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
1,699 comments Add your comment
Frustrated Braves Fan
June 19th, 2009
4:58 pm
Frenchy just needs to go. He needs a fresh start somewhere else. He sucks. Bobby should bench him the next time there are men on base and he swings at the first freakin pitch.
McLouth of the South
June 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
You folks are all missing the point. Escobar and Kotchman aren’t the pieces we would most want to part with, but they are pieces that other teams would want for something useful! Frenchy, KJ, and the like will only bring junk! Plenty of teams have won WS with light hitting SS, but few have won with light hitting corner outfielders and 1B. One or the other is one thing- but you can’t live with both. If Vazquez, Escobar, and Kotchman could be flipped for a power hitting OF like Ross, a power hitting 1B like LaRoche, a good glove light-hitting SS, expiring contract money/ accompanying draft picks, and good prospects then you make your team better period for this year AND next.
cphizzle
June 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
havent heard that before frustrated braves fan….not everyday for the past forever dude just let it go with the francouer bobby kelly bashin if you dont like em root for the opposition tonight
Eware
June 19th, 2009
4:59 pm
All in a days work, cphizzle. I actually think Freeman is going to be pretty good. His power stroke has started to come back this month. I think he’ll be an upgrade over Kotchman in power, and he’ll probably match him in average and OBP. I’d take that anyday.
TennesseePaul
June 19th, 2009
5:00 pm
This 2009 version of the June Swoon…
Player___ .AVG .OBP .SLG
Francoeur .255 .333 .333
Johnson_ .148 .217 .185
Anderson_ .238 .289 .381
Escobar__ .246 .286 .354
McLouth__ .254 .304 .444
Diaz_____ .267 .313 .433
Chipper__ .268 .379 .500
Kotchman* .300 .333 .300
Marteen__ .308 .372 .436
McCann___ .333 .396 .521
*Kotchman has only played in a few games this month due to injury.
At any rate I think this shows that the winning hand is in keeping KJ on the bench, or returning him to the minors… is he out of options? The replacement? Marteen. Or Diory. Any breathing human that can field the ball and lay down a bunt would be an upgrade over KJ.
It’s has certainly gotten bad. I’m at the point now where I’d rather watch Marteen play on a full time basis, and I don’t like Marteen.
Andy K.
June 19th, 2009
5:01 pm
According to Talking Chop The Braves have signed utility player Chris Burke to AAA Gwinnett. Well, at this point he’s better than Hernandez.
DAP
June 19th, 2009
5:01 pm
i really hope diaz gets the start in left. if he doesnt…i dont know. that would be dumb. i think id DH prado and let KJ hit. bat him 9th, let him know you appreciate the good defense lately, and give him a chance to break out of it. if KJ gets on a hot streak, so will the braves.
Bad Scooter
June 19th, 2009
5:01 pm
Lineups for tonight…
Red Sox
1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. J.D. Drew, RF
3. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. David Ortiz, DH
6. Mike Lowell, 3B
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Nick Green, SS
– Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP
Braves
1. Nate McLouth, CF
2. Yunel Escobar, SS
3. Chipper Jones, 3B
4. Brian McCann, C
5. Garret Anderson,. DH
6. Matt Diaz, LF
7. Casey Kotchman, 1B
8. Jeff Francouer, RF
9. Kelly Johnson, 2B
– Kenshin Kawakami, RHP
Tomahawkin
June 19th, 2009
5:02 pm
D.O.B.
Can You Give Us The 411 On All The Francoeur/Esco To Boston Crap that has Pre-Dominated the Blog over the last month or So…
I seriously don’t see us doing anything with Boston…
I really am dumbfounded by the people on here who think we can trade Francoeur within an instant second…It’s Not that easy guys, This Isn’t MLB the Show on PS2…
And BTW I Would Be P’d If we dealt Esco…He has had the Most fire of any Brave since The 1999-2000 Brian Jordan….!
