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
1,631 comments Add your comment
The Truth
May 29th, 2009
10:25 am
Adam Dunn’s average contract number is 10 million dollars.
Jeff Francoeur and Garrett Anderson are making a combined 5.8 million.
Shaun, are you honestly going to say that 4.2 million is enough of a reason not to sign a 29 year old Adam Dunn to a short two year contract?
What is Kawakami making? 8.3 million? So Kawakami, Francoeur, Anderson are making 14.1 million. I’ll take that 14.1 million and sign Dunn, give RF to Diaz/Jones and use Hanson as the #4 starter.
ElonBrave
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
Josh H., yeah… it doesn’t really matter anymore. Like everyone else on the blog, I just have an emotional investment with the team. They have a lot of potential but they’ve got to do things differently to win. But when it comes down to it, it’s really up to the front office to turn this team into a contender. If they could win they would win… they’re .500.
DAP
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
wesI dumped Francoeur and KK (which is about 20 mil in itself)
you mean about $12mil? those two and anderson’s add up to around $15mil
BT
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
DOB, I am with you on Frenchy. I can imagine how down on himself he really is right now. Bobby has given Schafer and Frenchy ample opportunity to “play” his way out of this disaster. I doubt that many baseball people would disagree that Jordan was rushed. He needs sometime in Gwinnett just to get comfortable again as does Frenchy.
Legitimate question: Teams have “hidden” good hitters but poor fielders in left field for decades. Adam Dunn is a recent example, Yogi Berra did the same thing in the sixties. If we are ever going to get anything for Canizares what would be the harm of sticking him in LF for a few weeks? Blanco has brought his average up 40 points in the last two weeks. These are stop gap measures to be sure but we are getting killed by the lack of production from the outfield.
LT- A Blogger
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
The OF in 88′ was worse than this one.
PWHjort
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
Wes, apart from having no regard to the financial state of the club during the offseason (aka you’re about 15 million over budget), there’s no evidence that that team is any better than the one we’ve currently got.
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
10:26 am
Shaun, I’m just curious…….if given a choice between Jeff Francoeur or Adam Dunn……who would you choose?
See this question is what is wrong with a lot of the naysayers on here. To you baseball is as simple as getting the best players and not the best contracts or building the team with the best chance to reach the playoffs and win a World Series.
The question is not whether Dunn is better than Francoeur or Anderson or Diaz. The question is would the Braves chances of winning a World Series in the near future be hurt by signing Dunn and how much would Dunn really have increased their chances relative to what he would have costs (in terms of payroll flexibility, lost draft picks, loss of runs on defense and on the bases).
David O'Brien
May 29th, 2009
10:27 am
I’M GOING TO TYPE THIS IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE I AM SCREAMING. WE NEED TO START A FAN PETITION TO FIRE TERRY PENDLETON. It’s clear that not a single Braves player has confidence in him as a hitting coach. Why else are they going to see Texas Ranger coach Rudy Jaramillo? — Greg
Who is “they”? Did some other current Brave besides Francoeur go to see the Texas hitting coach?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:27 am
You can’t base what Furcal is doing for another team on another COAST of the country on what this PAST offseason decions would have been.
Every brave fan reading this knows that Glead with joy the instant the FURCAL TO ATLANTA train reved its engines last winter.
Oliver Perez was just a left name to throw out there, lol, I’m writing this at work so he’s a name that popped into my head quickly. And you say Francoeur for Maholm wouldn’t have happened? We got Gonza for Adam Laroche from the same team! Plus we could have thrown a Medlin in there or something else to sweeten the pot.
Renegator
May 29th, 2009
10:28 am
Also, Bobby Cox, please retire after this year and take that waste of space Terry Pendleton with you. How does he (TP) even still have a job?
Oh yeah, that’s right – there is no accountibility in this organization.
CB
May 29th, 2009
10:28 am
Wes, Oliver Perez huh? Boy, we really need you. Looked like Steve from Ohio tried to fight the good fight last night- props to him for that. Four games ago most of us were feeling better about the team,I refuse to throw the towel in four games later. A few changes could be made for the immediate future like releasing Norton and calling up either Barton or B.Jones. Now is not the time to panic,give Jordan and Jeff some days off to relieve the stress.
ppaddy123
May 29th, 2009
10:30 am
But, Shaun, Where else were the braves going to get “a bat” in the off season? Ibanez signed with Philly pretty early in the off season. They tried to sign Griffey. Francoeur had no trade value after his poor 08 season. Dunn wasn’t signed until late. I think if he had been offered a contract by the Braves, or any other possible contender, I think he would have signed for less.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:31 am
CB: OFFSEASON decisions are not based on Current stats.
