Gil in Mechanicsville, VA – Some surprises were had as the Braves prepared to break camp and head north to begin the season for real. The announcements to opt for performance rather than potential and also choosing a guy in Brandon Beachy who has shown both poise and skill over a guy on whom ten days ago I would have bet heavily, Mike Minor, because the Braves have a much larger investment.
As a number 7 pick in the first round draft in 2010 plus a rather healthy signing bonus with the added benefit of potentially being the only left-handed starter on an otherwise right-handed staff, The Beach just flat out-pitched his competition and won the final spot in the rotation. I was fortunate to see Brandon pitch early in the spring against the Nationals and he had it going then. He does not possess an overwhelming fastball but, folks, his change up is truly outstanding and his control is said to be Greg Maddux-like. That is pretty great company to be mentioned with when you are comparing control.
From my vantage point, I was unable to see exactly where the ball was pitched but I did see some really funny swings being taken by the likes of Jason Werth and LaRoache. It is not as if Beachy is a “strike out” pitcher but I did not see one hard hit ball by the Nationals in his stint on the mound. With his selection by the Braves as the number five guy in the rotation, I suspect that trend continued in his other games this spring as well.
Other surprised this spring may have been the selection of the diminutive Matt Young as the Braves fourth outfielder and Brandon Hicks as the utility infielder.
Young has proved he can hit for average and, with his speed, he will turn a lot of long singles into doubles. He also appears to be able to hit in the clutch. You don’t always need a three run homer to win ballgames. How many times last year did we see the Braves fail to score after loading the bases with no or only one out? The kid, and I use that term loosly as he is 28, can also play all three outfield positions and was also used at second base this spring. He looks to be a gamer. Every team needs a guy like this on their team if for no other reason than to ambush a pitcher who is looking into the dugout to see where the boppers are. I guess the real surprise has been that Young managed to play his way onto the team over Joe Mather who had been touted as the next “Great White Hope” by the Atlanta press. Though Mather was given plenty of opportunity, he just appeared to play poorly while Young simply played better in every opportunity.
Brandon Hicks may have finally reached his potential. A number three pick by the Braves behind Francouer and McCann, he has always possessed a great glove but his poor hitting has forced the Braves to keep him in AAA. Bobby Cox has said he was one of the best young shortstops he had seen but it has always been his bat that held him back. Perhaps the positive in the Braves opting for Hicks as their primary back-up over Diory Hernandez is Hicks’ ability to play third and Brandon appears to have added bulk this off season so a bit more power to be had with the stick.
Diory was also a bit disappointing with the bat this spring but I suspect he will be in Atlanta at some juncture during the season. I don’t mean to paint that devil on the wall but six months is a long time in baseball and obliques get tweaked and elbows, shoulders and hammys somehow manage to be a problem for everyone at some point.
~Gil~
Many thanks, Gil! Good points! Thanks for your observations and thoughts from seeing ST!
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Thanks CL, your editorship is superb as always. I am hoping to see at least one game live this weekend weather permitting.
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I am sooooo STOKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀
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Just a little over 3 hours to 1st pitch. How in the name of all that’s good and holy am I supposed to concentrate on my job with the season kicking off in a measly 3 hours? How?!? 😯
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2day’s lineup:
1. Marteeen, LF
2. NateDawg, CF
3. Chipper, 3B
4. Mac, C
5. DannyBoy, 2B
6. JHey, RF
7. Gonzo, SS
8. Free, 1B (until something better comes along, I’m going with “Free”)
9. DLowe, P
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Ber… 1st pitch at 1:05pm. Don’t sleep through it!
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Bravo Gil!!!! 🙂 Perfect for the first day of real baseball! It took long enough.
1 PM in case someone doesn’t know…..
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heh, had this page up, without hitting refresh for quite some time…oh well….staying up is the issue V, staying up! zzzzz
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Some interesting pics for teams to go to the playoffs, ROY, MVP, ETC,(last one not an award)
One guy predicts Brandon Beachy for ROY! I do wonder if he confused him with the Giants Brandon Belt
Peter Gammons take….
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110330&content_id=17203176&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
I haven’t seen it in print, but I have heard Tim K, and Buster Olney saying the Braves should win the east…of course, it’s more fun to be the underdogs, that those Red sox/Yankee fans don’t even know of anyone on the team short of Chipper.
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I’ll clog this shiny new blog up with posts yet! 😛
Man, espn has a lot of folks working for baseball tonight!
More take the Phils over the braves in the east….alright, alright…we are still the underdogs, good! Though, several of the writers/on air folks have us winning the W.C. and playing the Red Sox in the W.S.
I’ll take that, I’ll take that! 🙂
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview/2011/news/story?page=11expertpicks
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Phillies, Phillies, Phillies, Phillies… I an so sick of hearing about the stinking Phillies. Phils are good, what with that All-Star rotation, but they have problems up and down their lineup, and no real bullpen. To me, they are anything but a lock. I’ll take what the Braves bring to the table all day long.
Who’s gonna hit behind Ryan Howard… or in front of him for that matter? The loss of Werth is gonna affect Howard more than most will admit. And with Utley now MIA, teams will pitch around Howard as if he wore a size 17.5 hat and an armor-plated elbow pad.
And for grins and giggles, let’s just look at those exalted pitchers.
Halladay or DLowe? Halladay is the best in baseball, no question. But DLowe will still win 15 games for us this year. So who cares?
Lee or Huddy? I’ll take Huddy. Lee will miss a few starts this season, betcha. And you do realize that Huddy led Lee last season in Wins, ERA, Innings Pitched… Yet Lee gets all the 2011 hype. Not from me.
Oswalt or Hanson? Hanson, hands down. Hanson could win the Cy Young this season. He’s that good. Oswalt could hurt his back getting out of bed. He’s that fragile.
Hamels or JJ? If JJ can stay healthy, I’ll take him over Hamels. He easily has better stuff. But, health is a question. I’ll call this one a push.
Joe Blanton or Brandon Beachy? Beachy is indeed peachy… and a legitimate ROY candidate. Joe Blanton is… uh, Joe Blanton. Anybody excited? Dude can’t even get in the photos with the deified 4. Gimme the Beach!!!
So, for all the talk about the “vaunted” Phillies rotation, I don’t see them ahead of the Braves. They have Halladay. Congrats. And they better all pitch 200 innings this season ’cause their ‘pen is gonna leak like a sieve.
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1:05???? RATS!!! Eye appointments for both me and Kelly. *thud*
Oh, I’m excited about this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😆
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According to the beat writer, 40 degrees and drizzle in DC. Lovely.
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… and he says that DannyBoy is in short sleeves. I already love that guy! 😀
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Jurrjens felt good after bullpen session
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2011/03/31/jurrjens-felt-good-after-bullpen-session/
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1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour! 1 hour!
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Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time! Game time!
😀
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And with a strike to Marteeen, the 2011 season is underway! 😀
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BTW: If anyone cares, I am wearing my navy blue #10 Jones jersey.
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😀 Too bad I don’t get excited over these boys, ain’t it?
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Atta-boy, Chip!
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1-0 Bravos! Chipper doubles, Mac singles. And so it will go.
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Oh man did JHey rip that ball!!!!!!!
Dadgum!!!!!!!!
He hit that one a ton!!!!!!!!! 😯
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Footrace between LaRoche and Freeman to the bag. 😆
This could take a while…
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Only DLowe could be sweating like he is in that weather. Well, him and John Thomson. (Now THAT guy could sweat…)
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I’m here bro.. I’m here
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Very interesting strike zone today
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Thankfully, ball is not carrying well today for either side.
