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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3,193 comments Add your comment
McFanny
November 15th, 2009
12:39 pm
Here is a far out statement, If Heyward & Freeman are that great sign them to a Longoria type contract. Start them from the beginning let them take their lumps early & if they are the prize players everybody thinks then they will prosper sooner than later!!!! A lot of people are going to say they are to young, but A.Jones made it so these two should also. If Freeman cant make it then we should’ve signed Adam to a 2 to 3 year contract & kept Freeman out of the picture for at least 2 years. Or we can sign some also rans to 1 years contracts (till Freemans ready, whenever that will be) and bitch about what lousy production were getting.
AdirondackDave
November 15th, 2009
12:56 pm
DOB — But if Freeman did continue to develop rapidly and be ready for the job in ‘11, wouldn’t LaRoche be relatively easy to trade at that time? Maybe for, say, a couple prospects including perhaps a 3rd base prospect? LaRoche offers punch, defense, a fine attitude. I’d think a lot of teams would consider him.
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
1:24 pm
DOB — But if Freeman did continue to develop rapidly and be ready for the job in ‘11, wouldn’t LaRoche be relatively easy to trade at that time? Adirondack
I’m sorry, but didn’t I just state what I thought was the case for how he might not be easy to trade if signed to a three-year deal and has a mediocre season in 2010? I mean, that was the entire point I was making.
Don’t get me wrong — I think the Braves should make him a two-year offer and I think he’s great for this team, offensively, defensively and in the clubhouse. The Braves might make him a two-year offer (as of last week, they hadn’t talked to him yet).
But I’m just giving you the reason why I think the Braves might not do it, and particularly why a three-year deal might be unlikely given their circumstances.
N8
November 15th, 2009
1:33 pm
Many people on the blog get accused of being “Captain Obvious”. But one of the announcers on the Vikings/Lions games just had a line that just takes the cake.
Adrian Peterson hit a big hole for a 13 yard gain and somebody tripped him up at the last second. The announcer stated, had it not been for him getting his hand on his foot and tripping him up, Peterson would have been gone!
Hmmm. Let me get this right. Had it not been for the tackle, he would have kept going? WOW. What insight.
Where do they find these morons?
Braveheart (Optimistic & Now Finally Not Afraid To Show It!)
November 15th, 2009
1:35 pm
McLouth will hit 35 homers, drive in 120, and steal 40 bags next year, all from the leadoff spot.
McFann Ô
November 15th, 2009
1:36 pm
OK, the thing at the tops said there were 2,676 comments. I refreshed it, and now it says 2,697…but only one comment was added to the bottom…
Braveheart (Optimistic & Now Finally Not Afraid To Show It!)
November 15th, 2009
1:39 pm
50 doubles, 25 homers 115 RBIS for Yunel Escobar in 2010!
Couch Tater
November 15th, 2009
1:43 pm
McLouth will hit 35 homers, drive in 120, and steal 40 bags next year, all from the leadoff spot.
But, can he bunt?
Roman Gal
November 15th, 2009
1:46 pm
and i’m pretty sure my facial expression was used by the cameramen who like to get fan reaction from the stands. RHR
You were at that Sugar Bowl? Me too! I played in the halftime show. At the very least, they made it interesting at the end.
Bobby's Belly
November 15th, 2009
1:52 pm
$9 million for LaRoche is absurd. Stop w/ the defense BS. Name all the bad defensive first baseman in baseball. You can probably come up w/ 5 or so. Truth is “upgrading defense at 1B” does not rank in the top 10 offseason plans of any team …… ever. Heck, Russell Branyan can be had for @ 1/3 the cost. Spend wisely and wait for ‘10 trade deadline / offseason.
RHR
November 15th, 2009
1:55 pm
Yeah I was there RG…..you probably won’t believe this but I don’t remember much about the half time show. I’ve successfully suppressed my memory of that night, all I really know is that I was there and I have a tshirt…bought before the game….
