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by Berigan
Did you know Ted Simmons was the back up catcher and pinch hitter for the Braves from 1986 to 1988??? Don’t you feel better knowing this important bit of trivia???
Where was I??? Right, nowhere.
Some of this is painfully obvious, because it was originally a comment on a baseball thread for a jazz forum, that doesn’t know the braves like we know the braves. So there. Now I have updated, and padded the best I can. But I’m not going to kill myself for the mere $1000 Carolina Lady pays me to write these, you know??? [CL to Ber: Do what?! 😯 ]
Anywho, the Braves, it could be argued, have the best 1-5 starters in all the majors. And Tim Hudson likely on the big league roster on or around Sept. 1st.
Kawakami is basically the 5th starter, (and paid more like a 2nd or 3rd) but when he’s against a big opponent, say Halladay, the Red Sox, or against the Dodgers, he has been huge! Funny, for a Japanese pitcher, I would have expected more consistency, but he needs challenges. I wouldn’t mind a bit IF the braves made the playoffs, for him to start game one. (And I wrote this before murderizing the mutts last night, am I good, or what????)Derek Lowe is paid as a number one, but is more of a number 4 (or 5) of late. But his 4.45, while the worst of all the starters, is not horrible. Just horrible for a number one! 😉 It sure seems like his sinker was crisper the first month and a half of the season. I thought fatigue helped sinker pitchers???
Tommy Hanson is technically our 4th or 5th starter. While he has come down to earth a bit of late, a 8-2 record and a 3.05 ERA in your first year is nothing to sneeze at! He has gone at least 5 innings every time out. A rookie of the year candidate for sure. Hanson is simply not pitching like a 22 year old. Check out Maddux, Glavine, or Smoltz’s stats for their first year or two in the majors and see how truly bad they were!
Now for the 2 best starters. Flip a coin. Jair Jurrjens. I still get the feeling he doesn’t get the respect he deserves. A certain baseball writer for the braves didn’t seem to think he was a #1 or 2. He simply gets no run support. 9-8 with a 2.00 ERA. 13-10 last year, with a 3.68 ERA. And he was born in 1986, like Hanson! Hard to think of him as being that young, doesn’t it??? Gee, think the Tigers ever regret handing him over in the Edgar Renteria trade??? Even Lowe said early in the year after he pitched, well we have our best pitcher going tomorrow, talking about Jurrjens. Could have been trying to boost the kids confidence. Could have been just telling it the way it is. But the guy with the best ERA??? Pitched the most innings??? Who has the 2nd most strikeouts in the NL??? Javier Vazquez! As you all my recall, I was NOT happy about getting him this spring. Career ERA over 4.Check out his year by year ERA from 2004. 2004- 4.91. 2005(in the NL by the way) 4.42. 2006-4.84. 2007-3.74. 2008-4.67.
We traded Tyler Flowers, a guy that in the spring of 2008 was hitting balls much further than anyone else. We gave him up for some hack, who wilted when called out by his manager to step up his game. Then he pitched in the WC this spring. I figured he was a likely candidate for Tommy John.
Instead, 10-8(should be about 14-4) 2.90 era, 162 innings, 178 strike outs! And a month ago, many braves fans, including me, were all for trading him to get the illusive big bopper. Well, right now…we are glad he is still on the club!
I don’t know if it’s having a manager that actually respects him, or being closer to family in Puerto Rico (Heard that was an issue in Arizona) but he has been gold, and at the age of 33 is having his career year. Go figure.
We all know the bullpen is not perfect. I can’t find any stats for some reason, but I read about a month ago , the bullpen ERA was 13th out of 16 teams in the NL. Kind of surprising. After Gonzo, Soriano, Moylan, and O’Flaherty it’s been a crapshoot most of the year.
Everyone knows Manny Acosta has great stuff, it’s being consistent that has been the issue. And you get the feeling the manager doesn’t have a lot faith in him. But, if the arms are to stay attached to Moylan, Gonzo, and Sori, then Logan, Medlen, and Acosta need to be pitched more, and from time to time in big games.
But with 5 starters that all have above average stuff, and 4 trusted arms in the Bullpen, and a manager that doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit (both literally and figuratively) the braves should stay in it til the last week of the season!
~Berigan~
Way to go, Ber! MANY THANKS!!
And, judging by your title, you have more in the works? Part 2? 3?
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Woo-hoo!!! Ber!!!
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First?
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Good points, Ber.
Medlen has been given more responsibility of late, and has answered the bell. It helps everyone else out there, no doubt.
I think what JV has done this year is fantastic, especially in light of being thrown under the bus by Ozzie “diarrhea of the mouth” Guillen. That said, it has been a career pattern for JV to have a good year followed by a not so good one. Next year, his final under a contract that will pay him $12MM, is due to be the “not so good” one. I am really inclined, if I’m Frank, to listen to offers for him this off-season, and to pick up Huddy’s option. Sell high… that’s what successful business people do. Just ask Billy Bean.
Very astute observation that the pay scale amongst the starters seems a bit topsy-turvy. I like to believe that Lowe will pick it up as the hand heals, and that KK will continue to find the groove he’s found the last few starts. Bodes well for the future, I think.
Can’t wait for September 2 when Huddy comes back. Much speculation until then, eh?
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First in our hearts V! 😛
CL, I love the pitchers of the pitchers. I mean, pictures of pitchers! Makes my lead seem less sucky! 🙂
There is just one, tiny…well… you have a picture of Teddy Ballgame. Ted Williams, not Ted Simmons. Perhaps the name Ted Simmons is an ancient practical joke that works on 99% of all minds…and makes people either forget it after hearing it, or replace it with another name! 😉
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Thanks V! 🙂
Huddy could pitch in the playoffs even coming up after Sept 1st, correct??? Since he’s been injured all year???
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Yes he can… the rules are about as clear as a Nancy Pelosi bill, but if he is on the DL on Aug. 31, he should be eligible for post-season. I expect some, um, injuries here in the next week all over the league.
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Ber? Are your eyes OK, sweetie? Last time I looked that was Ted SIMMONS up there!
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Great job, Bear, but don’t let’em lose Javy. He’s due to break his on again off again trend.
Ahem… you only got a thousand bucks for that lead? One? Uno? Wow. CL has been sending me 4 or 5 times that amou… uh, nevermind.
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SG, may I have a word with you, please?
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CL! You found a card of him in a Braves uni??? Wow!!! COOL!!!! 😀
So…that Ted Williams B&W card must have been an illusion, eh what? 😉
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“What Ted Williams card, Ber?” she asked innocently.
😆
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Great lead Ber.. well worth the price of admission.
I am having to keep up with the game via gameday… ugh…
The wife and the oldest daughter went fishing tonight, they wanted to know if I wanted to go… I laughed, no job for a boat driver when you are fishing off the pier. They might even have realized that I usually don’t bait my hook… Hate giving my trade secrets away…
Anyway, another good day for us. I even went to the beach (still did not do the water thing, after all, that is what hot tubs and swimming pools are for}, just watched the kids play in the sand and splase about terrorizing the local fauna.
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Question: Are They For Real???? Pitching, Part 1
Answer: Yes.
If part two is about hitting, the answer would be… no.
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I’d like to thank Raisins for inspiring my gravatar.
Now, where was I? Oh, uh, nowhere. Oh yea… so CL wants a word with me? Uh oh. Was not supposed to talk about lead writing compensation. 😳
Next one’s only 2 thou… uh, half price. 😆
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“SOMEBODY’S” lead-writing money has to go towards rebuilding the B&S bank account since it was almost totally depleted when SOMEBODY let the saloon get trashed when SOMEBODY was “filling in” for Chris!
And for a very, very, very, very, very long time!
The last accounting was something like $200 bajillion in the red!
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This game will be much better if we win…
CL, a bajillion here, and a bajillion there, and soon you are talking government dollars!
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You got it, Ber! 😆
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Just wait til next year!!! 🙄
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Ain’t gonna win many games with one run. JJ should sue for lack of support this year.
Padre’s had some very good pitching last night, but we missed several great spots to score late and in the extras. Couldn’t get it done.
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200 bajillion dollars? That’s a lot. Wow.
No problem. Can get a Saloonstimulous package. Calling Murtha now. Could wind up with our own Stuffville airport.
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What the..?
I go away for a few hours and leave the Braves to take care of a small menial task, and they let me down. First nail in the coffin.
Now, Kennedy. God doesn’t like super-majorities.
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By the way, I had a thought last night. (Noteworthy, huh?)
Part of a young pitcher’s development is the amount of innings he pitches in one season. Typically speaking, through a pitcher’s minor league career his total innings are monitored very closely, and increased by specific amounts each successive year based on his last season totals. I don’t know how many total innings Tommy Hanson threw last season – including the AFL – but he has to be approaching his “limit” very soon.
Now, how is this relevant to current events? Well, I am glad you asked. As we all know, Huddy is scheduled to throw one more rehab outing, and then rejoin the varsity – likely around Sept. 2 if he stays on his current rotation. Would the implementation of a 6 man Braves rotation help lessen Tommy’s innings in any impactful way, or is there another method that could be used? Here’s an out-of-the-box thought: Why not piggy back Huddy and TommyH in their starts? Let one start and go 4 innings or so, or other as the 9th spot in the lineup may dictate, and the other come in and finish. It’d not only help govern Tommy’s innings, it might help Huddy ease back into competitive pitching without overtaxing his still healing elbow, and could give the bullpen a big break as well.
Just a random thought because I am a random kinda guy… 😀
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Mets GM Omar Minaya botched another news announcement, stumbling through a briefing while discussing Johan Santana’s imminent season-ending elbow surgery. Just a few days after the principal owner Fred Wilpon affirmed his confidence in him, Minaya did the same thing that made Wilpon question his faith in him in the first place. In his latest public slip-up, Minaya seemed to forget that Santana, his $137.5 million ace, had elbow problems in February and early March that jeopardized his availability for the start of the season. That happened “such a long time ago,” said Minaya, who added that he “did not remember that part” when asked whether he regretted not giving Santana a magnetic resonance imaging test in spring training. — NY Times
Wow… what an idiot…
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V, you make an interesting point about Hanson, if you include those innings this year, a lot of pitching. I could almost hear someone say, that was at the tail end of last year,(say a certain GM and Manager) but it should count for this year.
And pitches should matter more than innings, right???
So the piggybacking isn’t so crazy an idea, what with expanded rosters, more arms here…
Or have Hanson come out of the pen for a few weeks while Hudson takes his place. Then perhaps switch later in the month.
Meanwhile in La La land, Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher for the Dodgers, already has 146 innings. He is also even younger than Hanson…only 21…but I don’t hear anything about resting him, and the Rockies are just 2 games back in the one division race everyone thought was over in May!
Torre will ruin him if he pitches him now thru Sept, and into the playoffs….
Ask Cubs fans if they think Dusty Baker ruined Mark Prior and Kerry Wood’s arms….
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Good morning all, Yep, much good opine on protection of pitchers this morning. I think a manger’s desire to protect his pitchers is relative to his idea of how long said manager thinks he will be be managing that particular player.
A bit like a 2nd luie sending out patrols until they don’t come back so he will know where the enemy is… but different….
Anyway, tough loss for the Bravos last night. They had their chances but when they didn’t score in the tenth, I knew they were done…
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Don’t know if this link will work or not…if not, go to ajc and check out the video for Garrett Anderson.
Seems like a nice, dull…really dull guy. Man, if I had his moola…
http://www.ajc.com/video/?bcpid=1659825399&bclid=22594788001&bctid=35338974001&bcplt=917×606&bcautostart=true
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Ber, it’s called being a married guy who is happy in his home, loves his wife, enjoys doing simple, ordinary life things. He knows that the fast-lane-flashy-wild-stuff is a trap to be avoided. There’s enough in his life that keeps him happy and fulfilled.
Just my take on it! 😀
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Hey! You just described me… with alot less financial backing.
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JERUSALEM — Jake Gyllenhaal and Christina Applegate are among the stars slated to appear in a new Sesame Street-style production geared at teaching Jewish-American children about Jewish culture.
“Shalom Sesame,” a 12-part series for preschoolers featuring the globe-trotting Muppet Grover, will explore Jewish identity and traditions and will film on location at several Israeli sites, including the Western Wall.
Can Muppets make that “ccchhh” sound when they talk if they don’t really have that hangy-down thing in their throats?
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If they can cough, they can ‘ccchhh’!
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2night’s lineup:
1. MattyD, RF
2. Marteeen, 2B
3. Chipper, 3B
4. BMac, C
5. GA, LF
6. Yunel, SS
7. Rochey, 1B
8. Churchey, CF
9. KK, P
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Hopefully we’ll continue the trend of losing the first game and winning the next two… until this series is over. Then, can we please see a sweep or at least win the first two? 🙄
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How long before Chipper sits? Any guesses?
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Where Nate at?
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Could Prado be subconsciously avoiding hitting to avoid exerting himself?
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Could Garrett be subconsciously avoiding swinging at certain pitches and running hard to avoid hurting himself?
Well, only the hitting part would a change, so scratch the running part.
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How many days before Church finds his groove that he was barely finding before the injury time off?
So many questions.
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SG, I just don’t know how Church can be playing when last night, both he and Bobby didn’t know if he could run if he had pinch hit last night. Backs don’t heal that fast.
That said, the A.B. I saw looked good.
I don’t know why Bobby doesn’t rest him against, say the worst team in the NL(I think the Nats have an above .500 record since the all star break, so they aren’t the worst team, right now) I mean, did we need him in there last night in a game the team only scored one run???
Bobby needs to recall there is only one guy playing 3rd his age…and that’s him.
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Beats me, Bear. Why did Bobby leave KK in so long tonight? The Braves aggrivate the @$%& out of me sometimes. They just seem to go limp when playing bad teams.
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Braves cannot possibly catch the powerhouse Padres tonight. They figured 3 and out. Well, my wish to break the win one, lose two trend is about over. Not the way I meant it.
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sigh –
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I hope they are thoroughly ashamed of themselves!
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CL, I sure hope so! I didn’t bother watching after the mighty Fathers scored 6 in that one inning….
Acosta sucked, in his first game in a week. Send him down, since Bobby has no confidence in him!
Logan hadn’t pitched in 5 days. He too sucked. Send him down for the same reasons!
And for Gosh sake Rest Chipper ! He didn’t do that bad on some swings, but he needs a mental day off.
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I ask again:
When will Chipper sit?
He’s hurting the team. He needs to sit himself because Bobby won’t. What is he now, 1 for his last 32? Maybe watching all those tapes of French and others, playing clubhouse video batting coach infected him. Maybe he’s ready to get back to the ranch to get a jump on the deer. Right now he’s got the worst swing he’s ever had and he’s not worth keeping him in for his greatly reduced defense.
The playoffs are still possible, we haven’t been mathematically eliminated, but you don’t come out on top in a playoff run by strolling.