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Had to reset the clock, weird…
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Interesting indeed. DLowe was dea-lin’ today. Very nice start.
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Free is the real deal with the leather, folks!
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Regardless of the outcome, this has been a very entertaining game.
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Going to the top of the ninth, but it has been a very well played and well pitched game by both teams.
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The movement on pitches by Derek Lowe is what is absent from Jair’s pitches this spring. Too flat.
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Braves win, BRAVES WIN!!!! 🙂
Think we will be involved in a lot of 2-0 games…That will make Gil happy…and alka seltzer too! 😉
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Just got home with my dilated eyes, It’s a good thing I don’t have to look at the keyboard! lol Can’t see fer nothin’!
Glad they started off right!
How was Fredi as a manager??
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In the right place at the right time. 😉
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Great!!!
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Seem to make all the right moves at the right time CL. Not the same moves we have become accustom to over the last 20 years but it appeared all the right buttons were pushed.
Actually a very good game today, well played by both sides and it was the Braves who had the timely hits. Washington did not lose, simply said, the Braves won.
One can only hope the Nats will play as well against everyone else.
Evidently there is a problem with JJ that is not being shared. We will find out in time I suppose. Don’t be surprised to see Minor or even Lopez start in his place a couple of turns. Likely hurt himself with the free weights. I know they always managed to kick my butt…. and elbow, and shoulder, and wrist and back.. well, you get the idea.
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CL, when you told the doctor to look into your eyes, I’ll bet it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind… 🙂
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Yes Ber, a snappy 2 1/2 hour game. Just about the right amount of time for a game to be played IMO…
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Gil, SHE – that being Dr Molly Allen – would turn any MAN’S head. Cute as a button, petite and smart as a whip, totally down-to-earth, and I’ve been her patient for nearly 30 years. (I was a mere babe, you understand.)
Now. If I could find the male version (much taller!) – you wouldn’t believe all the problems I could have requiring his assistance! 😆
You’d laugh. I’m sitting here at the computer wearing one of those temporary, rolled-up eye protectors behind my glasses. The screen is too bright for me. Just call me Miss COOL!
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Thanks for the updates! I sure hated to miss that game!!
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Oh my CL….. You and Miss Josie… I can’t use her computer most of the time because normally she has the brightness setting on her CPU screen set on stun
This for the woman who can hear a whispered conversation between neighbors who are 200 yards away.
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Happy Opening Day… Braves and Stuff faithful! I know I’ve been AWOL but all my excuses for not socializing this off-season sound pretty weak. Needless to say I’ve missed y’all and I will try to check-in more often.
What a wonderful way to start the season for our Bravos. Well played game with some great pitching. Chipper and BMac put together some hits and JHey hit a bomb. It was enough as DLowe and the staff did the rest. Fredi made all the right moves and the team seems to react well to his leadership. This team will be fun to watch this year.
I’m lucky enough to go to another home opener this year. Will meet my son and two of his friends (he lives in Nashville) in Atlanta for the game. I’ll stick around for the Saturday afternoon game and drive home afterward. Can’t wait!!! Beating the Philthies will be great but combined with some time with James makes it priceless.
GO BRAVES!!!
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“screen set on stun” LOL
Mine normally is “normal” but with fully dilated eyes, I couldn’t handle it. Kelly walked in here and cracked up.
WILDCAT!!! Great to see you again!!! Welcome back!! Enjoy those games. You DO understand that a full report is expected, don’t you???
Which reminds me. Gil. You said silver would be ok. So I hammered until I got ALLLLL those dimes pounded into one sheet big enough to make suitable credentials. NOW you say plastic is ok. 🙄
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NOW you say plastic is ok. Just trying to be expedient CL, and thrifty…. Not like you are actually raking in the moolah from our little corner of the bloggosphere.
Anyone else get the feeling that yesterday’s game was a tease? Such a well played game and now they must idle in Washington of all places. Hint, D.C. would not like for me to be on their tourist board.
Anyway, welcome back Wildcat, your opines have been sorely missed. I pray you will have good weather. Funny that Turner Field is often immune to rain outs. Although they do seem to often have those little pre-game freshets.
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😀
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That was great Raisins….
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and yet there are still deluded people who think O’s plan is great! They truly are blind.
DC. What a place to be stuck for a day.
It is soooo good to be able to see clearly again! 🙂
I am at work on another set of credentials. Plastic. 😆
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I am at work on another set of credentials. Plastic.
Yep. I can just picture you now flatting out all those empty Diet Coke bottles… Maybe you could just run over them with your car? 🙂
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Tried that. Left tread marks. Not acceptable.
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Afternoon all, possible rain delay… ech… Glad I made the decision to wait until tomorrow to motor up to D.C. Josie wanted to go today to avoid traffic. My experience with D.C. is there is no avoiding it, only enduring it…. Regardless of the day and time.
Let’s see, take a handful of lobbyist, add a few politicians, toss in some experts from out of town, stir in a couple of environmentalist, mix in some yuppies and wannabes and you have the perfect recipe for highway construction projects in Washington D.C…. Talk about a highway to nowhere.
When you don’t have to actually drive yourself or be availed of the same traffic laws and conditions as we common folk, you can have a pretty FUBAR highway program.
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Nate strikes out soooo pretty! Geeeez!!!
GO BRAVES!!!
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Mr Ankle almost single-handedly beating the braves…who’d a thunk it??? But A Gone (is that someone else’s nickname?) hits a homer to make it 5-3 Nats….
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doomed, we are dooomed, we lost a game! 😛
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I was allll set to watch a great game this afternoon. Broadcast was blacked out. >:-(
1-1 record. Well, that’s better than 0-2, I guess.
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CL, you don’t get the local sports channel as part of your cable package? Yo realize that you are officially in the Nationals’ territory. right? 🙂
I was going to drive up to see the game today but I don’t think I can take enough medicine to make the trip. I feel like I have been run over.
Braves should win today, nothing is guaranteed but Hudson is much superior to Hansen. I think the Braves get to the Nats’ pitching today and score early and often and Hudson keeps the Nationals bats quiet.
Got to admit though, the Nationals flashed some serious leather yesterday.
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Head first slide into home for Hudson! Atta boy Time!!!
GO BRAVES!!!
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Braves should win today, nothing is guaranteed but Hudson is much superior to Hansen. I think the Braves get to the Nats’ pitching today and score early and often and Hudson keeps the Nationals bats quiet.
I rest my case….
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We are less doomed, we are less Doomed!!!! 😉
You were right Gil! A nice win, eh what???
I think it’s a real good thing we didn’t get Javy back as a starter…when the mets pound you…and you aren’t hitting above 69! 😯
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=310403128
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heh…hours later. I meant 89 MPH
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Javy is exhibit A on why other teams hate to trade for Braves pitchers. I would say the Braves trade made with the Yankees two years ago of Melky for Javy netted the Braves about even except for the prospect.
Funniest statement was from Brian Cashman dissing the Mets over the condition of Pedro Feliciano after said Yankees signed him away form the Mutts… It’s like complaining that the previous owner of a used car didn’t take proper care of a vehicle after you bought it off the dealer’s lot. DUH… It’s a used car fools… Goes triple for pitchers, didn’t hear him apologizing to the Marlins about Lopez.
Come to think of it, didn’t Cashman complained that it was the Ranger’s fault that Lee signed with the Phillies instead of the Yankees because Texas raised their offer? Talk about a sense of entitlement.
Early game today, a lot like spring training, but different…
Game might be on MLB today.