Chop Chop
June 19th, 2009
5:02 pm
nolie,
‘Tis a sad day. ‘Tis a sad day indeed.
cphizzle
June 19th, 2009
5:02 pm
we can only hope so eware…id take 20-25 hrs with kotchmans average if we could get it outta freeman
Frustrated Braves Fan
June 19th, 2009
5:03 pm
cphizzle. I agree, but if it were somone other than Frenchy or KJ, they would have been benched or sent back down to the minors.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:06 pm
Of course…gotta put KJ in there…since he’s been so good at the plate and all.
Interested Observer
June 19th, 2009
5:08 pm
I think I’m rooting for the rain tonight.
nolie
June 19th, 2009
5:08 pm
will go to Hall with Braves cap on, etc. (DOB)
like he had any choice about it
Frustrated Braves Fan
June 19th, 2009
5:10 pm
Cox had to find a way to get Prado more at bats. Hell, put him in the outfield, I know, put Prado in left and Diaz in right.
PWHjort
June 19th, 2009
5:11 pm
In honor of tonight’s starting pitching match-up, they’ll be serving Zenzation Zalads throughout the stadium.
Frustrated Braves Fan
June 19th, 2009
5:12 pm
How ’bout some mooshoo chicken
cphizzle
June 19th, 2009
5:13 pm
i dont think i can handle anymore rain specially, the rain delay show. did yaw here mark lemke the other night when the reds game was delayed, he was as lost as a ball in high weeds when it first came on.
BUZZMEAT
June 19th, 2009
5:14 pm
bad scooter;
Is that a correct lineup, becuase I would love for Garret to DH, his defense blows
cabravesfan
June 19th, 2009
5:16 pm
Anders-
Sorry for the late response- been away for a bit. Not sure if anyone answered your question about Monday but the game has actually been scheduled since the rainout (don’t know the exact date off the top of my head) but I don’t think it was ever updated on the posted schedule so it would be easy to miss if you don’t watch Braves games regularly.
Vinings Jim-
Enjoying my day off very much- walked the dog, did some shopping, had lunch in the Marina with an old friend and her new baby and now have the rest of the afternoon to chill and do…not much
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:18 pm
BUZZMEAT -
Those are the actual lineups according to MLB.com
Shamus Thacker
June 19th, 2009
5:18 pm
Galfriend has marooned me on an island of despair…
Be fine by game-time though!
Go Bravos!!
rob from sc
June 19th, 2009
5:21 pm
As good as Tommy Hanson ha looked, I have a feeling he is going to start dominating. Once he starts commanding the fastball and getting ahead of the hitters he can start throwing his breaking balls out of the zone for the strikeouts.
rob from sc
June 19th, 2009
5:22 pm
WTF dies Martin Prado need to do to play everyday. Maybe he needs to suck like Kelly Johnson.
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
5:23 pm
We gonna start the game on time or is it a washout, Need to know if i need to cancle my date with these hot chicks i’ve been chatting online with all day
CB
June 19th, 2009
5:25 pm
Shamus- from what I recall,romance is not your specialty,eh?lol
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:25 pm
The only real beef I have against Bobby’s lineup tonight is Kelly in there instead of Martin. And that…pi$$e$ me off. KJ has not shown the propensity to hit well all season.
McLouth of the South
June 19th, 2009
5:25 pm
Braves ah going to Bahstan to play da Sawx. Gahna try ‘n pahk the bahl ovah the mahnstah. F n’ a- What’s Jeffy gahna do? Strike aht twelve times ah sumpin? It’s gahna be wicked.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:26 pm
Mark Twine – Does it really matter what happens with the game dude?
Shamus Thacker
June 19th, 2009
5:27 pm
I gotta poor record CB…
cphizzle
June 19th, 2009
5:28 pm
no such thing as a hot chick online…cancel
TnBrian
June 19th, 2009
5:30 pm
Well, as we all know, those are three automatic outs #’s 7-9. Bobby, Bobby…Prado is better than the Kellster but maybe Prado annoys Bobby with his excitement and fire he plays with. At his old age, maybe that plays with his blood pressure and as a result he punishes guys for showing passion.
rob from sc
June 19th, 2009
5:32 pm
I meant what does Martin Prado have to do.
