Gil in Mechanicsville, VA
The Dan Uggla situation has extended beyond what any reasonable person should have to endure. I think everyone gets it, Dan is past his prime and the Marlins snookered the Braves into taking a guy who was going to be way over priced. The Braves should have seen it for what it was. It is like many other GMs discovered in the past when trading the Braves for a pitcher whom the Bravos had given up on. Said pitchers hardly ever recovered after being discarded by the Braves.
Perhaps it is Frank Wren’s ego which will not allow him to admit he made a mistake. Message to Frank, get over it. If you don’t make a mistake or two, you are not trying hard enough. Okay, Kenshin Kawakami was a huge goof but Bobby Cox was involved in that a little bit. Never sign a pitcher who you have not personally seen in action yourself. Of course Melvin Upton may be on track to equal that blunder in scope. I’ve said it before, Melvin Junior stands to be the Braves’ Jason Bay. At least we all understood when you were forced to sign Derek Lowe for 4 years and $60 million, the Braves needed pitching and the Braves did actually get some value from him.
Get over it Frank, cut the cord and move on. You have to look at the situation as the cost of doing business. Salary is salary, whether you are paying one guy 90% or everyone gets an equal share, at the end of the day, it is what you are paying your team. It is why most teams are loath to give more than a three year contract and players push for huge payouts because it guarantees them a spot on a roster, no matter have miserably they fail.
Dan Uggla
So let it be with Dan Uggla, even if he is released tomorrow, it will not be the worse failure or bad trade the Braves have ever had. That distention still belongs to Ted Turner for the Len Barker trade and to Jonathan Schuerholz for when he traded away the farm in 2007 for Mark Texeria. Of course, the Rangers were pretty happy with what they got. It propelled them into the World Series for a couple of years. That said, think about how Billy Bean felt after trading away Tim Hudson for Tommy Tee and two pitching prospects who never panned out.
Uggla
Throughout Dan’s exile to the nether world of the far end of the bench, all we have heard is how Dan has stayed professional. Working hard to stay ready and rooting for his teammates despite the fact he has become persona non grata on the 25 man roster. hey, he has done some good things for the team. Perhaps the Braves can restructure his contract so he gets paid $1 million dollars a year for the next 30 or so years in exchange to agreeing to his release. The Braves are going to have to pay him anyway. Dan is not stupid, he is not going to quit or refuse an assignment. After all, if the Braves are willing to play with a 24 man roster, he is willing to also serve for another season and one half.
Not every trade is a bad one, sometimes you get lucky. Chris Johnson is a great example of that. So keep the line moving
Braves & Stuff 
Thanks much, Gil!! You sure hit the nail on the head. 😀
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Hm. The “likes” and “share” buttons are missing. Supposed to be there.
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Get rid of Melvin, and leave Dan alone. Play him for God sake, give him a chance to improve, or fail. But everyone can tell what a total failure Melvin is, I would trade him to anyone for half a baseball or broken bat.
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Well, I hit a nerve with one fan, Ms Josie says I am officially in the dog house. Hey, don’t shoot the messenger…
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I’ll bring bread and water, Gil. How long you in for?
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I like your ideas. But isn’t Dan Uggla’s EOBP insane? And he hit 22 homers last year, I think he could still be a great help for the Braves. Remember that he was an All Star in 2012 which isn’t too long ago.
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Wasn’t*
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Good points, Danny. (Good to see you!) I wonder if Dan can ever play for Fredi now. I sure wish he could. Get everything together again and put up some really gaudy numbers!
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Excellent points Gil! I do think though that Dan is the kind of guy that would give up his contract(but of course the union wouldn’t allow that, he’d be tarred and feathered) and move on…he wants to play. And the longer he doesn’t play, the harder it will be for him… This limbo has to be getting very old. Let him go already! No one will trade a player, or take on salary at this point. So, let him go, and see if he can rebuild his career.
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also, I would like to like posts, but when I do, a pop up pops up, the goes away, then pops up, very fast, over and over again…and I can’t make it stop. Very weird. Have to close the browser to make it stop…..
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and now…I can like without an issue….weird!