IPayForAOL
November 15th, 2009
1:55 pm
But, can he bunt?
He doesn’t have to. Prado is the designated out-giver.
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
McFann: That’s because I cleaned out (approved) a bunch of comments that were stuck in the “pending” que (and why they were stuck there, I don’t know. Filter is just temperamental sometimes)
By the way, we’ll try to get a new blog up tomorrow
RHR
November 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
I have this thing I like to do where, if I’m feeling down about something I’ll look to someone or something worse off and it cheers me up again…works every time.
Stanford rung up 55 on USC!
Yep…all better now. What humiliating sugar bowl?
Incognito
November 15th, 2009
2:01 pm
Black Stone Cherry is hard rock?
How about Tool?
Roman Gal
November 15th, 2009
2:07 pm
RHR
It’s ok. I don’t remember much about it either except we played this God-awful version of Georgia on my mind. That, plus we had to go all the way from the field to the top of the nose-bleeds and back down 3 times.
CB
November 15th, 2009
2:09 pm
DOB,I never comment about the music,but I absolutely loved Naomi Shelton! Thank you for that link,got me ready for the rest of the day.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
2:15 pm
What humiliating sugar bowl
Oh that was 5 years ago. We’ve had plenty of humiliating losses since then.
Soph
November 15th, 2009
2:16 pm
Ay-yi-yi, Matt Ryan.
Ugh.
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
2:23 pm
CB, you’re more than welcome. You should check out her album, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens’ “What Have You Done, My Brother?”
Here’s a video they did for the single:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhWGfhKRA8M
Couch Tater
November 15th, 2009
2:24 pm
Can the Braves afford
anothera big bat?Liberty Media’s investment in Sirius XM Radio has returned more than $1.7 billion in nine months, chief executive Greg Maffei said.
Liberty, based in Douglas County and controlled by chairman John Malone, loaned $530 million to New York-based Sirius in February and paid $12,500 for a warrant granting a 40 percent stake. Liberty made “a couple hundred million” from the loans, which have been paid back, and its investment in Sirius bonds. Bloomberg News
klaus
November 15th, 2009
2:25 pm
The Braves will need to make a significant move at 1B or LF depending on what is in the pipeline. They cannot afford to swing for the infield (so to speak in both spots) and compete with Philly.
Right now there is nothing in the minors for LF but there is for 1B. FF is not a lock nor is he a Heyward clone. He is the solid #2 guy in the system but he is a distant two to Heyward’s 1.
Still a very good player but perhaps not ready to make a splash until the summer of 2011 or a tad later.
In any event since they don’t really have a slugger in waiting for LF I think they cannot go with a human book mark guy (especially if you are talking about trading Vaz or Lowe).
Whether its money or prospects LF is an investment for the future not just a year or two. This makes guys like Cameron, Dye, Cruz, Rivera et al less appealing IMHO.
We have late bloomers/one year wonders, older guys and the like on that list. No one you would want or project to hold down LF for years to come.
If there is a LF bopper in the 2010 FA pool that looks better than Bay, Holliday et al then I can see taking a risk at one more year of Diaz and a platoon partner but that is a big risk.
1B is better suited to a rental/short deal player b.c of FF so if they can get LaRoche for two years fine. More than that and you are asking for trouble especially given his 1H/2H splits.
If by some divine intervention we could trade for Adrian G, Fielder or Detroit’s Cabrera (Lowe swap) then I would trade FF and make LF more of a WIP position.
Heck this time of year we can imagine trading for Gonzalez AND signing Bay or Holliday for LF. That is our god given right – to be nuts until the buzz kill of reality comes creeping in.
It’s that same reality that wakes us from dream on Monday AM (to the sound of the buzzer).
Welcome to Fantasy Island, I am your host Mr. Offseaon……the plane the plane…..