#1 METS TROLL (And Proud Of It)
May 29th, 2009
10:31 am
Average’s over the last three seasons….Francoeur: (HR’s 19 AVG .264 RBI’S 93 Strike outs 124) Dunn: (40 HR’s AVG .244 RBI’s 99 Strikeouts 174)
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:32 am
You’re probably right though. I’d hate to have McDowell throw a left into our rotation who hits 97 on a gun. You stick with your left who we gave what, 8 MILLION to? who prays at night to be able to pop 81.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:33 am
and apparently the Y key is not working on my keyboard, lol
benchwarmer
May 29th, 2009
10:33 am
Wes, I like your thoughts. In general I don’t believe Braves had much faith in Dunn. Chipper is getting older and lacks the homerun stroke he once had. All around the Braves have too many undisciplined hitters starting. Sit them down until they clear their head and remember the basics. Do like a previous poster said and bring in reenforcments. There are too many problems to be fixed by a midseason trade. This will take more time. I do wonder if the coaching staff is up to the job.
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
10:34 am
Shaun, are you honestly going to say that 4.2 million is enough of a reason not to sign a 29 year old Adam Dunn to a short two year contract?
First of all the Braves don’t subtract Francoeur’s contract if they sign Dunn, so add his dollars back in to your equation.
Second, $4.2 million could probably net the Braves a player with at least 70 percent of Dunn’s value. Say Holliday becomes available; the Braves don’t have to give up a Heyward, Hanson, Schafer or Hernandez to get him; and they are still in the race. It’s hard to imagine they would have the flexibility to go after a Holliday if they had signed Dunn. $4.2 million is a significant number…but the number would be higher because the only contract that you could subtract from the equation is Anderson’s. Also, it’s quite possible that Lowe or Vazquez wouldn’t be here had the Braves signed Dunn.
benchwarmer
May 29th, 2009
10:35 am
Wes, O. Perez?
freshd
May 29th, 2009
10:35 am
The current braves are living off the brave”s past glory, and they will never return until the front office do three things. One, sign a legitimate leadoff hitter with speed. Two, sign a proven power hitter to protect Chipper, and three,bat KELLY 6 or 7, and ESCOBAR 2nd. Schafer is gonna be a good player but he is not ready and should be sent to AAA. The braves should have took a page from the White Soxs with Gordon Beckham. He started in AA, and now he”s in AAA, and he probably will make the big club before the season is over. I also think he will have a better career than Schafer.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
May 29th, 2009
10:36 am
I’m waiting for the KJ apologists today to get on, like Shaun and those other guys. DOB even said it that Omar and Yunel are the missed players right now as fas OPS and clutch hitting.
I like KJ and think he is a really good player and great athlete, I would much rather have him in LF than G. Anderson, he just sux as a 2B.
Frenchy is a lost cause right now.
I actually like the way Diory Hernandez is playing.
Still think that KK is pitching pretty good baseball, just not getting any run support. If you can hold team to an average of 3 runs per start with a suspect defense behind you that boots the ball at least once a night in a big spot and can’t hit, then that is a quality starter.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:36 am
Shaun, if the Braves signed Dunn, they would have been able to unload Francoeur, so yes his contract would be off the books. Remember, he actually, for some unknown reason, HAD trade value this past winter.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:37 am
benchwarmer: don’t comment unless you read them all
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:38 am
Brooklyn, would rather the Braves spent the money that they did on KK for a little bit above average pitcher (when Morton is more than capable of putting up the stats KK has) or that they spent extra to get a slugger in the outfield?
CB
May 29th, 2009
10:39 am
Wes I wouldn’t have done that in the OFFSEASON either.
benchwarmer
May 29th, 2009
10:39 am
Wes, what is all?
PWHjort
May 29th, 2009
10:39 am
DOB, he’s using the royal “they”. You know, the editorial….
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
10:40 am
ppaddy123, at what cost should the Braves have improved their outfield? None of the free agent outfielders were very attractive options given what they were asking. I think Wren did the right thing by taking a chance on Anderson and going with what he had. And lots of times corner outfielders become available during the season when you don’t have to pay the full year’s salary.
