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
2,586 comments Add your comment
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
12:11 am
Did we ever catch that torcher?
MIBravesFan
October 25th, 2009
12:11 am
This may be a bad time to say it, but since I said something on this blog a while back about how Kansas could play both football and basketball, and MSU (Michigan State) couldn’t – I have to apologize to my school’s football program – that MSU-Iowa game, for those of you who didn’t see it, was one bleep of a game. And my school did me very proud.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
12:12 am
Saban, Meyer, and now this guy? Help, Damon, help.
Hey hey easy now…say what you will about Mark Richt, he can still bring in the top recruits in the nation. He just can’t always coach them.
RHR
October 25th, 2009
12:15 am
That bama game today was a torcher for sure.
that MSU-Iowa game, for those of you who didn’t see it, was one bleep of a game. And my school did me very proud.
I saw the highlight of the end. What a game, huh?
I love that one of my friends took his 19 year old daughter to the kiss concert tonight lol. They’ve been posting pics on fb all night. Too funny.
Vinings Jim
October 25th, 2009
12:20 am
RHR – actually, we were on the phone waiting for all of her entourage to make their way out of the stadium – just a strange night for me – farewell night out with a buddy, who made it easy not to miss him when I depart…
And, no – no problem here – we are no longer playing blog-roles… Looking forward to seeing my daughter – good timing – her birthday a week after I arrive…
MIBravesFan
October 25th, 2009
12:21 am
Yeah RHR, it was – what they call “an instant classic”. Absolutely busts me up my guys lost. That defense hasn’t played like that all year. That team showed a lot in this game. They really did
Vinings Jim
October 25th, 2009
12:24 am
For those who don’t know (not that anyone cares) – the William and Mary game was only a torcher for Thrillhouse44 as the Tribe enjoyed a 24 – 3 Homecoming victory. 6-1 now.
And, RHR – cabravesfan says “hi” on the road home
RHR
October 25th, 2009
12:27 am
farewell night out with a buddy, who made it easy not to miss him when I depart…
haha too funny.
Well I’m happy for you guys, love that it all started with the braves and our little place here. Wishing y’all nothing but the very best…even if you did dis the SEC in favor of the stinkin trojans.
RHR
October 25th, 2009
12:31 am
MIB – just shows how hard it is for a team to finish a perfect season..but always a heartbreaker for the losing team. You can’t feel too bad about that one, sucks to win for 46.5 minutes and lose the last minute and a half.
Jim – tell her hi back.
What school is Thrillhouse an alum of?
Vinings Jim
October 25th, 2009
12:33 am
RHR – for what it’s worth, as a guy from ACC territory originally, I have always been anti-SEC, long before her
and, my ‘buddy’ was a total…well, he needs to drink less, let’s say…
Vinings Jim
October 25th, 2009
12:33 am
Thrillhouse = James Madison
MIBravesFan
October 25th, 2009
12:34 am
I know RHR, I know – actually it was the last damn 0.2 seconds, but your point still holds true.
MIBravesFan
October 25th, 2009
12:42 am
DOB, what are you listening to these days in music? You gave me a lot of good ideas when I was looking for songs for a CD I was burning a while back – I know you know good mucic
MIBravesFan
October 25th, 2009
12:42 am
music
RHR
October 25th, 2009
12:43 am
Yeah drunks are so annoying. What? I always put an olive in my water.
Couch Tater
October 25th, 2009
12:49 am
It looks like Tagamet sales will continue to soar on the 3rd Saturday in October. Buy GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) for future Ala/Tenn games.
Andrew
October 25th, 2009
12:51 am
kelly johnson is a bum we definately cant trade him now …everyone needs to stop talkin about kelly F’ing johnson seriously hes a backup 2nd basemen
brian
October 25th, 2009
12:59 am
Freddie Freeman will not be the starting 1B for the Braves next year. If the Braves can find a young righty major league readyl 1B the the Braves may package him. Otherwise Freddie Freeman 2011 or 2012
RHR
October 25th, 2009
1:07 am
Tater – were you surprised by the game being so close? I guessed it would be like that after seeing how they played the gators, plus, its always been a big rivalry..only Auburn is bigger. Earlier today I mentioned to my uncle that UT would come with their A game and he dismissed it and said they hadn’t seen anybody like Bama … I was worried his heart might not hold out for that one. Games like that can be hazardous for heart patients..hell, I’m healthy and I was exhausted after it was over. Had to laugh at CNS with his one little happy jump in celebration and then back to his usual business demeanor.
