Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,712 comments Add your comment
Run Heap Run
April 30th, 2009
11:25 pm
Do any Brave’s players twitter?
Some jokes just write themselves….
BossLady
April 30th, 2009
11:30 pm
Is there any way I can get Steve Crane at Stone Mountain Toyota off of the television. It is a shame that an out of shape drunk can make a commercial on television. That man is dead drunk and as far as I can say no one would come in to buy from him. If I drive 65-75 miles to Stone Mountain from SW Douglas County I would beat his A$$. So now!Is he begging for someone to help him get sober with a cup of coffee?
Mitchie-san
April 30th, 2009
11:33 pm
Ok, does anyone else fee like Glavine is blocking Jo Jo? — Mitchie-san
How can a guy who’s been on the DL all season and doesn’t even know if he’ll be able to pitch again, a guy who hasn’t thrown off a mound in nearly three weeks, be “blocking” Jo-Jo Reyes? What’s he blocked him from?
Glavine hasn’t made a start, and Reyes made both of the first two starts Glavine was scheduled to make. -DOB
The reason why I was asking was because whenever Glavine IS ready, he is guaranteed a roster spot. He is, after all Tom Glavine. It seems no matter how well Jo Jo pitches, he is the odd man out in the rotation. They cant do anything with Kawakami, can they? Doesnt he get paid too much to go down to the minors? They are the only two in the rotation that they can move out of the way.
Basically, I dont see what they are going to do with the rotation when/if Glavine is ready. I think Jo Jo is going to get screwed… (that is if he is still pitching well, otherwise its a no-brainer.)
Salt life
April 30th, 2009
11:42 pm
Today……70 years ago “today…….I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth”…….Mr. Gherhig. So do I
monty
April 30th, 2009
11:47 pm
Salt life
One of the greatest speeches of all time. Brings tears to my eyes every time I see it replayed.
monty
April 30th, 2009
11:49 pm
Mitchie San
Like it or not preference is given to 300 game winners versus big league wannabees.
Lou Vales
April 30th, 2009
11:53 pm
I have as much respect for Jorge Cantu as I do any guy in this league. Playing through pain with a wrist injury that causes him to wince with EVERY check swing he has 4 homers in last 12 at bats and 9 RBI’s in last 4 games. Hanley(LOL) qill be on the bench for probably 10 more games with a “hand; injury.
Hanley vs. Jorge?????? Jorge
Salt life
April 30th, 2009
11:58 pm
Monty……. Me too…ALS is tragic…. We all have so much to be thankful for….. In baseball…..my favorite……:60… Count’em….60……. Let’s see some other son of a bitch do that!!!!
TnBrian
May 1st, 2009
12:02 am
Anybody watch Leno? Carrot Top did a bit where he put on a mexican hat with a flu mask attached to it. Halarious! Sorry, I’ll leave now
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
12:16 am
That Celts-Bulls triple-OT game tonight was one of the best NBA games I’ve seen in a long, long time. If this had been a conference final or NBA Finals series, it’d go down as one of, if not the, greatest series ever. Seven overtimes in four games during the six-game series.
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
12:17 am
Pujols has eight homers and seven strikeouts this season, including three strikeouts and no homers in three games against the Braves. Who’d have figured….
P-Town Brave (Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
12:24 am
DOB-
How many HR do we have as a team now?
And yes, you’re dead on about the Bulls/Celtics series….haven’t seen an NBA series this good in quite awhile…I’m hoping that if the inevitable happens (Lakers/Cavs), they’ll give us something to remember in the Finals…
BTW…for anyone who cares (you don’t but I’ll post it anyways), I went 3 for 5 w/ a 2b, 2RS, and 2 RBI tonight in my slow-pitch game from the leadoff slot…
Chop Chop
May 1st, 2009
12:27 am
P-Town Brave,
When Yahoo! puts you on its fantasy baseball roster, I’ll add you. I need the runs scored.
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
12:30 am
Anybody read Carroll Rogers latest article about Derek Lowe? It’s great stuff and well done.
Albert Pujols has 17 walks versus 7 strike outs this season. His career numbers: 713 BB / 513 K. That’s Chipperish if you ask me.
scottbravesfan
May 1st, 2009
12:31 am
About time the AJC starts telling who won the Gwinnett Braves games. They should post the scores for everyone of their games. Most of the traffic they get on the sports page is people looking for Braves scores and stories.