I would just add that I do think it’s time to give Brandon Jones a shot at semi-regular duty with the struggles of the current outfield.
DAP
May 29th, 2009
10:40 am
shaunNot sure why you don’t care about his career numbers.
i only dont care in the context that infante was hot and helping us win games. i dont want to put a guy with good career numbers out there every night and wait until his career numbers are bad to sit him. infante deserved the playing time he was getting.
and ill add this, there were enough guys in the lineup struggling, that bobby should have been able to put kelly AND infante in the lineup at times, to give kelly a chance to get hot. infante could have played in left, canter a few games, as well as for chipper when he was hurt, but, infante was and should have been in the lineup every night while he was playing well.
The Truth
May 29th, 2009
10:41 am
Shaun- That is bogus logic. You saying they couldn’t of traded away Francoeur? And you cherry picked and never addressed the signings of Garrett Anderson for 2.5 million and Kenshin Kawakami for 3 years and 23 million. Bad moves over signing Adam Dunn for 2/20 million and giving RF to Brandon Jones and Matt Diaz. Signing Dunn would of won this team the division given their pitching. Hanson could of taken Kawakami’s spot. Morton could of too. 400K of Charlie Morton over 8.3 million of Kawakami.
ppaddy123
May 29th, 2009
10:41 am
Wes, by unloading Francoeur, you mean release him, right? Dude had no trade value
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:42 am
he did the right thing by dropping 2 mill into a player who, not only missed a lot of time last year, but was so NOT himself anymore that the team he was successful on for upwards of 15 years DIDN’T want him anymore?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:43 am
yes he did
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:43 am
and since this is baseball, not the nfl, releasing him would not affect his payroll figure
flange1
May 29th, 2009
10:43 am
Morning All,
Shaun, FIGHT them! I agree with you on Dunn 100%.
If you folks didn’t read Steve from OH’s post from last night at 12:07, I am re-posting it here. VERY well thought out..I agree with all of it.
When it comes to signing or not signing KK, if my memory is correct, the Braves traded for Javy first, then lost AJ, then did the deal with KK, THEN signed Lowe.
IF they had signed Lowe first, I don’t think KK would have happened, but FW wanted to revamp the rotation as his FIRST priority.
Here is Steve’s post:
N8, here’s my schtick:
I don’t think Bobby is a bad manager, but I’m not giving him cookie points for the 90’s. In my book, the role of the manager is simply not that important. Well, but fundamentals, I hear a lot of folks saying. But shouldn’t big-league players have learned those in, oh, I dunno, little league? High School? College? The minors? If they don’t know ‘em by now, I don’t know how much of a difference Bobby will make.
The players? Blaming them is a better idea. But replacing poorly-performing players (like Francoeur), especially those under club control, at the 40-game pole for a slow startisn’t sound organizational strategy. And you know that. Now Frenchy? Hasn’t really performed that well at all for the last couple of seasons, and even in the minors (look up his minor league numbers and tell me if anything screams “stud” to you). GA was a great player, but you can tell that his age is catching up with him. He’s got no projectability left. But I do, like a lot of people, feel as though Frenchy’s time is about up, and GA’s time is running out. So you don’t hear me getting after people for saying that. For saying it excessively, sure, but stating it? How can you argue? Calling for KJ to be replaced after 40 bad games? Laughable. Calling for Infante and his .306 career OBP to start everyday after a hot streak of small sample size? C’mon.
As for Wren, he had a LOT of fixing to do, and not all of that was his fault. Who left us with no everyday leftfielder since 2003? How was he to know that our everyday CF since 1996 was gonna fall flat on his face, leaving a huge void in CF that we haven’t filled yet? Hell, I think he’s done a wonderful job with what he’s had to work with. He has COMPLETELY overhauled the rotation (every single guy in it has been brought in by him. Think about that.) Hanson is coming up, too. Guess who wouldn’t trade him? Guess who salvaged the Tex deal for a decent, cheap, under-club-control 1B for the next 3 years? So he’s shored up the rotation and 1B in a mere two seasons while keeping the farm system arguably as strong as it’s ever been. How do you expect him to fix the outfield in that span as well? He’s not a miracle worker. And the reason that you can’t count “that many” great deals by him is because he hasn’t made that many deals to begin with. He’s been on the job two years! Haven’t you been reading in the press lately that Frank is trying to fix the outfield? I don’t mean to be rude, because it’s not you I’m directing this comment at, but it’s instant gratification sydrome again. I want it mommy and I want it now! You don’t replace two outfielders (along with a third who was supposed to be a staple in RF for a while) and fix a rotation in two years. You just don’t. FW has already made a huge overhaul and has somehow made the team somewhat of a contender while his “work” is still unfinished.