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Ber, it’s been so long since I have watched Lopez pitch, I have forgotten what his arsenal of pitches were. 89mph is not bad if you are tossing sliders and cut fastball with movement but if you a simply toss batting practice fastball like Tommy Hanson has on occasion, you are going to get lit up by opposing hitters. By the way, the way Hanson what pitching Saturday was exactly what I was seeing out of Jair this spring.
You can get away with one pitch if it’s Hudson who has rediscovered his cutter. Hanson throwing 91 mph room service, not so much. Methinks Hanson and Jurjjens both need to listen a little more to Roger McDowell and a little less to Scott Boras and his “experts”..
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Gil, I was lazy, and didn’t feel like figuring out how to spell Javier Vazquez’s last name, sorry! 😳
2 + innings, 7 runs allowed. To the Mutts…wow! Now I am seeing “highlights” of that game…right now, the Mutts are better than the Marlins, who’d a thunk it???
Man, baseball tonight sucked last night. They were hyping the game more than the highlights of the day. Rushed thru every game, so they could show John Kruk trying to find a good seat at Dodgers stadium. Very weird. Did find out Chavez Ravine is built into the side of a mountain. Did not know that. Parking at the back of the stadium is as high as the top level. never knew that…but, other than that…a waste of time.
So, watching quick pitch, on MLB TV. Gil, I like it, but what happened to the 4 man crew they had during the playoffs, and spring training??? I just see one person doing highlights….Wish Steve Berthiaume would defect with a few other folks from baseball tonight, so I would never have to put ESPN on again!!!
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Lets see, KC and Baltimore in first place, Pittsburgh in 2nd place, better than .500 record. Red Sox 0-3, in last place. Frenchy hitting .294. Gotta love the first week of the season. 🙂
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Don’t know Ber, I think sometimes they may have other commitments, that and week ends, I think they give guys weekends off.
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Pretty nice ballgame by the Braves today. Nice of the boppers to win that game and take Beachy off the hook. For a while there I thought the Brewers were going to pull a Kershin Kawakami on him.
George Sherrill scares the heck out of me, really…. I have accepted Linebrink, he appears to be suitable for what he is, a mentor for the young kids. Peter Moylan was nasty today. Mean change up that “Dave”..
Jonny Venters pitched what? Three pitches to Prince Fielder for the DP?
And Kimbrel… Woowee, that was some mighty fine pitching in the ninth, don’t think for a moment someone didn’t record that for the high-lite reels tonight. Looks like we’ve got ourselves a ball club this year folks.
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Some thoughts to ponder… Maybe Minor can come up and pitch well enough to bump Sherrill off the roster. Only weak link as far as I can see, that is, if Hanson can get his head out of his butt long enough to remember what got him here.
Makes me pretty excited to think about Kris Medlin being healthy and returning to the line-up too.
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Good pitching, good fielding, timely hitting. Age-old formula.
Hanson will be OK. He had trouble locating his fastball, and it kept him working behind in the count. I’m not worried about him.
Beachy looked very good today. He made a few mistakes, but in very un-rookie like fashion, he stayed very poised and worked out of trouble. He’s pretty darned impressive.
We also had some guys hit the ball very hard, but “right at ’em”, as Bobby would say. Nate immediately comes to mind.
And speaking of Nate, he made a great play on a deep ball to CF early in the game to hold Milly to a double. It likely kept them off the board, too. Beachy was able to pitch around it, but working around a leadoff double is a whole lot different than working around a leadoff triple. Kudos, Nate.
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Frog strangling rain, lightning popping everywhere, hail pelting the roof, and insane winds…
Ah, springtime in Georgia.
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Yes raisins, woke me up too…. Oh well, my legs said it was feeding time anyway…
It’s going to take a while for fans to forgive Nate for being so gosh awful last year. Oh course, Pittsburgh is still thinking they are even with us, not like the Braves gave a lot to get him.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, look who is winning game. Clint Hurdle might just be what that young team needs. Poor Matti D, one hit so far this season…
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Sigh…. no game until 8:30 PM, maybe you guys will have your lights back on by then….
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Gil, we were lucky on the southside of Atlanta, just heavy rain and winds….
this was a big storm! Friend in Nashville had trees taken down in his neighborhood, friend in north Atlanta was ready to head to her basement….I bet V and CL had a lot of rain and hail…hopefully, thats all!
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Major wind-rain-hail. Woke ALL of us up! Wow. :-O
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Methinks (a tip o’ the cap to old Journalist Bob) that thunder storms are a gentle reminder from God of who is really in charge here. And sometimes not so gentle… but I ,, well, you know….
I treated Miss Josie to lunch today, after all, she is retired (unofficially) too. Besides, had to go up to the mailbox anyway and if you are going to get into the truck, you might as well make the most of it.
Visited over across the street this morning. I found that most of the loons, note I said most, are not around during the week between 8A and noon. Sometimes you can even elicit a rational response but those appear to be the same folks who visit with us here from time to time.
Still have not heard from Raisins, hope he didn’t lose power…
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Hi y’all. Had some nasty weather here this morning too. Maybe the same storm?
I should finally get a Braves broadcast tonight. So far ExtraInnings has used the other team’s feed for every game, which is better than not seeing the game but of course they focus on their own team.
I had intended to be in Tiger about a week ago but we had a bit of a family medical emergency. Been a hectic several days so now we’re trying to regroup & figure out when Dad & I can head up for a fun-filled spring of painting & yardwork.
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FBG… It is great for you to drop in, I am surprised that you are not getting both feeds, are you using Dish or DirecTV? Except for when the Nationals are playing, I usually get my choice of broadcast.
Same storm system, I think a little more violent in certain spots but pretty much stretch the breath of the country. Still, in Fla it rains everyday at 3PM I thought.
Hope all is well now with the family medical emergency. I know how stressful they can be.
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CL, glad you are safe and sound! Gil, I know what you mean! 🙂
FBG, someday GBG. probably all the same long front of storms, amazingly long! Heard 6 people were killed in and around the Atlanta area, including a father and his 3 year old son! 😦
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Interesting Baseball tonight(the later one with Steve Berthiaume, only part of it recorded because of the storm) and they were showing the Cards-Pirates highlights, with Charlie Morton on the mound. Went 6 innings, gave up only one run. A lot better than last year, when he had the highest ERA of any regular starter (7.57) and they had Tim K talk about him. Said in spring training, Matt Diaz came up to him and said wait til you see his sinker, that it was Roy Halladay good! Then Edwardo Perez said watching the game how they saw Pujols take some of the worse swings they have ever seen him take!
I’m glad for several reasons since I had heard Morton was really suffering from being so bad last year, and of course if people do do well after being traded by the braves, teams won’t be too afraid to deal with us in the future…
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Wow, two GREAT plays in the bottom of the 8th, Uggla and PRado threw two guys out at the plate!!!! Win lose, or draw, a great game!!!
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Gil, we have Brighthouse cable ( which I’m sorry to say is Time Warner-owned). They don’t give us the choice of feeds. In fact, they use so few channels for ExtraInnings that we joined the game “in progress” tonight. I saw the 2nd half of it. Some nice defense from Uggs tonight.
It’s a little early in the year for the daily rains. This is actually our dry season so we’re glad to get the precip. & gladder that we didn’t get the conditions that Atlanta got. Very bad in Grinch’s neck of the woods.
Emergency may not be quite the right term but it was something that needed to be done on short notice. My sister has been dealing with a severely overactive thyroid for almost 4 years. It went into remission last fall & her Dr. warned her that there was no way of knowing how long it would last, which turned out to be 6 months. Came back with a vengeance in Feb. After several labs & scans, they determined that she needed to immediately undergo treatment to kill her thyroid gland with radioactive iodine. Once all the excess hormone works its way out of her system she’ll go on a synthetic replacement. She had to be isolated in her room for 4 days so I was leaving Room Service meals at her door.