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
12:33 am
By the way, anyone looking for a great Mexican joint in the Northeast part of the city, you gotta try Taqueria El Vecino on La Vista Road at the corner of Oak Grove. It’s about a block west of Fellini’s pizza in that little shopping center on the south side of La Vista. Outstanding, and very affordable.
The tacos and tamales are terrific, with at least five fillings to choose from — fish (tilapia), steak, chicken and pork prepared two different ways. And a great fresh-salsa selection. Damn, I’m still full and we ate four or five hours ago.
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
12:50 am
DAVID O’BRIEN
About Adrian Gonzalez. The real reason that I brought his name up is after reading this:
* When asked about the idea of signing Adrian Gonzalez to an extension in 2010, Moorad replied, “Why wait until 2010?”
* Moorad reiterated that he is willing to keep Jake Peavy, but tossed in the caveat that “no one player is untouchable.”
* In reference to the July 31st trade deadline, Moorad would be “open to adding an appropriate player or two” if the team is within striking range.
Either Jeff Moorad is just stirring the pot or he is keeping his options open. I agree that Adrian Gonzalez is highly unlikely to be traded but when the new Padres CEO says “No one player is untouchable” I have to take him at his word.
That said, if the Padres are winning come July, they will be buyers and we can forget this conversation. If the shoe is on the other foot, all bets are off.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:00 am
dob,
going to philly for the weekend. buddy of my mine, wife, is getting married.
staying at penn landing,
staying at the hyatt on the river,
any suggestions on a joint?
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
1:02 am
And about those Marlins….
I knew they would win but first place and leading the division at 14-8, nobody saw this coming.
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:04 am
Since we are talking NBA…Rondo has got to be suspended for game 7…he has had 3 cheap shots on Hinrich in games 5/6 and then one cheap shot on Brad Miller. Add all four of those up…and the league has got to suspend him. They won’t but they should….he is just a dirty dirty player.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:06 am
DOB,
get ready to write all that non dinger thing.
please tout one brave that has the CURRENT ability to hit 25.
other then HOSS, and maybe heap? who else?
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:07 am
chop chop,
you are a rounder, do you sleep?
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:10 am
I’m not even sure that Chipper is a 25 homerun hitter anymore either…with all the games he has missed…and with hand issues so far this year…might be tough to get 25. That and he is getting pitched around a lot lately…maybe when McCann is back.,…he’ll see more pitches. McCann also has never hit 25 homers…and he has already missed a lot more games in a season then he usually misses if you count future off-days.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:11 am
three days in philly, and i am going to see the mets play the phills on sunday.
for all you drones baseball exists outside this blog.
P-Town Brave (Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
1:12 am
Chop Chop-
Thanks for the ego boost…I would probably be a decent person to have if there was a fantasy slow-pitch league…I may not hit HR, but I get on base a lot, usually bat at the top of the order, and use my speed to score a lot of runs…hmm…sounds like something the Braves are missing at the top…
BTW, how many pts do you get for runs scored in your league?
P-Town Brave (Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
1:14 am
MFin04-
Unless someone gets EXTREMELY hot at some point, I see the Braves having a hard time getting over 20 HR w/ anyone…
Chipper doesn’t stay healthy enough for long enough to get there and Mac already has to dig out of a hole and who knows what the rest of 09 holds for him…
Our only other two real shots are Garret and Jeff…Garret is in the same boat Mac is and there is no way Jeff hits 15 with the swing and approach he has now, let alone 20.
P-Town Brave (Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
1:17 am
UGA-
Yes, as does softball…and I am happy my season has started…so now I at least have something else to take me away from the Braves at times…
Enjoy that wedding this weekend…but Mets/Phils..? Really? How do you figure that one out, other than to maybe put the hex on both teams and see if someone gets hurt…lol…
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:19 am
The one thing I do like about Frenchy is that he has a knack for driving in runs with hard hit singles. I haven’t seen enough of GA but it really is hard to imagine him hitting on out with the swing he has right now. It looks like a softball slap hitter…or something. He did get a hold of a ball in a game this year and hit it a long way foul…so he does have the power….I just haven’t see it yet and never have watched him play. It does look like he can drive in runs if they are on in front of him.