GboroBravo
November 15th, 2009
2:53 pm
DOB I recommend seeing Pirate Radio, quite a good comedy.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
2:54 pm
Not that I’m claiming UGA to be great or anything, but when we got our third loss, we dropped off the face of the earth. USC gets clobbered by Stanford and barely beats cruddy Arizona State, and they fall to 22.
Not to mention that they were ranked ahead of Oregon last week – a team with an identical record and another team that clobbered them head-to-head. Why do people have such a hard time accepting that they’re not great this year?
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
2:56 pm
Meanwhile, 3-loss Stanford catapults to #14. If they beat the incredible USC, they have to be great.
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
2:58 pm
GboroBrave: Gonna check that out soon, read good reviews and heard the soundtrack is excellent.
Great show at Variety this Tuesday, by the way: Dan Auerbach (from Black Keys) and Justin Townes Earle.
BravoMan
November 15th, 2009
3:04 pm
I was thinking about our possible upgrades for the OF and 1B and I’m thinking that some will be a bit disappointed in the acquisitions that we pick up. I wouldn’t be surprised if we pick someone from the likes of Willingham, Nady, or even Corey Hart. Member last year at the winter meetings we were connected to Hart. We don’t need a superstar with our staff imo, jst a fairly consistent hitter.
If I had to guess how this offseason will play out for our club I would suspect that most of our deals will take place after the signing of Lackey. I expect him to sign during the winter meetings jst as CC did last year. Then any teams that missed out on Lackey will give Wren a call. These teams could consist of the Brewers, Mariners(my pick to sign Lackey), and Angels. If Lowe is to be traded a most likely destination imo is the Angels. If we can’t find any takers for Lowe then I think Vazquez could be delt to the Brewers that could hopefully include a package of Gammel and Hart. We may have to had more to get Gammel idk. But I think that would be a very beneficial trade for us. Remember with Heyward waiting in the wings we don’t need to go out and break the bank with a Bay or Holliday pickup. Just read the article on the Braves site by Bowman it makes since.
Now as far as arbitration goes I think they’ll offer it to LaRoche and one of Soriano and Gonzalez with all the interest that comes with those guys they’ll be sure to be draft picks involved if they are willing to sign elsewhere. If not then we gotta over pay Roche and one of the 2 for a year but we should have enough dough with the departure of either Vazquez or Lowe. I also believe Johnson has be traded before this winter comes to an end. It’ll be interesting to see how this offseason plays out and hopefully we’ll get a better understanding of what’s gonna happen when the winter meetings begin in my college town of Indianapolis!
McFann Ô
November 15th, 2009
3:08 pm
Ah! I gotcha, Chief! Thanks.
By the way, we’ll try to get a new blog up tomorrow
Oh boy! Thanks again.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
3:09 pm
lol, and Auburn has more votes than Georgia in one poll and equal votes in another. Again, not that I’m claiming an anti-UGA bias, but I hate how these rankings are so arbitrary and biased and often make no sense. Especially in a system where a national champion is so dependent upon these rankings.
I’m hoping 5 of the 6 unbeatens remain unbeaten and the SEC Championship is decided by about 1 point so there’ll be even more uproar against the BCS.
Il Cattivo
November 15th, 2009
3:14 pm
jeffrey d
I understand your agony about USC. Its like everyone believes they are somebody’s gift to college football. 2 losses and they are barely out of the top 10. 3 losses and they are still considered strong (all while sweeping thier violations under the carpet). Similar story with Ohio state (or should i say “THE Ohio state university”). These rankings area farce. ESPN and such powers finally manage to get whoever they want into the big bowls and the Heisman race.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
3:21 pm
ahh! And Miami (7-3) is ranked ahead of UNC (7-3) after losing to them yesterday! I need to quit looking at these rankings…it’s like reading the blog during a Braves game.
Jurrjens walks the leadoff batter
braves4life: BELLGMAE!
Soph
November 15th, 2009
3:30 pm
Jurrjens walks the leadoff batter
braves4life: BELLGMAE!
