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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
7,407 comments Add your comment
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
10:40 am
And also, let us not forget that Prado is three years younger, is barely in his arbitration years and Phillips will be seeking a substantial Free Agent contract.
wjones
January 2nd, 2010
10:53 am
Weighing in on a couple of overnight topics:
1. DOB, I suggest that you put in a call to Frenchy, immediately! Get this luggage thing straightened out!
2. Being a Bama fan, I see a lot of similarities between the way that Saban and Meyer run their programs. Saban is a lot more ‘expressive’ on the sidelines, Meyer more “buttoned-down”, so to speak. Personalities. I think it’s possible for Meyer to have internalized a lot of “stuff”, up to and including not having Tebow on the team anymore. Tebow, in addition to his talent, is someone Meyer obviously has grown to love like a son, and as a player someone who he apparently considers an extension of himself on the field. The Bama game was not a fluke loss, or one of those games where a turnover or big play cost them the game. This was a game where, from the start, they were outcoached. It happens to everyone (you could argue that it happened to Saban the week before), but it hadn’t happened to Meyer, to this extent, in a very long time, and those two factors brought out some big-time stressers that made him physically ill. Admittedly a theory, but I can see these things affecting him. Especially at his young age, 45, for a coach who has attained what he has. As for Saban, I’m not naive enough to think that he would never leave, but I’m wondering, now that he is a bit older, what he would leave for? I’m not sure he wants to go back to the NFL, so that leaves another college. Who? Notre Dame? Maybe. RIght now he has a dynasty in the making, that he has helped to build, and a fanbase/alumni base who care more for National Championships than arguable any other school. He’ll get as much money as he wants as long as he puts up the numbers. So he’s got it pretty good, as long as he stays out of trouble and keeps winning. We shall see, though.
3. As for the bashing of Tebow, I admit that I admire the young man, and think/hope he is sincere in his beliefs, and am astonished how he goes out of his way to do things for folks that go way beyond having a bible verse on his face. I can think of three Braves players who had similar relations with the media–Murphy, Smoltz, and Frenchy. The one who is closest to what Tebow has shown so far is Murphy. When things got hot, what did Smoltz do? He got divorced. He got remarried. He talked trash about JS. He whined about his contract, forgetting that they had paid him for having surgery the year before. He pointed fingers at teammates. What did Frenchy do? He basically refused to work on his game, he pouted when asked to go to the minors, he went to another team’s coach for instruction without mentioning it to the Braves. What did Murphy do? He went to the Braves, in his last contract year, and said that if the Braves didn’t trade him they would get nothing for him, so they would be better off to deal him. He then took a full page ad out in the paper, expressing his appreciation to the fans and the Braves, and explaining why he was traded. Now which of these three took the high road? And yes, the Tebow press conference has been played to death, but I respect the fact that he took total responsibility for the loss to Ole Miss, and basically put himself on the line with his promise to Gator Nation. And until the Bama loss, he didn’t lose another game his entire career. From accounts, he has visited the homes of every Senior on this team, and he has had them visit his home. I know we live in a very cynical age, and most people probably think it’s cool to have that cynical tone, and I am sure that Tebow has met and will continue to meet people who want to tear him down, whether out of jealousy, or out of their own negative feelings about themselves, or whatever, but from what I’m seeing, his teamates absolutely love him, his coaches absolutely love him, and he feels the same for them. Not a Gator fan, never have been, never will be, and the Bama victory felt REAL good, but I have to admit that I admire Tebow, I respect Tebow, and I hope he is able to continue to have a positive effect on the world around him.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
10:56 am
Tebow is no longer a Gator. As a Dawg, this makes me happy. I wish him no ill and am not phased by his religious declarations. I just don’t want him playing in a Georgia-Florida game any more.
McFann O
January 2nd, 2010
11:00 am
abwright When Cox retires, I hear Clint Hurdle is available.…(McFann oughta love that one.)
Almost as much as I love going to the dentist…
If the Braves should hire Clint Hurdle, I wonder if he could get through an entire season without letting McCann catch an inning.
Haha, yeah! Wouldn’t have to worry about BMac gettin’ worn down then!
richbrave
January 2nd, 2010
11:04 am
wjones:
I like your takes on all things BRAVES, but religion and those who espouse it in public, I would stay away from, on here at least.
Brightside
January 2nd, 2010
11:06 am
Hey DOB, “and the woman I was with” sounded kind of cold. I don’t know why, made me cringe when I read it.
francoeur sucks
January 2nd, 2010
11:12 am
best line up ever
1. Prado 2b
2. Escobar ss
3. Jones 3b
4. Glaus 1b
5. mcclouth cf
6. diaz lf
7. mccann c
8. schaffer rf
we get a .300 lead off hitter, a 20 hr potential 30 hr hitter in mcclouth in the middle of the line up(too bad he’s lefty) and schaffer to stop gap for heyword (he can’t do much worse than last year) and we probably could have gotten a better package of prospects back instead of filling anderson’s spot w melky in the salary dump
richbrave
January 2nd, 2010
11:17 am
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
10:40 am
And also, let us not forget that Prado is three years younger, is barely in his arbitration years and Phillips will be seeking a substantial Free Agent contract.
Getting any snow up that way today? Our friends in TOPSHAM, MAINE said they were expecting their first blizzard of the season.
In regard to some of the suggestions to “improve” the BRAVES, I wonder if these are just people working for other baseball organizations trying to stir change to diminish the competition. I can see why FO folks pay no mind to the mindless chatter on here.