Desibrave
October 25th, 2009
1:10 am
DOB. I feel really pity when I see a post by someone saying a player on Braves roster sucks and needs to be traded. It doesn’t work like that. When teams trade candidates they expect that to be a Win-Win Situation.
TnBrian
October 25th, 2009
1:11 am
For the record, I like Lowe a lot. He works his ass off for one, plus he puts all the blame on himself & doesn’t sugar coat anything. You have to respect that & I know I do. If we can keep LaRoche & add a power hitter in the OF without needing to trade Lowe then that would be awesome. I just can’t see how, really. A closer is also another area, so I don’t know.
MVH
October 25th, 2009
1:18 am
Go Hawkeyes.
TnBrian
October 25th, 2009
1:19 am
Who are we or any fan to say a player sucks anyways? Baseball is a fu**** tough game & as hard is it is to watch a guy struggle, you know at least 95% of them are trying their best, just isn’t enough sometimes. I can’t imagine how exhausting it must be to do all that traveling they do & still try please themselves, coaches, teammates & fans.
Couch Tater
October 25th, 2009
1:22 am
RHR,
It didn’t surprise me at all. In fact, it surprises me when the game is one sided.
Jurrjens4NLCY
October 25th, 2009
1:46 am
TnBrian,
Gimme a break! Baseball is a child’s game. Wouldn’t you love to make $20M a year by swinging a stick, and playing catch? Never needing a degree in your life… Traveling around the country… Becoming legendary for simply being good at your job…
Sounds like the sweet life to me.
Joebrave
October 25th, 2009
2:16 am
Heyward on the other hand is a damn stud, seen the Man Beast play at Rome, and all I can say is DAAMMMMMMM
richbrave
October 25th, 2009
8:17 am
PAUL LENTZ:
“It seems that some of you on here just sprout off with your “wishful thinking” scenarios without actually thinking about the realities of these decisions. ”
Not seems dweeb, it’s a fact. So who are you LENTZ, the blog police? I do the wishful thinking crap all the time. Besides it’s a free country. If you don’t like it, KMA.
richbrave
October 25th, 2009
8:23 am
Vinings Jim
October 24th, 2009
6:03 pm
Thrillhouse44 – if you’re out there -your boys hung in there for 12 minutes – nice to have a Homecoming win
richbrave – your guys looking good again this week
Hope you didn’t take my post last week to heart. Just trying to get a rise out of ya’. I like W&M. Being a RICHMOND alum, have to root for them. Besides, this sweet spot they’re in won’t last past this year. And I won’t see the like again in my life-time, so if I don’t crow now, I never will be able to.
Vinings Jim
October 25th, 2009
9:12 am
richbrave – no problem – I was rooting for Richmond in the playoffs last year
Acorn
October 25th, 2009
10:12 am
When are the GM meetings? Thanks.
Wide Right
October 25th, 2009
10:38 am
I have a question about attendance. Anyone who goes on this blog often knows that the Braves have a passionate fanbase. Yet…when the Braves were making a run in September of this year the attendance was really low. I think I read they were getting only 10,000 fans for the last Marlins series. The fact that Chipper had to beg the fans to come out when they were 2-3 games out with days to go was pathetic. So here is my question: the low turnout – is it due to the location of the stadium? Would they not have this problem if they were in a suburb of Atlanta. I really don’t know the answer…I am from Greenville, SC and live in NYC. So I really am curious about others opinions. Because when Smoltz leaves for Boston…and Peavy doesn’t want to come back to the south because he wants to pitch for the Cubs, Burnett/Yankees, etc….I believe that while the biggest factor is cash…you can’t discount the fact that these guy’s agents are reminding their players of the indifferent fanbase (from the standpoint of attendance, not blogs
Lew
October 25th, 2009
10:38 am
Jurrjens-Yes, it can be a sweet life and it can have lots of rewards-no doubt whatsoever-for a FEW players.
Dude, it’s like everything else worthwhile (to you or to whomever)-it takes talent that not everyone has, dedication to the endeavor not everyone is willing to devote to it providing they have the talent to begin with and the absolute drive it takes to excel at the upper levels of whatever the chosen area is. In other words-it takes a level of work, ability and dedication very few are able or willing to provide. It isn’t easy.
Hey-I know lots of painters and musicians who would love to to be world famous in their chosen fields who will never be Picasso or the Rolling Stones (or, for that matter, the Dude who first painted the Captain Morgan Pirate or the band Anvil).