As for Josh Anderson man, c’mon. Redundant. Under .700 OPS. Haven’t we seen enough of that already?
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
10:44 am
Wes, who would have taken Francoeur and given the Braves much of anything for him?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler, what are you basing your opinions of Johnson on? Certainly not on his track record and ability. Look at the evidence and it’s clear KJ is a very good player. But I suppose you have your own ideas of what a good player is that has nothing to do with objective evidence.
The Truth
May 29th, 2009
10:44 am
dob- I would of played Diaz and Jones in RF. Dunn in LF. Hanson or Morton at #4 starter. Wren could of gotten a fifth starter type for Francoeur.
ppaddy123
May 29th, 2009
10:44 am
we’re not talking about a bag of BP balls, are we?
ncscoots
May 29th, 2009
10:44 am
Apparently, you would have had Adam Dunn play both left field and right field — at the same time?
Why not, LOL? How is that any more bizarre than some of the stuff we see here, as a matter of course?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:44 am
DOB- Are the nights there colder than the Braves OF bats?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:45 am
DOB- HAHA, are you saying having Dunn try and play BOTH RF and LF would be WORSE than what’s out there now?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
May 29th, 2009
10:46 am
Pitchers are paid at a premium right mow and corner OF’s were easy to find. Did the Braves overpay for KK, sure they did. They went on the cheap last year and it bit them in the arse. You have to overpay pitchers to come to Atlanta. We are not a choice spot anymore. Pure and simple. I knew what KK was going to provide, 6 inning 3-4 runs per. He’s a 12-12 pitcher when he get’s run support. There weren’t any other options pitching wise, garland and Oli Perez werent viable options and Peavy wanted the farm.
Lew
May 29th, 2009
10:47 am
Uh Wes-Not all of us were in favor of signing an overpaid, too often injured Furcal.
David O'Brien
May 29th, 2009
10:47 am
PWHjort: regarding your 10:39 comment … Huh?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:47 am
I’m also sick of the “Francoeur performing poorly” talk. He’s not performing “poorly.” His performance IS what he IS. In order to perform poorly you have to have the ability to perform better than you are currently performing. It’s been 4 years. He does NOT have that ability.
Efrim
May 29th, 2009
10:48 am
Dunn is a good offensive player, and I did want him this past offseason, but I understand that Wren didn’t want to overpay for a corner outfielder. They are almost always available through the trade market……except in May.
And it is time to bring up Brandon Jones. If Escobar goes on the DL, it would be nice to see him come up and get part time at bats with Francoeur.
DAP
May 29th, 2009
10:48 am
wesyou say Francoeur for Maholm wouldn’t have happened? We got Gonza for Adam Laroche from the same team!
so what? laroche was coming off his best year, and we got a an injured closer and scrub SS for him. francouer was coming off his worst season, and you thinking the pirates would trade a solid lefty starter for him? never would have happened. ever. and whos medlin?
OFFSEASON decisions are not based on Current stats.
yeah, but we can look and say they wouldnt have been good moves…
I’d hate to have McDowell throw a left into our rotation who hits 97 on a gun. You stick with your left who we gave what, 8 MILLION to? who prays at night to be able to pop 81.
what in the world are you talking about?
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:49 am
Lew- liar
Josh from Columbus
May 29th, 2009
10:49 am
Is there any team out there that would be intersted in a package of Francoeur/Medlen/G.Hernandez or D.Hernandez?
I hope so.
We need to aquire a power hitting OF for about a season and a half to allow time for Heyward to develop.
Also, has anyone thought about our possible August rotation: Lowe, Vazquez, Juirrjens, Huddy, and Hanson? Nice!
Lew
May 29th, 2009
10:49 am
Wes-One more thing Dude-when we traded La Roche to Pittsburgh, he had just come off of a 30 HR season-Francoeur? Not quite that many in his recent past.