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Emergency or no, sounds pretty tough to me…. Shall remember her in my prayers.
The game was a tough one tonight for the Braves, not enough magic in the bag to scratch out a run. It happens, not like they were lighting up DLowe.. I thought the Brewers’ kid pitching did exactly what he needed to do, keep the Braves from attacking the pen.
Phillie Lost, Nats lost on a heartbreaker in 10 to the Fish… It’s baseball, hard to finish the season 162-0…
Talked to my youngest son on the phone for about an hour and a half. He is back in Florida after working in Texas for 6 months, looks like his next destination is upstate New York. Worse than bring assigned to a minor league ball club.
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Now politics… The President announced today he is running for re-election… Really? Did he ever stop? Must like all the vacation days he gets….
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So from this point onward, everything he does/says will simply be for reelection purposes. He should have kept his big fat mouth shut and TRY to pay attention to his job. The only problem with that is that he has no idea what his job IS. The only thing he knows how to do is strut around in front of cameras with his nose stuck in the air, mouth drawn down in a very haughty expression. The king has no clothes.
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FBG, sorry about your sister! The good news is lots of people take the synthetic Thyroid and do just fine…
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CL, don’t get me started on our Prez…what really scares me is that with the weak candidates the Republicans are tossing into the ring (so far) I really think he will win again….
Now baseball, just stumbled on this article on Jeff Bennett…most likely another victim over overuse.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20110405/SPORTS04/104050303/Local-pitcher-works-toward-second-chance-majors
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Yea! My broadband service has been restored!!! It’s been out since early yesterday. What I – and Windstream – initially thought was residual effect of the storms became a concern today when they determined that I should be clear. So, they scheduled to send out a tech between 10am and 5pm. Great. What with no service, I was going to be forced to go to a Starbucks or something to try to get some work done, but now to be forced to sit around and wait for a tech to arrive.
It was in my forced break from work that I turned to out painting project. Yep, we are spending Spring Break doing some painting at the ol’ raisin ranch. Then I look and notice something out of place…
Apparently, the old landline telephone in my bedroom was deemed a dinosaur and was removed. In the process, the DSL filter was also removed. Oops.
My service is now restored. 😀
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No fun to be without the internet, is it V??? 80
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😯
you’d think I would remember it was 8 O not 8 0 but I don’t…kinda silly that they aren’t both numbers….
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My suspicions are that in whatever language the original programer use the letter O and the number 0 did not look the the same to them. Perhaps they were a numbers wonk and the zero had a slash thru it. at least the auto makers figured it out. There is no letter O ever used in a VIN…
Went with Josie to her bowing league again today. I am the official scorekeeper/scribe/cheer leader for the team. I say that because the computers do all the score keeping now. I did practice with her however… It is really sad the condition of my game. In retrospect, I have come to realize that any day that begins that does not begin with a lid fastened over me is actually a pretty good day…
I am learning to bowl all over again from scratch. Now, if I could just get my golf clubs to operate properly, this retirement thingee would not be so bad… Thank goodness for “Doc” Jameson’s magic feel good formula, otherwise, I would be unable to move. Or for that matter, would want to.
By the way, alcohol does count as an over the counter medication for tax purposes, right????
Raisins, it is good you are once again connected to the outside world, you might want to skip the news feeds however because if no news is good news, by default, too much news is a bummer….
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Now baseball, tough game last night but then, you can’t really expect the Brewers to start 0-7… Sometimes the other team just beats you, at least that is what the Phillies fans are saying this morning…
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Well, I hope all the folks who were clamoring for Mike Minor got their fill in the first inning tonight. Not supposed to be experiencing “nerves” at this juncture.
Still, a fair outing for the rookie, relatively speaking.
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Fairly awful outing! 😉
I don’t know about you guys, but I like when we win, more than when we lose.
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Our boys should have taken advantage of a wide eyed rookie in the 1st inning. We let him off the hook. Horrible call by Snitker to send Chipper. IMO, it defused a potentially big start to the game. We were hitting everything hard in that first inning. That easy out at home snuffed it.
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When someone is out by that large a margin, you do have to wonder a bit. Close plays, not so much. Running the base paths has never been one of the Braves strong suits as far back as I can remember and that is pretty far….
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Day game!!! It’s on!!!
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Tommy is struggling to command his fastball again…
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They have now tries too many times to take Mac out at the plate. Time to exact a little payback and restore order. C’mon, Fredi. Give the order already, would ya? 😡
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remember Tim Collins????
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-passan_tim_collins_royals_040711
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On Tim Collins…. See, I told you this guy was special….
Now the Braves, Seems like where ever he goes, Nyjer Morgan is a pest to the Braves. That and the Braves hit the ball pretty hard to a lot of people.
Sometimes baseball is like that, like the Red Sox starting 0-6. I don’t like losing but I hate losing ugly (lots of weak ground balls and pop ups and strike outs) (poor fielding and bad base running) SO far, the Braves have not been losing ugly but they are putting up L’s just the same.
I’m looking for them to rebound a bit this week end.
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And the did Gil! And congrats to Chipper(I know how he thrives when I praise him! 😛 ) for hit 2500!!!!
And Manny gets busted again for something in his system, and quits instead of taking a 100 game suspension. What a way to go out, as a quitter…
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Yeah… I can blog again as the Braves have restored my will to live…. Sort ah… Anyway, congrats to Chipper on number 2500… Yes, it’s a pretty big deal.
I wonder if I will get the Yankees/Red sox or the Phillies/ Braves feed from fox on Saturday? Praying for rain in the northeast, or snow….
And the Congress reaches a deal… for a couple of days… I say shut ti down. Close down all our overseas bases and then nuke the bastards who are left…. Sorry CL, but it would really simplify things…
I watched the Braves game and the Nationals game prior to that. Mets are pathetic… all that payroll and no pitching… LOVE IT!
And was not the first inning strange for the Braves and Phillies, seemed like it was going to be one of those nights.
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Just Manny being Manny, right? You know, when he quit on the Sox, all of his antics became very irritating to me. It’s one thing to be talented with quirks, it’s another to quit on your team. What goes around comes around. Hasta la vista, señor selfish…
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Now, Braves…
What a great game. Very entertaining to watch, and a nice victory to boot. I love Tim Hudson. What a competitor. Which team showed the heart of a champion last night? The answer is pretty easy. It’s gonna be a fun season…
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I really enjoyed that game last night! V, you’re right – the Braves showed their mettle – and I think some people in the other dugout took notice.
Bravo, Tim Hudson!!! As highly placed as he already was, he went up another few notches on my esteem meter.
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I missed the game today…lucky me! 😛
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Oops… didn’t realize it was a day game today. Maybe that’s a good thing. 🙄
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I was unable to witness the debacle today as my local programing was skewed to the Yankees and Red Sox. I did, however, listen to the broadcast until the grand slam, pretty much know a done deal when I hear one.
I will refrain from making further comment and just put this one in the rear view mirror.
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Josie got on me a bit tonight about my bad disposition… So many reasons to be angry, I just need some semblance of good news perhaps…. So let’s see?
Politics? Nope
Baseball? Ah, no…
Pain control?… Not working…
NASCAR? Okay Denny, Josie is really depending on you to pull me out of this funk….
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How ’bout this one, Gil? We love you!!!