Oh well, as goes the clubhouse goes the attitude of the team. Very casual. Nothing urgent. Stroll along.
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SG, I think Bobby sees him walking a lot(teams are still more scared of him, than McCann, which is just plain screwy) Walking a lot is the only reason I can figure Norton is still on the team.
I mean, why didn’t they take a chance on Jason Giambi??? He has power, walks a lot, and is hitting below .200. Norton doesn’t even have power this year….
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Clank… clank…
Second nail has been driven.
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Did you all know there is a boycott of Glenn Beck right now??? Did you know it is really, really working?? At least from the standpoint of companies involved.
Here is a partial list….
Sargento Cheese, GEICO, Progressive Insurance, State Farm, Men’s Wearhouse, S.C. Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Lawyers.com, Radio Shack, Healthy Choice (ConAgra), Ally Bank, Plavix (Sanofi-Aventis), Travelocity, Wal-Mart, CVS, and Broadview Security.
Here is a blog that is talking about this…
http://dougpowers.com/2009/08/18/boycott/
I am so mad about this! There is an online petition from the organization Color of Change , which was co-founded by Van Jones, someone who is a special advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Van Jones is a “former” communist, and admitted radical and African-American. Which explains why is group(that he you know, hasn’t had anything with to do with in 2 years, wink, wink, nudge, nudge) is so upset with Beck. He dared call the president a racist!
You can’t do that! That is terrible! Of course, Bush was called everything including Satan, by folks on MSNBC, CNN, blogs, newspapers…but that was ok. He was and I assume still is, white.
Can you imagine the uproar if someone in the Bush admin had been involved in a champagne to have all the advertisers pulled from say Keith Obermann’s show on MSNBC????
I had heard some people, like O’Reilly talk about how people shouldn’t buy French products, soon after 9-11(food for oil scandal, etc)but for such a concerted effort to work so well, so quickly, should scare EVERYONE!
Beck has more than 2 million people watching every day, but Fox won’t be able to keep him on without advertisers! The hypocrites still have their ads on other fox shows..at least now.
But if this works in getting Beck, they will go after Hannity, O’Reilly, and to all the smaller talking heads nationwide. Eventually, no one will be able to speak poorly of our dear, dear leader.
Anyway, for the first time in my life, I am actually doing something about it. I am no longer buying Sargento cheese. And I LOVE Sargento cheese! No longer going into Walmart, and that is really going to hurt me, everything is cheaper there, but oh well. I also emailed them, to tell them why I would no longer be shopping with them. Thats the important thing to do right now.
I just bought some scalp product from CVS, need to email them. My Dad likes Healthy choice…I think they suck. But I am going to tell him to stop buying it as well…we have to do something to these companies.
If you use any of the companies listed above, will you please join me in a counter-boycott??? And email them as well???
Thanks!
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The Rockies have DFA’s Matt Murton. The Braves should be making that phone call this morning.
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The Rockies have DFA’d Matt Murton. The Braves should be making that phone call this morning.
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Almost caught it!
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John Smoltz is “definitely interested” in pitching next year, according to his agent. –Jerry Crasnick, ESPN
Me too. I’ll play for the league minimum, too…
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Quote from a local newspaper editorial:
America is built on representative government that, while founded on the Constitution, evolved over nearly 250 years. Today, we’re going backwards. Power is being removed from the public and vested with the elite. Legislation is not determined by the will of the public, but by the dollars invested by the corporations who stand to be affected by the legislation, and the public happily endorses its loss as progress.
Information once came to us via trusted sources, from parents to teachers to reporters. Now credibility is immaterial; what counts is that we hear what we want to hear. Confirmation trumps data. Even squirrels are more interested in where to find acorns than on whom to blame for their scarcity.
Civility wanes. It’s all about me, and it’s acceptable for me to be rude, insulting, annoying and threatening online, on the road, in public meetings. Chimpanzees have superior social skills.
Brilliant.
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9 days, 5 hours and 23 minutes until the Dawgs kickoff the 2009 season…
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Very good indeed V! Oftentimes the folks that write for the smaller papers write the most insightful columns.
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Greetings all… Well, last night’s game really sucked!!! Yep, this team is just good enough to break your heart.
Been saying the same thing about Chipper for some time now, problem is, there is no one to throw into the breech right now.
Of course, late August and September has always been when the pre-tenders are exposed. Isn’t that the case with all marathons? The final 2 miles is when most of the front runners fall back in the pack.
I wonder if the two Padre fans in attendence will bring their brooms to Turner Field tonight?
Ber, the boycott of Glen Beck has lost a bit of steam as the folks who actually purchase thos products has express their displeasure towards said companies. I have noticed however that Fox has toned down the retoric towards Obama and shifted it to his minions.
I am sure I am already on some goverment watch list because of the extensive research I once did via the internet on terrorism when I was teaching classes and writting papers on the topic.
Add that to the fact I am a gun owner and I become a prime suspect….
Anyway, a couple of companies have withdrawn their advertizement from all politically themed programs. I wonder if that means they will no longer advertize on any of NBC’s news programs, not just MSNBC?
Now baseball…. How ’bout them NATS? 🙂
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Of course I remeber the sage advice that there were three things you should never discuss, politics, religion and a third that escapes me so it might be cars… Not sure on that last one… 🙂
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Is anyone else done waiting for Many Acosta to “develop”? I think he already has developed… much like a bad headache over the course of a stressful afternoon.
Three little letters: D F A
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Of course, no need for the Braves to DFA anybody now, since rosters expand in less than a week. It’s not like they have to worry about post-season eligibility or anything…
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Brad Penny released by Sox:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9988882/Report:-Penny-granted-release-from-Red-Sox
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But I’d sooner trot out Buddy Carlyle with an insulin needle sticking out of his thigh than see Acosta pitch for Atlanta again. I’d rather have the needle in my eye than see Acosta again. 😐
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OUCH, Raisins!!
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Ya know… Chipper made some pretty pointed comments last night, without specifically blaming the pitching – or a pitcher – but came pretty darn close to throwing him/them under the bus. I hope he gets himself out from under it first…
I like Chipper. Always have. But he has had, over the years, a tendency to make veiled indirect comments to the press about a teammate or two. Remember the spat with Smoltz? As long as he was carrying the team on his shoulders, he had every right to call folks out. Dude needs to take a long hard look in the mirror before running off at the mouth to reporters right now.
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Y’all aren’t having a party in the Saloon, are you?? Didn’t invite me?? 😥
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That’s more like it… Where were these bats the past two days?
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Where’d y’all go today? Busy couple of days here. We got a recommendation for an electrician who turned out to be a gem. Very nice man who handled a lot of assorted small projects for us, the kind of things you hesitate to call a company for because you know they’ll charge “the Florida people” a fortune.
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Now Braves… excellent game. We really needed that. And the Phils & Fish both lost.
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..And Rockies lost and Giants are down 4-0.
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Raisins, looks like Frank Wren has been reading your comments on the blog again…
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Game wasn’t very exciting, but thats ok! I’ll take a blowout wind any day over losing 4-3. Weird, huh???
Doing some data entry stuff, for a friend, and splitting the very meager moola, but it’s better than nothing. My right arm hurts on top of the ol’ forearm…. cut and paste, copy and paste, over, and over, and over, and over….but you know me, I’d rather cut off my arm than complain! 😀
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Great story here
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/state_regional/article/RESC28_20090827-215406/288882/
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Dittos about Chipper and busses. Glass house, no stones.
Can you imagine the uproar if someone in the Bush admin had been involved in a champagne to have all the advertisers pulled from say Keith Obermann’s show on MSNBC????
But I thought George preferred beer, especially during the boycott French products.
Bear, but seriously, I join you in boycotting those products and brands that are boycotting Beck. Fascism is on the march, the BO administration and his minion czars and useful Democrat idiots are no longer even hiding their hateful, socialist, totalitarian views and goals at this point… but conservatives outnumber these extremist minority liberals. Will take some doing, then some undoing, but the American people will rise.
Of course I remeber the sage advice that there were three things you should never discuss, politics, religion and a third that escapes me so it might be cars… Not sure on that last one…
Wasn’t it toe cheese?
Game wasn’t very exciting, but thats ok! I’ll take a blowout wind any day over losing 4-3. Weird, huh???
Braves serving beans on the buffet? Blazing dugout?
Cannot resist t-balls, but must try… soon. 😆
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Man SG, kick a man who has issues while typing! 😛
I am a fast typer, for a guy at least….and I can’t speel gud atal. So, if something sorta looks correct, well…I run with it! Spell check should pick them up, but my subconscious is only happy when I mess up, so it has decided to have me spell the words correctly, just use them incorrectly. Or something….
Man, its pouring cats and dogs, and pigs right now. Weather guy an hour ago…why, some parts of the metro area might get 1-2 inches of rain when all is said and done today. Um, had at least 2 inches already, Sparky!
But the rain gauge at the airport with the slow leak will claim 3/4’s of an inch by sundown.
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Man SG, kick a man who has issues with typing
You know..as a young boy, I had beautiful penmenship. I sometimes come across something I wrote at 12-13 and think, wow…you can read my handwriting!
Something happened. A blow to the head, car fumes, voting for Clinton in 1992(Hey, Bush kept looking at his watch, we needed change! 🙄 )
Now my handwriting sucks.
As does my typeablity. A Wordsmith I ain’t, but come on Berigan, every other line is, is…crap.
I
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and I can’t log in to pay my att cell phone bill! I put in the incorrect password(You know, the one that is somehow saved-and I forget it wrong) and every other time I try to sign in…something happens. Something called nothing.
Well, that must mean it’s time for bed.
Oh, before I forget….
Gil, you talking about Huddy making a start for the Braves Monday???
Still wonder why Lowe wasn’t skipped.
Another before I forget. I was in the family dollar, and saw for a crisp George Washington, I could purchase Tim Kurkjian’s Is This a Great Game, or What? Looks to be an enjoyable read, without delving deep into the seedy underbelly of the game.
So if you are near one of their stores, check it out! Amazing the books they get for a buck….
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I forget it‘s wrong!!!
😡 😡 😡
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OK. So the pasty white man with the dark suit and the creepy black hat isn’t taking measurements quite yet, but he is still in the building.
No room for error. Gotta take 2/3 in Phillie and 3/4 in Miami. Gotta. No excuses and no way around it. The creepy guy is hanging close. Anything short of 5 wins and reality overtakes hope. They really need 6.
That said, nice game last night. Welcome back Buddy and Huddy…
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Is the creepy guy with a fat lady wearing a horned helmet by chance? Clearing her throat? Oh, my…
Bear, sorry, but you know I just gotta get you back occasionally for calling out my longwinded rambling and such. 😆
CL, beware of visitors from the east and blowhards named Danny. 😯
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Or you could be like me and have spell check abandon you completly…
Actually Ber, was refering to Raisin’s suggetion to send down Acosta. Again, what we saw (those of us who watch) was Bad Manny or our own example of Manny being Manny.
My experience in watching him the past few years has been that when he is good, he is very good, when he is bad, he is horrid. The thing is, you could always tell with the fist batter which Manny you would get that night. Maybe Dave Duncan could strighten him out too.
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Some of the drivers that bought new cars through cash for clunkers are learning that it wasn’t quite the deal they hoped for.
But many of those cashing in on the clunkers program are surprised when they get to the treasurer’s office windows. That’s because the government’s rebate of up to $4500 dollars for every clunker is taxable. — The Business Insider
So let me get this right… they take our tax dollars that we have already paid – by force I should add – and “give” it back to us in the form of a rebate, then tax us on it again.
Don’t you just love this whole hopey-changey thing?
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Meant to give the link!!!
http://www.businessinsider.com/whoops-cash-for-clunker-participants-dont-realize-their-rebates-get-taxed-2009-8
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Howdy, y’all! How was the party??
SG, any visitors from the EAST would either have fins, scales, etc or be some ol’ windbag! Thankfully, I expect nothing from this one. I think the weather people said the winds may be 15-20; that I can handle! 😆
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Radar shows the outermost bands a coming in. It’s raining like crazy at the moment but it won’t last long. This band is very narrow. Winds 13, gusting to 20. Now that’s the way to have a storm! 😀
What I wouldn’t give for a nap right now! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Anything short of 5 wins and reality overtakes hope. They really need 6.
😕 But…they’re playing seven games…why not win all 7? 😛
In the words of the infamous Herm Edwards: “Hello! You play to win the game!” 😆
Seriously, though, each game stands (mostly) on its own merits…shouldn’t have an affect on the one before it or, certainly, the one after it. Then again…not every ship has a captain at the help, some have ‘Cox’sain pacing the rowbot, being stubbornly faithful to a ‘Chip’ off the old block (or is that a chip off the glass house? Beware of stones!), and calling on a ‘Johnson’ when a Prada (Prado?) will do, since the Infante days of the season! 😯 We all like to think Mc’Cann’, but sometimes Mc’Can’t’…and need another to ‘Ross’ to the occasion. And invariably, on those nights when the offense is juiced on Escobars and the starters (Hanson ones and ugly ones!) deliver quality, the bullpen gets Acost(ed), and a sure win goes by the board, leavin’ us feelin’ Lowe. Shouldn’t be Medlen with the bullpen like that!
Tsk…tsk…’tis hard to be a fan sometimes. Must ‘Loaf’ on off…perhaps to Church! Hear that? Hear that? Norton hears a who!
(Apparently, I was bored!)
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Spell/grammar-check:
captain at the helm , not help, though he could use it!
have a Coxsain pacing the rowboat!
I have issues! 🙄
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😆 , Salty! Excellent!
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Salty, I am guilty as charged in getting caught up in the “must win the series” rhetoric…
The truth is, we need to win tonight. Period.
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…and then there’s Jim Mora, SR: “Playoffs! Playoffs?”
Raisins…’tis true…must win…always. That’s why they, uh…ya know, lace up the boots! That Chipper, he is a dynamic dude. Must be all that personality rubbing off from LaRoche! 😆 Powerhouse personalities…brilliance of black light! 😛 That’s ok…I want ’em to play, not yap. And I don’t care what their political views are, who their favorite teacher was, nor the names of their dogs. I can learn all that if they come for dinner…otherwise…just play the game…TO WIN!
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Yep, sevearal squalls have blown through. Been a beautiful week here however, what’s a little rain?
And really sad the para-sail accident which occured today in neighboring Ocean Isle. My oldest daughter had remarked earlier about how she would like to try it… Maybe not so salf… I think I’ll pass too.
I would expect the storm to have some effect on tonight’s game in Philly. Could be interesting watching the ground crew fight the tarp…
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salf???? SAFE…. dang speel check….
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Salty’s on fire today! 🙂
Gil, glad it isn’t just me with issues with them tricky words….
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TRIVIA TIME!!!! What Brave has played the most games this year????
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Perhaps I should clarify. Most games in a braves uniform.
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The one who’s 3 for his last month! The rock thrower!