Yes, there can be rewards for doing what it is you really like to do, but easy to get to the point so you can do it? Rarely happens and requires much very hard work.
Lew
October 25th, 2009
10:48 am
Wide Right-A good bit of the problem is that due to decades of Braves’ broadcasts on TBS, the Braves’ quite passionate fanbase is widely distributed throughout the U.S. and NOT just within driving distance of Atlanta.
Take this blog for example-yes, quite passionate posters here. Rich Brave is from Virginia. I’m from Vermont. N8 is from the Dakotas. Piedmont Blues just moved from Colorado. Tennessee Paul lives in Souther California and You can probably guess where CaBravesFan is from. Bravo Nam is in Cambodia. Mitchie San is now in Hawaii, but was in Japan for some time. We have fans here from Germany, Holland and Scotland. It ain’t easy for us all to pack up the family and drive to The Ted to catch an important game. Some must wait for one of those Francoeur Delta HR’s to reach Europe for our Braves exposure.
However, we have bloggers attending when the Braves play in Boston, Washington, LA, San Francisco, etc. My wife and I went to Toronto year before last to see the Braves. We’ve even seen them play at Cooperstown when they played the Twins in the Hall Of Fame Game. We’re thinking of catching them in Pittsburgh this summer. We all do what we can, when we can. If all of us lived closer to Atlanta, we’d be there.
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
10:55 am
Lew Some must wait for one of those Francoeur Delta HR’s to reach Europe for our Braves exposure.
Lew
October 25th, 2009
11:05 am
McFann-That’s OK-I’m doubting they’ll ever run it between innings again.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:09 am
I liked that commercial
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:14 am
Lew–
Yeah…course they could just doctor a Mets uni on him, and a Mets hat on the kid…
jeffrey d–
Seriously? It was too much like those Clementine commercials for my liking.
“They’re here…”
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:17 am
Clementine?
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:19 am
But myself proclaimed worst commercial (of the current time, anyway) is that STUPID new Geico one that they play on TV AND on the radio: “Your tire’s all flat and junk! Aw, did I do that?” So irritating…
And I especially dislike the one on the radio ’cause she says her one line wrong: “Did I do that?” No! You’re s’posed to say, “Did I do that?”! Sheesh…
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:20 am
jeffrey d–
Yeah…ya know, those little orange-like things? They’re called clementines, right?
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:20 am
Geico?
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:21 am
That sounds right…but I’m not sure what you’re talking about with the commercials.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:21 am
Was Jeff Francoeur hitting clementines to needy kids?
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:26 am
jeffrey d Geico?
The car insurance company with the gecko dude, the “money you could be saving”, the dumb cavemen, and now the stupid pothole? You know the one…I just never know how to spell it.
That sounds right…but I’m not sure what you’re talking about with the commercials.
IDK! They had some commercials a while back where it was like…raining clementines or something…or the people from the country that grows them were throwing them or shooting them to countries all over the world…?
Ferget it.
Bat Masterson
October 25th, 2009
11:39 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYo1u6lAjSU
clementines
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:40 am
Just thought everybody should know that Loaf is in the LA Times Sunday crossword again. This time the clue is just “Loaf”
No help, please.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:43 am
Thanks McFann…sorry if I frustrated you. Oh, and I was kidding about the Geico thing.
Speaking of which, I’m getting tired of those cavemen commercials. We get it…you’re tired of being discriminated against. You don’t have to keep beating us over the head (clubbing us over the head?) with it. And if I didn’t want to buy your insurance before, 3 Doors Down isn’t going to make me want it any more.
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:43 am
Bat–
Haha, thanks! Yeah, that’s the one…
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:46 am
jeffrey d–
You’re welcome…nah, no real frustration here.
And I totally agree about the cavemen. Like, the first or second one was kinda funny the first or second time, but now, OK, I got it!
And if I didn’t want to buy your insurance before, 3 Doors Down isn’t going to make me want it any more.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:46 am
ha! That’s just like the Jeff Francoeur commercial
Bat Masterson
October 25th, 2009
11:48 am
You’re welcome, McFann. I remember what you said yesterday about the Ga v Tenn game.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:48 am
Sounds like my Grandpa
Oh dear….
Oh, but before we bash Geico too much, one of my favorite commercials is that Tiny House one they did. Where it sets it up like they have this new reality show about a newly married couple that’s going to be living in a really small house.
I just wanna make an omelette!
