left paw prints all over the place. 😯
HEY! I wiped before I typed! 🙂
That sounds so odd……
😆
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from the CBS sportswriter on Hanson:
“His catcher Sunday, David Ross, says that Hanson, 6-6, 220 pounds, is the best young pitcher he’s ever caught. Scouts compare his wicked slider to that of former Braves ace John Smoltz. Chipper Jones, a former teammate of Smoltz’s, agrees.
“He’s one guy I’d compare him to,” Jones said this spring. “Only with a better repertoire.” ”
Whoa!
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Wow!!! 80
He did look good, Brewers love fastballs…it will also show Hanson this ain’t minors and not to coast.
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I mean Wow! 😯
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Good afternoon all, Josie and I went to see mom today and check on how she was doing after her spill. She carried on quite a conversation about how she would like Josie to meet her father and how much time she has spent with him the past week. Needless to say, my grandfather passed away about 20 years ago….
Josie asked her about her mother, mom told Jo that she didn’t really want to meet her…. Yep, just how I remember the relationship the two had… Anyway, it is pretty visible the amount of deterioration occurring rapidly. Like Francouer’s swing, only different…
Okay, I picked up the necessary parts to repair the mower deck so I think I will go out and fight with that a while. You know what they say, grass waits for no man…
And SG… I see where Mr Fly has been busy. You might want to post his notes here too.
Ber, how is the Lincoln doing with the new carb? Satisfied with the final results?
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Gil, I fully sympathize on your Mom. It’s shocking to see how far they decline in just one day. The last time the insurance company sent out an ‘evaluator’ nurse, she asked Mother who was president. She said, “Oh! it’s that man I don’t like!” Couldn’t remember his name but about that time the TV showed him and she pointed and said, “Him!” and got it right. Then she was what year it was. She thought for a minute then answered, “1930.” Sometimes she can remember my name, sometimes she can’t. I’m usually referred to as ‘her’ or ‘she’. “Ask her, she’ll know.” “Where is she?” Is she here?”
Lawn mowers. Bah humbug! I’m thinking of getting a few goats….. 😆
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Don’t let them kid you CL… Goats can be a pain. Been there, done that, goats eat what they want to, not what you want them to… And can be quite randy. I had one that was quite enamored with a 5 gallon gas can…
The last thing a person will forget is their own name…
At least she is not referring to you as “that woman”… 🙂
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The last time the insurance company sent out an ‘evaluator’ nurse, she asked Mother who was president. She said, “Oh! it’s that man I don’t like!”
She sounds pretty much on the ball to me. 😀
Now baseball (noted Scribe-like transition)…
Hanson’s “stuff” looked awesome. Location? Gotta work on that, young rookie, but then again don’t all young rookies? He’s gonna be a good ‘un.
I am over the off field drama. It tires me.
Mrs. Raisins, who often watches but rarely comments, made the following assessment yesterday following one of Francoeur’s at bats: “He sucks.” Yep… unlike me, economy of words. But then again what else need be said?
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At least I finally finished getting the grass cut. I still have three big pine trees I need to fell but they will wait a few more days. I am surprised God has not put them down for me. He leveled a couple I would rather He had left standing but at least they were in a spot that would not hurt anyone.
No shortage of things to do around here. I don’t know how I would have had time to do it all if I were not retired…
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Raisins, she sounds pretty spot on with her assessment to me.
Sometimes hard work means you don’t have a clue….
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as an wise man or woman once said, Old age is not for sissies…
I was going to type something baseball related, but it just slipped my mind right now! 😳
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you can see why (up to a point) why Andrew McCutchen is highly thought of by the Pirates…
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and you can see why why I don’t write for a living
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Thanks guys for mentioning the braves haven’t had to play more than 12 innings this year! 😕 Anyone still watching???
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yes
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The homeplate ump is having a worse night than Francoeur.
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His strike zone is Gregg-esque.
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He’s got a hot date V! Actually,for frenchy to just watch 3 pitches outside, after a very high strike, and get a walk…almost like a 4 for 4 game!
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Nate should just go ahead and drive the dagger into his old team and be done with it…
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Okay, they have worn me down, I’ll check the score in the morning…
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Nate may get another chance! Medlen getting a chance to show what he can do…
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16th inning, here we come! WWWEEEEEE 😛
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Wait, getting loopy, still the 15th!
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According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have “left no stone unturned” in their search for a shortstop. Rounding out the list of names are Omar Vizquel, Jack Wilson, J.J. Hardy, the aforementioned Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Jason Donald, Miguel Tejada and a mystery shortstop with the Braves. –MLBTR
???
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V, that’s what makes it a mystery!