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Ber, it has been doing some very weird things all afternoon! I had a heck of a time just getting it put together, then all the settings seemed to be non-functional. I still can’t get the links to facebook, etc in place. I’ve done everything I can, but I think the root of the problem is with WordPress itself. All I can do is apologize – and I do! 🙂
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Ber, Danny would not give up his contract. I would not give up that contract. No player would give away his contract because he doesn’t have to thanks to a player-friendly collective bargaining agreement. In MLB, those $$ are guaranteed, regardless of release or anything. He gets paid whether he sits or goes home. His sitting only hurts the Braves as they are essentially playing with a 24 man roster. It makes no sense and hasn’t for weeks.
Hi, Danny4225 and welcome. I gotta be honest… I have no idea what EOBP means. I’m an old dog and only watch the games, not the stat sheets. (No offense intended.) What I observe is that Dan Uggla’s game has regressed and that he is a shell of what once was. No team will assume a dime of his current contract because of the ham handed way that Frank has handled the situation. And I think Frank does a very good job in general. But he has really fouled this one up. Ever other GM knows Uggla’s presence here has become an untenable situation. The tension was created with his being left off last year’s playoff roster, and has festered since. Once he lost his starting job, it was beyond repair. That bridge was not just burned, but was completely disintegrated.
So now he occupies the bench and only serves to use up some of the oxygen available to the team. As for pinch hitting… I can’t expect a guy to perform cold off the bench when he can’t perform playing regularly.
To say that the Yankees handle dicey personnel issues well is a stretch at best, but at least they recognized Alfonzo Soriano as a drag on their roster and took care of it with his release. Why can’t Frank recognize the same?
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Maybe we need to start a FREE DANO with a march complete with placards and paid protesters (hey, it’s how it’s done these days) and a letter writing campaign to the Braves and their sponsors. See, I pay attention to what these folks do to get their way.
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There have been many players in Braves history that hit slumps, when Bobby was the manager he worked with these guys and played them even when he knew that it might not turn out the best, but he gave them a chance. I can remember many pitchers that we would just hold our breaths and pray when they came in, but Bobby never toss them aside. Bobby also worked out Mac’s issues when his eye sight was a problem. All Fredi Gonzales has done is park Dan, maybe it time for a new manager. Maybe one with some backbone. I think Dan could still play and even add some spirit to the team, but Fredi will never see that, and that is what this team lacks. Don’t expect the fans to have it when they can see that the team doesn’t . 🙂
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I think I’m with you on this. I just don’t like Fredi and I hate to see what is happening to this team. Dan is doing his best to continue to be a GOOD teammate and you just know all this has to be devastating to him. I respect him for keeping his best foot forward.
It’s purely speculation on my part, but I would think that when other players look at Dan, they’re thinking, “That can be me.” They know they can’t trust management, starting with Fredi. I don’t think that was *ever* the case with Cox. Players simply can’t focus and do their best when they’re looking over their shoulders to keep an eye on the field manager. I truly wish Dan ALL the best.
I saw online that he has his Tennessee home and his Atlanta home up for sale.
Land in TN must be scarce. His home there is a multimillion dollar mansion sitting on just a half-acre lot. My house may be smaller but it sits in the middle of a secluded, wooded acre+.
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Woof, woof….
Okay, that tid bit of info on both of Dan’s residences being for sale leads me to believe that Dan knows a move is coming, likely across the country somewhere. I hope Dan gets a chance to come back. It won’t happen in Atlanta though, just won’t no matter how much Ms Josie wants it to.
Anybody else watch the snooze fest AKA Homerun Derby last night? Honestly, the best part was Prig looking pitiful. His turn was over so fast that even Chris Berman was speechless… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
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Well… I must respectfully disagree with a couple of points. I don’t think we have any idea what’s going on behind the scenes. I have been a big supporter of Dan’s, even as he slipped horribly. And he has slipped horribly. I’ve been on his side pretty much the whole way. But we don’t know what is being said and done on the inside. Something happened leading to a 1 day suspension, and we haven’t heard a peep from the Players’ Association about it. They always appeal even the most egregious and obvious offenses. Yet, no one has come to Dan’s defense.
Also, I have not been the most avid supporter of Fredi, and don’t intend to start now. But Fredi’s hands are tied with this. This decision (or lack of decisiveness) comes from above. For all we know, it could even come from higher than Frank. But as for Fredi, he’s dealt a bad hand here having to play with what is essentially a 24 man roster.