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:49 am
jeffrey d–
That it is. Think they were out around the same time, too, though the clementine one is pro’bly older…
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
11:51 am
Bat I remember what you said yesterday about the Ga v Tenn game.
Hee hee hee…ya liked that one, didja?
jeffrey d Oh dear….
Hey, it’s not a bad thing.
And you don’t care for Bobby either, do you?
I just wanna make an omelette!
Doc Holiday
October 25th, 2009
11:51 am
Suddenly, Martin Prado and Matt Diaz, 2 utiliy players, have become 2 key player for the Braves, 2 players they should built around from. Who would have tell. Id say those 2 guys, are the best bats besides Mc. Of course you have to mention Chipper there but since he had an off season, he might never be back to his old form.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:53 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lomy7xAVDKE
Tiny House
Bat Masterson
October 25th, 2009
11:56 am
Well, you know what they say, McFann. Every Dawg has his day, although this year I’m not so sure that will be the case.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
11:58 am
I hope we can beat Tech. I wouldn’t care if we lost every other game of the sesaon if we still beat Tech. Having to live with that celebration and taunting for another year…I don’t think I can handle it. They packed 7 years worth of celebration into one year.
Speaking of Tech, did anybody else catch the front page of the paper AJC yesterday? It had 3 Tech players, two of them wearing socks with sandals. It’s like they were trying to show off the stereotype. They might as well have been holding calculators too.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
12:00 pm
And those rings for heaven’s sake, those rings! Who orders 45-42 rings??
Doc Holiday
October 25th, 2009
12:02 pm
“Specifics about the early extension talks weren’t revealed. But it is believed the Braves would be comfortable providing Hudson an offer of three years worth $27-29 million.”
That sounds fair to me.
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
12:04 pm
jeffrey d–
Thanks for the link. Yeah, I remember that now…
Having to live with that celebration and taunting for another year…I don’t think I can handle it.
Oh, whaa…like ya’ll didn’t get to celebrate for all those years. Gyah…
Plus I got a cousin at UGA now…he used to give me a hard time about the Braves and Tech…
Bat Every Dawg has his day, although this year I’m not so sure that will be the case.
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
12:05 pm
jeffrey d It had 3 Tech players, two of them wearing socks with sandals. It’s like they were trying to show off the stereotype.
That’s funny ’cause my Dad always picks on people who wear socks with sandals…
McFann Ô
October 25th, 2009
12:07 pm
Besides, this year it prob’ly would be quite as big of a celebration–I mean, after 7 years, aren’t they sort of entitled?
I know UGA would have done it. And just so’s we cann find out for sure…
Wide Right
October 25th, 2009
12:20 pm
Lew,
Thanks for the response. I agree and think its great that TBS created a dispersed fan base…a Braves Nation. But that shouldnt affect local attendance. I live in NY…the Yankees have as big of a national fanbase and they sell out every game. I just wonder if the location of the ballpark in ATL is the real issue…and if there is a surrounding suburb that would be a better location for the Braves. I really do think it impacts our ability to get the best players. IF you are Matt Holliday and you are looking for teams to play for…even if the dollars are equal you want to play for a team that will get more than 10,000 fans in the midst of a September playoff race.
bravefaninok
October 25th, 2009
12:24 pm
How many days till ST?………..GM meetings?…….
Random
October 25th, 2009
12:39 pm
Paul Lentz (October 24th, 2009 11:41 pm): “……..by the way, if the Braves non-tender Kelly and then re-sign him to a low base contract……..then the bet is still a push.”
That is not within the terms of our bet, which I proposed here, to which you agreed here, and which are repeated below:
R: “I’m willing to compromise — if Johnson begins the season on the Braves ML roster with a contract of $3.0M or more (not counting incentives), I lose.
“If Johnson begins the season on the Braves ML roster with a contract of less than $3.0M (not counting incentives), you lose.
“If Johnson does not begin the season on the Braves ML roster, the bet’s off.
“Deal or No Deal?”
Those were the terms which I proposed at October 24th, 2009 8:03 pm and to which you agreed at October 24th, 2009 10:49 pm (“I’ll go ahead and accept the bet under your terms.”).
But now you’re saying “Just to make it clear, any contract Kelly signs with the Braves while he is eligible for arbitration as a member of the Braves his off season (meaning he has to sign before the Braves non-tender him) has to be for at least $3 mil…….or you win the bet.”
Which is irrelevant to the agreed-upon terms of our bet, as documented above.