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So, Don Pardo…what do I win?
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There’s some cold Diet Coke in the cooler, Salty…..
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Hot dog, we have a wiener! Buy yourself a megamillions ticket! 🙂
Isn’t that amazing??? The oldest guy , mr fragile, has played more games than anyone else!
Rain delay 😕
But, they are warming up, and it looks like they will go back out there.
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Jonh Smoltz is pitching against his old team mates tonight, Pete Orr and Willie Harris….
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They should just call this game. We’ve already burned Hanson. And he’s burned that it’s raining.
Salty is feeling pretty Chipper tonight. Must be Jonesin’ for some baseball. 😀
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visitors from the EAST would either have fins, scales, etc or be some ol’ windbag!
Or… could be the ghost of ol’ Blackbeard himself. Arrrgh.
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SG, 😀
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When will Chipper sit? Oh, I think I’ve asked that. The answer is: when he damn well pleases, that’s when.
This weekend is the season. Win the next two or it’s Spring training.
“He’s got so much power, and this is a high school field,” Braves catcher Brian McCann said of Howard, who has four homers and seven RBIs in his past two games against the Braves, including a two-homer game Aug. 16 at Atlanta.
So, that would make the Braves…
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So, that would make the Braves…
Exactly! Wait, if it was a high school field, the braves would have scored more than 2, if they were high school equivalent! 😛
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You know what really P.O’s me??? You cannot tell me the Giants are a better team than us! 😡 And I remember how much we beat up on the Rockies in the last couple of years as well. Are they really this good???
Marlins??? They have talent, sure…but they seem awfully raw, and never have a crowd to get their Adrenalin flowing…
I do understand that the Phillies are a MUCH better team than us, after getting Cliff Lee.
Who has the most RBi’s on the braves team??? Give up? Brian McCann. A guy who had all sorts of vision problems , was on the DL. A catcher. A very good hitting catcher mind you, best in the NL.
But still. He projects to drive in 95. That means no one on this team is going to drive in 100.
Yunel is 2nd in team RBI’s with 62. Then Chipper at 56 is 3rd. Yikes! McLouth has 56 if you combine his time with Pittsburgh. Rochy has 61 between…3 teams.
You cannot win with that kind of production….Unless you have a Lincecum and Matt Cain as your #1 and #2. 🙄
Ryan Howard has 39 more RBI’s than our top guy! The Phils have 4 guys with more RBI’s than McCann. And that’s with Jimmy Rollins sucking for half the year! Now he has 17 HR’s which would tie McCann for club lead. (Just looked, he has hit 10HR’s at home, 7 on the road) They have 4 players with 27 or more homers.
You have to have some pop to win. Has anyone ever suggested that we have needed a big bopper? 😛
Hindsight is always…ummm, good?? 20-30??? Anyway, we all know we needed to improve the starting staff. We needed to get Lowe if for no other reason to show the fans and the team some free agents liked the idea of playing for the Braves! Javy’s been better than advertised. Kawakami has his ups and downs, but still has been solid.
But, too much emphasis was placed on the starters, when everyone knew we had questions in left and right, and needed to at least have one home run threat.
G.A. is not a bad hitter. He can still kill a fastball. But, he has little power. Is he the oldest left fielder??? I guess Raul Ibanez is his age, but in much better shap. The most important reason the braves got him, he was cheap.
As much as I have bashed the braves cheapness, many teams have less than we have to work with. Some teams try to get by on half what we spend. And they did spend money in the offseason.
Looking back, it might have been better to put off getting Kawakami, and using that money on Bobby Abreu(Not a Home run hitter any more, but he has driven in 85,(barring injury, this will be the 8th time in 9 seasons for him to drive in 100 RBIS) hit .300 and stolen 27 bases! Is on base percentage is always around .400. Would have been a great influence on the younger players. Instead, we have a guy in left with a .317 OBP. But, hey…he was cheap! 🙄
Ok, it’s decided, lets go back in time, and force Wren to sign him! 😀
Hey CL, here’s the next blog, a mammoth post, at least half as long as a quick SG post!
But if it meant getting
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Eek! So tired, sorry CL Edit, edit!!!! I wrote that on no sleep! can ya tell??? 😕
nytol!
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Hi.
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C-ya.
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Hey, Raisins!
Bye, Raisins!
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Greetings all, Well, back home in Mechanicsville… Animals were all glad to see us. The cat will not let Josie out of her sight. Will be like that for a couple of weeks now… She is a very paranoid cat…
Speaking of paranoid, how ’bout them Braves? Okay, maybe not…
Anyway, it was a wonderful vacation, maybe one of our best all time, still, it’s great to be home.
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CL or Gil, last two lines of my 7:51 AM post. See a certain name that just slipped out of my brain, into my fingertips??? can ya fix it???? 🙂
Gil, best vacation ever, and yet you are still glad to be back home??? You must live in a palace with many servants at your beck and call! 😛
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Done, Ber!
Welcome home, Gil! Next year let’s get together for lunch or dinner!
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Looking forward to it CL
Yes, be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. Vacations usually remind me of how much I love it here.
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Well, just got in and caught heard the score from the other room. 9 to 1. Well, guess that’s it. Lee’s a good arm. Our season is over. Just can’t score runs.
No, wait… Braves 9, Phils 1? Uh, cool… 😆
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SG, we were watching history channel stuff, and flipped expecting a 6-1 score, the other way! Beating up Cliff Lee is huge! And thank goodness Chipper wasn’t rested, and hit a 2 run homer! 😛
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FBG, quick put on braves game, rain delay and McCann story! Oh…you are still in GA ain’t ya???
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Last night here, Ber. Headed home early in the morning. Like Gil, I will be glad to be home. I love it here but we don’t have all the amenities & comforts of home.
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And I wouldn’t get the rain delay programming on ExtraInnings anyway. They cut back to their menu during any delay.
Gil, had to laugh at the cat. Our neighbor always tended our furry kids when we were away, feeding them & putting them on the back porch every night. Still when we returned the response was “let me in the house right now !” Ricci would be clingy but Tinker would “punish” us by ignoring us for a few days.
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Wheeee… That’s more like it. I really thought Lowe was going to implode again but hunkered down and pitched a gem. He seemed much more confident after he escaped the second inning and then had the Braves score some runs.
Then in the 7th, Gonzo looked like the Gonzo we all know and love. It’s amazing the difference when he can throw strikes.
A bit of bad news though, looks like LaRoche may have tweaked something. They said hamstring but he didn’t act like it was that. More like a pinched nerve in his back. Plus, McLough aggravated his hammy while playing in a rehab game in Mississippi. I don’t think tuesday can get here soon enough for the Braves. I look for a bunch of guys from the minors to be called up.
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Bear, Jones is 4 for his last 43. Yes, he crushed that ball last night. We already had the pressure off with a 7-1 lead, but unless that was the one magical at bat that will get him hot remains to be seen. I hope so but think not.
Then again, we’re so banged up in the infield, who knows when he can sit. Now Rochey’s out with a hip pain.
Was it Joe or Boog that commented about “how well the ball carried at CBP”. Never did come around to considering high school dimensions, not that I heard anyway.
Is Diaz just crazy right now or what? I can’t remember any Braves player that’s had the kind of run he’s having now. It’s nuts. Hope it continues the rest of the way and sets all kind of records, which will be another interesting thing to watch down the stretch. You know, I think Snitker must’ve seen my hand signal instructions on the blog. The very next day Matty began this merciless assault on the cowhide. 😎
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SG, there were some pretty serious homers hit last night, A couple would have been out of Yellow Stone Park…
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And Matty…. a run like Chipper’s last year but with more power. Actually, I think the lead off spot suits him.
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SG, I was kidding of course…I think Chipper needs a mental day off if nothing else. But, we don’t even have a day off Monday I see…I was going to suggest something bold, give him today off, then with the Monday off, giving him 2 days off, like Bobby does with McCann sometimes. But, Monday is a game with the Marlins, and with the braves really needing to take 2 of 3 from Phillies, no way Chipper is going to be out..and like Gil said, Roachy is hurt now….
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Wow, at the beach with a marsh behind the house and nary a bite, I sit out on the front porch here at home for 10 minutes and a mosquito just ate me up…. I guess I am like the Braves, I need a big bat…
Took some pictures of a flock of Canada geese that moved in for the day. Not a huge flock but about 20-30 birds strong. I guess the are getting impatient for the adjacent corn fields to be harvested.
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Well folks, BIG game tonight for the Braves. I think the ship has sailed as far as catching the Phils but the wild card is ripe for the picking. San Fran beat the Rockies today 9-5 and moved into a tie for the wild card. The Bravos are 3 games back with a chance to move within 2 1/2 if they can beat Joe Blanton tonight.
Yep, it’s not do or die but it’s certainly do or get seriously ill. Could be the difference between being a contender or a pretender…
Now, let’s score 10 in the first and put this game out of reach early. I love to hear Joe Morgan make excuses for the Phillies. NOT!!!!!
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Grrrr!! 😡 When did Scott Eyres become such a great reliever??? Seriously, he had a streak of 27 abs without giving up a hit with RISP, and just added to that. And that play by Jimmy Rollins, was very smart….sigh….not going to win many games scoring 2 runs.
Lets hope Lidge comes out for the 9th! 😀
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Norton sucks…
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Sure, now Lidge looks like the Lidge of old…
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V, he does. Teams don’t get very far without a solid pinch hitter off the bench. Teach him to catch, and make Ross the main guy off the bench. There is an example of what drives me a bit batty about Bobby. Ross can flat out hit, but only plays one game a week.
Why didn’t we sign Giambi???? Or the guy who switch hits, that was released by the diamondbacks??? He’s a switch hitter too, but with some pop.
That being said, no one was going to hit Lidge tonight. Norton tried his best , fouled off one slider.
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Shoulda got more than 1 in the first. Jim Powell said it at the time that he hoped that wouldn’t loom big late in the game. Large loomage…
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Guess it’s time to focus on the Wild Card.
Why does riding in the car for 600 miles make one feel as if you’ve been beaten with a stick? 😦
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FBG, that’s a good question! Perhaps its seeing all the scenery pass by, road vibrations. On a really long drive, 3rd day you could drive all day and not feel fatigued.
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Yep, know what you mean FBG. Josie and I have been feeling it all day, and only half that distance.
By the third day Ber, you are brain dead…. Especially if you are taking the interstate.
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Found this little nugget on mlbtraderumors.com and thought it was interesting:
According to ex-Mets GM Jim Duquette, via Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets have canceled their fall instructional league “in an apparent cost-cutting maneuver.” If they’re making cutbacks in the minors, might they also have cutbacks in mind at the big league level?
Anyone know which prison Bernie Madoff is in? I’d like to send him a thank you card! 😀
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Uh oh, more bad news for the “Amazins”:
Joel Sherman of The NY Post writes about the parallels between the current Mets club and the Orioles teams of the mid-to-late 90’s. He also notes that the Amazin’s should brace themselves for decreased ticket sales and a smaller payroll next year.
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Any shred of hope for the division… Thar she blows. 🙄
Good thing we have such a patient, HOF manager, putting Norton up there time and time again. He’ll come around. Probably before the end of the season, I’ll bet Nort gets a hit.
This year the Phillies get to play reigning champs, NL East winners, division dominator and, with us playing them so many times from here out while climbing the mountain for a possible WC spot, the Phils get to play the role of spoiler too. Many roles for the Phils this year.
The Phils would have to top the Mets two meltdowns at this point to even squeeze in, and we still have the Fish to trade licks with.
Speaking of Mutts melting, wow. A franchise implosion that’ll make their season meltdowns look mild in comparison. Klobber, I couldn’t wish that on my worst… well, it is the Mutts who’ve tried to match the Yanks with all the money spent, the ones who have the rudest, crudest fans, so let’em become the team they deserve to be. Looks like French is gonna have to shop his wares around if he wants anywhere near the money he thinks he deserves.
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Mets = Karma defined. So be it.
Braves could have won all 3. They won 1. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Their season defined. The creepy dude in black is taking measurements.
I want to win. Yes, Salty, as Herm Edwards says, “You play to win the game.” That said, I have no confidence that even if the Braves could slip into the Wild Card that they could advance. They certainly have no shot to win the NLCS, and we don’t even need to discuss their chances against the AL’s best. That’s not pessimism, it’s realism – plain and simple.
I am ready to focus on player development for 2010. Get a look at some kids on the fringe, get some other kids a few Major league AB’s, make some evaluations for next season. In the process, protect the young pitchers and ease up on the valued relievers. I’m not talking about tanking. I’m talking about playing hard “to win the game” with an eye toward 2010. That means don’t waste AB’s on a washed up Greg Norton. That means giving Brandon Jones some of Garret Anderson’s playing time. That means putting strict limits on TommyH’s innings and pitch counts, and giving Medlen more time… maybe even a couple of starts. That means protecting KK’s old shoulder, and evaluating Huddy’s new elbow. It means giving Mac a few more days off and giving Ross some playing time. It means finding someone else in the organization that might can play 3B in the near future.
Maybe even, as rosters and coaching positions expand, it could mean Eddie Perez coming in from exile in the bullpen to observe from the helm. He’s a good fit there, I think. I have a feeling Bobby is tired. I don’t blame him.
And we know Eddie has the utmost respect of the other guys, right Huddy?
A futile playoff “push” at this point seems fruitless. Am I off base here? Would a miraculous Wild Card appearance, even in loss, be of any benefit at all? Should I truly hope they make it? From my viewpoint at the moment, I see no good that can come from squeaking in and not advancing.
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Raisins, agreed on all. 100%. Good post.
Thing is, we won’t be able to play, test, rest some of the guys you’re talking about if we are down to the wire in the WC chase, but what’cha gonna do? If you can get into post season, of course you do, even if it looks like you might be 3 and out.
Therefore, setting up the best team in 2010 and winning the WC this year seem to be a conflict of interest. I’ll look at it like this: if we get into the post season, I’ll be happy and it’ll be fun for however long we play. If we don’t start winning tonight and go on some kind of a streak, then we go to (your) Plan B. In which case, I’ll be pleased.
If we fall out of contention for the WC and we don’t send Norton packing and go with Plan B, I’ll not be surprised but I will be ticked, because we’ll botch a great opportunity to setup for next year.
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Yup…
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So…set up the best team for 2010 now . Let September be spring training and April 2010 all rolled into one. Find out now what that team can do. If, perchance it gets you a WC win, then the team gets the play-off experience. Winning or losing is almost irrelevant…playing with knees knocking, palms sweating, and knots in the stomach are invaluable opportunities. The only rule is…do not use, or very minimally use players who will not be on the ’10 roster. Just might be surprised by the results.
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Guys…I really like what you all are saying…but it ain’t gonna happen. As long as that snowball in hell hasn’t melted, we are going to put out our “best” team. Sigh…
And in defense of Bobby(Hey, I can be a contrarian sometimes) the braves are not facing the types of teams they played when they won all those divisions. Many more teams seem to be developing quality players.