Brandon
January 2nd, 2010
11:21 am
francouer sucks
How can schaffer be a stop gap player when he has proven he is not ready for mlb, not to mention the braves see him as a top prospect. Also a stopgap player would be like a Garrett Anderson. COMON MAN!!!!
richbrave
January 2nd, 2010
11:24 am
Piedmont Blues
January 2nd, 2010
9:39 am
richbrave,
Want to see the Christmas cards?
Dude, please. Let’s do something interesting like the ARENAS-CRITTENTON throw down in the VERIZON “9MM” CENTER. J-CRIT is a local boy is he not?
And please, please high school coaches, send RICHMOND more LAWRENCE SIDBURY’s and KEVIN ANDERSON’s. Did you see ANDERSON torch WAKE for 31 on ESPNU?
francoeur sucks
January 2nd, 2010
11:25 am
400k or 3mil for about a month and a half of play, you can at least give him teh benefit of the doubt and say his struggles were due to injury
Brandon
January 2nd, 2010
11:26 am
In regards to the Phillips, Prado discussions Phillips is the better player no contsest. He would give the Braves some much needed power. He would be a better fit than Uggla because he plays better defense, more speed, and higher average.
Brandon
January 2nd, 2010
11:29 am
No i cant say thats why schafer was terrible. Because he says he was hurt well wheres the track record? He has none and there is no reason for someone to be on pace to strike out more than Mark Reyonlds.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
11:30 am
richbrave-Maybe if people would check out BaseballReference.com before making suggestions? Too often, we react to names with reputations attached that haven’t put up numbers equal to their perceived value. Some research and a bit of comparison/contrast of players usually puts things into perspective.
Yes, we have snow. There is snow predicted every day for the next ten days. Not huge accumulations, but 1-2 inches a day with a big un’ (6-12 inches scheduled for later today. No big deal. We have great snow tires, a reliable person to plow the driveway and 15 minutes after a snowfall starts, the salt/plow trucks are out on the roads and interstate. The only time I’ve seen the roads completely closed (only overnight, mind you) was that Valentine’s Day 36″ snowfall that caused me to miss Sprig Training several years ago. Damned NY airports. Burlington wouldn’t even have to cancel flights if they didn’t have transfers at JFK or LaGuardia. Now I fly non-stop to Orlando on Jet Blue.
richbrave
January 2nd, 2010
11:30 am
Uh, my guess for starters right now:
Game 1
NATE-dog
MARTEEEEEN
CHIP
TG
McFANN’s B-Mac
ESCO
MATTY-d
the MELK-Man
Double-J
richbrave
January 2nd, 2010
11:32 am
Brandon = Mutts schill
Heath
January 2nd, 2010
11:38 am
DOB -
I loved Continental Airlines when I used to fly about 80k-100k miles/year. Never lost a bag….not once. Also, as a priority member, our checked bags were among the first on the carousel. Over-all service was better too. On-time flights, in-flight service, etc. Delta on the otherhand….fagetaboutit.
Anyway…..big game for my cats today. GO BIG GLUE!!!
Chris from the Rock
January 2nd, 2010
11:41 am
Richbrave, I’m putting my money on Hudson being the opening day starter. I’m not saying Jurrjens isn’t the better pitcher this year, but Bobby tends to give opening day assignments to veterans.
Brandon
January 2nd, 2010
11:43 am
richbrave
If you think Prado is better than Phillips well you must be in denial. Prado has never even been a starter for a full year. He played well last year but how will he follow that up for his first full year.
RICHBRAVE= DUMMBASS
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
11:44 am
richbrave-6-12 inches due today on top of the foot already on the ground. 1-2 inches daily predicted for the next ten days. We have great snow tires, a reliable snow plow Dude and plenty of liquified dinosaurs available. Lots of paint and canvas. Life is fine.
Brandon- You did see my comparison of Phillips’/Prado’s 162 game averages? What part of Martin’s 42 points higher BA, 48 point higher OBP, higher Slg%, higher RBI average, higher double production and 68 point higher OPS makes Phillips the better player? More HR’s averaged in a hitter’s park with less RBI? Yeah, he hit a couple more HR’s in a park I could go deep in, but yet couldn’t put up an OPS over .800. Some slugger, huh? Couple that with the fact that Prado will cost around $2 mil next year and Phillips will likely seek a contract in excess of $10 mil per year and you’re right. Let’s run right out and sign Phillips up.
People-Check out BaseballReference.Com and BaseballCube.com(for the minors) and learn about what players actually did-not just what their reputations make you think they did.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
11:48 am
Tim Tebow for Braves manager in 2011.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
11:52 am
Brandon-Prado has better 162 game averages and is hardly an untested rookie. He has a higher BA by 42 points. He has a higher OBP by 48 points (keeping in mind that Phillips’ .307 sucks-that is Francoeur level in case you didn’t know). He has a higher lg%. He has a higher OPS (believe me-Phillips OPS is under .800-no slugger there). He has a higher average of RBI. The only thing Phillips does better than Martin is hit HR-IN A HITTER’S PARK. He also hits many less doubles.
Phillips will be looking for a contract (multi year) in the range of $10 million per year. Prado will make maybe $2.5 mil next year. Yeah. Let’s run right out and sign Phillips as soon as we can.