I too was given Yanks/Sox but it doesn’t sound as if I missed much today. Hoping to see a game in person soon as it looks like Dad & I will be leaving Mon. morning.
Melissa is feeling better. Still has some bad spells but they seem to have lessened in severity.
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Thanks FBG, that helps because Denny finished a lap down…
Maybe it was because I watched Ken Burn’s “The Civil War” this past week. Wouldn’t you know it, the south lost again. ….
Sigh, it is suppose to get warm here today, up to the lower 90’s. I like warm but then, no use being silly about it.
Jenn, have a safe trip, this is a beautiful time of year in North Georgia. Hope the azaleas are in full bloom when y’all get to Tiger. I am Glad you sister is improving. It is good she is on the road to recovery.
Braves game is at 1:30 today. Let’s hope for a reversal in fortunes.
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Hey, FBG! Great news about your sister!!!
Gil, I’m so sorry you’re on the “dark side of the moon” right now. Many hugs to you with love.
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Oh, I’m okay, just too much news sometimes…. I used to be able to “work” myself out of it. Now that is a little harder to do. Soooo…. I worked on replacing the floor of my boat today. Enough work there to make anyone snap out of a funk… Hummm, maybe I could invite the Braves to help out..
Tough loss for Lowe today. The Braves need to get those bats going.
And speaking of work… I was telling Josie, once upon a time, I use to work 12 hours and take a 30 minute break, now, i can only work about 30 minutes and it takes me 12 hours to get over it… God gives us a certain number of productive hours on this earth, it’s not smart to waste them all when you are young…. Save something so you can enjoy your retirement.
Of course, there is always “snake oil” but do you take it when you see a snake or until you see snakes?… I forget?
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Well, I think I finally have climbed out of the hole in which I have resided for the past couple of days. Basically, Miss Josie just finally said “suck it up and get over it”… Ah, nothing like a thoughtful caring spouse to get straight through to the core of the matter. Of course by this time, I was well on my way out of my funk by administering my own form of healing. Yes, as far as I am concerned, Jameson is an over the counter medication. Hard to get it to stay in the little pill boxes however… messy too…
I have not ventured across the street since the Phillies blew into town. No use worsening my mood with the wailing and wearing of sack cloth that must be occurring over there by now. While I am not crazy with losing, I know it is still pretty early and teams like the Orioles cannot keep up their torrid pace much longer. Indians either. Soon the natural order of things will realign and the bottom feeders will descend to their natural state.
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Gil, I think I mentioned pain pumps before….I know, lots of reasons to be wary, but couldn’t hurt to look into them at least, eh what???
http://www.spine-health.com/forum/chronic-pain/pain-pump
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Thanks for the info Ber… It is a race to see what gives out completely first, my back and spine, my heart or my liver… Or maybe just my bank account…. Still, no lid over my face when I awoke this morning so it must be a good day…
Josie bought me a new bowling ball for my birthday…. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…… She is such a kidder…
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Gil, I think the Braves followed you down into the cellar. *sigh* Nothing like starting out at the bottom! 😦
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Other than the fact I find it difficult to stand u without tipping or tripping over something, I an doing much better today. Decided it was too nice a day to waste moping so I mowed the lawn(s)… Yep, front, back, sides… plus fixed the push mower for Josie… She learn today what the dipstick thingee was for. Did you folks know you can put several quarts of oil in a small engine and as long as the exhaust valve is open, never “fill” it up? Then you cannot pull the start cord because there is no room for the piston to move… Oh well, I needed to change the oil and air filter anyway.
I did not fuss either because… well… why would you say something when someone is just trying to be helpful?
Now baseball, early days folks, early days…. While a nice 13 game winning streak would be great to start the season, I have been around long enough to know it is not how you start but how you finish. Just keep it close to .500 until you can get things going.
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OK… OK… I actually do understand that we are only 10 games into the season. Yes, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. I heard a pretty sensible approach yesterday from a guy who said you break the season onto 4 pieces. Look at the standings after 40 games. You ideally want go be 23-17 in each quarter. That puts you on target for 92 wins. (Yes, 40×4=160. Just win the other 2 and you have 94, OK?)
Anyway, after just 10 games is it possible to draw any meaningful conclusions? I think you can start to see some things. How about this: Nate is batting only .229. Not a big deal after only 10 games and 35 AB’s, EXCEPT that in those 35 AB’s he has 7 K’s. Not good for a #2 batter who is asked to simply make contact. Striking out once every 5 AB’s is not making contact. And remember, he is batting ahead of Chipper. He’s seeing strikes. Not like Freddie Freeman. I am less concerned with his 8 K’s because he’s seeing nothing to hit in the 8 hole.
Here’s the rub, though. Nate’s .289 OBP in the 2 slot is match by Martin’s own .289 OBP hitting leadoff. Not much being set on the table.
So what do you do? Shake up the order? Not sure you can… Your leadoff options are pretty much Martin or Nate. What about moving JHey up to 2? Maybe… It could get Martin a few more strikes to hit, I suppose. But if you move JHey up, and drop Nate down, where does he go? 8? Then what, move Freddie to 6? Than Dan-o might never see another fastball in the strike zone.
Ah, these are the reasons Fredi (not to be confused with Freddie) gets paid the big bucks.
I’ll say this much, though. Nate better get it going. Schafer has had a nice start going 5/16 with a .389 OBP and a stolen base. But maybe more impressively, Wilkin Ramirez is a cool 4/16 with 2 big bombs just last night. Oh, and Freddie was in the stands to see them because he went to see JJ.
Timing is everything…
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On the other hand, those dudes down in AAA are not facing Hammels and Holiday(sp) etal…
Really two different animals we are talking about.
Still, I see the same pattern as last year where as all the Braves rallies begin after two are out. Tough way to make a living if you ask me.
I’ll give them a couple of more weeks before I begin my rant.
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It was a good day in Braves’ Country. The lumber awoke from its slumber and Tommy Hanson’s fastball looked fast again. It is so obvious to the human eye when he is off that I am surprised other cannot see it. Tonight he looked like the guy we were drooling over two years ago.
Plus, the Nats took down the Phillies. In a perfect world, Washington does no roll over and play dead for Philly like they have the past couple of years.
And what about the serious leather the Braves were flashing tonight? Impressive for a purest like me.
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I missed everything but the score. Recap please! What leather? Who did what? How did we score?
I hate it when I am out of the loop… 😦
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V, Alex made 2 amazing plays at short, even baseball tonight have them both in the top 5 web gems!!!!
V, that’s the beauty of Direct TV. They run a basically highlights show on MLBtv (no commentary, just the announcers calling hte game)of every game from midnight on til 10 am? (I think that late, perhaps 11 am?) so if there is no baseball tonight, or it somehow doesn’t run at 10 pm when the Yanks/Red Sox game runs til midnight, it doesn’t matter. And frankly, I just can’t stand sportscenter, anymore.
So, twist your wive’s arm, do the things she does with you that get you to give in on things, and get direct tv. Tell her, it will help with your time management! 😉
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V, check out the 6th video (have to move it along by the arrows) shows one of the plays
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?tcid=mm_atl_vid&c_id=atl
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Since I am unable to disseminate any accounts or descriptions of the game without the expressed written consent of major league baseball, I can only tell you what Ber said…. And yes, DirecTV is much better than cable, except during thunderstorms… but then, you should not be watching TV during lightning anyway so… well, you know…
Our (I use that term in a general sense because no one can actually own one) humming birds are back. It is now officially spring here in the Old Dominion. Birds like robins hang out here all year round now but humming birds still actually migrate. Must have had a good tail wind this week.