Chop Chop
May 1st, 2009
1:22 am
I sleep, uga. If you notice, you’ll rarely see a post from me between 2 a.m. and the early afternoon. That’s because the Indian dude I outsource this nickname to doesn’t like to post during those times. (I gotta make money somehow, right?)
Chop Chop
May 1st, 2009
1:26 am
I can’t remember what the scoring is, P-Town. I run a league that uses a bunch of different stat categories to make things interesting.
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:28 am
Alright let me run this by you geniuses on here late at night…
Omar Infante batting .350 .386 OBP
Martin Prado batting .350 .435 OBP
KJ .batting .203 .295 OBP
Esco batting .274 .379 OBP
Diaz batting .216 .317 OBP
So who plays LF, 2B, and SS for you?
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:35 am
chop chop,
i just spit out my drink. P TOWN, i will enjoy philly.
hey, i got a great wife. we decided to stay until monday .
sunday mets vs. phiilly should be grand.
she knows i love baseball. we are going to mets phills tilt.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:43 am
see, i will get to see guys like utley, rolllins, reyes, beltran, delgado, wright, howard, and victorino.
we have none of those type guys, but we have matty diaz, right?
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:46 am
Royals had 6 double plays…in 9 innings….wow. That’s got to be some very happy pitchers…one was Kyle Davies.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:52 am
oh by the way, francouer was the guy smilin frank depened on.
his .ops is right on line.
it wont happen again?
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
1:52 am
Chipper won’t hit 25 dingers nor will he top 100 RBI this year. Very simply because of his current physical problems with his hands.
And I will never understand the contract extension.
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:54 am
coach,
you scare me because you are right.
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
1:57 am
You guys never gave me your 2B, SS, and LF. Just wondering what you guys think after seeing the games?
uga-brave
May 1st, 2009
1:59 am
chop chop,
you are one of the, how do i say it, the guys posts i always read,
P-Town Brave(Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
2:00 am
MFin-
Honestly, I would have to go w/ Esco, Infante, and Prado getting the main PT w/ Infante in LF…
Unfortunately for Diaz, he hurts his value when he has to play everyday…
Unfortunately for Kelly, the side he decided to hit better (much) on his splits is LH, which any of the others mentioned can do.
If I were manager, I play them all quite frankly…Look how LaRussa is doing things in St. Louis w/ Ryan, Barton, Greene, Schumaker, and Thurston in the IF and Ankiel, Duncan, Ludwick, and Rasmus in the OF….
No one has proven above and beyond yet that they deserve a spot…therefore I would keep everyone playing and everyone fresh as well…
Here’s my thought (week to week; avg 6 g/wk):
Infante – 2 starts @ SS, 1 start @ 2b, 1 start @ LF
Escobar – 4 starts @ SS
Johnson – 3 starts @ 2b, 1 start @ LF
Prado – 2 starts @ 2b, 1 start @ LF, 1 start @ 1b (spell Kotchman)
Diaz – 3 starts @ LF
That leaves everyone w/ 3-4 starts per week and 2 days off and keeps everyone fresh.
Also, it gives everyone opportunity to take a job if they really want it.
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
2:01 am
At any rate, the upcoming month of May will be telling. 22 of the 30 games to be played are against teams with current non-winning records. If our Braves can’t win against teams as bad or worse than they are, then the hand writing on the wall will be evident come June 1st.
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
2:03 am
One would think…Infante going 3-4 would earn him…a spot in the lineup for Friday’s game right? Going aloing with your….”earning a spot” theory. I like that idea…it just seems like a waste of Prado and Infante at this point in time…I think to some extent even Greg Norton needs a shot to play somewhere. He is slumping and needs more than 1 AB a game to get going again in my opinion. He also has “a lot of power” in comparison to the rest of the team.
P-Town Brave(Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
2:04 am
Oh, I also forgot to mention that I’d like to see Brandon Jones worked into giving Jeff a day off a week in RF…
Regardless of what Jeff thinks, he does in fact NEED a day every once in awhile…
MFin04
May 1st, 2009
2:05 am
I can only look ahead one series at a time at this point in the season, I can’t handle looking long term, lol. That being said…losing the series to the Cardinals after completely dominating Albert Pujols and pitching as well as we did is very disheartening. Hope we can get the bench guys in some more this week, score some runs, and win some games.