I miss reading stuff like that.
Chris
November 15th, 2009
3:32 pm
bravoman- i like your post. and i agree with everything you said. obviously the braves are between a rock and a hard place with resigning laroche, with freeman coming up in a year or so. but do you think the braves will attempt to resign laroche to a two or three year deal?
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
3:37 pm
I see Jason Elam has been training with Greg Norton.
Rob (from SC) no more arm brace
November 15th, 2009
3:38 pm
I miss baseball season. FOotball season is not the same. I need some baseball soon.
Soph
November 15th, 2009
3:38 pm
Argh. What else can go wrong for the Falcons?
Rob (from SC) no more arm brace
November 15th, 2009
3:39 pm
Do baseball GM’s take weekends off? Where is all the news and rumors
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
3:39 pm
Elam has been horrible this season. Missing to many easy ones. Anderson has to be out there somewhere.
BravoMan
November 15th, 2009
3:40 pm
Chris, thanks man! And no I do not think the Braves will give LaRoche a 2 or especially a 3 year deal. Freeman will be our starting 1B in 2011 simple as that.
BravoMan
November 15th, 2009
3:41 pm
Rob, I concur. Nothing ever happens on the weekends that we know of. Mondays are the busy rumor days
Soph
November 15th, 2009
3:43 pm
Great return for Weems. Well, this is it. Hope the Falcons have a game winning drive in them.
cabravesfan
November 15th, 2009
3:43 pm
I should have started Eli…
Soph
November 15th, 2009
3:44 pm
Of course. WTF Ryan? I can’t defend him anymore this season.
Chris
November 15th, 2009
3:45 pm
rob, yes they do. in fact some gm’s might even be on vacation before the winter meetings begin next month. for people that follow baseball and transactions very closely, this is the worst part of the year. alot of false rumors come to the suface and alot of guessing happens.
as for myself, i try to start a new season on my mlb 09 the show game, and try to guess what the team would like for the braves next year, but i drive myself crazy trying to guess what players to acquire before i start the season. and for weeks now, i still havent started a season, still stuck on what i would realistically think would be on the team next year.
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
3:45 pm
Matt Ryan is playing like Delhomme. That was just a bad throw now we have 1 timeout. Game of missed opportunities here.
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
3:46 pm
And thats the game likely.
Chris
November 15th, 2009
3:47 pm
bravo man- yea i tend not to believe that the braves will try to resign laroche either. i think they might go after kornerko or derreck lee because they both would fit that cleanup role and be free agents after next season.
Soph
November 15th, 2009
3:48 pm
BELLGMAE!
Steve from OH
November 15th, 2009
3:58 pm
Braveheart, parentheses after the name? Say it ain’t so!
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
4:00 pm
Very Coach-esque
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
4:01 pm
Well the Hawks are off to a great start. Best start in forever. Big win in Boston. All in all Atlanta sports seem to be moving in the right direction. Falcons are still in this though I do worry about the injuries, Ryan’s play, and the kicker. We don’t call on him much because we usually score TD’s when we do score but when we do he really hasn’t come through this year. Braves are an improved offense away from challenging the Phillies I feel. Also got to address the bullpen. Can’t just let Gonzo and Soriano walk and do nothing. I think we should at least try to resign Gonzo.
nolie
November 15th, 2009
4:03 pm
50 doubles, 25 homers 115 RBIS for Yunel Escobar in 2010! (BH)
seems kinda pessimistic to me dude
Jay212033
November 15th, 2009
4:03 pm
Matt Ryan is overrated! He’s doing what he did at BC throw INT’s, he’s thrown a pick in every damn game this season!