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
10:49 am
The Truth, bottom line is Dunn isn’t worth $10 million a year to the Braves. Maybe to some other team but not the Braves. If they wanted to overpay and lose flexibility, they should have signed Dunn or Manny Ramirez or Bonds. But I would much rather have seen them overpay for pitchers who could provide decent innings than a one-dimensional corner outfielder. Again, eventually they will find outfielders who provide decent production.
ppaddy123
May 29th, 2009
10:50 am
BBB…aren’t the Braves paying Kamakami about $8MM a year? He’s not over powering but he does show promise.
Anders
May 29th, 2009
10:50 am
Efrim- Those are 14 – 17 tough games for the Mets in June. But they are better eqipped to be competitive in those games than the Braves right now imo. Again, assuming Reyes, Beltran and Church play most. Sheffiled has picked up the slack from the Delgado injury. Risky wether he can stay healthy. If he can’t then the Mets will be shopping for power.
Lew
May 29th, 2009
10:52 am
Wes-I’m a liar? Just go back and look at some of my posts about the Furcal situation and maybe you might see you don’t know your behind from the 18th hole at your favorite golf course. I made numerous posts about how he had missed a good bit of time during the 07 and 08 seasons and how he was a poor risk. Others had the same sentiments whether or not you chose to ignore them at the time. I wasn’t in favor of dumping Josh Anderson and throwing Schafer into the fray yet, either, but I guess I was wrong on that too, wasn’t I?
The Truth
May 29th, 2009
10:54 am
The outfield has 7 homers. Wren decides to tender Francoeur a contract and sign Anderson for a combined totoal of 5.8 million. Don’t tell me Dunn couldn’t of helped this team. Two year contract is not a burden and doesn’t block anyone. wasted money on Kenshin. Kawakami is making 8.3 million. 14.1 million of Anderson Francoeur and Kawakami.
Anders
May 29th, 2009
10:54 am
Lew- I heard something on the radio this morning that I thought you’d enjoy. Tex, who’s played for both Bobby Cox and Steve Scoscia in his career stated in the NY Post that Joe Girardi is the best manager he’s ever played for. Joe freaking Girardi! Tex has gone completely pinstripe now.
You were the one who pointed out Girardi’s penchant to destroy pitching staffs to me. He was well on his way to doing that with the Yanks this season until they started scoring 8 runs in the first two innings every night when A-Rod returned.
BT
May 29th, 2009
10:55 am
DOB: don’t think most people see the problems that certain hitters on this team have had as being caused by or exacerbated by Pendleton. At least I don’t hear anyone saying that.
Yes DOB but has he helped anyone?
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
May 29th, 2009
10:55 am
Shaun,
We maybe arguing different sides of the same coin. KJ is a good player, granted only batting .245 going into last night’s game but none the less a really good athlete. He’s way too streaky to be counted on, which is what the Braves are forced to do. He’s not a 2B, and should be LF rather than GA. have that being said, he is the Braves most viable trade piece. KJ gives effort, and even when he makes errors it is not cause he is not trying. I just believe that Omar and Martin are better players/more valuable to the Braves team. On another team that dosen’t have the deficiencies that the Braves have, Kelly would be a lot more valuable.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:55 am
Lew- every single ‘expert’ that would talk about him said Francoeur was geering up for a huge, comback season. He has plenty of value.
Currently- we’d be lucky to convince a team to send a nice set of golf clubs for him.
Laroche was a fluke. Every person in the Braves world knew it. Every “expert” knew it……and they were actually right about him. Maholm (again is just a lefty that came to mind quickly) is 100% attainable from Pittsburgh. Isn’t this his walk year? You think he’ll play for the 400K he makes this year just to stay in Pittsburgh and lose 90 games next year? He could come to Atlanta to do that!!!!!
David O'Brien
May 29th, 2009
10:56 am
RHR: Fox Sports South doesn’t do postgame shows for the West Coast night games because of the late starts. Just not enough people gonna stay up to watch a postgame show at 1 a.m.
tony
May 29th, 2009
10:56 am
PLEASE GET RID OF TERRY NOW!!!!!! What a joke of a hitting coach.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:57 am
HAD* plenty of value
Lew
May 29th, 2009
10:57 am
Anders-Yeah, I saw that. Never really felt Tex was all that insightful, anyway. Tex just better be careful GI Joe doesn’t turn him into a pitcher a rip his arm off, too-maybe put him in to pitch in the 13th Inning some night.
sportsmandh
May 29th, 2009
10:57 am
Josh from Columbus
I like your idea of shopping a group of Francoeur/Medlen/G.Hernandez or D.Hernandez. I think there may be some teams interested in that.