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Still, I must say last night’s ballgame may have been one of the best all around games I have ever seen the Braves play. And I have seen a lot of games….
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sigh 🙄
Sounds like I picked a good one to miss altogether…
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V, we were at the Dwarf house and I missed every second too…thanks for telling us that Gil! 😛
Gil, I’ve put a few hummingbirds on leashes, good fun! 🙂
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So, naturally, the Marlins rebound with a dominant performance by Josh Johnson.
Huddy was getting ground balls tonight but they were finding holes.
Nats lose to Phillies and Holliday with a big assist from the ump.
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Losing to JJohnson is nothing to hang the head about. He is a stud… an underrated stud.
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I’m pretty sure Chipper would have liked to have gotten number 1500 RBI in a little more meaningful way/game but a pretty nice home-run all and all.
Very select company to be inclusive to only Murry and Mantle as far as RBI and hits.
Chipper may or may not be a first round hall of fame player, dependent upon the mood of the writers in a particular year but he will be enshrined just the same. We have been pretty fortunate to have seen at least 5 HOF worthy players in the Bobby Cox era.
I think Sheffield gets in too but likely as a Marlin. For sure, Glavin, Maddux and Smoltz along with Bobby Cox. If BMac stays healthy and productive, he has a chance.
Too bad Andruw flamed out, he was a HOF caliber guy for a lot of years. I think Murp would have made it too if he had better players around him. For so many years, he was Atlanta’s one trick pony.
Alas, everything is so political and really dependent on who is lobbing for you. Steroids really skewed the numbers and one has to wonder which numbers were real and which were Memorex?
I know Ber is still rooting for Simmons but like Murphy, he may have been too honest. That said, I believe we may again be on the verge of another golden age for pitching. There sure seems to be a lot of good ones these days.
Funny, one has to wonder how good Dizzy and Paul Deans’ numbers might have been if Tommy John surgery had been around in the thirties.
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Gil, how did ya know Ted Simmons would flash thru my mind, when other great switch hitters were mentioned? 😉
His 1300 + RBI’s came playing with the tools of ignorance attached to him, mainly. Shoulda said his knees hurt, and played 1st…
anyway, back to present times….haven’t watched the highlights yet…well, sounds like not many ‘cept for Chipper…Yep, ol’ Josh (who had TJ surgery, of course) is really, really good…Gil, I think Dizzy blew out his shoulder, but it’s been a long time since I read about Dizzy and Daffy…point well taken either way. Makes you wonder if Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, etc ever had ligaments/cuffs tear and fray, or were just real lucky. Cy Young just throw sinkers???
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and guys and gals, I am heading out to LaLa land early tomorrow. My Uncle Tad passed away on the 23rd of March. Service is this Saturday! Aged 90, and died in a hospital, but since his wife didn’t want an autopsy, it delayed things, inexplicably. Gotta love the city and state government out that way. 🙄
A very interesting man, ran rail tours (My Mom, his sister in law, ran many a European excursion as his main tour guide, in the 60’s) worked for the city of Los Anglesss(the way he said it)before that, and was even a bailiff for Errol Flynn’s infamous trial in the 40’s! My aunt Betty died in the 80’s, and his only Daughter died in 2004. 😦 Thank God he remarried, and she had her boys, otherwise he would have long since passed.
In fact, two of the last 3 times I have gone to LA has been for services, not fun…
For anyone that hasn’t been out that way, it really is swell place to visit, just not live…unless you are stinkin’ rich, and can live on the cost in Santa Barbara, etc….
Of course I am going out with very little bread in my pocket, an no relations to see…oh well, gets me out of the house…should be back late Monday…worry if you don’t see me posting late that night! 😉
Be good, take care y’all! 🙂
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You have my condolences Ber, take care my friend…
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Ber, I’m sorry for the loss to your family. Be careful out there!! We’ll be waiting for your return. ❤
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Happy Birthday Gil!!!
Made it to Tiger so be warned, I’m on the laptop. We’ll see how long it takes for it to spaz out. Our dogwoods are gorgeous. Azaleas are just starting to get going & many other flowers as well. Seen hummingbirds, goldfinches, bluebirds,( & our year-round resident cardinals, chickadees, wrens, etc.), a bunny, a chipmunk, a big black & white cat & Bonnie & Clyde, the shnauzers next door.
Hope to get to some games while we’re here (Gwinnett, too).
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIL!!! (((big hug to you)))
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Happy Birthday, Gil! I’ll leave the hugs to CL!
Question: does baseball season start up soon? It is spring, isn’t it?
This mole hole is starting to cramp my style…whatever style that be.
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Gil!!! Happy
Tax, er, Birthday!!! 😀LikeLike
Thanks y’all, tis a beautiful morning. Now, if the Braves could just pull out a win or two…. I really thought they had their chances last night. So, at what point do those balls find holes?
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They found the holes today…or the bleachers. 😆
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Now those were two very enjoyable games for Braves fans to watch. I thought Freddi Freemans’s homerun after getting dusted was the best.
Jair looked the best I have seen him all spring, his pitches had “life” to them. Pitching to contact is a great philosophy as long as you are keeping your pitches off the fat part of the bat.
DLowe did not look quite as sharp as his past two outings but certainly pitched well enough. You’ve got to love 4 homeruns. Solo or not, the big fly is exiting.
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Shoulda won it…
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greetings from sunny L.A. !!!! 🙂 My uncles step son was nice enough to loan his macbook (Can’t say a mac is changin my life,except with just a mouse pad thingy with out a real mouse, hard to use…..nice service yesterday at a nice old Catholic church…man, spellcheck still there, but cant figure out how to use… anyway, something amzing happened when we were theere my UNcle Tads son and law was there(My cousin Ann died of Cancer in 2004) along with his 2 kids, my Uncles Grand children. The son in laws dad has been quite ill for some time, and they were going over to see him (they all live in vegas now) after the servce… well, right after Steve (the son in law) read a passage from the Bible he got a call, his father had passed away! None of the three were particularly religious, but the sheer timing of this, must have given them some pause.
Also, my Uncle Tads wife died in nov of 1985, Steve lost his mom in DEc of 1985. Now, My Uncle Tad Died in late march of this year, and Steve’s Dad yesterday….
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Ber first…. If not religious, there is not much to look forward to after death. If one is, dying is the passage necessary to eternal life. Still, it make us sad to lose those who are close to us. It is often more our loss than theirs.
Now the Braves… The Braves lost today’s game in the second inning. You just cannot fail to do the little things necessary to win ball games. Tommy Hanson flat out missed the bunt (three attempts) and Henski was a sitting duck. So, who do you blame for that one? Hanson? Freddi? Whoever is the batting coach for the pitchers? T’was a disappointing display all around…
So what else happened today? The Nats sweep the Brewers. I expected the Mets to be bad this year, I expect the Phillies to be good and the Nats to be improved. The Marlins are about as I expected too. I did not expect the Braves to not hit. Actually, not all the Braves are not hitting, but a couple of them are not hitting in big spots.
Can we still blame Terry P?
So, it will be a long week as we will be treated to midnight baseball….
Time to play a bit better guys, next thing you know you will be battling the Nats for the wild card….
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Gil, exactly!!! Some “smart” people like the thought of there being no God, don’t see the comfort in that idea, that we dont have a soul……
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Ber, I guess it depends on what one’s definition of “smart” is…. 🙂 Atheism is but yet another example of how most places of “higher” education has been subverted and corrupted.
I once had an acquaintance who asked me if I could see God? I said how could you not see Him in everything around you?