Bobby had a special talent when it came to handling his players, especially those in a slump. Danny is not in a slump. Danny is in deep decline. His days as a regular are behind him, and should have been behind him last year. But the big difference here is that it would have been taken care of quietly and quickly. Bobby had enough sway with JS and the FOT’s to get his way, and that would have been that. This would have never lingered and festered.
When fan favorite Mark Lemke’s game began to slip, he was traded quickly and allowed to fade away elsewhere. Same with Jeff Blauser, Otis Nixon, and the list goes on. The mistake here was letting Dan’s salary dictate his importance. That was a front office mistake. And mistakes happen and are forgivable. To continue to let this simmer and boil over borders on arrogance on the part of the Braves front office. Arrogance is not so forgivable. It’s a sign of lack of objectivity, and that is simply not a quality that should be tolerated in a GM. I truly hope this is resolved soon. It should be settled before the next series begins. I fear it won’t.
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VOX, you remember what got Frank Wren shipped out of Baltimore. Same thing, but different….
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Slow day…
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No games til Friday…ugggh….not uggla…just ugh….
V, you are right, no one (talking) knows the true situation, but….I think all the struggles we have seen Dan go through…he has been a true professional. Even down to his demeanor compared to the Upton bros….they never , ever look happy, or like they are having any fun…
I agree, this has gone on too long, and he should be allowed to try to resurrect his career elsewhere. Who knows, David Ortiz looked like he would never hit another fastball again and he was older than Danny Boy…but, pinch hitting 8 times a month will not get him to figure it out…and we have a replacement…that’s whats so weird about the situation. I guess the homeboy upstairs or Wren thought he might hit 2 homers in a week and someone would take a chance on him, even paying a mil or 2 of his salary.
Silly….
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Former Brave Bob Uecker featured on MLB network:
http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/7417714/v34484585/mr-baseball-bob-uecker-on-thursday/?partnerId=ed-8445990-725349503
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Gattis to rehab at AAA
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140716&content_id=84936586&vkey=news_atl&c_id=atl&partnerId=ed-8445990-725349503
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Kimbrel, Freeman, Teheran – nice article/video
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/atl/with-promising-futures-braves-trio-reflects-on-journey?ymd=20140714&content_id=84687436&vkey=news_atl
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C ya Dan…
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The Pastor has returned.
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http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11232644/dan-uggla-released-atlanta-braves
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The Braves & Stuff blog spot, the Notra Damas of Braves baseball…..
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“We’ve been very active making calls for the last month,” general manager Frank Wren said. “We got to a point where we realized that this was probably our only avenue.”
80 really? Are you kidding me? they thought over the last month that someone would take on his contract??? Man…. SMH
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😯
grrr
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“He was professional, just like he always has been and always will be,” Gonzalez said. ……”It’s obviously a tough day for me,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “He was beloved by everybody in this clubhouse. He came in here every day and worked hard. He already told us he wants us to go on. It’s definitely going to take a while for me (to get over).”
Added right fielder Jason Heyward: “He always hustled, did not complain one time, wanted to be in the lineup. There’s not enough good things we can say about him.”
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Great guy… could no longer hit MLB pitching.
MLB is a business. It’s hard to say regarding something we feel passionately about, but it’s the case. And as a business, you mark off the dead money and try to maximize the assets.
Uggla had to go.
If hustle and attitude can keep you on a MLB roster, sign me up. I’ll even sign for the league minimum. And I won’t complain one bit about not playing. I’ll even help make sure nobody runs out of sunflower seeds. They’ll love me.
It’s been said a thousand times. The money is already spent. Can’t change it (Frank tried). So, at some point they had to come to the realization that they still needed to put together the best 25 players that they could, and that it did NOT include Uggla.
And if you feel the slightest bit sorry for him, I can give you 19 million reasons not to.
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I understand, V, I just hate that it happened to a genuinely good person. I also know that nothing to do with anything but there I am. Life just ain’t fair sometimes. How about “even rarely”??
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V, in spite of the money issue(last I heard, it can’t buy happiness, but, I’d like to find out for myself if I could at least buy some peace of mind; ) but, when you fail, and fail miserably, it can be quite depressing, whether you have money or not.