I’m not sure bout trading Gorky given our need for a real leadoff hitter, sounds like he might could develop into one down the line. I’m also not totatlly against the idea either though.
My only untradeables would be Hanson, Morton, and Heyward.
benchwarmer
May 29th, 2009
10:58 am
wes, “Lew-liar”? How old are you?
Efrim
May 29th, 2009
10:58 am
Anders, I’m not sure how they are better equiped. They are getting some guys playing out of their heads right now. It amazes me how good Beltran and Wright are. It really does. Maine and Pelfrey have pitched better, which overall is the reason as to why they have been able to win games with all of the injuries.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
10:59 am
thanks for the informative opinion on the baseball talk, benchwarmer. Please drop another baseball oriented bomb on us like that.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
May 29th, 2009
10:59 am
ppdaddy123,
He’s right at that price range, which is the going rate for a .500 pitcher in the MLB. It’s a bargain if you can catch lightening in a bottle and he win 17-18. I like KK, he competes. That’s all you can ask.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
11:00 am
lew, lol, didn’t Tex pitch a little bit at Georgia Tech?
ElonBrave
May 29th, 2009
11:00 am
I work for a nonprofit…. maybe we could get a power hitting outfielder donated in-kind for a tax write-off?
Problem solved.
Efrim
May 29th, 2009
11:00 am
And Anders, who ya got in the finals? Wings or Pens?
freshd
May 29th, 2009
11:00 am
I can”t believe that a part time player Andrew Jones has more homers (4) than the braves full time OF. Thats AWFUL!!!!
PWHjort
May 29th, 2009
11:00 am
It’s a Big Lebowski quote turned misquote turned joke.
RHR
May 29th, 2009
11:01 am
Oh thanks, DOB. last night was the first night I didn’t immediately turn off the tv and go to bed after a west coast game. Good reasoning though.
Lew
May 29th, 2009
11:01 am
Wes-Whether or not Roachy was a fluke is totally immaterial to anything you’ve pontificated upon this morning. He DID have a 30 HR season immediately prior to his trade for Gonzo and Lillibridge. You actually think that Frenchy would bring Maholm after putting up the numbers he did last year? Really? I guess you think much more highly of those 12 HR and infitesimal OBP Frenchy put up last year if you think the Pirates would trade arguably their best pitcher for him-even anticipating a return to his norm? Do you understand delusional? Maybe we could trade JoJo and Diory for Peavy, too.
Cameron
May 29th, 2009
11:03 am
For the record, whoever was posting with my screen name between 12:30 ans 1 am is not me. I don’t know who that is and what they were trying to accomplish. I guess I should change my screen name until it happens again. I in no way endorse going after Holliday. Do we need him? Yes. But, we would have to mortgage the future to get him and would only have him for a month or two or three at the most. Then, we wouldn’t be able to sign him. He is a Boras client. I would rather sit back and get creative or wait til next year. Unfortunately, even considering how pissed off I get every time they lose or put together a string of bad games like this.
BBFCFM
May 29th, 2009
11:03 am
Wes, I’ve been reading up your posts here for the last 15 minutes or so, and I just wanted to let you know that
A: We have already broached every topic you have brought up here- days to weeks ago
B: You were already being a curt prick- which is tolerable to some degree- but now your just being a jackazz, with nothing to say
C: get off of your high horse. I believe you might have chosen a shetland anyway.
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
11:04 am
every single ‘expert’ that would talk about him said Francoeur was geering up for a huge, comback season. He has plenty of value.
Really? Teams were lining up to acquire a guy coming off a .239/.294/.359 season and who was at .268/.312/.434 for his career? Yeah, I’m sure the Braves really missed out on an opportunity to acquire a ton a value for that.
JD
May 29th, 2009
11:05 am
Just not enough people gonna stay up to watch a postgame show at 1 a.m.
But they stay up late to watch poker?
DAP
May 29th, 2009
11:06 am
wesLaroche was a fluke. Every person in the Braves world knew it. Every “expert” knew it……and they were actually right about him.
actually, laroche has put up pretty good numbers since leaving atlanta. hes very streaky, but has been solid for the pirates.
