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
3,403 comments Add your comment
Tomahawkin
October 6th, 2009
2:13 pm
Braves VS Astros 10 years ago…With the Nutcase, John Rocker, Gawd I miss them days…!
Braveheart
October 6th, 2009
2:16 pm
Who is the “Caucasian Clemente”? Francoeur? Clemente was easily one of the top 6-8 players in the National League throughout the 1960s. I would be surprised if Francoeur is ever that good, at least for a full decade. Clemente’s career AVG/OBP/SLG: .317/.359/.475 Francoeur’s career AVG/OBP/SLG: .271/.311/.432
Did Shaun actually take the Caucasian Clemente thing seriously? LOL. What a doofus.
But, hell, since Shaun did take it seriously for who knows what friggin reason, let’s compare their numbers in a more appropriate context through the age of 25:
Roberto Clemente: 771 games, 3180 plate appearances, .288 AVG, .320 OBP, .407 SLG, .727 OPS, 95 OPS+, 85 outfield assists
Caucasian Clemente: 706 games, 2940 plate appearances, .271 AVG, .311 OBP, .432 SLG, .743 OPS, 92 OPS+, 70 outfield assists
David O'Brien
October 6th, 2009
2:16 pm
Richbrave, Freeman is very much on the horizon. Just no need to rush a 20-year-old kid who didn’t have a consistently strong season as he was promoted in minors in 2009, not the way that Heyward did. How many major league teams have two 20-year-olds on the 25-man roster, much less in the starting lineup? Heyward and Freeman both will be 20 for almost the entire 2010 season.
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
2:17 pm
Anyone know Bobby Cox’s Braves overall W-L record in the postseason? They lost a lot of close series. My guess is that there overall W-L record is not as bad as some think.
TnBrian(Vazquez ace 2010)
October 6th, 2009
2:25 pm
Trade KJ/Medlen for Reds closer, Cordero or to the White Sox for Jenks.
McFann Ô
October 6th, 2009
2:26 pm
Monty–
That’s a good bit of research! Thanks…
Obviously I see your point about the injuries, the shorter career, and whatnot…And I thought I looked fairly far ahead–but sometimes I can’t see beyond the end of my own nose.
But there’s such a big difference between being a good hitting catcher (who is also a good catcher, which BMac is and being a good hitting first baseman. Those things are everywhere. There aren’t a ton of good hitting catchers around. Just don’t think many people would be as satisfied as they think they would be with ssoR catching everyday, with the occasional Sammons start mixed in there. Even if BMac is playing 160 games, you’re losing some offense, not gaining it. I say that because you could have a 1B man with 35 homers combined with BMac’s 20+, or BMac’s 25ish combined with ssoR’s 15…ish. Obviously it doesn’t just apply to homers, but I was just using that as an example.
Random Don’t you roll your eyes at me, young lady.
Did I say I was rolling them at you? Ha…uh…no, of course I wasn’t…maybe.
I was referring to his defensive abilities as a hypothetical firstbaseman, not as a catcher.
Yeah, OK…that time you were, sure.
RHR
October 6th, 2009
2:29 pm
Anyone know Bobby Cox’s Braves overall W-L record in the postseason?
Looks like 25-49 by my maths.
TnBrian(Vazquez ace 2010)
October 6th, 2009
2:33 pm
Anybody else like Ludwick as our cleanup hitter? I say that because I can see St.Louis baiting him if they sign Holliday. He’s RH, has plenty of power & isn’t that expensive.
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
2:34 pm
Shaun – Bobby’s Atlanta postseason record is (I think) 63-62.
richbrave
October 6th, 2009
2:38 pm
DOB:
So that means he’ll be in an ATLANTA uni sooner than 2012?
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
2:38 pm
TnBrian – Ludwick’s numbers this year weren’t really any better than McCann’s. I’d take him, depending on the price, but I don’t think he’s a “solution” or anything.
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
2:39 pm
Braveheart, well a .320 on-base versus a .311 on-base isn’t insignificant; especially when you also consider the average NL OBP in the mid-1950s to 1960 was in the .320s and the average NL OBP in 2005-2009 is around .331.
The average NL SLG in 1955-1960 was around .402. The average NL SLG in 2005-2009 was around .410 at least.
Source: http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/bat.shtml
Still, your point is well-taken. It’s probably more likely than I thought that Francoeur will become a decent player.