Not saying he doesn’t have a sense of humor sometimes however, after all, he gave us “Free Will”…
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Otherwise, we would all be forced to become Yankee fans or something…..
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And while I am rambling, I do some of my best ramblings after a good night of fitful sleep, duh… I forget….
Oh yeah… Like confusing cost with value, one should never confuse education with intelligence.
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a yankee fan….. 😯
Gil is quite for of wisdom today! There surely are many dumb smart folks out there
sure hope I can get on the 11:50 AM PST flight….a whole day a LAX before A 4 + hour flight, doesnt swelll, does it CL>|? 😉
thought \\
there was a resturant somewheres that had a 50s malt shop theme, that was run by russians, and the waitresses were cute russian gals….cant recall where my keys are, but a food joint with cuties I was at 4-5 years ago.}? that I will always be able to recall! 😛
can you tell i am typing on a lousy laptop keyboard with no glasses on///N;/
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yep -+ 😛
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Ber, the 5 and 6 hour time differences between, say, Paris or Frankfurt am Main, Germany and the US – or London and the US are the tough ones. For years, my body had no idea what time zone it was “supposed” to live in. Somewhere mid-Atlantic, I guess! 😆
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can you tell i am typing on a lousy laptop keyboard with no glasses on///N;/
It’s okay, I’ll just read without my glasses on….
Cute Russian girls? Somehow I think it has the makings of a joke involving “Moose and Squirrel…” as the punch line.
Or maybe it’s just a Johnny Rockets’ owned by a real ‘Georgian’…. Yuk Yuk… 🙂
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CL Jet lag across the ocean always made the idea of Atlantis a lot more plausible. I suspect Atlantic was really a place once upon a time, pretty sure Al Gore invented it to justify his ‘Global warming’ hoax…
Or not… I just spent 2 hours dreaming I was in history class. Not sure if I was teaching or a student… I need better hallucinogens, the ones I am taking are causing some really boring dreams. Dreaming that you are sleeping, what’s that about????
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Now, this is just plain dumb…
http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-04-18/reds-leake-arrested-accused-of-theft?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl4|sec3_lnk2|56838
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Dumb indeed. I guess it’s just plain tough to get by on $425,000 these days…
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I’m pretty sure that Macy’s would have given him all the Tee shirts he could carry for a 15 sec endorsement… Sigh… What was he thinking???
Huddy is looking very Tom Glavin like in the early innings these days. Change in the batting order has not shaken things up for the Bravos either. They just have an “I don’t give a rat’s a** look about them.”
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It could be worse… they could look like this:
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OMG…It’s Buckwheat….
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Y’all have some GREAT lines there!
Going to bed. Finally.
Somebody turn off the lights. (We really need a night shift again.)
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Now that’s “more better”…
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A late shift? CL, what do you think staying up until 2AM is about when watching the Braves on the left coast? I feel like I have been beat up… Great game last night though.
That Freeman kid is a keeper… He has made some really nice picks and now his bat is warming up. He reminds me of what it would be like having an “Andruw Jones” playing first.
Even the two “old” men playing on the left side of the infield look rejuvenated. The National League have some really good first baseman playing but I cannot think of one aside form Albert Pujols I would rather have right now.
I realize, in order to win a Gold Glove, you have to hit .300, yes, I think that’s dumb too, but keep it up and this kid is going to get some serious ROY consideration.
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CL, I really don’t think I could ever get used to flying all the time, like you did….did you ever truly get used to it???
I’m back, in case you were wondering….nice to be typing on a real keyboard. That Macbook….it didn’t exactly make me want to run out and get one…not that I could buy one anyway, and I guess all laptops suffer that issue of the keys not going down like they do on a real keyboard…funny how so many people only have a laptop, like they only have cell phones and no land lines…
now, baseball….still haven’t gotten quite into the flow of the season…and now they are on the west coast???
got back from dinner, saw the 2 homers, and part of Beachy’s mastery of the Dodgers…2-1 after blowing a golden scoring opportunity, thought, ok, Dad’s not a big baseball fan anyway, we will watch a Magnum…sure wish I had stayed with the game 10 more minutes, good grief! 10-1, finally an offensive breakout, good!
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@Gil – well, I tried to staff the nightshift, but by 0330 I couldn’t stay awake anymore…
@Ber – you just get used to being totally disoriented all your life. We could work a 16-hour day, sleep for 4 or 5 hours, then get up and do it again on most domestic flights.
On international flights (Europe, etc) I’d get up at 0630 to get Kelly up and to school. Then I’d come home, clean the kitchen and whatever, get a shower, dress and go to Charlotte (200 miles away). Sometimes I could fly (piece of cake) but too many times had to drive. My report times were usually around 1630, departure at 1800 or so. Fly 7 to 9 hours, arrive early morning European time. By then I had been up for nearly 24 hours so all I wanted to do was get a shower and crash. By the time I woke up, most of the day was gone – so I was awake most all night, get up after a short nap and fly back to the US, then either try to catch a flight home or have to drive back. Another 24 hours.
Sometimes we were scheduled “back-to-back” trips which meant the NEXT morning you’d do it again, but most times there were a couple of days off before going back out again. But we were never in one place long enough to adjust. But, it enabled me to provide a home for us and take care of my daughter. You do what you have to do. 🙂
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Yes CL… Normal to some is abnormal to others, and folks always wondered why I was always in a “mood”… I’ll admit. however. I had a very short fuse and did not suffer fools gladly. Earned me a reputation of being disrespectful of authority, which I was and mean, which I also was.
I never picked a fight but would never back down from one either.
Welcome home Ber, actually, laptops are not so bad but the keyboards vary from brand to brand. I have a Gateway “Acer” which I tolerate. Josie has an Azus which I think has a much better keyboard. My favorite was an ancient IBM Thinkpad that would pass as a netbook today. I also liked a Compac I once used until the LED died. I also had a Dell Latitude which was okay. Several different Thinkpads but again, you just have to find one you like.
Same goes for desktop keyboards. All in what fits your hands. I have short stubby fingers which could explain why I could never throw a curveball and could not throw a decent spiral with a football.
The touchpads most laptops have gone to take a little getting use to, while I can use one, I still prefer to use a mouse.
Now baseball… I am working on a new lead, I think Freddi Freeman deserves a shout out… He is impressing the heck out of me anyway…
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You do what you have to do.
Yes you do. Hats off…
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Well, doing what you have to do didn’t work out so well for Derek Lowe last night. Wow, was he bad, awful, weak, predictable, pick any one to describe how ineffective he was…
The only bright spot for the Braves last night was the three innings turned in by
Luis ValdezJairo Asencio. The rest of the guys played a lot like Juan Valdez sans the coffee beans. Of course, with the price of coffee being what it is, I’m pretty sure old Juan has retired to Miami Beach by now. But, that’s another story…Early game (3 PM Eastern) today. Let’s hope that Freddi has learned that Derek can no longer go on three days rest.
And wither Nate McLough? Moving Jason Heyward to the two hole seems to have quieted the clamoring on DOB’s blog, along with Jason’s bat but it sure has helped Nate revive his mojo. I’m pretty sure Nate will return to the top of the order kicking and screaming.
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I’m pretty sure Nate will return to the top of the order kicking and screaming.
Oh, I don’t know… It’s a pretty good formula. Nate doubles; pitcher bunts him to 3B; Prado knocks him in. That, plus I like JHey in the 2-hole. Well, I’d like him alot more there if he’d start hitting more like Jason Heyward than less like Jason Alexander.