Are you once again trying to welch on or wriggle out of the bet?
Braveheart
October 25th, 2009
12:42 pm
Yankee Stadium couldn’t be in more of an inconvenient sh!thole of a neighborhood. Remember that was the excuse given for why they could never attract more than 30,000 fans a game, and why they were always tempted to move to Jersey or Yonkers. The thought was that in that neighborhood, it didn’t matter how much they won, or how many stars they had, it was just impossible for them to draw more than 30,000 fans a game because of the neighborhood and a million other excuses. It wasn’t until 1997 that the Yanks started drawing more than 30,000 fans a game, and it wasn’t until this decade that they started drawing 40,000+a game. It’s a popular misconception folks have about how diehard and loyal Yankees fans are. There’s a loyal 25,000 or so there that go no matter what, but since 1996, the Yanks have just had a bunch of frontrunnin’ dweebs jump on the bandwagon with their pink Jeter tees and backwards red Yankee caps. Those losers were nowhere to be found in the stands at yankee stadium prior to 1996. Currently, the Braves have a longer consecutive years streak of averaging 28,000+ fans a game than the Yankees do.
Random
October 25th, 2009
12:43 pm
Go Halos!!!
I think that the easiest way for the Braves to trade Lowe would be for the Yankees to lose tonight and tomorrow night.
Braveheart
October 25th, 2009
12:46 pm
Sorry, Doc, but if the Prado and Diaz are two key players the Braves should be building around, then the Braves are going to suck for a good bit of time.
Lew
October 25th, 2009
12:54 pm
Wide Right-Dude, you can NOT compare Atlanta to New York. There is just no comparison population wise. First off, there is the huge difference in total numbers of people even living there and much of the Braves’ territory was originally Cardinal’s fans and even today has many transplants from the Northeast (ever notice how much the attendance jumps when we play the Cubs and Red Sox? Ever hear how many are NOT cheering for the Braves?).
The Yankees, on the other hand, have been playing in essentially the same location for almost a hundred years. Boston has an entire region as a fan base. The Braves? Not so much.
However, the Braves’ drop off in attendance last year was considerably less % wise than either NY team even WITH brand new stadiums for both of them. Go figure that.
Braveheart
October 25th, 2009
1:04 pm
Braveheart,are you advocating trading KK instead of Lowe or do you want to trade both? Just wondering how you meant-understand you are not a fan of KK.
CB, it’s not that I’m not a fan of KK. I kind of like him, and think Wren did a good job in signing him, and think he helped us alot this year. But I think Wren could perhaps sell high on him now. I’m not convinced he’ll continue to be that decent of a pitcher.
And, yeah, if I could trade Lowe and KK for prospects and relievers, then I’d seriously think about trading both of them. It could free up $20+ million depending upon how much contract they take back in the form of another player when they trade them. Hopefully, that could be used on a big bat, but, if not, there could be other options.
If you can’t find that big bat for whatever reason, Wren could maybe get all crazy and sign John Lackey, who’d be younger, probably better, and likely cheaper than Lowe and Kawakami combined (and if Lackey doesn’t get hurt or start sucking real bad, Lackey will likely have more trade value going forward than being stuck in the future with Lowe and Kawakami). I don’t see them going the Lackey route since offense is obviously the primary need and since some heavy hitters will be in competition for his services and since folks may not want to go the Lowe route until they see they can’t get Lackey themselves, but I’m just saying, if Wren can’t get the bat he’s looking for, he could just make the starting rotation even stronger and cheaper, while making the bullpen better by trading Lowe and Kawakami for relievers, and make the franchise deeper by getting some prospects thrown in for Lowe and Kawakami. Never gonna happen, but a fun exercise in mental masturbation nevertheless.
Braveheart
October 25th, 2009
1:18 pm
The TBS thing with Ted was a stroke of genius, but the American’s Team theme was kind of dumb. I think he should’ve capitalized much more on the Southern pride thing, and branded the Braves much more as the team of the South. Ya know, that thing that causes SEC fans to chant “SEC! SEC! SEC!” whenever they win an out of conference game, or that thing causes some folks to waive the Confederate flag as a symbol of pride despite the racist connotations it also has, or the thing that causes NASCAR fans to grumble that the sport has deviated too far from its Southern roots and become too corporate, too national, too Yankee, or the thing that causes Skynrd to tell Neil Young a Southern man don’t need him around anyhow, or the thing that causes Braves fans to constantly grumble about ESPN overhyping the Yanks and Bosox and ignoring the Braves, etc., etc. That whole kind of thing that Ted failed to capitalize enough on by making them too much of a national team instead of just a regional team. It worked well for the branding of his name and the television stations he was pimping, but I’m not sure how much “America’s Team” worked well regionally for the Braves. Things have changed so much over the last generation that I think the opportunity to capitalize on that has been lost forever.
