Welcome back, Chipper and Mac
Lake Buena Dark Star, Fla. – After seeing the Braves drop two out of three over the weekend, figured I better get back to town before the coveted Grapefruit League title is frittered away like a Mets division title in September. Oy!
No, but seriously … spring training moves to another level this week as teams get back the rest of their World Baseball Classic players and we start to see lineups that look a lot like ones that we’ll be seeing when the season begins.
Before I forget, wanted to recommend the new movie, I Love You, Man, that I saw Monday when morning rain put a damper on my ride-to-Daytona motorcycle plans. If you like Wedding Crashers/40-Year-Old Virgin/Knocked Up, you’ll like this.
Duplicitous? OK, fine
We also saw Duplicity, with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, on Saturday back in Atlanta. Liked it a lot, but it has so many plot twists that you might find yourself distracted a few times wondering what just happened or what it meant. But anyway, Ms. Roberts is quite fetching and has great chemistry with Owen, while Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson are spectacular as ruthless, rival CEOs.
I’d give I Love You, Man a B-plus or A-minus, and Duplicity a solid B.
Where were we? Oh, yes: The Braves could get Chipper Jones back from his oblique strain for tonight’s game against the Pirates. We’re posting this blog early, and we’ll give you an update on Chipper this afternoon.
Garret Anderson could also make his Grapefruit League debut later this week. At that point, we should get a better idea of the batting order that Bobby Cox plans to run out on regular basis, or at least the middle of that order.
However, until we find out if Josh Anderson is going to get the center-field job, we’re obviously not going to know about the leadoff position. So with a dozen days until the season opener, still some important decisions to be made.
Loading ...I think we know where the majority of you stand on the CF job — most of you seem to be saying you want the center fielder, whoever that is, who makes the Braves better right now, regardless of any possible ancillary sort of ramifications, i.e. options, future arb eligibility, etc.
But I’ll ask once more: who do you think will be the the opening-day center fielder, and who do you think will be the opening-day leadoff man?
How ’bout the Nos. 3-5 hitters? That’s not an easy answer, is it? Do you think Jeff Francoeur has made that decision more difficult because of the good contact he’s made all spring, even if the power has been lacking most of the way?
And what about left field? Diaz has had a hell of a spring. But if G. Anderson is healthy, do you think spring results change anything in terms of how Cox intends to use them, be it a platoon or Anderson playing more an every-day role?
Decisions, decisions….
– With their grip on the prestigious Grapefruit League crown beginning to slip, the Braves get back their best two hitters (Chipper and Brian McCann) just in time to reboot this Grapefruit title run after Monday’s off day.
Despite the long trip back from the WBC semifinals in L.A. on Monday, I’m not going to be surprised if McCann is back in the Atlanta lineup tonight. That’s because Javier Vazquez, one of the new starters he’s had very little chance to work with, is starting tonight against the Pitt Pirate.
Kenshin Kawakami is scheduled to start Wednesday night against Washington over at Viera, after Kawakami missed his last start with “shoulder fatigue.” Dave Ross might catch Kawakami, if Cox is planning to use him as the pitcher’s personal catcher this season (no announcement has been made yet).
— Something was sent to me promoting the new Bill James Gold Mine 2009, a book that has smart, original essays, statistical profiles, and unique tidbits of information like these Braves items:
♦ Buddy Carlyle was a reliever in 2008 after primarily starting in 2007. He threw his cut fastball 19 percent of the time in 2008 (as opposed to 6 percent in 2007) while pretty much ditching the curve. The changes seemed to work: His groundball rate rose from 32 to 44 percent and his ERA dropped from 5.21 to 3.59.
♦ Chipper Jones hit twelve home runs to center field last year; only Ryan Howard hit more. It was also more than Jones hit to left and right fields combined.
♦ Braves rookie Charlie Morton didn’t put up impressive numbers (4-8 with a 6.15 ERA), but he also didn’t get any favors from the schedule. Twelve of his 15 starts came against teams that finished with a winning record, including five starts against teams that ultimately made the playoffs.
♦ When Kelly Johnson’s plate appearances lasted three pitches or less, he batted almost 200 points higher than when they were longer than three pitches.
♦ 58.2 percent of Yunel Escobar’s batted balls were groundballs. Only Derek Jeter had a higher percentage (58.3 percent).
That’s good stuff.
Speaking of Escobar (yes, my transitions are sharp, ready to go north), I had a bunch of quotes about Yunel Escobar that didn’t make it in the story I wrote about him last week, because of space limitations.
• 2B Kelly Johnson on Escobar’s defense: “I think the thing that stands out about him is just that, it seems like he is positioned in the right place all the time. He has to be, because he gets to a lot of balls I don’t expect him to. And it’s not like he just comes across as real quick kind of shortstop, an all fast-twitch [muscle] kind of player. So he must be thinking a lot more than some people might give him credit for, because it seems like he’s always at the right spot at the right time… He’s got that arm, if you can just stop the ball you can throw anybody out. He doesn’t try to do too much. He plays the position right.”
•1B Casey Kotchman on Escobar and that cannon arm: “He’s got obviously a plus-plus arm over there, and he can get rid of the ball quickly, too. He throws a ball at times that look like it might be short, but it carries. That’s obviously a big attribute to have over there at short, because he can get balls in the hole and guys are out…. Yunel, he just has to play, and the more he plays, the more he’ll be able to just show people how good he is and how good he can be.”
• GM Frank Wren on Escobar’s toning things down a bit: “I think he’s making a concentrated effort. It’s a whole cultural difference. If you watch the Cuban national team take infield, it’s like watching the Harlem Globetrotters warm up for a basketball game. They’re throwing balls behind the back — it’s entertainment. That’s probably the truest form of expression that you can have in that country, is to stand out playing baseball. I’ve always understood that, just from a standpoint of a number of Cuban players I’ve been associated with, really beginning with Livan [Hernandez]….
“There’s a period of adjustment. It doesn’t all happen the first year. Over the course of two or three years, they get more and more comfortable playing the game in a different style…. It’s just the way he grew up playing. I’ve never thought it was malicious or intended to offend anyone. It’s just the way they play in Cuba….
• Wren on what separates Escobar: “He has strength. That’s one of the things that’s a little different. You think of shortstops being guys who have to hit in the top or bottom of the lineup. He has strength to hit in different spots in the order.”
• Wren on Escobar’s reaction to offseason trade rumors: “I had discussions with his representative along the way during the process, and I think they were able to convey to him and make him understand you just can’t believe everything that’s going on.”
• Marlins special asst. Tony Perez on Escobar: “He’s a good all-around player. He’s a good fielder, got a good arm, good hitter… He’s got good bat control. He uses the whole field. I can see him hitting second or even third, if you don’t have that powerhouse [type of] lineup. He can hit anywhere.”
• Perez on Escobar being a Cuban position player in majors: “He knows about the guys coming out of Cuba — most of the guys who have success here [in the majors] are pitchers. Hitters, position players, you don’t have too many, like him and a few other guys. Some guys come up and play for a while and disappear. He knows he wants to play here, he wants to stay. It’s not easy being a position player coming out of Cuba and play here. Pitchers are different.”
• Perez on Escobar’s response to friend Brayan Pena being traded last summer: “Last year I was talking to both of them before a game. We were talking about Cuba. They were good friends. But I don’t think it’s going to be any trouble [for Escobar to get past the Pena trade]. He knows why he’s here. If you don’t do a job, you’re going back to the minors, or whatever. They know how it works here. You can be a good friend, but you’ve got a job to do. I think he understands that.
”You miss the guy you grew up with, but he can call him on the phone all the time and talk about it, see how they’re doing. I don’t think it’s going to bother him at all.”
• Bullpen coach Eddie Perez on Escobar’s talent: “He can do everything. He can run, he can do all that stuff, but he’s afraid to do stuff sometimes because he doesn’t know when it’s [OK] to do it. But he’s learning. He’s going to be one of our leaders in the next couple of years. He’s still learning, and hopefully one day he can be the leader here.”
• Hitting coach Terry Pendelton on Escobar’s ability: “Once he settles down, I think he’ll be a .300 hitter in this league. Very talented kid who loves to work, loves to play. He’s going to do whatever it takes to improve his game every day. As a hitting coach, I love it because there’s one thing he will not do — he will not stop working to get better… He understands the opportunity that he has, and he’s going to make the best of it every day. And that’s why he comes out here with a joy, and fired-up pride, and yelling and screaming, because he appreciates the opportunity.”
• Pendleton on Escobar’s future: “He’s going to be a better player. I don’t know if he can get any stronger, because he’s strong as an ox now. But he’s going to learn more as he goes along. He’s going to learn pitching as he goes along, learn how they approach him and what he needs to do to be effective. And defensively, he’s going to learn hitters and how to play them. So he’s going to get better as a ballplayer, because he wants to. He really works hard to do so.
“He is [good already]. He can play.
• Pendleton on Escobar’s drive to win: “That’s what he shows up for every day. He loves playing the game, and he loves to win. That’s what he shows up for every day, to win. So whatever it takes to win, he’ll do. He will do.”
•LF Matt Diaz on Escobar’s defense: “Oh, playing defense behind him gets me excited. I’m going to field a ground ball, to take a knee and flip it in, and all of a sudden he’s making a backhanded play and throwing a guy out at first. Playing defense behind him, it’s amazing to watch his range. I’ve never seen a shortstop with that much range.”
• Manager Bobby Cox on Escobar: “He plays hard. He does want to win. He goes hard all the time.”
Curse averted
Braves have day games Thursday and Friday at Dark Star, which means we’ll get to watch all the Sweet 16 games those nights in a proper environment. However, Mark Bowman’s Dayton and West Virginia teams have been eliminated, from what I hear.
If the Jayhawks get past Michigan State, the Braves play Sunday at Lakeland, which means KU’s Disney curse won’t be a factor. (For those unaware, when I watch KU play an NCAA tourney game while I’m on Disney property or within sight of said property, i.e. the Ale House or Buffalo Wild Wings locations next to Disney World, Bill Self and my Jayhawks are doomed through no fault of their own.
“SMELL OF COFFEE” by Greg Brown
Bouffant hairdo, ne’er-do-well
Warm the car up, perfume smell
Work is there when love is gone
Smell of coffee, crack of dawn
Pheasant clucking, ice cold dew
Backseat shotgun, frosty slough
Chevy coughing, let’s move on
Smell of coffee, crack of dawn
Hey there, Benny, is this your home?
Railroad cinders, styrofoam
Train a-comin’, where’s Lost John?
Smell of coffee, crack of dawn
Blue blue window, factory
Big bad boss man can’t find me
Boxes piled up, paycheck gone
Smell of coffee, crack of dawn
Woman works and man does too
Yellow paper, same old news
Forty years to cross the lawn
Smell of coffee, crack of dawn
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915 comments Add your comment
Random
March 24th, 2009
9:15 am
Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan has his own take on the Braves’ CF/LF:
This effect [playing in the WBC rather than competing for a roster spot] may be impacting one team’s roster decisions in a way that hurts both the team and the player. While Gregor Blanco was helping Venezuela into the WBC semifinals—a run that ended last night in a 10-2 loss to Korea—he was losing ground in the Braves’ outfield. Despite being the best of the three players involved, despite having the longest track record of success in Atlanta, and despite the team’s need for his exact skill set, Blanco is behind Josh Anderson for the center-field job, and behind silly signee Garret Anderson in left.
. . .
. . . it’s clear that Blanco is the best player—essentially the same hitter as Garret Anderson, and likely to be a better defender if allowed to play left field. When the Braves signed Anderson, I compared his production to that of Brandon Jones, the player whose at-bats he seemed most likely to inherit, and discovered that it was acceptable, if not a big step forward. It actually never occurred to me that Blanco’s job would be in danger after playing well a year ago. In fact, comparing the Andersons didn’t go particularly well for the veteran, as his edge with the bat over Josh would be more than wiped out by the difference in defense between the two alignments (Garret in left and Blanco in center, versus Blanco in left and Josh in center).
. . .
. . . When Blanco gets back to Braves camp this week, Bobby Cox needs to walk over and give him a big hug. Blanco may be a no-profile player who has been traipsing all over the hemisphere for a month, but he’s also the second-best outfielder on the team, and the Braves aren’t so deep that they can be cavalier about a .360 OBP from a player with some speed and the ability to save runs in left field.
Jordan Schafer’s not even on Sheehan’s radar.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
9:29 am
Peterbilt
Peterbilt
DAP
March 24th, 2009
9:30 am
random re: your post on the last blog…sheehan is obviously clueless.
tvsportscaster
March 24th, 2009
9:39 am
Random, Joe Sheehan is obviously on drugs. Saying, Gregor Blanco is a better player than Garret Anderson, is like me saying I’m better than Chipper Jones.
JCG
March 24th, 2009
9:39 am
Dave, did you get the chance to watch any of the Crossroads show on CMT last night. I am not a huge fan of Shooter but Jamey has the best country voice I have heard in a long time.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
9:40 am
Sheehan also called Escobar a “utility player” prior to last season, then upgraded him to “stretched physically at SS” as the season went on. Tends to color my opinion of the guy’s evaluation skills. Blanco is “the same hitter” as Garret Anderson? Only on planets not inhabited by humans. And that’s from a guy not a huge fan of Anderson’s.
Bubba, please.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
9:41 am
Saw Duplicity Sat. night as well. Entertaining movie with plot twists galore. I did however figure it out 10 minutes into the movie, but with all of the twists and turns I walked out thinking I was wrong. Regardless, it is a good watch. “Are you gaming me?”
I’m for Schafer starting in CF and trying to slip Josh through waivers or trading him. Schafer has shown me enough – see OB% above – to deserve the nod.
And as far as the lineup goes….I have no idea. Not a clue. And you can’t really get a read on what Bobby will do after the leadoff spot because Chipper and Mack and Garret have all been out. Does it really matter how you hit them if they all hit doubles?
Mitchie-san
March 24th, 2009
9:49 am
Good morning.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:50 am
Flip Murray had 30 (and five assists) for the Hawks last night? Flip Murray?
BamaBrave
March 24th, 2009
9:51 am
Sheehan’s take is interesting, but the prognosticators rarely address the need for depth. Garrett Anderson was a “silly signing?” We shall see. One pulled hamstring here and a tweaked knee there, and it won’t seem so silly. After last year’s destruction-by-injury, give me as much depth as possible.
GSU-Lee
March 24th, 2009
9:52 am
MOrning all and welcome back DOB
Hey I got your Jayhawks going down in my bracket, but that means they should win the way my picks have gone this year…
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:52 am
Of course, anything possible in the alternate universe we’ve apparently entered. Consider the bottom-screen crawl I just saw on the newschannel: “Kimono dragons kill Indonesian fisherman….”
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
9:55 am
Be careful what you wish for, I’m thinking. Even if Schafer breaks with the big club (I don’t think he should), can anyone see Bobby hitting him at leadoff to start the season? A rookie making the jump from AA, and 2/3 of a AA season, at that? Huh-uh. He hits 8, at least until later in the season. Heck, Bobby might do the same even if Josh makes the squad. JA’s OBP screams 8, not leadoff.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:58 am
JCG, I forgot about that CMT show I’d noted weeks ago, forgot it was only last night. Shooter Jennings and Jamey Johnson. Was it good? I’ll have to find out when it’s on again. Unfortunately, can’t set my DVR to find it, since I’m not home again until after we’re done here in Florida.
You’re right — Jamey’s got a voice that reminds me of some of the old-school country giants. I love his current CD, which someone on the blog pointed out was actually his second. So the other day I ordered his first one. Haven’t heard that yet.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
9:58 am
You are only guaranteed to hit leadoff once in a game. And Josh is only slightly less green than Schafer.
Random
March 24th, 2009
9:59 am
BamaBrave (9:51 am): “Sheehan’s take is interesting, but the prognosticators rarely address the need for depth. Garrett Anderson was a “silly signing?” We shall see. One pulled hamstring here and a tweaked knee there, and it won’t seem so silly. After last year’s destruction-by-injury, give me as much depth as possible.”
Well, yeah — but it looks like Garrett himself is the likeliest to suffer a pull or a tweak. Most insurance policies won’t cover self-inflicted wounds.
(Implication being that the Braves shot themselves in the foot by signing Garrett.)
(Still makes no sense, huh?)
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
9:59 am
DOB, if you have a Direct TV DVR you can set it to record online.
clay
March 24th, 2009
10:00 am
I am actually going to the games in Indy this weekend DOB. Being from Indiana I am a Indiana fan, but it might be a few years before they are good again. Kind of up in the air who to root for. Mich. St. being a big ten team but I really don’t dislike Kansas like I do other teams. Anyway don’t be jealous.
clay
March 24th, 2009
10:01 am
DOB-
If you have directv you do know you can set your dvr on the computer right?
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
10:02 am
Got to admit there more players with rings that are not HOF material than I thought. But when you mention Jack Morris, DOB, thats some good company dont you think? But as you noticed, there is not that many, specially pitchers. It is like the probability law, there will be some percent going to wrong way. Thing is that the teams that Schilling helped win the WS, would have not won it if Schilling was not around.
BTW, you forgot to mention that Shilling had an 11-2 postseason record with a 2.33 ERA. If that is not HOF material im not sure what is.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
10:06 am
You are only guaranteed to hit leadoff once in a game
True, but you are guaranteed to hit in front of the 2-3-4 hitters every AB, and you are guaranteed to get the most plate appearances in any game. That’s a lot more important than whether the hitter is starting an inning or not.
GSU-Lee
March 24th, 2009
10:07 am
DOB…the Hawks were playing the T-Wolves…I am pretty sure a 3-A High School PG could put those numbers up against the T-Wolves
Saltywoody
March 24th, 2009
10:10 am
Hadn’t ever listened to Jennings or Johnson at any great length before last night, though I’d heard of them previously.
Watched the entire episode. Dang good show. Anybody that’s got a cigarette lit in their hand while they’re singing is at least mildly bada$$.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
10:11 am
Good point nc. I still think Schafer speed and OB% will benefit more than Josh, who hasn’t had the best OB% over the years. I just think Schafer is more dynamic and I’m not as concerned about him being a rookie because Josh is still fairly inexperienced as well. It’s a gamble either way.
Wayne in Utah
March 24th, 2009
10:16 am
At what point are folks going to quit paying guys like Sheehan for their weak azzed reporting?
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
10:21 am
18 Wheels, you’re preaching to the choir on Schafer, LOL. I love the guy. I just think a month, or even two, at AAA would make him more likely to perform well hitting high in the order, when he does come up.
I’m not one of those concerned about the arb and FA ramifications of his starting the season in MLB or AAA; impossible to factor in all the variables that would decide if present wins are worth more or less than future wins. Or the kid could flame out, or sign a long-term contract, or whatever, that would render the discussion of the future moot.
Tracy
March 24th, 2009
10:21 am
DOB, have you heard anything about Glavine’s progress? Things still going good? Wonder when he may pitch next.
Wayne in Utah
March 24th, 2009
10:25 am
Just thinking out loud here, but is there anybody else out there that thinks Tommy Hanson’s first start might be around April 18th, what with Tommy G’s comeback uncertainty and KK’s “tired” shoulder??
Wayne in Utah
March 24th, 2009
10:25 am
Or maybe Ho-Ho?
rammerjammer
March 24th, 2009
10:27 am
My lineup:
2b – Kelly
ss – Yunel
3b – Chipper
C – Mac
lf – GA
rf – Frenchy
1b – Kotch
cf – Josh
Schafer is playing better than Josh and brings more to the position, but 39 ST ABs and half a season in AA is not enough evidence for me. The ghosts of James Jurries and Scott Thorman are a reminder not to put too much stock in ST stats.
Let Schafer start in Gwinnett.
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
10:28 am
ncscoots,
Chances are that a leadoff hitter will bat 320 times leading of an inning in a single year and 320 times not. If you include unofficial ABs of course
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
10:28 am
An e-mailer just asked me about correlation between spring records and regular season, etc, because he wanted to believe in this Braves team, liked what he saw, but had some reservations and didn’t want to get too carried away by spring results.
I answered him thusly:
“There’s really not much correlation at all between spring and reg-season records, though you can find plenty of examples where a terrible spring was a harbinger of a terrible season to come, or great spring preceded great season. Can also fine as many or more examples of quite the opposite.
If a great spring was followed by a great season, or terrible spring by a terrible season, usually it was just because those teams were particularly bad or good, or had a lot of injuries. This Braves team, it’s good. Not the best team in baseball, as their spring record might have suggested to some who place importance on spring records. But good.
I do believe this team can contend if the upgraded pitching (and Chipper) stay reasonably healthy.
I covered the 1997 Marlins team that just blitzed everyone all spring training. It was something to behold. Teams would shake their heads after playing them and say, ‘See ya in the World Series,’ becuse it was so obvious how loaded they were. Those Marlins won the World Series.
This team’s not like that. Not overwhelming, by any stretch. But it’s a good, balanced team, or can be if health holds up.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
10:29 am
The GA signing was silly imo. No one touched GA for 5 months. Have a hard time believing he wouldn’t of been available 3 weeks later. He’s a Brave and I understand the support, but if he was a FA right now how many people would be pushing for a GA signing today? Not many I bet. Re: CF, I think Schafer is clearly the best answer. Outside JA’s experience as a base stealing threat, Schafer leads overwhelming in all other categories and Schafer is showing he can steal bases too. As for leadoff, I don’t like JA or JS. I think Escobar is the answer. Have enough 3-6 hitters on this team. Schafer should hit 2 or 7. I lean towards 2 because I think he’ll see alot more fastballs here.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:31 am
Who is Sheehan, some peasant from somewhere ?
Great song Dobi One Knobi……. an awesome lyric
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
10:32 am
Clay, no directv for me. Cable. Got tons of trees around my house, no desire for aiming a dish and all that. Plus, I like cable. It’s enjoyable dealing with their customer-service people when something goes awry (OK, kidding there)
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:33 am
Bobbys’ belly – GA is a professional hitter like always… I will bet he has the highest BA and RBI of our OF in 2009
BA
March 24th, 2009
10:34 am
DOB, Flip Murray will make you shine! Just wait ’till the playoffs…
Dan_in_NC
March 24th, 2009
10:37 am
You guys can hate on Gregor Blanco all you want to but Mr. Sheehan hit the nail exactly on the head. Blanco by playing in the WBC has quite possibly worked his way out of a roster spot in Atlanta. And I know I am in the minority here but I think its a mistake that he’s being pushed to the side so easily.
Everyone says that Blanco only made the team last year because of a couple weeks of Spring Training…yet what about all the buzz about Josh Anderson going in to this year? Uh…it was created by 4 weeks of ball last September, what the difference?
Hillbilly
March 24th, 2009
10:37 am
Can’t believe I missed that Crossroads show. Jamey Johnson wrote “Give it Away” (a song that George Strait took to Number 1.) I’m not a George Strait fan, but I like that song, and there are some kick-@$$ live versions of it being performed by JJ on Youtube. I also recommend his performance of David Allan Coe’s The Ride (on Youtube.) I would link to it here, but I’m restricted at work.
He also wrote Honkytonk Badonkadonk for Trace Adkins, but hey, everybody has a bad day every once in a while.
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
10:38 am
18 Wheels–
Remember, “There’s no ‘K’ in ‘Mac’”…
fleming
March 24th, 2009
10:38 am
Only problem with calling Schafer better than Anderson right now is we are only seeing him in spring games. How many remember last year when Blanco tore up spring training to beat out Anderson and everyone was calling for his head a month later. Spring training games are only an indicator and if Bobby and Wren thinks Schafer needs more seasoning then that’s what is gonna happen regardless of our opinion. Personally I want to see Schafer stick but I don’t have all the info that Bobby and Wren have.
JCG
March 24th, 2009
10:39 am
It was a good show. Couple of good segments of them sitting at a bar talking about their music and how they meet. Jamey was invited to a party at Shooter’s house, Shooter did not know him at the time. Jamey started picking and singing and Shooter said everybody at party just gravitated to Jamey. They played a little of each others stuff and a couple of Waylon’s songs. Jamey is a big dude, said he was getting beard growing tips from one of the guys with the Oak Ridge Boys. Jamey said he was now at the point in his career to be able to play music the way he wanted to without producers trying to commercialize him or change his style.
fleming
March 24th, 2009
10:43 am
As far as spring games translating to season success- not only do they not translate but also early regular season games don’t always translate over an entire season. 162 games is a long time and how many 3 month wonders do you see every year who fold at the all-star break including last seasons Braves.
Hillbilly
March 24th, 2009
10:43 am
JCG,
If Jamey Johnson is big, I bet he looked huge standing beside Shooter. I’ve see Shooter in concert twice and he is tiny little dude. Kind of scrawny.
BravesFan InRockies
March 24th, 2009
10:43 am
Wayne in Utah, great point. Sheehan was clueless about Yunel last year, and anyone who thinks Blanco is anything like GA as a hitter just isn’t paying attention. At this stage in his career, GA could hit 15-20 HR, 25- 30 2B. Won’t draw a lot of walks or strike out very much. Not a difference-maker but far from terrible.
Blanco takes a ton of walks, strikes out a lot and has almost no extra-base power. A nice complementary player if you have excellent power surrounding him, but brings little to the table if you’re starved for power.
They’re completely different hitters.
DAP
March 24th, 2009
10:44 am
i think garrett will be an important veteran for us, even if he is in a platoon with diaz. (which i would like to see, since i think diaz deserves to least split time). garrett is a winner, and with the young team that we have, that experience will be valuable.
DAP
March 24th, 2009
10:52 am
flemingHow many remember last year when Blanco tore up spring training to beat out Anderson and everyone was calling for his head a month later.
you mean a month later, when he was hitting around .370 with a .929 OPS? no i dont remember calling for his head at any point last year. blanco was great at the beginning and consistently had a good OBP until september rolled around.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
10:59 am
DOB: Good blog and good quotes on Escobar. In answer to your questions:
Think Josh will be opening day starter and leadoff hitter, unless he’s traded. Don’t think he’ll start, but Bobby could decide to keep Blanco up in lieu of Glavine (but I really think Bobby will keep up an extra reliever).
If Josh is traded (hope not), the cf starter/leadoff will be Blanco. Think either way, Jordan starts at AAA.
3-4-5 hitters: Thinking that Brett Myers will pitch and barring injuries, I believe lineup will be Josh, Yunel, Chipper, Jeff, Brian, Garret, Casey, Kelly, Lowe.
PTBNL
March 24th, 2009
11:00 am
Bobby’s Belly, how many HRs has Schafer hit? How about Anderson?
If I remember correctly, it seems that someone leads that category both in ST and in ML play.
Do I think that is an indication of things to come? Nope. But you are putting so much emphasis on ST that my questions have to have relevance to your points. JS has not even done that well in the minors, nor even all that well this past winter, but because he has done some pretty good stuff for a few weeks of ST you seem to think he is a sure thing in ML. What either of these guys can do is an unknown. JS has not even faced many good ML pitchers. Right off the top of my head I remember him facing one (Oswalt) and he struck out twice against him.
All of that to say that the decision before the Braves is not as simple as looking at ST performance. It is not even as simple as some seem to think in terms of wins for the team if he is the better of the two right now. I am not saying that it will happen this way, but it is possible that he could go to AAA now and the Braves may lose a couple of games because of the difference between him and Anderson, but because of what he gains by being sent down (not only because of the extra experience — which actually may be invaluable — but also because it seems from this past year that adversity encourages him to improve) when he comes up later he may make more of a difference than those two games when he actually comes up. In other words, if he stays up after ST, he could help the team to win 4 games more over a season that JS would have helped the team win. But because of the fire of coming in later in the season and the experience gained, on the other hand, he could help the team win 5 or 6 games even though he did not start the season on the ML team.
Again, there is no way for me to know that this will happen. The point is that the decision is not as simple as “who is the best now”.
As others have said, essentially I am aware that I have not seen either of these guys develop like the Braves staff have. I have seen the Braves make decisions through the years. It is true that some times it seems that they botch the decisions, but overall they have done very well and have made better decisions than I could have made with my much more limited view of the circumstances. Thus, it seems unwise for those of us who have such a limited view of the large scope of things to make absolute statements about what the decision should be…. either way.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
11:00 am
Yup, Sheehan was the one who called Escobar a utility man. GA was a good signing, and a lot more reliable than any of our secondary option.
And yes, it’s clear Sheehan isn’t even aware of Schafer’s likely role.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
11:05 am
DOB: My pre-game scouting report for you. Pirate MLB.com reporter bio:
About Jen Langosch
The 2009 season will be my third covering the Bucs for MLB.com and my fourth season with the company altogether. After growing up in Marietta, Ga., during the Braves’ epic string of division titles, I left for the University of Missouri to pursue a career as a sports writer. There I graduated with degrees in news-editorial journalism and French, though that French degree is still looking for some use. I’m an avid tennis player, having played since I was seven, and still try to get on the court as often as baseball season will allow. I plan on traveling to seven continents (yes, all seven) during my lifetime, and I am a junky for adventurous sports. Oh, and I’ll talk college football or college basketball with you any hour of the day, though I still have a deep dislike for anything to do with a jayhawk.
Sounds like a challenge you might be up for.
fleming
March 24th, 2009
11:06 am
DAP- This may be hard to read but here it is
Split PA AB ISOP HR BB% K% BABIP GB% LD% AVG OBP SLG wOBA
April 44 35 .058 0 20.5% 20.5% .500 61% 26% .371 .500 .429 .412
May 94 77 .091 1 14.9% 19.1% .293 48% 15% .234 .351 .325 .305
June 109 98 .051 0 8.3% 20.2% .342 52% 21% .265 .330 .316 .296
July 122 104 .048 0 12.3% 17.2% .325 61% 18% .260 .361 .308 .314
August 110 82 .049 0 20.9% 20.0% .283 53% 19% .207 .373 .256 .309
September 39 33 .061 0 10.3% 17.9% .269 42% 25% .212 .308 .273 .272
fleming
March 24th, 2009
11:08 am
The stats were for Gregor Blanco
Braveshoo
March 24th, 2009
11:13 am
I like our chances this year. Starting pitching is not the best in the league at the top, but is more solid than most 1-5, and has lots of depth in case of injury. I THINK relief pitching will be excellent, if the left handers hold up. I would feel more comfortable with Ohman. I think we will score runs. Less strikeouts and more basehits top to bottom puts a lot of pressure on an opposing pitching staff. We have less power, but I like ABC baseball. The key will be hitting with runners in scoring position. I am a little concerned with defense in CF. I think Schaffer is the best from the games I have seen, but he will start at AAA and be brought up before the Allstar break. I like our bench, and I think Cox will use it this year. Cox has been playing Prado and Norton and
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
11:13 am
PTMNL, what are you talking about? Schafer has done very well in the minors, apart from the first games back from his suspension. If you don’t see those numbers and think, this could could be something else, then you are reading the numbers wrong. In 2007 and 2008 he put up very impressive numbers (2008, despite the slump). In 2007 he had a .374 OBP, hit .312, and put up 15 homeruns, as a 20 year old. Last year, despite the slump and in a shortened season, he put up a .378 OBP /.849 OPS despite only hitting .269. He also put up 10 homers in only 84 games.
And none of this even makes mention of his absolute scorching of the AFL last year. So yeah, his numbers in the minors have been just fine.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
11:13 am
PTBNL – When I’m told a competition is “wide open” I jump to a conclusion the decision is as simple as “who is the best now”. Silly me.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
11:14 am
Bobby’s Belly: She (Jen) was an mlb.com intern with Braves a couple of years ago. Nice person, and both a solid reporter and writer. Good enough to overcome the impediment of Mizzou “higher learning.”
Bryan (from Kansas)
March 24th, 2009
11:15 am
on MLB Audio it shows the feed it is using for tonites game is WPGB. Is that a new audio feed for the Braves?
Random
March 24th, 2009
11:20 am
Bryan (from Kansas) (11:15 am): “on MLB Audio it shows the feed it is using for tonites game is WPGB. Is that a new audio feed for the Braves?”
Wouldn’t you figure that’d be a Pirates station?
Cru Jones
March 24th, 2009
11:21 am
Fleming
To back you up on this; I believe Blanco’s good numbers were achieved before he moved to the lead off spot.
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
11:24 am
Hey DOB, does AJC put up for your rental house? I would imagine that the answer would be yes, but because of the economy I have wondered.
And on the subject of ST results correlating or not with the regular season, I seem to remember that during the string of titles we pocketed during the 90’s, we always had a below .500 winning average during ST. Anyone back that up or refute it? Just wondering.
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 24th, 2009
11:24 am
Joe Sheehan needs a new set of duracell’s, not to mention a few brain cells.
I’ll never forget his description of Escobar as a utility player. The man has missed his calling…and that would be the comedy circuit.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
11:25 am
We’ll give you a pass on sporadic play by play tonight.
Knuckle Sandwich
March 24th, 2009
11:25 am
Hey DOB, Did you have a chance to catch the Jamey Johnson show at Wild Bill’s while you were back home this weekend? That dude is bringing back Outlaw Country.
DAP
March 24th, 2009
11:28 am
fleming
yes, it was hard to read so i didnt. im assuming they were blanco’s month by months totals, which i have seen. im not sure of your point.
my point is, i dont think folks here were calling for blanco’s head at any point in the season, especially not during the first month when he put up GREAT numbers.
later in the season, when blanco wasnt as hot, most people realized that with the injuries to diaz, kotsay, and jeff frouncouer absolutely sucking, blanco would have to do. and, he was still grinding out at bats and getting on base at a reasonable, sometimes very good rate.