The Phils are not going away this year or next. They wouldn’t trade Kyle Drabek for Hallady. They have some other quality arms that they held onto as well.
That’s why this September would be so nice to get Heyward some playing time. Tell him he’s probably going to fail, not to worry about it, it’s just getting his feet wet.
Let him feel like hitting .190 isn’t going to hurt him, and let him play with a bit of a chip to show everyone he is ready. Heck, why isn’t he playing now??? Reid Gorecki is playing ok, a bit overmatched. I’m glad to see speed, and back when the braves carried 5 outfielders, well he might be just fine as a replacement.
But, if we are really trying to win the WC, what if Heyward came up now and hit like Andruw Jones did when he was 19??? Nate is going to be out awhile yet….we miss his power(even if it’s wasted a bit at the #1 spot)
But, Andruw was a freak situation…probably more because Ted Turner couldn’t give a flip about starting an arbitration clock early. Heyward could hit .500 in the AZ fall league, and .400 in spring training, and we will still hear how he needs some seasoning, and will play a month or 2 while the G.A. of next year clogs left field….
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Well, I have to agree with Salty. Forget this year. So what if they get a WC shot. They aren’t going to win anything! Start working on next year now.
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Seems pretty easily realized from the ol’ B&S, doesn’t it..?
I guess when your paying the bills, though, perspective changes. I wish government would grasp that concept.
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Man acquitted of endangerment, but his animals died in custody.
300 of 500 turtles seized from Steve Santhuff died.
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/man-acquitted-of-127592.html
So, can the Georgia Department of Natural Resources now be charged with endangerment, since the turtle died while in their “protective” custody? Why not? This is the kinda crap that just gets my boxers in a big ol’ bunch. Not that I am a fan of turtles, I just can’t stand the blowhard contradiction of government. Ready, fire, aim. That’s the process. No thinking involved. Ever.
😡
I need to pray…
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Uh, should read turtles. More than one. Over 300.
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Astros’ Hampton out for year, headed for surgery
Oft-injured lefty Mike Hampton won’t pitch again this season and is planning to have surgery on his pitching shoulder and both knees.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/astros-hampton-out-for-year-headed-for-surgery-127197.html
Why don’t they just do some kind of comprehensive surgery where they just replace everything. It’d save time and surgery space. He could be Robo-Astro.
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Don’t forget… today is the waiver trade deadline day. Of course, it’s very slow and not likely to get much more exciting.
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A number inside and outside the Cardinals organization view ave [St. Louis pitching coach extraordinaire Dave] Duncan’s smoldering dissatisfaction as a precursor to him leaving after this season. That belief only gained steam last week when Duncan asked general manager John Mozeliak for a one-day leave of absence upon the team’s return from a 5-2 West Coast trip to address “personal business.” … Tony La Russa’s contract expires at season’s end. It is believed to be a virtual certainty Duncan would leave if La Russa chooses not to re-up. However, it is believed increasingly likely the last several months might cause Duncan to pursue another job regardless of La Russa’s decision. — St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Hmmm… that’s all, just hmmm…
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Florida: Muslim girl sits for Pledge of Allegiance. Non-Muslim girl asks her why she doesn’t act proud to be an American. Guess who got suspended.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/027416.php
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Not saying anyone should be suspended, but dang…I sure would hate to go to public schools today…
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According to things I’ve read previously, a Muslim owes allegiance to no nation but to Allah only.
That confuses me when I see ‘American-Muslims’ in the military. ❓
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Now this, is a stupid blog. Singularly no point whatsoever!
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-georgia-sports/2009/08/31/atlanta-braves-what-if-the-braves-hadnt-given-up-on-pitchers-like-wainwright-marquis-and-millwood/
What does his record have to do with anything? Look at the line-up behind him. Does anyone think JJ and Javier wouldn’t have equal or better records with a modicum of support? Sorry…just a waste of cyber-space. 🙄
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So…the non-Muslim girl can’t exercise her First Amendment rights? 😕
The news it getting me riled up today. The human gene pool needs a lot of shock therapy! A LOT!!!!
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Carroll Rogers, ajc:
Jordan Schafer did have his surgery this morning, performed by Dr. Gary Lourie on his left wrist. Recovery is three months, which means he’ll be ready to go come spring training. I’m sure Jordan will try to play winter ball if he can, but he’ll have to wait and see how his recovery goes.
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2night’s lineup:
1. Captain Caveman, RF
2. Marteeen, 2B
3. Chipper, 3B
4. GA, LF (should be batting 5th)
5. Rochey, 1B (should be batting 4th)
6. Yunel, SS
7. Omar, CF
8. DRoss C
9. KK, P
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Must say, I was in a pretty foul mood last night. Jon Miller and company will do that to me.
Does not pay to listen to too much news, only get my blood pressure up.
Yes, if the Braves can keep the bulk of their pitching together for next year plus add some folks who can actually hit then I see a bright future ahead for the Bravos.
Soon, no Chipper and no Bobby… The times they are a changing…
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What the heck?
http://www.ajc.com/news/principal-loses-job-after-127959.html
OK B&S’ers….you are no longer free to express your opinions. No need to stick around these parts no more…so git along! Just drop to your knees 3-4 times a day, point in the direction of the District of Craziness and behold with wonder and joy the blessings that will spill forth from your loving and caring elected officials. Your worries are no more….enjoy the dole!
Sic……
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My spirits are rare these days! 😯
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Carroll Rogers, ajc:
MRI on Nate McLouth’s hamstring was negative, which is good. Braves are still discussing what the next step should be, whether he’ll head back out and play some more games in the minors to test it or re-join the team.
Oh, and Frank ruled out winter ball for Schafer. He won’t be doing that. But he’s expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
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Scale’em, head’em and grill the fish. Then we can climb the wc ladder.
Reading above and the postings today: I agree with Raisins, Bear, Salty, CL, Gil, Klobber and FBG. Trouble is, Raisins once gave maybe the shortest post on ye olde blogg. Yup. Well, that cannot stand. It will soon be topped.
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Uh, lemme see… hmmm…
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Ya.
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Braves win. Uh, Braves win.
Hold off on the plan B for the moment. Or like Salty offered, I’m good with a plan A-B combo.
Winning is more fun.
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Nice game by the Braves tonight. Braves played rope-a-dope with Johnson until he wore out. Diaz continues to shine in the lead-off spot. I really like him there, seems to get things going, the guy is a regular Charlie Hustle.
KK pitched a gem… Of course it was a bit of a generous strike zone tonight but at least it was the same for both teams.
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The steroids really caught up with Mike Hampton didn’t they? Out now for a torn laburnum and has decided to have his knees operated on at the same time… I hope he has some reeeallly good friends because it’s going to be interesting for him when he has to make that trip to the loo…
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SG, winning is definitely more fun. Only 3 back in the WC. If they could win the WC do I think they could get past the first round? Probably not, but… Yaneverknow.
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Was just reading a “Best Buffet” thing on ajc. I can’t believe people bring up the Dillard House. Everyone gets all excited over it being near our house. Breakfast is pretty good (though almost revolting in sheer amount of food) but dinner didn’t impress me in the slightest. The vegetables tasted like they came straight out of a can. Blah. I could come up with a lot of better places to eat in Rabun County.
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Missed most of the game, out much of the day/night. I was not too hopeful when I heard it was 6th inning and we didn’t even have a hit! Then Diaz got a hit…and I went to eat at the Ihop. After chattin’ for a bit, came out to hear they had won! Quite surprised! Guess we are still in it, after all 😉
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FBG… If the Braves make it to the post season it will mean they have a ton of momentum. They already have a pitching staff that can match up with anyone, stranger things have happened.
On buffets… Many folks confuse quantity with quality when it comes to sitting down at the troth… Only time when that was not true was a visit to the Sunday brunch at the Hotel Jefferson in Richmond. Of course, when you are paying $40 per person for brunch, you would expect the food to be a tad bit better than Shoney’s… 🙂
Now, more baseball… The Dodgers have acquired Jim Tome’ from the White Sox… What are the Dodgers thinking????
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Ber… I’m not sure if the Braves are in it but they are not out of it quite yet… Going to be interesting to see how Huddy pitches tomorrow…
Now, if they can just get Chipper going, they might have a real shot at this thing…
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Dodgers acquire not only Thome, but get Jon Garland from the D’backs, during their game against… the D’backs. Easy move across the the stadium, I would think.
Sorta reminds me of a couple of recent posts.
“C-ya!”
One minute passes…
“Hi!”
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And for quantity plus quality, try the Smith House in Dahlonega, GA. Makes me hungry thinking about it…
F(G)BG, Dahlonega is a short drive from Tiger. About an hour and a half. Down to Clarksville, over to Cleveland and around to Dahlonega. Beautiful drive, too. I love living in North GA, even if I am just on the outer edge.
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The steroids really caught up with Mike Hampton didn’t they?
Gil, for the longest time I’ve tried to give him the benefit of the doubt about that, but either he’s got the worst luck of any ongoing, multi-injury, non-contact related (non-roid) baseball player I’ve ever heard of, or he’s showing continued evidence of the long-term disastrous effects of steroid use.
When he bulked up so much back in the height of the scourge, (after first Houston stint in Colorado?), I remember thinking it was unnatural. I hoped that it was just a serious bodybuilding regimen. Plus, he’s been known for his Christian beliefs, charity work and such. I don’t condemn anyone unless they commit far worse crimes and I realize we’re all imperfect and we’re all sinners. If it’s true and he did the steroids I expect that he’s really screwed up and hurt himself. Being DL’d or sidelined in baseball, whether temporarily or permanently should be the least of his health concerns.
We have no proof that he did anything wrong so I won’t throw stones. Still, it does look like a duck and walk like a duck. Just hasn’t quacked yet.
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Of course, for the real pretty drive, you’d go below Lake Burton down to Batesville, down and around to Helen, then to Cleveland and over to Dahlonega. It’ll cost you an extra half hour, but it’s worth it. (Reportedly, you can get a pretty kickin’ breakfast in Batesville.)
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OK… enough of the North GA travelogue.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming. 😀
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I was watching some of the Dodger-D’back highlites this morning… I have decided that I really just don’t like Manny. If you think GA looks like he loafs, go no further than Manny to regain perspective. GA may have lost a step, and often looks old out in LF, but I have never seen anyone go into a home run trot while “running” down a fly ball over his head like Manny. Pathetic. The sad part is, many kids look up to him. What a pitiful effort. Gives up 2 runs on what was a catchable “double” if only an ounce of effort had been given. Then the ESPN jerk announcer justifies it by saying, “And he gets 1 back [on a solo home run] in the next inning. That’s why you overlook his defensive deficiencies.” Defensive deficiencies? How ’bout attitude deficiencies? And if giving up 2 and gaining 1, a net loss of 1, is justification, you can have it. I’ll take Garret. At least he actually cares…
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Braves are calling up Brooks Conrad, Luiz Valdez and Clint Sammons as rosters expand today.
Good callups. We know what Mr. Conrad brings, Valdez – with 26 saves and a 3.33 ERA at AAA – is another strong arm for the ‘pen, and Sammons essentially gives you a strong bat for the bench. Not his, but David Ross’. Now you can use Ross as a PH without having to save him as an emergency C. Nice net gain by minor addition, in my mind.
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This humble yapper needs to make a correction on a statement made yesterday:
Voice of Raisins
August 31, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Don’t forget… today is the waiver trade deadline day.
Not exactly correct. Trades can still be made this month, but additions to the roster acquired after midnight last night are NOT post-season eligible. That was the only deadline distinction.
Remember Mike Bielecki? He came to Atlanta along with Damon Berryhill in late September of 1991. They couldn’t give any help past he handful of regular season games left that year, but were integral pieces of the lineup in 1992. So September trades are not just possible, but also can still be very important.
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Before I get mad at the braves bean counters…please someone tell me we will call up more than just 3 players, considering how we are short staffed nearly every night! Playoffs, or something???
From the Carroll Rogers story last night…
“The minimum salary has grown to such an extent; service time is so important for young players,” Wren said. “So unless there’s a chance for them to get playing time, clubs are more resistant to bringing a bunch of players up.”
So, we are being cheap, great! Not just with the younger players, but 🙄 Sure, having Brandon Jones pinch hit might mean a guy with a .136 average might sit on the bench instead…but I would be willing to take that chance! Gregor Blanco could bunt someone over, pinch run, some in late for defense. Nope. Not one outfielder, at least right now. Why, they might get 50K in September, put a down payment on a home! Nope, gotta save braves pennies. Sure, it would be nice to make it to the playoffs, I assume teams make more money from more games, more exposure on TV, more merchandise sales. But, can’t pay guys called up in September.
Hey, what about ol’ Astro physicist (or whatever the brainiac is)Brian Barton? in 153 career AB’s in the bigs, he is hitting .268. #86 on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list for the 2007 season. Nope, I think he ended up in Bobby’s doghouse for trying to steal a base, and getting called out. Replays showed he made it, but that doesn’t matter. 1 AB.
Oh, and I forgot Barbaro Canizares???
I’m sorry, this just really irkes me.
Dodgers get a hall of famer for September off the bench. A guy with 23 Hr’s and 74 RBI’s. Heck, I’d play him at 1st and put LaRoche in…well, I’d figure out something.
Oh silly me…I forgot. Thome will make more than a Million for September. If you can’t pay anyone to be a back up outfielder from AAA, you surely can’t compete with the big boys for a month.
Sigh… 😦
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Good morning folks, props given to our little group across the street last night…
Anyway, Braves appear to be going with whoever they have in-house as far as making a run. Crunch time…
Did anyone else notice Loaf’s Mannyesk bump off the wall after making a running catch last night? Still, Manny is the biggest hotdog since Oscar Meyer…
I really like Norton and Kelly Johnson, hope they find good jobs playing somewhere else next season.
Braves need to run off about 8 wins in a row to have a legit shot at the wild card, last night was as good a place to start as any.
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Can’t disagree with you Ber…
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V, I agree about Manny. Just hate him. And ESPN folk do bash him from time to time, but they probably have watch it, as PC as ESPN has become.
Gammons has pointed out how his Slugging and other numbers are way down, so it seems the juice was really helping him.
I love the idea of him being dumped like Andruw say mid season next year. No more Manny being Manny.
Oh, and bitter berigan has another comment, lucky everyone! 😛
We can’t trade for anyone in September, if we can’t afford more then 3 ML minimum salaries. Probably biggest reason Norton is still on the roster is because he signed for $800,000 for this year, and they are going to keep him on the roster, no matter what! Plus, he’s way overdue….Sure, D.Lowe and Javy have better BA’s than him, but we would all agree that he’s hitting a hot .136. He’s taking good swings, balls just aren’t falling in.