Steve from OH
November 15th, 2009
4:04 pm
And McLouth is obviously gonna hit 75 homers now with his new contacts. C’mon, man, don’t go Coach on us…
Jeff R
November 15th, 2009
4:06 pm
My perference still would be to secure LaRoche via a multiyear contract. Yes, his first halfs are slow offensively, but I think he makes up for it on the back end. And if the Bravos sign a power power, that would, hopefully, more than compensate for LaRoche’s poky start.
Having said that, I’d be surprised if Wren pursues LaRoche for a multiyear agreement. As mentioned earlier, I think it’s possible that the Braves offer LaRoche arbitration, and, perhaps, he’d consider accepting, depending on the market for his services.
nolie
November 15th, 2009
4:10 pm
I’ll repeat it where someone might see it now, The Messenger and Fantastic Mr. Fox are both above average films
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
4:11 pm
“Matt Ryan is overrated! He’s doing what he did at BC throw INT’s, he’s thrown a pick in every damn game this season!”-Jay212033
How about this, Matt Ryan is playing some bad football right now. He’s playing a little scared to me. Doesn’t want to get intercepted so his throws are sailing high and when he does get agressive he’s doing it at the wrong time. Knew this was going to be a tough schedule this year and it reflects that in our record. Our only game this season where we just played a bad team was the last one against Washington. Is he playing bad, yes. Is he overrated, kind of hard to tell in his second season.
DAP
November 15th, 2009
4:18 pm
Despite what DOB says, I think the braves sbouldnoffer laroche 3 years if that’s what it takes and they can’t get a better player. I don’t think it would be hard to trade laroche, especially if his salary is under $10mil per, or if we end up trying to move him at mid season. That might be when we will want to bring up freeman anyways, if we think he will be a star.
Soph
November 15th, 2009
4:23 pm
How about this, Matt Ryan is playing some bad football right now. He’s playing a little scared to me.
Exactly! He’s running around all over the place before throwing. Hopefully, we’re just looking at a sophomore slump. You can’t say he’s overrated quite yet – it’s his second season.
Jay212033
November 15th, 2009
4:25 pm
Ryan really wasn’t all that great last season. Turner was the main reason this team was where they were last season. When the ball is put in the hands of Ryan he folds under pressure. The picks he throws are at crucial points in the game, that last INT today was inexcusable! All they needed was a field goal and he tries to force it down field and the RB was wide open underneath right in his face, he need to realize the situation and takes what the defense gives him.
DAP
November 15th, 2009
4:28 pm
Geez, sorry about that last post. Typing on my itouch here. By the way, DOB, I love being able to get the blog on here.The ajc mobile page didn’t have a way for me to navagate to the blog. Lately, the regular ajc page has been coming up so I can get here.
Jay212033
November 15th, 2009
4:32 pm
Ryan was overrated to begin with, if you look at last season Ryan did a good job of managing the game. The coaches were smart enough to play off the run and they have been giving him a longer leash this season and it’s backfiring. The Panthers could not stop the running game but they kept putting the ball in Ryan’s hands instead of running the ball until the Panthers stopped it.
Jake W.
November 15th, 2009
4:38 pm
The picks he throws are at crucial points in the game, that last INT today was inexcusable! All they needed was a field goal and he tries to force it down field and the RB was wide open underneath right in his face, he need to realize the situation and takes what the defense gives him. -Jay212033
It was a bad throw, he knows its a bad throw. His decision making this year has not really been that good. But thats part of the game. People make adjustments to you now you need to make adjustments back to them. When Vick first came in the league he was running all over the place and defenses had to adjust to him. No one knew Ryan last year and now they do. And lets just be fair here. If Elam makes that very makable feild goal and we are leading we probably come out running the ball right there instead of throwing to milk time. No field goal has been automatic with him this year. Our two starting running backs are injured although Snelling did good picking up the slack.
Point is Matt Ryan has to make better decisions and there is no denying that. He has to make better throws when he does have someone. We are 5-4 with one of the toughest schedules and we still haven’t played the worse team in our division. Not the time to just throw out the guys career after a year in a half in the league.