DAP
October 6th, 2009
2:40 pm
tomohawkinRoachy gets an A. Most Underrated midseason acquisition.
im not sure this is possible, since laroche was basically the only midseason acquisition….i guess you could count church and mclouth, but who rates those guys higher than laroche?
dasliedWith Atlanta this year, his OPS was 1.063 in the 7th spot. That’s .200 better than at any other spot. He was used just fine.
while i agree laroche is best suited to hit 7th…dont you think its kinda silly to suggest that the number his name is next to in the lineup causes his OPS to spike .200 points?
shaunApparently you missed the discussion yesterday about Theo Epstein ignoring RBI and why all baseball fans should also ignore RBI when evaluating individual hitters.
im not sure why this applies tot he abreu discussion, since epstein said they concentrated on OBP, and abreu has a .390 OBP. sure, thats escobarian. (definitely not a bad thing)
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
2:44 pm
DAP – not suggesting anything, just pointing out stats. Doesn’t matter why a guy seems to hit better in one spot or another – who knows why? – but it does matter if the guy’s put in the spot where he’s most effective.
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
2:47 pm
shaunApparently you missed the discussion yesterday about Theo Epstein ignoring RBI and why all baseball fans should also ignore RBI when evaluating individual hitters.
im not sure why this applies tot he abreu discussion, since epstein said they concentrated on OBP, and abreu has a .390 OBP. sure, thats escobarian. (definitely not a bad thing)
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing at all. As I said, Abreu has had a fine season. I just think he’s been overrated this season by a lot of people. He’s had very little power relative to other corner-outfielders. And he’s not a great defensive player.
I guess my point was I don’t think it’s a given that Abreu would have been a good signing for the Braves, as someone seemed to assert earlier.
McFann Ô
October 6th, 2009
2:51 pm
Tomahawkin Most people don’t notice that his percentage in throwing out baserunners has improved because of this, However baserunners still run at will on him due to the fact that our pitchers [sink] at holding runners on
So true…so true…
DAP
October 6th, 2009
2:52 pm
dasliedit does matter if the guy’s put in the spot where he’s most effective.
totally agree. ive always thought laroche was good at 7th because of his relatively low average, doesnt walk a ton, and does run really well. in many lineups, the 7th spot is the last line of defense, that last spot that can really hurt you until you get back around to the top. i like laroche batting 7th.
Tomahawkin
October 6th, 2009
2:54 pm
DAP
I was basing the Laroche deal and comparing them to the other trades during the season…Also I was basing his trades amongst others in baseball…
As compared to other teams the LaRoache deal went unnoticed because BSPN was focused on Roy Halliday, Matt Holliday and Cliff Lee during the trade deadline….
AndyC
October 6th, 2009
2:58 pm
Looks like 25-49 by my maths.
That looks pretty bad. It can’t be that bad can it? If it is then you have to question Cox’s legacy as one of the top managers in baseball. I’m not trying to hate on him, I’m just sayin.
Random
October 6th, 2009
2:58 pm
Daslied, RHR –
You guys seriously think that Shaun doesn’t know the Cox-Braves postseason record, or doesn’t know how to find it quicker than any of us?
He’s toying with you.
(Think again, RHR.)
That’s what I got, Daslied.
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
3:01 pm
Random, I choose to think Shaun was hoping for a deluge of “Hey, that record isn’t as bad as I thought…” responses.
DAP
October 6th, 2009
3:02 pm
shaun but what you said is that folks are blinded by abreu’s RBI numbers, and said the guy who wanted abreu must not have been paying attention to what theo epstein said.
im guessing you had no idea abreu posted a .390 OBP, or else you never would have brought up the epstein convo.
and youre not being honest if you dont think abreu’s .830 OPS would have been better for the braves than anderson’s .705 OPS.
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
3:03 pm
You guys seriously think that Shaun doesn’t know the Cox-Braves postseason record, or doesn’t know how to find it quicker than any of us?
Actually I don’t. Seems like sites like baseballreference.com don’t show a manger’s postseason record. Baseballreference.com just shows overall record and how far a manager got in a postseason. But I can’t seem to fine overall W-L record in postseason games.
DAP
October 6th, 2009
3:04 pm
tomohawkin I was basing the Laroche deal and comparing them to the other trades during the season
i realized thats what you meant right before i read your response. my bad, youre absolutely right.
CB
October 6th, 2009
3:08 pm
Cox postseason- 66- 66.