Here’s the thing. Whether Nate bats 2nd or 8th, Jason bats 6th or 2nd, Freddie bats 8th or 6th, it doesn’t matter if they don’t string a few hits together. They simply are not taking advantage of opportunities. It’s still kind of early, although that excuse is getting older by each subsequent game. (Boy, that was redundant.)
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Day game… starts at 3:10p local time. No JHey today. Kid’ll get it going soon, then watch out NLEast.
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2day’s lineup:
1. Marteeen, LF
2. Gonzo, SS
3. Chipper, 3B
4. Dan-o, 2B
5. Freddie, 1B
6. DRoss, C
7. McDouble, CF
8. Young-ster, RF
9. JJ, P
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Redundancy is having to say you are sorry all over again…. A lot like being married….
I used to carry a card around with me that simply said “It’s all my fault”…. Like the Miranda card the police use to carry to read a suspect their rights… but different. Pretty soon, I was conditioned well enough so I no longer needed the card. I could rattle off the phrase from memory. Who says memorization by rote doesn’t work. In fact, Josie doesn’t even have to say anything, she just looks at me and I will say it without any further prompting…
And thanks for reminding me about the game, I was just about to go outside and do some chores… Saved again by the blog…
Yep, It’s all my fault… uh, what? Okay, never mind…
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No way that one should have gotten away. Better right the ship now, Fredi…
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Bobby Cox always said the toughest thing about being a manager was having patience. I’m beginning to think the same is true for fans.
Yes, it was a tough one to lose, makes me think there is something amiss with Venters too.
As for the resat of it, well, I sure wish I knew who to blame so I could give them what for.
That said, it’s pretty tough for me to believe that every other team in the National League is loaded with Cy Young candidates. What is it? Tired? Poor coaching? Ineptitude?
It’s not going to get any easier for the rest of the month.
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“more like Jason Heyward than less like Jason Alexander.” 😆 😆
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SALTY!!! Wish you had more time to visit, my friend. But I understand.
Day game?? *sigh*
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“In fact, Josie doesn’t even have to say anything, she just looks at me and I will say it without any further prompting..” 😆 😆
(Well, is she right??) 🙂
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(Well, is she right??) What does being right have to do with anything??? 🙂
Happy Birthday Salty, hope the Braves can pull out a win for you today…
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@Gil – 😆
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CL… I learned a long time ago, never argue with anyone who can train a cat….
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Okay folks, last nights game was a little more like it. Now, if we can just get this guy Uggla going….
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Freddie for ROY! 😀
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Yep, I really like that big raw boned kid. He reminds me so much of Chipper when he first came up. but a little bigger. Hats off to Freddi’s dad for raising a fine young man.
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Good afternoon to all on this glorious day, He has risen, hope for all the world….
In addition, the grandkids will be here today for the annual Easter egg hunt on the lawn. Not quite as well known or publicized as the egg roll on the White House Lawn but more important to Ms Josie. She has actually outdone herself this year methinks. Even baked an Easter cake.
Two quick Easter stories I love to tell. A girl in my past (many years ago when I was young just after the earth cooled) and I would make up Easter baskets for all of the kids of parents in our acquaintance. I would guess about 2 dozen or so, anyway, we would make up the baskets and leave them on the front porches, We did it for about 3 years and never said a word to anyone as to the basket’s origins. I don’t know if we we ever suspected by the recipients. It would be a hard thing to get away with these days with so much meanness and suspicion in the world.
The other goes back to when I was about 5 when I would get up and make my rounds in the neighborhood and find the Easter Bunny had left baskets for me their. Innocence is a wonderful thing, too bad we have to become jaded by people doing bad things to us in our lives.
I guess I should write all this stuff down somewhere so I can remember then when I get “Oldtimers” …
Now baseball, Nate really frustrated me yesterday when he loafed that ball back in to the infield and allowed Pat Burrell to score. The decision to send Pat home on the play had to have come from the Giants’ advanced scouts because McLouth has done that very thing so many time in the past. Nothing I hate worse than “lollygagging”…
I have defended Nate in the past but one more play like that and I will start my own letter writing campaign to get him out of Atlanta. As much as I despise the hotdogging of Dion Sanders, at least he never loafed…. T’is reminiscent Lonnie Smith without the bat….
For better or worse, Old number six would have pulled him in from center field at the beginning of the 3rd inning….
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Dadgum! Mr. Heyward can sure hit a ball a long way!!!
😀
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It’s times like this (bases loaded, 1 out) that I really miss Petey! 😯
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Juan Valdez needs to brew up a double play…
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I do NOT want another cup of that…
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😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡 😡
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Wow! 😯
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Can I just say that Brian Wilson looks like a complete and total idiot?
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Nate comes through!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mc and Mac!
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That was a pretty fun game, except for Jairo Ascencio. He was NOT fun…
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Yeah BABY….. I do love it when a plan comes together.
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It was a great game for Atlanta today in the final with San Fran. It had all the makings of a 2-0 pitching duel until Heyward misplayed that flyball to the wall in right. No error charged but not all miscues are recorded. Then Brandon threw a change up to Posey who promptly parked it in left center. He later threw the same pitch to another Giant for a strike out but this time, the ball broke downward was as the Posey pitch stayed up. It happens.
The good, the bad and the ugly…. It was nice to see the Braves offense come back from adversity, I think everyone knew this version of the Braves offense existed but had not often been seen. Tough not having Moylan in the pen right now. I think it should be evident to anyone who follows the Braves with regularity of just how big a piece he is in the make up of the Braves pitching staff.
It was a painful thing to see Asencio struggle but where better to allow for a rookie to show what he is made of than away from Atlanta? I think he did give up a couple of hard hit balls in the inning but it was not like he was wild. He just got in a jam, only so many bullets in the gun for Freddi as far as the bullpen goes and I don’t think there were too many real options available. Next time out, Asencio could strike out the side. Point being, you have to accept some failures before you can really appreciate or experience success.
I can remember seeing Jonny Venters when he came up to Richmond from AA. I never envisioned him being the the pitcher he is today. Shows how much I know….
And as for Nate McLough, well, he has earned a spot on the roster for at least a couple of more weeks. I’m not forgetting the poor effort he made on the ball hit to him on Saturday that allowed Burrell to score from second but I am not soon forgetting a really clutch at-bat against Wilson yesterday either.
Sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad, no use getting ugly about it. I’ll leave that to the real freaks across the street.
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Two funny tweets by Peter Moylan yesterday, just in case any of you folks don’t think the players don’t hear the talk…
Right after Nate hit that 2 run single off Wilson Peter “tweeted” PittsburgH Nate…. Then followed with “fear the blonde”…
You can’t make this stuff up….
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fear the blonde
That is classic! 😆
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I have found our old friend JJS in his latest incarnation as Sonny Clusters on Facebook. I friend requested him. Letcha know…
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Yes, I have seen his post on Mark’s blog over on the AJC for several months. Not as funny as JJS. I am inclined to believe sometimes he was really Robert over on DOB’s blog. Just the sort of thing he would do, trying to create a little disturbance in the “Force”.
I have sent a new blog to the editor for her approval, hopefully the chief will get a chance to review and send it over to the graphics department for the final upgrade.
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Wow, I can’t believe I stayed up to the bitter end for last night’s loss… I saw it coming when Brandon Hicks got thrown out at third after the lead off double by Chipper. Not his fault by the way, the Padre’s pitcher made a heck of a play on a ball hit back up the middle by McCann.
Oh well, we’ll get em tonight.
By the way, I really liked what I saw out of the Braves latest call up, Garrin… loved the movement on his pitches, he is like a “mini me” of Pete Moylan… I say the Braves may have found their next great reliever….
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NEW BLOG IS UP!!
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