And Dude-It isn’t Richbrave who’s the dumbass if you can look at the numbers disparity and still talk out of your anal cavity.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
11:53 am
Never had a problem flying with Jet Blue. Even on that Valentine’s Day fiasco several years ago, it wasn’t Jet Blue causing the problems, it was the freaking NY aiprorts-the most dysfunctional in the country. They even have runway problems in the summer when it rains (Lew)
Sigh. Good lord,do you just hate all things NY? I fly Jet Blue at least once a month. Rarely if ever do I have issues getting in and out of JFK. As a matter of fact I’m flying out to Fort Myers this Tuesday on Jet Blue. I agree they are the best airline out there, but as for NY being the worst airports – based on what? Have you ever tried to get in and out of Hartsfiled (ATL) after some thunderstorms have ripped through the area? Have a seat at the bar – it’s gonna be a while. Weather delays happen everywhere – stop the NY incessant bashing.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
12:01 pm
Anders-No I don’t hate everything NY. However, do you not pay attention to all the delays at JFK and LaGuardia? This is not something I’m nventing here. They constantly have huge delays and any time their is inclement weather, they will experince huge delays-even in the summer. Listen to the news.
Have you nothing better to do than come on to a Braves blog and give us sh** about airlines, too? Get a freaking life.
francoeur sucks
January 2nd, 2010
12:01 pm
schaffer is only 22 so he’s not going to have much of a track record especially considering hes been hurt or suspended for much of it
but… he did hit in the mid .300’s is ST last year against big league pitches and other high prospects, id like to see what the kid can do and if he stinks until may then trade him.. at least see what he can do instead of plugging in aging OF’s like anderson/nady/dye
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:01 pm
Tim Tebow for Braves manager in 2011 (Salamander)
Doubtful. He’ll be preparing for his 2012 Presidential run. (After the lord gets Congress to waive that age requirement thing)
18 Wheels of Love
January 2nd, 2010
12:05 pm
Cito Gaston for 2011.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
12:06 pm
Anders-Do you have a life? Now you have to come on a Braves’ blog and criticize us about airlines? Have you ever listened to the news? JFK and LaGuardia are constantly experiencing delays-even in summer storms. Until they had a direc flight from Burlinton to Orlando, you couldn’t flu out in inclement weather because there were no open runways in NY for Jet Blue to fly on. It was NEVER because the runnways in Vermont couldn’t be flown on.
So yeah, they are dysfunctional. And NO, I don’t hate all things NY . But if you think that stating facts about the airport delays is negative, then maybe you need to examine your motives for calling us on it. Why are you even here?
dap01
January 2nd, 2010
12:13 pm
Tebow may win the Nobel Peace Prize like Obama. Perhaps he could win the the Heisman in August also.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
12:19 pm
Maybe we can trade Hanson for nick Swisher or Jurjens for Bret Gardner.
Wouldnt that be something?
Robert
January 2nd, 2010
12:20 pm
How dare Delta mishandle the bags of someone as important as u DOB? They should suffer the same fate as that Braves security guy who once let your buddy Huddy in to the clubhouse but refused u access
The NERVE
At least Cox still lets u smoke cigars with him in the clubhouse
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:21 pm
Lew- All mid to large size airports experience delays in inclement weather. Anyone who travels fequently knows this. I understand that Burlington might not see the same impact from inclement weather but I think that’s probably has more to do with flight volume not dysfunctionalism. I mean do you really believe that the Burlingtom airport in Vermont has superior technology or practices over JFK? In this day and age? Really?
As for you questioning why I’m here – a little late for that -no?
Robert
January 2nd, 2010
12:23 pm
When Cox retires, I hear Clint Hurdle is available
an immediate ten game improvement in the standings
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:23 pm
For the record – Tim Tebow landed safely at home with all his baggage intact. Let this be a lesson to anyone who is traveling with others in sin. Apparently the lord watches over baggage as well.
Noah
January 2nd, 2010
12:24 pm
One comment on Phillips…from what I have heard he is not a team player and refuses to be anything but a free swinger, probably not the best for a #2 hitter.
David O'Brien
January 2nd, 2010
12:24 pm
Heath: Believe me, if Continental had a lot of flights to most of cities we go to, I’d switch to them in a heartbeat. But I’m based in Atlanta, and you know what that means — Delta or Air Tran, and the latter doesn’t fly direct to a lot of places we need to go. So you’re stuck. You either split your trips up between a lot of airlines (and face the chance of getting bumped on some flights, never gaining any status with any one airline, usually sitting in back of plane with the crying kids and getting off the plane last, etc.)….
TnBrian: Driving’s better, if within reason. But it’s not logistically possible on many trips. You want to calculate the driving time for Atlanta to Whistler, Canada? Get back with me after you do. It’d take nearly the entire one-week vacation just to drive there….
dap01: I just got home after midnight after a 16-hour travel day and am still trying to locate three bags that Delta lost, so the “left-field” Braves news isn’t exactly burning a path from my brain to fingertips right now. Eating oatmeal and drinking coffee, trying to wake up….
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
12:24 pm
Theres a poll on ESPN.com…………Whos gonna win the NL EAST. The result……….only 2 states dont think its going to be the phillies………….GEORGIA and SOUTH CAROLINA………..even NY voted for the phillies………….no surprise there. And in SC the voting was close in favor of the braves, not a wide margin……..
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
12:26 pm
International poll results………..66% in favor of the phillies………..hope that Wren open his eyes.
KC
January 2nd, 2010
12:27 pm
richbrave, “That move of the METS and our minus VASQUEZ just might put your METROPOLITANS on a par with the BRAVES”
Seriously??
First of all, the Braves ‘10 rotation is likely to have an even lower ERA and provide more innings than the ‘09 rotation.
Let’s not forget nearly 2 months of JoJo Reyes (and a few starts by Medlen) before Hanson got here. Kawakami won’t have to make the adjustments he was forced to make last April and will likely turn in better numbers… not that his sub-4.00 ERA was bad).