PTBNL
March 24th, 2009
11:29 am
Epi, the numbers are fine, I did not mean that he had done poorly, but to me, he did not scorch the league last year, nor in Winter ball. But that is not even important to what I was saying.
BB, “wide open” to you and wide open to the Braves may mean totally different things. I don’t know why you latch on to that so strongly. To me, it only means that CF is not a “done deal”. What it certainly does not mean is “whatever Bobby’s Belly thinks wide open means is what we mean”. He used those words in an interview, they are not contractual terms. If anything, the way they have played both of them has shown that they have been true to their word. It is not a done deal.
Yes, it is obvious that you “jumped”.
Steve from OH
March 24th, 2009
11:30 am
I’ve had a lot of respect for Sheehan’s opinions in the past, but he dropped the ball on that one. I wouldn’t let a bad article or two tarnish his rep; I think he’s a very good baseball writer.
fleming
March 24th, 2009
11:30 am
Cru Jones – There also might be a link between Blanco’s falling off and Dias going on DL and Blanco playing more. What some people don’t realize and what I been trying to say when talking about Schafer is that spring training numbers for rookies don’t always translate into full season numbers because teams begin to get a book on players the more exposed they become. No one knows what a rookies strengths and weakness are at the start but they find out soon. Thats one reason Frenchie was very good in 2006 before anyone found out he would swing at arm movement.
Eric B
March 24th, 2009
11:34 am
I think with the recent struggles of our young lefties in the pen we should sign Ohman. We can ill afford to have a pen collapse again this season, regardless of the strengthening of our rotation, we need a proven leftie out of the pen imo. I also would like to see us make a move for a 3rd base prospect in exchange for some of our pitching that will be sent down to Gwinette i.e. Reyes, Morton, etc. or one of our rightie long relievers. While we could always take a wait and see approach, I think it would benefit us to pe pro-active rather than re-active at both of those positions of need.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
11:34 am
Actually, it was two months before there were calls for the head of Gregor Blanco, but close enough, LOL.
When he made the club last spring, it was my opinion that ML pitchers would knock the bat out of his hands. But, he fooled me with that first six weeks, and I stated in this forum that I had changed my mind. Oops. Pitchers started adjusting around the middle of May, and Gregor had trouble adjusting back. Yes, he was still able to get on base at a reasonable clip, but, his bat was just gone: a .250, no-lumber, defensive OF.
I’d worry that pitchers missing the strike zone is not exactly a repeatable skill, LOL. But, hey, maybe a year of experience and a good WBC helps his skill set enough to improve on last year. Who knows?
TheBigDawg
March 24th, 2009
11:35 am
DOB – Who do you see getting the majority of Chipper’s playing time when he goes down with his usual ailments – Prado or Infante?
bulldogbubba
March 24th, 2009
11:36 am
Bryan, the radio station is the Pittsburgh affiliate.
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
11:37 am
Opening-day leadoff man AND centerfielder: Josh Anderson. I think the Braves are gonna play it safe and conservatively on this one — if they go with Anderson and he stinks, they can bring up or Schaefer (or stall for him until he’s ready for MLB), but if they cut Anderson and go with Schaefer, and Schaefer stinks, then they’re in a bad situation.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
11:37 am
Eltrompo: Seriously, think about that question.
Why would I spend $5,000 of my own money, or whatever the exact amount is that we’re spending on the house, in order to do my job? I understand why you’re asking — the economy is so bad, papers aren’t doing well, etc — but if anything the paper would surely choose to not cover something, or hire free-lancers, rather than expect, or even allow, an employee spend thousands of his/her own dollars to do his/her job.
We’ve had to prioritize coverage, cut back in a lot of areas. But the Braves, like Georgia football, are a priority because of the great level of interest among our readership.
oldschool
March 24th, 2009
11:38 am
I think we need to rope morton,uh-oh jojo and anderson up in a package deal and get some serious pop like ankiel
kdbanks
March 24th, 2009
11:39 am
DOB -
Can you clarify Eddie’s comment on Escobar where he said “…he’s afraid to do stuff sometimes because he doesn’t know when it’s [OK] to do it.”? Is he talking about stealing bases, and Yunel’s not sure when he’s allowed to take off? Just wondering what is meant by the comment, if you happen to know.
Thanks.
Random
March 24th, 2009
11:39 am
DAP (9:30 am): “re: your posxt on the last blog…sheehan is obviously clueless.”
x
Here’s his response to a commenter who brought Schafer to his belated attention:
metty5: “Don’t you have to mention Joxrdan Schafer in an article like this?”
Joe Sheehan: “Maybe. I really tend to avoid using spring stats, and the impression I’ve gotten is that he’s going to Triple-A to start the season, which is why I didn’t include him here.
“Adding him to this mix makes the presence of Garret Anderson that much more ridiculous.
“Re: Blanco’s lack of power. I’ve beat up Jacoby Ellsbury for a similar flaw. Blanco does have a much higher walk rate, but the general point is a good one. If you don’t have some minimum of power, it’s hard to see enough pitches ouxtside the strike zone to draw walks.”
I do think he may be on the money in regard to Garrett Anderson, but that is probaxbly just hindsight based on how well the OF candidates have performed in ST/WBC (and GA’s gimpiness).x
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
11:40 am
Steve-OH, was it Sheehan, or someone else, that spoke of a Blanco/J Anderson OF as best for the Braves because of defensive runs, etc.?
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
11:41 am
Kenny Powers feels that Schaefer should be the starting CF. If the job was really “open” prior to camp then Kenny thinks Schaefer is close to closing said door.
oldschool
March 24th, 2009
11:42 am
I think your right K.P
BG FSU
March 24th, 2009
11:42 am
CharlieAlphaBravo (from last blog): Yeah, I recognized you from the Facebook group. It would have been way cooler, though, if I could know who your mom was from your blog handle. You went to DHS too, right? I don’t think we’ve ever crossed paths, however.
3trees
March 24th, 2009
11:44 am
Yeah, it WAS the T-wolves and Flip never met a shot he didn’t like (or take), but he’s been a real help for the Hawks this season.
And someone mentioned bad azzed, well, those Komodo Dragons qualify big-time. Mouth full of more infectious germs than, well anything except maybe a human! And they run pretty fast. Maybe one of them for centerfield?
Go Braves!
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
11:46 am
I’m glad Sheehan likes Blanco, who is really the forgotten man on the team, but to say he is the SAME hitter as Garrett is just plain silly. They’re not even similar. From his WBC performance, it seems Gregor is turning into a more valuable hitter, but he will never have GA’s power.
I’m just happy he has options left, because it would be criminal to lose him just as he’s becoming a true major league hitter.
chris from md
March 24th, 2009
11:46 am
DOB,
Buster Olney had an interesting stat last year which said teams that finished 10 games or more over .500 in Spring Training almost always win their division. He wrote that in light of the Rays successful ST last year. I don’t know the exact stat but it is food for thought.
Chris from MD
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
11:48 am
Hey I thought it might be stupid to ask, but I know how bad the papers are doing! I didn’t expect you personally to be responsible but was curious the administrative side of things!
rammerjammer
March 24th, 2009
11:52 am
Whether it’s Josh or Gregor, they’re just keeping the seat warm for Schafer. Josh is fast…that’s all. Gregor gets on base…that’s all. Schafer has more tools and is on track to be in the bigs in a year, maybe less.
If it’s Gregor instead of Josh, I won’t quarrel. Both are fine, short-term solutions. Both should bat eighth because their weaknesses are less damaging down there.
taylor s
March 24th, 2009
11:53 am
Does any one know if we will be able to watch the G Braves on tv in Atlanta ? It would be great to be able to watch Hanson, Morton, Reyes every week.
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
11:55 am
I know a lot of fans want to see Schafer sooner than later but I wouldn’t mind a bit of training down in the minors for another half to full year. I’d hate to see him crash and burn in the middle of a big-league season and get his confidence rocked.
Shamus Thacker
March 24th, 2009
11:57 am
Speaking of curses, don’t let the Chief or that damn teepee ANYWHERE AROUND Turner Field!
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
11:57 am
PTBNL – You’re giving me the Bill Clinton it depends on what the definition of is is argument. Everyone here understands what wide open means. Should Cox have said that? No way. It was stupid. If the plan was to send Schafer to Gwinnett all along it makes it tough to explain on decision day if Schafer and Anderson’s #’s play out. Either one may make the decision easier over the next 10 days. I’m really not to worried about replacing a 6 yr minor leaguer. Fast guys who can’t get on base are on the waiver wire daily.
Braveshoo
March 24th, 2009
12:00 pm
I like our chances this year. Our starting piching may not be the best in the league at the top, but 1-5 it is as good as anyone, and we have excellent depth if we have injury. Our bullpen will be excellent, if our LHs hold up. I would feel more confident with Ohman. We will score runs. We have less power, but top to bottom more consistent hitting. Less strikeouts puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitching staffs, and I like ABC baseball. The key as always will be hitting with runners in scoring position. I like our bench, and with this team I believe Cox will use it more. Prado, Infante, and Norton have all been playing multible positions in the spring. We do have some tough choices. I hope we can keep Brandon Jones at AAA if he doesnt make the team. My lineup against RHs would be: Anderson-CF, K.Johnson-2b, Chipper-3b, G.Anderson-LF, McCann-C, Kotchman-1B, Frency-RF, SS, Pitcher. Against LHs, SS,Prado-1b,Chipper, Diaz, Frenchy, McCann, Infante-2b, Anderson, Pitcher. Starters: Lowe, Vasquez, JJ, Kwalkami, Glavine. Relievers:Gonzo-closer, Soriano-8th, Crazy Aussie-7th, Boyer, 2 LHs, tough choice for long relief. I would keep whoever is out of options, and sockpile the others at AAA. I like the lineup. 6 LH bats against RHs, and 6 RH bats against LHs. Norton is SH coming off the bench. Team gets even stronger in June-July when Schaffer and Hanson are called up. Extra bonus if Hudson can make it back for the SEPT push. Next year our team is even stronger. Starting rotation is as good as anyone in baseball: Hudson, Lowe, JJ, Hanson, Vasques/Kwalkami.One of these last two will traded to free up salary to resign Hudson, and we will get a top notch 3B prospect to eventually take Chippers place+ another pitching prospect. Schaffer will be in CF, and Heyward in LF. We are definitely on the right tract. GO BRAVOS!
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
12:04 pm
Taylor s, that’s an interesting question about the Gwinnett Braves and whether they’ll play much on TV. Seems to me it could be a relatively solid ratings-maker if, say, Hanson is pitching and the game’s on Comcast’s regional sports channel or somewhere else. I don’t know. Hopefully someone reading this who works there will let me know here or in an e-mail whether such plans are being considered, etc.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
12:04 pm
Personally I think our starting pitching will be the best in the league.
KC
March 24th, 2009
12:05 pm
chris from md, That is interesting. Can you paste or link to the Buster piece that contains that stat?
Kentavo
March 24th, 2009
12:07 pm
I say platoon G. Anderson and Diaz – gotta give ol’ Matty a fair shake, and he’s shown he can thrive in such a role.
As for tuneage, sitting here listening to something that I wanted to pass along. I wouldn’t suspect DOB of being a fan of the pomposity of the Moody Blues, but I’ve got a disc of bluegrass artists covering Moody Blues songs, called “Moody Bluegrass” that is stellar – the songs stripped down to melody, guitar, mandolin, and occasional banjo. It’s not hokey like the Pickin’ on series.
Eric from MO
March 24th, 2009
12:07 pm
Bobbys Belly thats why i said all off season to not sign a LF and wait and see what we have in ST. Hell, Nady and Swisher are still available. Even if Anderson would of been signed.
Oregon_Braves
March 24th, 2009
12:11 pm
David – In response to your headline about the poor dead fisherman being killed by “kimono dragons”…
Was this a komodo dragon or an actual dragon wearing a kimono?
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
12:11 pm
New MF DOOM cd out today . . . for those who like underground hip-hop . . . same dude who did DangerDoom a few years ago. CD features Ghostface and Raekwon . . .impressive
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
March 24th, 2009
12:17 pm
In other news….
My pet komodo dragon is on the loose…. got free the other day. He answers to spike if anyone finds him…….
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
12:19 pm
Eric from MO, it’s easy to see that your offseason opinion on LF might have been missed here. Six gazillion guys were frothing at the mouth for a big bat in LF, and you were the only guy to think that there was no urgency to upgrading a pretty bad 2008 OF.
As it turns out, you may have been right. Awfully tough to take the same position on the precipice if you’re Frank Wren, though.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
12:21 pm
“Skirt-wearing lizards is no way to go through life, son.”
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
12:22 pm
Eric – I’ve been preaching the same thing. FW got nervous / shell shocked re: the past 3 months. Plain and simple.
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
12:23 pm
Daybed: Good point
Not to mention . . . if Anderson really stinks it up . . . we will have a better shot moving him through waivers in May than March.
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
12:26 pm
Of course . . . if he stinks it up for a month at this point in his career . . . PEACE!
I mean . . . what’s the worst that could happen (enter Mark DeRosa)
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
12:30 pm
DOB, did you know it’s universally true that your batting average and slugging percentage go down during longer at-bats but your on-base percentage goes up? Bill James did a lengthy study on it that I’ll find later. Also, I think Escobar’s LD% was much higher in 2007 when he was more productive. All signs point to him having a lower gb% and higher LD% in 2009, which will help. Ground Balls only fall for hits about 10% of the time. This also contributed to Escobar leading the team into GIDP.
Cru Jones
March 24th, 2009
12:31 pm
If we wait until Anderson “stinks it up” he loses trade value.
THWG
March 24th, 2009
12:38 pm
Also, PWH, longer at-bats are of course more of a strain on the pitcher. If you’re going to get out, might as well make him work for it and foul off a handful of pitches.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
12:38 pm
Whoever does the play by play on sports south beside Dominique Wilkins has a huge man crush on Flip Murray.
Dadgum
March 24th, 2009
12:41 pm
Wayne In Utah…..as I have eluded to so many times it has made me the Glavine-hater of the blog. Yes I can see Hanson starting. In fact I can see any number of people starting ahead of Glavine. Other positions like LF and CF are the same. The best player PERIOD should be starting like DOB said – regardless of arb issues etc.
If they put the teepee in LF at Turner I am afraid New Cars may take up residence. There wouldn’t be a pigeon or dog in sight. Ya’ll thnk about that the rest of the day.
Rock on……
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
12:44 pm
I wasn’t debating the merits of short and long at-bats. I think it’s important to have long at-bats when you’re dealing with the starting pitcher but it doesn’t really matter against relievers. The reason avg and slg is higher during short at-bats is because during short at-bats the ball is always put in play. You can’t walk or strike out on a short at-bat. During longer at-bats, the ball is put in play less frequently, but the probability of drawing a walk increases such that the on-base percentage of those at-bats increases. You want your guys having both types of at-bats. If you see a good pitch early in the count, hit it. If not, wait on your pitch. That’s what Chipper does and that seems to work out alright.
chris from md
March 24th, 2009
12:45 pm
KC,
It was an article or blog of his last year. I’ll see if I can track it down.
Chris from MD
PTBNL
March 24th, 2009
12:45 pm
BB, no, that is not what I am doing. You even admitted that you “jumped”. I did not jump. He did not say “whoever does the best this ST will win the job”. He said it is wide open. They are not going to base the “winner” solely on ST. He never said that. Nor is it implied by what he said. Even in considering ST, they are not just looking at performance. All along, for Schafer, they have had developmental goals (just as with any minor league prospect. They will not only consider how well he has done in terms of stats, but how far along he has come in his development. That would be included in “wide open”, but it would not be included in “whatever the fans see as being better, we will go with that” as you have interpreted his words to mean. It is not a matter of playing with words. It is a matter of their perspective as to what is best for both the players involved and for the team as a whole which is much bigger than which one has the best stats this ST. Anyone who has been aware of the going ons of the past knows that when they say a position is wide open they do not mean that whoever does the best statistically will win the job. That has not been how they have done it. Other things are involved in the decision. All “wide open” means is that the decision has not yet been made. It includes what is seen in ST (statistically and otherwise) as well as things that you and I are not privy to know. If everything was as simple as some people make it out to be anyone could be a GM. The whole point of my original post is… it isn’t that simple… and we don’t have all the information needed to make dogmatic statements about such decisions.
EscoFan
March 24th, 2009
12:49 pm
DOB – Thanks for the extra bits on Escobar. I think there is not enough coverage on him, but that is probably helped by his own doing (language issues) and preference to focus on the game. Which brings me to my question…How is he coming with the language issues? Do you notice any improvement? Is he trying or still shielding himself with the other Spanish speaking guys to translate for him? I remember reading a comment a year or so ago that he was watching MTV and movies to help with English. Not what I would recommend, but such a 20-something guy answer.
THWG
March 24th, 2009
12:49 pm
PWH- Teach that to Frenchy. He could learn a few things about actually getting on base via longer at-bats. Hopefully this new stance will work out for him.
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
12:52 pm
is there an illusion of trade value for Josh Anderson? If he aint making it at this age, on this team (needs speed and an outfield), who would want him?
Christian
March 24th, 2009
12:57 pm
If I were Wren/Cox here’s what I would do:
1. CF – Schafer
2. SS – Escobar
3. 3B – Jones
4. C – McCann
5. RF – Francoeur
6. 2B – Johnson
7. 1B – Kotchman
8. LF – (Platoon of G. Anderson and Diaz)
I believe either Blanco or Josh Anderson should be traded for minor league depth, along with Campillo. (Jo Jo can be called up for spot starts.) Blanco has a better OBP and defense, Anderson has better speed and AVG. I really think B. Jones has deserved a spot on the team, but I don’t know if Cox can keep 3 reserve OF’s on the team. If the Braves want to contend in the playoffs, I honestly believe they will need to call up Hanson before then and use his power arm.
THWG
March 24th, 2009
12:59 pm
Bryan- I think the real illusion is that the Braves need speed from their outfield. Truth is, their middle infielders should have that much covered. The real need from the outfield is a big bat, and if they can’t get it from Anderson, most people believe he shouldn’t play much. While Frenchy’s average during ST is promising, his slg% isn’t too promising, as we need some power to come from somewhere.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
1:00 pm
PTBNL – I did not jump. I was mocking you. And for you to not be able to figure it fails to make it fun for me.
Notewise
March 24th, 2009
1:00 pm
DOB…would love to get an update on the Braves plans for Gregor Blanco. Has he also returned from the WBC? He had some FABULOUS games in that tourney against some of the world’s best. Any chance he gets into the outfield reserve mix after those performances??
Jim
March 24th, 2009
1:01 pm
Josh Anderson doesn’t have a lot of trade value. We got him for O. Villareal. He will only bring an equivalent player — no big prospect. (Think the troubled 3B whom I’m blocking on for Ridgeway last year.)
The Pirates and Giants have a 3B prospect some on the blog would like to have, but why would a non-contender this year trade a prospect for bullpen depth? Most of the 3B prospects mentioned on the previous blog are more highly rated prospects by Baseball America and others than Jordan Schafer. Would any of you suggest we trade Schaefer for some package of our surplus if we were the other party in such a trade? I hope not, and we, unlike the Pirates and Giants and possibly the Astros and Brewers are more likely to be contenders for the post-season.
bill_in_atl
March 24th, 2009
1:02 pm
DOB, I realize the 97 Marlins DID in fact win the World Series, but if they were so obviously loaded and destined for a world title then how did they lose their own division by 9 games?
You made it sound like they ran away from all of baseball that year, which does happen from time to time but wasn’t the case in 1997.
Perhaps I’m being nitpicky?
Cameron
March 24th, 2009
1:03 pm
Spring records don’t correlate to regular season success or failure. What they do tell you is how deep your team and organization are? Why is our record so good? Pitching depth within the team and throughout the non-roster invitees. Our bench is one of the best in baseball, so when our starters aren’t in the game we are still getting solid contributions. Our bullpen depth is really good as well. So deep that we will probably make a trade with guys we don’t have room for.
TnBrian
March 24th, 2009
1:11 pm
The reason for short at bats to long at bats versus the walk/k ratio is perpindicular to the percent of slg./obp. equals the higher win totals to less run production which would in turn result in less wins… Oh, sorry PHWjort, was that going to be your next post? MY BAD, didn’t mean to steal your thunder.
P-Town Brave
March 24th, 2009
1:16 pm
Christian hit the nail right on the head w/ his lineup and trade ideas…just perfect…
Oh, and DOB, I am an alum of the team that defeated KU in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, therefore I just feel like I need to remind you of that first round 4 v 13 game
Marcellus Sommerville should ring a bell because the Jayhawks couldn’t stop him all night…
Also, if you get a chance, watch SC’s top plays today…we won a game last night w/ a 80-footer banked in at the buzzer…was at the game and was the most incredible thing I’ve seen in a game since our backup PG banked in the shot at the halftime buzzer against KU.
Lastly, I will say again, Schafer should be our CF now…otherwise I will never again listen to Bobby Cox when he says that a position is “up for grabs”…its a joke if Schafer doesn’t win the job because he already has won it given his numbers! GO BRAVES!
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
1:18 pm
Talking to one of the Japanese reporters here just now, and he said that despite a lot of denials, Yu Darvish, the 22-year-old phenom, is expected by many over there to come to the U.S. majors next year, mainly because his team (Nippon) knows it can get a huge posting fee if they let him go now.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
1:21 pm
P-Town Brave, thanks for the reminder (smile).
For what it’s worth, I think most KU fans probably wouldn’t mind enduring something like what happened in 2006 (first-round tourney exit) again if it meant there was something around the corner similar to what happened in 2008.
Seymour1948
March 24th, 2009
1:21 pm
Yu Darvish in a Braves uniform. What a great sight that would be.
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
1:26 pm
“Yu Darvish in a Braves uniform. What a great sight that would be.”
Don’t know how likely that is (huge cash involved), but it points out one good aspect of the WBC. 4 months ago I read the name “Yu Darvish” and had no idea about him, except for some sketchy scouting reports, usually poorly translated from Japanese. Just like we got regarding Kawakami, for the most part.
I think it’s pretty cool to see the best players from around the world – and increasingly, those guys are gonna be potential MLB players.
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
1:29 pm
THWG:
The problem is . . . our 2b and SS are above average hitters for their position but not the speed/SB threat you would normally find at 2b and SS.
Also, we are talking about the CF position – not a corner outfield spot where the power, on most teams, should reside.
What i think we need: An Otis Nixon type in center with a Ron Gant type in left.
Those were the days . . .
Random
March 24th, 2009
1:30 pm
Bobby’s Belly (11:57 am): “Everyone here understands what wide open means. Should Cox have said that? No way. It was stupid.”
Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t'a said it at all if he’d'a known how upset it was gonna make you.
No doubt he regrets it now. As do we all.
Brandon
March 24th, 2009
1:32 pm
all ive got to say is…GO DUKE!!
getnathan
March 24th, 2009
1:32 pm
Braves need to stop relying on the three run homer and be a team that steals bases, hits a lot of doubles. Homers can be rally killers sometimes.
I expect the pitching to be strong 1-12.
getnathan
March 24th, 2009
1:32 pm
NCAA’s — go UCONN!!!
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
1:42 pm
What i think we need: An Otis Nixon type in center with a Ron Gant type in left.
I think I’d rather settle for an Andruw Jones type in center and anybody with a pulse in left, LOL.
Seriously, having AJ’s lumber in CF all those years gave the Braves a lot of flexibility in their other OF slots, because they didn’t have to be concerned with getting corner offense from both corner OFs. They didn’t have to be satisfied with a defensively inferior player, just to have a bat in the lineup. I think people forget that sometimes.
Shamus Thacker
March 24th, 2009
1:43 pm
getnathan, it takes speed to steal bases, can’t just decide to start stealing bases with what you got, if what you got ain’t speed. If our current braves “decided” to become the 84′ Cardinals, we’d be wallerin in a mud-bath of caught-stealing sorrow…
What we got, and what we do’n, is just fine as is…
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
1:44 pm
“Braves need to stop relying on the three run homer and be a team that steals bases, hits a lot of doubles. Homers can be rally killers sometimes.” – getnathan
Braves finished 14th (of 16) in the NL in home runs in ‘08, and yet were 6th in runs scored. I just don’t get “quit waiting for the 3-run homer” cliche’.
Braves generally have guys who get on base pretty well, hit to the gaps, are good baserunners (which is not the same as good base-stealers).
They simply are not gonna be near the top of the league in stolen bases unless they completely revamp the roster. You can’t ask McCann, Chipper, Kotchman, GAnderson, Francouer, Diaz or even Escobar to steal a lot of bases. KJ is a pretty good base-stealer long as he picks his spots; our CF this year should be pretty good (whether Josh or Jordan), but beyond that, asking the Braves to steal bases is like asking the Nationals to pitch better. Ain’t got the personnel.
And the HR as rally-stopper… well, I’ll take a HR with a man on 2nd, over a double to the gap, every day and twice on Sunday.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
Homers can be rally killers sometimes.
Huh?
DAP
March 24th, 2009
1:46 pm
bryanis there an illusion of trade value for Josh Anderson? If he aint making it at this age, on this team (needs speed and an outfield), who would want him?
the reds signed willy tavares this offseason. he is a great basestealer(probably the best in baseball), but otherwise doesnt have the skill anderson does. anderson does have value…its just a very specific vlaue. you have to need what hes got, and already have what he doesnt.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
1:47 pm
Kenny Powers knows that HR are rally killers. Kenny Powers has killed a lot of rallies in his day.
muffin
March 24th, 2009
1:48 pm
BB is right on. I also think decision is being delayed until last minute in hope schafer falls or anderson steps up his game. normally you would want the comp over a week or so before opening day so whomever is starting can relax a bit.
Ritchie from Scotland
March 24th, 2009
1:49 pm
if Anderson’s best asset is his speed and Schafer has stolen more bases than him this spring whilst posting a better AVG and OBP surely Schafer has to start?
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
1:50 pm
Homers can be rally killers sometimes.
I can here Bobby now, “C’mon Chipper, big hit here, but, for God sakes, keep it in the park”.
McPoyle
March 24th, 2009
1:51 pm
Kenny – Tough break on getting dissed by Tampa in Sunday’s episode. Can’t believe you bailed on big booby April too
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
1:53 pm
91 nlds….what if Pendleton had homered and not tripled? Not agreeing with the ‘homers kill rallies’ but I have heard someone debate that specific scenario before in regards to Pendleton.
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
1:53 pm
nlcs
Cyrus
March 24th, 2009
1:56 pm
Mark it down folks the Connecticut Huskies will cut down the nets in Detroit on April 6th just before midnight with the womans team doing the same thing the next night !
Wascally Wabbit
March 24th, 2009
1:56 pm
I remember reading a comment a year or so ago that he was watching MTV and movies to help with English. Not what I would recommend, but such a 20-something guy answer (ESCO FAN)
I was talking about something similar the other day with someone at work. We were both remarking on how it seems the Southern accent is disappearing, at least in the Atlanta area. But we’ve noticed it in other regions of the South as well. You just don’t notice strong accents as much anymore, especially with the younger generation. When you do hear a strong Southern accent these days out of younger folks,it really stands out as being out of the norm.
We speculated on why that is. At least in Atlanta, you can partially blame how much of a melting pot the city has become for folks from all over the country. Folks are also far better educated and less landlocked and travel alot more as well. But you also have to heavily blame television and radio for the disappearing accent. You’re just so much more exposed to how folks from the rest of the country talk and you learn not talk with a Southern accent almost by accident.
So in many ways I don’t think Yunel or any Spanish speaking player is any different than most of us in learning how to speak from television, movies, radio, etc., etc. Yunel’s just more honest or at least more cognizant than the rest of us that he’s learning the way he speaks English from television or movies
JPHunt
March 24th, 2009
1:57 pm
One of the best things about watching a few ST games live was Jeff Francoeur’s new plate discipline and stance. More than all the stats and “where is the power” talk, I like the fact that he no longer looks confused. He actually looks like he has some confidence in what he is doing and backing it up with good at bats. Got to see his bases loaded off the wall double and some great long at bats that he coaxed walks on. Whether he is able to carry his successes into the season or not I dont think we will be seeing those awkward at bats that made us want to change the channel last year.
Bobby's Cox
March 24th, 2009
1:58 pm
I’ve been waiting 2 years for Darvish to come to the mlb. I wanted the braves to sign KK so they’d have a shot at signing Yu in the future. But, seems like he’d be coming here too soon for the braves to have a shot (financial reasons, overloaded rotation).
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
2:01 pm
91 World Series, 7th game. What if Pendleton had homered instead of only doubling?
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
2:05 pm
exactly BB, it isn’t worth debating, it goes both ways.
Damn, I wish he had homered. Or that Lonnie Smith had been paying attention.
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
2:05 pm
We’re not really gonna debate the value of a home run vs. the value of a double, are we?
ground_fog
March 24th, 2009
2:06 pm
Has Will Ohman been blackballed or something? I thought he was a real good lefty reliever.Am I missing something? I can’t believe nobody has picked him up.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
2:09 pm
Yeah, 18WoL, there is no play in my “major league bb watching career” that haunts me more. Lonnie, by not watching his 3rd base coach, violated something we learned in Little League.
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
2:10 pm
BB5795- your comment at 1:50pm was hilarious!
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
2:10 pm
DAP:
I feel ya.
I know the value of a good defense, good speed, high OBP center fielder.
I don’t know if Anderson can get on base enough. Yeah, his numbers are strong in limited experience – the whole point of my argument going back to Daybeds remarks . . .
Give Anderson the chance to play, because he has one of the things we need – but if he stinks it up . . . i think we have a better chance of getting him through waivers in may than in march.
What i really wish would play out: Anderson/Diaz (LF), Anderson (CF), Schafer (RF) . . . but we all know that aint happenin.
Jersey Gil
March 24th, 2009
2:10 pm
DOB….Good News about “24″ , start in May they going to shoot the 8Th Season, that mean Jack is not dead and he will have a Girlfriend, i bet is Renee, The FBI lady.
Sandlot
March 24th, 2009
2:10 pm
On the plus side, maybe if they put the teepee up at Turner Field it could replace the stupid cow.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
2:10 pm
Everyone,
It is “would have”, not “would of”.
P-Town Brave
March 24th, 2009
2:12 pm
DOB,
That is one thing we can certainly both agree upon w/ your national title last year…We soon come to realize that players like Mario Chalmers don’t come around very often.
DAP
March 24th, 2009
2:13 pm
this is not meant to be disrespectful to bobby cox (or bobby’s belly) in any way, but this whole thing about him saying that CF was “wide open”… how long have you been paying attention to the braves? you should have learned pretty quickly that noting bobby says means anything. all bobby cares about is his players, and what he says to the media is just talking to give them something to write. his one and only concern is the guys who play for him, and he will say whatever reflects the best on them. the truth is, we can only use reason to guess what is going on in CF, which is that since anderson is out of options, he would have to faceplant and either shafer or blanco to greatly impress to win the job.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
2:13 pm
eltrompoBRAVESfan, well thank you very much!
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
2:17 pm
TnBrian, thanks for trying to pick a fight and getting personal, but your post made absolutely no sense. Grow up, bud.
cityofdecatur
March 24th, 2009
2:18 pm
many immigrants learn or get ‘tutored’ in english from the tv. was just listening to a 1984 show at the atlanta civic center by eddie murphy were he does a routinue about that very item. (and the ramifications if they saw him on hbo and used that to learn english.) it’s the most readily available source for hearing english. just hope esco wasn’t watching soap operas.
StingerSplash
March 24th, 2009
2:18 pm
Was taking a different exit this morning because of a meeting. Missed the exit because I was too busy cranking some Social Distortion at 0730. I sit and I pray, in my broken down Chevrolet.
I say give Anderson first crack at starting CF. Let’s see if the Braves can put his speed to use before turning it over to Schafer.
Chicago Braves
March 24th, 2009
2:19 pm
The ST stat I like is runs scored vs runs against and especially runs against. ESPN MLBs site standings has this. The Braves pitchers have only given up 79 runs in ST (including the wacky 9 run O’Flatery outing). Only one other team is under 94 and most are way over 100. Only the Cubs who have been having 15-20 run scoring games have a better differential than the Braves. I think BC subs his ST lineup and pitchers as much as any manager so there’s no grandstanding effect. And, with the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees repeatedly on the schedule, the Braves haven’t been playing all Astros either. Anyway, pitching is pitching, and the lowest runs against is an exciting figure for the upcoming season. BTW, I would also play Schaffer. All upside potential with power vs JAnderson’s slightly above average play at best. Blanco would be my backup outfielder/PH/PR.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
2:21 pm
Here’s the average / stats for 1 pitch at-bats, 1-3 pitch at-bats, 4+ pitch at-bats, and 7+ pitch at-bats for 2007:
1 and done: .344/.349/.543 .892 OPS
Short(1-3): .301/.317/.467 .784 OPS
Long (4+): .223/.352/.348 .700 OPS
7 Up (7+): .230/.406/.372 .778 OPS
Wascally Wabbit
March 24th, 2009
2:22 pm
When Francoeur hit homers, they cried he’d didn’t walk or hit for average. When he hits for average and walks, they cry he doesn’t hit homers. I hope things aren’t like this at home for Francoeur. If his wife is like his fans, she nagged when he clogged the toilet by using four sheets of two ply instead of just two sheets, but now that he’s using just two sheets, she nags that he leaves behind skid marks in the laundry.
Random
March 24th, 2009
2:22 pm
Bobby’s Belly (2:10 pm): “Everyone,
“It is “would have”, not “would of”.”