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
3:09 pm
shaun but what you said is that folks are blinded by abreu’s RBI numbers, and said the guy who wanted abreu must not have been paying attention to what theo epstein said.
im guessing you had no idea abreu posted a .390 OBP, or else you never would have brought up the epstein convo.
and youre not being honest if you dont think abreu’s .830 OPS would have been better for the braves than anderson’s .705 OPS.
Unfortunately the Braves, and most teams, have to also worry about contracts and not just a player’s ability. Anderson’s contract was worth half as much as Abreu’s and that’s not including incentives.
RHR
October 6th, 2009
3:10 pm
LOL I was that bad off huh? And was wondering why Shaun was asking anyway.
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
3:10 pm
CB – correct for Bobby’s overall PS record. I think Shaun was asking about the record with Atlanta. Not really much difference, though.
CB
October 6th, 2009
3:15 pm
RHR,we can’t be good at everything,can we?
RHR
October 6th, 2009
3:16 pm
I just added from here – http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/
in case anyone was wondering how on earth I got such a number.
CB
October 6th, 2009
3:27 pm
Probably good if Robert doesn’t read Bobby’s overall numbers-66-66.
Tomahawkin
October 6th, 2009
3:29 pm
DAP…
Cool…My bad bro, I prolly should’ve been more specific…
I’m Pretty sure you know that the LaRoche trade went unnoticed by those Clowns at BSPN…
sri
October 6th, 2009
3:30 pm
Shaun, according to fangraphs,
Abreu was worth $12m and he was paid $6m with the bonuses. Anderson was worth -$3.4m (negative) and was paid $2.5m.
Robert
October 6th, 2009
3:44 pm
“Robert, if you describe Weaver and Cox as donkeys, I’d hate to read what you think of someone like Manny Acta.
Oh, yeah. Regular season doesn’t matter. Only managers of teams who made it to multiple postseasons can be evaluated.
”
Wrong, Shaun. Regular season matters – in context. Give a guy three HOF starters to lead off his rotation and put the team in a division with maybe one other good team in there every year and one or two that are really bad, and guess what? – it dont take a genius to manage that team to 90 or 95 wins
If a guy takes a 50 win roster and wins 60 games with it, he did a good job. Likewise, if a guy takes a 95 win roster and gets you 85 wins or so, he stinks as manager
Why you continually and consistantly fail to realize the importance of context, I dont know. But until you grasp that concept, there aint no use trying to tak sense to you – you will continue to pick isolated examples of factoids and small stat samples and cite those as “proof” of what you wish to be true
Robert
October 6th, 2009
3:46 pm
“Cox postseason- 66- 66″
And I daresay that Cox’s playoff qualifiers have been significantly better than the average playoff team overall – therefore, he has NOT achieved anything significant by getting a top flight team to the first rounds of the playoffs and has in fact underachieved drastically
Soph
October 6th, 2009
3:46 pm
McFann, I think today’s a good day to go attack Mark Bradley. Are you in?
Robert
October 6th, 2009
3:48 pm
“You want to know why Marino doesn’t have a title?”
Cuz when he got to face a lot of weak defenses over the course of a full season with excellent wideouts and a very solid team around him, he put up passels of stats – but when the stats didnt matter but all that did was you needed to beat another solid team in one particular game, then Marino choked
Random
October 6th, 2009
3:51 pm
RHR (October 6th, 2009 3:16 pm): “I just added from here – http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/ATL/ in case anyone was wondering how on earth I got such a number.”
I assume you now realize that your source showed the W-L results of just the fianl braves postseason series each year, and not the results of any series (eg, NLDS, NLCS) that might have preceded it.
And since the Braves won only one WS, their final postseason series the other 13 times was a series loss.
That’s why the numbers were really so skewed (since all the omitted precedent series were series wins.)
DAP
October 6th, 2009
3:52 pm
what is the current blog opinion on luke scott? i know right around the trade deadline some bloggers here saw him as a good trade idea. anyone still interested in this guy? he finished with a .258/.340/.488 line, 25 homers and 77 RBI. what do you think?
Shaun
October 6th, 2009
3:54 pm
Shaun, according to fangraphs,
Abreu was worth $12m and he was paid $6m with the bonuses. Anderson was worth -$3.4m (negative) and was paid $2.5m.
Right. Abreu was more expensive than Anderson. It’s probable that the Braves couldn’t afford or didn’t think it prudent to spend $6M on a corner-outfielder. Their limit was probably something in the $2.5M-$3M range. That’s the point about Abreu and his contract.