And Derek Lowe is certainly more likely than not to significantly lower his ‘09 ERA. Not prediction he’ll match his ‘08 line, but it wouldn’t take much at all from him to trim a 1/2 run or even a full run off his ERA.
Tim Hudson, since 2006 – in more than 400 innings – including a solid 7-start stretch after returning from TJ rehab last year, has posted a 3.30 ERA. So let’s say we go from Vazquez’s 2.87 ERA in ‘09 to Hudson’s 3.30 in ‘10. That may raise the ERA from that slot in the rotation by a 1/2 run… but the other factors I mentioned above will MORE than make up for it.
On balance, you can probably look for even BETTER numbers out of the ‘10 rotation as a whole.
Offensively, the Braves led the NL in runs from June 28 until the last week of the season (80+ games). And that stretch started a month before LaRoche’s arrival. I agree with most that the Braves offense could use an upgrade… and I think Glaus, Heyward, and whoever else they add will provide that upgrade. But many have substantially undervalued the offense the Braves already have (which they’ve had since Frenchy, KJ, and Schafer were replaced mid-season in ‘09).
With the addition of Bay, if the Mets lineup is healthy, they may have put their OFFENSE on par with Atlanta’s… but when you compare the two teams a whole and take pitching into account? The Mets have a little ways to go to compete with Atlanta and Phili.
David O'Brien
January 2nd, 2010
12:27 pm
Wide Right: the carry-on luggage ban is only for flights entering U.S., and only some countries have instituted it. Canada is one of, if not the strictest right now, for its flights to U.S. Nothing has changed on U.S. domestic flights.
Salty Dawg
January 2nd, 2010
12:29 pm
I just saw the absolute funniest commercial ever made.
Do yourself a favor and look up the “Shake Weight” online. Be sure to watch the demo. I can only imagine how someone determined that this “exercise” would be a good arm workout.
David O'Brien
January 2nd, 2010
12:30 pm
Part 2 of the Chipper Q&A is running in tomorrow’s paper, by the way. So I’d guess it’ll be posted later today on our website.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:32 pm
Canada does not want to be the one to let the wrong person through so they are in absolute lock down. Their economy is in worse shape than ours and they depend on us for about 75% of it. They can not afford any bad press in the U.S.
Of course losing DOB’s bags hasn’t hit the AP wire yet – but…
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
12:33 pm
International poll results………..66% in favor of the phillies………..hope that Wren open his eyes.
I don’t get this comment at all. The Phillies have been to the WS the past two years, have an all-star-studded lineup and just got Roy Halladay. Do you really think Wren doesn’t see what the Braves are up against?
abwright
January 2nd, 2010
12:34 pm
Wide Right, January 2nd, 2010, 9:14 am … “I have always felt that if I cant bring a bottle of water from home through security then its quite a racket the airports have going to charge me 2.00 for a bottle of Dasani. “
I think the next phase in passenger air travel will be to ship your luggage (via Fed Ex, UPS, Postal Service, whatever) ahead to your destination and travel with only the close on your back and maybe a book. If they let you bring an empty bottle, maybe you can fill it up at the water fountain.
The thing that irritated me most (a couple of years ago now) was how I had to check my pocket knife. When I picked up my checked baggage, they had zip tied it shut. I had to get a porter at the hotel to help me open up my bag. Talk about embarrassing.
I wanted to SEW up that airline.
chipperchop
January 2nd, 2010
12:35 pm
Lew-
Anders has come out of the woodwork because of the Bay signing. Now he’s back with a vengence. He seems to think having Bay on the team is going to enhance the pitching staff.
TnBrian
January 2nd, 2010
12:36 pm
Salty Dawg, I can’t imagine either. How do they get away with that stuff? Shake weight is definitely a woman’s workout toy,LOL.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:37 pm
chipperchop -really? Where have I written that? If you take the time to read my post (with some vengence) you’ll see that I said just the opposite.
CB
January 2nd, 2010
12:37 pm
Anders, have you ever been to baseball HOF, hoping to take a trip there this summer.
ugaaccountant
January 2nd, 2010
12:39 pm
Salamander – I’m sure Doc Holliday is just pointing out the obvious, we don’t have a realistic chance of beating the Phillies with this roster.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:40 pm
Now I will say that the Braves trading Vasquez instead of Lowe and the Phillies getting Halliday but having to give up Lee in the process is about as good as I could have hoped for going into December. That’s not nearly the dooms day scenario that could have happened in either instnce as far as the Mets are concerned.
However, too early to tell. I still think Wren has a decent move left. We’ll see.
abwright
January 2nd, 2010
12:40 pm
KC, January 2nd, 2010, 12:27 pm … “the Braves ‘10 rotation is likely to have an even lower ERA and provide more innings than the ‘09 rotation.”
KC, good points all in your post. But, why just focus on the starting rotation? With the replacement of Bennet, Carlyle, Boyer, and Logan by the multitude of arms that FW has obtained in the off-season, the overall staff ERA is likely to be much lower in ‘10 than ‘09.
Even if you argue that Wagner/Saito is not going to throw up as good numbers as Soriano/Gonzalez, the rest of the ‘pen will put up much better numbers than the mish-mash that started the season from ‘09.
McFann O
January 2nd, 2010
12:41 pm
Robert an immediate ten game improvement in the standings
Haha!! Haha…aaahhh…[sniff], boy…not even my “Mister Ed” DVDs give me that good of a laugh!