Yes, and “would’ve”, “would’a” and “woulda” also work.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
2:26 pm
DAP – He cares so much about his players he lies to them? Won’t say JA has faceplanted, but it’s been between bad and mediocre I think is fair to say. If Schafer (and Blanco for that matter) haven’t greatly impressed you must say they’ve both been impressive.
Andy
March 24th, 2009
2:26 pm
I know this might not be the best question………..Can the Braves start the season with Gregor Blanco and Josh Andreson? Schafer can go to the minors. He is still way too young–like Andruw and Furcal young. Let him go down to the minors at least two three more months.
DAP
March 24th, 2009
2:27 pm
wascally francouer has never walked much.
Random
March 24th, 2009
2:28 pm
PWHjort (2:21 pm): “Here’s the average / stats for 1 pitch at-bats, 1-3 pitch at-bats, 4+ pitch at-bats, and 7+ pitch at-bats for 2007″
Hmm — looks like ISOP also decreases as the At Bat lengthens. Wonder why that is — maybe because in the longer At Bats, eventually all you’re looking for is to make contact?
DAP
March 24th, 2009
2:28 pm
bobby’s bellyHe cares so much about his players he lies to them?
no, but he lies to you. do we know what he has said to anderson or schafer about the job?
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
2:29 pm
The 2:10 wasn’t the “official” Bobby’s Belly. As great as my baseball mind is my grammar is as bad. I may question your opinions, but I won’t question your grammsr.
THWG
March 24th, 2009
2:29 pm
Jersey- That’s good news. Not that I thought Jack was going to die or anything, even after last night. That does give me a slight bit of reassurance that the writers aren’t planning on doing anything with Renee anytime soon. She’s about the only good looking female left on the show.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
2:30 pm
On Bowman’s blog it says Heap texted him, and yes, he will be behind the place tonight. Although, McCann needs a new nickname…he’s not so much of a “Heap” anymore.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
2:31 pm
Everyone, It is “would have”, not “would of”.
Of course it is, but, this blog originates in the South and posters may be “speaking” in the vernacular. “Would of” works fine for “would’ve”, when you approach it phonetically, LOL.
As a sidenote, grammarians/spelling police/the like have tended to be short-lived, hereabouts. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’…
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
2:31 pm
DAP – If Anderson or Schafer would take my calls I would ask. Maybe DOB could ask them for us?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
2:33 pm
For those of you curious about Darvish here’s an explanation of NPB (Japan’s MLB) free agency taken from npbtracker.com, a great resource for anything NPB related:
“NPB free agency is a little different from MLB free agency. Starting this year, there are two categories of free agency: domestic and international. NPB players qualifying for domestic free agency can only move to other NPB teams, while players qualifying for international free agency are free to try their luck abroad as well.
Domestic free agency requires 8 years of service time, while international free agency requires 9 years. One year of service time is defined as 150 days on the team’s top roster. Time spent on the farm time or injured list does not count as service time toward free agency. This is why guys like Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara won’t be free agents until after this year despite having started their careers in the late 90’s.”
The other way Darvish could come to the US would be if his parent club “posts” him. If he were to be “posted”, MLB clubs would have the opportunity to bid for his control. The club that submitted the highest bid would pay that much to his NPB club and he would be under the control of the MLB team with which he would sign a contract. Hideki Matsui and Dice-K both came to MLB through posting whereas Kawakami signed as an international free agent.
Darvish would require a HUGE posting fee. Patrick at npbtracker has said multiple times that Darvish said he doesn’t want to play in the MLB. I think that will change when he’s an international free agent and the Yankees open their checkbook, though.
Andrew
March 24th, 2009
2:33 pm
Ranking the National League East
By Paul Hagen
Philadelphia Daily News
Starting pitching
1. Marlins: Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, Andrew Miller (L)
2. Phillies: Cole Hamels (L), Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer (L), Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ (L) or Chan Ho Park
3. Braves: Derek Lowe, Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens, Kenshin Kawakami, Tom Glavine (L)
4. Mets: Johan Santana (L), Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez (L), Livan Hernandez
5. Nationals: John Lannan (L), Scott Olsen (L), Daniel Cabrera, Jordan Zimmermann, Shairon Martis
Nolasco, Johnson and Volstad were a combined 28-13, 3.40 for Florida last season. Although only Nolasco made 30 starts in the big leagues, that’s impressive. And while Sanchez and Miller still must prove they can compete at the big-league level, both have significant upsides. The Phillies are strong 1 through 4, and Hamels is a legit staff ace if healthy. But Myers is coming off a Jekyll-and-Hyde season and Moyer is 46 years old, so both have to be considered at least minor question marks. Atlanta completely retooled its rotation after betting, and losing, on the continued health of veterans like John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton. Lowe, Vazquez and Jurrjens can be counted on to fill 200 innings and Kawakami is an interesting, under-the-radar acquisition. The Mets got a scare when Santana came up with a sore elbow early in spring training. He’s apparently fine and remains one of the best pitchers in baseball and Pelfrey is starting to establish himself, but Maine could still go either way and Perez needs to be more consistent. The Nationals believe they have a rich lode of young pitching coming through the system but, for this year at least, are more about potential than proven track record.
Relief pitching
1. Mets: Closer Francisco Rodriguez. J.J. Putz, Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano (L), Bobby Parnell, Brian Stokes, Darren O’Day
2. Phillies: Closer Brad Lidge. Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre (L), Clay Condrey, Chan Ho Park or J.A. Happ (L)
3. Braves: Closer Mike Gonzalez (L). Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, Blaine Boyer, Boone Logan (L) or Eric O’Flaherty (L), Buddy Carlyle or Jorge Campillo
4. Nationals: Closer Joel Hanrahan. Joe Beimel (L), Saul Rivera, Julian Tavarez, Jason Bergmann, Garrett Mock, Mike Hinckley (L)
5. Marlins: Closer Leo Nunez. Logan Kensing, Renyel Pinto (L), Taylor Tankersley (L), Kiko Calero
If both Rodriguez and Putz are healthy and pitching to their capability, the Mets acquired an end-of-game hammer that will put pressure on opponents to have a lead by the seventh. K-Rod must show he can succeed in the New York pressure cooker and Putz has to adjust to setting up after closing for the Mariners. The Phillies don’t expect Lidge to be perfect again, but he appears to be all the way back from whatever ailed him in Houston. Madson has to demonstrate consistency; Durbin faded in the second half last year; and there’s no established lefthander to go along with Scott Eyre until J.C. Romero returns form his 50-game suspension. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Braves ended up with the best bullpen when all is said and done, but Gonzalez, Soriano and Moylan are all coming off injuries. If – and it’s always a big if – all three remain healthy, they could end up being Atlanta’s strength. The Nationals got a lot better when they signed free agent Beimel (5-1, 2.02 for the Dodgers in 2008), but Hanrahan remains an unproven quantity as the closer. Injuries sabotaged the Marlins, at least for the early going when projected closer Matt Lindstrom had to drop out of the WBC with a rotator cuff problem and penciled-in setup man Scott Proctor went down with elbow soreness. That makes Leo Nunez, with no experience closing, as the go-to guy in save situations.
Infield
1. Phillies: 1B Ryan Howard, 2B Chase Utley, SS, Jimmy Rollins, 3B Pedro Feliz, C Carlos Ruiz
2. Mets: 1B Carlos Delgado, 2B Luis Castillo, SS Jose Reyes, 3B David Wright, C Brian Schneider
3. Marlins: 1B Gaby Sanchez, 2B Dan Uggla, SS Hanley Ramirez, 3B Jorge Cantu, C John Baker or C Mike Rabelo
4. Braves: 1B Casey Kotchman, 2B Kelly Johnson, SS Yunel Escobar, 3B Chipper Jones, C Brian McCann
5. Nationals: 1B Nick Johnson, 2B Anderson Hernandez, SS Cristian Guzman, 3B Ryan Zimmerman, C Jesus Flores
Considering that the Phillies probably have the best first baseman, second baseman and shortstop in franchise history at or near the peaks of their careers, this is a pretty easy call. They might also expect to get more production from both Feliz, who played with back problems in 2008, and Ruiz. Wright is one of baseball’s brightest stars and Reyes can be an electric player, although he occasionally disappears. Delgado, 36, was written off when he got off to a slow start last season but came on strong in the second half and Castillo is on the bubble. For the Marlins, Ramirez is an MVP waiting to happen. Uggla outslugs his defensive shortcomings. Cantu (.277-29-95) was great in ‘08, but can he do it again? For the Braves, Kotchman is unlikely to make up for the production lost when free-agent-to-be Mark Teixeira was traded and Jones, still one of the best when healthy, turns 37 next month and can no longer be counted on to play 150 games. Johnson and Escobar are underrated. Zimmerman is the Nationals’ centerpiece, but Johnson has been injured repeatedly the last few years. Guzman has batted .328 and .316 the last two seasons and Flores has tons of potential.
Outfield
1. Phillies: LF Raul Ibanez, CF Shane Victorino, RF Jayson Werth
2. Nationals: LF Adam Dunn, CF Lastings Milledge, RF Elijah Dukes
3. Braves: LF Garret Anderson, CF Josh Anderson, RF Jeff Francouer
4. Mets: LF Ryan Church, CF Carlos Beltran, RF Daniel Murphy
5. Marlins: LF Jeremy Hermida, CF Cameron Maybin, RF Cody Ross
Before signing with the Phillies, Ibanez had driven in more than 100 runs three consecutive seasons for the Mariners and averaged 25 homers per season in spacious Safeco Field. At a minimum, he should be more consistent than Pat Burrell. Victorino scored 102 runs, stole 36 bases and won a Gold Glove and Werth earned the right to prove he could play every day. Dunn gives the Nationals a much-needed lefthanded power threat; how good the outfield turns out to be will depend on how Milledge and Dukes develop. Braves outfielders combined for just 27 home runs all last season. Anderson hit 15 (and drove in 84 runs) for the Angels last year. Adding him late makes the outfield stronger, but they desperately need Francouer (.239-11-71) to bounce back from a down year. Beltran gives the Mets solid production and strong defense, but Murphy is unproven and it’s a little surprising that New York didn’t upgrade in left. The Marlins are counting heavily on Maybin, a talented rookie who will also be asked to lead off.
Bench
1. Phillies: IF-OF Greg Dobbs, IF-OF Eric Bruntlett, IF Miguel Cairo, OF Geoff Jenkins, OF Matt Stairs, C Chris Coste or C Ronny Paulino
2. Nationals: IF Ronnie Belliard, OF Willie Harris, OF Austin Kearns, OF Josh Willingham, C Josh Bard or Wil Nieves
3. Mets: IF Alex Cora, OF Fernando Tatis, OF Jeremy Reed, OF Nick Evans, C Ramon Castro
4. Braves: IF Martin Prado, OF Omar Infante, OF Matt Diaz, C David Ross
5. Marlins: IF Wes Helms, IF Emilio Bonifacio, OF Alfredo Amezaga, OF Brett Carroll
Dobbs led the majors in pinch hits and was second in RBI and Bruntlett has the versatility to play both infield and outfield. It remains to be seen if there’s a spot for Cairo and if the team can carry two more lefthanded bats off the bench in Jenkins and Stairs. Harris was one of Washington’s best players last year, Kearns has had some success as a starter in his career, and Belliard and Willingham have also started. Cora gives the Mets the experience of a player who had more than 150 at-bats coming off the bench for the Red Sox last season and an option at second if Luis Castillo stumbles, and Tatis figures to share playing time with Ryan Church in left. Diaz was Atlanta’s starting leftfielder at the beginning of last season before being sidelined by injuries; Prado batted .320 in 228 at-bats and Infante hit .293 in 317 at-bats. For the Marlins, Bonifacio could be an alternative if Cameron Maybin struggles out of the leadoff spot while Helms can play first or third.
Intangibles
1. Braves
2. Marlins
3. Phillies
4. Mets
5. Nationals
The Braves don’t have the biggest payroll anymore and they are coming off their first 90-loss season since 1990. They still have future Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox, though, and a club president in John Schuerholz who, as general manager, presided over their 14-year dynasty. And, because they are such a solid organization, their farm system is about to graduate another class of terrific prospects, including righthander Tommy Hanson, first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielders Jason Heyward and Jordan Schafer. The Marlins operate differently than most organizations, but they have shown a knack for stockpiling talent. If they get their new stadium approved, it will be interesting to see what happens once the increased revenue associated with a new building keeps them from having to shed salary almost every offseason. The Phillies have a brand new World Series trophy and you can’t take that away from them. Now it’s up to new general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to make sure the team doesn’t skip a beat after the retirement of Pat Gillick. The Mets’ front office doesn’t always seem to be on the same page and September collapses in each of the last two seasons haven’t helped. Even getting K-Rod and J.J. Putz for the bullpen didn’t satisfy some fans, who also wanted a bopper. Nationals president Stan Kasten is one of the most respected executives in pro sports, but the front office was Balkanized until controversial general manager Jim Bowden stepped down. Look for things to get better.
getnathan
March 24th, 2009
2:35 pm
GAME 7 1991 WS – What if Lonnie Smith scored on the DOUBLE if he doesn’t get deked by Chuck Knoblauch!!! And I said “homers can be rally killers SOMETIMES”. You all are making a mountain out of molehill. If we are down 5 runs, and we get a couple of runners on, what good does a 3 run HR do at that point?
ATL
March 24th, 2009
2:35 pm
PWHjort-”Whoever does the play by play on sports south beside Dominique Wilkins has a huge man crush on Flip Murray.”
Thats Bob Rathbun, he’s got a man crush on whoever’s on the court at any given moment. He was much better for the hawks when he worked with Steve Smith, hes always kissing up to DW on air, he seemed much more comfortable with the less accomplished SS. It used to be physically painful to listen to him and Torborg do the Braves games together, atleast for me.
Andrew
March 24th, 2009
2:37 pm
this guy is a joke
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
2:39 pm
interesting quote from Bowman’s blog about Ohman (Bowman had apparently been in touch via text):
There’s no doubt that Ohman is kicking himself for not accepting the contract offers the Braves made him in July and November. I wish I could tell you where he might pitch this year. But right now, I’d have to guess he’s going to wait until a team loses a left-handed reliever via injury.
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
2:40 pm
Andrew–
That Paul Hagen failed to mention that the Braves have the best hitting catcher in the NL…possibly ML.
Andy K Although, McCann needs a new nickname…he’s not so much of a “Heap” anymore.
Haha…
He’ll be catching tonight, eh? So-weet! But what kind of a starting time is 6:05? Hello! That’s like, dinner time!
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
2:41 pm
Thanks for the info, ATL. I’m not much of an NBA fan but I like watching the hawks and I noticed that Bob Rathbun likes Murray a little too much. Andrew, that preview is pretty bad.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
2:41 pm
Puts us down 2 runs?
THWG
March 24th, 2009
2:43 pm
getnathan- Say your team is down 3 runs with 2 RISP. What good does a 2-run 1B do? The tying run is still 270 ft. away.
Point is, this debate could go on. A HR is, for obvious reasons, the “best-case scenario” for a hitter at any given plate appearance, because it maximizes the number of runs that score during the at-bat.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
2:44 pm
Random, good observation. I don’t really have a hypothesis as to why. I’ll think about it/ask Bill.
i cant take it anymore
March 24th, 2009
2:45 pm
tough call on the lineup.
i would say…
Janderson (yep, all one word)
kelly
c jones
kotchman
mac
esco
frenchy
ganderson
ganderson usually gets off to a slow start, so keep him where he can be slow.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
2:45 pm
You guys do remember how he got the nickname “Heap”, right? I doubt slim-and-trim has much effect on his neatness quotient, LOL.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
2:49 pm
Wascally Wabbit, I don’t think we’ll ever hear your comparison on ESPN’s, “Baseball Tonight”, but I liked it. (2:22)
getnathan, loosen up a little, will you? No mountains, just a little fun.
Why are so many talking about Bobby lying? Was there a decision made that I didn’t hear? We should wait until that happens before we start calling the man a liar. Also, Bobby may want to keep Schafer but get voted down from up above. Bobby runs the game, not the business. If Schafer stays in the minors for just 2 months (I know, that’s 1/3 of the season), it will be one full year before he can be a free agent. That may seem like a long way away now, but something we may be thankful for later.
Grizzled Veteran
March 24th, 2009
2:49 pm
PTBNL Re: Your 12:45 post. Exactly. Don’t know why so many here can’t understand that. (Maybe they refuse to understand it.)
Wascally Wabbit
March 24th, 2009
2:50 pm
Sure, termites will eventually hollow out the tree, and maybe someday cause it to fall, but give me Paul Bunyan everyday to knock the darn tree over with one swing of the ax.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
2:51 pm
nscoots, he got the nickname because of his housekeeping skills AND his appearance….
hk
March 24th, 2009
2:53 pm
… here’s Braves hitting ‘MVP’ for spring training through yesterday …
http://www.mindspring.com/~hk3/mvp09.htm
Andrew
March 24th, 2009
2:56 pm
hk,all i have to say is wow
DAP
March 24th, 2009
2:59 pm
BB5795 “all those people” (its really just me) talking about bobby lying are not talking about the situation with CF. bobby is hardly ever real with the media. its part of how he protects his players. i dont clal it “lying”, i call it being great at what he does. but, technically, yeah, he lies alot.
flange1
March 24th, 2009
3:00 pm
I thought the Phillie’s writer bull pen for the Braves was interesting:
Braves: Closer Mike Gonzalez (L). Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan, Blaine Boyer, Boone Logan (L) or Eric O’Flaherty (L), Buddy Carlyle or Jorge Campillo
If the Braves could get more than a LOOGY (like Ohman maybe) forget the 2 lefties on this list and stick with a 6 man bull pen (maybe let Ohman pitch 60-70 innings again this year?) they could keep J Anderson as a fifth outfielder.
To me Josh is a GREAT fifth outfielder. He is the guy that can pinch run in the 8th or 9th inning and steal a base (SMALL BALL) and then play good defense in the outfield.
But with the injuries to Soriano and Moylan and Ohman not being on the team, IT AIN”T GOING TO HAPPEN.
Josh will either start or be gone.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
3:01 pm
hk, I 2nd the “wow”.
DAP, yeah, the media. But whenever I call him, he seems pretty honest.
Ryan
March 24th, 2009
3:02 pm
I had been wondering about Escobar all Spring, but now that I know how everyone in the Braves organization feels about him, I ALMOST got my fix. Still haven’t heard much about how he’s actually playing on offense this Spring compared to previous seasons.
And this might be a dumb question, but why does DOB constantly call the park Dark Star? I hope there’s a really witty reason for it, otherwise the 18 different references to it in every blog is getting annoying.
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
3:04 pm
Bryan – yup, May would be easy for him to get thru waivers. Or, if Josh Anderson is tearing it up during the first couple of months and Schaefer is doing the same in AAA and showing that he belongs in Atlanta, then maybe that would make Anderson a valuable trade piece for a midseason trade. Don’t think that he’s got much trade value now.
“If we are down 5 runs, and we get a couple of runners on, what good does a 3 run HR do at that point?”
I think I know this one…we immediately get 3 runs in one single play. Wait, is this a trick question?
I’m trying to make sense of this “home run can be a rally killer” thing. Maybe because the bases are empty for the next batter? Maybe, logically, the rally is over because there are no more runners on base? But even then, the rally isn’t killed — a rally is “killed” when there are men on base but the team fails to bring any, or only one, of them home. As in, the Braves load the bases with zero outs, but then Andruw Jones strikes out before Jeff Francoeur grounds into a double play (’07 edition).
Mickeymc
March 24th, 2009
3:05 pm
Blanco is the 2nd best outfielder on the team. But who is the best? Is there a good outfielder on the team?
Jim
March 24th, 2009
3:07 pm
The above assessments can be argued, but are generally reasonable except for the bench. They left out Norton as the 5th bench player for the Braves and assumed the Phillies would go with 11 pitchers and 6 bench players. Dobbs is probably the best pinch hitter of all the bench players but he is a liability in the field. Bruntlett is OK, but he’s no big upgrade over Infante. Jenkins is another year older and isn’t much of an upgrade over Norton. Will the Phils carry both Jenkins and Stairs? Stairs is another player you would never put in the field. The Nats bench is rated way too highly as is their outfield. The Marlins were only given 4 bench players also with no back up catcher.
I also would not grade the Marlins infield as better than ours. Hanley Ramirez is a star, but Sanchez is a rookie that has not done all that much this spring, Cantu is a decent player, but no Chipper even in his later years. (He’s not equal to a combo of Chipper + Prado if Chipper plays only 110-120 games.) I am not an Uggla fan–he’s very 1-dimensional, and Kotchman deserves more respect than the comment that he’s no Tex.
ease19
March 24th, 2009
3:08 pm
whose on first?
Leah
March 24th, 2009
3:09 pm
AndyK. –
I don’t think Mac being on the heavier side had anything to do with him acquiring the nickname “Heap”, but I could be wrong. He got it in the minors, when he was about the same weight he is now, maybe lighter, and supposedly got it because of his love of sleeping, or so is the explanation he’s usually given in the past. I believe last year in an interview before the season on MLB.com (can’t find it now or I’ve post the link), he said the nickname was actually Heap of “Crap”, crap being a much less polite way of saying the actual term (though he never did say the actual word on air, he just insinuated it).
And then there’s also the theory that some Braves fans have going around that it has nothing whatsoever to do with his loving to sleep. But I won’t go into that one on here since it’s not exactly rated G.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:09 pm
Schafer? Diaz? Anderson? Francoeur? I don’t know. I’ll rank the Braves OF during the season. It’s too early to tell who will have good years. I think Diaz will based on ST, but I don’t know, it’s ST.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
3:09 pm
I think who ends up with the center field job depends on the offers the braves get for Anderson. They’re not just going to let him walk and sign as a f/a, so if they get an offer they like, he’ll be gone. If not, he’ll be the CF. The tell tale sign for me is usually when Bobby raves about a guy, he’s the one the Braves are trying to trade. Remember Salty? Bobby went out of his way to say how good he was.
getnathan
March 24th, 2009
3:11 pm
Well I’m glad you guys acknowledge my presence lol. I look at HR’s like kicking FGs in the sense they are good for tying or winning the game. Of course I would like to see a HR when the game is tied in the 9th or extra innings. Do you all remember how Arizona in 2001 beat us in the NLCS? They didn’t hit a lot of HRs. They hit a lot of 2 run singles, 2 run doubles, an error by the Braves (Marcus Giles in particular), and Arizona suddenly is beating the hell out of us. I think the Braves will score more runs by speed on the bases (Josh Anderson, KJ), and doubles with some HRs of course.
Take that mountain makers!!!
Ryan
March 24th, 2009
3:12 pm
so anyone know why DOB calls the park Dark Star?
Bryan
March 24th, 2009
3:12 pm
Daybed – that was too good of a post to loose as the last post on a page.
Bigchiefrg
March 24th, 2009
3:12 pm
I need some help from direct tv braves fans…I am about to embark on my first season of baseball as direct tv subscriber. Living in charleston sc, i have been able to count on comcast in one way or another for my 162 days of televised braves coverage. do all u other direct tv, braves-a-holics get ur daily dose through the package or is there one of those 5 dollars sports star pkgs that would give me the channels I need?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:14 pm
Small ball is the model the Braves need to go with for 2009 since they don’t have the HR and power potential they need to play walk walk 3 run homer. And as far as the center field job goes, I think your right, but I think they’ll make sure they’re comfortable with Schafer in CF every day before they start fielding offers for Janderson.
getnathan
March 24th, 2009
3:15 pm
Does anyone know if Moylan’s going to be on the opening day roster? or are they going to let him rehab until May.
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
3:16 pm
Leah–
Yeah, that’s the story I’ve always heard–that he got it in the minors ’cause he’d sleep till like…2 in the afternoon. I remember that interview, too–matter of fact, I have it on my ‘Pod. Not sure if they still have that up on the website anywhere–they’re kinda stingy with their clips, you know…
Have no idea what the other theory of which you speak is–apparently that’s a good thing, and as such, I’d like to keep my ignorance on this one, thank you.
RC
March 24th, 2009
3:17 pm
I thought the Philly writer was too low on the Braves infield, too high on the Braves OF, too low on the Mets OF, and way too high on the Marlins across the board.
Andrew
March 24th, 2009
3:21 pm
does anyone know what the braves arm patch will be this year? DOB feel free to shout out if you know.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
3:22 pm
I stand corrected. Nonetheless, no matter the nickname’s meaning, Mac is bound to be less of a “Heap” as I remember reading either a ChopTalk interview or something else that had Brian saying his wife keeps him in check now.
Steve McP
March 24th, 2009
3:23 pm
I think that it would be a really good thing for the blog to have an FAQ section, then when people ask the same question that has been answered so many times before a quick link to FAQ will suffice.
ozzie
March 24th, 2009
3:27 pm
Unless Darvish tanks expect a posting fee of $50mm and that is due to a global recession.
Figure the RSox, Dodgers and Mariners as potentials in terms of shooting the wad on him.
It would be great to get him but can you imagine Wren or Liberty writing a check for $~50mm as a stepping stone to sign away even more money.
From the little I have seen I would like to have the guy in a Braves uniform but I would be shocked if they even consider it.
I suspect the Braves would be in line for a posting fees in the teens or low twenties before they make the leap into the 50+ range.
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
3:29 pm
In other news, “power house pelfrey” got touched for 6 runs in 4.2 as NL favorites Astros are hammering the Muts.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
3:29 pm
Brian saying his wife keeps him in check now.
Well, habits may change, but nicknames never die, LOL. He’s “Heap” now and forever. Or as long as he wears a tomahawk, anyway.
sportsmandh
March 24th, 2009
3:30 pm
In that preview article that was posted, not sure about all the other parts, a lot is a matter of opinion. But there’s one that jumped out at me, NO way is the Marlins infield better than the Braves. NO way.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
3:30 pm
Kenny Powers thinks it gets you 3 runs closer.
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
3:32 pm
A week after PR got eliminated from the WBC, muts still are not playing Beltran nor Delgado………did this guys play yesterday or over the weekend?
flange1
March 24th, 2009
3:32 pm
After watching the WBC, which I enjoyed, It would be great to have Darvish on the Braves. What an amazing talent.
I don’t think the Braves would spend the money and they actually have a glut of pitching in the majors and AAA and a pretty good group in AA and A ball.
I guess they could try to trade some of their pitching talent for positional talent to then spend the money on Darvish, but $50-$75 million juts to talk to the guy and then pay him 15 or so million a year is more than I would expect from the Braves……
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:34 pm
It’s irrelevant at this point. Darvish’s club won’t be posting him for at least another few years.
Old Third Baseman
March 24th, 2009
3:35 pm
If we are down 5 runs, and we get a couple of runners on, what good does a 3 run HR do at that point?
Uhhh…cuts the deficit to two? So that one more baserunner brings the tying run to the plate? Would a two – run shot then also be a rally killer?
Chop Chop
March 24th, 2009
3:39 pm
I can’t remember if anyone posted this article about Yu Darvish on the last blog or not, but Royals manager Trey Hillman says that Darvish is “Fonzie and Elvis.”
MFin04
March 24th, 2009
3:39 pm
6-7 straight singles with some walks can get you 5 runs pretty easily too.
flange1
March 24th, 2009
3:39 pm
PWHjort,
I think the reason folks are speaking about Darvish right now is an internet report that his team may post him after this year because of all of the exposure to MLB and that they could reap a HUGE windfall in cash.
ease19
March 24th, 2009
3:39 pm
Then a solo shot to win…gotta love home run math.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:40 pm
When you’re down you’ll take runs any way you can get them. Obviously you’d rather hit the HR with men on base, but cutting any deficit is a good thing. Home Runs are never bad.
Leah
March 24th, 2009
3:40 pm
McFann –
Yep, exactly because him always falling asleep at random times.
I totally understand!
Andy K. –
I think he still loves to sleep, but he even said, in ChopTalk I believe, that he didn’t sleep at weird hours anymore because of his off season workout routine, diet, etc. Not sure about now or even if he is still keeping up with that same diet or workout routine. I’m sure he’s doing something, though, to keep the weight off.
ncscoots -
Good point!
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
3:40 pm
Kenny Powers thinks getnathan should no longer be able to post here. Even Kenny Powers knows that the best result an offense can have at any given moment is a homerun. Kenny Powers will play a baseball game in which you hit alot of doubles and Kenny hits alot of HR’s. Kenny will win easily.
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
3:42 pm
“It’s irrelevant at this point. Darvish’s club won’t be posting him for at least another few years.”
Source?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:43 pm
I’m pretty sure that report is garbage. Here’s npbtracker’s take on it, he thinks Darvish will reach MLB around 2014. http://www.npbtracker.com/2008/06/the-darvish-effect/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_system
Jersey Gil
March 24th, 2009
3:43 pm
Ryan…this my Opinion about why DOB call Disney Champion Stadium “Dark Star”
In 2004 everything in life can be related, to me Hollywood movies,’The Godfather and Star War. So it is with the Battle for Disney (Roy Disney & Michael Eisner)which is somewhat unique because it parallels both movies.Dependly who is Good or Evil in your Point of View.
You can related Roy as Good & Eisner the dark or evil side.
I think nothing have to do with Music.
The Real Don Steele
March 24th, 2009
3:44 pm
Relative to the amount of experience necessary before playing at the major league level: Bob Horner came directly from the Arizona State Univ. campus to Atlanta and homered in his first game played. He never played minor league ball at all.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
3:47 pm
Kenny Powers has partied with Bob Horner. He twisted his ankle drinking a beer and was out for 6 weeks.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
3:48 pm
Tim Lincecum was in the minors for all of like 1 month. College experience takes away a lot of the required minor league development time.
Brandon aka DukeBoy
March 24th, 2009
3:50 pm
DOB, I would like a clear, concise explanation as to why you refer the stadium as “The Dark Star”. I have my theories…
propp
March 24th, 2009
3:51 pm
Dave Winfield went from Purdue to the Pads with no minor league time. I think he even had it in his contract
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
3:51 pm
Chipper’s in the lineup tonight and is also scheduled to play tomorrow night at Viera. Took BP today, said felt fine, no problem.
G. Anderson is aiming for Saturday, that’s the date that everyone (doc, trainers, Garret himself) seems to agree is a good target date for his return.
McCann is catching tonight, and Bobby said he hasn’t decided about tomorrow.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
3:51 pm
Small ball is the model the Braves need to go with for 2009 since they don’t have the HR and power potential they need to play walk walk 3 run homer.
If they slug like 2008 again, you could play tiny ball, for all the good it will do. The team is neither constituted for nor inclined to play in the fashion you describe. Thankfully.
Braves got 100 dingers from their regulars last year, even with Blanco getting 400+ ABs, Francoeur’s disaster, Chipper going for the batting title, and McCann playing too many games. Only Blanco and Francoeur slugged under .400. Any kind of rebound for the team power-wise should put them at least middle-of-the-pack for HRs, so I’d have to say your premise is, well, wrong.
propp
March 24th, 2009
3:52 pm
or actually Minnesota for Winfield
rickman
March 24th, 2009
3:53 pm
I’m sure someone has already asked this, but is the game going to be broadcast on tv or radio tonight?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
3:53 pm
DOB, I would like a clear, concise explanation as to why you refer the stadium as “The Dark Star.” — DukeBoy
We’ll get right on that.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
3:54 pm
Home Runs are never bad, but I like a bases loaded double rather than a grand slam when you’re down by 6 or more. It keeps the pitcher on his heels. If a homer is hit, it gives the pitcher a chance to take a deep breath, settle in. But, I’d take either.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
3:56 pm
So you like scoring 2 runs instead of 4?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
3:57 pm
Andrew, you hope to avoid having an arm patch, since it usually is done as a memorial to someone near and dear to the organization, someone who had a huge impact with the team in whatever capacity.
I don’t know of any plans to have an arm patch this season.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
3:57 pm
Woogidy, there’s an easy way to make that moot: don’t get down by 6, LOL.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
3:57 pm
I know when I pitched I was really able to settle in after giving up a Grand Slam. Nothing like blowing a 6 run lead down to 2 to get you really calm and settled down.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
3:58 pm
Blanco is in the lineup, playing left field and batting eighth.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:00 pm
getnathan: Bobby reiterated today that if they keep Moylan on opening day roster, they’d like to carry an extra reliever, but that they haven’t decided if they’re going the route of an extra pitcher or extra position player. Also said, when I asked him if Soriano’s going to be ready, that he “hopes so.” Soriano is still having problems with that respiratory infection or whatever it is that he’s had all spring.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:01 pm
I’m hoping our pitching hold up so that we don’t find ourselves down by 5 runs too many times. If the Braves have as hard of a time scoring the 5, as we do discussing it, we’ll lose most of those games.
StingerSplash
March 24th, 2009
4:01 pm
Like Dice-K’s coming out party three years ago (and he was dominant again this time around too … how about going more than 5 1/3 innings a start with the Sox, big fella?), Darvish will be hugely sought after if his team lets him go.
And how soon will the Japanese fans/leagues start griping hard about their best talent going to the U.S., even as the teams make absurd dough from the posting fees? Is it already happening? I don’t get the Osaka Journal-Constitution, or whatever, so I would be out of the loop.
And as far as kimono dragons go … they usually work for smaller tips.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:02 pm
sorry, holds up. I gotta proof read more.
Brandon aka DukeBoy
March 24th, 2009
4:03 pm
Thanks DOB
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:03 pm
100 HR from your regulars is pathetic. We were 23rd in MLB last year in total HR with 130. Plus we replaced Mark Teixeira with Casey Kotchman. You think we’re going to get more power from that? PECOTA has the Braves slugging .417, good for 10th in the NL. That won’t get it done unless we play small ball. The Twins, last season, did nothing but play small ball. They were 20th in MLB in SLG % but 4th in runs. That’s the model the Braves need to follow in order to score runs. My premise isn’t wrong, you’re just delusional.