NEW CARS
June 19th, 2009
5:32 pm
I didn’t say that Frenchy couldn’t have a learning disability…we’ll call it strikezonelexia or pitchrecognitionlexia….
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
5:34 pm
thanks for the spelling of cancel it was a toss up between the “e” and “l” first.
I AGREE, VERY NICE LINEUP
Shamus Thacker
June 19th, 2009
5:35 pm
I’m somewhere between Rudy Valentino and Mr Haney on Green Acres in the debonair lover dept….
ChopHasFlopped
June 19th, 2009
5:35 pm
I read today on mlbtraderumors.com that Atlanta is still after a right handed hitting corner outfielder. What’s hilarious about that is that you can trade for another outfielder and it still doesn’t fix this team. When Chipper Jones and Brian McCann are not producing with runners on and less than two outs, it doesn’t bode well for this team. This team has many more problems than one more player can fix. I still maintain that there are holes in this lineup at 1B, 2B, LF and RF. Good pitching can’t overcome zero run production. The Braves would have to have GREAT pitching to overcome the ineptitude of this offense.
Beantown Pole Dancer
June 19th, 2009
5:35 pm
I’m available in case the game rains out. I heard that young man who wears number 7 has been struggling with his confidence and performance. Maybe I can get him thinking straight again. I heard the Hooters girl worked out nice for Chipper… why not me?
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
5:36 pm
Beantown- Think you are referred to as “road beef” now. it’s the new “slumpbuster”. And Thank You for your services
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:37 pm
Just looked at the Radar for Massachusetts…would guess that the game is not in danger tonight.
P-Town Brave
June 19th, 2009
5:38 pm
Its obvious that the stupid senile old man is never going to learn…
Yeah, Martin Prado had some of the best AB’s yesterday and some of the better AB’s in all of June, yet hey, lets throw Kelly and the giant hole in his bat out there at 2b…
Great idea Cox, you f’n moron!
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
5:39 pm
http://www.weather.com/weather/map/USMA0046?name=northeastuscurrentweather_large&from=36hour_map_large
McLouth of the South
June 19th, 2009
5:39 pm
ChopHasFlopped,
Exactly right. And at 2B we aren’t even getting great glove work. An upgrade to a 25-30 HR guy in RF and 1B would be well worth the dropoff you’d get at SS with a replacement level player vs. Yunel, as long as said player offered outstanding defense.
CB
June 19th, 2009
5:44 pm
Shamus,I can’t help you, I’ve been married so long I forgot what its like to date, but I found the best. She puts up with me loving the Braves. lol
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
5:44 pm
thanks heath, stay classy
scott
June 19th, 2009
5:51 pm
Is the McCannn playing in the CWS right now related to BMac??
unbelievable
June 19th, 2009
5:52 pm
per fox sports, tonights lineup
McLouth
Yunel
Chip
Mac
GA – DH
Diaz
Kotchman
Frenchy
KJ
Lew
June 19th, 2009
5:53 pm
Has anyone taken into account that Prado has had a groin strain the past week and maybe it’s bothering him again?
Capt Caveman
June 19th, 2009
5:54 pm
Another Update — don’t be surprised if the Braves return from this road trip with a new player on the roster. For what it’s worth, I think it’s going to happen.
David O'Brien
June 19th, 2009
5:54 pm
Back from a lot of waiting around for Smoltz, through rained-out Braves BP, etc.
Anyway, if lineup hasn’t been posted already (or even if it has):
1. McLouth
2. Escobar
3. Chipper
4. McCann
5. Anderson, DH
6. Diaz
7. Kotchman
8. Francoeur
9. Johnson
Guessing Game
June 19th, 2009
5:54 pm
Frenchy & KJ. Love interleague. Boston has no pitchers hitting & we have two.
