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
1,826 comments Add your comment
yogi2
July 14th, 2009
11:58 pm
Just when I thought we were going in the right direction, Cox brings back Norton(4 hits this year .095 average. We need him for WHAT? Why not bring Canizares back? he had more hits in one game than Norton has all year. Does Cox really want to win?
Mav
July 14th, 2009
11:59 pm
Some one needs to inform Tim Mccarver that he is the worst analyst in all of baseball and should have ben fired years ago.Also he needs to learn proper etiquette when talking to the president of the united states. You don’t talk to him like your buddy. You refer to him as Mr. President. What an idiot!
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:00 am
Trey thanks for agreeing with me but it seems a mix of the old ways and this stupid idea that Bud Selig has. Things need to be tweeked or go with the Interleague record.
As far as the fans interest that Bud was so scared of… it ain’t going to change. The All Star Game is not the same like it was 20 years ago.
Lets get this back to this being a fan fun fest with everyone involved. I have no problem with that – as i was a Braves fan back in the 70’s and 80’s when we only did get one in.
This game is just that a fun exhibition game for all fans to enjoy their players.
Packerman
July 15th, 2009
12:00 am
Howard nor Werth deserved to be on that roster btw. I just don’t think players batting .260 or lower should be considered All-Stars regardless of how many homers they have.
David O'Brien
July 15th, 2009
12:02 am
Just got back from talking to McCann. Asked him was it frustrating not playing much again.
“I’m just glad to be here,” he said. “This event, it’s the Home Run Derby, and hanging out with the guys, it’s everything. I mean, you want to play, but it’s not the most important thing. This is St. Louis, and Yadier deserved it. He’s one of the best catchers in the game, and he had a huge knock [hit] and caught a great game.”
Then he added, “I’m just excited about the second half of the season. I really am.”
Said it was awesome meeting the President, though he was one of the few players who forgot to get an autographed baseball.
Barry Bonnell Lives
July 15th, 2009
12:02 am
Yogi: because Norton can play 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, & RF and is an otherwise solid pinch hitter who got off to a bad start. Cañizares had a nice game, but K’s a lot, and plays only one position (1B) – and poorly at that.
TBF(n)K as Billy
July 15th, 2009
12:03 am
I knew thats what Mac would say…..class all the way.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:04 am
Packerman – as I was saying this game was formulated for the fans to enjoy. I remember back in the mid to late 80’s Daryl Strawberry was voted in with some bad numbers but the fans wanted to see him.
What is going on now is just ridiculous as this game shoud mean NOTHING but fun and watching our favorite players do what they do. I have to believe that these guys won’t half ass it on the diamond because it’s an All Star Game.
Bud Selig says he noticed that when most of the players left the game they left the park. Hey Bud Selig this game is not aboout the players so who cares if they are not in the dugout. Its for the FANS. He just doesnt seem to understand that.
Roman Gal
July 15th, 2009
12:04 am
Sorry I’ve been ignoring you all! cabravesfan
Diva.
Trey06
July 15th, 2009
12:06 am
Driver8… I loved it when it was a fun exhibition. I could watch the best players face players that they almost never see. Now thanks to inter-league that is gone.
Best record should determine WS home field in my opinion.
David O'Brien
July 15th, 2009
12:06 am
Voss: Why are you telling me to do some research? That was a St. Louis person who told me that about Soriano — it wasn’t MY opinion. I said I didn’t even know if the trade proposal was accurate, but it sounded as if it probably was. But as far as how they’d have used him, I have no idea.
jeffrey d
July 15th, 2009
12:06 am
Mav – their stats are pretty similar, except Bell has more saves. You’re acting like Blaine Boyer went over Soriano.
unbelievable
July 15th, 2009
12:09 am
anyone see this from the CBS sports power rankings?
here’s the highlight…”LVP: Exiled hacker Jeff Francoeur. Simple declarative statements are for simple declarative people, but I can’t help myself in this case: Jeff Francoeur is a terrible, terrible baseball player”
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/powerrankings
Tokyo Bravo
July 15th, 2009
12:09 am
What is it now, 12, 13 years since the NL won? That’s just pathetic.