Cameron
May 29th, 2009
11:07 am
DOB:
Just out of curiosity, if you would oblige, if you had the keys to this team, what would you try to do to improve the lineup?
Shaun
May 29th, 2009
11:10 am
Wes, the Braves traded LaRoche because they thought Thorman was ready and they acquired Mike Gonzalez and Lillibridge. I don’t think it had much to do with LaRoche’s abilities at least not directly. If they had a problem with LaRoche, they wouldn’t have stuck with him for almost three full seasons. It had more to do with what they got in return for LaRoche than LaRoche himself.
JD
May 29th, 2009
11:11 am
DOB – You said last night that you only hear Pendleton complaints on this blog and not in the clubhouse. If TP’s doing a decent job and the best he can do, can you at least tell us exactly what he does to help hitters? We don’t see what goes on behind the scenes. We just see players who have been great in the past go through epic struggles.
You have to understand our frustration. Andruw goes from MVP runner up to practically dead. Francoeur goes from superstar potential to the hate of the town. Kelly only has great months or awful months…nothing in between. Schafer looks like he’s never played above little league. Just to name a few frustrations.
PWHjort
May 29th, 2009
11:11 am
Cameron,
Changing your handle won’t stop people from stealing it and making posts they think are hilarious. The best thing to do is make it be known that it wasn’t you and don’t give them the satisfaction by getting angry. Which you’re doing, so kudos to you.
Lew
May 29th, 2009
11:14 am
Wes-One last point-You mention that the Pirates wouldn’t pay Maholm big bucks to keep him so would be willing to trade him for Francoeur. YOu were perhaps aware that in order to avoid contract arbitration with Maholm this off seaon that the Pirates signed him to a three year, $14.25 mil contract? More than Francoeur is making-even after arbitration.
JD
May 29th, 2009
11:14 am
actually, laroche has put up pretty good numbers since leaving atlanta. hes very streaky, but has been solid for the pirates.
Actually LaRoche put up pretty good numbers in Atlanta. I think he put up 30 HR one year. But man…after that one defensive lapse at first, you’d think he just punched someone’s mother.
JD
May 29th, 2009
11:16 am
Man…I’d just about kill for 30 HR now.
Someone's Mother
May 29th, 2009
11:18 am
Roachy was going to punch me one time, but he fell asleep before he landed the punch.
JD
May 29th, 2009
11:20 am
See? No reason to hate him, Atlanta.
Agree or Disagree
May 29th, 2009
11:22 am
Erin Andrews is very average.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/stories/2009/05/29/100978841_spell-1.html
Lew
May 29th, 2009
11:25 am
JD-You are aware that Andruw hit 51 HR under TP as the Hitting Coach? You’re maybe also aware that he sucked in Los Angeles without TP there to lay the blame on? I’m not even certain how Kelly’s streakiness is attributable to Pendleton, either.
As for Schafer-Many of us felt he needed additional time in the minors, but were browbeaten by the masses clamoring for his inclusion on the opening day roster. The Kid needs experience and that’s something you can’t possibly blame TP for. Jordan’s a rookie. Surprise, surprise. He’s having adjustment problems. Never happened to a rookie before, has it? Break out the gallows and chopping block. TIme for those in game executions of whoever’s incurred the wrath of irrational fans.
MFin04
May 29th, 2009
11:27 am
This team is getting harder and harder to watch. It’s not even the 4-game losing streak, it’s the winning too. It just seems that the games are ugly even when we win.
This team makes scoring runs look impossible. 1 and 2 with no outs seems like a 5% to 10% chance of scoring one run.
Just very hard to watch. Hope they can turn this around and get everyone healthy, but I’m not sure everyone healthy would even do much good.
Cameron
May 29th, 2009
11:28 am
Erin Andrews is way above average. She knows her sports, believe it or not. She also doesn’t falunt herself on television (much to my chagrin), which adds to her professionalism. She is gorgeous. I used to not be that high on her, at least not to the level that my friends were. But, after hearing her during several interviews on 680 the Fan and seeing her working out at the gym, I have totally changed my mind on her. She is beautiful, knowledgable, and professional. I can’t ask for antyhing more from a sideline reporter who provides good information, conducts good interviews, and also offers eye candy. i wish she wasn’t married (and that I would actually have a chance).