And I still say he was overrated by many this year. Yes, he outperformed his contract and he was a great bargain, but that doesn’t mean he was rated properly. I’ve heard people say he was the Angels’ most valuable player or best player this year. But clearly he was not. That’s what I mean by he was overrated by many.
Robert
October 6th, 2009
3:56 pm
To summarize what Bobby Cox has said about various players currently in the Braves organization
re Vasquex – he said “Hee-Haw”
re KJ – he said “Hee-Haw”
re Prado – he said “ee-Haw” – this time while mining for turds in his left nostril using his right front hoof
Get the idea? If you want useful information regarding the Braves, rely on soureces that have a clue – nobody who knows a LICK about baseball cares what Bobby Cox thinks or says, (except perhaps to verify that one of his ideas constitutes donkey baseball)
Let the old donkey go home, leaving the adults with working brains to run the team. He has all of 2010 to take the organization’s best laid plans and turn them into manure, and then he will be gone
Braves win the World Series in 2011 – ya heard it here first
6-4-3
October 6th, 2009
3:58 pm
Does anyone see Nady as being a possible target? He’s right handed, plays left, and I don’t think he’ll command too much, maybe a one year deal. I know he was hurt and is coming off surgery but the Braves were interested in him last year. If he’s healthy I think he fits perfectly.
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:00 pm
but when the stats didnt matter but all that did was you needed to beat another solid team in one particular game, then Marino choked
Bro, I don’t usually get tweaked at your stuff, however inane, but the characterization of Dan Marino as a choke artist is beyond belief. I had an opportunity to watch the man up close and in his prime, and “choke” wasn’t in his vocabulary. Trust me.
DAP
October 6th, 2009
4:02 pm
6-4-3 i think nady is a good option, but he would have to be signed as a bench player, i think. the braves shouldnt sign him to be the big righthanded bat everyone is talking about, because we just dont know what he will do. i think it would be a good idea to sign him, let him pinch hit, play the outfield every now and then and even 1st against a tuff lefty. he might end up playing himself into the everyday lineup, but he shouldnt be signed as one.
(Doc Holiday) Helpless soul
October 6th, 2009
4:04 pm
MLB Rumors already taking notice that Braves wanna get rid of Lowe and KJ………
I think we should stick with KK, and Hudson. Medlen should be good in the pen and serve as a Backup starter if any of our horses goes down……… specially Tim and KK………and after all the inning JJ has thrown in the last 2 season, I wouldnt be surprise to se him with some aches next season……….same goes for Hanson.
Diaz should be given a second chance to be the everday guy at LF and we should try hard to use lowes, GAs and KJs and Churchs money to find a power RF. Schafer should replace GA and platoon LF/CF with nate and Diaz. Our power RF should replace Church.
Resign Ross if he only had a 1 year deal. Use infante more often at 2B and Prado more often in 3B. Let chipper play only half of the games next season.
Resign LaRoche.
Let Conrad replace KJ.
Against LHP:
LF Diaz
2B Prado
C Mc
RF RH hitter
3B Chipper
SS Yunel
1B LaRoche
CF Nate/Schafer
P
Against RHP
CF Nate/Schafer
2B Martin
C Mc
RF RH bat
3B Chipper
SS Yunel
1B Laroche
LF Diaz/Schafer
P
Then some days we use Martin at 3B and Infante at 2B.
And some day both Nate and Schafer would play……specially those days when we meet RHP but the majority of the starts in LF should go to matt………Schafer would give hims some rest…….lets say 20 games…………. and Schafer can play some 60 games in CF giving him 80 games and 100 to nate and 140 to diaz.
Id give chipper 100 games at 3B and infante 60 games………….Martin could go 140 at 2b and infante can cover the other 20 games………….giving infante a total of 80 starts.
Martin 140 + Chipper 100 + Infante 80 = 320 starts for the 2 positions………..we are covered up.
Curt
October 6th, 2009
4:05 pm
Can anyone post some Cons to signing Mike Cameron for the outfield for 2010? I can think of plenty Pros:
Right handed
Averaged 23 HRs the last 4 years
Local boy
Great defender
Has some good speed
Probably will not cost more than $8 mil on a one year deal
What is not to like about him?
Mitchie-san
October 6th, 2009
4:07 pm
I’d take the gamble on Nady. I dont see anyone giving him more than an incentive latent contract for one year. Why not? Signing him wont stop you from acquiring a solid bat either.