Sadly, we’re never going to go back to the days when the two leagues really hated each other. Waaay too much player movement these days, and it’s all even more watered down by the advent of interleague play, which yes, I still hate. Still, you’d think that at some point, a player or two in the NL would get a little ticked off and have one of those “Not this year. Not on my watch” clubhouse speeches and fire everyone up a little. Simple pride would seem to warrant that.
Wait, then again, with all the player movement, do any of these players even FEEL any pride in their league?
Naaah. Probably not. Might screw up an endorsement opp somewhere down the road….
TBF(n)K as Billy
July 15th, 2009
12:09 am
Well with the Red Sox and Yankee’s always drawing big crowds across the nation interleague is not going anywhere soon…to bad I dont like it.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:10 am
Trey i had a feeling you might say that… Lets pretend and say the one team with the best record in baseball gets that but the teams behind them dont even have a .500 record. That tells me that this team has beaten up on some poor teams 19 times within that division.
The best record could look great but maybe not.
I like the Interleague thing. Every team and everyone on that roster is responsible for what league gets it. It seems more fair in my opinion.
yogi2
July 15th, 2009
12:11 am
IF Norton is a solid pinch hitter,we don’t need one. he is 0 for ever
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:11 am
I know for almost 100 years the World Series rotated from the AL to the NL but that also seemed a bit week in my opinion.
monty
July 15th, 2009
12:13 am
Felt sorry for the dude that Pujols was batting for last night before the HR derby. Trying to win the guy some money and a new Suv if he hits a HR. It looked like the most pressure Albert has ever had on him. Batting practice fastball and he couldn’t do anything with the batting practice pitcher. When interviwed the pitcher said,” my fastball was really moving and I was locating it really well at 68 MPH.”
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:15 am
The game is over and the format is what it is …. so lets get back to what REALLY matters. Braves Baseball and what we need to do to get back in this race.
Barry Bonnell Lives
July 15th, 2009
12:21 am
D-8: the rotation is the fairest way to define the championship. If you have a period of years where one league is weaker than the other, you could have the same domination because the best record would be a function of a weaker league in many instances.
Over a period of years, such a slant would represent millions of dollars lost for the “visitor” league, giving the “home” league a greater advantage over a period of time.
Bring back the rotation. Allow the All-Star game to determine if the game next year is at an NL or AL park.
Trey06
July 15th, 2009
12:23 am
Driver8… We need to score some runs! I’m not going to talk about the Frenchy trade because there’s nothing I can do about that. (there’s nothing I can do about any of this now that I think about it) But nevertheless, I think our starting pitching is good enough but we need a strong RIGHT Handed bat. I don’t know if one is available without giving up the future so I can hope for is that Diaz steps up. We don’t necessarily need HRs. We need timely hits.
Thunderbull56
July 15th, 2009
12:24 am
A lot of things in life are bittersweet,including the opportunity to hear the greatest rock and roll song of all time, sung by an octenogerian.Ever get a chance Dave, listen to someone like, say, Johnny Winter’s version of “Johnny B Good”,and you’ll probably quit trying to impress us with all your musical lyrics.Long live ROCK AND ROLL!
JPS
July 15th, 2009
12:28 am
Driver 8
How about they keep Kelly The Fraud in the minors or get rid of him.
Salamander
July 15th, 2009
12:31 am
Woo! Not that it means anything definite, but I was still happy to receive the following from AJC:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Our digital team is looking into working to initiate registering for the blogs later this year.
Hooray blog log in if it does actually come about.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:31 am
Barry Bonnell i would love nothing more than the way it was prior to Bud Selig. Nice name from the old teams. I saw nothing wrong with rotating it and wish they would go back to that but I highly doubt they would admit the mistake and go back. Too bad, buack then it was simple and worked. Baseball has changed and I guess much of us need to as well whether we like it or not.
N8
July 15th, 2009
12:31 am
“N8, get over myself?..LOL!…Its not a upgrade!!…U FREAKIN MORON!!” Arkansas Braves Fan
Any team that goes from having Jeff getting 4 ABs per game, for a 162 games a year, to NOT having that happen…. has just upgraded their team. Period. But if you think calling me a moron makes you more correct, then perhaps you might be the moron. In fact, some might say your and idiot.
If Ryan Church is anything more than a 4th OF going into next season, then you might be semi-correct. Not much of an upgrade. But since Jeff was NOT going to be in the mix next year in the OF, and I seriously doubt that Church will be anything more than a platoon player, YES. It’s an upgrade.