Cru Jones
March 24th, 2009
4:03 pm
No patch for skip??
And I cant believe people are having an actual argument about wether or not they want guys to hit homeruns.
garlick
March 24th, 2009
4:04 pm
Hey PWHjort, that article “the darvish effect” is a little bit of a crock. In the article it talks about how Nippon Ham, Darvish’s home team, would actually be losing money if they posted him for $60MM+, which is the estimates of what the team would make. That’s actually far from the truth.
Nippon Ham is not one of the powers in NPB, and probably will never contend for a title, with or without Darvish. The team just can’t compete with Hanshin or Yomiuri. They also sit at about 1.8MM per season in attendance, and haven’t varied very much since Yu was brought up to the main team. So attendance in Nippon Ham wouldn’t really be affected by Yu’s posting.
There’s something else to consider, Nippon Ham’s performance didn’t really improve this year, as they finished with almost the identical record to the year before, and this was after they were thought to be primed for a jump in the standings. So on the field they’re not getting better with Darvish, meaning they could probably send him away and not lose any ground, and could use the extra cash to sign younger players.
Also, with the WBC just having happened, Yu’s hype could not be any bigger. So the posting fee for him will only level off or go down from here.
There’s also been numerous reports that Darvish wants to come to the US at this point, as he’s achieved all he can in NPB. He’s been extremely politically correct in what he’s saying about NPB, but in the background he knows he’s not facing the best the world has to offer.
So I would expect him to get posted this year.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:04 pm
Yes, DOB. I’m still alive.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:06 pm
Hanson faced the Triple-A Gwinnett team today, or at least those who are in minor league camp (not those in major league camp).
He was a man among boys, relatively speaking: Five innings, no hits, one walk, eight strikeouts. Threw 75 pitches, including first-pitch strikes to 15 of 21 batters. “He was literally unhittable, facing those guys,” Bobby Cox said.
Hillbilly
March 24th, 2009
4:06 pm
Soriano is still having problems with that respiratory infection or whatever it is that he’s had all spring.
For the love of God, can somebody please get the man some Dimetap or something? Is it on MLBs banned substance list or something?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:09 pm
Garlick, I agree that Patrick’s estimate that Nippon Ham would lose money if they sold Darvish for 60 M is probably false. However, I believe Patrick over any other reporter on what’s likely to happen. He tells everything like it is and if he tells me (as he did last night) that Darvish won’t be posted for another few years, I believe him. Nippon Ham can expect to get a very similar posting fee even if they post him 2 years before his free agency, so why not hang on to him for 4 more years?
Brandon aka DukeBoy
March 24th, 2009
4:09 pm
Hey DOB, how bout a Kansas – Duke championship game?
I look forward to Hanson being called up.
William
March 24th, 2009
4:09 pm
Doc Holiday…………And why do we care about the Mets?
RLPmetro
March 24th, 2009
4:10 pm
BigCHief…having watched the Braves with DirecTV, I will tell you that if just watching the games is enough for you, then having the baseball package will be fine. But if you want pre-game and post-game coverage (when available), then you will have to get the $5-a-month sports package that gives you the various sports programming.
Lunatic Fringe
March 24th, 2009
4:10 pm
Has the idea of scoring less runs on any given play caused The Kenny Powers to stop addressing himself in the 3rd?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:10 pm
Lineups:
Pitt Pirates
1. Nyjer Morgan, LF
2. Freddy Sanchez, 2B
3. Nate McLouth, CF
4. Ryan Doumit, C
5. Craig Monroe, RF
6. Eric Hinske, 1B
7. Andy LaRoche, 3B
8. Brian Bixler, SS
9. Ross Ohlendorf, RH
Bravos
1. Schafer, CF
2. Kelly J., 2B
3. Chipper, 3B
4. McCann, C
5. Francoeur, RF
6. Escobar, SS
7. Norton,1B (Kotchman just getting over flu, back taking BP)
8. Blanco, LF
9. Vazquez, RH
DAP
March 24th, 2009
4:10 pm
PWHjortWe were 23rd in MLB last year in total HR with 130.
…and we were 16th in the ML in runs. thats what really matter in all this. its important to score runs. it doesnt matter how you score them. i think the braves will at least match 130HR, and i think we will score a few more runs this season. the pitching will make the biggest difference though.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
4:11 pm
My premise isn’t wrong, you’re just delusional.
Thanks. Perhaps we might rejoin this conversation at some date during the season when we have some data to determine the degree of delusionality and the actual ownership thereof?
Jersey Gil
March 24th, 2009
4:11 pm
If i live in Atlanta i will buying season ticket for the Gwinnett Braves to see this Kid. I’m already buy ticket for the Visit of The Braves to lehigh valley on May16,17,18…i hoping to see hanson pitch here.
Tomahawk210
March 24th, 2009
4:11 pm
DOB
What’s the line-up for tonight? Is Schafer playing?
Brandon aka DukeBoy
March 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
Like the line up for today… look forward to Vazquez pitching.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
Sure ncscoots. Sounds great.
Tomahawk210
March 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
Sorry…didn’t hit refresh fast enough to see.
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
4:13 pm
Bio on the guy writing for NBP tracker:
Silicon Valley middle-manager by day (and sometimes night too), Patrick has been a fan of Japanese baseball since SportsChannel aired the 1994 Japan Series while the Major Leaguers were on strike. Patrick then lived in Japan between 2000-2003, and has been following NPB very closely ever since. Patrick is not a scout or statistical guru, just a fan with an interest in spreading his passion for the game.
I have no idea whether Darvish will come to the US or not; but I’m not putting my trust in a self-admitted (LOL) middle manager from Silicon Valley.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:13 pm
By the way, heard today that CSS is carrying about 25 Gwinnett games. Don’t have a sked, though.
brent a.
March 24th, 2009
4:15 pm
chief,
re: Directv
Basically, being in Charleston, it seems likely that you will get 162 Braves games. What you need to know/find out is whether the local Fox Sports channel you receive airs the Braves, or another team (I can’t imagine who would be shown in SC, other than the Braves). Also, you have to hope that you also get Sports South (which is really like Fox Sports South 2, but they don’t formally call it that).
Next, you need to find out what Directv does about Peachtree TV games in Charleston. I’m assuming that you don’t get the over-the-air Peachtree TV (channel 17 in Atlanta); however, it is very likely that because you are in Charleston, that Directv will include a Braves alternate channel.
So, the best advice is too see if you get channels 646 (FSS), 649 (SS) and then, also look to see if there is a channel called “BRVS” at 651 on your program guide. I think this 651 is the channel that will show the Peachtree TV games; but, because I’m in Atlanta, I can’t recall having used it last year, because I get the games on 17, so I’m not exactly sure.
Now, if you are currently paying for the sports package and getting all of the 600’s, then the test I mentioned above will not necessarily help, because naturally, you’ll be getting these channels any way.
What you need to know is which channels in your viewing area are not blacked out during the Professional Sports (MLB) telecasts.
Note, buying the cheap sports package to get all of the 600’s will not get you the Braves games, because if you are not in the Braves viewing area, then the games are blacked out and you must buy the MLB package.
I apologize for any redundancy above; but, if you don’t pay extra for the sports package, and you get the channels that I mentioned above, then you should be in pretty good shape. I know that last year it took some local cable providers in the South a few days to get their act together on PTree tv games, because a lot of people didn’t realize what was happening with that channel until after the season had already started.
If anything is unclear, please ask me again, and I’ll try to answer questions more directly.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:16 pm
Cru Jones, they wore the patch for Skip for the last third of the season. I don’t think they’re wearing it again this year, but I’ll check to make sure. When I asked a while back, that was the indication.
GB
March 24th, 2009
4:18 pm
I always wished Justice would have hit a double instead of that HR back in ‘95.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:18 pm
Patrick provides an unbiased view of NPB, something you can’t get from a professional reporter that doesn’t exclusively cover NPB (all of those speak Japanese, p.s.). All the American reporters love to write stories about how Darvish is coming to America. The headline “Darvish will stay in Japan” just doesn’t sell.
garlick
March 24th, 2009
4:18 pm
PWHjort, Patrick may be a good reporter, and I totally believe his site is probably the most accurate AMERICAN written site about NPB. Still, I’ve been watching Japanese baseball for 5 years now, my buddy is stationed over there currently, and I’m fluent in Japanese and have read many reports about Darvish in Japanese, and the posting really isn’t up to Nippon Ham, it’s up to Darvish & his family. If they say, post us, he’ll be posted. If they say don’t post us, they won’t. Either way, he has all the power in this situation, and currently the marker is far on the side of him being posted.
Ramblin Wrecker
March 24th, 2009
4:18 pm
What planet is BP’s Sheehan on? Gregor Blanco could hardly be described as a) having played “well” last year or b) essentially the same hitter as Garrett Anderson. Gregor Blanco has been last in line for any of the outfield spots this year and that includes behind Brandon Jones because at least Jones has some power. Garrett Anderson is a clutch hitter who knows how to get runners in. Matt Diaz is a lifetime .300+ hitter. Josh Anderson has hit over .300 during most of his time in the majors and can actually steal a base as opposed to just having speed. Jordan Schafer is a 5 tool player who will likely eclipse all the players mentioned (except for maybe Garrett career wise), including Francoeur.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:20 pm
Thanks Garlick. And I do agree that Patrick’s is the best American written but very far from the best overall.
KC
March 24th, 2009
4:21 pm
Chipper, McCann, Francoeur 3,4,5…
I think that’s probably what we can look for this year against righties… flipping Frenchy and McCann in the lineup vs. lefties. And for the record, I think that’s the right call.
I think:
1 – Anderson (or Schafer)
2 – Escobar
3 – Jones
4 – McCann/Francoeur
5 – Fracoeur/McCann
6 – G.Anderson/Diaz
7 – KJ
8 – Kotchman
Any lineup that has KJ and Kotchman at the bottom of the lineup certainly doesn’t suck. This will be a better offense than many think.
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
4:21 pm
ncscoots He’s “Heap” now and forever. Or as long as he wears a tomahawk, anyway.
That’s for sure!
Leah, Andy K.–
Regarding the sleep thing, this article mentions it…here’s the quote thingy:
Along with drastically changing his diet, McCann has also been running three nights a week. When he returns home, he finds himself tired and often falls asleep much earlier than he did in the past.
“I go to bed at 11:30 p.m., instead of 4:30 a.m.,” McCann said. “I used to stay up watching TV until real late because I had a hard time sleeping. Now I’m waking up at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m., instead of noon. I think this is going to help me across the board. I know I’m going to be stronger, and I think I’ll be quicker and faster.”
Here’s the ChopTalk Q&A, too, just because.
Both of those articles have the same picture…Come on, they couldn’t have found a better one?
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
4:22 pm
Thanks for the lineups, Chief!
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
4:23 pm
PWH, I have no idea how unbiased or reliable “Patrick” may be. But, like Keyman suggested to Coach the other day, when you state other people’s opinions as fact, you ought to cite your references… unless you’re actually in touch with the Nippon Ham or Ju Darvish and have some inside information.
Tomahawk210
March 24th, 2009
4:24 pm
The line-up looks so much more intimidating with Schafer at the top than it would with Anderson. I’m sorry I just have that feeling.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
4:24 pm
Kenny Powers would have hit a 5-run homerun back in 1995
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
4:28 pm
So you’re saying I should’ve linked to that in my post when I’d linked to it in a previous post? It’s not a research paper, I’d already credited Patrick.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
4:28 pm
Kenny Powers didnt make that last post but agrees that he has hit a 5 run homerun before. Kenny had a stripper on his back when he hit the HR and she was allowed to score as well. Later that night Kenny did most of the scoring.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
4:29 pm
Kenny Powers would have hit a 5-run homerun back in 1995
…and that’s why chicks dig Kenny Powers.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:31 pm
Kenny, I hope you still had the stripper.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
March 24th, 2009
4:31 pm
Kenny Powers needs to stop talking about what he does while dressed in drag and playing womens softball…..
On a more serious note, looks like a good line-up tonight, should be quite the show.
diamondlady01
March 24th, 2009
4:37 pm
DOB- How about a patch for DC since we lost him last year?
Tomahawk210
March 24th, 2009
4:39 pm
Kenny Powers loves Kenny Powers too much.
nolie
March 24th, 2009
4:43 pm
And I know I am in the minority here but I think its a mistake that he’s being pushed to the side so easily. DAN IN NC
I like Blanco,pushed him last spring.I think it’s likely that he will start this year in AAA or get traded though
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:45 pm
diamondlady01, who’s DC?
flange1
March 24th, 2009
4:47 pm
Kenny Powers, are you the guy in the Dos XX beer commercials?
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
4:47 pm
Lineup prediction:
CF Jordan Schafer/Josh Anderson(I prefer Schafer)
2B Kelly Johnson
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
RF Jeff Franceour
LF Garret Anderson(I’d say his going to get starts against easy lefties and Diaz against tough lefties
SS Yunel Escobar
1B Casey Kotchman
P Pitcher
Today’s Lineup:
CF Jordan Schafer
2B Kelly Johnson
3B Chipper Jones
C Brian McCann
RF Jeff Franceour
SS Yunel Escobar
1B Greg Norton
LF Gregor Blanco
P Pitcher
nolie
March 24th, 2009
4:50 pm
“wide open” I jump to a conclusion the decision is as simple as “who is the best now” Bobby’s Belly
jumping to conclusions, that’s like assuming ain’t it? and you know what they say about assumptions.
Nothing in baseball is ever as simple as to depend only on 35 or so St at bats.
Jim Pierce
March 24th, 2009
4:51 pm
DOB: I think Anderson will ultimately end up the choice for Centerfield…and bat leadoff.
Shafer has options…… and Anderson doesn’t. They are nip and tuck in abilities, althought Shafer hits for more power i think. I don’t think it will be long into the season that Shafer gets a shot tho… depending on injuries, performance, etc.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
4:51 pm
Hillbilly, that cracked me up….
Soriano (speaking of) is scheduled to relieve tonight along with Carlyle and Bennett
N8
March 24th, 2009
4:53 pm
Maybe the Braves should put wear an “AJ” patch on their jerseys, as a tribute to Andruw Jones. Since his career appears to be dead in the water.
diamondlady01
March 24th, 2009
4:54 pm
BB5795- Bruce Dal Canton Pitching Coach for MB Pelicans & former Braves Pitching Coach
dude
March 24th, 2009
4:56 pm
Blanco will be starting CF. Bank.
Eric from MO
March 24th, 2009
4:56 pm
Ncscoots in regards to your 12:21 post I understand why Wren did it. If he did nothing and the outfield failed he would never hear the end of it. However, I dont consider Anderson a “big bat.” He is solid but we had so much potential from our young guys that I was pretty certain they could be solid.
nolie
March 24th, 2009
4:56 pm
Mizzou “higher learning.” DOB
hey Dave used an oxymoron
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
4:57 pm
flange1(4:47) “Kenny Powers” is the blog-name for Ricky Henderson. I’m really looking forward to his HOF acceptance speach, this July.
nolie, I don’t want to admit that I’m out of shape, but I jumped to a conclusion the other day and strained my hamstring.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:01 pm
Thank you, diamondlady01. I’m glad I asked. I definitely needed some help there.
ncscoots
March 24th, 2009
5:02 pm
However, I dont consider Anderson a “big bat.”
Nor do I, my friend. And I tend to agree that he is an incremental upgrade over the pre-trade roster. That being said, being “pretty certain” about the alternatives wouldn’t have fed Frank Wren’s bulldog, I’m thinking.
LF is what it is, and there you go.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
5:02 pm
Hey Anders if you’re around, I remember last week when you were bragging on your boy Pelfrey and you posted a very nice stat line that he had. Maybe you didn’t see that he pitched today but the results were not as pleasant. Were you not going to post today’s line? I’ll do it for you. 4.2 IP 10 hits 6R 6 ER 1BB 1K. And this was against the Astro’s. Ouch. It is only spring training though so I’m just funnin’ ya. But not great today.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:04 pm
I betcha Ricky or Kenny can spell ’speech’ better than I. More proof reading, I tell you.
RHR
March 24th, 2009
5:07 pm
I don’t suppose the return of chipper and mac will be televised for me, will it?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
5:08 pm
You think it’s a coincidence that Bennett and Carlyle are pitching against the Pirates and the Pirates are looking for pitching?
Tomahawk210
March 24th, 2009
5:11 pm
Schafer CF…bank.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
5:16 pm
Anderson CF …. bank….robbed
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
5:18 pm
Does anyone have the Gameday chart active boxscore thingy link? Or is it not up yet?
Moby Grape
March 24th, 2009
5:19 pm
did not jump. I was mocking you. Bobby’sSelly
only an ignorant jerk would mock a good poster. Shows your typical lack of class.
David Price
March 24th, 2009
5:22 pm
Jayson Stack has an interesting story on ESPN.com about how I’m about to get sent to AAA, just like the Rays did with Evan Longoria last year:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=4011780
zephyr8
March 24th, 2009
5:22 pm
Here I thought Kenny Powers would enjoy this.
http://www.zazzle.com/kenny_powers_55_tshirt-235491534433686569
spotts
March 24th, 2009
5:22 pm
Why did 33 people vote for Gregor Blanco??
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
5:22 pm
From ESPN:
At the owners meetings in Dana Point, Calif., Mangini announced that the battle for the Browns’ starting quarterback spot will feature an open competition between Quinn and Derek Anderson.
Sure wish I understood what Mangini is saying. So difficult to understand.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
5:23 pm
The Mike Hampton Patch. It’s a trash can full of money. But hey, he was a funny guy to be around. Or so I’ve heard…
BG FSU
March 24th, 2009
5:24 pm
So DOB, are you going to add a FAQ section to the blog? That way when someone asks the daily question about the origins of Dark Star or whether Will Ohman is signed yet you can simply direct them there.
Bobby's Belly
March 24th, 2009
5:25 pm
Moby…Dick
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
5:27 pm
Jason Stark gets a little long winded on those articles. And I voted for Blanco once and Schafer a few times.
Chop Chop
March 24th, 2009
5:28 pm
I think the Mike Hampton patch should have “KC” on it. He pimped Mike’s comeback so hard that he deserves some recognition.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:28 pm
Andy K., is this what you want? http://mlb.mlb.com/news/boxscore.jsp?gid=2009_03_24_pitmlb_atlmlb_1
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
5:36 pm
For those who need to know a little more about Kenny. Or for the ladies if you just cant get enough. Click on this thing below
http://www.kennypowers.com/
Leah
March 24th, 2009
5:36 pm
McFann -
I remember those articles, thanks for the reminder. Still would like to know how he’s doing with the dieting and workouts now, though. You know, kind of like an update on the situation.
And I agree on the pic. You’d think they were short on pictures of him or something, either that or someone was just being lazy.
CB
March 24th, 2009
5:37 pm
I feel great about the potential for the Braves this season no matter how centerfield is resolved.The key for a good year will be to dodge the injury bug that plagued us last year and career year from Frenchy and McCann.Kotchman will also step up too.With the added depth less strain on our relievers keeping them fresh.PLEASE NO MAJOR INJURIES!
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
5:37 pm
The best part about being Kenny Powers is being Kenny Powers.
Wascally Wabbit
March 24th, 2009
5:37 pm
Why did 33 people vote for Gregor Blanco?? (SPOTTS)
Probably for the same reason Ron Paul, Ralph Nader or Ross Perot get votes every 4 years. There’s always that one clown out there that thinks he’s just so much different and so much smarter than everyone else
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
5:38 pm
BB, sort of, but no. It’s the thing a few people usually post a link to. MLB.com runs a pitch by pitch boxscore analysis program, and it’s available, just not easily during spring games. Found it the other day, but can’t find it now.
Wascally Wabbit
March 24th, 2009
5:39 pm
More annoying: Kenny Powers or Tub of Goo? Methinks said blogger be one and the same.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
5:41 pm
Bobby’s Belly, lol @ your 5:25.
“He was a man among boys, relatively speaking” -DOB… Ever met the Committee on Redundancy Committee?
Good call on Greg Brown. Do you own “Covenant”? That’s the only one I have, but I like it a lot. Especially ‘Cept You and Me Babe and Rexroth’s Daughter.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
5:41 pm
Andy K.: Maybe this is what you need…http://m.mlb.com/
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:42 pm
Enter your comments here
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:46 pm
I think I’ll enter my comments here instead (didn’t see where the cursor was sitting, when I grabbed the mouse in such a hostile fashion).
Andy K., I’ve seen, what you describe, with the NFL sites. I didn’t know it existed with the bb ones. Let me know if you find it.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
5:48 pm
Submit Comment
bravesfan
March 24th, 2009
5:49 pm
DOB, do you know who else is scheduled to pitch tonight after Vazquez?
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
5:50 pm
Let’s see if I can just post the link:
http://m.mlb.com/
Nope, but that is the link I use to go to play-by-play
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
5:51 pm
Wascally Wabbit, I don’t know. I’m starting to like Kenny Powers. He just takes a little getting used to. You know, just like that cute, adorable puppy that keeps peeing on your stove.
Couch Tater
March 24th, 2009
5:52 pm
They were going to have a “Mike Hampton” patch, but the sewing machine broke.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
5:53 pm
Yep. Use this link http://m.mlb.com/ , then click on more games, then on Pit/Atl game, then at game start time, click on play by play.
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
5:53 pm
Leah–
Yeah, I agree: an update would be nice–like, just a little tiny note in ChopTalk or something.
(Hey, speaking of ChopTalk, been meaning to say this for a month or so now, but there was a little thing in the March issue about McCann. He was the inaugural inductee to the Rome Braves HOF. They also retired his number 17–pretty sweet!)
As for the picture, they could have at least done this one.
Course, this one from 2006 has always been one of my faves, but that’s beside the point…
Chop Chop
March 24th, 2009
5:54 pm
I’m looking at the Eastbound & Down site on HBO. There’s some useful stuff on there. I like the “Powerisms” thing.
“People who hate me are haters, and haters can suck it.”
“If, at first, you don’t succeed, maybe you just suck.”
Amen.
Couch Tater
March 24th, 2009
5:54 pm
…but Soriano said he had a friend in the Dominican who could fix it.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
6:02 pm
If you are looking for MLB.com Gameday, which is pitch by pitch, try this link: http://mlb.mlb.com/mobile/gameday.jsp?c_id=mlb
But I believe it cost between $4 and $9.
Ritchie from Scotland
March 24th, 2009
6:04 pm
just listening to the singing of the anthem. Is it bad that i feel more emotion to the singing of the Star Spangled Banner than I do the Flower of Scotland?
propp
March 24th, 2009
6:05 pm
no couch tater, it is Soriano’s “cousin”
Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty
March 24th, 2009
6:05 pm
Wascally Wabbit…
That’s because Ron Paul IS smarter than just about everyone else!
And no, I did not vote for Blanco!
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
6:07 pm
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2009_03_24_pitmlb_atlmlb_1
Don’t worry people. I got ya covered.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
6:07 pm
Ritchie from Scotland, I feel more listening to “The Glencoe Massacre,” so I guess it evens out.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:08 pm
cvbraves, thanks for the 5:53 post. If there’s no tv or radio, I usually use the one I sent to Andy K. Once the game starts, you can click the 30 second refresh. It keeps you appraised of what’s going on, almost pitch-by-pitch. I’ll give the one you sent, and Andy K. is talking about, a look-see this evening. I didn’t know this one was available. I thought I knew everything. Is it possible I’ve overestimated my knowledge?
Salty Dawg
March 24th, 2009
6:11 pm
@ DOB,
“You’re right — Jamey’s got a voice that reminds me of some of the old-school country giants. I love his current CD, which someone on the blog pointed out was actually his second. So the other day I ordered his first one. Haven’t heard that yet.”
Have you ever considered a subscription service, such as rhapsody? I pay $10/month and can listen to virtually any song/album/playlist I want. It’s great for scouting out what cds you want to buy or you can download them if you are in to the whole digital thing. I only ask because I recently stumbled across Jamey Johnson and rhapsody has both of his released albums plus an exclusive live & unplugged album that is awesome. It might be worth a look for a guy that buys as many cds as you do.
KC
March 24th, 2009
6:12 pm
Chop Chop, I did state numerous times that I felt Hampton could still be effective if he could stay out on the mound. However, I didn’t try to predict the likelihood of that (his remaining healthy) happening.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:12 pm
Andy K., I think ‘Roman Gal’ will next tell us that Japan won the WBC.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
6:14 pm
Bravesfan, yes, that’s why I listed them an hour or so ago: Carlyle, Bennett, Soriano
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
Schafer lines one in to center for a hit, continues to apply pressure. Nice stuff from Vazquez too.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
ha
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
Ritchie from Scotland, deep down inside, you realize how lucky you are to be rid of us.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
6:16 pm
nice Schafer gets it goin
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
6:19 pm
Andy K., I think ‘Roman Gal’ will next tell us that Japan won the WBC. BB5795
What?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
6:19 pm
Bubdylan, I’ve got Covenant and about seven or eight other Greg Brown CDs, including The Poet Game and Slant Six Mind, probably my favorites along with Covenant .. and Further In … so many good ones. For anyone who doesn’t have much or any of his work, I’d highly recommend starting with his best-of compilation, If I Had Known: Essential Recordings, 1980-1996.
KC
March 24th, 2009
6:20 pm
Schafer just keeps on hitting. Keeping the heat on Anderson, isn’t he?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
6:20 pm
Chipper flied out to left on first pitch he saw.
bravesfan
March 24th, 2009
6:22 pm
Sorry, I didn’t see them. My bad…
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
6:25 pm
Lillibridge just made a really nice play for the White Sox.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
6:25 pm
At this point Schafer has applied all the heat he needs to. If Anderson can’t boost his OBP, I think he’s lost the job. If he can, he’ll probably win it. It’s in his court now.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:25 pm
Sorry, Roman Gal. I tried, and failed, to help Andy K. with that exact same site, a while ago. Check my 5:28 post.
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
6:27 pm
DOB, how long will Javy pitch for? Or they just seeing how he feels after a bit?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
6:27 pm
it’s what McCann does — he hits. And hits.
After his leadoff single, Francoeur breaks a bat on a flyout to CF.
RHR
March 24th, 2009
6:29 pm
So DOB, are you going to add a FAQ section to the blog? That way when someone asks the daily question about the origins of Dark Star or whether Will Ohman is signed yet you can simply direct them there.
RHR
March 24th, 2009
6:30 pm
And thanks for the link RomanGal.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
6:30 pm
DOB, thanks. I’ll put it on my if-I-see-it-grab-it list. Wiki says there’s an edition that comes with a 49 minute DVD. Kewl.
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
6:32 pm
BB5795, I see.
Shawn G
March 24th, 2009
6:33 pm
http://www.insidethemajors.com/?p=141 Great article on Travis Snyder, who is in the same boat as Jordan.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that he deserves to start the year in the minors – as a fan of his, both on and off the field, it pains me to even type those words — but this is in the best interest of the Blue Jays franchise. Before you go pointing to the economy, think again, sending him to Las Vegas to begin the 2009 season isn’t an economic decision, this is about controlling this talent for as long as possible.
My argument:
A MLB player becomes eligible for free agency once he has amassed six full seasons of service time. If Snider breaks camp with the Blue Jays, he is on schedule to become a free agent after the 2014 season. If optioned until May 15, he wouldn’t have the ability to become a free agent until after the 2015 season. Isn’t six weeks of not having Snider in 2009 worth having him for six months in 2015? After all, Paul Beeston has said the 2009 season is one in which they may take a step back – I’m sure they expect to be going forward in 2015.
Need to know:
* Major League season is 183 days long
* A players needs to amass 172 active days to receive a full year of service
Snider amassed 32 service days during his call-up last year. in order to keep him from acquiring a full year of service he must end the season with 171 days of service or less. Therefore he must only spend 139 days in the majors this year, counting backwards from the end of the season – puts his recall day at May 15.
Schafer has amassed 0 service time. So all we have to do is park him in Gwinnett for 12 days and we get a whole year out of him. We play 9 games in the first 12 days of the season. Do we want 9 games this year or 162 in 2015?
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
6:36 pm
I may be dead by 2015….. just play the kid if he is best
The differential on $ for the extra year would be the equivalent of signing Derek Lowe to a $57M deal instead of a $60M deal
the cry of mediocrity should cease
Schafer is the best person for CF as shown this ST under competition
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
6:37 pm
Is there an eyelash on my screen or does Blanco have some kind of tiny beard?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
6:39 pm
6 weeks of service isn’t enough to delay his free agency a year, just make sure he doesn’t get super 2 status. He’ll still be a free agent after 2014, but he’ll only have 3 arb years (2012, 2013, 2014) instead of 4 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), meaning it will save the club money.
Shawn G
March 24th, 2009
6:39 pm
It’s not the money..it’s the control. He will be a free agent a year earlier if we don’t wait two weeks.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:40 pm
Roman Gal, we’re both paisons (I think) and we have our sites and favorite team in common. Who knows? This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Moby Grape
March 24th, 2009
6:41 pm
Moby…Dick— B’sBellacher
That’s all you got? Pathetic. Guess you’re more experienced at mocking your betters than ad lib comedy.And I can see why that would be since there are so many on here who are better
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
6:41 pm
Shawn, compelling, but aren’t the Braves trying to win now? What if they lose the division by a game, and in those 9 days Anderson batted .100? Would it have been worth it? You put the best 25 guys you can on the roster, and worry about the specifics later. That’s my opinion.
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
6:41 pm
I got yet another safe hit… oh boy 0.400
Shawn G
March 24th, 2009
6:41 pm
PWH…No it won’t. If they wait he will only have 5.9 years of service time at the end of ‘14 and will be under control another year.
cabravesfan
March 24th, 2009
6:43 pm
Is Vasquez throwing as sharp as his line seems to indicate?
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
6:44 pm
Ohhh…. wait… I totally didn’t get that Bobby’s Belly’s post was about M. Grape, if it was. Thought it was random (random the adjective, not Random to poster). Thus, the funniness.
Buffalo NY Braves Fan
March 24th, 2009
6:45 pm
Unfortuantely I am stuck at work late tonight…. so any play by play… score…. pitching lines… anything would be helpful.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
6:45 pm
For Schafer, we have to wait until June, in order to delay him one more year.
Leah
March 24th, 2009
6:47 pm
McFann –
Maybe we can get DOB to ask Mac before/after a game soon or something. Or at least get a few quotes on his time playing in WBC.
Oh yes, I saw that in ChopTalk. And speaking of the ceremony in Rome, here’s a short video of Mac’s “speech” that he gave at that event.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
6:48 pm
Bubdylan: What screen are you watching…Game on TV somewhere?
Andy K.
March 24th, 2009
6:48 pm
I hope J-Schaf is our starting CF.
BeauX
March 24th, 2009
6:49 pm
Buddy from my work went and caught some spring training last week. Came in today with two personalized autographed balls for me: Tommy Hanson and Jordan Schafer. Sweet.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
6:51 pm
cvbraves, not that I know of; mlb gameday. Laptop screen…
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
6:51 pm
Kelly singled with two outs in the third, then Chipper grounded out to end the inning. No score yet.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
6:52 pm
Good news today folks, Livan Hernandez was named the Mets 5th starter. He’s a career 3-15 against the Braves with a 5.52 ERA and has given up a whopping 24 HR in 151.2 innings pitched while striking out 96 and walking 68. All of this in 24 career starts against Atlanta. If you break it down in the last 3 years, It gets even worse, The numbers are 1-1, 10.05, 4K, 10BB, 3HR .393 BAA. How in the world did he win one of those games?
KC
March 24th, 2009
6:53 pm
I think we should trade Schafer for Ryan Freel
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
6:54 pm
Leah Maybe we can get DOB to ask Mac before/after a game soon or something.
Yeah…maybe if we’re really nice…
Hey, and thanks for the link!
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
6:54 pm
BTW–Yay! He got a hit!
Leah
March 24th, 2009
6:55 pm
Ha ha, yes, maybe.
You’re welcome!
Leah
March 24th, 2009
6:56 pm
Woo ,he’s gone for three weeks and still comes back smokin’ the ball! Welcome back, Mac!
Phil Jonez
March 24th, 2009
6:57 pm
Enter your comments here
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
6:57 pm
kc, you can’t be serious. And, we still on at Jock’s and Jill’s on the 5th?
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
6:58 pm
Who is Josh Anderson and what is he about ?
wiki
March 24th, 2009
6:59 pm
*Hanson faced the Triple-A Gwinnett team today, or at least those who are in minor league camp (not those in major league camp). He was a man among boys, relatively speaking: Five innings, no hits, one walk, eight strikeouts. Threw 75 pitches, including first-pitch strikes to 15 of 21 batters. “He was literally unhittable, facing those guys,” Bobby Cox said.*
Looks like Kawakami may soon become an expensive middle reliever.
Phil Jonez
March 24th, 2009
6:59 pm
DOB – PLEASE EXPLAIN
In a WBC writeup on last nights game, said that Suzuki fouled off a pitch after it bounced in the dirt. Is that legal? And if so, then it must be where the ball is when it crosses the plate? If that’s correct (and doesn’t seem like it could be) why don’t pitchers ever pitch cricket style? I understand they are able to get wicked bounces off the ground – always assumed that wasn’t legit, but not sure how Suzuki fouled one off after it hit the ground then.
Any thoughts/explanation? Thanks!!!!