McFann Ô
October 6th, 2009
4:08 pm
Soph–
I’m here…might be a few good-sized “pauses” between my posts, but I am here…
Thrillhouse44
October 6th, 2009
4:09 pm
Get the idea?
No, Robert. After years of reading your posts (100% of them Cox bashing, 85% of them filled with hee-haw jokes), I still don’t get the idea. What exactly is your opinion on Cox? I’m on the edge of my seat; please fill me in.
Doc Holiday
October 6th, 2009
4:11 pm
As I see it, we only need:
1. get that super power RF RH hitter………that can give us some 35 and 110 RBI.
2. Martin starting at least 140 games, 150 if he can take the load, and I think he can.
3. Cut down on Chipper starts.
4. Start Adam at least 150 games.
5. Get Mc out of the cleanup spot and let him hit at the 3rd spot, since Chipper is declining………I was thinking Yunel could do well batting 3rd, but that would be too many RH at the top of the lineup.
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:13 pm
Can anyone post some Cons to signing Mike Cameron for the outfield for 2010?
Just a RH Nate McLouth at more money, more age, more outs, and less speed. What’s not to love, LOL?
Doc Holiday
October 6th, 2009
4:13 pm
If all that we need is a cleanup hitter……….we can get what we need with the money that would be freed if Lowe, KJ and Church are gone ……….we could even eat some of Lowes salary………10%?
jed
October 6th, 2009
4:13 pm
RHR– just read yr post from last night where you discuss the unprecedented blog loyalty to kelly johnson: “The only thing I can come up with is that maybe he reminds some of you of yourself or something.” BINGO! white guys love kelly, b/c he reminds them of himself. that’s all there is to it. i can only imagine the reaction if kelly had been black or latino and put up those numbers and played that horrid a defense.
this stuff is subtle–it’s more about identification than blatant racism, but it certainly plays out in a pro-white manner. the bloggers i’m talking about arent the most thoughtful, self-examining folks out there so i’m sure they dont have a clue what i’m talking about, and i’m sure they’ll say i’m some nut, but i see this tendency on a daily basis here on the blog. it’s so ingrained, they dont even recognize it. funny how so many of the same people who wanted to run escobar out of town have such great allegiance to kelly.
jed
October 6th, 2009
4:15 pm
sorry…” white guys love kelly, b/c he reminds them of themselves.”
Doc Holiday
October 6th, 2009
4:16 pm
Curt,
We need a power RF not a 3rd CF with “some”pop.
Mitchie-san,
Are you willing to gamble our cleanup position again? Or what would be Nadys role? We need a bat that teams fear inserted in the middle of the lineup, not just another guy that would end up batting 20 HR.
DAP
October 6th, 2009
4:17 pm
scoots, cameron does not have less speed than mclouth. also not sure if he will cost as much as nate next year.
i like cameron (most of you probably didnt know that), but id day his cons are his age, his strikeouts, and his OBP is just a step above the lowest acceptable range for a MLB player, in my opinion. if the braves could get him for about $5mil with the understanding he not play all 162 games, i think it would be a good fit.
Mitchie-san
October 6th, 2009
4:17 pm
Im white and think Kelly is useless.
Mitchie-san
October 6th, 2009
4:19 pm
Doc,
Nady would be and experiment only. If he recovers fully, great! Bonus. If not, no big loss. He can be signed cheap as a fall back plan, but if it means not signing a true power righty, then heck no.
Steve from OH
October 6th, 2009
4:21 pm
If I’m reading it right, Yunel’s 25 combined runs saved over the last two years is good for 2nd amongst all MLB shortstops over that time span, behind only Jack Wilson.
Huh. That surprises me. Sometimes I watch him and his range doesn’t impress me as much as that ranking suggests…but other times it does. Still, didn’t think he’d be that high. Imagine how he’ll rank if can get over his hip flexor stuff.
Robert, are there any managers/players/other sports professionals that you actually think are good?
RHR
October 6th, 2009
4:24 pm
I assume you now realize that your source showed the W-L results of just the fianl braves postseason series each year,
Yes, I did realize that. I assume you realize that you spelled final wrong.