Lew
June 19th, 2009
5:55 pm
Or that maybe there’s a RH pitcher pitching and Bobby’s playing the by the book percentages? I mean, it’s not like it would be the first time in MLB/Braves’ history that it’s happened.
Tim Hudson
June 19th, 2009
5:55 pm
DOB, for the love of God, stay away from John Smoltz.
Chop Chop
June 19th, 2009
5:57 pm
Gotta give props to Furman Bisher for today’s column.
If the statheads in Baseball Prospectus 2009 can see the wisdom in trading Chipper while his value is high, then it’s kind of difficult to knock Bisher for echoing it.
bravos2249
June 19th, 2009
6:00 pm
Did Martin get let in Ciny or something?
dude
June 19th, 2009
6:04 pm
DOB:
Hows it lookin for baseball? We starting on time or not? What cha think?
bravos2249
June 19th, 2009
6:04 pm
IDK if it’s been posted but a little story about JJ and his Papa.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090616&content_id=5364816&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
Tomahawkin
June 19th, 2009
6:07 pm
Chop Chop
What Up, Baby…! Did U watch Rasslin Last Nite…?
I have a feeling that the braves will take 2 of 3 from the Sox…They have come Correct against the good teams this year…And Lay daown to the Garbage teams….
Valentine
June 19th, 2009
6:08 pm
Lew <3’s Kelly Johnson.
Roja
June 19th, 2009
6:08 pm
Interesting stat: Our entire starting lineup tonight has just 40 homeruns. Boston’s two corner outfielders and first baseman combined have 38.
Roja
June 19th, 2009
6:11 pm
I would trade Chipper for the entire Mets 25 man roster if the Mets paid their salaries through 2013.
Vinings Jim
June 19th, 2009
6:11 pm
cabravesfan – I bailed last night after there had been only 9 posts between 9:30 and 10:00 – of course, the next three hours turned out to be a conversation I would have really enjoyed (unlike dirtydawg). I will add some comments on the music conversation later (so as not to annoy the hard core folks), but I will say that I was impressed to see ‘Black Parade’ popped out on your list. GO BRAVES!!!! (I’m not sure if that makes people happy, or makes me look like a non-whining person who thinks that posting my own line-ups and posting pie-in-the-sky trades is not a worthwhile endeavor).
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
6:12 pm
ROJA, GFY
Mark Twine
June 19th, 2009
6:13 pm
ROJA, nevermind you said “our”. i guess you ARE a braves fan. sorry
Daybed Wagmoe
June 19th, 2009
6:14 pm
DOB and those with Athens ties — you hear the sad news about the Georgia Theatre? The place caught fire this morning and it sounds like it’s been completely gutted inside. Sad, sad news.
PWHjort
June 19th, 2009
6:17 pm
Mac at Braves Journal has a new nickname for Francoeur: groundhog. He gets a hit and we get 6 more weeks of him.
cabravesfan
June 19th, 2009
6:18 pm
Vinings Jim-
I actully did another shuffle on my iPod and came out with way better songs overall but “Black Parade” was one that I listen to on a regular basis- great song
And now that you managed to make half the bloggers mad at you with that last comment…maybe I should pretend that I don’t know you
Doc Holiday
June 19th, 2009
6:18 pm
John looks better in redsox uniform………..just saying
Lew
June 19th, 2009
6:18 pm
Valentine-POosting in hieroglyphics now, are we?
buzzmeat
June 19th, 2009
6:18 pm
twine come drink free beer here
Guessing Game
June 19th, 2009
6:19 pm
PWHjort, groundhog is an awesome nickname for Francoeur.
Also, a groundhog could easily be mistaken for a big beaver. Just sayin’…
PWHjort
June 19th, 2009
6:19 pm
Has anyone seen the Harold Reynolds blog post rambling thing? http://haroldreynolds.mlblogs.com/archives/2009/06/enjoy_it_for_what_its_worth.html
I have no idea what he’s talking about.