OK, I will quit now! 🙂
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In my 9:19 rant, I meant AAA Playoffs, or something was keeping some players down…I mean up in Gwinnett. I hope. Make me an overreacter Wren!
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Ber, 2 things to remember about the call ups:
1) The organization isn’t going to gut Gwinnett’s roster because they are still in their own playoff hunt. The 3 they called up last night give instant bench and pen depth. No reason to call up a bunch of guys just ’cause you can.
2) It’s not being cheap anymore, not in the new baseball reality. It’s just being conscious of future expenditures. It’s prudent, and I think it’s smart. Guys like Barton and Barbaro are not really going to give you a huge edge. You want a pinch runner? You have Gorecki or Conrad. You want a pinch hitter other than Norton (as we all do)? You have Conrad and Ross. As I said earlier, Ross now is a true PH, not your last resort at C. Huge distinction. And at some point you get Ryan Church back who can do both. No way would I trot Barton or even Blanco to the plate in a real WC chase. Blanco had his shot, he’s no longer a real prospect. Barton has a bright future in astro-physics.
Now, once Gwinnett’s season is over, I’m sure we will see Blanco, Hernandez and BJones. Right now, though, it just isn’t, well, prudent.
And we won’t even go to the “JHey” argument. They already shot down that possibility, and he is slated for his first Arizona Fall League. Patience, my friends, patience.
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Ok bitter Bear got a lot of stuff off his chest, and went to bed, to have bitter dreams.
looking on the bright side Berigan…he has heard several folks on baseball tonight saying how much they like the braves pitching and think they will make a real run. Gammons, Chris Singleton, even Kruk…
Gil, are the MLB tv folks talking us up???
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And the Scribe made a cameo appearance across the way last night… around midnight or so…
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No Ber, not the MLB tv folks, of course it would do them well to do so. Our numbers may be small but out expertise is vast…
And we’re humble too… 🙂
Now, more baseball… Anyone else think this is Ozzie’s last season as skipper of the ChiSox? You just cannot continue to beat folks up and have them say I love you…
I think Pinnalla is on his way out too. New owner, new direction….
Raisin’s, the thing about the ‘roids is you still have to work out a ton… I am just not so sure it weaken tendons or just allows the muscle to exceed the capacity of the connecting tissue to withstand the stress. After all, you can’t put a 800hp engine in a car without beefing up the rest of the drive train.
And the Dodgers will always be looking for fresh arms because Torre is notorious for burning thru pitchers.
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“It’s perfectly fine if a white mayor gets elected with black support. On the other hand, it’s not a good sign if you have … a white candidate getting elected with white votes. It’s an indication of polarization.”
Is there not another side to that equation? Am I missing something…or does my lack of comprehension affirm beyond any reasonable doubt that I’m dumber than a box of rocks? Somebody help me!!! 🙄
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Go Braves!
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So… it’s OK if anyone other than “white voters” use race as a basis for formulating voting decisions, but “white voters” do not have the same freedom? 🙄
I came to realize a while back that by being a white, male, conservative Christian, I am now demonized for virtually every decision I make. No matter what I say or do, I am subject to being called a racist, a zealot, a hater or a chauvinist. So be it.
To quote one of the great philosopher’s of our time, Popeye, “I yam what I yam.”
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Salty, my thought on elections is – elect the best person for the job, regardless of color! Why vote for me just because, by accident of birth, we have the same skin color?! THAT is truly stupid!
Breakfast: the best ones are right here in my own kitchen! 😆
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CL, what time do you open? 😆
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0600, Raisins. The menu is whatever I decide to cook! 😆
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The menu is whatever I decide to cook!
Mrs. Raisins cooks that alot. It’s my favorite!
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Hey, what about ol’ Astro physicist (or whatever the brainiac is)Brian Barton?
Bear, I had Barton on my “wish we had this lineup” about a month ago when McLouth went down. The guy is fast, can hit, can catch. Could be a key player. I don’t follow as close as some of you guys, but I wonder why he hasn’t been up here. Fill me in please.
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Eggs over light, bacon, cheese grits, biscuits. Molasses & butter for biscuit dippin’ for dessert. 😀
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As to Brian Barton:
Because they called up Brooks Conrad. Conrad vs. Barton…
HR: 12 / 7
AVG: .269 / .261
OBP: .358 / .352
SLG: .422 / .387
OPS: .780 / .738
SB: 13 / 12
Caught stealing: 1 / 7
Conrad plays a variety of INF positions. Barton is strictly an OF. With Infante very capably playing LF and CF, with Church hopefully back soon and with Gorecki already up, there isn’t the need. Plus, he made 10 errors in the OF this season. Yikes!
Probably most importantly, he isn’t on the Braves 40 man roster. Not sure how that is being that he was up at one point this season, but I just checked it… so…
Of course, he could have Norton’s spot. Than again, the friggin’ annoying Gwinnett rodent mascot can have Norton’s spot…
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Tim Hudson, courtesy of ajc:
“I guess you could say it has the first-game-of-a-season type feel, but to be honest with you I thought it’d be a little more exciting, or a little more nervousness going on,” Hudson said. “I almost feel like I’ve already pitched about 10 or 15 times. It almost has that picking-up-from-where-I-left-off type of feel. Tomorrow may be a totally different feel when I’m warming up in the bullpen. Right now, it feels like I’m ready. I’m ready to get out there and throw a meaningful pitch.”
Well, sir… it’s meaningful. Very meaningful.
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And Tim Hudson is a better addition than either Jon Garland (Dodgers) or Jose Contreras (Rox). And he cost alot less…
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Well, sir… it’s meaningful. Very meaningful.
Those shouldn’t have been italicized above. They are my words. Well, they should be italicized above right here, but not right up there. Clear? 😀
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Raisins…perhaps it’s your style…or frankness, but I knew who’s italics belonged to whom! Never unclear to me! 😆
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Yes, the old double standard…. Been there and seen that a lot… Of course, if the liberals were really concerned about being fair, the Voting Rights Act of 1964 would have applied to the entire country.
That being said, I’m comfortable with who I am and what I am… Like Brother Dave use to say, “If the whole world is wrong, right your ownself first”
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Washed and waxed the pick-up truck and the Caddy this morning, then watched Josie vacuum the pool. Hey, got to get your breaks where you can…
It’s such a beautiful day today. Cool and dry. Josie is going to take some of the grand kids to Kings Dominion tomorrow, me, I am going to get the boat ready for a little fishing Thursday.
Perfect weather for fishing right now. I hope the fish realize it.
By the way, CL.. I spotted a BIG shark about 20 feet off-shore from where folks were frolicking in the water at Holden Beach. I would say it was about 12 feet long. I got several shots of it with the camera (well, tried to anyway) one allows for you to just make out the outline. Another good reason to have a pool…..
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Thanks Raisins. Nice to see the side-by-side comparison and the info on Barton’s 10 errors (yikes). Wonder if those were AJ type attempts that were almost made where others wouldn’t have even gotten to or glaring errors? Also, not sure what’s behind the caught stealing numbers, as a percent of caught stealing may give a better picture. Boy, I sure am picky for such a lazy stat looker-upper. 😳
I’m very pro Conrad anyway, so I’m glad he’s coming up… could be another 3rd base possibility. Brooks at third has a nice ring. But still, in such a limited sample, there’s just something I see in Barton that makes me think he’s a near future gamer. I could be way off base and maybe he’s not a young Kenny Lofton, but something good…
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Brooks at third has a nice ring.
Yes, but the one stat I omitted, admittedly on purpose, is Conrad’s 20 errors. But he isn’t being called up to field, rather to bat and to run. He has a major league bat, and a little league glove, hence his being a career minor leaguer..
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Question… How many more errors do you think the Braves infielders would have if Barbaro or Thorman were playing first base? One stat that is often overlooked are glove saves by the firstbaseman.
Still, I don’t think there is much of a drop off from Kelly Johnson to Brooks Conrad in the fielding department. What I like about Brooks is that he is a gamer…
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I think you will see Escobar moved over to third when the time comes, he is a pretty big guy to be playing short. Of course, maybe the Braves will convert some of that pitching depth into some offense during the off season. I expect Kelly Johnson to be non-tendered… Just not worth the money they would have to pay him next season to keep him. Prado has pretty much nailed down the second base job.
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Well, it appears the mystery of not finding Brian Barton on the 40-man-roster has been solved. Apparently, he has been DFA’d to make room for Huddy. Having been on the 60-day DL, Huddy was not required to take up space on the 40-man; now that he is returning, a space had to be made.
3-2-1… blast off. I would bet the chances of Barton rocketing cleanly through waivers is pretty good. He’ll land back in Gwinnett by Friday.
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2night’s lineup:
1. Captain Caveman-ey, RF
2. Marteeen-ey, 2B
3. Chipper-ey, 3B
4. Big Mac-ey, C
5. GA-ey, LF
6. Esco-ey, SS
7. Rochey, 1B
8. Omarrrrrr InFANte (like Michael Buffer would call it), CF
9. Huddy, P
C’mon kid!
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And CR from the ajc says Barton was “outrighted” to Gwinnett to remove him from the 40-man. Not sure what the distinction is… must research further…
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C’mon kid-ey? Wonder if Bobby thought Barton’s biggest error was his dreads?
Huddy pitching tonight feels like a new season. Hopefully a winning season.
Gil, agreed on Yunel moving to third. Thing is, with Chipper’s 3 years, we’ll need a dependable 3rd baseman more and more often. Hate to see Yunel bounce back and forth.
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Aaaauuurrrgggg… rain delay, and nothing worth watching on TV…
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As if it wasn’t already tense enough for Huddy coming back. He must be pacing the clubhouse.
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While you wait for the game to begin –
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very nice, CL.
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All things considered, I’m hoping they just call this game. Double header tomorrow.
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Well, I gave up at 9PM and went to bed, awoke and found the Braves had won. YEAH!!! Back to bed now. Lots to do tomorrow…
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Yay! Welcome back Huddy!
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Watched inning 1, and couldn’t hang anymore. I have started rising at about 5:00ish in the AM in order to get my day started off with a little consistent quiet time with Big Guy upstairs. It is so worth it, but the nights definitely zip up earlier.
As to Yunel moving over to 3B… I was definitely in that camp earlier in the season, but the more I watch him at SS, I’m not so sure. He is so good at SS – maybe one of the top 3 in baseball. Might be easier to find a 3B than to replace what Yunel brings at SS. Of course as you mentioned, he is a big dude. So all of this could change in a few years.
I am so proud for Huddy for him to be triumphant in his return. What a huge mental boost for him. He is the best late season “acquisition” in baseball this year.
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Following up on “outrighted”:
A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the 40-man roster. This gives the team time to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another transaction, if needed. Once a player is designated for assignment, the team has ten days to do one of the following things: the player can be traded, the player can be released, or the player can be put on waivers and, provided he clears, outrighted to the minors. A player who is outrighted to the minors is removed from the 40-man roster but is still paid according to the terms of his guaranteed contract. A player can only be outrighted once in his career without his consent.
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So, apparently Barton had already been DFA’d and cleared waivers, as he was outrighted on Monday…
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Reds 2B Brandon Phillips dramatically told the media after Monday’s doubleheader that he was playing with a fractured left wrist. His story changed before Tuesday’s game. A misunderstanding, he said. “My wrist is not broken,” he said. “I didn’t mean to say broken. I know I didn’t say broken. I said fractured. I didn’t know fractured and broken were like the same thing.”
“My wrist feels like it is fractured,” Phillips added. “The last time I took an X-Ray, it said nothing broken. Broken or fractured, basically is the same thing, so, well, it feels like it is broken, I mean fractured. Broken. It’s the same thing.”
“But my (left) wrist really does bother me,” he continued. “Is that it? Is it cool? I’d have to sit out, sit on the bench, that’s the only thing that will make it better. And I won’t do that.” — Dayton Daily News
Wha??? 😯
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See what happens when people use big words they don’t understand???? 🙂
Of course, it could very well be broken, X-rays are not always definitive…
Good for you Raisins. I my younger days, I used to do the same thing, amazing how a little time for quite reflection can allow you to have a better outlook for the day ahead. Now that I am over the hill, my schedule is much more flexible even though i sometimes wonder what I did to make the Big Guy mad to saddle me with the constant pain. Well, I am sure He has His reasons…
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Depending on how it goes, Nate McLouth could be back in action with the Braves on Friday, when they open a homestand against the Reds or continue in [Single A affiliate] Rome, if necessary. McLouth has been on the disabled list since Aug. 17>. <b– ajc
I say keep Capt. Caveman at leadoff when N8 does come back. He has hit for a blistering .467 AVG and .667 SLG in the seven games he has hit there. Most importantly, he has a robust (my daughter would call that a fancy word) .529 OBP at #1. N8 at 8. I like it.
You know, we still don’t have a real cleanup hitter, and our #3 is slumping like a former homegrown RF. Yet, we seem to have an offense that is capable of putting up hits and runs in bunches at times. They’re just inconsistent. If Chipper can break out of his funk, it might help bring back some consistency. As to cleanup, well, we just have to keep shoving square pegs into that round hole. BMac, Roachey, Yunel and GA are all really 5’s being spread out from 4-7. I’d still bat Roachey there, because he is the truest power threat of all of them.
1) Caveguy (R)
2) Marteeen (R)
3) Chipper (S)
4) Roachey (L)
5) BMac (L)
6) Yunel (R)
7) GA (L)
8) N8 (L)
Pretty dang solid. Pretty balanced too.
And if Chipper can regain his mojo, that’s the kind of thing that can propel a team into and through the playoffs.
Just sayin’…
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You’d think after all this time I’d remember that 8 plus ) equals 8) … 🙄
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Adrian Beltre didn’t want to discuss whether or not he’d be wearing a protective cup for Tuesday’s start at third base. Beltre is getting fed up with the questions and jokes flying around the past three weeks since he injured a testicle while trying to field a ground ball without the proper equipment. [ 😯 ] But while he says he’ll never answer that particular question again, manager Don Wakamatsu did the talking for him. “Adrian will wear a cup tonight,” Wakamatsu said before Tuesday’s game. When Beltre came up for his first at-bat, the theme for Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” was played, a gesture from Ken Griffey Jr. — Seattle Times
😆 😆 😆
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The political temperature of the Blue Dogs — and their ideological counterparts in the Senate — after the five-week recess is crucial. As representatives of some of the nation’s most conservative territory represented by Democrats, they potentially have the most to lose if a Democratic bill spurs a backlash. Even with healthy majorities in Congress, every Democratic vote is critical given the reluctance by some Democrats to consider a major overhaul and near blanket Republican opposition.
One lawmaker in the group, Representative David Scott of Georgia, said his determination to enact a health care overhaul had been increased over the recess because of what he called the spread of misinformation and other unfair tactics engaged in by the opposition.