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
12:43 pm
CB- I was there many years ago. I was kind of dissapointed but I’d probably have a much better appreciation for it today. It’s in the middle of no where so I never really put it on my docket these days. Probably should. You should check with someone who’s been there recently.
Daybed Wagmoe
January 2nd, 2010
12:43 pm
From Mapquest
Starting Location: Atlanta, GA
Ending Location: Whistler, BC
Total Travel Estimate: 44 hours, 14 minutes / 2862.39 miles
SoWeGa Fanatic
January 2nd, 2010
12:43 pm
Reading thru the ole blog, it amazed me at the anti-Christian slant on here. It is amazing there is little said about many of the criminal element who excell in sports, but let one apparently sincere young man be an outspoken Christian, and he and his beliefs are ridiculed beyond measure. You guys take Michael Vick for your son, I would take Tebow… and I despise Florida.
Ritchie from Scotland
January 2nd, 2010
12:46 pm
I’ve heard many horror stories about airline baggage (particularly British Airways over here) and I don’t fly that often but in my 26 years on this earth I have yet to not receive a bag at the other end. Touch wood.
abwright
January 2nd, 2010
12:47 pm
McFann O, January 2nd, 2010, 11:00 am … “Haha, yeah! Wouldn’t have to worry about BMac gettin’ worn down then!”
There’s a bright side to everything.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
12:48 pm
Salamander – I’m sure Doc Holliday is just pointing out the obvious, we don’t have a realistic chance of beating the Phillies with this roster
Ain’t that the truth. Its going to be a tough road to the WC as well given that the Braves, Mets, and Marlins all have solid rosters (barring injuries). I wouldn’t be surprised to see the WC team come out of the west or central while the NL east finishes with 3 teams with records slightly above .500, battling for second place.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
12:50 pm
Salamander,
He might, and I felt very positive just before he traded Vazquez away for ______________.
Id feel better with Glaus here and Javy still in braves uni.
I just can believe he couldnt get anything better from the soriano trade and the javy trade………I suppose he knows better, but to me, they dont look good since we need a cleanup hitter……….. Once again he is going to put all the hopes on a guy coming from a bad season or injuries or whatever to drive in the runs………..
Salty Dawg
January 2nd, 2010
12:50 pm
Doc Holiday-”International poll results………..66% in favor of the phillies………..hope that Wren open his eyes.”
Only 66% huh. I would expect that number to be higher given the fact that they have been the dominant NL East team for a couple of years now, haven’t lost any significant players, and haven’t seen the competition add any notable players who might tip the scale. I think it is safe to say that Wren, Cox, et al. are familiar with the Phillies and understand that they are the team to beat. But what is it you expect Wren to do besides make the best additions he can within his payroll constraints? The fact that only 66% of people believe the Phillies will win the NL East only indicates that 34% of people are delusional. On paper they are a lock. It will take either a disastrous performance on Philly’s part of a Tampa Bay-esque inspirational performance on the part of the Braves, Mets, Marlins, or Nationals to unseat the Phils.
Heath
January 2nd, 2010
12:51 pm
DOB -
Yeah…sorry ’bout your luck with Delta. I know what you mean with regard to status, et al. I was lucky that Continental had a hub here in Cleveland when I was traveling. I flew some of the smaller airlines a couple of times out of Akron to check ‘em out (Air Tran, Midwest, etc…they weren’t too bad.) Delta and Northwest were just awful among the big boys though. Delta with bags, Northwest with delays. Though…I will have to say that Northwest was only bad with the domestic flights…the international flights were pretty good actually….one of the best.
TnBrian
January 2nd, 2010
12:51 pm
DOB, I hope you a had a great and relaxing vacation. I really hope you did because things aren’t so great right now… you lost some of your luggage and it’s also time to answer every fart and whisper on the rumor front from us fans. Kidding, I won’t bother you with nonsense, but I do think you guys(adults) should check out Salty Dawgs request of the “Shake Weight”.
MZ
January 2nd, 2010
12:53 pm
DOB ——
Have you given Arctic Monkeys’ “Humbug” a listen? not bad … i hadn’t heard any of their earlier work, but had heard they were quite impressive … while I wasn’t blown away by “Humbug”, it’s not bad at all … also just recently picked up “Backspacer” (or is it “Back Spacer”?) … anyway, vintage PJ there … never disappointing
P.S. Freedy Johnston’s new one is set for a Jan. 12 release, while Eels’ “End Times” comes out Jan. 19
CB
January 2nd, 2010
12:57 pm
Anders,thanks. Those who are predicting a great improvement in our pitching need to remember we had a 3.57era last year. This team needs to score more runs this year for the whole season,not just the last half. If you really think we are a better team right now than we were at the end of last season, you are only delusional. We have not improved ourselves Yet from the end of season,hopefully another good move or two can.
TnBrian
January 2nd, 2010
12:57 pm
SoWeGa Fanatic, thank you for that 12:43 sir. Nothing wrong with praising the man that is the reason why we’re all here on earth. I was reading through some of that smack talk on Tebow last night and really didn’t want the confrontation on the blog, but it is a little strange that a person gets made fun of for being a Christian. Don’t get it, I really don’t.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
12:57 pm
What I dont get is why are we still making risky moves all over the place instead of making a move that really scares someone………….I mean…………….WAGNER??? He could do some damage, but he can also go day before april is gone. Same goes for Saito…………..same for Glaus……………so what are we doing here? Same story for the braves year in, year out for the past 5…………bringing old people with history of injuries……..Im OK with having some players like that, but maybe on the bench, or a back up player or a LF, but your closer and setup man? Your 1B? And both of your corner IF? Huddy might also go down on opening day…………. THE LIVING ON EDGE BRAVES !!!