I sure hope Prado is resting tomorrow, and Norton is starting at first. He’s knee’s really bad, why not give Norton his first start of the year????
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I mean, we can’t afford to trade Diory can we???
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Knight finally got a call right at home, braves win, BRAVES WIN!!!!
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why not give Norton his first start of the year????
uh… because he sucks?
😆
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And the Braves win it in extra innings with a David Ross walk-off…
fielder’s choice. 😕
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Hey, .121 isn’t a bad BA…for a girl! 😛 He does have a .326 OBP…If he starts tomorrow, I predict a big game…so there….nite!
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Watched the whole thing, Ber (& then washed my hair). Thank goodness it was worth staying around for!
Sorry I didn’t check in last night but I was so tired from the trip home I just crashed.
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When my grandmother lived with us the last year of her life, she became pretty confused the last few months & called Mom ” #7 “. Mom said she figured that was a compliment since that was GranGran’s lucky number.
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Well, I gave up around the 11th inning. Glad to see we won. Travel day today. sigh…
I see where Mr Fly has been busy. You might want to post his notes here too.
Gil, several reasons he didn’t. One, the reports are way too long for Stuffville. We’d run the presses out of ink. Would’ve eaten up three blogs. Then Bear would have to write three leads. Two, Mr. Fly never gets much of a reaction here, so he didn’t want to offend or impose on Stuffville with his off the wall brand of satire. Three, was trying to make some points that would resonate with the idiots running the team. Long shot, but on an ajc forum, possible.
Mr. Fly could get in deep doo doo. Good thing he used to hang with JS.
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Travel day for you SG??? Cuz the braves play 3 more games with the Pirates, last I heard. Perhaps just 2 1/2 after playing 7 extra innings last night! 😉
Forgot to mention, dragged my Dad to an Olive garden last night(He is no fan of Italian food, except for Spaghetti) He had never eaten at one. Wasn’t looking forward to it…Ah, always a lover of taking a chance! 🙂 Actually, he was a world traveller, back in the day…
Anyway, if you guys ever eat there, try the Chicken & Gnocchi soup!!! Man, that’s gooooood stuff!!! From their site…(No, I am not a paid spokesman)
A creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings and spinach.
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Gil, you asked me the other day about the carb..and I plum forgot! Sorry about that….forgive me??? 😀
Anyway, a HUGE difference in the car’s drivability(Not a word?) and performance…man, to be rich, get me some D0VE heads, a better intake…have a real sleeper. That’s why I work hard…at remembering to get a megamillions ticket one a week.
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Quick trivia question. What is the name of the Marlins ball park???
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give up????
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……………………
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Land Shark Stadium (Miami, Florida)
Never heard that name before…just me????
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor?sort=HRFactor&season=2009
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Is V doing his secretarie’s work again???
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Secretary? What secretary? I’m afraid she was a casualty of the economy. I am my secretary now…
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Ber, for some reason the name Loan Shark Stadium would be more fitting given the mob’s ties to Miami. Of course, the families have all been supplanted by the Latinos… And the loan sharking is done by Capital One….
Yes Ber, something to be said for a vehicle that does not buck and die at every stop light. And how can one not like Italian food? Blasphemy…
Josie and I just got back from old folks day at Kroger’s.. hey don’t laugh, 5% is 5%… Not much but it will pay for my baloney and bread…
Josie and I voted in the primaries today. One of the gifts the old line Democrats bestowed upon the populace many years ago was to make sure there is an election to something every year and sometimes twice a year.
Still, I feel worn out after the grocery store, I always have so many items on my to do list but hot and humid weather sure can change my plans. All I feel up to doing is taking a nap.
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So no comments on Bobby’s 2000th Braves victory last night? No love for the venerable manager?
I guess not around here…
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How about draft stuff… Braves gonna take the Vandy lefty?
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Oh… I got it!
Anybody want to address the Yunel to Boston rumors? That’s got to stir the pot a little…
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… tough pot…
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Tonight’s lineup:
1. Big Nate
2. Yunel
3. Chipper
4. Mac
5. GA
6. Norton, 1B Thanks, Ber… yuk… 😡
7. Diaz, RF Frenchy on the benchy…
8. KJ
9. DLowe
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V, from what you were saying about your secretary, you are probably not missing her a whole lot.
Bobby won his 2000th game as a brave yesterday??? Sure has been a manager a long time. A REALLY LONG TIME! 😛
Seriously, hats off to Bobby.
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V, and regarding Norton. Not one start this year. Hard to stay sharp never starting.
Granted, he started way too much last year, but he did have 67 ab’s in Left, 29 at first, and 2 in right.
Did ya know Greg Dobbs is only hitting .188 after hitting .301 last year??? Such a tough job being a pinch hitter….