“I think now more than ever we must get strong in our resolve to pass health care insurance reform legislation,” Mr. Scott said. — NY Times
So in other words, the opinion of the people be damned, full speed ahead. Don’t you love how ideoligical differences and active opposition is labeled as “unfair tactics”? Makes me ashamed of the anger it inspires in me and the thoughts it evokes…
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From health care reform to health care industry reform??? So, what needs to be reformed? Access? Cost? Delivery of Services? Quality of Care?
One of the reasons I worked for WeSaySo was because of the benefits. Take away incentives and folks have fewer reasons to work…
So, what’s really going on and why the uproar?
Funny that folks get their panties in a wad when talking about government boards deciding who gets what procedures, did they never have to deal with HMOs? Or maybe it’s because they have…
Okay, enough…. I just know that the government is awful at running anything. See Amtrax, Postal Service, Cash for Clunkers … VA Hospitals…..
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Cash for Clunkers, the reality:
* The $4500 credit – taxpayer funded, having already come out of our pockets once – is counted as income and taxable in states that collect a state income tax. It also was taxed as part of the total sales price of the vehicle bought. Gotta love those taxes…
* How many people who had paid-for vehicles now have a car payment? Gotta love the increasing consumer debt…
* Where are the used car dealers getting their stock since these “clunkers” are being taken out of circulation? Gotta love the disregard for the small businessman…
* Where are these “clunkers” finding their final resting place, being taken out of circulation? Yep… landfills. Get the gas hogs off the road, and into the landfills. Gotta love the “concern” for the environment at the expense of the environment…
Hope and change. Ready, fire, aim.
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Bowman:
Tim Hudson has been activated from the 60-day disabled list and the Braves made room for him on their 40-man roster by placing outfielder Brian Barton on waivers. Barton cleared waivers on Monday and was outrighted to the Triple-A Gwinnett roster.
Barton has hit .261 in 108 games for Gwinnett this season. His three-hit performance against Durham on Monday night aided the club’s postseason push.
Supposition confirmed…
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More Bowman:
Gwinnett is one game behind Durham in the International League’s South Division and they currently lead the Wild Card race with a 3 1/2-game advantage over Syracuse.
Monday night’s victory was also aided by the five-hit performance provided by center fielder Gregor Blanco, who could possibly be added to the Atlanta roster later this month.
But with the defensive range he’s displayed over the past couple of days, Omar Infante has provided the Braves more confidence in his ability to man the center field position until Ryan Church or Nate McLouth prove healthy enough to play on a consistent basis.
He must read the ol’ B&S…
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V, David Scott has no worries about re-elected…a certain segment of the population here vote on skin pigment only, sadly enough.
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use guys are wimps, can’t stay up to watch a game, bet ya get in your PJ’s right after dinner! 😛
Anyway, I did see the last half of the game, was quite worried after Soriano gave up a homer to Uggla. But, he is a cool customer, and got the save.
Hudson looked pretty darned good for a first ML start in a year.
One thing I am a bit confused about. Is he replacing Kawakami in the rotation??? Why not skip Hanson for a few starts??? Have I missed what the discussion was on this topic, or where the braves just taking a wait and see, to see if Hudson could be successful in the majors????
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A member of Congress with common sense??
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I applaud you, Congressman Rogers!
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V, have you heard about this?????
All students are going to have the prez talk to them on the 8th of September. I can’t even begin to imagine the reaction if Bush had tried something like this! 😯
http://www.getschooled.com/
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CL, that is a congressman that gets it. You know what I just got??? Congress has long been on vacation. The Youtube clip is from July. NO media outlet has played this before, that I know of!
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Michelle Malkin on the indoct…er, the chat Obama will have with all the children in school next Tuesday.
http://michellemalkin.com/2009/09/02/obama%E2%80%99s-classroom-campaign-no-junior-lobbyist-left-behind/
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Is he replacing Kawakami in the rotation???
For now, yes. The school of thought is that KK has already started more games than his previous career high in Japan. In Japan, (the hand can be used as a knife 😉 couldn’t resist), they work on a 6 man rotation, with 1 off day per week. Essentially, they make 1 start per week. So, Japanese pitchers who come to MLB historically begin to show the effects right at about 25-26 starts, which is where KK is right now. As to Hanson, they are not putting any limits on his innings, at least not publicly, but are monitoring it…
All things are fluid, however, as we never know what can happen from game to game.
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http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=108307
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use guys are wimps, can’t stay up to watch a game, bet ya get in your PJ’s right after dinner!
It would be easier if I could wear my pj’s ’til dinner. 😛
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T-shirt + boxer shorts = PJ’s
No zippers, buttons or, uh, back-flap. 😆
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PJs=Jogging suit… A bit of a misnomer if you ask me because I can’t jog.. Yep, It was go to bed or watch old re-runs of Bones….
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Three young Italian kids (ages 14 and 15) can really give grown-ups a complex!
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Another from that same page, SG:
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2night’s lineup:
1. Capt. Caveman, RF
2. Marteeen, 3B
3. GA, LF
4. Big Mac, C
5. Rochey, 1B
6. Esco, SS
7. Church-ey, CF
8. Omah, 2B
9. JV, P
Chipper is resting his yippers. Church-ey is back, (pun completely intended.)
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Watching Chipper in the clip during the game just now… he looks tired and down, lethargic, droning, depressed, confuzzled.
Well, never mind the drone part. That’s before, during and after slumps.
He really needs a few days off. He needs a shot of B-12. Is that legal in sports?
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The thought just crossed my mind – I wonder if everything is all right with his family? Parents, wife, kids?
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Seems really down, bags under eyes, etc.
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He’s had the bags for quite a while now. I’ve read that people with bad allergies have that – though it could be anything.
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Yeah, bags under the eyes for a long time.
Looks like a pot head, but I don’t think someone could hit and smoke all the time.
So….why did Bobby leave Medlin in there to allow all those runs when he clearly had nothing? Less then nothing.
As Joe pointed out, doesn’t seem to do well pitching back to back, at least just yet.
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And that tired, defeated pothead looking dude just hit a bases clearing double to drive in three!!! 7-6 now!!!!
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He’s obviously reading B&S between innings, Ber, and had to show you that he was not that! 😆
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CL, 😀
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And Wes Helms bites the hand that used to feed him.
Gotta find some folks to pitch decently besides Soriano(Who was warming up, and he had pitched 3 straight nights) and Gonzo was pitching for the 3rd straight night.
The heat and humidity was definitely a factor, for anyone not watching the game. Joe and Boog kept pointing out how all the players had to keep taking off their helmets, caps, how everyone was just drenched.
If Javy had been pitching somewhere cooler, might have gone deeper, bullpen wouldn’t have been so exposed.
You cannot tell me a team that is so raw, that makes so many more errors than the Braves, are better than the Braves!! 😡
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Interesting.. Jerome Jurenovich just said, Bobby Cox has forgotten more about baseball than he will ever know, but he thought Bobby should have taken Javy out after the 5th. He had 94 pitches at that point on a very hot night, and then have Medlin come in the 6th with no one on base, than to have to bring him in with the bases loaded, what with him being a rookie and all.
I never hear him say stuff like that! And I bet he doesn’t ask Bobby why he didn’t do that! 😛
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Appropriate that it’s a full moon tonight since that game was crazy.
Bases-clearing double aside, Chipper just looks tired to me.
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FBG, the wife said the same thing to me about Chipper…
I agree Ber, Javy looked spent. Bobby is relying too much on his big three out of the pen. You can flog that dead horse all you want but he still isn’t going to get up and run…
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Tough loss last night… must win tonight. Javy’s Achilles heel is Florida. They just always seem to have his number.
Even so, we could have won that game several times but our HOF manager once again worked against the team by leaving Javy out too long, throwing Medlin in at the wrong time, forgetting about Gonzo’s wheels goin’ all wobbly after 3 straight outings and batting Norton at the wrong time.
Is there a right time to bat Norton in a meaningful game without a 10 run lead in late innings?
I think CL is right about Chipper’s bags under eyes and tired look because I have the same problem several times during the year with allergies, particularly to grass and mold (and about 100 other things like tree pollen, etc.). Dark circles under eyes, puffy, stuffy and such. When that happens, I have slumps too. Chipper needs Allegra or some other concoction.
In the meantime, that B-12 he took before batting seemed to do the trick.
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It’s easy to manage in hindsight. That said, I don’t get the Norton thing. I felt it was a mistake to bat him then, and felt that leaving the bases loaded in that inning was gonna come back to haunt ’em. Other than that, it was a pretty good game. Pretty entertaining from a pure baseball standpoint.
As to Jerome Jur!@#$%^&, hindsight is surely 20/20. If Cox yanks him after 5 and starts the 6th with Medlen, and Medlen still implodes, folks will ask why he took Javy out so early. “Gotta save the overworked bullpen.” If you take him out when he did, others will say, “He deserves the opportunity to work out of it.” If Medlen makes the pitch to get out of it, folks will say, “Bobby got lucky there; he really left Javy in too long.” You see, it doesn’t matter what Bobby does, he can’t win. We are now conditioned to assign blame for everything that goes against us. Rather than celebrate Yunel’s game tying homer in the 9th, I really should have been blaming the Marlins pitcher for making a bad pitch. And what was Fredi Gonzalez thinking having that guy on the mound to start the 9th? He clearly doesn’t know how to manage late game situations.
It was a good game. I enjoyed the excitement. I cringed when Helms hit the walkoff homer. I wanted to win. It was a good baseball game. One team lost. One team always will.
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Mark Bradley, ajc:
Greg Norton, simply put, might be the worst non-pitching hitter in the big leagues, and yet every game seems to come down to Norton standing in the batter’s box waggling his warclub. I’ve made every excuse possible for Bobby Cox — that Norton has a track record, at least in seasons past, as a pinch-hitter; that managers always prefer veterans to pinch-hit as opposed to younger players — but Wednesday’s game tore it for me.
Yup… that about sums it up…
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More Bradley:
And now I’ve joined the chorus: Why is this man on the roster? Why is he given key at-bats when a mountain of evidence insists the best he can manage is a base on balls? Why does Cox keep deploying Norton to pinch-hit over Kelly Johnson or Brooks Conrad or — heck, I don’t know — Jair Jurrjens?
I have no answers, and on this burning issue I have crossed over to the other side. (Not that I was ever a Norton fan, but up till now I could at least see some logic. Now I see nada.) As Michael Corleone told his dad in the hospital just before Capt. McCluskey slugged him in the jaw: “I’m with you.”
Me too…
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Interesting piece by Bowman on the Braves pitching options next season. He pretty much lays out all of the salary commitments and possibilities for 2010.
http://markbowman.mlblogs.com/
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Must work now. I have alot of taxes to contribute to the greater good… 🙄
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You see, it doesn’t matter what Bobby does, he can’t win. We are now conditioned to assign blame for everything that goes against us.
Raisins, I think know what you’re saying and it’s nice to see your justification or rationalization for Cox juxtaposed with the vile rants elsewhere but, according to your premise, to blame Cox is always wrong. To support your anti-anti-Cox argument you point elsewhere for examples of his good moves or you might point to what we need to enjoy about player’s accomplishments during any given game. Those observations are correct, but they really don’t relate to the seeming point of your post or the undeniable fact that managers can make good moves and bad moves in every game and they help to win or lose games by their combined actions. Some of their actions are so bone-headed that they cancel out any previous good decisions in the same game. Bobby is famous for that. It’s in his old playbook. It’s in his DNA.
When you admit, “I don’t get the Norton thing”, and then state what you said in your 8:45, you seem to contradict yourself or try as hard as you can to assign the manager’s decision to something other than what it is… Bobby making the same mistakes over and over again.
Had Conrad (or anyone)pinch hit instead of Norton, the decision would have been a better one based on reason and performance, no matter the outcome of the at bat. Just because you play the odds does not mean you always succeed.
Maybe you just got so fed up with the extreme rants of bloggers that blame Cox on everything that goes wrong, from putting Norton in to rain delays. If that is the case, I think you’re going too far in the other direction and, as a result, you defend the indefensible.
Most games are won or lost due to individual player and team performance. Some are won by pure luck (given team performance that allowed the game to be won by that one incident), with inches making the difference between an out and a game winning, seeing-eye grounder or bloop just over the head of an infielder.
I also believe that managers will win or lose a substantial percentage of games due to their own decisions. Is it 2-5%? 10%? 20% won or lost that can be apparently (since such things can never be proven)laid on the manager decision? I would say the number is probably greater than 10%, but let’s just say it’s only 2 or 3%. That’s 3 games. We would be tied with Colorado.
“Good game, enjoyed watching, one team lost, one always will” is true. Some of us recognize that AND critique the game. Some (not of us) rant on endlessly condemning players, the manager and the world for their own misery of attaching their sense of being to a baseball game.
So, I guess my point is, those that blame the manager for everything are wrong and those that blame the manager for nothing are wrong. When somewhere in the middle is considered, in my humble opinion, within the percentage of games effected by manager actions, Bobby winds up with more blame for losses than credits for wins.
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let’s just say it’s only 2 or 3%. That’s 3 games. We would be tied with Colorado.
Actually, that number would be as many as 6 games. We’re a stallion on top of the WC breathing down the Phillies neck in a horse race.
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Maybe you just got so fed up with the extreme rants of bloggers that blame Cox on everything that goes wrong, from putting Norton in to rain delays.
SG, extreme rants… they are in abundance. And it wouldn’t surprise me to see someone blame Bobby for the rain. It really wouldn’t. My rant was not pointed toward any one person or even any one blog. It’s all over. I read alot of places from here to across the street to Bowman to wherever. I have read so many things this morning that blast Bobby from so many contradictory directions it’s incomprehensible. Stuff like I said – he was wrong for leaving JV in to start the 6th, he was wrong for not letting him work out of it, he was wrong for pitching Medlen (when he clearly knew he’d come in and give up a hit), he should have brought Moylan in, he should be resting Moylan, he should have had Soriano against the righthander, why was Soriano even warming up… He could have resurrected Ted Williams to pinch hit, and somebody’d be ready to hang him for it.
All because we lost a 1 run game to a team that is fighting just as hard for a playoff spot as we are. It was a pretty darn good baseball game. Tough for either team to lose.
It’s clear that many people (blanket statement) simply look back at points of failure on the field and question why Bobby let the situation happen. I make no assertion that Bobby makes every call correct, nor does any manager. But to assign the blame to Bobby for every single performance failure, which is how it is these days, is simply ludicrous. Hindsight is a powerful ally. It’s a shame the blamee can’t benefit from it as much as the blamers.
Now, as to my own seeming contradiction of the Norton thing, maybe I should have split up the posts. One point was simply that Bobby gets blamed for every stinking bad thing that happens in a game. The other point was that he is absolutely, positively, 100% wrong for continuing to trot Ed Norton up to the plate. They really aren’t exclusive. Like I said, I am not standing in front of Bobby to take all the bullets. I just cannot for the life of me understand why folks from all over have so much contempt for a man who has given his life to this franchise. I have too much respect for the man to pile on him that way. But on the specific matter of Norton, I believe he is wrong.