Joe Poz did a nice little translation of it:
http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/06/19/bugging-harold-reynolds/
Lew
June 19th, 2009
6:20 pm
ChopChop-They just signed Chipper to a four year contract and he’s a ten/five guy and can veto any trade. He’s said repeatedly he wants to finish his career in ATlanta and now has the contract to do it. Do you seriously think Chipper’s going anywhere?
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
6:20 pm
According to John Heyman (on MLB Network), Texas can not add payroll. Trying to get one of their good OF bats for Javy is probably not an option.
David O'Brien
June 19th, 2009
6:21 pm
Sun actually out briefly. But heavy clouds moving in again, and quickly.
Tarp’s been off field for quite a while now, though. Looks like they plan to start on time, at least for now.
BAD NEWS out of Athens, Ga: The Georgia Theatre was gutted by fire early this morning. Roof’s gone, etc.
David O'Brien
June 19th, 2009
6:23 pm
Daybed, I just typed in that comment when I saw that you had already posted it, about Ga. Theatre. We musta got the same e-mail.
Mitchell
June 19th, 2009
6:23 pm
I hope everybody’s ready for a win tonight.
I know I am.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
6:24 pm
Cleveland’s BP is so bad right now…if they don’t make a deal for pitching soon, they will definitely be a seller in coming weeks.
Vinings Jim
June 19th, 2009
6:28 pm
cabravesfan – I suspect, as soon as I address a comment to you, those who would be offended tune out. I will do a shuffle later, and report on what happens (I may adjust for the fact that I have not made changes since before I saw Billy Joel in concert (with Elton), so right now there are a couple of hundred BJ songs on the IPod – I remember that my great-grandfather was a big Billy Joel fan). Right now, I’m listening to my Top 125 on my I-Tunes Library – currently ‘Before He Cheats’ right now – right now…bathroom Polo).
Roja
June 19th, 2009
6:29 pm
Mark Twine, yes I am a Braves fan. Have been since their Milwaukee days. Yup, I’m that old. And unlike many on here have seen a lot worse Braves teams than this one and I didn’t jump OFF the band wagon then either.
Chop Chop
June 19th, 2009
6:31 pm
Why the hell not, Lew?
His price is set, he can reject any trade he doesn’t like, and many older players have left organizations in the past for a chance to go for a ring. If you’re Wren, you get rid of a big salary commitment to an old, injury-prone, defensively deficient player. The odds of replacing Chipper’s bat are next to zero, but if you’re willing to trade Chipper, you already know that you’re looking to the future. You’ve already crossed the Rubicon, so to speak.
Anyway, while it doesn’t take a leap of logic to see a Chipper trade happening, I highly doubt that Wren will move Chipper.
cabravesfan
June 19th, 2009
6:31 pm
Vinings Jim-
Why do I feel that song is totally appropriate?
I’ve got a few Billy Joel songs on my iPod too (not a few hundred- I’ve only got about 150 songs total…) I especially like some of his earlier stuff- Uptown Girl album is my favorite
PWHjort
June 19th, 2009
6:31 pm
Heath,
What is worse, Cleveland’s bullpen or the fact that Carl Pavano is now their number 2 starter?
Chop Chop
June 19th, 2009
6:34 pm
Oh, the reason “I highly doubt that Wren will move Chipper” is because of attendance. The front office is having enough problems getting people to games without trading Chipper.
Roja
June 19th, 2009
6:35 pm
Chipper already has a ring……
Chop Chop
June 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
Yeah…
He got that ring as a rookie. He’s been chasing another one for his whole career.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
PWHjort -
Cleveland Starters: 13th in the AL at 5.45 ERA (only BAL worse)
Cleveland Relievers: 13th in the AL at 5.02 ERA (only LAA worse)
Neither is very good, but, I would still say the BP needs to be addressed first. This team does not have problems scoring, and have given up quite a few leads late in the game.