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V, see Bowman’s blog with video??? From my super swell scouting eye, White has by far the best motion, very smooth, easy…yep, braves should take him. Remember I said this, cuz I will surely forget if/when the guy the braves pick shows up in the ATL.
http://markbowman.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/06/will_it_be_minor_or_white.html
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Watching the MLB network… Player draft.
Really head and shoulders above ESPN…
And the Nationals pick…… Strasburg
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The Mariners pick a 1st baseman..Ackley
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Bowman:
Speaking of Schafer, he felt some discomfort in his left wrist during a swing on Friday night and was evaluated by a doctor on Monday. I should have some more information tonight, when the Braves may also reveal the results of the MRI exam Brandon Jones underwent with the hope of finding out what is causing his left knee discomfort.
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Padres pick Donavan Tate from GA
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Pick number four by the Pirates is….. Catcher Tony Sanchez out of Boston College
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And now the Orioles…. #5 pick is…. Mathew Hobgood, RHP out of California
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Gil, glad you get to watch the coverage, but with it not on espn, a lot of folks get to watch nothing….drat!
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The Giants at number 6 take Zack Wheeler, the other GA boy
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Crap…
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Guys, don’t worry, I really, really know talent…he had a goofy windup….white is who
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Heh, striking out one letter looks silly.
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So, the Braves will go with…. Mike Minor, LHP out of Vandy
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now it’s my turn to say crap….windup just looked herky-jerky…
Why won’t the braves listen to me, a 42 year old know it all in Jonesboro???
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A Zack sounds dumb as a box of rocks… needs to work on his interview skills. 🙂
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And the Nationals get the number 10 pick…. Drew Storen, RHP that projects to be a reliever.
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Gil, for the Nats to have two picks out of 10, and getting pitching…should be a good move for the future. Now, if Satan won’t demand 50mil…yeah, right. 🙄
And the Nats might, just might have the first pick next year! 😛
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what, the games already over, and the braves won again??? How about that!
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Gee, where do I start? So much can happen in the course of a 3 hour baseball game…
My brother called me this evening with some unsettling news. A long time friend passed away at sometime during the night. Now this fellow and I had been friends since the age of five. He was a year older than myself.
I spoke with his brother tonight on the phone and found out that Rady (odd names in our part of the country are the norm) had fallen yesterday but for all outward appearance was fine. I suspect a stroke but then again who knows…
Just a lesson to all of us to not take friends or friendship for granted.
Interesting game by the Braves. Clutch hitting in some spots. Too many double plays hit into though and I am beginning to believe Chipper could stand to have a pair of glasses fitted too. Too many errors by the left side of the defense. Good teams will make you pay dearly for those mistakes.
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Ber, I think the Landshark thing is something to do with Jimmy Buffett.
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Everyone was probably too tired last night to pay attention to the fact that it was a milestone win. Looks like the Braves were well-prepared since they had goodies to present to Bobby today.
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Gil, I’m in favor of having the whole team fitted with specs. Maybe some of ’em would hit more like Mac.
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Italian food…yum. Ber, you need to find a Provino’s. There’s a bunch of them in & around Atlanta. Dad & I were so excited to find one by the stadium/ mall in Gwinnett. Very easy for us to get to.
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Gil, sorry to hear about the death of your longtime friend…..
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Whitacre Vows to ‘Learn About Cars’ as Chairman of New GM Board
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aQ._YJhEj_Jo
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FBG, I love Provino’s!!! There used to be one in Morrow(South of the airport-north of me) then it became another Italian restaurant, then a non Italian joint. In fact, 1 or 2 other Provino’s disappeared and I thought the chain was gone, but over time I have seen several up north…
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Charlie Morton is starting for the Pirates tonight! 😯 Seems a bit unfair to do that to a guy, but then again, he might have a chip on his shoulder. Hopefully not too big of one. 😉
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Well, at least with Morton it’s not like facing a guy you have never seen before.
It really is a shame when a franchise has to compete with the cheapest players available versus the best nine they can find.
Normally I would root for the underdog but not when it promotes cheapness as a business model. Anyone else think that after 17 years the Pirates’ owners don’t know how to run a baseball franchise?
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Gil, the Pirates’ management must be patterned after the United States government.
I’m so sorry for the loss of your friend. It seems every week I get an email with the news of the passing of yet another person with whom I worked. The ranks are thinning rapidly. It touches even closer to home when they are your peers.
I’ve been immersed in the project I’m working on so I’m not exactly brimming over with baseball news…. In fact, most of what I know comes from what I read here! 😆
Back to work! Later!