P-Town Brave(Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
2:14 am
MFin-
You won’t find a Greg Norton fan here…I was one in favor of keeping Josh Anderson as a 4th OF and using Prado and Diaz to backup Kotchman at 1b…
Given Omar’s play the last two games, Casey’s hot bat, and Yunel’s blunders, it should be evident who should and shouldn’t be in the lineup against Houston Fri. night.
Also given that Mike Hampton is on the mound, I would like to have hitters in the lineup who can take pitches and work counts…that is NOT Matt Diaz.
Working into account that I don’t know the lineup nor do I pretend to know what Bobby is thinking, BUT knowing he said Kelly will be back in the lineup, this is what I would do.
1) Infante ss
Ross c
2) Schafer cf
3) Jones 3b
4) Francoeur rf
5) Johnson 2b
6) Prado lf
7) Kotchman 1b
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
2:22 am
uga-brave, I’m not always right, believe me. I thought the Horacio Ramirez / Rafael Soriano trade was bad juju when it went down. Turns out, John Schuerholz was spot on.
Horam stunk in Seattle and Chicago (White Sox). He is currently sporting a 10.80 ERA for the Kansas City Royals.
P-Town Brave(Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
2:33 am
Coach-
I wouldn’t say you were totally wrong on that one though…
It was basically a “I’ll give you my head case, you give me yours” kind of deal.
The J.D. Drew deal sticks out a little bit, BUT we did get a solid year out of him, heck, best he’s ever had!
The only deal that got me w/ Schuerholz and still does as a matter of fact was the Jermaine Dye for Lockhart and Tucker…
BY FAR the absolute WORST J.S. ever made! I still to this day can not figure out why we would trade a guy that we were so comfortable w/ as a rookie, that we had him out in the OF instead of Justice in a deciding WS game…just still makes no sense to me, and J.D. (Dye) is a guy I would absolutely LOVE to see come back to Atlanta.
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
2:35 am
Yea, Greg Norton. One for fifteen (.067 BA). The Braves pinch hitter does have three walks and one RBI to his credit. But still, the veteran isn’t doing his job. This has to change and soon.
My buddy Brian Barton has hit in six of the seven games played so far for the Gwinnett Braves. He is batting a respectable .281 with two multiple hit games and three stolen bases.
But the OBP is .294 and his one walk versus 10 K’s…… YEEEEEESH !
PWHjort
May 1st, 2009
2:38 am
April Awards:
NL Cy Young: Johan Santana.
Runner up: Dan Haren.
NL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez.
Runner Up: Raul Ibanez.
NL RoY: Brian Barden.
Runner Up: Jordan Schafer.
NL Rolaids Award: Jonathan Broxton.
AL Cy Young: Zach Grienke.
Runner Up: Felix Hernandez.
AL MVP: Kevin Youkilis.
Runner Up: Jason Bay.
AL RoY: Ricky Romero.
Runner up: Scott Richmond.
AL Rolaids Award: Frank Francisco.
PWHjort
May 1st, 2009
2:41 am
Smoltz suffered a set-back in his rehab http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1169096
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
2:48 am
Well , the one trade that made me sick to my stomach the moment I heard about it will always be the Wainwright / Marquis deal for J.D. Drew deal.
Yes, we got one great season from Drew and kept the division streak alive. But in retrospect, we essentially gave up two starting pitchers to rent an outfielder for one season. Not to mention the 2006 WS Cardinals that both Marquis and Wainwright contributed to.
This is one trade that continues to get worse with every game Wainwright wins, including the one on this past Wednesday night.
P-Town Brave(Schafer for leadoff)
May 1st, 2009
2:51 am
Coach-
Sounds as though Barton really would fit in on this team (yawn)
PWHjort
May 1st, 2009
4:09 am
I still think the Mark Teixeira deal was worse than the J D Drew deal because the Drew deal actually worked and chances are the Rangers will eventually net more than Wainwright and Marquis
Tomahawkin
May 1st, 2009
4:44 am
D.O.B. Did U not get in on the New Kids on The Block Craze in the late 80’s…? or Paula Abdul among others…
Just messing around wit ya…I hope You at least gave the old Queen Latifah Cd’s some love….