Bobby was never going to platoon Jeff with anybody, because he would have pouted. NOW, Bobby can platoon Church and Diaz in RF, and based on their righty/lefty splits, it will be a SIGNIFICANT upgrade over Jeff starting every night. Even with the defensive downgrade.
If Diaz remains hot, and Anderson cools off, Church could play LF.
Church is at least good against RH pitching (and when you do the math, you realize that that is MOST games). Jeff was barely good at hitting LH pitching, which doesn’t happen as often. Diaz has been pretty darn good against both RH and LH pitching.
Make no mistake about it. The lineup is better with Diaz (who many believe is not an everyday player anyhow), and Church platooning in RF, than when Jeff was the everyday RF.
You can argue until you’re blue in the face. But save your breath and keystrokes. It’s an argument you’ll lose, big time. Ask Frank Wren… he thought so too.
And you called me the moron?
RHR
July 15th, 2009
12:34 am
VJim – i always have fun. Keep up.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:34 am
JPS – As long as Prado and the Conrad hold this infeild down, I would not worry to much about Mr. Kelly Johnson. Let him find his way in Gwinnett which im sure he will be playing the rest of July.
Robert
July 15th, 2009
12:34 am
“Here’s a little something for you guys to chew on. Who was the last NL Manager to win the All-Star game?”
I believe it was The Donker
Robert
July 15th, 2009
12:38 am
“I propose we trade the HOF Manager to anyone that would just love for him to manage their team.He wins all these polls,so I know he would be in great demand.I think players vote for him just so the Braves won’t put get rid of him and they have a good laugh”
jj – There is a HUGE difference between what baseball players, executives, and franchises say to and about each other, and what they actually do or think -
Sez here if you offered him up in trade – several teams would say oh gosh a lot of teams are gonna want him you shouldnt trade him – but not one team from the major leagues down thru Gwinnett Little League would give you as much as a used jockstrap for him or his services
Barry Bonnell Lives
July 15th, 2009
12:39 am
Just saw the Hooters Miss Rome, GA on Best Damn SSP. Good googeley-moogeley!!! Hope the Rome Bravos don’t spend too much time eating wings there – or they’ll never move up.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:39 am
Trey I personally think that the HR thing with our OF positions IS a huge hole with our offense and that is just an obvious statement.
With this team Trey I dont think we will catch the Phillies as I do believe they will upgrade their starting pitching before July 31st.
Let’s stand pat and just understand that one of the problems was fixed by Wren – that being the Starting Pitching. The other half will be fixed in the offseason with either promotions or whatever he has to do.
Sit tight Brave fan. I would rather see what we can do with this and hope for better things next year – which will be better im sure of it.
JPS
July 15th, 2009
12:40 am
You see it…I see it but I wonder if Bobby sees it. Kelly was one of his favorites
nolie
July 15th, 2009
12:43 am
Sorry that probably isnt nearly as exciting as what you imagined. (RHR)
Sigh ! oh well I still have my imagination
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:43 am
Tells you something about Bobby Cox. Have to admit he game Kelly all the chances as well as Frenchy to get things right and they just couldnt do it.
Bobby did the right thing sometimes a guy needs a different location to get their head right. Not saying Kelly Johnson wont be a productive MLB player but from what we have seen here the DL was a good move.
Lets hope he gets things together in Gwinnett because that’s where he will be.
cabravesfan
July 15th, 2009
12:46 am
RG-
You know I hate ignoring my adoring public
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:46 am
Lets not worry about Kelly Johnson from now on. Lets let the the guys like Prado and Conrad get the playing time they obviously deserve. Wish the best for those who get sent down and hope they can help us later.
JPS
July 15th, 2009
12:47 am
You know Driver 8….timely hitting can go a long way. It can even make up for the lack of a true power bat. Our problem is not much timely hitting and when we get it it almost always seems like its a single.
Vinings Jim
July 15th, 2009
12:47 am
RHR – I have had a lot of fun tonight – may not have been obvious, but a friend of mine has been very entertaining.
Driver8
July 15th, 2009
12:53 am
JPS true …. but how many timely hitting teams have we had during our run in the 90’s. Funny how they were there during the regular season but the post season …. where were they.