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Nice personal experience “scouting” report on 1st-round-pick Mike Minor:
http://www.680thefan.com/viewArticle.aspx?aid=206
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Great article, Raisins! Thanks for finding it!
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CL sighting! Yay!
Ber, I think the one we used to go to on Braves trips closed too. Like I said, we were excited to find the one in Gwinnett (obviously brand new). We went 4 times!
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Gil, I think Mr. McClatchey tried to get things going in Pittsburgh but ran into roadblocks at every turn. Not sure who is in charge since he sold his controlling interest.
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Pirates front office has been as dysfunctional as the one in Tampa if you catch my drift. Almost like having a bunch of bloggers decide the line up every night and making fantasy league type trades.
Now that is not to say there aren’t some knowledgeable folks on the blogs but we are not talking about the ones who qualify for Mensa…. We are talking about the Coaches and the Jeff 123 and N8s of the world.
Well, I managed to get a few things done around here today. Always easier to cut back the brush and undergrowth after a rain than to deal with the dust kicked up when it’s dry. Put a load on the trailer to go to the dump too. Time to reverse the trend and clean up some space. A lot of it will go to the recycle area. Kids bicycles and the like that my grandchildren shun like the plague now they are older.
And still more baseball…. I still think the Brave need one more hitter to get over the top so to speak. Too many teams still in it right now to make a trade. I keep wondering who Washington might want to get rid of and I keep coming back to Adam Dunn. Then I wonder who they would want in return… I don’t think they would take Francouer…
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Dunn’s contract will be a deterrent whenever his name might come up. Now Brad Hawpe… that’s my choice. Add his bat to this lineup suddenly showing a pulse, and you might have something. Yep, a decent bat to fill the void currently occupied by Benchy and we might have a legitimate offense to go with our above average pitching.
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A topic right outta left field… literally.
You know, the acquisition of McLouth was brilliant on more than one front. He addresses multiple needs not only now, but the future as well. Obviously, Jordan Schafer was not ready for the Bigs, but that doesn’t mean he is not still a bona fide 5-tool prospect. In fact, he is still as promising as ever, just continuing to develop – as he apparently should have been all season. (Hey… the guy legitimately won the job in Spring. Who knew?) Anyway, he should be ready to contribute and take over CF next season, moving Nate to LF where his real future with this club lies. Then, add JHey to the mix in RF for 2011 (maybe 2010?), and you have a pretty darn good OF.
Doesn’t Hawpe have an option for 2011 which he says he will exercise if traded? Sounds like perfect timing to me. And Jeffrey could sure benefit from the Coors effect, couldn’t he?
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2011 dreaming…
1. Nate, LF (L)
2. Yunel, SS (R)
3. Chipper, 3B (S)
4. JHey, RF (L)
5. Mac, C (L)
6. Freeman, 1B (L)
7. Prado, 2B (R)
8. Schafer, CF (L)
Ooooooooohhhhhhh……….
😀
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Yes, Hawpe’s is a name that has been out there. I think it all come down to how much the Braves are willing to spend, or how much the are able to spend. When you are not the guy controlling the purse strings, player acquisitions can be a challenge.
I agree on Schafer having a high ceiling too. I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt with the wrist injury. He wouldn’t be the first player to try to play through an injury. If he says he is hurt, then he is labeled as a wimp, won’t play hurt etc etc… If he tries to play through it and flops, he is a bum…. At least now he can let it heal and then show everyone he belongs in the majors.
Everybody plays hurt to some degree, nobody should play injured as it can cut shorten a promising career. How many times have we seen that happen with pitchers?
And I find it humorous how much attention is being paid to the draft like it will make or break an organization. The real quality players come from the scouting of the Caribbean players and signing of some slick 16 year old. Yeah, I know, they are suppose to be 18 but who knows how old the really are? 🙂
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And I still think the Braves are really missing Infante’. While I like Prado, I am not sure he isn’t best suited for the roll he currently fills with the Braves.
And Kotchman has some value too. I think he would be a perfect fit for Denver looking to replace Helton. That huge outfield would be perfect for a gap style hitter.
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And I find it humorous how much attention is being paid to the draft like it will make or break an organization. The real quality players come from the scouting of the Caribbean players and signing of some slick 16 year old.
Or the 13th round like Albert Pujols (402nd)… 😆
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Any wonder why clubs are so reluctant to give big money to a kid who has not proven anything yet? I don’t blame anyone for trying to get the maximum for their services but the corporate types need to use the same sound financial principals they would in any business.
Joe Gibbs made a living in Washington parlaying those 6th round drafts picks into gold.
A Braves official yesterday when asked about not having a second round pick replied he would give up a second round pick everyday if it meant getting players like Derek Lowe…
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NEW BLOG IS UP!!! Take it away, Ber!
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