Here’s the difference. We know Norton has a .147 average. We know he struck out. We don’t like the odds in that situation. But, we cannot sit here today and say that Conrad or KJ or Ross or anybody else would have fared any better in that at bat. That is pure speculation. Now, we can all agree that we would have preferred somebody else, and that numbers alone would suggest Conrad or KJ or Ross would have done better. But we don’t really know, do we? The human element is always at play. That’s what makes sport compelling. To continue, Prado left the bases loaded in the same inning. Is he any less to blame? One well placed extra base hit in that at bat would have broken it open. But it didn’t happen. Lastly, overall last night the team was 5 for 13 with RISP. Are every one of the 8 failures singularly to blame for the loss? Is any one failure more valuable?
Finally, would we even be having this conversation if Gonzalez doesn’t give up the homer to Helms? Maybe, maybe not. Again, it’s speculation. But here is what I do know. Gonzo is getting paid closer money to do a closer’s job. Soriano had pitched 3 days in a row prior. Valdez is a kid whose only previous ML appearance wasn’t so good. By the numbers, the manager seemingly had the right guy in there. Yet, many question why Gonzo? Use the same standards to pick that 7th inning pinch hitter… that’s why. Numbers suggest Gonzo was the guy. Right guy, wrong outcome. Human element came into play. That’s sport.
Bobby should retire. Not because he’s a fool or senile, but because he is in a no win situation. They lose because of him, and win in spite of him. At least that’s the perception. And it’s a perception that has become reality, even if not actuality.
I guess I need to just learn to live with it… I am clearly in the distinct minority.
Rant over… and done. That is the last pro-Bobby post I’ll make. The mind is willing, but the spirit is weak…
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Finger bitten off during California health protest
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — California authorities say a clash between opponents and supporters of health care reform ended with one man biting off another man’s finger.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Capt. Frank O’Hanlon says about 100 people demonstrating in favor of health care reforms rallied Wednesday night on a street corner. One protester walked across the street to confront about 25 counter-demonstrators.
O’Hanlon says the man got into an argument and fist fight, during which he bit off the left pinky of a 65-year-old man who opposed health care reform.
A hospital spokeswoman says the man lost half the finger, but doctors reattached it and he was sent home the same night.
She says he had Medicare.
O’Hanlon says the attacker fled but authorities have a good description. — AP
I’m sure he’ll be provided the best defense… if he’s ever caught. Don’t you just love Cali? The future of Amerika…
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College football begins tonight – South Carolina at NC State. Man I hope I get to see Steve Spurrier throw his visor at least once tonight.
Ah…….. tonic for the soul.
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My son’s 1st Middle School football game is this afternoon, college football begins tonight, the Falcons finish their pre-season schedule tonight…
Football overload.
Sweet…
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Separated at birth…
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David Wright
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David Wright
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David Wright
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It’s easy to pick on Bobby…Fun too! 😀
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Bobby who?
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Raisins… David Wright helmet 😆
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Raisins sure writes long posts. It’s Bobby’s fault.
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V, if Bobby is ever accused of a crime, you should be his attorney….you make very good points in his defense!
And I agree, sometimes it is often the manager’s fault, no matter what.
Now, about Norton. I think I know why he keeps running him out there. His swings don’t look terrible. He walks. And he got a hit the night before. But, Bobby needs to forget about how he looks at the plate(and the pitcher made some very good pitches to him) and just look at the end results. Now, he might hit 3 homers this month, and make Bobby look like a genius, but until he hits one, he should not be the guy called up with the bases loaded.
And I bet we won’t see Ross in there as a pinch hitter much, if at all. Why???? Because we all see why he should bat more often.
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Mrs. Wright will need to fit in.
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Uh, Mrs. Wright… words escape me. 😯
I wonder if Wild Filly is off limits..?
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Mike Hampton suits up.
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GOP senators plan move to stop health care reform in Georgia
A group of Republican state senators on Thursday said they want to amend the state’s Constitution in an attempt to stop Democrats in Washington from enforcing health care reform here.
Sens. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and Chip Rogers (R-Marietta) were joined by about half a dozen colleagues to unveil their plans. The resolution would be introduced when lawmakers return in January.
The proposed amendment would, Hill and Rogers said, would allow Georgia to invoke the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment says that any power not explicitly granted the federal government in the Constitution is preserved for the states.
Hill and Rogers argue that the health care reform bill being debated in Congress would violate the 10th Amendment and that their state amendment would protect Georgia from having to participate in any federal reform.
“The 10th Amendment protects us from such federal mandates,” Hill said. “United we stand to protect Georgians, united we stand to protect these freedoms for Georgians.”
There’s that darned Constitution again. Don’t worry. The Obamanation will just ignore it as they usually do…
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Bobby who?
I think Bobby Who was the manager for the Chinese team in the Little League world series….
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:roll Just enforce the 10th Amendment…and govern the state accordingly. Everytime these yahoos introduce legislation to reinforce what is supposed to already be enforced, they water down the original enforcement. 😯 😕 🙄 Really, I know my intent! Essentially, it’s what the courts are for…file the motion. Goodness, pass a state amendment to insure the State’s 10th Amendment rights aren’t violated? Sheesh!
Now, he might hit 3 homers this month, and make Bobby look like a genius, but until he hits one, he should not be the guy called up with the bases loaded. Which leads to two points, from me at least:
1. I’ll take Norton hitting 3 HR’s to convert Bobby to genius, cause right now he looks the fool!
2. The Braves have no one to call up when the bases are loaded; I’ve never seen so little done with so much in one season! Abysmal comes to mind!
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🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄 🙄
Just practicing!
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Perfect Salty! 😀
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Go Mets!!! Beating Rockies 6-1 in the 7th
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Can the Phils and the Giants both beat each other?
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Can the Phils and the Giants both beat each other?
Yes, they can. Just not on the same day…or in the same game!
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http://markbowman.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/09/moylans_rally_head.html
Some things should just not be uncovered…. :O
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Not sure who I want to win the Phils-Giants series. On the one hand… well, you know.
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And while I have the floor… Have I mentioned how much I hate watching the evening news? Especially TASS uh NBC….
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And I like it that Chipper has decided to stop playing mind games with pitchers. Going with the see the ball, hit the ball approach. Grip it and rip it… Like Andrew, but different…. 🙂
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News… Aljazer, uh, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, CNN…
Agreed on Chipper.
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Yesterday, actually early evening, some neighbors asked me to write a note to take to their kids school, informing the teacher and principal that their daughters would not be attending the PresBo indoctina… uh, “message” Tuesday. They needed it by 7:30 this morning 😯 so that the school would have time to announce to all parents that the school would provide an optional ‘recess’ for all the students that wished to miss the Chosen One’s special screening.
As you might imagine, I had to seriously self-edit and soften (and shorten) the first draft.
Back to baseball: Give’em hell Bobby. Strike zone is moving around.
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With the bats so cold and remembering how the fish gravatar failed me last time, I had to break out the good luck gravatar. Works every time.
Not superstitious but hey, gotta cover the bases. 😆
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Well, it got us two runs. What, I gotta do everything?
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Someone speak again about Bobby’s handling of the bullpen! 🙄
Deja vu, all over again….and again….and again…. 😦
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OK, I was pretty unhappy…’til I saw VOR’s helmet posts. lol Thanks for making me laugh when I wanted to throw something.
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WOW! Bobby was not a happy camper after the game…first, some boring stuff…
I was feeling a bit under the weather, and laid down from about the 3rd to the 6th. Saw the bullpen implode, and the errors. Was pretty mad at Bobby for the bullpen handling, and the very poor approaches taken by McCann and G.A. in the 7th(I think the 7th) swinging at most anything, instead of trying to work the count down 4 runs…
Then I saw the post game show, and Bobby(Who was thrown out in the 7th-or 8th, whatever inning G.A. was up) gave both barrels to the home plate ump, and the quest computer system, that apparently they get reprimanded on if they call too many pitches strikes that the computer said were not.
First he said Wolfe was a good manager, then corrected that and said he was….but really didn’t care about the errors, pointed everything at the ump. Saying both pitchers had 100 pitches after 5 innings…that Hanson doesn’t walk people…and didn’t know how he could stand it out there, that Hanson was mentally and physically done in by it, then backed off that as well, saying he can’t speak for Hanson, but that he(Bobby) sure was fried by it.
And how he knows he could be an umpire, he would just call every pitch a ball, unless right down the middle.
Never seen Bobby like that, Gant in the studio said he never saw him talk about the umps like that….very interesting.
They need to do away with Quest, but nothing ever seems to change in baseball quickly. Still have those bats exploding, and until some unfortunate player is impaled, they won’t…
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I gave up on the game when they brought in Medlin, saw it coming from 1200 miles away. Kid had nothing on his fast ball.
Yes, the strike zone was an elusive quest last night. Moved around a lot for both sides….
Marlins are not going away. Got to hand it to that team, playing in front of a hand full of fans every night. They don’t give up do they?
Uh.. and why exactly is Carlyle on the team? Is his presence necessary to balance out the seating on the bus? Sure doesn’t appear that he has a role as a pitcher. I don’t know why Bobby even has more than 10 pitchers on the roster, he never uses the other two guys.
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SG, the approach here on the President’s speech has been mixed. Two counties have said they will record it and allow the teachers to work it into their lesson plans later (maybe). Others have made it optional with the letter from parents to opt out.
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Ten Questions:
1. When it’s hot and muggy, rainy, cold, late at night or out of the comfort zone, why do the Braves always seem to struggle more than their opponents?
2. Now that we’ve determined Norton’s got warning track power and can’t hit in clutch situations… and since it’s apparent that he’s going to be put into every game in key situations, can he, uh, go to the pen and pitch?
3. Can McCann play anywhere other than behind home plate?
4. Is Chipper going to get a big hit every 30 games so that he’s inclined to keep himself in every game?
5. Is it possible that, by resting Chipper and Mac on occasion we could improve their performances and thereby improve the team’s chance of winning?
6. Are we currently doing the things to improve our 2010 team?
7. How many pitchers does it take to fill our pen?
8. How many times can you use the same handful of pitchers before they get worn down and get hammered?
9. Is Bobby just now losing it or has his odd “management” of games just gotten so bizarre and so consistently bad and so blatantly obvious that the announcers, the media and even the ever-blind-faithful Cox fans and apologists are starting to wear their noggins out scratching their heads and griping in public over his moves?
10. If we all close our eyes, cross our fingers, go all ‘Man from LaMancha’ and dream, can we envision the Braves getting away from the Marlins, climbing over the Giants and the Rockies to seize the wild card spot?
Just wondering.
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South Carlolina vs. NC State was pretty boring… not much offense. Not one Spurrier visor-toss that I saw. Yawn.
Falcons vs. Ravens – 2nd & 3rd stringers, and folks battling for a job. Pretty boring. Yawn.
My son’s middle school football game… he wasn’t in for a single snap. He was and still is pi$$ed. Most of the “starters” across the line looked like they trained at the turnstile school of blocking, but given that the young Raisin is at least 4 inches shorter than the rest, his stature makes it tough to get playing time. Praying for a growth spurt. I did toss my visor, but it was in private in my own home… away from everyone else. I feel better now.
The Braves played?
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Old saying that still has merit… It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it;s the size of the fight in the dog… Raisins, tell your raisinette to channel that anger when he get to play and make the other team pay for all the slights he has suffered.
Now, that said, a good big man will beat a good small man in a fight but a good small man can really kick some butt and let a big guy know he’s been in a tussle. That said, a big guy will get worn down pretty fast so then it becomes all about stamina.
SG, I think Frank Wren pulls the plug by the end of the season….
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“The Braves played?”
They were on the field, Raisins. Does that count?
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Really interesting note from my cousin in NM – this would be very unnerving!
“Believe it or not—-we are being “rained” on by dragonflies!!
Hundreds of them!! Been going on an hour and not letting up!!!!!!!
A rain cloud covering came up and the wind hit (not really hard). I heard something hitting the window in the Library, so I went to the door to look out to see if it was hailing. No rain; no hail, but the air was thick with dragonflies!!!!
They are now banging on our windows trying to get it, sounds like
hail hitting them. The outside walls, ground, sidewalk, porch and
tree trunks are covered with them!! Oh the wonders of God!! Never
know what is going to happen next. We called our neighbor down south way, but he said he didn’t have any.
Reminds me of the talk about the swarms of locusts coming to eat the crops—–and the movie “The Birds”. I have no explanation for it.
Sue”
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It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it;s the size of the fight in the dog… Raisins, tell your raisinette to channel that anger when he get to play and make the other team pay for all the slights he has suffered.
Yes, Gil, all of those words were shared last night. That’s a difficult concept to swallow when you’re 13. Heck it wasn’t that easy for this elder Raisin to deal with myself, but nonetheless…
Ticked and discouraged. The part that got under my skin wasn’t that he didn’t get to play, more that I feel I let him down. I have raised the boy to know that hard work always has its reward. We worked his stem off this summer, often sacrificing things and events he preferred. But he worked hard. Very hard. We all agreed that it would pay off. They only play a 6 game schedule. Last night’s opening game was against our “bitter” rival – as he puts it, “The most important game of the season.” And we both saw the first unit make mistake after mistake, with virtually no accountability. He sees that he sacrificed all summer to stand on the sideline. I can’t completely disagree with him…
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Rally head…
I love it. 😆
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CL, that’s not fair… The Braves played very well for the first five innings, just after that, not so much….
On your cousin, tell her to be thankful they are not toads….
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Of course, it could just be the results of global warming.. That seems to be the reason for everything else these days… per the weather czar…
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Feeling very cynical today by the way… In case no one notices… 🙂
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V, I hate to hear about someone not getting in on height issues alone. My Best friend(forever? 😛 ) Is 6 foot, but he didn’t get his growth spurt til he was about 17! Was about 5-7 til then. A big Fran Tarkington fan. But football is annoying that way, so often ALL coaches care about is height. Sigh…
Does he play baseball??? Much more equitable a game for those of all sizes. How many 5-6 football or basketball players are there??? Billy Wagner still throws mid 90’s and he’s 5-10….
Baseball is swell…just not our ATL Braves right now!
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V, I was a fairly decent pitcher in my youth….when your son turns 16 and his elbow can take it, I will teach him the slider and curve I learned. From a Bob Shaw pitching book. If I didn’t have a cyst develop in my wrist, I’d still be pitching in the majors…cuz I am a lefty!
Can he throw left handed??? 😉
Did you all know Billy Wagner was orginally a right handed thrower, but damaged his right arm so badly he had to learn to throw left handed???? Just read that in one of the stories about him pitching for the Red Sox…
Of to lunch….later on, later on’ers.