But seriously, to the kicker. The ball isn’t even really getting in the air. They all look like weak little squibbers. Old man Morton could probably do better.
Jay212033
November 15th, 2009
4:55 pm
There’s no doubt the Falcons need good young kicker they have been struggling with the kicking game for a while now. These kicks that Elam has been missing a high school kid could make.
Still though this game is still on Ryan no matter how u look at it. Although it’s only his 2nd season he still needs to the situation.
Jay212033
November 15th, 2009
5:02 pm
Anyway back to the Braves we need to offer Gonzo, Sori and Rochy arbi all of the won’t accept.
CB
November 15th, 2009
5:08 pm
DOB,thanks for the other link to Naomi Shelton,I have enjoyed listening to her music the last couple of hours.
Salamander
November 15th, 2009
5:09 pm
Completely superficial and ‘jerkish’ opinion to follow:
Finally saw a picture of that girl (Brooke Hundley) that Steve Phillips hooked up with… yikes (Google). What the F was Steve thinking? Risk your career and marriage for that chick? I wouldn’t hook up with this girl even if I received money in the process.
Ok, she’s not ‘bag-job’ bad, but I wouldn’t give this girl the time of day even if I was drunk.
who_knew
November 15th, 2009
5:15 pm
Salamander, good call.. I have wondered the same thing, why would you risk everything over that…
CB
November 15th, 2009
5:23 pm
Salamander,the other question-would she have to put a bag over your head?
Doc Holiday
November 15th, 2009
5:23 pm
Just my opinion, it might have already been said, but here it goes.
Braves are on a really elite position as we speak, and they shall not fail again in 2010. This is the year to do the job. Make no mistake, having 4 pitchers that can pitch 21 to 24 out against any offense in baseball and keep them at bay, and having 2 more that can pitch 18 outs each time out, is unheard of. They even have Medlen that can easily be the 4th starter on almost any team that went into the playoffs. This team doesnt needs a devastating bullpen corp, it only needs some average (but they need to be around league average) and a good closer, nothing else.
On the other hand, I dont think they are so lost in offense. If you think about out offense late august and in september………..that might be enough. I would say just 1 guy in the middle of the lineup, it doesnt have to be a monter, would be enough.
I would resign Laroche even for 2 seasons if that is what he demands and trade him at the 2011 deadline and finish the season with Freeman. I would get another OF, no need to get a superstar………but a someone that can hit 25HR, we dont need more than that if we have mc and Laroche, we really dont.
LF Diaz
2B Prado
3B Chipper
1B Adam
OF RH
C McC
SS Yunel
CF McL
Schafer as our 4th OF. Ross as C and Infante in the IF. I think we should get rid of Church and let BJ play or trade BJ and bring back Church………but I rather do the 1st choice…….
McC would have a better season if used in the 6th slot same goes for Yunel if he is more relaxed.
This team is going to be sooooooooooo cool coming out of the gate without KJ and JF in the starting lineup and with Hanson and Tim from day 1.
This is an elite team, let just make those few moves to get us over the top and lets enjoy 2010.
Go Bravos.
Lew
November 15th, 2009
5:28 pm
Vampirella-The World’s Best Team? Surely you don’t mean the Yankees who handed the Phillies their asses this Fall? Damn-even the Braves beat them in the season series.
Doc Holiday
November 15th, 2009
5:30 pm
Forgot to mention KJ on the bench too if he is not traded.
monty
November 15th, 2009
5:30 pm
1b is a position that we can sign and get Laroche for a hometown discount if he’s given 3 years and add 25-30 HR’s just like that. THat puts alot less pressure on finding a star for LF. Laroche could probably be had for 9-10 mil per year and he plays great defense. To get what Laroche gives you out of a LF will cost us more if it’s through free agency unless there is somone flying under the radar.
Braveheart
November 15th, 2009
5:31 pm
Salamander, that girl Phillips threw his life and career away for looks like Thurman Munson without all of the facial hair.