I’m kinda suprised that you didn’t give a shout out to how good the old MTV was, If you’re in a nostalgic state of mind…
And BTW did You ever watch the Old “Yo MTV Raps”…
No Offense My Man…but You may have Overrated the Braves offense from your analysis at Darkstar… I’m Still calling you out on your assessment of Kotchman…I believe you said a good time ago that he could produce 25 homers and 85 Ribeyes…? Well I’m shooting for 14-70…That kind of offense isn’t gonna scare anybody from the #4 slot. Then again hitting at the 4th slot he will have ample oppurtunity to exceed my expectations
As or right now we are a .500 team until we kill the Bobby-Ball Approach on offense, and stop playing Dumb Baseball overall
I Sound Like a pessimist but I think You hyped the braves into be a pennant winning contender and as of right now we are a sub .500 team…
Where is Mike Mordecai when we need him in the Clutch…?
TnJeff04 (MFinBrian321)
May 1st, 2009
4:53 am
Necromancer (10:44 pm): “Please, no more “double pits to chesty”
that is so, uh, damn, can’t say that on this blog..
you know what Im trying to say???”
Actually, no. I don’t.
I mean, it couldn’t be any worse than some of the spew you’ve already disgorged here.
P-Town Brave (12:24 am): “How many HR do we have as a team now?”
How feeble are you?
Think you got enough energy to click on a hyperlink, stud?
PS: You’re welcome.
Frank from KS
May 1st, 2009
5:56 am
Hey, bad trades happen. Ya all need to get over it.
I mentioned this on another blog…….I remember a (to this day the worse trade in Royals history IMO) trade while…..yep, you guessed it…JS made while he was Royals GM.
Bret Saberhagen to the Mets for Keith Miller, Kevin McReynolds, and Greg Jefferies.
That deal was horrible.
Patron Saint of the Lost Art
May 1st, 2009
7:27 am
Frank…Saberhagen was traded in December of 1991. Well after Schuerholz left KC for Atlanta. He suffered shoulder injury in 1990 and was largely never the pitcher he once was after the trade, reaching 15 wins only once after ‘91.
Granted the other players in the trade left KC quick, Jeffries went on to be an All-Star in St. Louis.
Gummy Bears...Bouncing here and there and everywhere....THEY ARE THE GUMMY BEARS!!!!
May 1st, 2009
7:54 am
WOW DOB ATE SOMETHING !
Sadly DOB I feel sorry for your bowels
Steve from OH
May 1st, 2009
8:25 am
And about those Marlins….
I knew they would win but first place and leading the division at 14-8, nobody saw this coming.
Florida Marlins, team rankings (out of 16 NL teams)
BA: 13th
OBP: 12th
SLG:12th
OPS:12th
R: 12th
ER:11th
BB:15th
(Couldn’t get ERA numbers…)
If these numbers continue, they won’t be winning too many games in the future…
Consider that the Braves aree 9th in BA/8th in OBP/10th in SLG=9th in OPS, and are 3rd in Runs, 4th in ER, 1st in HR given up, 4th in BB, and 1st in K’s, I’d say that we’re likely to pass the Marlins sometime in May or June, especially if B-Mac returns to form.
Run Heap Run
May 1st, 2009
8:55 am
Lovely. Came to work in what looked like midnight darkness…storms shaking the building now. Don’t forget your umbrellas today, Atlantans.
Runnin
May 1st, 2009
8:58 am
Well I found the team pitching stats on the Marlins.
Team ERA
Atlanta -4th
Florida – 9th
NY Mets- 10th
Phil – 16th
Starters ERA
Atl – 2nd
Fla – 9th
NY – 14th
Phil – 16th
Bullpen ERA
NY – 1st
Phil – 9th
Fla – 11th
Atl – 13th
Atlanta’s bullpen is much better than than, imo. The ERA is inflated because of a couple really bad innings.
Random
May 1st, 2009
9:04 am
Steve from OH (8:25 am): “Florida Marlins, team rankings (out of 16 NL teams)”
Fortuitous link </strong at 4:53 am, eh?
I knew they would win but first place and leading the division at 14-8, nobody saw this coming.
“(Couldn’t get ERA numbers…)”
Try this one here.
PS: 9th in ERA, 10th in WHIP (Braves = 4th & 6th)
Random
May 1st, 2009
9:06 am
That was sloppy — trying again.
Steve from OH (8:25 am): “Florida Marlins, team rankings (out of 16 NL teams)”
Fortuitous link at 4:53 am, eh?
“(Couldn’t get ERA numbers…)”
Try this one here.