Salty Dawg
January 2nd, 2010
12:58 pm
TnBrian-”I can’t imagine either. How do they get away with that stuff? Shake weight is definitely a woman’s workout toy,LOL.
I can’t fathom how a marketing team put this out in the public space without seeing that. This product will definitely end up being the butt of jokes. Either that or wildly popular as every male in America runs out and buys one for his significant other.
KC
January 2nd, 2010
12:58 pm
abwright, good points. The reason I focused on the rotation is that many people keep saying “the Braves have weakened their greatest strength by trading Vazquez”. I just like to point out the rotation, over the course of 162, will likely be better than the ‘09 model, even with the departure of Vazquez.
I agree with you about the ‘pen. I think there are more known quantities in middle relief, and I’m not at all concerned about Wagner. I think Wagner displayed his health/ability late last year. And if there are are any questions attached to Wagner, they’re no greater than those surrounding Soriano, who hasn’t exactly been the Ironman of middle-relievers and wore down in the second half of last season, looking very hittable.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
12:58 pm
Doc – I’m on the fence with the Vazquez trade, and I’ll be staying there until I see how Dunn and Vizcaino progress. That aside, I know where you’re coming from in terms of your frustration with the FO’s moves so far this offseason. The moves seem driven by the bottomline, and not by trying to win it all for Bobby in 2010, but this is a business after all. Wren still have time to pick up some FA bargain hitters, but even if all the moves he makes click once the season starts, its probably WC or bust for the Braves.
abwright
January 2nd, 2010
12:59 pm
CB, January 2nd, 2010, 12:37 pm … “have you ever been to baseball HOF, hoping to take a trip there this summer.”
I visited once about 10 years ago. Cooperstown is … interesting. The only thing at that location is the baseball HOF and all the ancillary tourist businesses that have grown up around it.
If you can swing it, every baseball fan should visit Cooperstown once. But, I wouldn’t plan a trip just to visit Cooperstown. There’s not enough stuff around it to justify spending a week in Cooperstown.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
1:01 pm
Reading thru the ole blog, it amazed me at the anti-Christian slant on here
Reading through the ole blog, I’m amazed how many people think organized religion (of any flavor) is a good thing.
To each his own.
CB
January 2nd, 2010
1:02 pm
abwright,thanks.We are planning a Niagara Falls,NYcity visit also.
THE BEAR Illegitimi non carborundum
January 2nd, 2010
1:03 pm
Braveheart
January 1st, 2010
9:59 pm
I think loyaly should play a major role in our lives. I know loyalty played a major role for me both from me and from my employers. I gave 110% and so did they. I made them hundreds of millions and they rewarded me with an income that enabled me to retire in comfort in S. Florida at the age of 60 and we never had a contract.
———
Bear, forgive me my ignorance and also if I am totally wrong, but you said the other day in one of your conversations with Lentz that the business you were in involved taking over companies and that sort of thing. You said you didn’t throw a big wad of cash into the business when you took it over, but were still able to reverse trends and make the businesses alot of money.
If you were just dealing with the resources at hand, and not infusing any new ones, and you were making the companies more efficient, effective and prosperous, doesn’t that require restructurings, layoffs, ridding the company of unfavorable contracts, and such? Are the workers who got laid off any less loyal? Were the workers who got pushed off into another department they didn’t really want to be in any less loyal? Did the companies or individuals your new companies had some inefficient or ineffective contracts with feel you guys were being disloyal to them after many years of doing business together?
I dunno. I really don’t. Just don’t know how you take over a new company and make them more efficient, effective and prosperous without ticking off a whole bunch of folks who valued the laziness of loyalty over efficiency, effectiveness, and prosperity.
Braveheart, you ask some good questions. And you make some unrealistic assumptions. Most sick companies got that way because of poor management, not a shortage of cash. If management does its job right the cash will be there and the company would have never been put up for sale.
For example we bought one company with $110 million in annual sales with losses averaging $5 million a year for the previous three or four years. And they had over 500 employees in white collar jobs. Rather stupidly, during the previous two years they had borrowed money against their assets to pay a dividend. Obviously some changes had to be made if that company was to be saved and turned back into a profitable operation. To do anything else was going to be unworkable. No company can exist without black ink at the bottom line. At least I don’t know of any.
When I was named president of that company my first job was to evaluate each employee to see who could be laid off without harming the operation. Ninety days later I laid off 179 people, all white collar. The local TV station sent a crew down to interview me. They came barging into our reception area demanding an interview. They didn’t bother to call and ask for an appointment but just barged in and demanded it. I had them thrown out into the street.
That company had become known as the welfare center for the county and anyone who needed a job could always get one there.
That company had finally reached a point where they had to be sold or shut down. Almost 1500 jobs were at stake.
Now let’s talk about loyalty. We either had to correct the mistakes former management had made (or we shouldn’t have bought it in the first place). To allow it to just go on as before solved nothing.
After I made the move to lay off the unneeded emloyees many of those remaining expressed their support, realizing the eventual outcome if we had done nothing. They remained loyal to the company and we remained loyal to them. I made other changes in operations and we made money the first year and every year thereafter.
Question: Were my actions in any way disloyal? How so? We saved the company and 1300 jobs by cutting 179 who should have never been hired in the first place. Was it disloyal to save that company? While it was certainly stressful to the 179 at least 1300 breathed a lot easier.