I watched those series and just wondered how couldnt we get just one run in that could change the game.
The past is the past and this is a new era. Lets hope our young arms and outstanding bats coming up will make us forget about only 1 world series championship.
Roman Gal
July 15th, 2009
1:12 am
cab-
You just like playing hard-to-get.
Barry Bonnell Lives
July 15th, 2009
1:12 am
Bloggers: If your desire is for an outfield that can get “timely hits” in the absence of power, here’s what you are up against:
Matt Diaz – slow
Garrett Anderson – slow
Ryan Church – tweener
Nate McClouth – above average
Then the rest of the lineup:
McCann – slo-o-ow
Kotchman – slo-o-ow
Conrad/Pardo/Johnson – average
Escobar – average
C. Jones – slo-o-ow
With this lineup, you can’t hit-and-run, can’t steal, can’t go 1st to 3rd, can’t get to second on the “tweener” double opportunity and can’t scare pitchers on the basepaths.
In short, this team cannot manufacture runs, a necessity when you have no power. The fact that Frank Wren and Bobby Cox were counting on Francoeur to have a comeback season at 23-27 HR’s, for McCann to hit 25-30, for Escobar to hit 20, for Chipper to whack 30, for Kotchman and Anderson to hit 15-20, for Diaz to hit 10-15, for KJ to hit 15-20, and for Schafer to hit 10-15 was a gross mis-evaluation of their “talent”.
There was no plan B for this lineup, speed- and OBP-wise. Unless Chipper gets healthy REAL quick and the Bravos score a 30-100-.300 via trade (highly unlikely), the starters will be angry, the bullpen will get taxed, and the Bravos will be fighting the Marlins for second, especially if the Phils score Pedro AND Halladay.
By the by, the Marlins have speed to burn. That’s how the cheap guys score runs.
GermanBravesFan
July 15th, 2009
1:17 am
Hmmmm… DOES Robert have a life or does he hang out here all day and night to vent about his obsession, Bobby Cox? It’s actually getting quite funny. Has anyone counted his posts on the last blog that reached 5000 posts? I am sure he had almost half of them!
cabravesfan
July 15th, 2009
1:25 am
Time for bed- night all
Mitchell
July 15th, 2009
1:25 am
Look at DOB!
Bloggin’ it up over the all-star break. Who knew? I was prepared to take a nice long break from the bloggin’ it up myself but now that the All-Star game has ended, in a loss (no thanks to DOB), I needed to get myself back in shape for the second half.
Who’s ready to sweep Jeff Francoeur and his Mets? You know, I was happy for the guy at first but then he goes and gets four hits and suddenly he’s the key to their second half run.
Not gonna happen. I’m not looking forward to being happy for him any time soon. He killed this team, we’re better off without him. I already want revenge.
I’m still bitter over that loss on Sunday and yet the cruel irony and agony that is the 80th All-Star game is that the guy who beat us in the 9th inning in Colorado was robbed of a homerun that would have broken a streak of 13 losses in 14 years for the National League.
In other words, I’m pissed.
Am I the only one who actually takes the All-Star game seriously? How could we not win that one? I thought it was in the bag. I would have bet on it but DOB had to go and put a spell on us NL rooters.
But I’m glad he found the celebrity softball game entertaining. What’s probably more sad is that I do happen to find that enjoyable to watch and yet I missed it! And of all the damn things they replay on ESPN, that was one and done as far as I could decifer.
I’m still not in the right midset for the second half. How could the bullpen be as overworked at the same time this year as last year? What happened to our starters? Why does dumbass Bobby Cox have to take them out in the middle of the 6th inning?
We need to start scoring some runs in case that wasn’t already clear. Either way it would be helpful.
Seriously, who knew there would be activity on the Braves blog this week? I’m glad at least DOB got to go to the game and report from there. You would hope if he was staying in town they wouldn’t ask him to keep cranking ‘em out.
I do have one question though:
Everything you hear about St. Louis as a baseball town is true, by the way. The best fans. The most heightened interest and passion.
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
TnBrian
July 15th, 2009
1:30 am
Barry lives, all true. Miscalculation is the bet way to judge how Wren and the Braves predicted their offense for ‘09. I think though that if they could add a OF/IB with some power to put in the cleanup spot, move Mac to the 5th spot, they should have plenty of offense to support all this pitching. McLouth and Prado are very good #1/2 hitters and you’re right, Chipper needs to get healthy for us to be legit, I think.