Jake W.
October 25th, 2009
1:24 pm
Wide Right
I have to agree with Lew and Braveheart and the reasons they gave. Besides the stadiums, both fulton county and turner have always been in the same place and that didn’t stop the crowd in the 90’s. There are many reasons but the biggest to me is the population thats here in Atlanta and it being so transient. The metropolitan miami area has more people than the metro atlanta area and they struggle too. So many transients. Besisdes Turner is a big stadium, maybe to big. Its hard to gets sellouts when half the city is from somewhere else, a lot of your fans are elsewhere, and you’re trying to feel basically a 50,000 seat stadium.
CB
October 25th, 2009
1:35 pm
Random,sounds like Paul is doing a little double-talk on you and trying to figure a way to back out. Don’t let him off that easy.
CB
October 25th, 2009
1:35 pm
Random,sounds like Paul is doing a little double-talk on you and trying to figure a way to back out. Don’t let him off that easy.
Random
October 25th, 2009
2:28 pm
Paul Lentz (October 22nd, 2009 10:16 pm): “Steve from Ohio……..It is not surprising that my postings go “way above your head”. For you not to understand the reasoning of how a player has shown over his career that he can rebound from an “off season”……..shows that you arent capable of exercising any reason.
“Baseball is a sport of making adjustments. I’m sure that for whatever reason, MLB hitters made adjustments to Lowe’s pitching in 2004 that resulted in him having a tough year. However, his subsequent 4 following seasons showed that Lowe is capable of making his own adjustments to MLB hitters that resulted in big success for him.
“Other than being a few years older, what has changed for Derek Lowe from 2004? He is still healthy, has not experienced any arm problems, takes care of his body, still has velocity and movement on his pitches, still makes every start and eats a lot of innings.
“If you cant understand that, then there is no reasoning with you.”
Save the condescension for
peoplemake that children to whom you may truly be superior. (Some of them, I guess.) (Being generous.)“Other than being a few years older, what has changed for Derek Lowe from 2004?”
Setting aside the fact that being 5 years (16%) older is not immaterial, one thing that has changed is that following 2004 Lowe moved from the toughest hitting division in the tougher hitting league to the weakest (? maybe) hitting division in the weaker hitting league. He will not have that going for him in 2010 if he remains with the Braves.
“I’m sure that for whatever reason, MLB hitters made adjustments to Lowe’s pitching in 2004 that resulted in him having a tough year. However, his subsequent 4 following seasons showed that Lowe is capable of making his own adjustments to MLB hitters that resulted in big success for him.”
Totally false assumption (”his subsequent 4 following seasons showed that Lowe is capable of making his own adjustments”) leading to a meaningless conclusion, ’cause Lowe changed leagues after 2004. He made ZERO “adjustments” to the hitters who had “adjusted” to him — he simply escaped them entirely.
Finally, Lowe’s so-so 2009 season is much more comparable to Lowe’s so-so 2003 season than to his 2004. Most of his major 2009 performance stats — ERA, IPs, Rs, ERs, Ks, SBs, GO/FO, WHIP, K/BB, BB/9) are closer to his 2003 numbers than to his 2004.
And did Lowe “rebound” from his so-so 2003? No, he proceeded to his even worse 2004.
And in 2005 he changed leagues, and then he “rebounded”.
Can you understand that? Is there to be any reasoning with you?
Random
October 25th, 2009
2:32 pm
CB (October 25th, 2009 1:35 pm): “sounds like Paul is doing a little double-talk on you and trying to figure a way to back out. Don’t let him off that easy.”
Wouldn’t dream of it.
reagan
October 25th, 2009
2:43 pm
DOB…for you. It is never mentioned what we might get from Liberty as far as payroll is concerned. At this time of year they COULD/SHOULD be looking at all these playoff games and thinkingabout $ they are NOT getting FROM the Braves franchise. Say a team wins just the first round of playoffs and and loses the second round. That is approx. 10 games at about 50,000 attendance per game at about $50(?) a seat split by two teams plus tv playoff $. ABOUT 10M for each team. IF they are thinking about selling the team then that team would command more of a sell price. It is not just wishful thinking on my part but would seem to make “cents” for Liberty to increase the payroll for a team that is on “the edge”. Are you (or anyone else) SURE we wont have more payroll $ to work with?!