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
6:59 pm
BB5795…um, sure. I’m a little confused…but, I’m friends with anyone who’s a Braves fan (except this one guy who called me a hippie and told me he loved me…he was a little on the creepy side.)
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:00 pm
Hinske just flied out to the right-field wall, wind probably kept that one in. Monroe had doubled in a run before that and advanced to third on the flyout.
Chop Chop
March 24th, 2009
7:02 pm
Going by the logic I often see here, I’m guessing that Bobby’s gushing over Hanson is just a shameless attempt to increase the kid’s trade value.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
7:02 pm
Roman Gal, I think that was me! Kidding. Phil, you can bounce them up there all day, but most hitters won’t swing at them and they’re not strikes.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
7:02 pm
Kenny wants to know what Kawakami becoming an expensive middle reliever and Hanson getting out AAA batters have to do with each other?
Thats right. Nothing. Just as Kenny thought
Shawn G
March 24th, 2009
7:02 pm
wiki..try Glavine being done, not Kawakami being a middle reliever.
FaninFaytown
March 24th, 2009
7:03 pm
Phil, just beacuse you can foul off a ball that hits the ground doesnt mean it would be a strike?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:04 pm
McCann first-pitch single to start the fourth, right up the middle.
That’s two hits in three pitches seen for McCann tonight. I think he’s ready.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:05 pm
Francoeur grounded into a DP, hit it hard though.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:05 pm
I hate Jeff Francoeur.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
7:06 pm
Tough…Frenchy just smoked one, but GIDP
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
7:06 pm
Kenny personally think Kawakami will win 10+ games and thats not bad from your fourth starter. Kawakami has won the Japanese Cy Young ( you know the guys that have won both WBC kicking our butts in the process ) Hanson hasnt done anything (yet).
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
7:07 pm
Dang I wish the Braves game was on t.v. down here in Florida, gotta expose the 2 year old to Braves baseball as early as possible. Instead, it’s Imagination Movers……..I need Big Wheels to come put me out of my misery.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
7:08 pm
DOB
Any idea how fast the Pirates pitcher is throwing? He seems pretty solid.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:08 pm
Roman Gal, how does he come to call you a hippie, via type? Instead of those little smiley faces, were you using small post-its of Dr. Timothy Leary? Either way, it’s OK. I can appreciate hippies.
gotigers72
March 24th, 2009
7:08 pm
DOB – Had a vision of you Saturday night. In your hotel, a smoke filled room, cigar smoke of course. Relaxed, lying on your couch waiting for your Jayhawks to play on Sunday. Music on your sound system blaring. Strawberry Alarm Clock singing “Incense, Peppermints” and the Lemon Pipers following up with “Green Tambourine”. Wow! Now that is some serious classic rock! I know you like more contemporary stuff, but that was my vision. Was my vision on the money?
Who came up with that “Rock, Chalk Jayhawk” cheer? Because that is seriously retarded. Something no one understands, even Kansas fans don’t understand it. They are lemmings, spouting out that disturbed cheer to piss other fans off. Now my Clemson Tiger fans have a cheer that a man can be proud of. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, C-l-e-m-s-o-n, T-i-g-e-r-s. Fight Tigers, Fight Tigers, Fight Fight Fight. You’re a writer DOB. Why don’t you come up with something so they can bury that Rock Chalk crap. Just make it something that can be understood.
Note to self; Don’t blog while under the influence of pain pills.
Phil Jonez
March 24th, 2009
7:08 pm
Woogidy and Fanin, I hear you, but I’m interested in what the rule actually is. I mean, does the rule say “it’s where the ball is when it crosses the plate” and if so, then why couldn’t you bounce it up there?
Doesn’t make sense that the rule says, where the ball is, but it’s a dead ball once it hits the ground, unless the batter swings in which case it’s still a live ball (because if it wasn’t still a live ball, then you couldn’t foul it off).
Just wondering if DOB maybe new the exact rule.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
7:09 pm
Kenny Powers knows that there is one thing Jeff Francouer does better than any player in baseball … and thats make outs.
The man is an out making machine.
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
7:09 pm
Woogidy, I doubt the person who said that to me would remember even being alive after that game. But, its nice to be loved…I guess.
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
7:09 pm
Wow gotigers72, if you hadn’t put the pain pills comment in there I would’ve thought that was an acid trip……
wiki
March 24th, 2009
7:09 pm
wiki no like kenny. wiki wishes attack of locusts and vermin on kenny.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:10 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot, Roman Gal. What has you confused?
BeauX
March 24th, 2009
7:10 pm
Is the game on TV?
I checked the TV schedule on AJC, and didn’t see anything. Anybody got a clue for local ATL, Direct TV?
FaninFaytown
March 24th, 2009
7:11 pm
the ball isn’t dead, just once it hits the ground it cant be a strike
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:11 pm
Brandon Jones can play RF, me in CF, Garret in RF and Diaz and Frenchy get a game against lefties
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:12 pm
Forgot to mention earlier: Kawakami is fine, Cox said, and will start Wednesday night.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:12 pm
Francoeur was 6th in the league in outs made last year. That’s usually reserved for lead-off hitters because they get a ton of at bats.
eltrompoBRAVESfan
March 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
Schafer, Frenchy would be an expensive only-lefties hitter…..
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
DOB–
Yeah, I’d say he’s ready…I know I am!
Gonzo the Clown
March 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
are we really getting out-hit by the pirates?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/02/13/the-francoeur-arbitration-case/
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
7:14 pm
Game not on TV or MLB.TV. Is on MLB.TV radio.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
7:14 pm
wow, we’re barely an hour in and the game is almost half way over!
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:14 pm
Arbitration is better than free agency for these bums
3 guys getting more than Garret is a joke….. lol
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
7:17 pm
Schafer Obliterator: You are probably right…but Garret isn’t even playing.
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:17 pm
Woogidy, LOL… no, not serious. I don’t know if you were frequenting the blog back with Freel’s name came up in every 5th post. He and Carl Crawford. No one ever shut up about those two. Just like to have a little fun with that from time to time.
Yes! Opening day viewing party’s still on. See ya then.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:19 pm
You’d rather give more money to a 37 year old than someone in the midst of their prime? OK.
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
7:19 pm
Roman GAL, after that comment, I am for sure it was me!
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:21 pm
PWH – yes rather pay a 37 year old pro hitter’s hitter money than a hacker all washed up before 25
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
7:22 pm
This is shades of last year…isolated singles and walks against average pitchers, no ability to put anything together.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
7:22 pm
I think Froggy suffered (in 08′)somewhat from the same thing that ailed Johhny Miller after his awesome 7 win season in the PGA in the early 1970s… (Miller floundered after that year)
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
7:23 pm
One of the 5 coolest things in my life just happened…
My 5 year old just walked up with his guitar and sat down, handed me a pad a pen and said “Let’s write a song.” And we did. Wow.
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
7:24 pm
BB5795, he was drunk. It was actually a guy wearing Braves stuff at a UGA game. He was quite wasted. I’m not exactly sure why he called me a hippie.
Why am I confused? Because of your first comment leading to us being friends…then…I.don’t.know.
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
7:25 pm
Very cool, 18 Wheels!
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
7:25 pm
epine – yes we have a case of “no hittus againstus good pitchingus…”
it appears and have had the disease for some 10 years
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:27 pm
Schafer Obliterator, you haven’t been watching the Braves (in particular, Jeff Francoeur) this spring, have you?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:27 pm
Is your name Patterson?
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:28 pm
18 Wheels of Love, that’s awesome!!!! I have a 4 year-old and a 5 year-old. Very cool age.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:30 pm
Monroe lined out to Schafer in the L-C gap, and they almost doubled off the runner at first base.
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:30 pm
Frenchy has not hit one quality pitcher this ST…… not one
Tonight Olendorf is picthing well and Francouer is overmatched, he was overmatched against Johan on the weekend etc etc.
dogsbrekky – Johnny Miller’s problem was working on his farm one winter and bulking up too much and therefore losing his golf swing, it was after 1976 not his huge 1973 year
I just made a huge play AGAIN !
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:32 pm
Roman Gal, now you have me confused! By the way, stay away from that Woogidy character. He’s not your type. And if that Kenny Powers tries to cut my grass, cut him off!
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:33 pm
18 WoL, when you have some time, tell us about the other 4.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
7:33 pm
Schafer, wtf are you talking about? Francoeur had a fantastic AB where he drew the walk off Santana and didn’t look even remotely overmatched. Tonight, he has a broken bat fly out and sharply hit ball to the right side, hardly “overmatched”. You clearly haven’t been watching, so spare us.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:34 pm
GoTigers, I can assure you the Strawberry Alarm Clock was not cranked on my stereo as the Jayhawks prepared to square off with Dayton.
As for the greatest chant in college sports, it needs no defending from me or anyone else, particularly not to someone so amused by the likes of “1-2-3-4…” and whatever else you said your alma mater’s “cheer” consists of.
MattyRoss
March 24th, 2009
7:35 pm
18 wheels, I’m sure that’s a story you’ll be telling for years. Now while the iron’s hot, you guys gotta put on a concert! Those home movies are gold, man.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:35 pm
Bennett replaces Vazquez, and promptly issues a walk.
Phil Jonez
March 24th, 2009
7:36 pm
If anyone cares, here’s the official MLB rule regarding pitches in the dirt:
A BALL is a pitch which does not enter the strike zone in flight and is not struck at
by the batter.
Rule 2.00 (Ball) Comment: If the pitch touches the ground and bounces through the strike zone it
is a “ball.” If such a pitch touches the batter, he shall be awarded first base. If the batter swings at such a
pitch after two strikes, the ball cannot be caught, for the purposes of Rule 6.05 (c) and 6.09 (b). If the
batter hits such a pitch, the ensuing action shall be the same as if he hit the ball in flight.
propp
March 24th, 2009
7:38 pm
i seem to remember Vinny Castilla golfing a few pitches that had bounced first
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:38 pm
I have been to every ST game except for 3
Francouer was the worst OF (regular in 2008) and will be apalling again, he sucks, just sucks and I know I scout OF
His new technique will work for all of 1 week and then the panic swinging will start….. he will not have an OBP > 333
but young Jones, me and Heyward are just very good
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:39 pm
Escobar made a beautiful bare-hand catch and throw to nail Andy LaRoche. Didn’t even hesitate to field it with his bare hand.
“That’s a ballsy play,” said Brian Jordan, seated next to me here in the Dark Star pressbox.
B.J. is doing prep work before he does the TV broadcast of Thursday’s game on CSS with Chip Caray.
Jordan and Jim Powell will also do games on CSS on March 31, April 2 and April 3.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:39 pm
Schafer Obliterator, once told everyone that Mother Theresa shampooed her hair, without rinsing and repeating!
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
7:40 pm
Vazquez 5-2/3 innings, 5 hits, one run, one walk, six strikeouts.
Threw 61 strikes in 91 pitches.
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:41 pm
Schafer Obliterator, that’s just plain wrong.
First of all, one of his two outs today was a hard hit liner. And the Braves have only faced a few good starting pitchers over the past 2 weeks. Francoeur got hits off two of them, Josh Johnson and Adam Wainwright, and drew a (9 pitch, I think it was) walk off of Santana, at no point looking overmatched.
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
7:43 pm
Woogidy, I certainly hope it wasn’t you.
BB5975, Ok. But I’m not really sure I have a type.
Rob
March 24th, 2009
7:44 pm
what channel is CSS
Schafer Obliterator
March 24th, 2009
7:44 pm
Just wait, he will be obliterated again
he will destroy the Braves season
we have better options
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
7:46 pm
wow, DOB, do the boys just look tired, or what? how do we score twelve runs in saturday’s game, then score 2 runs over the next 16 innings?
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
7:46 pm
Barehanding a ball in ST = Not too bright. I know Escobar plays by instinct, but a broken finger in a meaningless game is stoopit.
Rob
March 24th, 2009
7:47 pm
Bennett needs to go
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
7:47 pm
Roman Gal, heck, I have no idea either. I’m just trying to get rid of the competition.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
7:47 pm
the pirates announcers said bennett made a “horrible” defensive play, that he looked like he was doggin’ it? was that true, DOB?
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
7:49 pm
Another good outing for Javy. Even if Flowers and Lillibridge pan out, this is still a good trade.
18 Wheels: Be SURE to put that pad in a plastic bag and put it somewhere safe. If the kid becomes a famous songwriter, it’ll be worth a lot. And even if not, it will be priceless to you and to him.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
7:49 pm
DOB, if Bennett doesn’t make the team, who’s going to be our left hander in the pen? is our season falling apart in front of us the way the pirates announcers are trying to make it seem?
Gonzo the Clown
March 24th, 2009
7:50 pm
we’re going to lose this game, too. bennett sucks
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
7:51 pm
Bennett is not a lefty.
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:51 pm
Rob, CSS is Comcast Sports Southeast. I’m guessing you have to have Comcast Cable to have it. Don’t think they’re carrying any reg. season games.
KC
March 24th, 2009
7:54 pm
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Bennett won’t be in Phili on April 5th.
Hasn’t done anything to help his case.
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
7:54 pm
Bennett is deciding his own fate. Like Bobby says, “Things always work themselves out.”
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
7:56 pm
Bennett’s tanking.
Pat
March 24th, 2009
7:56 pm
bennett walks in a second run
Pat
March 24th, 2009
7:56 pm
finally pitching change
Gonzo the Clown
March 24th, 2009
7:56 pm
this is embarassing
Original Jon
March 24th, 2009
7:57 pm
Frenchy’s Faux-Beard, Bennett is not left handed.
Bobby's Cox
March 24th, 2009
7:58 pm
Just figured it out…..DOB calls Disney “Dark Star” because Kansas always loses when he watches their games at “Dark Star”
18 Wheels of Love
March 24th, 2009
7:58 pm
Believe me, that one goes in the vault! Maybe eve the bank lock box. It’s hilarious, I can’t play the guitar any better than he can. He’s gonna be a writer, director…something in the arts like that – it’s in his genes.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
you guys are right. he’s not, but the question remains, who, besides gonzo, will we have in the pen southpaw-wise?
Patrick
March 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
PWHjort, garlick, et al, I wrote the linked blog post on Darvish and feel compelled to respond to some of the comments.
1. The Nippon Ham Fighters were a doormat before Trey Hillman and Yu Darvish showed up. They won the Japan Series in 2006, and returned but lost in 2007, with a team retooled around pitching and defense. They made the 2nd round of the playoffs last year, and good win a very balanced Pacific League this year. Posting Darvish for $60m+ when he’s still under team control for five years would basically be throwing in the towel for the immediate future.
1a. They wouldn’t really be able to use the extra cash to sign better players. Only seven guys filed for free agency in Japan last year, and two of those came to America. Signing bonuses for rookies are capped at about $1m, and you can only draft a limited number of players.
2. Nippon Ham’s attendance increased dramatically when the team moved from Tokyo to Sapporo. The team couldn’t draw flies in Tokyo. Darvish remains a significant drawing card and the team’s popularity would take a hit if he weren’t around.
3. While the Fighters are unlikely to draw as well as the top teams, they’ve shown they are capable of competing on their field. Yomiuri hasn’t won a Japan Series since 2002; Hanshin since 1985.
4. Posting is absolutely NOT up to the players and their families. Numerous players have asked to be posted and had their requests denied (Aoki and Fujikawa are two bigger name players). Players have to consent to posting but have no leverage to demand it.
5. Darvish has consistently said he wants to stay in Japan. While he may be diplomatic, others have talked openly about wanting to play in America (Matsui, Uehara, Kawakami… there’s a long list).
It seems like everyone wants to believe that Darvish will be posted and come to MLB, whether the signs point to it or not. I do think he’ll come around eventually but I don’t see it happening for a while.
Thanks,
Patrick
http://www.npbtracker.com
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
What’s up with Bennet, I thought he was awesome at the end of last year.
Rob
March 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
Bennett better not make this team. Medlen has outpitched him
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
assuming o’flaherty and logan have been driven out of town, that is
Original Jon
March 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
Logan and/or O’Flaherty, thats who will be the other lefties
Woogidy
March 24th, 2009
8:01 pm
Over matched, under matched on Frenchy, Blah blah blah… All I know is he’s only struck out once this spring training. If you put the ball in play more often, better things happen than if you don’t (Unless it’s a double play). I am pleased with Frenchy so far.
Rob
March 24th, 2009
8:02 pm
Bullpen
Gonzalez-Soriano-Moylan-Boyer-Logan-O’Flaherty-Medlen-Carlyle
Then O’Flaherty goes down for Glavine/Hanson
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
8:02 pm
then we are screwed, original jon
Gil In Mechanicsville
March 24th, 2009
8:03 pm
Boy, I sure am glad the Braves won all those ST games early because some of you sound like you would be slitting your wrist with the recent trend. What is it about THEY DON”T COUNT don’t you folks understand?
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:04 pm
So while we were down talking to Vazquez, Bennett took more steps to assure he’s not on the opening day roster and that he probably wouldn’t draw much in return in a trade right now.
He gave up a single to start inning, then made an errant throw on a FC bunt. Another FC later, he gave up a single to load the bases, then walked both McLouth and Doumit to bring in the second and third runs of the game.
Vlad Nunez replaced him and got out of the inning without further damage with a K and a flyout
Pat
March 24th, 2009
8:04 pm
Logan will make the team ill bet on that
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
8:05 pm
BB5975. Aww, shucks…I think.
KC
March 24th, 2009
8:05 pm
Boy… Braves bats have gone to sleep.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
8:07 pm
Gil, they do matter. Just take a look at what these fine AJC writers are saying.
Roman Gal
March 24th, 2009
8:07 pm
I love Schafer, btw.
…just in case anyone was unsure.
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:08 pm
We want a YouTube of 18 Wheels and Son dueting!
ric flair
March 24th, 2009
8:08 pm
DOB I saw Bennett pitch last week. It looked on TV he put back on a lot of weight. Did he?
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:09 pm
I am listening to the Pirate radio and they are talking about DIAZ as an OF option for them
Am I mistaken ?
mbatl
March 24th, 2009
8:09 pm
I wouldn’t be so quick to judge Bennett… yeah, he’s had a couple of bad outings (one really bad one). Seems like something’s just not right with him. But keep in mind that he threw 97 good innings for us last year. As a reliever, 80 innings with a 3.12!
That’s pretty valuable.
It kinda’ goes back to that discussion of to what extent S.T. performance earns a guy a job. Bennett sure hasn’t earned one so far this spring, but it’s not fair to completely overlook the good work he did last year. (well, it may be fair, but it may not be smart).
If he’s done he’s done, but I really hope not.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
8:09 pm
I don’t how Bennett was going to make it anyway. The way I see, last four spots will probably come from 5 guys:
Campillo, Carlyle, Acosta, Medlen, Logan.
mettie
March 24th, 2009
8:11 pm
haven’t I seen this so much during the regular season with the 4th place braves? DOB, no matter who is in center, the offense has no pop and the bullpen turns a close game into a laugher.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:11 pm
Rob – may we try JoJo in lieu of O’Flaherty (my apologies to fellow Irish clan descendants)
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:12 pm
Gregor Blanco, making things interesting. Two-run triple to the R-C gap, bounced to the wall.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
8:13 pm
I meant last THREE spots, as Boyer is on the team. So anyway, that was a long winded spot of saying I don’t know how O’Flaherty and Bennett realistically have a chance.
Gil In Mechanicsville
March 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
dogsbrekky … Different Diaz
Pat
March 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
Blanco hits a triple scores 2
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
ST games have SOME meaning. But it is far better to win a lot late than early. Bennett might have just made a hard decision significantly easier. I’d hate to see him go, but perhaps Medlen or JoJo would be a better choice as long man. Although both might be better off getting regular work at AAA.
I can’t recall a single year, and I have been following the Braves for decades, where there were so many choices to be made. I think they’ll DL Glavine, Ganderson (I like that one), and maybe Soriano and Moylon to kick the decisions down the road. There should be room on this team for JoJo, Campillo, Brandon Jones and a couple of others. Glad I don’t have to make the decisions, because imagine if Josh goes somewhere else and hits .300 and steals a ton of bases and plays great D. No matter how well our CF is playing, that will look like a terrible, stupid decision.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:14 pm
Triple Gregor Blanco, good player but not what the Braves need in a center fielder, unless he learns to steal bases. 3-2
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:15 pm
Diaz to Pirates when we hardly have a player on this team that hits RH? Shudder. Heaven forfend.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:16 pm
Bennet has options right?
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
8:16 pm
Tomas, I believe Blanco’s biggest flaws are his defense and inability to hit for power. Base stealing is nice, but defense and power are more important.
PABravefan
March 24th, 2009
8:16 pm
WOW DOB posts at Triple @ 8:12 finally happens on MLB radio at 8:16. I hope things are better than this during regular season.
northbeach Scott
March 24th, 2009
8:16 pm
In the 6 ST games I attended 3/7-12, Bennett was by far the worst pitcher for the Braves. I believe that the Phillies nailed him for 5 runs in 1/3 of an inning in Clearwater. He had to be bailed out of a jam. He does not appear to have gained much, if any weight, ric flair.
He just looks like he has either lost it or he needs some more time in the minors to get back on track.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:17 pm
Mekons – GMs are paid to make just those decisions and our beloved FW has shown this spring he can make a decision or 10
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:17 pm
Chipper had this to say when asked about his oblique after the game:
“Obique’s fine. Swing sucks,” he said, smiling.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
8:17 pm
Mekons, he won’t so don’t worry about it. Even if he does hit .300, he won’t have an opportunity to “steal tons of bases”, as OBP will likely be around .310-.320. But realistically, he will probably be a .280s/.300 BA/OBP guy. And frankly, for a guy with no real pop that just isn’t enough, especially with guys like Schafer and Blanco who have proven they can get on base at a much higher rate.
TN Jeff
March 24th, 2009
8:17 pm
Joining the party late – NEED INFO – Is *Kotchman* still on the team??????? Hasn’t played since Weds – haven’t seen any injury thing – is mother sick again.
THIS GUY NEEDS PLAYING TIME !!!
Anyone help me here?
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:17 pm
dogsbrekky, Mekons, they’re not talking about Matt Diaz, they have a catcher whose last name is also Diaz. Robinson Diaz.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:18 pm
Not a good beginning for Soriano, who gives up two singles to start the ining. Runners on corners, none out
cvbraves
March 24th, 2009
8:19 pm
Agree with Chipper on his swing!
bravefaninok
March 24th, 2009
8:19 pm
i read that kotchman has the flu or some virus thats been going around camp,
PTBNL
March 24th, 2009
8:20 pm
Wow! Yates has a sub 1.0 ERA…. at least when he came into the game he did. My gameday is stuck on Yunel’s walk.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:20 pm
Anyone here a realtor cause I have a question
“If a realtor/broker represents me as a BUYER’S BROKER, do I pay their commission or does the seller still pay the commission”
An important question as I am being asked to sign a form making someone our buyer’s broker.
TY
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:21 pm
Infante charged with a pretty tough error, both runners score (runner had stolen second on previous pitch). Pirates are up 5-2, still none out.
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
8:21 pm
This is not a pretty performance for the Bravos.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:23 pm
Soriano struck out Salazar on a changeup. Starts Cruz with same pitch, ball 1.
MFin04
March 24th, 2009
8:24 pm
The Braves suck. They choke. Get everyone together and they cant hit the broad-side of a barn. Trade Chipper, get some young talent…im sick of always being disappointed.
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:24 pm
Dogs Morning Repast: I know. I think Frank has proven he’s the right guy for the job. I’d still be tossing and turning all night trying to make so many decisions. I trust him to make the right ones.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:25 pm
Soriano is throwing 89-91 mph fastballs. His last four have been 89, 89, and 90, which he just struck out Cruz with, looking.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:25 pm
PWHjort, Blanco is a pretty good defender, of the three(Josh Anderson, Jordan Schafer, etc) he covers less ground, but has a solid arm. He is not a liability defensivebly. And while he does not have a lot of power he does have a very solid OBP, and I think he could bat for 300+ batting AVG, he is also the best bunter by far on the team.
I prefer Schafer because he steals more bases, covers more ground defensively, has a better arm, and hits for more power. And although Blanco can run very well, his base stealing ability is pretty non existant.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:26 pm
Andrew McCutchen just CRUSHED a pitch onto the left-field berm, drifted foul by about 5-10 feet.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:27 pm
Soriano seems to be getting hammered.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:28 pm
Got another strikeout on a 79-mph pitch to end inning, looked like a slider. Three strikeouts to end inning, two were looking, two on 79-mph pitches and one at 90
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
8:29 pm
Woogidy — that is good news about the Mets signing Livan…as long as we can avoid games being called by umpire Eric Gregg, that is.
Steve McP
March 24th, 2009
8:29 pm
Good job you mentioned Chipper was chuckling when he said that DOB, could have got onto ESPN again.
chuckw/deadjournalist
March 24th, 2009
8:30 pm
Vlad Nunez probably won’t make the team out of Spring Training since he’s on a Minor League deal, but he will help this team out this season.
Frenchy's Faux-Beard
March 24th, 2009
8:30 pm
soriano usually has more gas, right DOB?
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:30 pm
I sincerely hope we play the best guy in CF. We have seen Blanco for a year and unless he truly has developed some power (shown today) he is not the answer. Josh impressed me last year but many respected folks seem to think his minor league numbers will surface over time in the majors (that is very average)
Young Schafer appears to be a trier and a bit of a gun so I hope we may get some value for JA in a trade of some kind and we just “throw Schafer in the deep end”
McFann :Ô:
March 24th, 2009
8:30 pm
Ah well…two outta three ain’t bad!
But someone stole a base and we’re still losing…[sigh]
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:31 pm
Sorta wished they had gone with Freddie Garcia. That guy is totally shot. As a five starter, Livan is not terrible. The Mets’ problem is that Maine and Pelfrey have been backsliding fast.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
8:32 pm
TN Jeff, Kotchman has the flu….took batting practice today. I’d say he is probably in there tomorrow, but that’s just me guessing.
ATLBfan
March 24th, 2009
8:32 pm
Does anybody know who will be pitching Friday, Saturday, and Sunday?
Epinephrine
March 24th, 2009
8:33 pm
No real reason to be concerned about Soriano’s velocity after seeing him hit 94 before, in my opinion. The guy has made it abundantly clear he detests spring training-and for a guy that can’t even give 100% during the regular season if it’s a blowout, I don’t think he has any concern about phoning it in under these circumstances.
Schafer’s strikeouts, on the other hand, are a real problem. If he is going to lead off, he has to cut that out. 2 more tonight.
Gonzo the Clown
March 24th, 2009
8:34 pm
Maybe you can help clear this up, DOB: everything seems to point to a trade involving extra players at the end of spring training, but every chance he gets, Wren seems to be saying that we don’t want to trade away players, that we’ve worked hard to be deep at so many positions. so is wren just saying that to keep things on the down-low, or do you think he’s telling the truth, that we might just let anderson go… thoughts?
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
8:34 pm
I like Freddy Garcia. He could do a METS “Chicks dig the long ball” commercial as they show all the bombs he gives up
They could add Aaron Heilman to the advert to make it “perfect”
cabravesfan
March 24th, 2009
8:35 pm
ATLBfan-
if they follow the schedule it should be Glavine on Friday, JJ on Saturday and Javy on Sunday…but don’t hold me to that
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:35 pm
Canine’s AM Munchies: I think Jordan should get some AAA experience. I think he is very, very close, but Josh is pretty good too. Not Schafer good, but good. There’s no question in my mind that Jordan is going to be another Fred Lynn (pre-broken leg), but the Sox sent him down to AA even when they really did not have a CF because they thought he had to work on hitting the breaking ball. Jordan still strikes out too much, usually on the breaking ball.
Original Jon
March 24th, 2009
8:36 pm
Frenchy’s Faux-Beard, yeah, he usually does have more gas, but I suppose the Gas-X did the job tonight
ATLBfan
March 24th, 2009
8:36 pm
cabravesfan
Alright, thanks!
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
8:37 pm
Think I forgot to mention this earlier, but Heyward and Freeman are known as Salt & Pepper in camp. Always together, and, well, you get the rest.
Mentioned that because Freeman was up, just flied out to R-C warning track with two on to end inning.
mettie
March 24th, 2009
8:37 pm
The only pitchers to give up runs this game have ties to the braves. Like I said before, it is another laugher when the braves are behind in the 7th. Pour on the gasoline.
Kelly's Johnson
March 24th, 2009
8:39 pm
the mets are a laugher 150 games a year
PhantasticPhilliePhan
March 24th, 2009
8:43 pm
The good competition is slowly coming back to MLB Spring Training and the Braves are starting to lose regularly. They won a lot earlier by coming back late in games after the regular team for the other club had gone. Seems like they aren’t as good as you guys were bragging about. They will be lucky to win half their games and end up in third or fourth place again.
Jeff321
March 24th, 2009
8:43 pm
How about them GIVE IT UP BOYS, eh?
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
8:45 pm
We’re going to enjoy kicking your heads in this year, PPP, so go away and we’ll talk in Sept.
Steve McP
March 24th, 2009
8:48 pm
Those comments from a Phillies fan whose team just escaped with a win today by getting 3 runs in the 9th off of a guy with 100 innings in the majors over the last 5 years.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
8:51 pm
Kenny Powers knows sometimes radar guns arent what they seem
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
8:52 pm
Kenny Powers thinks the NL East is the Braves world. The Mets and Phillies just live in it.
Sethual Healing
March 24th, 2009
8:53 pm
DOB, should we be worried about Francouer not putting up in home runs throughout spring training?
Granted, it’s only spring training and… granted, maybe I should just be happy that his average is up and strikeouts down… but we still need him to hit the long ball this year. Period.
rainman
March 24th, 2009
8:56 pm
How about this trade. Soriano to the brew crew for Matt Gamel. We might have to through in a starter like redman or mortan but gamel would be our third basemen next year and chipper leaves or moves to first waiting on freeman.
CanuckBravesFan
March 24th, 2009
8:56 pm
What is up with the BS about Blanco’s stolen base ability ? He was 13 out of 17 last year which is 76 %—-if he didn’t run more, it was because Cox did not utilize Blanco’s skills. Not trying to promote Blanco here, but for most of the season when he was batting lead-off, he did the job reasonably well, especially for a rookie. Do the bloggers not believe players won’t improve with more experience, or do they expect all rookies to be instant all-stars ??
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
8:58 pm
Blanco never stole bases in the minors. Josh Anderson always had a TON.
northbeach Scott
March 24th, 2009
8:59 pm
“Dogsbrekky” The seller pays all real estate commissions as a standard, unless buyer gives this up in negotiations. Believe this is consistent across all states. I had a buyer’s agent and paid nothing.
“Tomas” I beg to differ with you. Blanco is no better than an average fielder with an average or below arm. He also often appears to either be indifferent or lazy. He gave up a lot of extra bases in 2008 by being slow in getting to balls and hustling them back to the infield. Just my opinion, but I sit behind 3B at the Ted and he played LF and CF.
Kelly's Johnson
March 24th, 2009
9:00 pm
canuck, he was alright for the first part of the year, then blanco stunk it up!
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
9:01 pm
I seem to remember Blanco being very good in the 2nd half.
PhantasticPhilliePhan
March 24th, 2009
9:05 pm
It is very funny how the Braves have started out so well in spring training the last few seasons then started losing as the real teams play more and then tank it during the regular season. This looks like just such a team again. And you are dreaming if you think you are going to end the season ahead of us.
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
9:06 pm
Blanco is excellent in LF, just so-so in CF, from what I have seen.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
9:07 pm
Kenny Powers is the Ricky Henderson of blogging
KC
March 24th, 2009
9:07 pm
CanuckBravesFan, Blanco stole 13 bases in 144 games. Josh Anderson stole 10 in 40 games.
One of these guys is a major base stealing threat, and the other isn’t.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
9:09 pm
Blanco was pretty bad in the second half. His only good month was April when he hit .371 In May, he hit .234, in June he hit .265, in July he hit .260, in Aug. he hit .207 and in Sept. he hit .212. He did keep high OBP’s for most of the season but he didn’t hit a lick after the first month.
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
9:10 pm
Mekons — I would agree about Maine backsliding, but Pelfrey? He may be getting roughed up quite a bit in Spring Training this year, but he had a very good year for the Mets last year — 13-11, 200.7 IP, 3.72 era, 1.36 whip, 64 walks, not a lot of Ks (110) but few home runs (12). I’m curious to see how he’ll develop over the next 5 years.
His numbers, by the way, were VERY similar to Jair Jurrjens — 13-10, 188.3 IP, 3.68 era, 1.37 whip, 70 walks, 139 K, 11 home runs. I’d also be curious to see how both of them will develop and who will turn out to be the better pitcher, even though we all know it’ll be Jurrjens.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
9:11 pm
PhantasticPhilliePhan, our biggest hope is to leave ST in one piece. Last year, we left with 4 of 5 starters on the DL and our top 3 BP pitchers in the same place. Unless a major league team is keeping a major league competitve team in the minors, they will have a bad year. You can only lose so many core players and still be competitive. So far, so good for this year. However, shhhhhhhhh……..
KC
March 24th, 2009
9:12 pm
PhantasticPhilliePhan: The Braves lost their top 4 starters, their setup man, and their closer to injury last year. If it weren’t for that fact, the Phillies wouldn’t have even played in the post-season last year.
I’m not saying that because I feel a healthy team would certainly have finished ahead of the Phillies (though they might have). I’m saying that because if not for the way that decimated Braves team played against you in those head to head Braves/Phillies games, you would never have reached 90 wins. Your record wouldn’t have won the Wild Card, and it certainly wouldn’t have been enough to edge out the Mets.