Vinings Jim
June 19th, 2009
6:39 pm
cabravesfan – I don’t tend to think of Uptown Girl as being one of his earlier songs, but I guess it’s about middle since he’s done nothing new for many years. Just to show my eclectic listing, right now is Nelly F/Timbaland with ‘Promiscuous’ in a 9 way tie for #49), sequeing to ‘One’ by U2, #100 on the most played list, bit easily one of my top 10 all-time.
cabravesfan
June 19th, 2009
6:42 pm
Vinings Jim-
It’s “early” in my world- and I meant the entire album (that was the name, right?)
so you go from “Before He Cheats” to “Promiscuous”? Ummm…that’s interesting 
bravos2249
June 19th, 2009
6:42 pm
to be critical…don’t get get rings for winning the NLCS anyway?
David O'Brien
June 19th, 2009
6:44 pm
Talked to a local writer who was told by a scout who’s seen Smoltz on rehab to not expect too much, to not expect the old Smoltz, in other words.
BuzzBomb
June 19th, 2009
6:44 pm
Enter your comments here
keylargo
June 19th, 2009
6:45 pm
The lack of recognition given Bobby Cox by bloggers here is simply ignorant. I would be safe in saying there is more criticism of him here than everywhere else combined.
Below are some of Cox’s accomplishments. You will notice that the Sporting News gave him Manager of the Year four times in a row from 2002 – 2005. These were the last four years when the Braves were in decline from winning their record 14 Division Championships. Instead of ripping him because he can not make this mixture of talent he has had for the last 3 years win, maybe he should be recognized for what he did to hold the Braves together enough to win the last four divisions. (2002 – 2005)
Cox has been named Manager of the Year four times (1985, 1991, 2004, and 2005) and is one of only four managers to have won the award in both the American and National League. He is also the only person to have won the award in consecutive years. Cox has also been named Manager of the Year by The Sporting News eight times (1985, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005).
On May 12, 2007, Cox passed Sparky Anderson to become the fourth-winningest manager in major league history, with a record of 2,195 wins and 1,698 losses. He led the Braves to a division title every season from 1991 to 2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season; the Braves have competed in the National League East since 1994 and competed in the National League West prior to that. He won a World Series Championship in 1995. In 2001, he took sole possession of first place for most wins as a manager in Braves history.[4] Cox’s .561 winning percentage is fourteenth in all-time among managers with at least 1,000 games managed, and is the second highest among those who managed the majority of their career after the creation of divisions within each league in 1969.
N8
June 19th, 2009
6:47 pm
Braves BP rained out? No biggie. This team is fine with the stick. But damn. Those pitchers should start adding an extra session on the side.
Lew, am I the only one that thinks of Loudness, when I see the red and white “rising sun” flag of Japan?
“Wok and Woll Cwazy naw-ha-hights!”
Those guys always killed me. Buddy of mine loved them and always made me “deal with it” when we went driving around. Too funny.
Roman Gal
June 19th, 2009
6:48 pm
Enjoyed your Disney Princess story! Actually, last night’s various conversations were very entertaining.
McFann-
Haha…Thanks.
ncscoots
June 19th, 2009
6:48 pm
Talked to a local writer who was told by a scout who’s seen Smoltz on rehab to not expect too much, to not expect the old Smoltz, in other words.
What, he no longer froths at the sight of a microphone?
Oh, you meant pitching. Oh.
Heath (Cleveland)
June 19th, 2009
6:49 pm
Indians led 7-0…now tied 7-7. Reminds me of the game they gave away to Milwaukee…so, yeah, they need BP help first.
Bad Scooter
June 19th, 2009
6:51 pm
DOB, I saw Smoltz in Syracuse. He wasn’t the same Smoltz. Good movement on the slider, but not much else.
Roman Gal
June 19th, 2009
6:51 pm
…maybe Clint Hurdle could explain that one…?
McFann, you know he’s in protective custody now, right? He fears the wrath of McFann…