PS: 9th in ERA, 10th in WHIP (Braves = 4th & 6th)
dmack2027
May 1st, 2009
9:15 am
Slightly off topic
Andruw’s swing looks very good in Texas. He is homering to center and left field, and appears to be balanced while doing so.
Who is to say what impact Jaramillo is having, but I think Andruw would have looked nice in the Atlanta outfield.
Run Heap Run
May 1st, 2009
9:28 am
I wanted Andruw back in Atlanta…most fans scoffed but I thought it was a ‘nothing to lose’ situation.
Efrim
May 1st, 2009
9:35 am
Marlins aren’t winning anything this year. But I am STILL waiting for the Phillies to come down to Earth. I mean, they have a 5.63 team ERA and I am not sure it stands to get THAT much better. So far, through 4.3% of Ibanez’ contract, he has been worth it. Wouldn’t bet on that lasting.
Efrim
May 1st, 2009
9:37 am
That pen ERA has steadily come down, and as long as Soriano, Gonzo and Moylan stay healthy, we should have a solid pen.
Cameron
May 1st, 2009
9:51 am
Efrim,
You are wrong on Ibanez, right on the Phillies though. Unless their pitching gets better, I don’t see too much happening. Especially, if Lidge isn’t healthy and/or Hamels.
Ibanez though is moving from the American League to the National League. He hits in a loaded lineup, meaning he will see pitches. His numbers were very good in a HUGE pitchers’ park in Seattle. He will benefit from that bandbox in Philly and have a career year. I have been trying to trade for him in all of my fantasy leagues.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
9:56 am
ATTENITION: all Braves fans that will be attending tonights game you should boo as loud as you can every time the announcer announces Mike no good took all of our money always hurt Hampton! Imagine all of the money he took from the Braves from riding the pine Imagine just what the Braves could have done with that money there are endless possibilites I don’t want to go into detail because it will remind me what could have been.
Cameron
May 1st, 2009
9:58 am
Run Heap Run,
I wanted to see us bring Andruw back as well. Thought it was a win-win. If he doesn’t make the team, oh well, who expected him to. If he did and hit for power, well hallelujah.
However, I don’t think he fixes his swing without going to Texas. First, he was humbled by the minor league contract. Second, he was forced to look for answers for his swing. Third, he got to work with the best hitting coach in the business in Rudy Jaramillo. He looks much better now and hopefully he can keep it up.
If Texas isn’t competing in their division around the trading deadline, and we are, we could trade for him if we still need a big bat on the cheap.
Those of you who want to knock on Pendleton for Jeff and Andruw wanting to go to Jaramillo for hitting lessons, you shouldn’t. Guys all over the major leagues pay top dollar to work with this guy. Could Pendleton have sorted them out? Probably. The problem is that Pendleton probably was already telling them what they needed to do to fix their swing, but they wanted to stick with what has always worked for them. Especially Andruw, he is very hard-headed and stubborn. Sometimes is is very beneficial to get a fresh, outsiders eyes on a situation and go from there. I have heard that Jaramillo charges $2000/hour. Plus, Jeff consulted Pendleton before he went to work with Jaramillo. And, Pendleton has worked diligently with Jeff to help him continue to stay with the new approach.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
9:59 am
The Phills go against 2 and 0 pelfrey tonight it would be good if the Mets could beat em and we could gain a game on them and the Marlins if the cubs beat them the cubs have 2 and 1 Rich Harden going for them on the hill and the game is at Wrigley at 2:20 nothing like some afternoon baseball in the windy city
Cameron
May 1st, 2009
10:01 am
bravofan:
You think Hampton wanted to be hurt. You think he got hurt on purpose. You fault him for getting hurt and taking our money. Someone signed him to that contract. There is always a health risk when signing a guy to a HUGE, long-term deal. Why don’t you blame (and BOO) the person/people/organization that didn’t take into account the possibility of injury?
Now, if you want to boo him for spurning Atlanta for Houston for some BS reason after we stuck by him through all of his injuries, then go right ahead. In fact, I might boo when he gets announced.
But, not for him suffering from freak injuries. You probably boo Chipper too.
Run Heap Run
May 1st, 2009
10:02 am
Pretty sure insurance paid most of Hampy’s salary and it didn’t effect the payroll the Braves had to work with. Isn’t that how that works?