Are you a Phillies fan in ATL, or just dropping in from up north to try and reassure yourself about the season ahead?
KC
March 24th, 2009
9:13 pm
winterville, right you are. Just say NO to Gregor!!!
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
9:15 pm
Daybed, Jurrjens was a rookie, Pelfrey was in his 3rd year. And he put up very crappy numbers his first 2 years.
Jake W.
March 24th, 2009
9:15 pm
It doesn’t matter if the guy can steal bases if he can’t get on base enough. I fully expect Anderson to be given a chance to prove what he can do because he really hasn’t had the chance yet. September and Spring Training stats usually don’t carry a lot of weight so most of the numbers he’s put up may not be a true indication of what he can do. I do however think the Braves should give him a chance unless Schafer or Blanco just go above and beyond in blowing him away. I personally like what Schafer has done this spring training and i’m pulling for him but I can understand if they give Anderson a shot. I also liked the way Gregor Blanco performed in the WBC so the decision may not be as easy as once thought.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:16 pm
Kenny Powers knows one thing if he knows nothing else. Trolling on another teams blog means you are a first class loser.
CanuckBravesFan
March 24th, 2009
9:18 pm
PWHjort—if you check the records, Blanco stole 181 bases in 6 minor league seasons. If you’re looking for a lead-off hitter, better bet than Anderson by far. JA doesn’t hit lefties at all, but is a better defensive outfielder, based on the small sample size and playing most of his games in Sept., after the team was long out of it.
f.n.hale
March 24th, 2009
9:18 pm
dogsbrekky, the standard is that the seller pays the entire real estate commission which is split, usually 50/50 between the listing and selling agents. Everything is negotiable, of course. Main reasons for you signing a buyers agent contract are 1) he or she is obligated to operate on your behalf and in your best interests, 2) it ties you to the agent so that if you decide to go elsewhere, leaving him/her in the lurch he/she will still get paid. I don’t know New York law, but in Georgia if the agent is to represent you the agreement has to be signed. They can negotiate a contract without it, but are not required to operate in your best interests.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:20 pm
Kenny Powers feels Bobby is in a no win scenario in CF. Whomever he chooses most will be pissed about it. For what it is worth Kenny Powers thinks Schafer has deserved his shot.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:20 pm
Next cuts likely Thursday or Friday….
Cox said it was a slow curve that Soriano was throwing, that 79-mph thing. Bobby said Soriano’s building arm strength and will be fine, doesn’t seem concerned by his lack of velocity.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:22 pm
Kenny Powers is about to friend someone , and I aint talking facebook.
Lew
March 24th, 2009
9:23 pm
91 looks real fast if he keeps throwing a 79 mph curve. That should buckle a few knees.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:24 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjvZOh4OzBs
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
9:24 pm
PhantasticPhilliePhan, one more thing. You said: “And you are dreaming if you think you are going to end the season ahead of us.”
I think I speak for KC and the rest of the Braves fans, when I say, it would, truly, be a nightmare if you finish in front of us.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
9:27 pm
I’ll be fine with Anderson or Schafer in CF to begin with. I hope the competition is truly fair and that Schafer really has a shot but if not, I understand. Business is business. I am still somewhat bitter about the way the situation played out last year. The organization had always seemed to be down on Blanco and then all of a sudden, 2 weeks before the season starts, he somehow beat out Anderson for the 4th OF job. Then Anderson got buried in AAA where he continued to put up solid numbers while Blanco hit for no power and little average in the bigs. I felt bad for Josh and if he gets a shot this year to begin, I hope he does well. My preference is Schafer but if it means losing Anderson or getting a delay on Schafer’s clock, then I am fine with Anderson. The gap in their ability is not that huge right now but while Blanco still has options, it makes since to start him in the minors. The OF is too crowded for a singles hitter right now.
VENEZUELA
March 24th, 2009
9:29 pm
Is WILLY OHMAN on braves maps?
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
9:30 pm
PWHjort – that’s a good point. For what it’s worth, Pelfrey was drafted in 2005, and first appeared in New York in 2006. He’s similar to Joey Devine in that he was drafted and then played with the major league team within a year. He’s only thrown 176 career innings in 2 minor league seasons. For him to struggle in his first two years with the major league team isn’t overly surprising, and I wouldn’t say that it’s an indicator of how good he is as a pitcher, either.
Jurrjens, on the other hand, is much more “seasoned,” and he’s spent a lot more time in the minors – 503.1 career innings in 5 seasons. So, yes, Pelfrey was in his 3rd year last year, but he’s probably not very far off from Jurrjens as far as where they both are developmentally.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
9:31 pm
fn hale – thank you very much, we have been told because of the situation we will pay a buyers commission of 2.5% and the seller will pay the sellers commission of whatever, I assume 2.5% as well
I am mulling it over as there are properties everywhere we are looking and close to zero buyers………
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
9:33 pm
Is it just me? Kenny Powers is really growing on me. If he leaves this site, I’m gonna miss him. However, I think he’s real competition with me and Roman Gal. Does anyone have any dirt on Kenny?
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
9:37 pm
I told you ………that Soriano guy………better get rid of him before its too late
Gregor
March 24th, 2009
9:37 pm
Winterville,
Can you give me Kelly’s monthly splits from last year? How about the 2007 season?
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
9:38 pm
Braves are doomed if they are counting on Soriano………he is never goona be ready again………..he is gonna have the same pathetic season that he had last year.
Tomas
March 24th, 2009
9:38 pm
northbeach Scott, There are some balls like the one he had in the WBC where he seemed to misjudge it, and took a bat route to the ball causing it to get to the wall, and be a triple instead of a double. Josh Anderson, and Schafer have more range than him, but at least for me he isn’t a below average defender. And while he doesn’t have a good arm, it’s not mediocre, and better than Josh Anderson arm.
But like KC said Blanco is not a base stealing threat, and his power is Juan Pierre like. If Blanco had more stolen bases, he’d be the leading candidate to be the everyday CF, and lead off hitter just because he has a high OBP, and has a lot of infield hits(including bunts).
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:39 pm
There is alot of dirt on Kenny Powers. Keep diggin compadre
Mekons
March 24th, 2009
9:39 pm
Braves have a real problem. Three CF, about 8 starters, about 15 relievers. I doubt anyone in baseball has similar problems.
f.n.hale
March 24th, 2009
9:39 pm
dogsbrekky, in truth it doesn’t really matter who writes the commission check(s). The buyer pays it either way as it is either paid in or out of the contract. Just negotiate the best deal you can. I always advise my buyers to look at the deal and not the house. If you fall in love with the house you’re apt to start rationalizing and losing sight of the deal. Plenty of great houses out there and most can be bought right but there are sellers who want their price no matter how long it takes. Get a clear picture of the market for the area you’re shopping. Have your agent show you what the house should have sold for 2 years ago. If you can’t get it for between 30 and 40% less move on.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:43 pm
Kenny Powers thinks the bald guy from CNBC should get off this blog
BlawgDawg
March 24th, 2009
9:43 pm
I agree with Kenny Powers on one thing….Trolls are losers (PhantasticPhilliePhan)
TM
March 24th, 2009
9:43 pm
What the Braves top pitching prospect has no room in the rotation…. yeah right. it all about $$$ money. The Braves will save money down the road if they hold Hanson out of the majors until July. Proving that this organizations philosophy is all about saving money vs. putting the best talent on the field and giving these players the best opportunity to win.
Good job Braves management. Do you think the existing players don’t understand what you are doing? We know the snow-job management spews year after year when not signing a player, not making a trade, letting a longtime Braves player dangle in the wind and explore options from other teams… over money (and usually not that much of it).
We also know that most of the Braves fans buy into what the management shoves down their throat… Not this one though. It only confirms my thoughts again for this year too. haaa-haaaaa-haaaaaa…
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
9:43 pm
Pelfrey must’ve played in college, which means that counts towards his development too. I didn’t realize Blanco stole 30 bases a year in the minors. Josh still dwarfs him in SB, but I agree Blanco is the better player because of his OBP.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:44 pm
I seem to remember Blanco being very good in the 2nd half. — PWHjort
As Roger Clemens might say, you’re misremembering.
After July 1, Blanco hit .228 (49-for-215) with 10 extra-base hits and 22 RBI in 73 games, with 41 walks, 50 strikeouts and a .360 OBP and .279 slugging percentage (.639 OPS). He had six steals in 10 attempts in that period.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:44 pm
Kenny Powers likes Clark Howard though. Hey here comes Bob Horner. Ooops he fell call 911
monty
March 24th, 2009
9:45 pm
My grandmother throws better than Blanco.Saw him at the Ted in a game last year, could barely make it back to the infield from medium deep center. I think the ball bounced twice before the cutoff man.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
9:45 pm
Hey Gregor, click on this: http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_player_splits.jsp?c_id=atl&playerID=430637&statType=1
you can go to other years, from there.
Uh, Kenny, …. you wouldn’t care to give some dirt on you, would you?
Wayne in Utah
March 24th, 2009
9:45 pm
Doc
You might be right on Soriano, but do you want to throw him under the bus this early, especially after arm surgery? To me, that just doesn’t make sense.
I know some on here (myself included) have been disappointed with him in the past. I personally thought he was just wimping out, but after the nerve thing came up, I have since felt bad for those thoughts.
It is real easy for somebody who has never had any real ailments to be critical of a player when he is coming off a surgery/rehab. Trust me, from experience, I can tell you it ain’t easy.
So, maybe we should just cut him a little slack, until he is deemed completely healthy. Then if he sucks, we can rip him a new one. Does that sound fair.
And BTW, he has NO trade value at this point, considering his pay and his arm situation. No need in wasting any time on hoping he gets traded.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:47 pm
Doc Holiday, Soriano makes $6.1 million this season. If you wanted to get rid of him, how would you go about it at this point? No team is going to take that salary in a trade, not in this economy and particularly not when he’s still got health questions.
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
9:48 pm
Venezuela: No, and neither is Will Ohman.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
9:48 pm
Kenny Powers wants DOB to know that he respects him as a journalist. DOB doesnt ask gotcha questions like are you on the juice and stuff. Keep it up DOB. In this day and age where print journalism is dying you are thriving my friend. You are the anti Furman Bisher
winterville
March 24th, 2009
9:49 pm
Gregor
Hang on a second and I’ll get them. I just saw the post.
Andy
March 24th, 2009
9:49 pm
Hey DOB, not to get too far off subject, but when you were back in ATL did you get a chance to find a replacement GO-TO record store? I am interested to hear what you’ve found. Also, need a little advice, I am on a 70’s Live kind of roll right now. (Just got a remastered version of Eric Clapton’s Rainbow Concert with Pete Townshend and Steve Winward and co., his return from heroin addiction), anyways, do you have any other quality (preferably lesser known) live albums to check out? Hey, also a little baseball…how many bullpen arms is it looking like we will carry, and is it possible that Glavine will not break with the team, but will become active a few weeks in when he finally is called upon to start?
Dadgum
March 24th, 2009
9:52 pm
Doggsbrekky…..I am a real estate broker in VA & NC. I concur with fn hale’s advice with the added advice to check your local laws and customs. In addition, if you sign a buyers agreement with your realtor/broker and then decide to purchase a for sale by owner property where the seller will not cooperate with a buyers broker then you could owe the broker a commission if you go through with the purchase of a property. This I am certain is in the language of the agreement somewhere. Good Luck.
Rock on…….
jbutler
March 24th, 2009
9:52 pm
I just used the “you are misremembering” phrase on my adolescent daughters…went from total drama to bust-up laughing. If Clemens had only testified in front of a bunch of teenagers…he may not be in this pickle. Thanks for the laugh DOB
Daybed Wagmoe
March 24th, 2009
9:53 pm
DOB — Do you have the Black Francis release “Svn Fingers,” which came out about 8 months after “Bluefinger”? I don’t know how I completely missed that one. Looks like it’s an EP and the fans on iTunes gave it some outstanding reviews.
Metropolitan Man1
March 24th, 2009
9:55 pm
Question braves fans. Has anyone ever heard the phrase in football that if you have 2 starting QB’s, you really have none. No one can rain on a braves fans hopes because they are off the charts with “depth”. Thats because most rosters are set with bonafide MLB talent sprinkled with young up and coming talent and not the other way around. You can take that football saying and apply it to the braves.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
9:56 pm
Gregor
Kelly hit .333 in March, .235 in April, .355 in May, .250 in June, .224 in July, .237 in Aug. and .398 in Sept. That was 2008. I don’t know why you brought that up, though, because the discussion I was involved in was about the CF race. Tell me where anything I said about the CF race is wrong as it regards to Blanco. I’ve said before that Kelly is my favorite player but I am not a blind homer. I do understand that he is one of the streakiest players on the team and he has his faults but like I said, what does he have to do with anything I’ve said about Blanco?
Metropolitan Man1
March 24th, 2009
9:57 pm
Enter your comments here
northbeach Scott
March 24th, 2009
9:57 pm
I smell a turd burglar . . .oh that foul stench, it’s MetrosexualMan1. Please piss off unless you have something to move the discussion forward.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
9:58 pm
Yea MetMan, competition is terrible for baseball. It’s too easy to just hand a job to a scrub like Luis Castillo. We would rather let someone prove they deserve it.
BabyGoatEater
March 24th, 2009
9:59 pm
Someone was asking earlier about a homer killing a rally…..can’t give you much insight on why someone would say that, but I can give some insight on where it was regurgitated from…..
http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=3884838
f.n.hale
March 24th, 2009
9:59 pm
My daughter called today to see what game I wanted tickets to for my birthday. It has become a tradition for her. She is graduating from college on May 9th (huge grin) and it got me thinking. She was born Feb. 28 in ‘86. The company I worked for at the time had 4 front row seats, right behind home plate and she went to opening night with us when she was about 5 weeks old. Oddly, she doesn’t remember but it’s a night I’ll never forget. The Braves were so bad back then I could get the tickets just about anytime I wanted. We lived in Hapeville at the time and it took 12 minutes to get to the stadium so I got them a couple times a week at least. We took my mom and dad on Father’s day and Dale Murphy and Ken Oberkfell stood and talked to us for several minutes during BP wishing my dad and I happy Father’s Day. Man I miss those tickets.
Timestamp
March 24th, 2009
10:00 pm
Yo
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:00 pm
f.n. hale – Thank you again, that is sage advice
It appears the seller is using Prudential as we are and the price we bid is 20% below what the offer by the seller was and some 25% below the last tax valuation.
We also bid with the same broker on 3 other properties (2 of which I am more interested in)
BabyGoatEater
March 24th, 2009
10:01 pm
Why….Blanco….why
Jake W.
March 24th, 2009
10:01 pm
Hey Metro Man its better than pinning all your hopes to one guy. Pray to God that Sanatana’s arm holds up.
BabyGoatEater
March 24th, 2009
10:02 pm
Someone was posting earlier about a homer killing a rally…can’t give youany insight on why soemone would say that, but I can give soem insight about where it was regurgitated from….
http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=3884838
BabyGoatEater
March 24th, 2009
10:02 pm
*someone *some
Gregor
March 24th, 2009
10:04 pm
Thanks BB5795.
So, let me get this straight, Kelly hit over .250 in just 2 months last year (you really can’t count 1 game in March – please use March/April like Baseball Reference), but still hit .287? Somethings not right. Talk about feast or famine. Oh yeah, one of those months was September too.
What’s that? He hit over .269 in just 2 months 2007? Seems pretty streaky to me. Maybe Cox should platoon him too, or just dump him altogether and let the more consistent hitter play if that’s your logic Winterville.
I’m just saying, if you’re using splits against Blanco as your argument he shouldn’t be given a shot at CF, then why not use the same argument with your favorite player? I really want to see Schafer, but that argument was weak, especially for a younger, less experienced player who has been on fire so far this year.
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
10:08 pm
I dont know DOB……….all I can tell is that this is starting this is starting to resemble the mike hampton story………..lots of money for just a few IP. Better loose 3 million than 6. Trade him and pay half his sallary…….I dont know, Im not the GM
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
10:12 pm
Gregor, i didn’t realize Kelly’s season until I looked at the splits I brought up for you. Pretty weird, huh. BTW, you’re welcome. Anytime.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
10:13 pm
Eh, I can live with 360 OBP. That’s a pretty bad line though, I did misremember.
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
10:14 pm
Hey……..Blanco had some good extrabase hits in the WBC and he had a nice 3b driving in 2……….like it or not……..he is doing the talking with his bat.
Metropolitan Man1
March 24th, 2009
10:15 pm
My bad Scott. Sorry I made you think beyond the center field situation, where will Hanson start, will Francoer have a better year and will they resign Chumper. Yup that just about covers it.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:17 pm
f.n. hale = My g/fs brother is a lawyer and hit the roof when he heard they wanted us to pay a brokers commission, so he reiterated what you said
Thanks again. I have only done deals elsewhere where I never sign anything with anyone that seems “off the beaten track”
Chopdawg
March 24th, 2009
10:18 pm
f.n.hale–my company sponsored Braves broadcasts on the hometown radio station, mid-80’s, back in “the day”; radio station would give out free tickets to sponsors, we’d get four tix about twenty rows up, lower deck, behind home plate, pretty much whenever we wanted them
“the day” ended abruptly in 1991
renegade
March 24th, 2009
10:20 pm
the best part about kenny powers run down kenny powers mama’s leg
kenhotlanta
March 24th, 2009
10:20 pm
Andy…check out any of these: Ten Years After “Live”, Foghat “Live”, Deep Purple “Made in Japan”, Marshall Tucker Band “Where We All Belong”, Mott The Hoople “Live”, Mountain “Twin Peaks”, Chicago ” At Carnegie Hall”, Savoy Brown “Hellbound Train”, and of course, The Allman Brothers Band “Live at Fillmore East” and Lynyrd Skynyrd “One More From The Road”.
That should keep you up for a couple of days.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
10:21 pm
Gregor
If you want to talk about consistency then you are right, Blanco is a consistent player. He consistently couldn’t hit the ball last year after the first month of the season. And I wasn’t using the splits in any argument I made against Blanco as the CF. I was responding to a post made by PWHjort that said that he seemed to remember Blanco having a pretty good second half last year. I posted his numbers to show that he did not, in my opinion, have a good second half last year. I also agree that Kelly shouldn’t get every single inning of every single game. Prado is a solid player but I don’t want him playing everyday or even in a straight platoon. Kelly is the better player IMO and if you want to debate that, that’s fine. I can take it. Blanco is pretty good at getting on base but I just feel like we know what kind of player he is after seeing him the majority of last year. He will strikeout too much, hit for no power, and carry a pretty low BA. He slugged .309 last year for gosh sakes.
And by the way, if you have been reading long enough to remember that Kelly is my favorite player then you probably have a real screen name. I don’t remember reading anyone with the name Gregor and I have been reading for years while posting somewhat infrequently until recently. If you have a another name, then why don’t you post under that instead of hiding. If you don’t and Gregor is all you have ever used then I apologize in advance. I look forward to your response.
chucktown
March 24th, 2009
10:26 pm
DOB – why Ross over Sammons as backup catcher this year? don’t know if you’ve ever covered this (haven’t seen it), but what’s the deal there? good spring for sammons, actually hitting well, and is a good defensive backstop with a cannon.
Kenny Powers
March 24th, 2009
10:26 pm
Kenny Powers wonders how many Braves fans actually remember Bob Horner? How about Andres Thomas? Kenny Powers remembers when Ken Oberkfell was our third baseman. Kenny Powers thinks all these arguments are “happy headaches”. Kenny Powers would rather have too much talent and a debate about such than the alternative. What do you think they are discussing on a Royals blog?
Gregor
March 24th, 2009
10:27 pm
Winterville,
I read the blog from time to time. You told me Kelly was your favorite player in your last response before mine. I don’t remember who said what when last year, other than the KJ/Prado debate was probably the most prolonged debate last year everytime I read the blog. I agree with you on KJ/Prado and on gregor. Sorry, didn’t realize your post was a response to PWHort. Just wanted to make sure you realize the splits and are open about the debacle of the 2nd base debate because that debate seems to divide fans and make us take sides on players, which we shouldn’t.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:28 pm
kenhotlanta = I just got a Deep Purple tune or 3 in my head from that album, very good record that
Dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah dah…………dudah dudah
Andy
March 24th, 2009
10:30 pm
Thanks kenhotlanta, I definitelywill. Especially the Marshall Tucker Band album you mentioned and Chicago at Carnigie Hall. Thats sounds awesome. I can’t go any further without apologizing for the grevious error in Steve WINWOOD’s name, not Winward. I love his music, but I apparently suck at typing his name! haha. Thanks for the suggestions!
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
10:30 pm
does blanco has options left?
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:31 pm
Black night is a ….. long way from home
Ritchie Blackmore – there’s some tunes
Pete
March 24th, 2009
10:35 pm
Sethual Healing: “DOB, should we be worried about Francouer not putting up in home runs throughout spring training?”
In my opinion, its very worrisome that hes not putting up even doubles, much less HR’s. Not a good sign at all.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
10:35 pm
Blanco also struck out 675 times in 6 Minor League seasons and another hundred in ATL last year. That ain’t good.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:35 pm
Dadgum – thanks also
f.n.hale
March 24th, 2009
10:36 pm
dogsbrekky, a smart seller should only be looking at the size of the check they leave closing with, but they aren’t all smart so it may actually play in your favor to pay your agent’s commission. In my experience, seller’s tend to get caught up with the details instead of the bottom line. If you offered to pay both broker’s commissions, unless you’re cash poor on the deal, it could significantly reduce the amount you pay for the property. The only downside would be that you couldn’t put the commissions in the mortgage, but if you have the cash to do it it could make sense. I’ve had a sellers tell me they wouldn’t pay closing costs for the buyer because that wasn’t their expense. I tell them it doesn’t matter if the buyer wants them to pay for their kid’s college in the deal, all that does matter is what he leaves closing with. If you can get past the details you’re way ahead of the game.
Chopdawg, it wasn’t a great time to be a Braves fan, but it was a great time to be a baseball fan. I hated the Dodgers back then, but always thought how great it would be to be in the running every year like them. Guess you can’t have it both ways.
kenhotlanta
March 24th, 2009
10:36 pm
dogsbrekky …Ritchie Blackmore is one of the great Guitar Gods in my eyes; I always got tickets on the right side and up close just so I could watch his moves. He and Jimmy Page were always extremely entertaining on stage IMHO.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
10:37 pm
Gregor
That’s cool. I remember that same debate from last year too and I guess that’s why I’m so defensive of Kelly. I wasn’t trying to call you out or anything, just trying to explain my ideas. I also agree with you on not needing to take sides on players and end up hating them. I prefer Kelly but I also understand that Prado is a good player. The same thing goes for the Blanco debate. I have a preference for who I want to win the CF job but if Blanco somehow wins it, then I will pull for him like he was my favorite when he’s in the game. I’ll support the team regardless of who wins what jobs and I’m glad to see that you’re the same way. Hope we’re good in the future.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
10:39 pm
Doc
I’m pretty sure Blanco has options if that was a serious question. I remember the Thorman options crisis too.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:41 pm
fn. hale – I think in this case it is a matter of the broker trying a swifty, but I hear you regarding the commissions. I honestly do not care except what the end deal is but as we are a cash buyer in a NY Hamptons market that is just starting to collapse (there are no buyers at anywhere near the peaks sellers are still asking) I think we can get an awesome deal……..
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
10:41 pm
Kenny Powers, I knew there was a reason that I was getting to like you. After Eddie Mathews left the team, I naturally became an Aaron fan. Even though, through the years, I liked all Braves players, it wasn’t until Bob Horner made the scene, that I had a ‘favorite’ player. I think the fact that he came right out of Arizona ST., as a 2nd baseman, to play 3rd base in the major leagues, was pretty amazing. In that first game, he made no errors, and hit the game winning HR. I was a fan!
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
10:42 pm
My list of preferred center fielders: Schafer, Blanco, Anderson. In that order.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:44 pm
Ritchie could really rock
Also, saw the old Led Zep video again this weekend, I think it was the “Song Remains the Same” on channel 720 (time warner)
We are bigger “The Who” fans FWIW
BA
March 24th, 2009
10:49 pm
The old lady walked tonight, DOB. Seven years, then splitsville.
I remember Bob Horner.
“Voyage to Atlantis” by The Isley Brothers
Can I go on my way without you
Oh, how can I know
If I go on my way without you
Oh, where would I go
Set sail with me
Misty lady, set your spirit free
New love to find
And though I leave another behind
I’ll always (come back to you)
I’ll always (come back to you)
She’s my lady,now and ever
Oh, how can I know
Can we go all the way together
Oh, let it be so
So we’ll say our last goodbye
And we’ll make it this time
Oh, set sail with me
To a paradise out beyond the sea
I’ll always (come back to you)
I’ll always (come back to you)
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
10:50 pm
Deep Purple fans (and Ritchie Blackmore), I never thought I’d be blogging this on a Braves blog, but what the hell. The best song they ever made was “Child In Time”. Their best rendition of it, in my opinion (and if you knew me, you’d be listening), is from the “Deep Purple In Rock”, album. There are other versions, but none better.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
10:53 pm
A look at the 6 year minor league careers of Josh A. and Blanco. Anderson had more AB’s 2967 -2776. JA’s avg was .294 to GB’s .274. OBP was GB’s .371-.340. Stolen bases was JA’s 280-181. JA’s SB % was 80% to GB’s 68%. K’s for GB 675 to JA’s 438. Fielding % was .975 – .968 for JA. Tell me again why GB is so much better? I must have missed something.
f.n.hale
March 24th, 2009
10:53 pm
dogsbrekky, quite possibly they were. As in most businesses there are a lot of scumbags in the real estate business. I envy your position. It’s a great time to have the wherewithal to buy a home. I love the negotiation process but I can’t buy any right now without paying a much higher interest rate due to fanniemae and freddiemac guidelines about owning too many properties. I feel bad for a lot of the sellers caught up in this mess but in most cases it’s better than foreclosure. Happy hunting.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
10:55 pm
BB5795 – funny thing is since living in USA (6 years) I have not heard one DEEP Purple song……. I always liked “Highway Star” and “Space Truckin” I think from when I was 7-8 years old, huge songs and a great album which for the life of me I have forgotten…..
“Nobody’s gonna take my car, its gonna break the speed of sound”
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
11:08 pm
How do you like these 2008 minor league stats: .323-.361-.710 ! Braves could have had him easily a few months ago. Guess who?
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
11:08 pm
dogsbrekky, other than “Hush”, Deep Purple stayed away, for years, top 40 commercial stuff. The song you mentioned were when they got more commercial. That’s where the money is, I guess (actually, I know). Where are you from? How did you become a Braves fan?
one fan
March 24th, 2009
11:11 pm
let hanson pitch for the major league team. my girlfriend could get a hit off glavine. he needs to take his walker and go home.
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
11:12 pm
I’ve got no guess. Who?
winterville
March 24th, 2009
11:13 pm
SoWeGa Fanatic
I give up. Who is it?
Anthony
March 24th, 2009
11:14 pm
DOB,
Who do you think is leading for the center field job right now and how do you think things will shake up by the end up spring? What will the braves do with Blanco?
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
11:15 pm
one fan, if your girlfriend can hit Glavine, she should probably try out for our Bravos. Tell me, is she a lefty or a righty, hopefully a switch hitter? Can she play SS (we could use a back up).
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
11:21 pm
Adelaide Australia
Played baseball from age 7
Was watching a documentary/movie about the Babe when I was a kid and the last team he played for were the Braves. so dopey me has always followed the Braves (which by that time were in HOTLANTA)..
so that must have been 1974
cheld
March 24th, 2009
11:22 pm
“misremembering”
http://dictionary.reference.com/dic?q=misremember&search=search
Clemens: 1
O’Brien: 0
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
11:26 pm
Cheld: Without even clicking on your link, I’m gonna guess that your point is that misremember is actually a word. Which is correct, and not news. When so many of us made fun of Clemens after he said that, it was soon widely noted that it was actually a word. So you’re not breaking any news, my friend.
As I said, someone was misremembering what Blanco did in the second half. What’s your point, that they weren’t misremembering it?
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
11:28 pm
If Blanco has options left………..let anderson go and send blanco to the minors……….if schafer fails to perform you go with blanco. End of the it.
winterville
March 24th, 2009
11:28 pm
O’Brien: 1
cheld: 0
David O'Brien
March 24th, 2009
11:29 pm
Anthony, I don’t know, because I don’t know if it’s actually a race, and if it’s a race, will other factors play into the decision, etc. So no reason for me to act like I know who’s going to “win” it. I think Anderson will, but I’m not predicting that. I just don’t know.
kenhotlanta
March 24th, 2009
11:31 pm
dogsbrekky…saw The Who when Skynyrd opened for them in ‘74 (?); that concert cemented into me the fact that the top groups or acts of that day or any day (Stones, Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Who, U2, Led Zep, REM, Allmans, etc.) ARE the best because they put on exceptional live shows.
I still have the Who Are You poster on a wall with Keith sitting in a chair that has stencilled “Not to be taken away” and he was gone just a few weeks later.
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
11:31 pm
dogsbrekky, not too many fans realize that the “Babe” retired as a Boston Brave, after hitting 3hr’s against Pittsburg. What brought you to this country? Are you following Peter Moylan?
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
11:34 pm
The dude with the 2008 323-.361-.710 in the minors . . . Andruw Jones in 11 games. I know, I know, trick blog point.
I stumbled onto that and thought, boy, if he can only get back to where he was. I feel for him. It defies logic, but my all-time favorite Mr. Murphy dropped off a ledge at 32. Amazing.
kenhotlanta
March 24th, 2009
11:35 pm
BB5795…Deep Purple In Rock = great memories of a time I thought would last forever. I know, I know, extremely naive, but great fun at the time!
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
11:36 pm
Doc – too much sense for our blog tonight, I agree wholeheartedly
Play the kid and do whatever we can to put say Mr White with the candlestick in the AAA room and trade or just chop JA…….. will another team really need him ??
PWHjort
March 24th, 2009
11:38 pm
Haha, nice one.
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
11:40 pm
BB5795 – I dobbed some criminals into the SEC in Australia I dealt with at my inv bank, they broke my hand and threatened to kill me and my kids, got divorced and left the country 6 years ago
that is the short version
sadly one of the crims came to USA and did a mini-Madoff here on the west coast…
dude at least is in jail now
and yes the movie I saw showed the Babe calling shots and crushing a few hr in Milwaukee, I just fell in love with dude (boy-crush), thought he was larger than life and the Braves followed…
also in the 1970s baseball was big in Australia, much more so than now..
you may remember Craig Shipley. I played against him for years
Moylan should be our closer, but I am biased !
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
11:43 pm
one fan,
If your GF can hit glavine……….maybe some major league team will be interested
dogsbrekky
March 24th, 2009
11:43 pm
My g/f loves “The WHO”.
I bought her a limited photo original for Christmas
It has the boys dressed in all white and looking angelic
Also, some trivia, Entwhistle loved Perth, Australia (my kids are there) and owned a home 2 miles from the Air Force base I did time at, I would ride my bike past his place every day and hope I could get an autograph or picture, alas never met him
BB5795
March 24th, 2009
11:45 pm
kenhotlanta, I was looking at your 11:31 post, and I was thinking, man, I saw the “Who” about that same time. I live in upstate NY, and I saw them at the “Saratoga Performing Arts Center”. Besides the great thoroughbred racing, this little village, about 30 miles north of Albany, has all the top bands/groups from spring through fall.
I’d still rather live in Atlanta!
Chop Chop
March 24th, 2009
11:47 pm
Blanco and Josh Anderson aren’t exactly hot commodities. I don’t really care which one is on the team. I just hope the one that stays doesn’t end up logging a lot of ABs.
kenhotlanta
March 24th, 2009
11:48 pm
dogsbrekky…were you a fan of the Little River Band? I was always heavy into Hard Rock, Southern Rock and Outlaw Country, but something about LRB, with Glenn Shorrock singing, was and still is a guilty pleasure for me. Saw them on the Oldies circuit a couple of years ago and they were just fine as ever!
RHR
March 24th, 2009
11:49 pm
Hey do any of you braves fans ever go on mets or phillies blogs? ….. Me either.
You should be flattered, DOB.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
11:50 pm
Man, I hope I never get O’bashed. Not sure I’d hold up well.
Bubdylan
March 24th, 2009
11:53 pm
“Hey do any of you braves fans ever go on mets or phillies blogs?” -RHR
One night when Anders got under my skin, I went on a spree. I’m not proud.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
11:56 pm
Interesting article discusses whether Hamels or Santana blows out his elbow first:
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=530643
VENEZUELA
March 24th, 2009
11:58 pm
thanks DOB, glad to have u back here in the blog… i’m not sure if there is a better poster than you
Thank you my friend
hey i know it is Will but Willy since he is my friend! LOL i just like him a lot as a LOOGY..
I dont think FW’s decision on OHMAN is the right one, sorry BOONY is no LOOGY…LOL
Doc Holiday
March 24th, 2009
11:58 pm
Chop Chop,
I can tell you will see one of those 2 guys have a good long career in the majors…….at least one of them.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 24th, 2009
11:58 pm
“Hey do any of you braves fans ever go on mets or phillies blogs? …..”
Why would you go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?
KC
March 25th, 2009
12:03 am
This is what they should play when Gonzo comes out of the bullpen this year…
P.O.D. – “Lights Out”
It goes one for the money homie, two for the show.
We tore the roof off this mother now it’s time to blow.
Like we don’t need no water, don’t bother, we let it burn.
We keep the fire just a little bit hotter, that way you’ll learn.
Respect I earned, started with the clique that i hanged.