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:25 pm
Well, jed, thanks for your 4:13, there. I’m a Johnson fan of long standing, but I had no idea it was because of my innate white-boy. I am going to try to be a little more of the thoughtful-and-self-aware type, though, now that my sad lack has been pointed out to me. Here I’ve been trying all these years on this forum to add the occasional slight contribution, and all I’ve accomplished is to perpetuate passive-aggressive racism through my opinion that Kelly Johnson might be a little bit better baseball player than he’s shown so far. I’m such a tool.
Makes me want to give up my Weejuns and khakis, put on some rap, and hope I can one day be a better man. And, no, of course, you’re not a nut. Who could think that?
MattyRoss
October 6th, 2009
4:26 pm
Is this team good enough to win the division?
1. Schafer 8
2. McLouth 7
3. Jones 5
4. LaRoche 3
5. McCann 2
6. Escobar 6
7. Freeman 9
8. Prado 4
9. Jurrjens/Hanson/Hudson/Vazquez/Other Guy
Then ship either Lowe or Kawakami in exchange for bullpen depth and/or corner infield prospects?
Use draft picks for the same needs (including those we get for Soriano/Gonzo).
Not sure too much more tinkering is necessary, provided the two youngsters are ready in the spring. That’s a hell of a caveat, though. IMO that team could be in the Series.
RHR
October 6th, 2009
4:27 pm
I had to google weejuns.
CB
October 6th, 2009
4:30 pm
I have some weejuns, and I didn’t even know!
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:30 pm
I had to google weejuns
Well, we aging frat-daddys are just so entertaining and educational, aren’t we? Aside from our lack of self-awareness and Prado man-love, of course.
jed
October 6th, 2009
4:30 pm
yeah, mitchie, i’m white too. imagine that. i dont think KJ is useless, but he damm sure isnt a second baseman. maybe a LF. he does have potential as a hitter–we all know about the word “potential” as it relates to KJ. i dont see any reason to trade him with his value this low. send him to AAA and see what he does for the first half of the season. but some of these people want him back at 2B to start the season. amazing…
Tell It Like It Is
October 6th, 2009
4:31 pm
Be careful how you call out things about race on this blog. The natives are sensitive. The two boys from Ohio and Utah(Steve and Wayne) are the kings of the hill.
I have an opinion on the Braves plight. Lets assume that the Braves purse strings are constrained by Liberty Media. The Braves can compete with the other teams in the NL East as they did this year if the pitching staff is held in place. The question is can they get a wild card slot with the team they have now? The experts say yes. I do not think that they can with a self imposed salary cap by Liberty Media.
They must trade either Hudson or Lowe to free up some cash as I do not see Liberty Media increasing the pay roll over the present $97 million(+/-). A media firm in Denver does not care that much about a winning baseball team in Atlanta. The Braves need to cut pay roll in order to get a bopper, first basemen and improve the outfield. I believe that it will be Hudson because of the contract Lowe has in place. I do not believe that Soriano or Gonzo will be back as other teams will pay them more money. The jury is out as to whether Moylan can be a closer where one pitch decides if you are a hero or a goat. Do not under estimate how effective Gonzo and Soriano were this year and how much the Braves will miss them next year. Pitching is the equalizer. The Braves two best pitchers(Hanson and Jurrgens) along with Escobar are tied up contractually at $400,000 so the Braves are extremely lucky. That luck runs out in two or three years when contracts and agents come into play. The Braves need to roll the dice now and get the players needed to win next year or the following year. That means some players on this team will be playing elsewhere. IT IS WHAT IT IS.
Link Report this comment
MattyRoss
October 6th, 2009
4:33 pm
Obviously I meant Heyward. Whoops.
CB
October 6th, 2009
4:33 pm
jed, you have a right to your opinion, but your lack of baseball knowledge is apalling.
Steve from OH
October 6th, 2009
4:34 pm
The two boys from Ohio and Utah(Steve and Wayne) are the kings of the hill.
Aww, you just don’t like me because I don’t think you’re the most profound man in the world, huh?
CB
October 6th, 2009
4:36 pm
MattyRoss, that was a big whoops.