But fans always need to be loud anyway…
McFann Ô
May 1st, 2009
10:04 am
A href=”http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2009/04/29/chipper-win-was-like-90s/comment-page-15/#comment-74726″>Bubdylan–
Thanks! Thought you’d like that one.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
10:04 am
No I do not boo Chipper at all if you recall he took a paycut so we could sign Hudson now that is a class act guy right there. I do not know how Hampton could feel ok without doing hardly anything and taking all of that money but he should have stuck with the Braves when he got better and showed us what his rehab did for him.
McFann Ô
May 1st, 2009
10:04 am
Crud. I did it again…
Bubdylan–
Thanks! Thought you’d like that one.
Run Heap Run
May 1st, 2009
10:04 am
Good point, Cameron. Guess we’ll never know but the Braves didn’t have anything to lose by giving him a shot.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
10:07 am
hmm i can think of something they could have lost more $$$$$$$$ all in fun wish he would have stayed with us we know how much that 4 and 5 spot are lacking
McFann Ô
May 1st, 2009
10:08 am
There we go.
P-Town Braves Mac already has to dig out of a hole and who knows what the rest of 09 holds for him…
Yeah…gonna be int’resting to see how it all pans out (I hope).
Hey, when he comes back, if he goes 7-10, he’s AVG will go up 99 points! I know–I’m getting way ahead of myself…
Gummy Bears...Bouncing here and there and everywhere....THEY ARE THE GUMMY BEARS!!!!
May 1st, 2009
10:11 am
Wolverine TONIGHT WHOOO HOOOO!!!…oh yea braves too *wee*
Efrim
May 1st, 2009
10:11 am
Cameron,
Ibanez has 17 PA’s against LHP this year. He has been pretty bad against them over the course of his career. I agree that the switch to the inferior league and smaller ballpark will aid his stats, but let’s remember that he is turning 37 on June 2 and he is in the first year of a three year 30+ million dollar deal. I’ll be interested to see how he is looking in 2011 when he is about to turn 39.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
10:17 am
Interesting interview with Frank Wren on 680 the fan yesterday he talked about how the trainers always check pitchers strength on days that they start and Kenshins was just a little weak so they were going to hold him out. What about this Garret Anderson did not have a single rbi in the whole month of April for the Braves he has 25 abs and a mere 5 hits
Random
May 1st, 2009
10:18 am
bravofan (9:56 am): “ATTENITION: all Braves fans that will be attending tonights game you should boo as loud as you can every time the announcer announces Mike no good took all of our money always hurt Hampton! Imagine all of the money he took from the Braves from riding the pine Imagine just what the Braves could have done with that money”
And imagine what a unthinking little boy like you would be doing if you weren’t here annoying the hell out of us with your whiny, wounded neediness and absurdly mistargeted resentments.
Perhaps we can consider that our contribution to society — keeping you off the streets. And out of Mommy’s hair for a while.
PS: consider making an investment into some punctuation, why don’t you?
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
10:22 am
No thanks Random i like to ramble and have run on sentences with none of these things …..
Cameron
May 1st, 2009
10:22 am
Efrim,
You may be right in year two and three. Probably three for sure. But for this year, I think they will get their money’s worth. I guess we will find out. He has been electric so far though.
KC
May 1st, 2009
10:23 am
MFin04, you are absolutely right about the playing time where KJ and Diaz are concerned.
Escobar hasn’t been hitting badly, so I wouldn’t sit him… But KJ and Diaz? Absolutely. Given KJ’s ability, under different circumstances, I would let him play his way though the slump (though not in the leadoff spot). But with McCann and Anderson out, and the team struggling to score runs… you’ve got to go with the guys that are getting it done NOW.
Infante should start over KJ, at least until McCann’s return, and B.Jones should start vs. all eighties until Anderson’s return!
Rob from SC
May 1st, 2009
10:23 am
Gehrig gave his speech on the 4th of July in 1939. Amazing to see him and Babe Ruth together after all their years of not speaking to each other. How fast Gehrig and Ruth died after being the greatest athletes in their sport. You need to read Gehrig’s biography
Steve McP
May 1st, 2009
10:23 am
Hampton actually took very little of the Braves money, most of what he got came from Colorado or Insurance so booing him for that is a little moot.
Booing him because he made a decision to take less money to be nearer his family seems to be counter intuitive if you are booing him because he is a money grasping leech.
bravofan
May 1st, 2009
10:24 am
I dont care about the reasons i just want to boo him because he did little for the organization
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
10:35 am
Yo Steve, the Marlins have outscored, out homered, out hit and certainly out ran our Braves. Which tells the real story and not your little .11 difference in team BA.