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:33 am
n8 (at 12:30)–nice post. i just scanned the first page of the blog and saw the arkansas guy’s post…cant beleive the argument’s still going, but there’s no argument at all. frank wren somehow find a way to get something for JF, and that’s downright astonishing. that he got a guy, church, who can certainly fit into a platoon and form a very effective platoon, is even better! you mention diaz in the RF platoon. i’m throwing infante into the mix for a platoon spot in LF with GA. did everyone forget infante? the guy who hit .385 against LHP? and .345 in general? i’m really hoping he heals up and returns to THAT form! anybody biotchin’ about the JF trade is absolutely an imbecile.
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:41 am
barry bonnel (at 1:12)– very nice post as well. that’s what i’ve been thinking all year. this offense has neither power nor speed, an awful combination. it’s hard to score a run when you have a lineup made up out of garret anderson, casey kotchman, chipper jones, and brian mccann. nothing we can do about the last two–they’ve gotta be in there obviously. but addiing speed and power in the offseason–and removing those that have neither– seem to be obvious moves.
joe
July 15th, 2009
1:48 am
For those of you debating Church Vs. Frenchy:
Frenchy was given another chance on another team to prove himself. Braves didn’t feel like using him as a stop-gap to Heyward, which is exactly what Church is. It’s a trade of zero implications to the Braves, as they have a real hitter coming along in a little over a year.
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:52 am
Enter your comments here
KC
July 15th, 2009
1:54 am
“I said I didn’t even know if the trade proposal was accurate, but it sounded as if it probably was.”
I missed something… WHAT proposal???
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:56 am
my last post making fun of carlos santana for calling his last album “multi-dimensional warrior” never showed up. perhaps some multi-dimensional treachery by the warrior himself?
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:57 am
but would a true multi-dimensional warrior really record with rob thomas?
jed
July 15th, 2009
1:59 am
kc–that’s about a trade dob heard about in st louis. over winter, braves offered soriano for joe mather. cards turned them down. now, soriano? he may well be a multi-dimensional warrior….
Jay212033
July 15th, 2009
2:15 am
“Who gets traded before the end of the week? Escobar, Halladay, Vazquez, or Carlos Boozer?”
Vazquez will stab himself in the leg so he won’t be able to get traded lol!
joe
July 15th, 2009
2:20 am
Pedro Martinez= N.L. East Doorknob
Andrew in P-tang
July 15th, 2009
2:20 am
kris medlen and matt diaz for jermaine dye…ill throw in kelly too
Johnson
July 15th, 2009
2:41 am
DOB-
So I imagine, you’re not going to read this until sometime later Wednesday… But, I’d love to get an answer to this question.
I hate to see that we are shopping Escobar. Just absolutely hate it. I think he’s a great player, great arm, good range, and definitely one of our better hitters. I understand that he’s not an All Star, but still, he’s very good and from a fan’s perspective he’s very likeable. I certainly wouldnt want Wren and Co. to sacrifice Wins just to keep guys like Glavine, Frenchy, and Escobar on the team, but still… So my question is… pretend you’re Wren, and explain why you hypothetically want to get trade Yunie?
REPLACE TP
July 15th, 2009
3:02 am
I still think we get better across the board with better coaching. I remember Pat Corales talking about the Philosophy of hitting all the time in the media with guys like chipper and others on the old TBS. I loved Francoer and yes he struggled, but we could not help him. Ditto for KJ, Andrew, and Shaefer. I am at a loss when guys like Kotch, a son of a major league coach come here and completely loose their stroke. What happened to Marcus Giles? I am not ready to believe that all those guys were overrated. McCann is our best player. After McCann, we have an aging star in Chipper and no relief in sight. Heyward and the kids on the farm may be great, but without proper coaching, they will never develop. I think the biggest eye opener for me was Barbaro Canazares getting the call earlier this season and immediately he was our (GULP!) clean up hitter. We definitely have holes in our offense and a power guy in the OF would be awesome but I want to look at this another way: Remember the 82 Braves:
1 C Bruce Benedict
2 1B Chris Chambliss*
3 2B Glenn Hubbard
4 SS Rafael Ramirez
5 3B Bob Horner
6 LF Bret Butler
7 CF Dale Murphy
8 RF Claudell Washington*
They had four guys who had 20+ Steals. Royster had 14 off the bench.