Example of those cut: One man was in charge of office maintenance. He had a nice private office and a secretary. When I walked into his office he was sitting in his chair with his feet on his desk reading the Wall Street Journal. I asked him how many people reported directly to him and he said, “one, the supervisor.”
I decided to put the supervisor in charge and it worked just fine and he didn’t need a secretary. It had really gotten that bad. Others of almost equal absurdity were found, rather easily.
The president and five vice presidents all had executive assistants, who made their reservations and got their cars serviced and all made salaries about 40% higher than a secretary. I eliminated all six of those jobs. The people remaining could see that I was not cutting they and keeping a feather bed situation for the executives.
Was I disloyal to that maintenance department head by eliminating his job which should have never been created in the first place?
I agree loyalty has taken a major hit in the last few years, both in sports and in the business world. Another thing, the new generation has grown into management roles and from what I see in today’s world I am not surprised to see loyalty taking a hit from every angle. I see this lack of loyalty in my children and grandchildren. In other words I think our society as a whole has taken a huge hit and we are reaping the rewards with today’s economy going into the toilet and it is not over yet and may never be until the entire country goes belly up and all you food folks start over much like our founders did. I don’t know how you dig ouf of a hole that is $15 trillion deep.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
1:04 pm
CB -Cooperstown is a long way from both of those places. NY is a huge state. The drive can be great -just plan accordingly.
Salty Dawg
January 2nd, 2010
1:05 pm
CB-”…This team needs to score more runs this year for the whole season,not just the last half. If you really think we are a better team right now than we were at the end of last season, you are only delusional. We have not improved ourselves Yet from the end of season,hopefully another good move or two can.
I agree. What the Braves have lacked in recent years is consistency. Offensively it seems like they go through periods where it is feast or famine. One game they put up 10 runs and then they don’t score more than 2 a game for a week. Great pitching is a huge asset, but they have to be able to score runs to pick their pitchers up when they aren’t pitching a shutout. Case in point, several pitchers on the Braves staff have had good years ERA-wise, but still lose nearly half of their games.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
1:06 pm
I dont think phillies killed us last season………..I think half the games we lost against them, were winnable, we only needed for Cox to raise his hand and signal “4″ once Howard came up lin key situations. I know werth and Ibañez can also hit HR but our chances were better against them, why not show some respect to a guy that has earned.
As I have said hundreds of times, Cox needs to show respect to the guys that have earned, but they insist on pitching to Howard, Lee, Pujols, Helton, etc.
I can recall how they also did that when Bonds was on his prime and we had glavine, smoltz and Maddux, and they paid the price several times.
Lew
January 2nd, 2010
1:09 pm
Anders is correct about that much-New York State is freaking huge. I would be willing to bet that I’m much closer to Cooperstown here in Central Vermont (about 4 hrs.) than anyone living in NYC. I’d sure hate to have to drive all the way to Buffalo, too. Nice place, Cooperstown. Every baseball fan should spend some time there.
TnBrian
January 2nd, 2010
1:10 pm
Salty Dawg, I feel very awkward and wrong to be talking about the Shake Weight workout toy and religion so close together. But man, so many topics on here right now that things are running together. Shake Weight….LOL!
CB
January 2nd, 2010
1:10 pm
Anders,camping my friend. It is a lot of fun for my family,we throw the clocks away when we take these type of trips.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
1:14 pm
Salamander,
Im not afraid of the phillies (of course im not the one with the glove on), since we have played well against them lately. If huddy becomes huddy again, he will easily replace vazquez and Hanson here all season will be a plus. KK should have an even better season, being his 2nd. Bullpen might be dominant if we keep away from injuries, but the offense???????? man, this is a very good offensive team, lots of great bats………lacking of a power threat………..thats the missing link or piece. I mean……….we dont really have weak spots in the batting order…….martin, yunel, chipper, mc, nate……….all very good hitter………..if glaus stays away from injuries, he might hit 25 HR. Melky is a good hitter himself……………but we all know where did we get last season full of very good hitters a nobody to hit that bases clearing double or HR…………We need that guy in the cleanup spot…….
Wide Right
January 2nd, 2010
1:15 pm
No use crying over spilled milk but I still just don’t get why they didnt hold on to Javier Vasquez. I’m sorry, I know people are sick of talking about it…but it really bothers me. If I have any understanding of their budget I believe they still could have signed Glaus and kept Javy. Yes…they would have had 6 starters but thats a wonderful problem to have. And Kawakami should be limited in terms of innings pitched. An outfield of Mclouth, Diaz and Hewyard could be stellar. I just dont get it.
On another note, I got so many iTunes gift cards this xmas. Like, 6 of them…$175 worth or something. I appreciate the gesture but I feel it reflects how boring people think I am…people dont know what to get me. I need to develop some interests, hobbies this year. Anyway, I am grateful this blog is still up and I can reference DOB’s best CD’s of the year. I never heard of 80% of these people but I need to branch out from Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, etc. I love Dylan’s Modern Times and Love and Theft but I heard the recent one was a disappointment so I guess I’ll stay away. I’m going to itunes now to listen to samples of Neko Case.
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
1:16 pm
CB- I actually camped the one time I went to Cooperstown. We stayed at Mongup lake or pond in the Catskills- forget the exact name. We actually had hale the size of golfballs in July!.
Gorgeous country up that way.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
1:16 pm
NY is a huge state. The drive can be great -just plan accordingly
Largest national park in the lower 48 is in NY state.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
1:17 pm
Salamander,
Make no mistake……….MC, Chipper, and Glaus are not that cleanup hitter we are looking for…….glaus might get there by midseason if he plays regularly and stays healthy, but we dont have a cleanup hitter to start the season……… Braves always try to do experiments on the 1st 80 games of the season and then if they are still alive, try to make that big move………I dont like that strategy, since it puts too much wearing on the guys that play the 1st 80 games……..