Our pitching has been better but the Marlins actually have an offense to back theirs up.
Nice try stevie boy, no cookie for you.
Coach (2010 or bust)
May 1st, 2009
10:39 am
And Random, if either you or Steve in Ohio think that any team with a non-existent running game can compete over the long haul of the 162 game marathon, you’re both out of your GOD DAMNED MINDS.
Mitchie-san
May 1st, 2009
10:39 am
I can understand if someone wanted to boo Hampton. I personally cant hate a guy just for having bad luck. I do think he would have played as much as he could if he was able. Why would you fake an injury or exagerate one knowing you would still be on the road away from your family? You might as well play some ball, right?
DAP
May 1st, 2009
10:42 am
why isnt that censored?
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
10:43 am
uga-brave, just tell her to walk two blocks over to 2nd St. and take a right. That whole Society Hill area is full of dive bars, ethnic food, diners, etc. Great area. By the way, the Braves stay in that Hyatt she’s going to stay in.
Couch Tater
May 1st, 2009
10:49 am
Funny, I went to Rudy Jaramillo’s website. One of his endorsements was Tex in a Rangers cap. The quote, “Rudy is the best. I can’t imagine a season without him!”
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
10:51 am
I Sound Like a pessimist but I think You hyped the braves into be a pennant winning contender and as of right now we are a sub .500 team…– Tomahawkin
Actually, I picked the Mets to win the division and the Phillies to win the wild card in a one-game playoff with the Braves. If you’d like me to go back and find the blog where I did so, I could.
David O'Brien
May 1st, 2009
10:53 am
Discouraging stat for Hawks fans: They’re 1-12 in last 13 road playoff games.
Jersey Gil
May 1st, 2009
10:54 am
DOB…What more you can tell us about this guys in Gwinnett, Lefty Relief Pitcher Mariano Gomez, i know the Braves signed him in Jan 2009 as a free agent from the Indian Organizarion, but my surprise is he is the Leader in ERA 0.96 in the International League with 2-0 in 18 inning.
If the Braves has another surprises Project on hand?
Willy Wally
May 1st, 2009
10:55 am
Did anyone catch JackO on the Bill Simmons podcast last week? Hilarious stuff when he was talking about Tex. Kept yelling $180 million, but I’m a slow starter, WTF?!/!? They’re paying you $180 million, this late starter stuff ain’t cutting it. Imagine going to your boss during the winter months, and saying this just ain’t my time of year boss, I just feel slow and lethargic during these months and don’t produce much, but just wait until the summer comes, I’ll heat up and get lots of work done. Gimme a break.
Steve from OH
May 1st, 2009
11:00 am
Which tells the real story and not your little .11 difference in team BA.
Nah, BA ain’t that important. But I would say that a nearly 30 point differential in OPS would be a bit more significant, wouldn’t you? And if you’re going to quibble about an 11 point difference in BA, am I not allowed to quibble about a 5 HR difference (especially given no Brian McCann and a banged-up Chipper)? Add in a healthy B-Mac, and you’re looking at a 3 HR difference, and probably less. Oh, and nine hits over 757 AB hardly qualifies as “out hitting.” Besides, doesn’t the statement “the Florida Marlins rank 13th in NL OPS, while the Braves rank 9th” mean anything to you? Logic, my friend.
Our pitching has been better but the Marlins actually have an offense to back theirs up.
An offense? With a team OPS of 30 points below league average? Nah, that’s solid. Really is. Because they’re fast, you see. Can run their way right out of that .328 OBP, good for 12th in the NL. The statistics point to their 112 runs scored as more of an anomaly right now, not a trend that can be kept up, if you catch my drift (logic, again).
Oh, and you want to know something really interesting? [Pauses for effect] The Marlins have a team total of 13 SB. Good, you say. Los Marlins also have 6 team CS, for a total SB % of…68%. Below the 75% threshold which you yourself say is the “golden limit” for SB effectiveness, never mind the people much smarter than both you and I that say that under 75% means that you are giving up runs…
Oh, and if I may philosophize for a moment here…
Is it not better to get on base and be slow while doing it (.343 OBP) than not get on base but be fast in the meantime (.328 OBP)?
I like chocolate-chip cookies, btw.