Another power guy would be nice, but to be honest…I would settle for Juan Pierre. I think we could get him for KJ, who LA could use as a super utility guy at SS, 2B, OF, wherever.
I here the rumors about Holliday as well. Not sold on the Colorado kid but there is a pretty good OF who is a local boy I think could fill the bill as well. Jeremy Hermida is out of favor for the Marlins. Wether or not they deal with a division rival (Still don’t understand the Francoeur deal), who knows. All I know is change for the sake of change sux. We need to get better. San Diego took a chance on Tony Gwynn Jr. giving up their starting CF Gerut and rolled 7s. What are we doing?
If we deal Escobar, we better be gettig a stud. Just don’t see too many available. If St Louis wants Escobar, I better see Brett Wallace, RHP PJ Walters and Brendan Ryan. Won’t be popular but it will be fair.
Anyway. Good Night all.
Go Braves
July 15th, 2009
7:14 am
Andrew in P-tang: glad your not the manager! That sounds worse than the Dominique for Danny Manning trade!
Go Braves
July 15th, 2009
7:19 am
Whys everyone so eager to trade Escobar? What will our offense look like Without him if its already this bad?? Trading a all star caliber SS would be a BIG Mistake! Especially for the names in hearing thrown around….. besides Escobar is not the problem, and when we get a new manager next season everyone will see i was right.
Go Braves
July 15th, 2009
7:31 am
DOB: cant believe you thought Holliday would give up runs while the NL pitcher would be unhittable. Holliday is the best in the AL and has been for years…. to me hes been the best pitcher in baseball for the past 4 or so seasons now. If Philly gets him, plan on seeing them in the World Series again. Lets hope that deal falls thru…
ernesto
July 15th, 2009
7:37 am
Yunel .294 BA, 7 HR, 44 RBI, 789 OPS
Holliday .276, 8 HR, 43 RBI, 792 OPS
O-Cab 262, 4, 31, .643
Please. Please. Please. Do not trade years of Escobar for months of a guy who ain’t that great after leaving Coors and a not-as-good positional replacement.
Please.
Crazy Trades McGee
July 15th, 2009
8:17 am
I didn’t read through all of the comments, but how about some love for Khalil Greene as “Jeff Spiccoli”?
http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/media/images/contacts/11311/image/khalil_ff1.jpg
At least that is what me and my buddy call him.
Prime Time
July 15th, 2009
8:22 am
National League loses again. So the Mets ask to not use Santana in the game, shouldn’t he be taken off the roster and replaced by someone who can and is willing to pitch? I’m sure Soriano would have been useful. It just seems odd that home field is on the line but the National League can’t use one of their best pitchers and not only that he takes up a roster spot.
Mitch C
July 15th, 2009
8:29 am
Dave, I hope the Braves dont trade Escobar. That might be one we would live to regret.
On a side note, I saw Chuck Berry in Atlantic City in the 1980s with my father. Berry gave a good show, and still did a couple of duckwalks, when he was in his early 60s.
Also, for the record, I hate the song Johnny B Goode. Remember former Mets and Reds relief ace John Franco? Every time he would come in to pitch at Shea in the 1990s, they would play that song. Franco is one of my most depised baseball players, ever, the arrogant little twerp. Hearing Johnny B Goode being played so many times a season, when he came came in to pitch, caused me to greatly dislike the song.
Mitch
zookey
July 15th, 2009
8:36 am
Gone for a couple of days and not much has changed.
NL loses another all star game.
O’Brien blows the pick.
Francouer still a hot topic.
Paul Lentz shares his wealth of political knowledge.
Robert and Bobby still together after all these years.
Ronald Millsaps has a knee jerk reaction.
Next up Coach gets a sense of humor ???
Mac
July 15th, 2009
8:36 am
Too bad about the blog registration. Much of the giggles is being able to make up a funny user name on the fly … one that relates to the topic.
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
8:49 am
Mac
I would have to disagree. One of the early draws of the blog was the wealth of knowledge from some of the bloggers and the blog friendships that were developed, which the willy nilly pirating of names and introduction of “silly” names for giggles has pretty much put a damper on the entire experience for many.