CB
November 15th, 2009
5:32 pm
I see Ken Rosenthal thinks Miguel Cabrera will be put on the market. Gee,I wonder who would like to have him? (Lew,I know,I’m dreaming)
Doc Holiday
November 15th, 2009
5:35 pm
monty,
I agree. Lets for Adam, he loves it in atlanta. Then we wouldnt need much more…………really.
I like the idea of uggla and move him to LF.
richbrave
November 15th, 2009
5:35 pm
Stop with the FF in the wings already. FREEMAN is not ready for the big-time. FREDDIE may NEVER be ready. A bird (ROACHY) in the hand is worth two (FREEMAN’s) in the bush and will be signed if necessary depending on what pitcher is traded.
richbrave
November 15th, 2009
5:41 pm
SAL:
So she’s not two bag fugly, or even run-of-the-mill fugly.
CB
November 15th, 2009
5:50 pm
I hope you guys talking about somebody’s looks are as handsome as you sound on the internet.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
5:52 pm
BUSTED!
Braveheart
November 15th, 2009
5:53 pm
CB, all I’m saying is I ain’t as handsome as Phillips, and not even I would settle for that
Salty Dawg
November 15th, 2009
6:02 pm
DOB:
“And as much as Braves fans, teammates and us reporters like him, fact is that 25 homers a season with an .845 OPS (.834 for his career) and about 85 RBI isn’t outstanding for a first baseman, particularly when those stats are so stilted toward the second half (his first-half numbers are below average for the position, and his second numbers are above average).”
Obviously nobody knows what will happen in 2010 and beyond, but if I were Wren this is exactly the reason I be okay with signing Roachy to a 3 year deal. Say he has his typical year next year and in 2011, I imagine there would be a team or two that wouldn’t mind having La Roach’s prolific 2nd half bat in their lineup for a playoff push. Meaning, I don’t think they would have too much trouble unloading him if it comes to that. Of course, if he has an “off year” it would be a different story, but that could be said of any player.
Salamander
November 15th, 2009
6:06 pm
Salamander,the other question-would she have to put a bag over your head?
Shazam!
Yeah she would – to hide my tears of disgust.
dogsbrekky
November 15th, 2009
6:08 pm
Doc – I agree with your positivity… (BTW is that a word….positivity).. anyway.. let us be cold blooded about our 2009 season
we lost many a game due to MFIKY being tired (after the AS break) and the woeful efforts of our 3rd tier pitchers in the 1st half,, plus Chipper mailing it in after the end of Aug
No way Chipper and Lowe are as helter skelter in 2010 as well
Add the reincarnation of McCovey and give Diaz a full year (his OPS >>> Cruz even in 09) and we are set with a full year of Gonzo or Wagner as closer
Efrim
November 15th, 2009
6:24 pm
John Perotto over at Baseball Prospectus gave his free agent predictions. He had us resigning Laroche and he had Soriano going to Tampa. He also had Mike Cameron going to the Braves:
Mike Cameron (4.8): Let’s make another homecoming prediction. Cameron is from Georgia, and the Braves need an outfielder. They could easily make room for Cameron by shifting center fielder Nate McLouth to one of the corner spots.
It’s not the worst idea in the world, imo. How much could the guy really cost? 5 million on a one year deal? Not the BEST option, but it’s one of the better options. A lot better than trading Javier Vazquez straight up to Texas for Nelson Cruz(not that I don’t like Cruz, just that he isn’t enough for Javy).
McFann Ô
November 15th, 2009
6:33 pm
Doc H. McC would have a better season if used in the 6th slot
Or 5th…
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
6:35 pm
I’ll repeat it where someone might see it now, The Messenger and Fantastic Mr. Fox are both above average films — nolie
With such ringing endorsements, I think I’ll look at the movie times and see if I can still catch one of those tonight.