Doc Holiday
October 25th, 2009
2:46 pm
Braveheart,
I like Matt as the best OF we have at this moment. And Prado is second to none but mac in the IF……… Only problem with them is that they are not baby braves………..youll learn to love them in 2010 pal.
Paul Lentz
October 25th, 2009
2:51 pm
Wanda in Utah………….I wasnt “wavering” on the bet. I wanted to MAKE IT CLEAR the terms of the bet.
My original posting was that if Kelly Johnson was wearing a Braves uniform on the opening of Spring Training, I would bet anyone on here that his contract wont be for a penny less than $3 mil.
Random came on here and said that he would take the bet……..however he wanted the cut off date to be opening day of the regular season. He said that there is a chance that the Braves could sign Kelly for over $3 mil with the idea of trading him before opening day.
In other words, if the Braves signed Kelly for at least $3 mil, and then traded him before Opening Day of the regular season, then the bet would be a “push”.
So you see, he is the one who wavered from what I originally said. ‘
However, I’m so confident that there is NO WAY that I can lose that I gave in to his “demand”. The worst I can do is push because there is NO WAY that the Braves are going to be able to sign Kelly to a contract less than $3 mil.
As usual, you twist what I say because you dont like me.
reagan
October 25th, 2009
2:53 pm
On another note. In case no one has noticed…Laroche is only 29 (OK…he will be 30 next month)..Never mind what we think, what is Laroche thinking? He would get one last chance to play for Cox—who the PLAYERS seem to like) but he also get to be with his buddy Chipper who he likes and have a chance to the playoffs next year and he loves Atlanta. We could say …”ok….here’s a two (or three) year contract” and he would understand he would probably be traded in 2 years. Give us enough time to see how Freeman is progressing (NO sure thing). That along with the fact that there is not exactly a great crop of 1st basemen out there this year. I see zero reason to give him up……..keep Laroche……a priority as far as I’m concerned.
Random
October 25th, 2009
2:56 pm
uga-brave (October 23rd, 2009 1:31 am): “DOB, braveheart, lew, scoots, bay area steve, steve from ohio,
“i am somewhat confident that pwh, is a somewhat of a super genius.”
Yeah, you can see that here.
But then again, he’s no Tim Tebow.
(Sigh . . .)
Random
October 25th, 2009
2:57 pm
Dam.
uga-brave (October 23rd, 2009 1:31 am): “DOB, braveheart, lew, scoots, bay area steve, steve from ohio,
“i am somewhat confident that pwh, is a somewhat of a super genius.”
Yeah, you can see that here.
But then again, he’s no Tim Tebow.
(Sigh . . .)
reagan
October 25th, 2009
3:00 pm
more on the Laroche thing……….at the end of his contract he would only be 32/33…….still time for a big contract signing (for the SECOND time). If he goes somewhere else for a 4-5 year contract, that likely would be his LAST and only chance for the big conract. it makes sense for the Braves, for us the fans AND for Laroache himself.
keylargo
October 25th, 2009
3:01 pm
Paul Lentz Oct 22
Steve from Ohio……..It is not surprising that my postings go “way above your head”. For you not to understand the reasoning of how a player has shown over his career that he can rebound from an “off season”……..shows that you arent capable of exercising any reason.
Paul Lentz Oct 22
because I dont feel that Kelly Johnson will ever be a productive Major League second baseman. Major League Baseball pitching has made adjustments to his hitting that Kelly simply isnt able to counter.
Isn’t that saying the exact opposite thing on the same day?
Random
October 25th, 2009
3:09 pm
Wanted by Braves: Big bat, righty preferred
Maybe Wren could sign Manny for 2 years, $35M.
Wouldn’t that be great?
Bat Masterson
October 25th, 2009
3:14 pm
And did Lowe “rebound” from his so-so 2003? No, he proceeded to his even worse 2004
And in 2005 he changed leagues, and then he “rebounded”
I hope that does not make it harder to “turn him into a goat”.
Paul Lentz
October 25th, 2009
3:20 pm
Random…………Your 12:39pm posting shows that you are looking to complicate the bet by giving yourself additional edges and outs.
For you to say that if the Braves were to non-tender Kelly and then re-sign him for under $3 mil…..then I would lose the bet……..shows that you are trying to be shaddy.