I do understand the desire to be humorous, but there are some who take it WAY too far with the liberties that are afforded here presently.
Just one man’s opinion.
Wes
July 15th, 2009
8:49 am
Yeah, DOB, you’re right. The Cards probably cry themselves to sleep at night not having Soriano as their closer…….unless I’m forgetting something. OH YEAH. I forgot, the close that they have who has 10 times better stats than Raffy (and Raf has some pretty damn good stats).
Don’t know how you could write that the Cards with they had Soriano as their closer when Franklin, who is cheaper, has an era under 0.80 for God’s sake.
If only the Braves could have picked up Joe Mather……could have been the missing piece hahahahaha
tip
July 15th, 2009
8:50 am
It will be a BIG MISTAKE if this team trades Escobar. For goodnesss sakes coach him Bobby!!!
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
8:50 am
zookey
We all anxiously await the arrival of your last point!
Wes
July 15th, 2009
8:50 am
****Cards WISH****
HAL
July 15th, 2009
8:51 am
uh right fiels isen,t the whole problem do people watch the joke in left field
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
8:53 am
Wes
Do you really believe that if the Cards had Soriano in the spring, that Franklin would have been given much of a shot at being the closer on opening day? Maybe, but there is definitely some doubt there.
Yes Franklin has been terrific, but maybe in the setup role, he would have been equally awesome?? Just wondering.
David O'Brien
July 15th, 2009
8:53 am
Gray, rainy day here in St. Louis today, complete cloud cover. But flight’s supposed to leave on time at 8:40, thankfully….
Replace TP: your screen name sounds like a post-it note I’d leave on my coffee maker….
Johnson: I don’t think the Braves are actively shopping Escobar. More like listening and checking to see what they might get if they did move him. There’s a difference. If you read the Q&A I did with Frank Wren last week, you probably realize that he’s very high on Escobar’s ability and believes he’ll get it all together in time. Wren has told me many times how Livan Hernandez took a while to mature and to understand what is acceptable and what is not in our game in the States, compared to the game he played in Cuba. Wren’s a big believer in Escobar’s talent. Really is….
Go Braves: It’s Halladay, not Holliday. And he gave up three runs (two earned) and four hits in two innings last night. Lincecum gave up two runs and two hits in two innings. Nearly a dozen pitchers that followed them did better than either on this particular night.
Wes
July 15th, 2009
8:54 am
The only possible way that the deal to Oakland is even remotely plausible is if Holliday agrees to an extention with the Braves before the trade.
Comparing his stats to Yunel is a bit unfair, considering Holliday was pretty much batting under .200 for the better part of the first two months. The fact that he’s got his #’s up to where there are now is a good sign if you ask me. He also doesn’t get picked off third with no one out, down by one.
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
8:56 am
Bet that airport is a zoo this morning….have a good travel day, Dave!
Wes
July 15th, 2009
8:57 am
DOB, has Hanson thrown down in the minors yet?
McFann :Ô:
July 15th, 2009
8:58 am
McCann “This is St. Louis, and Yadier deserved it.”
I love that guy…so much class.
Which makes me put this whole thing in a new perspective–I’m not gonna pout about his pop out, either. He made the team–four years in a row! How amazing is that?
But don’t think for a second that Mr. Manuel is off the hook!
lexbrave
July 15th, 2009
9:00 am
the phils getting pedro for 1 mil might be the best signing of the season. don’t know if he has the arm strength to be a reliable starter, but had he been willing, the braves really could have used a guy like pedro to pitch from the pen.
Wes
July 15th, 2009
9:02 am
Why does the blog keep eating my posts?
Wes
July 15th, 2009
9:04 am
Is it because I’m criticizing DOB? Seems to be the only comment not getting posted.
David O'Brien
July 15th, 2009
9:05 am
Wayne in Utah: Exactly. That was the point the St. Louis guy was making when he said that about Soriano….
So I’m sitting here typing, at my gate, when a NY writer comes over and starts chatting. He says, “You blogging?” I said, rather sheepishly, “Yeah, actually.”
And he says, “You’re sick.”
And he was right.