CB
November 15th, 2009
6:41 pm
Efrim,I would think it would take more than $5mil for Cameron,maybe in the 7-8mil range but it would make our friend DAP happy.
Wide Right
November 15th, 2009
6:43 pm
taking DOB’s assesment of laroche and the perils of a 3 year deal into account, i dont see why there aren’t more bloggers suggesting DeRosa. I think getting him back would make a lot of sense:
-plays many positions…including first. If Freeman is ready by 2011 DeRosa is your next 2b, LFer, 3B, etc.
-bats righty with decent power…
-if we dont get him the Phillies will.
P'cola Brave
November 15th, 2009
6:47 pm
Does anyone know if Nelson Cruz is available? Makes sense for the Braves but I’ve read the Rangers are looking for RH power so it doesn’t make sense to move him on their side.
P'cola Brave
November 15th, 2009
6:49 pm
And as far as Uggla goes, why don’t the Braves consider using him at second and Prado at first. To me its just not worth resigning Laroche if we can get Uggla.
And is their any truth to the Braves trying to acquire Willingham and if so is he a good fit?
TnBrian
November 15th, 2009
6:51 pm
I believe DOB said here recently that the Braves aren’t that interseted in Cameron. I really don’t know why. The only reason that I could see why they wouldn’t be is that they’re looking for an OF with more power because they might go cheap at 1st with a Blalock. If you have LaRoche back than a Cameron type would be enough offense.
Salamander
November 15th, 2009
6:53 pm
Why throw good money at decent (but not elite) players? Its not like either dude (DeRosa and Laroche) would accept a salary as low as $5 mill per year. Why give up payroll flexibility so early in the offseason? Especially if Laroche wants ~$9 mill a year – not saying he wouldn’t accept less, just throwing out a number I’ve seen associated with his possible asking price in previous bloggage.
DeRosa and Laroche are both nice players, but I’m not going to cry myself to sleep if Wren doesn’t sign either of them.
David O'Brien
November 15th, 2009
6:54 pm
TNBrian: I never said anything about Cameron or the Braves’ interest in him, not since this time last year. Haven’t written anything about him at all this winter.,
TnBrian
November 15th, 2009
6:56 pm
We’re talking in cirles around here a lot lately. We don’t know what they’ll do with Adam & I guess once we do than we’ll have a clearer idea of what our team will do with an OF bat, what type of hitter… a Rivera type with average power or a real thumper. Wish they’d let us in on something, but I’m not surprised after what happend last year. I’d be a little paranoid myself.
P'cola Brave
November 15th, 2009
6:57 pm
DOB, are the Braves really interested in Josh Willingham and if so is he the right move?
TnBrian
November 15th, 2009
6:59 pm
DOB, my bad, but I could’ve sworn that I read after the Uggla rumors started a few days back when someone mentioned Cameron as a better solution that Atlanta isn’t that crazy about him. Someone here can help me on this… might have him mixed with another guy. Sorry, DOB.
jeffrey d
November 15th, 2009
7:10 pm
Someone here can help me on this
Somebody do the Random call.
Salamander
November 15th, 2009
7:11 pm
Been listening to Bear in Heaven’s new album Beast Rest Forth Mouth all weekend. Good stuff – hard to classify (like many good bands).
Wikipedia uses the following: “psychedelic music, electronic music, and krautrock,” which are all pretty decent labels for this band’s sound, but none really do them any justice. Anyway, without getting too long-winded about it, Beast Rest Forth Mouth is my favorite (non-rock) album at the moment.
Favorite rock album right now is one I’ve already plugged here: Baroness’ Blue Record. Excellent album with large helpings of southern rock infused throughout.
ncgary
November 15th, 2009
7:12 pm
devil rys want bradley cubbies need pitching and have owners with money, why not shoot for a couple right handed young bats back from tampa and unload lowe to cubs and shop kj or church to the rays for zobritz and upton. then move prado or zobritz to 1base