BobStevens
October 6th, 2009
4:36 pm
Someone made a point that Bobby Cox had 5 HOF’s and 30 all-stars and won just one title in 14 years. Its not always Bobby’s fault but I felt the Braves should have won at least 4 titles in 19 years. They won 1 and the other 3 should have been in 91, 96 and 09. In ‘96 the Braves won the first two games in New York, when Andrew Jones hit 2 home runs in his first two world series at bats. The Braves then had 3 out of the next five games at home and couldnt secure that series. Then there is this year, when the Braves had the best record in all of baseball after the allstar break with the exception of the last 6 games. The Braves have the BEST everyday lineup in baseball with the most .300 hitters in it. Last season Chipper Jones was the batting champion so if Chipper bounces back we should have a powerful team next year. I felt that the Braves had a really good chance to win the world series this year had they just gotten into the post-season tournament. Unfortunately we will never know because the Rockies beat us out. This year I believe was a world series championship year that got away because of Bobby Cox. In 96, Cox made bad managing moves, but a steriod infested Jim Leyritz helped to knock us out that year. In ‘91 Lonnie Smith made a baserunning error which would have given us the title in game seven in regulation (9 innings). That game went to extra innings and we lost the game. Cox should have had no worse than 2, maybe 3 and possibly 4; but all he has to show for his resume is the one (lone) world title in 95. Cox has been in baseball for about 50 years and all he has to show for all that time is just one championship banner. What a pathetic record. The Braves have gotten rid of about 20 future hall of fame players over Cox’s career. Jermaine Dye, Mark Texiera, Kevin Millwood, Adam Weinright, Wilson Bettement, Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, David Justice, Fred McGriff, Greg Maddox, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Marquis Grissom, Jason Marquis, Brook Jacoby, Brett Butler, Brian Hunter, Mike Stanton, Rafael Furcal and Mark DeRosa.
keylargo
October 6th, 2009
4:38 pm
July 2, 2009
Yankees OF Nady to have Tommy John surgery
AP Online | July 2, 2009 | Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (Hide copyright information) Copyright
Ads by Google
Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady will have ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow after re-injuring it during a minor league rehab game.
The Yankees announced Wednesday that Nady’s second Tommy John operation will be done July 8. Nady also had the surgery in 2001.
………..and you want this guy to be our new outfield HR threat?
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:42 pm
IT IS WHAT IT IS.
I have to GOT to get me one of these little signature snippets. “it is what it is”, and “bank on it”, and “bums/morons/suck a$$” are already taken, though, so it appears I will have tough sledding to find one as good.
MattyRoss
October 6th, 2009
4:43 pm
CB – Ha. I just figured hey, maybe he’s not ready for 1B, let’s just plug him in the outfield!
sportsmandh
October 6th, 2009
4:44 pm
With 5 of the top 20 prospects on DOB’s list, I guess hope springs eternal for the Royals.
(And we Braves fans think we’ve got it bad b/c of missing the playoffs for 4 straight years. I think I’ll take 86 wins and a bright horizon for next year, it doesn’t sound so bad when you consider some of the alternatives)
Thrillhouse44
October 6th, 2009
4:46 pm
I had to google weejuns
I was going to Google it, but figured that might also perpetuate passive-aggressive racism, so i used Bing.
scoots, what came first for you: Weejuns or your admiration of KJ?
CB
October 6th, 2009
4:46 pm
scoots, how about “scoots on a blackberry” ? Loaf won’t need it anymore.
Thrillhouse44
October 6th, 2009
4:48 pm
I have to GOT to get me one of these little signature snippets. scoots
You’re far too creative to settle on just one. Play the field and see what sticks.
jim
October 6th, 2009
4:48 pm
Unless there is an extreme case of grade inflation, I don’t see the likes of Jason Marquis, J. D. Drew, Brook Jacoby, et al in the Hall of Fame anytime soon.
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:49 pm
scoots, what came first for you: Weejuns or your admiration of KJ?
Weejuns, when KJ was just an evening’s hope for Mr. Johnson, LOL. Hey, I’m an aging frat-daddy, remember? Pi Kappa Alpha, and damn glad of it; the fraternity experience was one of the best of my life.
Random
October 6th, 2009
4:50 pm
RHR (October 6th, 2009 4:24 pm): “I assume you realize that you spelled final wrong.”
Yes.
(But I nailed “fianl”.)
keylargo
October 6th, 2009
4:50 pm
……you really didn’t have /weejuns unless you had BASS Weejuns
Capt. Morgan
October 6th, 2009
4:52 pm
The good news about the Braves “laying down” the last 6 games is that it gives them a higher draft pick than the Marlins. They may have “passed” some other teams while they were limping to the finish line.
Thrillhouse44
October 6th, 2009
4:52 pm
I’m an aging frat-daddy as well. Did someone suggest we start a support group or something? Could be fun if it includes kegs.
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:53 pm
you really didn’t have /weejuns unless you had BASS Weejuns
Roger that, goes without saying, LOL.