David O'Brien
July 15th, 2009
9:06 am
Yeah, Wes, that’s it. Because none of the posts critizing DOB make it on the board (he says, incredulously…)
Wes
July 15th, 2009
9:07 am
Wayne, in regards to the comment DOB made, your question is irrelevant. DOB said that RIGHT NOW the Cards wish they had Soriano as their closer. That’s one of the most ridiculous comments I’ve ever read on any of these blogs.
Do you, Wayne, really believe it would have been a good move BEFORE the season for St. Louis to give up an OF prospect for a reliever who, for the last couple of seasons, gets hurt every other week and has a salary over 6 Mill??? Hardly.
Wes
July 15th, 2009
9:14 am
DOB, I’m not the only one criticizing you……..
But I’m the only one that matters!!!!!!
Frankie Knuckles
July 15th, 2009
9:21 am
Travel well good sir.
illmatic31
July 15th, 2009
9:25 am
TradingEscobar would be the worst desiciosion yet!!!
Frank Wren is an idiot
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
9:26 am
Wes
It’s all academic. Your getting all worked up over a proposal that wasn’t accepted in the spring. If it HAD happened, no doubt things would be different today.
Do the Cardinals wish they had Soriano RIGHT NOW! Hell yes! They are not idiots.
I am just not getting your point. It was a proposal that wasn’t accepted, that IF it had been would have changed a lot for the St Louis Cardinals AND for the Braves.
Why are we having a continual dialogue about something that didn’t happen?
I was advocating making a play for Joe Mather last winter, as he has played all of the corners and had a decent power bat. So, maybe Frank Wren was reading my posts after all!!!!
Frankie Knuckles
July 15th, 2009
9:28 am
Wes,
Its because they have 3 full-time AJC staffers, even in this economy, who work 1st 2nd and 3rd shifts censoring all of the comments on the blog. Communism man!
- Wait until Dave is 10k feet and post something racist Wes. Do it Wes…
Efrim
July 15th, 2009
9:30 am
“Do you, Wayne, really believe it would have been a good move BEFORE the season for St. Louis to give up an OF prospect for a reliever who, for the last couple of seasons, gets hurt every other week and has a salary over 6 Mill??? Hardly.”
I’m not Wayne, but that would of been a great move by the Cards. Joe Mather isn’t really a “prospect” anyway. Last year in 54 games with the big club, he hit .241/.306/.474. In Triple-A this year, he is hitting .176/.233/.272. He is turning 27 this month. And given Soriano’s 2007 numbers, it’s not like the guy doesn’t have an immense amount of talent. Sure, 6.1 million is pricy for an often injured reliever, but it’s a pretty good risk when you didn’t have a clear cut closer to start the year, and Soriano(when healthy) is one of the most dominant relief pitchers in baseball. And Jason Motte began the season as the closer. Not Ryan Franklin. So I guess LaRussa had some reservations with giving the job directly to Franklin at the outset of the season.
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
9:30 am
Blog keeps eating my posts.
Actually, sometimes (and I think it is a browser speed issue) when I refresh, the blog goes backwards (I lose the visibility of recent posts), then it eventually comes back. Sometimes it takes one refresh, other times it takes 5-10 minutes or more.
So, I highly doubt the blog is “eating” any critical posts. I think it loves to eat ALL posts sometimes……
BravesFan123
July 15th, 2009
9:33 am
Illmatic: Frank Wren wont trade Esco relax buddy
Wayne in Utah
July 15th, 2009
9:33 am
Efrim
Good point about Motte!
18 Wheels of Love
July 15th, 2009
9:37 am
Nothing worse than being labeled a blogger, especially if you are already a journalist.
Efrim
July 15th, 2009
9:37 am
In Frankin’s last 192 innings as a St. Louis reliever, he has a 122/48 K/BB ratio. 5.7 K/9 innings isn’t exactly what you want out of your closer, or any late inning relief pitcher. That said, he “gets the job done”. So I guess we should just ignore everything else until balls start finding holes and open parts of the field, right…..
derrick
July 15th, 2009
9:41 am
Well I look at this way… if the Braves would stop being cheap and getting BARGAIN BATS we could win some games.. P.S. Andruw Jones bat is doing very well this year and he’s with a division contender.
semiballcoach
July 15th, 2009
9:44 am
what’s worse–a blogging journalist or a tweeting journalist?