David O'Brien
May 29th, 2009
11:31 am
DOB: don’t think most people see the problems that certain hitters on this team have had as being caused by or exacerbated by Pendleton. At least I don’t hear anyone saying that.
Yes DOB but has he helped anyone? — BT
BT: I really don’t know how much Pendleton has helped them, to what degree exactly, but Escobar and McCann have far betters stats and are far better hitters in their early seasons of major league ball than they were during their minor league careers. I’ll bet you find a way to dismiss that while pointing to the ones who aren’t better hitters now than they were in the minors, right?
Let’s see, the reasoning might go something like, oh, Mac’s got his dad [blogmeister note: apparently he didn't have him to help while in the minors, according to some here]. And Escobar? Uh, well, let’s see. Oh, yeah, he’s Cuban, so of course it was going to take a few years to get used to playing here, right? Yeah, that’s it. Just natural improvement, nothing to do with Pendleton. Oh, and Andruw Jones having his huge power numbers while Pendleton was his hitting coach? Strictly Jones’ natural ability. On the other hand, his downfall in his last season or two had nothing to do with his decline in skills and everything to do with Pendleton. Right? Yes, that’s it, without question. Because look how much better Jones did when he went to L.A. and had Don Mattingly as his hitting coach in 2008 and … what’s that? Oh, yeah. Nevermind. Oh, and Matt Diaz, well, yeah, he had a couple of really good seasons with the Braves after being cast off by the Royals and Rays, but, you know, Diaz had good numbers back in the minors. Nothing to do with Pendleton…..
OK, you get my drift, right? Look, is Pendleton doing a good job? I really don’t know for certain how good a job he’s doing. I do know that some of you use whichever cases (Francoeur, Kelly, et al) that best strengthen your assertion that he’s not, while having a ready excuse to dismiss the notion that he helped anyone from McCann to Escobar to Andruw to … well, anyone. And when you do that, it tends to weaken the argument, in my view.
But again, it goes back to how nothing is gray in the blogging world. Everything is cut-and-dried, black of white, nothing in between. Everyone’s either doing a good job or a terrible job. When, of course, in real life there are a lot of gray areas and hard decisions, and very little is as simple as it’s made out to be here.
Cameron
May 29th, 2009
11:31 am
Lew
I agree with you somewhat. I don’t think TP is the reason we are not hitting. Just like Leo wasn’t the reason why they couldn’t pitch in Baltimore. You can only do so much with so much talent. I do beleive that TP has vast knowledge about hitting, but I just don’t think he is getting through to the players. Or, maybe he is in the cages, but they aren’t able to transfer those adjustments to the field. I don’t know, but our hitting needs to improve.
I do know that our two best hitters McCann and Chipper, go to their dads for hitting. Frenchy went to Jaramillo. So…
Hitchmonster
May 29th, 2009
11:31 am
DOB referred to Chipper’s 4 strikeouts in SF as a “Golden Sombrero”. I heard Don Sutton say the same thing about one of Jordan Schafer’s 4-strikeout games. I thought 3 strikeouts was golden and 4 strikeouts was the ignominious “Platinum Sombrero”.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
May 29th, 2009
11:32 am
Cameron,
Agreed on Erin Andrews, she has always been a knockout!
She does sideline reporting? Hmm
CB
May 29th, 2009
11:33 am
Cameron,you sound like a very lonely man.
David O'Brien
May 29th, 2009
11:33 am
Hitchmonster: Golden is four strikeouts. Platinum Sombrero would be five, though it’s not really common slang like Golden Sombrero.
Wes
May 29th, 2009
11:33 am
BBF- I’m glad I was here to serve purpose to your life. That in, what is now a 12 page blog, your only post was dedicated to me is truly special. Now, knowing your opinion of me, i can truly enjoy the rest of my day and sleep easy.
Lew- How the hell did this conversation turn into a debate about LaRoche’s stats??
Are you really saying you would rather have Francoeur, GA or Diaz in the outfield RATHER than Adam Dunn? The thing with Dunn is that, going into the season, you KNOW what you’re going to get. He is going to hit 40 hrs. He is going to drive in 100+ runs. Will he hit .250? Probably. But with his other numbers, he is still 1000x better than any outfield option we have not. Lol, with a .250 BA, he’d LEAD our outfield! The defensive and baserunning stats are moot because the guys currently patrolling the positions can’t play defense, and (as rarely as they actually DO get on base) they don’t make any difference on the basepaths.