Respect I earned, ever since i got in this game.
Respect I earned, never wanting fortune or fame.
I’d rather have these south Diego streets knowin my name.
Chiggy-check, microphone check.
Chiggy-check, microphone check.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
If you wanna you can check my stats.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
Make way cause the kings is back.
We bang boogy through your system, subliminal.
We lyrical murderin like we criminals.
It’s life or death, medical decision.
We so dope out the lab that you need a prescription.
The hood is listenin, so for you that i wrote this.
Keep it underground, stickin to the streets like the homeless.
With the dopeness, recognize the real P.O.D.
Cause we triple O, oh triple, triple OG.
Chiggy-check, microphone check.
Chiggy-check, microphone check.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
If you wanna you can check my stats.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
Make way cause the kings is back.
Lights Out, Game Over.
If you really think you got it like that.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
Word on the streets is the boys is back.
Lights Out, Game Over.
Make way cause the kings is back.
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
If you really think you got it like that.
Lights Out, Game Over.
Word on the streets is the boys is back .
It’s Lights Out, Game Over.
Worldwide homie pay respect.
Lights Out, microphone check.
It’s Lights Out, microphone check.
Make way cause the kings is back.
Lights Out.
Here’s what the song sounds like… (live ‘07 New Year’s Eve Performance) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4_vfkrU2fE
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
12:05 am
I misremembered why I got back on the blog tonight. Maybe it is because I am a “looser”?
KC
March 25th, 2009
12:06 am
Wayne, how ya been man? Ya comin’ down for a game this year?
uga-brave
March 25th, 2009
12:08 am
Enter your comments here
BB5795
March 25th, 2009
12:09 am
dogsbrekky, you said, “BB5795 – I dobbed some criminals into the SEC in Australia I dealt with at my inv bank, they broke my hand and threatened to kill me and my kids, got divorced and left the country 6 years ago”.
Are you kidding me? This is a book and then a movie in the making. See DOB, when he wakes up tomorrow. This sounds like some exciting stuff.
By the way, I’m not partial, and I like Moylan too.
PWHjort
March 25th, 2009
12:09 am
The Hamels Santana thing is good. I don’t think either club could handle losing one of them though. If Philly lost Hamels or New York lost Santana they’d both have to make a huge trade or kiss their season goodbye. Wren’s built the pitching staff so we can sustain a major injury. If either of these clubs lost their best starter they’d be dead ducks. Though if we lost McCann or Chipper we’d also be dead ducks.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 25th, 2009
12:13 am
Why do you guys keep saying “Enter your comments here” lol
Mitchie-san
March 25th, 2009
12:14 am
I dont think that the Braves will do anything crazy with Schafer. He will go to AAA along with Blanco. J. Anderson will be the starting centerfielder. There is no race…as of now. Like many have said before, its Josh’s job to lose. I can tell you he will probably be on a very short leash, considering that the Braves are pretty much drooling over Schafer and want him up. The thing is, they have to (or try to) follow certain “unwritten” rules in this case. Schafer has ZERO Major League experience. Hell, he has ZERO AAA experience. They cannot put him in center on opening day. They have to go with either Blanco or Anderson. If there is a race for center, its between them two.
All of this is based on no trades happening with them. Of which I can see Wren trying to push Blanco out in a deal since he is hot off the WBC. Sell high, right? They certainly wont be trading Schafer and Josh has little trade value other than speed.
To sum up, Anderson will be in center to start the season. Schafer will be at AAA, with his bags still packed, waiting. Blanco goes in a deal (most likely along with some of the Expendables…Bennett, Buddy, Campillo…) for a third base prospect.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
12:17 am
Okay, Doc. You’re the expert.
uga-brave
March 25th, 2009
12:17 am
DOB,
any thoughts on how the gwinett braves might actually effect the atl. braves attendance this season?
cheaper tickets, cheaper parking, new stadium, less traffic.
for the casual fan it might be a cheaper more convenient night out for a family of four.
now i am sure the braves brass considered this before putting the team in the middle of an area where the braves always drew huge numbers, right?
Doc Holiday
March 25th, 2009
12:18 am
Chop………….thats just m humble opinion man.
PWHjort
March 25th, 2009
12:18 am
Mitchie-san. That’s probably right. Most likely scenario. If Josh sucks it up they can recall Schafer and nobody’s going to pick him up if he sucks it up so he can go to AAA.
BB5795
March 25th, 2009
12:20 am
dogsbrekky, I got so wrapped up in your main story, I forgot about the other one. Craig Shippley played the infield, for many years, with many NL West division clubs. Did you play with him in the minors? Did you spend any time in the Majors? Don’t worry, most of the bloggers have gone to bed. Your secret is safe.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
12:20 am
Bub,
I’ve never trolled on another team’s blog. I guess I don’t see the point in confirming that most fans of most teams are just like the fans of this one. Some have a decent head on their shoulders, but some seem to be in need of some sort of downed power line-based therapy.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
12:22 am
That sounded like an elitist statement by me. Ahhh, **** it. It was funny.
KC
March 25th, 2009
12:30 am
The Pirates announcers talked briefly about ATL’s team this evening and said “The Braves have really reworked the rotation, but will that be enough? I mean, they lost 90 games last year”.
No. That will not be enough. If the new faces in the rotation were the only additions, that would still make a BIG difference, but it wouldn’t be enough to make the Braves legitimate contenders in the East. But… that’s not all the Braves will be adding.
I wrote a piece for BravesBlast.com the other day that runs down all of the possible -if not probable- additions many people outside the Braves organization don’t think about.
Left Field: Getting Diaz healthy and sharp could wind up being every bit as valuable as signing Anderson. And certainly, Diaz has shown us he excels in a platoon. Mathematically, based on Anderson’s numbers last year, and Diaz’s numbers over the last 2 years (since he didn’t play a full season last year), the Braves are likely to get .300, 15-20 HR, 85-90 RBI out of Left. Pretty substantial upgrade over last year, wouldn’t you say?
Francoeur, if Frenchy bounces back, and we essentially trade the ‘08 model of Jeff Francoeur for the ‘07 version (or better)… that’s like signing a significant free agent run producer. Getting Jeff back on track (and he certainly looks like he’s well on his way right now) would represent a HUGE upgrade in right field from last year.
Despite how good Francoeur looks right now, I admit that we still cannot call a Francoeur bounce-back a certainty. But I think it’s fair to say at this point that it’s more likely than not.
Assuming Francoeur rebounds to go along with the significantly upgraded Left Field… the outfield offense looks A HELL OF A LOT better than last year. And would anyone be surprised if Schafer impacts this year and gives us a little more out of Center?
But as long as Francoeur rebounds in ‘09, the production from our corner OF slots will sharply increase, significantly upgrading this offense. Yes, I know… there will be someone here who will start trying to argue that he sucked in 2007 when he hit .293 with 19 HR, 105 RBI, and 40 doubles. Let’s just agree to disagree. I think he was a damned good hitter in ‘07.
Beyond that, IF the bullpen is entirely healthy, we’ll be getting two of the best late innings relievers in the game back in the fold.
So in effect, we’re adding (assuming health and a Francoeur bounce-back) 3-4 quality starters, 2 dominant late innings relievers, a very productive LF platoon (comparable to what we would have gotten from a Bobby Abreu), and a big bat in RF. THAT is certainly enough to put the Braves back in the picture in the NL East.
Bubdylan
March 25th, 2009
12:30 am
Chop Chop, elitists are generally beneath me.
Mitchie-san
March 25th, 2009
12:31 am
PWHjort, that is another very good point. If Anderson aint getting it done, he could very possibly pass through waivers.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
12:40 am
Bub,
If by “elitists,” you mean “street walkers,” I agree with you.
Shamus Thacker
March 25th, 2009
12:50 am
I’ve definitely seen some elite street-walkers; I see that as a compliment to Bub.
Trailer-park elite is more my style…
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
1:00 am
That’s true, Shamus.
I thought about typing “syphilitic tranny street walkers,” but I changed my mind. This blog is too classy for that kind of filth.
Shamus Thacker
March 25th, 2009
1:01 am
lmao
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
1:08 am
Good note to end my night on.
Bubdylan
March 25th, 2009
1:15 am
I fear my meaning wasn’t felt….
G’night Braves fans.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
1:19 am
Meaning, she’s a fickle minx.
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:22 am
KC
Sorry to respond so late. I have been watching my Jazz beat the Rockets on TNT.
I would love to come down south this summer, but as things stand, it might not happen. As I may have told you before, my wife’s sister is living with us (has been since early October) and she has the big “C”, stage 4. Right now it is hard to plan anything for this year. She might be with us for another 6-8 months, or she could be gone in a couple of months.
So, as much as we would love to come back to SC to visit “mama and daddy” and catch a game, we might have to drive down to Phoenix or out to SF or Denver instead.
If the opportunity does present itself, we are definitely going to try to work in a game though.
BTW, for Anders and MetMan, I will be watching your Muts in SF in mid May. Hoping for a Lincecum/Santana duel.
Gotta run….later.
winterville
March 25th, 2009
1:29 am
Sorry to see about your sister-in-law Wayne.
KC
March 25th, 2009
1:36 am
Wayne, so sorry to hear that about your sister in-law. It’s just not right that anyone should have to go through something like that. Her or your family. That certainly takes precedence over baseball. All the best to you and your family.
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 25th, 2009
1:36 am
The Jordan Schafer/Josh Anderson vote is almost a dead heat. The competition in camp is too.
From my post last night:
For those who care to know ….or not.
Mets 2009 payroll is 143 million.
Phillies are 131.5 million.
Our Braves, roughly 92 million.
Those Nationals are projected at 57.45 million.
The Marlins are scraping by at 33 million.
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:38 am
winterville
Hey, thanks for the sentiment. Sometimes life just ain’t fair, but it is definitely worth the effort.
I think that eventually we all have to deal with something like this in our lives. My 16 year old is learning alot about life, and how to live it. Gotta live every day like it’s your last. That doesn’t mean that life is a party, just that you gotta live every day to it’s fullest.
AND that my friends, is why Jordan Schafer should be our starting CF’er on opening day!!! (sorry, gotta keep it from getting morbid!)
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 25th, 2009
1:40 am
Speaking of the weather, in the last 48 hours we have had rain, sleet, snow, hail, thunder, high winds and I’m waiting for the fire and brimstone any minute now. O yea, the entire red river valley up and down the North Dakota/Minnesota state line is to it’s eyeballs in flood waters.
I got to get to work on my Ark.
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:41 am
KC
Thanks.
Maybe Logan and I will have to do another “road trip” this coming summer!
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:45 am
uga
Hey, if I ever get down to ATL this year, maybe I should go to a G-Braves game instead of going to the Ted! Think of the possibilities: Jordan Schafer, Tommy Hanson, Charlie Morton, HoHo Reyes, Kris Medlen, Brandon Jones, etc. Cheaper food? Cheaper Diet Dr. Pepper?
Sounds like a dream come true!
winterville
March 25th, 2009
1:45 am
Wayne
I have been lucky enough to have not had to cope with too much in my life to this point but I have an Aunt who is a breast cancer survivor so I can somewhat see what you are going through. It is very tough. As the father of the house, you just have to be everybody’s rock including your wife and child. Stay strong and like you said, live life to the fullest.
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:46 am
Coach
Keep your feet dry, my man! How close are you to the river? (Heck, I guess in that flat valley, you don’t have to be too close to get wet, huh.)
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
1:49 am
winterville
Here’s the thing. I am a traveler, gone 3/4 of the time. My wife is the rock. Even with her own challenges, she always comes through. God I love her!
winterville
March 25th, 2009
1:53 am
Wayne
Well there you go then. Sounds like even in tough times you have plenty to be thankful for. Nonetheless, I hope you and your family find a way to make it through the hard times.
Bubdylan
March 25th, 2009
1:57 am
Wayne in Utah, blessings on you and yours, buddy. Sorry to hear the news. Nice to hear you brag on your wife. That’s awesome.
Bubdylan
March 25th, 2009
1:59 am
Ugh, that post was pretty disjointed. Hope you knew what I meant…. too sleepy…. g’night for real…
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
2:01 am
Bub
I gotcha. Nite friends.
(Schafer for CF!)
Ed
March 25th, 2009
2:44 am
Little late getting into this but on your 11:31 post kenhotlanta, the Stones from ‘69-’73 when Mick Taylor was the guitarist is when they were at their absolute best. He is far superior to any other ones they have had including Keith Richards.
Neon Deion
March 25th, 2009
3:28 am
Where McCarver at?
square leg
March 25th, 2009
4:47 am
dogsbrekky
Sorry post is so late but the time difference is hard.
First time I have commented but have been reading Dave’s blog for long time. I have lived down under in Surfers Paradise for the last 8 years and came from Sandy Springs.
The Aussie mates that I’ve made here really don’t like baseball and take the piss every time i talk about it. But F*** me dead when it comes to cricket ….they get worked up. Trouble is i don’t mind the cricket. Especially the ODI and 20/20 matches. I reckon that many of the pure baseball fans on this blog would enjoy the skill in cricket as well. It is however an acquired taste
Do you like cricket and do you miss it? I agree that baseball is not nearly as popular here as i would have hoped. Shame really, cause there is real talent for the game here as you would know.
.
i have been a Braves season ticket holder since1990 when i moved to atlanta. Seen the arrival of Maddog, Crime dog (was there for the fire…etc) Enjoyed the ups and downs of probably the best professional organization in the Bigs. From Glavine in ‘95WS to Wohlers game 6 pitch to Rocker’s meltdown To umpire Greggs digraceful day with Livan pitching.
I am a Big Braves Fan. It is a CLASS organization
BTW just wanted to say that i really appreciate DOB and also have enjoyed the posts from KC, Coach, Random,McFann Chop Chop et al It brightens my day here in Oz to keep in touch with my team and her fans. Thanks
Random
March 25th, 2009
6:07 am
Chop Chop (11:47 pm): “Blanco and Josh Anderson aren’t exactly hot commodities. I don’t really care which one is on the team. I just hope the one that stays doesn’t end up logging a lot of ABs”
Huh?!?!?
You want the Braves to hit for their starting CF the 3rd or 4th inning every game?
Or what?
(Oh, maybe you’re saying bring up Schafer sooner than later? OK.)
Mark Windsor
March 25th, 2009
6:49 am
I wonder why a team like the Pirates, Royals dont take a chance on Andruw Jones..Surely he still has great defensive skills..theres some odd about this..Have most owners teamed up against Jones for burning Dodgers so badly?
Smokey Joe Wood
March 25th, 2009
6:55 am
Blanco has options, right? So he’s your backup plan. Send him to AAA and start Schafer. So long, Josh Anderson, we hardly knew ye. But we knew that your .306 OBP is horrible–Jeff Francouer horrible. And people want this guy to be our leadoff hitter? Because he has speed??? Ever hear the cliche, ya can’t steal first? Schafer is better offensively and defensively. Yes, he will probably have a prolonged slump at some point. But he will, over the course of a season, score 20 more runs than Josh Anderson. And kill 50 less rallies.
Lunatic Fringe
March 25th, 2009
7:08 am
Was thinking this morning (maybe too early to think straight) that the Braves might be better off plattonning Blanco in LF with GA instead of Diaz.
It gives you better defense, and speed on the bench and covers yourself better if JA fails in CF. You do lose some offense though, and I don’t know how much trade value Diaz might have.
Schafer's Wafers
March 25th, 2009
7:27 am
Lunatic if you do platoon in left you want the RH diaz to hit against lefties since he crushes lefties. Makes no sense to have to LH batters in Anderson and Blanco to platoon in Left. You may need some coffee Lunatic
northbeach Scott
March 25th, 2009
7:44 am
Blanco has option(s)and demonstrated last season he is not an everyday MLB player. Extremely likely Blanco starts in Gwinnett or is dealt.
Say what you want about Anderson, he seems worthy of some time in center to start the season. No downside to starting Schafer in Gwinnett and it should help him make further adjustments to prepare him for Atlanta. This seems like Braves management thinking, as they must be stinging from the consequences of rushing Francouer and Andruw. Anderson will be on a short leash, but it is a long season and ultimately more than 4 will play OF for the Braves this season (G.Anderson, Diaz, J.Anderson, Francouer) over and above relief from Infante and Norton.
ATL
March 25th, 2009
7:45 am
Wayne in Utah
Sorry to hear about your sister in law, we went through the same thing with my father a couple years ago.
Bigchiefrg
March 25th, 2009
8:09 am
Thanks brent a…..That should do it for me on the direct tv thing.
Tim McCarver
March 25th, 2009
8:21 am
You’re a real man, Deion. A real man.
Furman Bisher
March 25th, 2009
8:48 am
David, I am disgusted with the way old people are depicted in your newspaper. We are not all vibrant, fun loving sex maniacs. Many of us are bitter, resentful individuals who remember the good old days when entertainment was bland and inoffensive. The following is a list of words I never want to see in the AJC again. Number one: bra. Number two: horny. Number three: family jewels
Random
March 25th, 2009
8:54 am
northbeach Scott (7:44 am): “Say what you want about Anderson, he seems worthy of some time in center to start the season. No downside to starting Schafer in Gwinnett and it should help him make further adjustments to prepare him for Atlanta. This seems like Braves management thinking, as they must be stinging from the consequences of rushing Francouer and Andruw.”
“stinging from the consequences of rushing Andruw”?!?
Seems to me like the Braves would opt to sting like that every year.
Random
March 25th, 2009
8:57 am
PWHjort (12:09 am): “The Hamels Santana thing is good. I don’t think either club could handle losing one of them though.”
LOL.
I think the Phillies could easily handle the loss of Santana, and the Mets could easily handle the loss of Hamels. Quite easily, in each case.
JK
philly fan doc
March 25th, 2009
8:59 am
Oh great, Larry’s back. Go Villanova!!!!!!!!!!
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
8:59 am
Mitchie-san, a savvy post at 12:14 a.m. That’s the direction I get a sense they’ll take regarding CF, the one that seems most likely to me, at least right now.
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
9:03 am
Lunatic Fringe: Your 7:08 comment sounds like the rantings of a … well, nevermind.
But seriously, I can’t see where your suggestion makes any sense.
Cameron
March 25th, 2009
9:11 am
DOB,
What do you think will happen with Blanco? It seems all of the announcers for the WBC were very high on him. As were the rest of the people they talked to throughout the WBC. I know he was very inconsistent last year, but that was his first full year in the big leagues. He is still really young, and could be maturing. He seem slike the odd man out right now. I think he can be a really good player, even though he isn’t really what the Braves need right now. Do you think there will be trade interest? Would we listen? Does he heave options left?
Looking forward to Damages tonight? I sure am. Ellen Parsons is HOT!!!
18 Wheels of Love
March 25th, 2009
9:20 am
It’s pretty obvious that the White Sox are shopping for a CF’er…and by obvious I mean mlbtraderumorscom. I would imagine that they might inquire about Josh and/or Blanco. I wonder who they have that might be intriguing to us. I’m sure Wren is familiar with their farm system after working the Vaz trade.
DAP
March 25th, 2009
9:20 am
smokey joeSo long, Josh Anderson, we hardly knew ye. But we knew that your .306 OBP is horrible
this is not accurate. anderson has a career .364 OBP in the majors, and a .344 OBP in the minors. its a small sample size in the majors, but i think we can expect about a .340 OBP from him, which isnt great but its not horrible like .306 is. i dont know where you got that….
Tomahawkin' Again (Like it's 1991)
March 25th, 2009
9:26 am
I wish the Hanson poll question was worded this way: “5th starter this year – Do you want 20-something phenom who just pitched a no-hitter, has a 2+ ERA this spring and will be our ace for the next decade or 40-something washed-up, 75-80mph junkballer who is coming off elbow surgery?” Bobby, show some guts (or another body part which is just slightly lower than your gut). Name Hanson the 5th starter!
Mitchie-san
March 25th, 2009
9:28 am
Thanks Dave. I really dont see a different, conceivable option in CF.
Lew
March 25th, 2009
9:30 am
Some Great non baseball conversations on the ole Blog overnight-
Dogsbrekky-Dude, didn’t know you were a Purple fan. They’re my favorite hard rockers-got their entire catalog and much of Gillan’s solo stuff, and bunch of other things (Rainbow, Warhorse, Captain Beyond, etc) that came from offshoots of DP. Do you get into Ritchie’s Renaissance band Blackmore’s Night. Candace sure can sing. Were you aware that when Blackmore quit Purple for the last time that Joe Satriani finished the tour with them? Or that Randy California (Spirit) played in Blackmore’s stead one night in Montreal when Ritchie was sick? I’ve seen DP three times and saw them once each with Ritchie, Tommy Bolin and Steve Morse.
BB5795-Got to agree with you about Deep Purple In Rock-best, most brutal Hard Rock album of all time to my way of thinking. The first Black Sabbath is widely considered to be the first Metal album, but In Rock and Medusa by Trapeze (Glenn Hughes, Mel Galley) came out almost simultaneously. 1970 was a great year for rockers-it also saw the release of the first Cactus album, too.
Ed- I also agree about Mick Taylor’s Stones contributions. I still like Let It Bleed the most of all their catalog. Did you get into any of Mick Taylor’s solo stuff or his work with Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. If you can get ahold of a copy of Mayall’s Blues From Laurel Canyon, you should. Great Taylor guitar work on it.
Wayne-sorry to hear about the family difficulties. Hang in there, Dude.
Hope Nathan and Coach are not getting swept down a mountainside with all the floods up there.
Does anyone know if San Antonio has a minor league team? My wife likes to go to baseball games while traveling for work and will be in San Antonio in a couple of months. MIght as well go to see some minor league baseball if there is no ML team around.
Couch Tater
March 25th, 2009
9:34 am
uga-brave @ 12:17,
It does seem as though the Braves will be marketing against themselves. I thought B’ham would serve both markets well and would be a natural fit with Dr. Andrews being there.
Chop Chop
March 25th, 2009
9:37 am
You got it right, Random.
McFann :Ô:
March 25th, 2009
9:39 am
You’re welcome, square leg, and thanks!
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
9:41 am
Cameron, you asked a lot of questions about Blanco. Yes, I think he has some trade value, though probably have to be in a package with pitching to get anything significant, like a solid prospect, in return.
I think he’s got speed he doesn’t utilize particularly well (i.e., stolen bases and doubles) and a real solid on-base percentage, which is big. But I haven’t seen much else that stands out about him. Good, but not stellar, defensive outfielder.
Now, if Braves believed he’d do a lot more of what he did last night (triple in gap) and in the WBC (two triples, a double, a high average and OBP) then I’m sure they wouldn’t consider trading him.
But I don’t get the impression they believe he will do that consistently over the course of 162 games, as opposed to a three-week WBC or winter ball. And if that’s the case, I don’t know if they’re right or whether he’s still developing and might be that player. I just don’t….
Oh, and I’m gonna be in Viera tonight at the game, so gonna have to watch Damages either on one of the rebroadcasts or on DVR or OnDemand when I get back to Atlanta. But I will, for sure. Love that show.
Lunatic Fringe
March 25th, 2009
9:42 am
Schafer’s Wafers
I guess you are correct, too early for me, and definitly needed some coffee, now that I am at work, and am able to focus on the blog with proper attention, it makes no sense having 2 LH platoon together.
18 Wheels of Love
March 25th, 2009
9:47 am
DOB, the wife is booking a few days at the Polynesian at Dizknee World in June. I figured you might have a few good suggestions for where to go in the park?
He he.
Steve McP
March 25th, 2009
9:53 am
Hey if the WHite Sox need a CF and would be interested in Blanco or Anderson, we could maybe do a swap to get Tyler Flowers back.
PTBNL
March 25th, 2009
9:53 am
KC,
You left something out (referring to upgrades from last year). Having a BUC that is not an automatic out and could actually add to the Braves’ power numbers, to me, is a very welcomed change.
There are other possible pluses. Jo Jo may actually turn the corner in the right direction. Morton, too. Hanson is an added possibility/probability this year. And, not to forget Medlen.
Sometimes, the seemingly small changes make the biggest difference.
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
9:56 am
DOB, the wife is booking a few days at the Polynesian at Dizknee World in June. I figured you might have a few good suggestions for where to go in the park? — 18 Wheels of Love
Just one: The nearest exit.
18 Wheels of Love
March 25th, 2009
9:56 am
I almost put ‘and don’t say Flowers or Lillibridge’ in my earlier post.
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
9:59 am
Now that I am at work, and am able to focus on the blog with proper attention… — Lunatic Fringe
Now that’s more like it. Good to know, at least, that your priorities are in order. (smile)
ATL
March 25th, 2009
10:04 am
I know that I posted this link a couple days ago, however, I would really appreciate it if you guys could take this survey for me. I’m doing a research project on steroids in baseball and, as it usually turns out, I procrastinated putting up the survey and am now quite a few responses short of my teachers standard. Its only 8 questions long. Thanks in advance
RC
March 25th, 2009
10:07 am
ATL,
Repost the link.
ATL
March 25th, 2009
10:07 am
wow, I guess it would help to actually put the link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=r6LCVamBL2RACZuIlVRNQA_3d_3d
ncgary
March 25th, 2009
10:07 am
the d rays are the team that could use a blanco or j anderson, they have injurys there sure it wont bring back a david price , but one of them pitching scouts there no what they are looking for. just saying, if theres no place for all the aaaa players, why not get rid of an excess cf for some dray excess pitching
GermanBravesFan
March 25th, 2009
10:09 am
Lunatic Fringe: I second that. It is 3 p.m. here and I have started my sixth cup of coffee today. Time to read up on some baseball news!
DAP
March 25th, 2009
10:11 am
ATL i just took your survey…what kind of class is it for?
PTBNL
March 25th, 2009
10:13 am
David, there is still a haze for me concerning J. Anderson. You mentioned in the Fall that he had refused to play winter ball and that such a decision would affect how the Braves look at him this Spring. What you said certainly fits the persona of the Braves FO of the past. However, it seems that his refusal is being totally ignored. Is that true? Or is it just not being reported on? Did the Braves frown on you having said what you said?
It just seems like Winter ball would have been a good time for him to work on somethings (like bunting on lefties, etc) which would greatly help both his career and the Braves season this year. If he actually thumbed his nose up at the Braves, it could be a concern as well.
It just seems strange that nothing has been mentioned further about it.
RC
March 25th, 2009
10:15 am
ATL,
Just took the survery. Wish you’d had other options on certain questions like, “Should a player’s fans forgive him for taking steriods?” I’m just not sure a simple “Yes” or “No” can capture the particulars of that question.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
10:17 am
At this point, I don’t know that we can afford to deal Campillo, who looks to be a legitimate long inning relief guy. Bennett seems to have lost whatever edge he gained last year. And I think Buddy is a gamer, but I’ve never gotten the sense we can rely on him.
I’m starting to believe our biggest concern right now is the bullpen. Gonzo and Soriano need to show they are capable of putting up the performances we think they are capable of doing night in and night out. If neither of those guys materializes into pitchers with lights out stuff, we are in serious trouble. I need to start seeing some velocity. We can’t rely on Moylan for the first two months of the season.
And JA/JS: I think it’s Anderson’s job if he can manage to boost his OBP even a little. But if Schafer keeps putting up these numbers, and Anderson’s OBP continues to hover 15 FREAKIN points within his BA, that’s a huge problem for a leadoff hitter. After all his ABs this spring, I don’t know how the Braves can keep him when he has proven so inept at getting on base.
Mitchie-san
March 25th, 2009
10:23 am
ATL, I hit up that survey for ya.
PTBNL
March 25th, 2009
10:24 am
I agree RC. Not even sure what is meant by “forgive” in that case. I may forgive a child for something they do, but still discipline them for the sake of them learning from the experience.
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
10:27 am
DOB-
just wanted to drop a couple reccomendations.
I just watched Let The Right One In- a Swedish Vampire movie, sounds boring, but actually a really intriguing film.
Also, The new Punisher is a lot better than the reviews it got. Very true to the comic book style.
I am still mostly into the new Dan Auerbach and AC Newman, but got a couple songs off the new Grizzly Bear album which are awesome, also the new Peter, Bjorn and John is really cool.
ATL
March 25th, 2009
10:33 am
DAP- Its for a Language class, it is supposed to be a precursor to debates we are doing later
RC- I agree, my partner put together the survey
cricket
March 25th, 2009
10:36 am
square leg
If possible, you can catch the test between India and NZ, starting tomorrow, especially when India is batting. India will bat first if they win the toss and Sehwag’s batting is more destructive and entertaining in tests than most of the players in ODIs and 20/20s.
BTW, if anyone’s missing cricket in US, just talk to the Indian guys from your company’s IT dept or the 7/11s. There are over 300 official teams in US and games are being played everywhere from the regular hard ball cricket to friendly pickup games using tennis, taped or hard tennis balls.
Down with "unhittable!"
March 25th, 2009
10:37 am
Can we please retire the adjective “unhittable?” Has there ever been a pitcher with a 0.00 ERA, let alone a .000 opponents’ batting average? Bobby added to the idiocy of it by saying Hanson was “literally” unhittable.
I would like to see “unhittable” thrown under the bus with the phrase “thrown under the bus.”
spotts
March 25th, 2009
10:38 am
ATL – took your survey. But you might want to get a different sample than baseball fans. Maybe see what Joe Football or Mr. Nointerestinsports thinks too
cricket
March 25th, 2009
10:40 am
DOB
LOL at your comment about looking for the nearest exit in the dark star. Since I live and hour away in Tampa, I am officially in charge of arranging disney trips for friends and family members (domestic and international) and the pain just can’t be described.
FaninFaytown
March 25th, 2009
10:42 am
if hanson didnt give up a hit… then that makes him unhittable in that game? I dont see a problem with that?
richbrave
March 25th, 2009
10:46 am
Send down GLAVINE. He needs some seasoning before we let him face ML hitters. BRING UP HANSON.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
10:51 am
In all seriousness, who do you think Hanson will replace? Right now I’m saying almost even odds between KK and Glavine. But a more interesting question is, if Reyes continues to flash his potential, how long can we keep HIM down? Same goes with Morton-what if he does the same thing in AAA as he did last year? And there is good reason to think he will, as he struggled in Atlanta only after he suffered the back injury.
The GM
March 25th, 2009
10:53 am
If the Braves really want to put the best team possible on the field then Hnason makes the rotation. Diaz and Brandon Joens platoon in left until Heyward is ready if he isn’t already, and Schafer begins the season in center. Glavine gets a million dollar gold watch and G. Anderson simply finds another team.
richbrave
March 25th, 2009
10:56 am
JUST kidding. But by SEPTEMBER I hope the rotation includes HANSON and in 2010 MORTON unless he’s traded. Somebody’s arm will fall of for sure this season. HANSON will fill the bill I think.
PTBNL
March 25th, 2009
10:56 am
The GM, your moniker must mean General Motors.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
10:57 am
Great points GM. We replace one of the most consistent guys in the game-GA, guaranteed to hit around .300 with 15 homers, with two guys who have never been able to produce in a consistent manner. Diaz has proven he can succeed at least in a platoon role, which is more than we can say for Brandon Jones. But sure, drop GA to give them the shot.
Or wait, better yet-put Heyward there, a guy who has never even played above A ball. It will do wonders for his confidence and development to get embarrassed night in and night out by big league pitchers who will be throwing at a far more advanced level than anything he has faced. Yes he has succeeded in spring training…in the 7th-9th innings where he is facing guys HOPING to make a given team’s bullpen.
There is a reason you are not GM.
BlawgDawg
March 25th, 2009
10:59 am
Down with “unhittable” Bobby was referring to his game against the AAA team yesterday when he said Hanson was “unhittable”. And since Hanson didn’t give up a hit, well wouldn’t that be the definition of “unhittable”?
ncscoots
March 25th, 2009
11:01 am
The bad news: bloggers willing to anoint a player after 50 ST ABs will also be more than happy to crucify the same player after 50 regular season ABs.
What am I thinking? An oh-fer can get you savaged here any night in the regular season, LOL.
Jim
March 25th, 2009
11:01 am
This may have been answere earlier, but who were some of the hitters Hanson faced last night?
The GM
March 25th, 2009
11:03 am
I would think you guys would be tired of the Braves using washed up over the hill players after last years debacle. Youth is the name of the game especially when the youngsters have more upside than those holding a spot for them.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
11:06 am
Yeah-youth is indeed the name of the game. Like Jojo Reyes, who was clearly rushed to the majors before he was ready, or Francoeur, who paid a major price for the cutting short of his development. But hey, who cares? Let’s bring em up anyway.
Wayne in Utah
March 25th, 2009
11:06 am
Back a few years ago, I was “unhittable” …… against my kid’s whiffle ball team. But those 8 year olds were hanging tough though. Little did they know I doctored the ball so it would “fall off the table”! (my old Whitey Ford trick)
Anthony
March 25th, 2009
11:08 am
DOB,
Can you explain how options work? I tried looking it up on the internet but I cant’ find a good explaination of it.
Jim
March 25th, 2009
11:08 am
I’m not too worried about the starting rotation whether Glavine is the 5th starter or not, the only worrisome note this spring has been the bullpen. Is Moylan coming back too soon? Is Gonzo going to throw in the low or mid 90’s? Is he too wild — there might be a lot of uncomfortable saves this year? What’s with Soriano and his high 80’s fastball? Any reliable lefties? The only strong looking relievers this spring have been Boyer and Medlen. The more important question than where Hanson and Schafer should start might be should Medlen start the year in Atlanta?