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He sees that he sacrificed all summer to stand on the sideline. I can’t completely disagree with him…
Raisins…tough position to be in as a parent. The child is frustrated…trust me, the parent more so because it’s a tough, tough lesson to learn. It’s scarcely salvation, but no one says when the sacrifices pay off…when they do is sometimes surprising. I still believe the hard work and sacrifice become cumulative, all pointing to being ready when you get the call, and you’re ready. Not being ready when your bell is rung is even worse! Good luck…and remind him what his Faith has taught him. The guess here is this will be a distant memory quite soon, but it’s value will be seen for many years to come.
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On getting your bell rung
Once, while playing football for my high school team, I took a pretty good shot. I got up and trotted to the huddle as if nothing had happened, being the macho type I was and all…
The guys asked me if I was okay, I said sure, I was fine and they said “Well, your huddle is over there” pointing to the opposite side of the ball….
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And we both saw the first unit make mistake after mistake, with virtually no accountability. He sees that he sacrificed all summer to stand on the sideline. I can’t completely disagree with him…
Maybe borrow a bit of Zen there Raisins… it’s the journey, the lessons along the way, the joy that we gain from diligent work and self improvement and not the final destination that matters most on earth.
Life’s valuable lessons… or more accurately, a valuable understanding and acknowledgement I’ve derived over time from valuable lessons is that we should not let ourselves take success or failure to heart, because neither is permanent.
After many, yearly, monthly, daily and hourly small, medium and large successes and failures along the way, despite how high or reasonable my expectation or how noble my purpose or how sincere my intent, whether in business, sports, relationships or life, there is wisdom in the acceptance of simple, self-evident truths…
Two of which are: We are rarely if ever judged by a jury of our peers, and there is rarely if ever a truly level playing field.
Little Raisins is lucky to have such a good and thoughtful dad. With that going for the little fella, I’m not worried one bit that he’ll get his shot at whatever he wants and works towards. He’ll learn soon enough that, in the grand scheme of things, unfair is in a way… fair. If for no other reason that the fact that imperfect humans dole it out.
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Thanks, folks.
I prayed this morning that God would help me deal with my anger. There is no doubt in my mind that you are all tools… uh, of His work.
You know, without those last few words, that could sound really bad… 😆
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Raisins, remind me to tell you why my high school basketball coach refused to even let me try out for the basketball team, even though I was above average at baseball. Little Raisins could probably relate.
Bear, I was a very good pitcher (saying so myself), a lefty and I could pitch from an overhead angle, 3/4 position and with a sidearm approach, which made it pretty tough on batters… and coaches.
I left baseball to surf. Shoulda’ done both. Oh, well… I have the Braves.
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We’re all tools. 😯
😆
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So hungry I could eat a cow. Must go now.
Moo.
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27 hours, 3 minutes ’til UGA kicks off at Okey State.
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First time I’ve been called a ‘Tool’ and been happy about it! 😆
27 hours, 3 minutes ’til UGA kicks off at Okey State.>/i>
And about 30 hours, 33 minutes until they’re 0-1! Sorry ’bout that! 😛
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Hmmm… let’s see…
Clemson plays the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders… at home. I bet the young Raisin could get in THAT game… 😀
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Right-hander Jake Peavy made a few tosses with no pain Thursday and expects to throw a side session today that could put him back on track to joining the White Sox’ rotation before the end of the season. “I’m close, but I’m far,” Peavy said. — Chicago Sun-Times
Uh… OK.
Hello, I must be going.
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The hit had absolutely no impact on the outcome of the game, as the Dodgers were well on their way to a 4-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night when Doug Mientkiewicz singled to center field. But it was significant enough to draw tears of joy from Mientkiewicz, who was told he wouldn’t play again this season when he dislocated his shoulder in April. Done receiving congratulatory high-fives from teammates in the dugout, Mientkiewicz ducked into the clubhouse and disappeared for 10 minutes. — LA Times
Uh, maybe they should have laid off the high-fives?
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Chip Caray on TBS’s White Sox-Yankees on Sunday: “Can you believe Aaron Boone is returning from open-heart surgery before Jose Reyes is from a hamstring injury?” — NY Post
Nice job, Chip… 🙄
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I gotta go back to work. The gov’t needs my money.
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“Can you believe Aaron Boone is returning from open-heart surgery before Jose Reyes is from a hamstring injury?”
Well, we know which one has the most heart…
And I don’t mind being a tool as long as I get taken out of the box once in a while… 🙂
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And if we could be a tool, what tool would we be?
I’m betting SG would be a Shop Smith…
Pretty darn versatile but wow, can be difficult to master… And pricey too…. 🙂
Me… I would just be an old saw…..
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Clemson plays the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders… at home. I bet the young Raisin could get in THAT game…
Good ‘un!!!
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I’d rather be a hammer than a nail.
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Yes I would…
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If I could…
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I surely would.
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Report: Georgia QB Cox has the flu 😯
AP — Georgia quarterback Joe Cox has the flu, media outlets are reporting Friday.
The fifth-year senior is still scheduled to make his start Saturday against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla.
It was not clear if Cox traveled with the team on Friday.
😡
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A plague of dragonflies? Weird. It was a full moon last night. ( And if you don’t think the full moon affects things ask a nurse. Patients with dementia or mental disorders tend to have extreme episodes on the night of the full moon.)
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Reports out of the home office of Raisins indicate he has been found sitting in the corner, rocking back and forth slowly, and chanting in a very Rain Man type manner, “Logan Gray has game, Logan Gray has game…”
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(((hug))) Raisin Jr. 😦
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Now.. we have a baking emergency. Are y’all aware of the Great Canned Pumpkin Shortage? I was going to make pumpkin bread ( & some other stuff for my dad’s friend who just lost his mom). Publix has no pumpkin! Finally tracked down a stock guy, who said everyone is out. 😯
Searched online when I got home & apparently last year’s crop was so poor that they weren’t able to have their normal production. So now the stores are all running out. Thankfully this year’s crop is starting to come in & Libby’s says they’ll have it back on the shelves by the end of the month.
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I KNEW I shoulda planted punkin on my back-40!!!
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2night’s lineup:
9 guys with bats and gloves.
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Raisins, 😆 😆 😆
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“CHICAGO — Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon has been fined again for slowing down games.
Papelbon was fined $5,000 by Major League Baseball for taking too long to throw his first pitch. A new rule allows pitchers 2 minutes, 20 seconds from the final out of the previous inning to the first pitch. They get 12 seconds to throw once the batter steps into the box.
The fine was first reported by the Boston Herald. Papelbon was fined previously this season.
“After this, I don’t know, man,” Papelbon told the paper. “I think they’re going to call my parole officer and put me away.”
Papelbon has 34 saves in 37 opportunities this season, with a 1.84 ERA.”
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/12158094/rss
😆 😆
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2night’s lineup: 9 guys with bats and gloves.
Acorn contingent at town hall meeting?
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SG has Line Of The Day!!! 😆 😆 😆
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“ARLINGTON — The “hot foot” prank was big in Spring Training for the Rangers this year. Players were sneaking around everywhere, trying to light unsuspecting teammates’ shoes on fire.
It’s an old baseball prank and the Rangers were going crazy with it. Then somebody went a bit too far. They targeted pitching coach Mike Maddux.
“Somebody thought he was fair game,” reliever C.J. Wilson said. “The next day, Mike had their shoes on the table and they were completely torched. The shoes were completely melted … melted into sandals. He destroyed them.”
Message received.”
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090903&content_id=6778908&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb
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At some point you just have to believe this team is snake bit….
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Welcome back Nate McLouth is right. Boom!
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So… how will Bobby start the conversation with Lowe, to tell him he will be moving one spot in the pitching order? To number 6.
Well, it is just one spot.
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CL, 🙂
Man, anyone watching tonight??? Lady luck is not shining down on the braves tonight. Yunel sprained ankle lunging to first,(while getting hit by the pitch in the neck area) and to ad insult to injury, he was called out for interference , that stupid, you should be running in the box along side the line, then suddenly go left to hit the bag. He was hit while a step away from hitting the bag. Stupid rule that really should be changed someday. Haven’t we seen this not called on the other team a few times this year???
So, Yunel is out of the game, and the big bad Reds have scored 3 runs, and the braves 1, on a Nate bomb. 3-1 Bottom of seventh, what are the chances of us coming back???
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Kawakami in relief??? 😯
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Good to see Corky Miller….make outs for another team.
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Sigh….
I wish I liked College football…But I don’t. Not much of a fan of the pro game either….
Who shall I root for, come playoff time??? Tigers???
Angels??? Phils so people can’t say the NL is really AAAA????
Sigh….
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We’ve seen it not called a lot of times on the other team this year, Ber. Voodoo dolls, I swear somebody’s got ’em. Poor Yunie, I hope he’s not out too long.
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16 hours, 56 minutes to UGA kickoff…
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What’s your point with the clips V???? I’m missing something!
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OH, now I get it! 😉
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The fat ladies singing that’s all folks!
Still don’t like football that much 😦
Is it too soon to talk about the JHey kid???
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Funny thing Ber, I like the college game much better than the pro verity. I like it even better when it’s not televised, or at least when I am in attendance. I absolutely hate to attend a pro game. It’s so sloooooowwwwww…. Everyone standing around waiting for the beer commercials to end.
My Hokies have drawn a tough assignment to start the year against BAMA but perhaps one could say the same for BAMA… If you are going to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.
Now baseball…. Yawn…
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And politics… In one of the two meaningful elections taking place this fall, Democrat Creigh Deeds has dug up a 20 year old thesis written by Republican Bob McDonnell to try and create a micaca moment. What I hate is when folks cannot speak the truth. The essence of thesis is that working women and gay couples are a threat to the family unit… Well DUH!!!!
I have no objection to women working but at what price for the kids in a marriage? Somewhere along the line people have to make choices as to what they want in life. If it’s children, they should have them with the understanding that it is their responsibility to raise them, not ship them off to a day care or babysitter just so they can have more stuff…. I see so many screwed up folks today because they allowed the state to raise their children rather than shaping them themselves.
I do not believe in allow a child a choice when it comes to what is right for them, otherwise, they will always opt for the easy way out. We see what that has wrought forth in out country haven’t we? Life is hard…. Better to understand that at an early age than to find out after they have left the nest.
Now, I am not saying women should not have the opportunity to work if that is what they desire but it should be because they want to, not because they have to. Okay, I’ll stop now but gee….. Concentrate on solutions to government spending and not ancient history….
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Ber, we’re at 362 – how is Part 2 coming along?? 🙂
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Ber?
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sigh…..
Where did I put that six-shooter…..
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from my cousin:
“All you need to know about Flu.
The difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?
For bird flu you need tweetment and for swine flu you need oinkment
Now aren’t you sorry I have your e-mail address?”
😆
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CL 😆
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I refuse to be vaccinated for the flu du jour. Never have, never will. It’s a crock…
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Bear can’t write part 2 while circling the Dairy Queen.
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I wish they had one at the DQ! 😛
Partners ll pizza….never eaten there. Like Yogi Berra once said, no one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. 😉
CL, does it have to be me writing part 2??? 😕
Sigh…new lame job requires a fair bit of work online…I’ll see if I can get a chance in a day or so…
Being shut out by Kip Wells???? Good grief.
G.A. hit for only the 8th time in his career, how is that possible???
The Red’s 5-6 leftie is up. Only in baseball could someone that size be successful….in pro sports at least.
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This afternoon in Atlanta…
Bobby called a special meeting with the starters, Lowe, JJ, Javy, Hanson, KK and Huddy. Here’s how it went:
BOBBY: G’mornin’ fellas. How we gonna win some games?
ROTATION: Uh, hit and score runs.
BOBBY: The guys are getting good swings and hitting it right at’em.
ROTATION: Right. That’ll work.
BOBBY: The way I figure it, you guys have to pitch shutouts.
ROTATION: Sure Bobby. Whatever you say. No problem.
BOBBY: Oh, and be sure and defer to Mac on the signs. He gets’em from me.
ROTATION: Okee dokee. You got it.
BOBBY: Want me to get TP and Chipper in here?
ROTATION: Why? Nah… gotta go now.
BOBBY: Thanks guys. Hang in there. Game of inches.
ROTATION: Right. We’ll get’em next year Skipper. Maybe a big bat’ll come.
BOBBY: Big bat?
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By the time the hitters come around our rotation is gonna be so worn out and deflated that they’ll start throwing tee balls.
Am I being negative? Glass half empty? Curmudgeonish?
Oh, OK… we’ll avoid a sweep against the powerhouse Cincy.
Not far enough?
How about… We’ll get’em next year.
Still short?
How’s this…
It’s late but the Braves have a chance.
(fingers crossed)
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Ber, I kinda thought you had a multi-parter goin’ here because right up there at the top, the title that YOU selected says – PART ONE. For most folks, that kinda means there’s gonna be a PART TWO. See how that works?
SG, you got one you can rig up between now and total blog melt-down?
Mr Fly, 😆 😆 😆
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SG, Mom & Melissa have to get flu shots due to their jobs. Mom always buys 2 extra doses from their company & gives Dad & I ours. We’ve staved off the flu quite successfully the past several years. Being virtually OCD about hand-washing/ sanitizer also helps.
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I guess VOR is in mourning. Sorry, buddy.
Dad is happy. His Gators just slaughtered somebody. He tells me the 4th string was in; I didn’t even know there was a 4th string. And the 1st high school game was last night. Manatee kicked butt too. So he’ll be in a good mood.
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Good for you FBG… Personally, I went 0 for Saturday… Everyone I was rooting for lost…
Well, I think we can put a fork in the Braves now. They’re done.
The guys who were covering up for Chipper and Mac went cold and Chipper and Mac still were not back. Anyone else wonder why Bobby put McLough in the lead off spot and moved Diaz down to 6th? So now you got two guys hitting out of position.
I have long been a supported of BC but I think it’s time for the gold watch…
And Chipper is lost at the plate. He has developed Jeff Francouer syndrome. He is jumping at the ball and can’t hit the heater anymore either. Sad…..
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CL, you have a lead in your email inbox.
A fork… yes. They are well done. A gold watch, yes. Hopefully those that control the roster will do the right thing now and go to Plan B: get ready for next year. Somehow I think that might elude them.
Expect to see more PR, sweepstakes, ticket giveaways and promotions around the TED from here out. Gotta get those butts in seats. Maybe the cow could chop in double-time.
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Maybe they could chop up the cow…. Free hamburgers for everyone.
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Personally, I went 0 for Saturday… Everyone I was rooting for lost…
You weren’t pulling for Clemson? 😛 William & Mary? 🙄
My son’s depressed cause his Oregon Ducks got beat. I told him never judge a season by the first game…too many false hopes and unwarranted euphoria…kinda like Braves three-game win streak! And unnecessary depression…’cept when it’s a Braves three-game (or more) losing streak. That team has no heart…no fight…no leadership…and thus, no chance.
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NEW BLOG IS UP!!!
all together now, say “THANK YOU, SG!”
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