Steve from OH
October 6th, 2009
4:53 pm
google…”define: weejuns”…penny loafers? Why not just say “penny loafers?” Would’ve saved me about 4 seconds, LOL!
Daslied
October 6th, 2009
4:54 pm
BobStevens – congrats on that post. Doozy…
sportsmandh
October 6th, 2009
4:54 pm
I don’t think Cameron is a bad idea. But signing him means they better sign LaRoche or someone better as one of their other moves. He’s not good enough to be hitting 4th or 5th, he’d be a # 7 hitter.
Also, if Loaf made 2.5 mil, JR made around 3 to 4 I think, and Abreau made 5 mil this year, there is NO way I’d pay Cameron 8 mil. It would have to be in th 4 to 5 mil range for me to be interested in him, on a one year deal.
J-MAN
October 6th, 2009
4:54 pm
Adrain Gonzalez was on the trading block in a potential deal with the BoSox but it fell through now if we don’t resign T. Hudson (12.5 mil)and let LaRoach walk (7 mil) thats 19 mil freed up to use to trade for A Gonzalez and resign him. It will take F. Freeman, J. Schafer and another young pitcher but it can be done
monty
October 6th, 2009
4:56 pm
McFann O
One more little bit of research(slow day). Tim McCarver peaked at age 25, he played off and on for 14 more years but didn’t offer much hitting wise after age 31. Ted Simmons started catching in the Bigs at 18 and peaked at age 28, last decent year was at age 33. Javy lopez was a late bloomer.At age 32 he had his best season hitting 43 HR’s and 109 rbi 1.065 OPS. 2 years later he was done.(Juice?) Pudge Rodriguez best year at age 28 peaked out at 32 remained a decent hitter till age 36. Benito Santiage peaked at 31 hung on for 9 more season(remarkable) but was only slightly above avg. hitter. Joe Torre best year was at age 30 which was his best season and his peak year. After that season in which he was well above .550 slugg. he never slugged above .419!! How quickly it seems to fade for a catcher! I didn’t cull anyone I looked up except for Bill Freehan and he followed the same pattern but he wasn’t much of a hitter. In summary a catcher’s best years appear from the limited data to be around the 28-30 age with a sharp drop-off in the years immediately following. Only the really good defensive catchers are able to play well into their 30’s. There are alot of older 1b around. I’m just saying.
J-MAN
October 6th, 2009
4:57 pm
Then play Diaz in left and Heyward in right and keep Prado at second
Steve from OH
October 6th, 2009
4:57 pm
It will take F. Freeman, J. Schafer and another young pitcher but it can be done
And that young pitcher will be Hanson or Jurrjens. I mean, who do ya think they’ll take, Zeke Spruill? Jonny Venters? Todd Redmond?
ncscoots
October 6th, 2009
4:58 pm
Steve-OH, because “penny loafers” wouldn’t have adequately conveyed my intent with the line, LOL. There’s utility guys and starters, and there’s penny loafers and Weejuns. The one is a scrub no matter how much shine, and the other is an All-Star no matter how scruffy.
J-MAN
October 6th, 2009
4:59 pm
Na the Pads are tryin to dump salary so maybe you lose a Kris Medlin
Random
October 6th, 2009
5:00 pm
(Doc Holiday) Helpless soul (October 6th, 2009 4:04 pm)–
Ah-HAH!
So Overlord was the doofus* who summoned S____3247 last night.
What else could we expect from the Nadir of Nefarity?
* No offense, Shaun.
sportsmandh
October 6th, 2009
5:01 pm
J-MAN,
We don’t need to trade Medlin. He’s a buidling block, obviously not as big as Hanson, Jurrjens, McCann, or Heyward, but he’s still a building block.
RHR
October 6th, 2009
5:01 pm
Well, we aging frat-daddys are just so entertaining and educational, aren’t we?
Yes you are! And that wasn’t a knock, by the way, I love aging frat daddies!
Steve from OH
October 6th, 2009
5:01 pm
Na the Pads are tryin to dump salary so maybe you lose a Kris Medlin
DePodesta hangs up in 3…2…1…
Sorry dude, I don’t think Meds will be enough, and we don’t have anything even resembling a good young pitcher outside of JJ and Hanson.
Scoots, you learn something new everyday, I guess…
HoCoJo
October 6th, 2009
5:02 pm
Reading the above comments makes me wonder how the Braves won any games at all.