Again, I have said all along that the Braves will either non-tender Kelly Johnson…..or sign him to a contract to at least $3 mil. If the Brvaes non-tender Kelly……….then the bet is a push…no matter what. The Braves signing Kelly to a contract after that is irrelevant to this bet.
So for you to win the bet…..Kelly Johnson has to sign a contract for less than $3 mil……..while he is eligible for salary arbitration as a member of the Braves this off season. That is what I said that I’ll bet anyone on here $100 for.
You are trying to be shaddy and pull techs in order to complicate the bet.
I dont care what you think you made the bet for. I know what the bet is. I’ll be more than man enough to pay off the $100 bet if Kelly signs for less than $3 mil before the arbitration process. However if you think that I’m going to pay you off if the Braves non-tender Kelly and then re-sign him for under $3 mil…….then you are out of your mind. The whole point of my contention is that Kelly being eligible for salary arbitration is what will drive up his salary….no matter how much he SUCKED A$$ in 2009. Many on here were clammoring that the Braves sign Kelly to 80% of his 2009 salary for the 2010 season. And I said that there is NO WAY that is going to happen because of how salary arbitration works. In response, a number of people on here said that I was out of my mind for suggesting that. So that is why I posted my bet, to back up my point with cash.
Either take the bet on those simple terms……or the bet is off.
Paul Lentz
October 25th, 2009
3:23 pm
richbrave……..there is nothing wrong with “wishful thinking”. After all, every time I buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket, I’m “wishful thinking”.
However, I dont make long term plans with the assumption that I’m going to win the lottery.
I would love to see the Braves trade for Albert Pujols, however reality says that it will NEVER HAPPEN. So I dont waste time projecting what he Braves line-up will be like with him in the line-up.
It is very “wishful thinking” to hope that Adam LaRoche will sign a 3 or 4 year contract with the Braves at a “hometown discount”……without LaRoche having some assurances that they arent going to trade him in a year when Freddie Freeman is ready. As I said yesterday, why would LaRoche give the Braves a hometown discount, if the Braves didnt want him for the duration of the contract? LaRoche would be much better off getting all the money he can on the free agent market from a team who actually wants him to be their starting first baseman for a number of years.
My wishful thinking is that the Braves sign LaRoche to a 1 year contract. However I am very realistic in believing that it probably wont happen. So knowing that, I’m not holding out hope on that. I feel that the Braves will have to go with a stop-gap first baseman through free agency until Freddie Freeman is ready in 2011.
Soph
October 25th, 2009
3:32 pm
cab, where are you?! Alex Smith?
nolie
October 25th, 2009
3:33 pm
Braves would be comfortable providing Hudson an offer of three years worth $27-29 million.”
That sounds fair to me. (Doc)
yeah, to me too
keylargo
October 25th, 2009
3:43 pm
Hudson = $30 mill for 3 minimum.
David O'Brien
October 25th, 2009
3:52 pm
Some justice served there on that kickoff return by Harvin, after refs totally screwed Vikings out of a touchdown on that bogus tripping call, and created opportunity for Steelers to extend lead.
David O'Brien
October 25th, 2009
3:53 pm
Talked so someone about Hudson situation this morning before flight took off from K.C., and he was confident that something would get done, probably this week. And he said three years “minimum,” which I took more to mean a fourth-year option that fourth-year guarantee.
David O'Brien
October 25th, 2009
3:56 pm
Reagan, I asked about payroll figure again on Thursday, and was told that Braves think it will be close to what it was last year, which was between $92-95 mill, depending on when you calculated it and how.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
4:04 pm
I don’t get why people complain about ownership. Yes, it’s a faceless business, but it’s a faceless business that’s paying $95 million and letting Frank Wren and co. do their thing. Last I checked, $95 million was among the top teams in the majors (top 10 maybe?)
That’s especially generous considering our attendance.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
4:05 pm
ahh…12th highest in the majors.
jeffrey d
October 25th, 2009
4:08 pm
Geeze…and Seattle’s payroll is $112 million.
Niiiice pick-6, Bret
Soph
October 25th, 2009
4:10 pm
Yikes, sorry DOB. That wasn’t Favre’s fault though. Taylor tipped it.
cabravesfan
October 25th, 2009
4:12 pm
Soph-
Don’t be knocking Alex Smith- he looked a hell of a lot better then ShaunHill…
Is it wrong that I am loving the fact that the Steelers ran 2 Brett Favre turnovers back for touchdowns?