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
11:12 am
In general, a good team has a mix of veterans and young players. Hanson’s pitching has certainly made the idea of him starting the year in the majors a possibility, but with the veterans already in the mix, plus JoJo having a ressurgence he will start the season in AAA. Once, Tommy or KK or another starter gets an injury or needs a rest he can get called up for spot starts. Now, the Schaefer/Anderson thing is different for me. All the “right” moves, are to have Josh start the season in CF, but in this case I think the Braves need to lean towards putting the best 25 players on the roster, instead of playing the usual moves.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
11:14 am
Agreed Jim. Given the uncertainty in our pen, I am starting to think Medlen has to be a part of this team. He looks like he could be a real bright spot, and we may desperately need that this year. For what it is worth, I think Gonzo will be just fine. But until Moylan is truly ready to go, so much hinges on Soriano. I know he hates spring training, so hopefully he just isn’t trying. But he needs to flash at least one really good performance before the spring is out. My ideal pen:
Gonzo
Soriano
Moylan
Boyer
Logan
Campillo
Medlen
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
11:15 am
Daniel: Glad to hear someone else here saw (and enjoyed) Let The Right One In. That’s a great movie, and I’m not usually into vampire-type stuff. That’s nothing like ANY vampire movie I ever saw. Very well made, and the swimming-pool scene at the end … oh, my, that’s as creepy and terrifying as anything I’ve seen in a while, while actually showing very little (the opposite of the current Saw-type garbage that dominates the horror genre).
I’ve only rented two movies since spring training began — Zack & Miri Make a Porno (good movie, funnier than I expected it’d be) and Let The Right One In. The latter is a great movie, and I made sure to watch it with the subtitles (I hate watching foreign-language movies dubbed in English.)
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
11:17 am
Anthony, I’ve got to get to work writing a new blog, so I’m just going to cut-and-paste a good explanation of options from BaseballAmerica.com:
How do options work?
When a player is added to a 40-man roster for the first time, the major league team is permitted three optional assignments of his contract, or three “option years.” This gives them the option to assign that player to the minor leagues without requiring him to clear waivers. For each season thereafter in which the player is assigned to a minor league team, one option is used up.
When a player is out of options, he can still be assigned to the minor leagues, but first he must clear waivers.
A player can receive a fourth option if he has less than five seasons of pro experience. Draftees who immediately sign a major league contract will qualify unless they reach the majors quickly and stick there. Otherwise, they’ll have their three options exhausted after their first three years in pro ball. A season is defined as any year in which the player spends 90 days on the active list. Short-season and Rookie leagues don’t last 90 calendar days, so a player assigned to those leagues for an entire year won’t accrue a season of pro experience. Also if a player has a long-term injury, he usually won’t be credited for a season that year. (The exception is if he goes on the disabled list after spending 60 days on an active list, in which case the DL time counts as service time.)
Jim
March 25th, 2009
11:19 am
The one negative on Schaefer this spring is the strikeouts. He may be (probably is) a better player than Josh right now, but he probably could use some time in AAA to see if he can reduce his strike outs. The question should not be is Schaefer better than JA right now, but is it in the best interest of Schaefer’s development to bring him up now or give him some additional time in AAA? The biggest reason for keeping Schaefer might be the intangibles he brings to the club, not the marginal improvement over JA or GB, but if Schaefer could benefit from a few months in AAA, this should not trump what’s best for his long-term development.
garlick
March 25th, 2009
11:20 am
DOB, Let the Right One In was probably the best movie of the year, and one that no one has even heard of in the US. Also, FYI, the US DVD version of Let the Right One In, actually has the wrong subtitles. If you want more information about that, go here:
http://iconsoffright.com/news/2009/03/let_the_wrong_subtitles_in_to.html
It really is so bad, that you might want to wait and watch it again when the release company re publishes the DVD with the new subtitles.
Also, FYI, they’re trying to destroy the movie by making an “american” version of the movie, with US actors & with a revised script. Hopefully they don’t butcher it too much.
Jim
March 25th, 2009
11:22 am
DOB
Who did Hanson pitch against last night?
stamper
March 25th, 2009
11:22 am
‘down with ‘unhittable” — i totally agree! i hate both of those phrases…
however, the ultimate nuisance is ‘a cinderella story.’ can’t stand it. every year in every sport there is a new cinderella story. seems to me this defeats the concept of the phrase entirely. how can there be so many cinderellas, anyway? there was only one, yes? ok… let’s deem that one of the billion different examples in sports history as The Official Cinderella Story and be done with it.
furthermore, i think it’s ridiculous to compare anything sports related to a childish fairy-tale… especially one involving pumpkin carriages, a fairy godmother, talking mice, and a stupid slipper.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
11:24 am
His AAA Teammates
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
11:25 am
Garlick, I loved it, bad subtitles or not. And they remake all the foreign horror movies into watered-down US versions, been doing that for years now. Oh, well.
JIM: How’d you miss the updates on Hanson that we posted on the blog last night and the story with headline on AJC.com Braves page? I’ll let you go to the page and read the story. He dominated Triple-A Gwinnett team in an intrasquad Tuesday morning, didn’t pitch last night.
Jeff R
March 25th, 2009
11:29 am
For those hankering for Hanson to be in the rotation on opening day, patience.
Clearly, Kawakami and Glavine are weak links in the rotation. Glavine because of age and health; Kawakami because he’s still a bit of a wild card. Here’s a a guy, who in Japan, year in and year out, didn’t top 200 innings as a starter, much less start 30 games. He’s already experienced “shoulder fatigue” in spring training. He may not be all that Wren hopes him to be.
I think its fine to see what Kawakami and Glavine do in the opening days of the season. It doesn’t hurt to see what Hanson or Morton (who has sort of been ignored throughout the Hanson publicity spike)do at Gwinnett. The same goes for Reyes, who seems to have matured in the off-season and is taking a more professional attitude toward the game.
It’s a strong possibility that two of the three aforementioned are in the rotation before te season ends.
Anthony
March 25th, 2009
11:30 am
Thanks DOB. I’ll be at the games in Orlando Friday and Saturday and in Lakeland Sunday. Nice little spring break from law school to watch the bravos play. hope to see you there
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
11:30 am
For those of you who have the MLB Network…the Braves will be on both this Weds. (today) and Friday. Just FYI.
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
11:31 am
DOB, I usually only watch forgein films with subtitles, but I actually watched the dubbed version and still really enjoyed it. Yes, the swimming pool scene has really stuck with me. The violence and effects just come so suddenly and out of versimilitude with the rest of the film. Also, the dudes face at the hospital was jarring.
Jim
March 25th, 2009
11:32 am
I will go back and look at the story, which I missed because this blog page was up on my work computer, but did his AAA teamates contain the likes of B. Jones, D. Hernandez, Blanco, Anderson, or A level prospects like Heyward and Freeman?
garlick
March 25th, 2009
11:32 am
I’ve been pushing Let the Right One In with all my friends, but it’s really hard to explain, outside of saying, “it’s just a good movie.” I mean, a description of a vampire, coming of age, sweet & loving horror movie is just hard to imagine.
It just leaves you with a strange feeling at the end. When the head hits the water, you want to laugh, cry & cheer all at the same time. Just kind of hard to get across to people.
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
11:32 am
thanks for rubbing it in MFin04
RLPmetro
March 25th, 2009
11:35 am
DOB…different kind of question for you. I am a Braves fan living in SW Florida. Currently, we have the Red Sox and the Twins. Sarasota tried to steal the Sox away, but the County is ponying up to keep them…GOOD MOVE. The County is pursuing the Orioles to move into the Red Sox current facility in 2 years when the Red Sox new stadium is ready. Should Fort Myers get the Orioles to go along with the Red Sox and Twins, what are the chances that the Braves will finally make a trip to SWFL to play a couple games? More and more teams are heading out West, so it has to happen sooner or later!
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
11:39 am
Jim, the Triple-A lineup was only those who are in minor league camp, not guys in major league camp. Hanson pitched for the Double-A Mississippi team in the intrasquad, with Sammons catching.
(What kind of signal would that have sent to Blanco and Anderson and B. Jones, by the way, to tell them they were playing for the Triple-A team in an intrasquad against Hanson in the morning? This wasn’t like the previous intrasquad/sim games, where the Braves just combined hitting prospects from major league and minor league camp and had them hit in those games on the main field. The minor leaguers are all in camp now, and this was an intrasquad between players who’ve already been assigned to those Double-A and Triple-A teams, with exception of Hanson and Sammons.)
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
11:44 am
RLPmetro: Since the Braves don’t currently play the Orioles in spring training anyway, I don’t see where the Orioles’ possibly moving to Fort Myers would persuade the Braves to make that long trip to SW Florida for another overnight spring jaunt to play a couple of games (they already have one of those trips, to Jupiter, which they’ve made for years now).
Besides, I think Vero Beach is also talking to the O’s about moving into DodgerTown, right?
Regardless, if the Braves are able to scrap together a schedule without the Dodgers on it, as they did this spring, then they should be able to put together one in the future, too, unless even more teams leave from Central Florida to go to Arizona in future. For now, it’s not really a problem.
Random
March 25th, 2009
11:45 am
ATL (10:33 am): “DAP- Its for a Language class, it is supposed to be a precursor to debates we are doing later”
Took the poll (except for the “forgive” question — imo, there’d be nothing to forgive.)
So you’re going to be a Debater?
By your age, most boys have already mastered that.
Especially the pre-cursing part.
And the nap after.
AlwaysABrave
March 25th, 2009
11:47 am
DOB,
Do you have any thoughts on any specific third base prospects that the Braves might target in a trade?
Thanks in advance.
jonatuga
March 25th, 2009
11:49 am
Why do people constantly waste space on this blog asking questions that could easily be googled?
fleming
March 25th, 2009
11:50 am
Think I’ve figured out why Braves lost last night. Chipper and Mac are back and played. It’s their fault. We were doing fine without them. Let’s send them back.
Bobby's Belly
March 25th, 2009
11:55 am
I agree w/ the Schafer/Hanson AAA premise if you believe the Braves have a realistic chance at the playoffs this year. I just don’t see it. I see this team being solid (80-85 wins), but 8-12 games out when all is said and done. I’d much rather have Schafer/Hanson with a full big league season under their belts heading into ‘10 when this team will start contending for 4-5 yrs straight. Braves are simply a victim of their division this year. The Glavine signing was bad on so many levels (weak GM, $$$$, block Hanson, others). The JA theory is swell if he could get on base, but he can’t. If he can’t hit leadoff he does nothing for this club. You can’t hit 8th, get on base, and run w/ the pitcher at bat.
Lew
March 25th, 2009
11:56 am
Bobby’s Belly-80 wins is solid? Seriously? It’s a sub .500 record.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:00 pm
80 wins is not sub .500….especially when lumped in with 81-85 which are .500 or above. Obviously…he meant that the team is going to be average.
PWHjort
March 25th, 2009
12:00 pm
I did a Q&A about the Braves 2009 season for a Phillies site: http://macho-row.blogspot.com/2009/03/nl-east-preview-atlanta-braves.html
Bobby's Belly
March 25th, 2009
12:01 pm
Solid in the NL East, but I understand where you’re coming from. Missing playoffs is my point. By a fairly large margine.
Lew
March 25th, 2009
12:02 pm
MFin04-80 wins is NOT subpar? Seriously? Do you understand that a .500 record is 81 and 81, hence 80 wins is sub .500. Have you passed elementary arithmetic?
Lew
March 25th, 2009
12:04 pm
If he meant average, then he could have said average. He didn’t-he said solid. Sub .500 is NOT solid. It is below average.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:07 pm
He didnt say 80 wins…he said 80-85…when you take the average of those…they are above .500. Can you do elementary math? And it is possible that…the Braves only play 160 games…which would make 80 wins .500.
Lew
March 25th, 2009
12:09 pm
Bobby’s Belly-I think they’ll be somewhat better than you give them credit for and if they miss the playoffs (I think they have a shot of making them-ESPECIALLY given that the Phillies’ and Mets’ pitching staffs are highly suspect-much moreso than ours) I don’t see them as missing by anywhere near as large a margin-maybe by a couple of games. I think our competition is highly overrated and nowhere near as strong as many seem to believe. We may NOT make the playoffs, but we’ll be in the hunt throughout the season.
Random
March 25th, 2009
12:09 pm
Epinephrine — or Joey Devine.
Daybed Wagmoe
March 25th, 2009
12:11 pm
Saw “Let the Right One In” back in late January at the Athens Cine. Really good movie, very dark and spooky stuff. Yeah, that final scene in the pool…yeeesh. I thought that the facial disfigurement of the guy who does the girl’s bidding was better than that of Two-Face in “Dark Knight.” Granted, they were achieved by different modes (LTROI by hydrochloric acid, 2-Face by burning), but this stuff was better, more shocking and spine-tingling, where 2-Face’s was, I thought, a little campy.
DOB – you may have missed my post asking about the Black Francis EP “Svn Fingers,” which came out a few months after “Bluefinger.” I downloaded it last night and have been listening to it, very good stuff. If you liked Bluefinger you’d like this one.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:12 pm
Yeh, I really dont see the Braves missing the playoffs by that much…if at all. Everyone loves the Mets and Phillies because of their market…but all it takes is Tommy John for Santana or Hamels…and they are looking up at the Braves and Marlins.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:13 pm
Someone tell me the last time a guy had elbow trouble in the preseason…and didnt have it during the regular season? Usually elbow pain early on translates into TJ surgery or DL sometime in the season.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
12:14 pm
Bobby’s Belly, I couldn’t disagree more. I think both the Mets and Phillies are EXTREMELY vulnerable with regard to their starting rotations-an area where the Braves should thrive. Both those teams are completely reliant on their aces-Hamels and Santana. If either of them suffers an injury (which I pray, just for the sake of karma, does not happen), neither of those teams would even be considered legit contenders. There is no legitimate reason to think they will suffer injury (elbow tightness is very common in spring training). But I think it goes to show that the star power of Hamels and Santana blind a lot of critics to the flaws in the rest of their rotations. Over the course of a season, I think the Braves strength at the back end of rotation will serve them very, very well. I absolutely think they can contend this year.
mbatl
March 25th, 2009
12:19 pm
In 2008, the Braves had a humungous 104 starts by the following group of pitchers:
Jorge Campillo, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton, Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton, Chuck James, James Parr, and Jeff Bennett.
Most of those guys aren’t awful, and some still have potential to be good but weren’t ready last year (due to dealing with injury, or just youth). All were what I would call “number 5″ types.
That 104 starts represented 64% of our games, started by guys who are either gone (Hampton, James), or in line for either 5th starter, bullpen or minor league assignment.
Smoltz, Hudson and Jurrjens – legitimate 1-4 type starters, started only 58 games (36%).
If the big four of Lowe, Javy, JJ and KK can stay healthy enough to average 30 starts each, and then Hanson and/or Hudson start 15 games late in the year, that would be 135 games (83%) started by guys who should give us a legitimate chance to win most every time out. (and I’m not totally discounting the likely starts this year by Glavine/Reyes/Morton, but I’m considering them “5th starter” material for the time being).
If the bullpen is mostly healthy, and the above starting scenario plays out, and the offense is even slightly improved… a big turnaround is quite possible. A lot of IF’s, but none of them are unreasonable.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:21 pm
I think you are pretty safe wishing injuries on the other teams in the division. The Braves couldnt have an injury plagued year like last year. Screw karma…it doesnt exist.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
12:22 pm
Random-yup, Joey Devine is another prime example. Of course, there are always the McCanns and Escobars out there too. But the point is, if there isn’t a pressing need, no reason to mess up someone’s development.
Jim
March 25th, 2009
12:24 pm
I’ve been very negative regarding the possibility of the Braves landing a 3B prospect from some subset of our surplus, especially from non-contending teams like the Pirates, Giants, and even the Brewers, but one possible name that might be had for the right price from the Angels is Brandon Wood. He’s a SS now that could be moved to 3B and may be out of options, so it would cost us one of Prado/Infante in the trade. The Angels are contenders and may have specific needs that they would be willing to give up Wood for.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
12:24 pm
Wishing injuries on anyone is bush league. I’d love for the Braves to win the WS, but not if it takes having everyone else’s good players go down with injury. If you can’t compete with other teams without injury, it isn’t worth playing.
Bobby's Belly
March 25th, 2009
12:25 pm
Epi – Back end of the rotation we have Glavine and Kawakami. That’s not good/hurt and we have no idea, respectively.
ccrider
March 25th, 2009
12:28 pm
Is their anybody else out there that in looking at MLB as a whole, sees a near future narrowing of the gap between the current dominate franchises and the have-not teams. Tampa Bay being successful last year, the Royals, Nationals, Rangers, Orioles, Reds, Brewers, etc. all starting to draft and develop players better, spend payroll more wisely and trade more carefully(now that Bowden’s out at Washington). I get a feeling the competition will become tighter in the coming decade and the league as a whole more interesting to watch. I hope the Braves continue to draft and develop well and spend their payroll to keep the right players at Turner Field!
PWHjort
March 25th, 2009
12:29 pm
Brandon Wood’s natural position is 3B. And he’s less of a prospect. I think he set the AFL record for homers like 3 years ago. He’s MLB ready. His OBP is a little low but the guy can hit the crap out of the ball.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:29 pm
We have about 4-5 legit back end on the rotation guys. And we also have a #1 starter that may pitcher there too. How scary is that? Think about how many wins he could pick up there by just staying in games against other teams 4/5 starter.
Jeff R
March 25th, 2009
12:29 pm
Right now, I’d have to side with those who think the Braves are a mid 80s team (in terms of wins). Not sure they have what it takes to crack 90 wins. Mid to high 80s would probably keep them in the Wild Card hunt throughout the season.
Lunatic Fringe
March 25th, 2009
12:30 pm
Daybed Wagmoe
Is the movie “Let the Right One In” ok for my 12 year old daughter to watch? She is now into all things vampire since the Twilight movie came out. THX
kenhotlanta
March 25th, 2009
12:31 pm
Lew…I’ve been reading this blog since day one and just posted for the first time last night. I think you and I have very similiar musicial tastes regarding hard rock, especially from the 60’s and 70’s. In 1968 TPTB were just realizing the potential of FM Radio (AM ruled the airwaves back then), and a genius by the name of Ed Shane was given the reins at WPLO-FM in Atlanta; he started one of the nation’s first underground rock stations and it was glorious! Non-stop 24 hour album cuts of stuff we never heard on AM, no commercials, very little talk, but just rock & roll music all the time.
I used to buy lots of albums back then (they were cheap and Woolco sold cut-outs for a quarter apiece!) and I would always pick up a few artists I had never heard of hoping to find a diamond in the rough, but it was hit-or-miss and usually a big miss. However with WPLO on the air, I now knew what to buy and I bought every album by Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Cactus, Bloodrock, Grand Funk Railroad, Savoy Brown, James Gang, Spirit, Mountain, Blue Cheer, Amboy Dukes, Jethro Tull, and on and on. A whole new world had been opened to me and I have never been the same, and that’s in a good way, I hope.
Anyway, the overnight talk here on the blog brought all these memories back and I just had to share, especially to the guy looking for long lost live albums.
FWIW my vote for the greatest hard rock or metal song never heard on the radio: Breaking All The House Rules by Budgie…it took them (the radio stations) forever to finally play Stranglehold at least once in a while, so I have hope someone will discover this great anthem and play it on the air.
Go Braves!
nolie
March 25th, 2009
12:31 pm
By your age, most boys have already mastered that.
are you saying that they are master-debaters by then?
McPoyle
March 25th, 2009
12:31 pm
is there a better potential 2010 rotation from top to bottom than the Braves’? Lowe, Hudson, Javy, Jair, and Hanson? I mean to be honest, KK might be SOL, and Morton and JoJo can’t keep up with those other 6 guys… too deep of a rotation? is that even possible? If JJ or Hanson is your #5… that’s a staaacked rotation.
Steve McP
March 25th, 2009
12:33 pm
Campillo was not that bad last year, he had an 8-7 record and an ERA below 4.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:34 pm
When is Hudson’s contract up? He might be the odd man out…and I love Huddy.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
12:35 pm
Bobby’s Belly—fine, you take one of either:
Livan, Maine, and Pelfrey
Blanton, Moyer, and Park
and I’ll take
Jurrjens, Kawakami, and Glavine. I’d take that any day of the week. People are pooh-poohing Glavine because of his shoulder-I think in large part because they want to see Hanson. Dude is a 300 game winner who has competed every year of his career. In his last full season he was fifth in the NL in quality starts. He has lost nothing since then, assuming he can raise his velocity a few ticks. I’m very comfortable with him as our 5. KK is a wild card, but seriously-you’d take those other guys over him? With Hanson, Reyes, Morton, and eventually Hudson waiting in the wings? I’d call you crazy.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
12:38 pm
Also, that isn’t even to mention the possibility of ANY of their guys going down, much less Hamels and Santana. What then? You have someone WORSE than Livan or Park lining up every fifth day? We’ve been through that before. It’s called Mark Redman.
Josh H
March 25th, 2009
12:38 pm
MFin04: Hudson has a $12 million option for next year.
Braves will pick that up. A #1 for $12 million is terrific. And Hudson is still pretty young and should have several great seasons ahead of him.
Speaking of which, if he can throw his splitter again after the TJ surgery…watch out.
Nate
March 25th, 2009
12:42 pm
I don’t think you can expect more than 20 starts out of either Kawakami or Glavine this year. If the first three guy in the rotation each make 30 starts and the Braves can get 40 combined out of Glavine and Kawakami, that still leaves 32 starts for somebody to pick up. Getting 5 September starts from Hudson is probly best case scenario. If I haven’t screwed up my math that stll leaves 27 starts for somebody. Point is that there will be plenty of opportunities for spot starts.
MFin04
March 25th, 2009
12:44 pm
When you lose your 1-3 starters during a season, it is always a good idea to have 9 starting pitchers the next season, lol.
Master Jason Bateman
March 25th, 2009
12:50 pm
nolie (12:31 pm): “are you saying that they are master-debaters by then?”
I do believe he is.
Btw, have you dudes seen my sister?
Pretty hot, huh?
garlick
March 25th, 2009
12:50 pm
Nate, your logic is sound, outside of the fact that it will probably be 30-35 starts from the top guys, depending on if they make all their starts, so there’s a few here and there that will go back to them. You can’t just round off numbers when you do that.
So I would say it would be more realistic to put the left over starts at 20-25 rather than 25-30.
RLPmetro
March 25th, 2009
12:51 pm
DOB…yes, the Orioles are talking to not only Fort Myers, but also to Sarasota and Dodgertown. The Advantage that Fort Myers has (besides already being home to two teams) is that the City of Palms Park that the Red Sox are currently playing at is fairly new. It was built in the 90’s, and it is in excellent condition. The Red Sox just wanted a sweeter deal, and the County was willing to give it to them rather than lose them. The County is fairly confident that the Orioles will choose Fort Myers over the deteriorating conditions in Vero Beach. Hopefully they are right.
It would just be nice, as a Braves fan, for them to venture this far south. It’s only a 2.5 to 3 hour drive. I guess that is more reason for me to make the trek up to Dark Star, but the room and board is the reason I choose to stay here and cross my fingers that they will come here!!! Or at least to Port Charlotte to play the Rays!
Random
March 25th, 2009
12:52 pm
from BP John Perrotto’s NL Rumors and Rumblings:
The Braves would like to add a young third baseman to become Chipper Jones’ eventual successor, and they have a number of trade chips that include pitchers Jeff Bennett, Buddy Carlyle, and Jorge Campillo, infielder Martin Prado, and outfielder Josh Anderson. … The Astros have strong interest in trading for Rockies utilityman Jeff Baker to play third base. … The Giants want to sign free-agent left-handed reliever Will Ohman, but they’re trying to trade lefty reliever Jack Taschner to clear space on the roster and payroll. … The Phillies are willing to trade outfielder Geoff Jenkins. …
Steve McP
March 25th, 2009
12:54 pm
Why will KK only start 20 games this year? There is no reason to expect that he will not get up around 30 at least. In Japan he threw in a 6 man rotation which restricted his starts. No reason to assume that, because he did not start an ST game (which both he and Bobby said he would have started had it been regular season) that he is going to miss so much time next year. He has good stuff and the consensus of reports seems to be that he is pitching well in ST.
Jeff R
March 25th, 2009
12:55 pm
Cox pitched Carlye against the Pirates last night. Think he was being showcased to the Pirates. Pittsburgh is in need of another starter.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 25th, 2009
12:58 pm
Kawakami – only 20 starts? Based on what? He threw 180 or so innings last year.
Crazy Bobby's Belly
March 25th, 2009
12:58 pm
You’re not the first Epi.
BudHeavy
March 25th, 2009
12:59 pm
Are the Braves really going to run Glavine out there every 5th day to pitch four innings, give up 8 hits and 4 walks, and win about 25% of his starts? I can’t believe the attendance draw of Hanson isn’t reason enough to keep him around, not to mention that he can actually get hitters out.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 25th, 2009
1:02 pm
My bad, wrong year. Averaged 174 innings in last 5 years:
2004 Chunichi Dragons 17 7 0 3.32 27 192.1 176
2005 Chunichi Dragons 11 8 0 3.74 25 180.1 138
2006 Chunichi Dragons 17 7 0 2.51 29 215.0 194
2007 Chunichi Dragons 12 8 0 3.55 26 167.1 145
2008 Chunichi Dragons 9 5 0 2.30 20 117.1 112
spotts
March 25th, 2009
1:04 pm
Why is “unhittable” in quotes if Hanson didn’t allow any hits? That implies that he had good stuff but allowed a weak single or something.
Lew
March 25th, 2009
1:05 pm
Kenhotlanta-Only bands you mentioned I DON’T have cd’s from are Bloodrock (saw them twice live) and Budgie (aware of them but never heard anything by them).
Were you at the Lake Spivey show in ‘70-Grand Funk, Bloodrock and Chakra (Rick Price of Ga. Satellites original band)?
Jeff R
March 25th, 2009
1:09 pm
Braves are on the hook to Glavine and Kawakami. Those guys will start the season in the rotation, whether we’d like to see Hanson or not. But a lot depends on how those two perform. Certainly Glavine is the cheaper of the two and is only signed for the season. It would be easier to work on an exit for him if he doesn’t deliver.
Kawakami has a multi-year deal. I don’t know the terms, but I guess he could wind up in a long relief role if he falters as a starter.
But, both may deliver. Too early to tell.
N Nine (eta11)
March 25th, 2009
1:09 pm
The Braves would like to add a young third baseman to become Chipper Jones’ eventual successor
No extension for Hoss, but rather looking for his successor?
What is going on here? Do we have another long time Brave departure?
Il Cattivo
March 25th, 2009
1:10 pm
Jeff R
Carlyle might actually be useful/needed for us. He has been good and quite consistent also. The way Bennett is pitching, Carlyle may be useful in the pen. Bennett and Acosta are quite bad right now. I am guessing one or both are going to moved/demoted or released.
DAP
March 25th, 2009
1:11 pm
it just staggering to look at the performance of last years starting rotations. when you look at innings pitched leaders (jurjens led with 188, campillo had 158, hudson had 142, jojo had 113, and hamton and morton each had around 75)
that top 4 (jurjens campillo, hudson, jojo) pitched 601 innings. its safe to say that our top 3 this year (lowe, vazquez, jurjens) should about match that.
the innings we will get will make a huge difference in the overall team. not to mention, they will probably be more quality innings than some of the starter we had last year gave us.
mcpoyle look for either hudson or vazquez to be the odd man out. i doubt kawakami is going to bomb enough for wren to want to jettison his investment. if kawakami sucks, wren wont be able to trade him, $8mil is alot to pay a reliever, and having him on the braves team is a good move for the braves, opening us up to get more players from japan, and also to have a fan base in japan, and among the japanese population in atlanta.
my guess is that vazquez will have a good year, and will be traded for a reliever (maybe a closer type?) or prospects.
nateI don’t think you can expect more than 20 starts out of either Kawakami or Glavine this year.
why?
garlick
March 25th, 2009
1:12 pm
N Nine, that said “eventual” successor, not immediate successor. Don’t freak out, Hoss isn’t going anywhere next year. He’s probably going to retire in 2 years though, so we do need someone that can take over after that. That’s all that is implied there.
Epinephrine
March 25th, 2009
1:12 pm
Yeah I definitely don’t understand penciling in KK for only 20 starts. I know we are familiar with Hanson, and not with KK, so there is a tendency to undervalue him and prefer what we know. But the Braves just invested 21 million in a guy that has put up innings and very nice numbers over the last 5 seasons. I don’t see why we immediately write off his potential contribution.
Il Cattivo
March 25th, 2009
1:14 pm
spotts
That might be because it was part of an actual quote from Bobby while the rest of the headline isnt – you know quotes being used to quote someone (though it should actually be the ” variety and not ‘ then, but still).
N Nine (eta11)
March 25th, 2009
1:17 pm
Garlick___I hope you are correct! Some never thought Smoltz would leave even when his agent was shopping Smoltz. I remember DOB assured us Smoltz was just getting some leverage and was not serious. With Wren I just don’t know.
Jeff R
March 25th, 2009
1:19 pm
Il Cattivo, good point. We’ll see.
N Nine (eta11), if Wren, Cox and staff aren’t thinking about the future of third base, then they’re not doing their jobs.
Chipper’s 37, as I recall, often injured and sidelined. If I were Wren, I’d certainly wouldn’t offer Chipper a multiyear deal at $11 million a season or so. No upside there.
If the Braves can’t line up an heir-apparent before 2010, and if Chipper can still play, I’d tender a one year deal with an option for another season and payout half of what he’s getting now.
Yes, he’s a superior talent – when he plays. But he’s aging an always battling injuries. It’s getting near time to move passed Chipper.
Ol' Donk
March 25th, 2009
1:25 pm
All my boys are “lights out!” Hanson is “unhittable.” I’m drooling again, ain’t I? Whoops, I crapped my pants–glad I have a diaper. Where is Corky when you need him?
spotts
March 25th, 2009
1:26 pm
Yea I understand about quotes….it’s just misleading. He was hitless because he allowed no hits. Not because someone said he allowed no hits. No big deal….that little stuff just bugs me
I once got a birthday card from Grandma that had “Love You” in quotes.
TnBrian
March 25th, 2009
1:27 pm
Epinephrine, more like $23M for Kawakami. Too much of a risk that I don’t think was a random signing since Wren,Sheurholz etc. were scouting the Japanese pitchers for a few years. But, was it the smartest move to spend $7.5M on, like some have said here- a wild card?
I don’t trust Soriano and it gets worse, he’s signed to a pretty big contract and has little trade value because of health. He’s the one you just cross your fingers on and hope he finds a way to stay motivated in ‘09.
DAP
March 25th, 2009
1:29 pm
garlickHe’s probably going to retire in 2 years though,
how ya figure?
Schafer's Wafers
March 25th, 2009
1:29 pm
Braves will draft a 3b prospect this year. Chipper will get his 3 year extension and in 3 years that prospect will be ready.
PWHjort
March 25th, 2009
1:38 pm
Schafer’s Wafers, there’s only a 25% chance a prospect will ever even make it to the big leagues if drafted after the 1st round. Let alone be nearly as good as Chipper Jones. And in the 1st round (1st rounders have a 44% chance of reaching the majors), the Braves will take the best player available, not necessarily a 3B.
Schafer's Wafers
March 25th, 2009
1:40 pm
PWH,
I agree but I guarantee they draft a 3b in the first 5 rounds.
eagletwins
March 25th, 2009
1:40 pm
who cares about an abitration clock…if these young guys are the best players, get them to the show now…..no need to sacrifice a year just to save a few bucks.
David O'Brien
March 25th, 2009
1:42 pm
NEW BLOG IS UP
Daniel
March 25th, 2009
1:44 pm
I love talking baseball as much as any of you on here. So, I understand the desire to talk end of year trades and prospect replacements.
It just seems to me that with so many immediate questions about this years team and the final 25, I am having a hard time thinking about who will replace Chipper or which starter will be traded.
The obvious questions for me are who plays centerfield, does Hanson make the staff, and what about our left-handed relief.
Daybed Wagmoe
March 25th, 2009
1:45 pm
Lunatic Fringe — That depends on your dynamics with your daughter and your family, what kind of things you allow as a parent, etc — but no, I would not recommend letting a 12 year old daughter watching it. It’s very graphic in its violence, and while there are some things that it doesn’t show, there’s plenty of disturbing images in it.
N Nine — the operative word in that article is “eventual,” as in in a few years when Hoss is ready to hang up his cleats.
DAP
March 25th, 2009
1:57 pm
PWHjort
i read your Q and A. good job, great answers, but i cant believe you said the on player you would want from one of the NL east teams is adam dunn. i would have said carlos beltran. slugging, switching hitting out fielder, with good defense.
Jeff Blauser
March 25th, 2009
2:23 pm
DOB/ Fellow Die-Hards,
What are your thoughts on Mike Moustakas as a possible trade target? The Royals have Alex Gordon at third base and Moustakas is still a few years off. Baseball America rates his power at 70 on the 20-80 scale. It seems like the talent and timetable (late 2010 arrival) make him a good fit to replace Chipper. Did I say “replace Chipper”? That felt weird.
Any guess as to what the Braves would have to package to swing a prospect like this?
John Radney
March 25th, 2009
10:32 pm
Anybody want to bet Chippie won’t play in a hundred games. Washed up, white trash bum. Please someone tell him not to open his mouth. He showes how stupid he really is.
Ryan
March 26th, 2009
10:59 pm
I like the way Yunel is playing. I think he is going to be one of the team leaders in the next few years like so many people have said. He is such a natural, fluid, exciting player and I can’t wait to see how much better he gets with a few more seasons under his belt.