I can feel for the guy, to have been a rule 5 guy(No one expected him to amount to a hill of beans) have great success, then, lose every bit of his talent, and for seemingly no reason…that’s tough. To be washed up at 34…I truly hope he isn’t.
But I will never understand why the braves didn’t release him a month ago. Stupid pride on the part of Wren and company seems to be the only real reason….
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Good game last night, a little iffy there for a while but some nice “D” pulled Santana’s fat out of the fire.
Going to be tough seeing Bethancourt go back to Triple A. The kid sure can play his position well. Not a ton of power but he does not embarrass himself with the bat. I hope Evan can regain his touch quickly.
I am hoping Dan can find his stroke with another club.
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Gil, you are right, that throw he made last night was very impressive, ball rolls behind him, calmly turns around, maneuvers around the ump and easily got Rollins at 2nd….seems like he is ready.
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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wren is best comedian eva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peter GammonsVerified account @pgammo
Gm post-Uggla:”Braves desperate to get someone to take BJ Upton at almost any cost.”
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Peter Gammons talking about the players in the Futures game, including (very briefly) a braves player, Jose Peraza
http://www.gammonsdaily.com/peter-gammons-ten-observations-from-the-futures-game/
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Braves call up a young lefty from Double A, send down Avilan to “get fixed”…
Ouch, I know what that meant when we sent the puppies to the vet… Hope Luis isn’t neutered too…
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I know not everyone loves Stuart Scott, but a great speech….
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/07/158073-espn-broadcaster-gives-speech/
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I read yesterday that the Giants may have an interest in Dan. I really hope he makes a successful comeback from whatever has happened to him.
That was a terrific speech, Ber. Thanks for posting it!
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I said earlier I thought Dan would be heading west, just not sure where. I too wish him every bit of success and I truly hope he gets a chance to play and rediscover his stroke.
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Will work on a new lead, I think this one is done…
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Nice article:
http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/85323192/greg-maddux-tom-glavine-baseball-hall-of-fame-atlanta-braves?partnerId=ed-8458290-726363493#!biYAmo
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I would have bet money that Dan would not get a deal before September when rosters expand. Then again, I would not have expected him to take a AAA deal, either. He’s heading to Fresno.
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He has a point to prove and I hope he does it. A man with his pride on the line will move mountains if he can.
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Well, Gil (aka the Schwami!) was right about west coast team. the Video clip shows why the Giants need to take a chance on him.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11242848/dan-uggla-agrees-san-francisco-giants
I am sure Uggla knows his timing is non-existant and needs the reps.
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So, Carpenter was looking very good 2 games,(was shocked to see him in a close game Sat) and FG puts him in a mop up role Sun, and guess what? He didn’t do well..so there goes the confidence again. Not saying he should never be used in that kind of role, but usually FG is better with pitchers (Starters and relievers) once they have some success, getting them out early.
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Carp wasn’t really that bad. He did give up a couple of hard hit balls due to bad location. But he really bore down and looked sharp getting out of the inning. I considered it a success, to be honest. It was good to see him get out of the mess, even if it was of his own creation.
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Ber, I don’t think Carpenter pitched poorly, he did exact;y what you are supposed to do when you have a 7 run lead, throw strikes over the plate, challenge hitters. I don’t mind a guy giving up a dinger or two as much as seeing a guy get cute and start walking hitters. I have yet to see a team devise a defense against a walk.
I was a little surprised to see Dan go to the Giants, I was thinking Oakland but so be it. He will get a chance to play everyday in Fresno and prove one way or the other he can still hit. I expect it to take about a month.
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Low risk, high reward situation for the Giants. They don’t even have to pay major league minimum….
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He will get a chance to play everyday in Fresno and prove one way or the other he can still hit. I expect it to take about a month.
He better prove it quicker than that. He has an opt out clause in his deal that allows him to become a FA if he isn’t on the big club by August 1. I wish him the best of luck. He’s gonna need it. 11 days is not very long to prove much, especially when you’ve proven so little over the last 11 months.
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(Actually, much longer than 11 months, I was just trying to continue the “11” theme there…)
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NEW LEAD IS UP!! THANKS, GIL!!
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