Anders
January 2nd, 2010
1:20 pm
Lew- you ever been up to 1000 lakes area north of Syracuse? It’s spectacular!
McFann O
January 2nd, 2010
1:21 pm
abwright There’s a bright side to everything.
Yeah, see, ya just gotta look real hard.
THE BEAR Illegitimi non carborundum
January 2nd, 2010
1:22 pm
This is a re-write of the last paragraph above.
In other words I think our society as a whole has taken a huge hit in the loyalty dept. and we are reaping the rewards with today’s economy going into the toilet. And it is not over yet and may never be until the entire country goes belly up and all you folks start over, much like our founders did. I am going to leave this world in not too many more years and likely won’t be around to see how right or wrong I am. However, I don’t know how you dig out of a hole that is $15 trillion deep. Do any of you have a suggestion how we get out of it? Paying a baseball player $20 million is not the way; that’s for sure.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
1:22 pm
Wide Right,
You are totally right on that javy note………and I wont get tired of talk about it either……….In my opinion you hold on to the guy until you have something good on sight…………..You wait until teams get desperate for pitching……….that would have happened sooner or later……….same goes with the soriano trade………not sure why they just made those moves so quick if they were not getting that much in return.
THE BEAR Illegitimi non carborundum
January 2nd, 2010
1:23 pm
Jed, I am probably wrong but I am afraid you are lugging around a glass that is at least 3/4 empty. Perhaps I just don’t understand you.
Salamander
January 2nd, 2010
1:24 pm
Doc – I hear you, but I guess I’m just not as optimistic as you. After everything that went wrong for the Phillies last year (crappy rotation, Lidge implosion every other night), they still looked like the best team in the NL east for most of the season, and they were far and away the best team in the NL by September.
I would love to think the Braves can beat the Phillies – and in head-to-head matches the Braves absolutely held their own last year. But after a big Phillies series win (or fill-in-the-name-of-a-contending-team), the Braves would then go lose 4 out of 5 against the Reds, Nationals, or another ’scrub’ team. The Phillies, on the other hand, took care of business.
Until the 2010 season starts, and the Braves show me that they are more resilient than last year, I reserve the right to be skeptical of their chances to win the division… WC or bust.
CB
January 2nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Anders, we are allowing about a month for this trip,if we run out of money we may be calling you for gas money!
iphone koenig
January 2nd, 2010
1:28 pm
Thanks for the great posting – and happy new year to you all
Jim
January 2nd, 2010
1:28 pm
Welcome home, Dave.
Good job getting Frand and John to close up Braves for the week that you were gone. Good that they did that, too, to get away and get some perspective of what needs to be done next. Bay and Byrd went away, but they really were not on Braves’ radar anyway.
Do we have any LHP than can go 5 innings? Such a pitcher might be useful against Phillies, etc. Or, do we have to wait for Minor to become a Major.
What is line/cost of Braves getting Nady, Uggla, Gomes or any other bat.
THE BEAR Illegitimi non carborundum
January 2nd, 2010
1:29 pm
A passing thought on those who are believers vs. those who are not. I am a believer and not ashamed of saying so. I don’t like religion being thrown up to me by anyone but if they do I find a way to overlook it. I don’t see Tebow as throwing it up to me, but simply living his beliefs and I respect him for that.
I don’t understand Atheists but I don’t condemn them or challenge their lack of belief. I have some great friends who are non believers and they are ethical and decent people. And I have a lot of Buddhist friends and I respect them. If I had to make a choice I’d choose believing as it does seem to me to work. A little more faith and such things as loyalty and morals and ethics just might be a bit better. I don’t know of any society that couldn’t do with an increase in those things.
Jim
January 2nd, 2010
1:30 pm
Dave:
Thanks for the update on Delta bag handling. I will br trying to get my golf clubs from Richmond to Ft. Myers on Wednesday AM this week for a series of senior (scratch) tournaments that begin on Thursday. Want to give me odds. Don’t care about the clothes, just the clubs.
Doc Holiday
January 2nd, 2010
1:30 pm
Salamander,
Since Cox will still be around, I dont think you will see many attitude changes…….that lack of fire kills us.
chipperchop
January 2nd, 2010
1:34 pm
Anders,
i have read enough of your posts to know that you love to come on our braves board and point out the Braves weaknesses while highlighting the Mets strengths. I have read some posts where you provide good posts and baseball knowledge, but the underlining gists of your posts is that you believe the Mets to be a much better team and organization than the Braves. Now that the Mets have signed Bay, you are all over the place. There’s nothing wrong with believing in your team and wanting them to succeed, but the Braves aren’t some suck ass team that the Mets are so much better than. We will see what happens in 2010. The Phillies having Halladay as their Ace trumps anything out there with the possible exeption of a healthy Johann Santana. The rest of their rotation is questionable, and the Mets downright deplorable. The Braves have the best and deepest rotation in the east hands down and that’s even without Vazquez. Will they add more offense? Well they better, but we don’t exactly have the black holes in our lineup that we had last year, i.e. Johnson, Francouer, Kotchman, Anderson and Schafer. That is a huge improvement. I think this team will surprise alot of people, even if we were to stand pat. We will see. Let the season begin, and we will see who is right. Nonetheless, I don’t think that either the Mets or Braves are good enough right now to catch the Phillies, and both teams may in fact be looking up at the Marlins.
chipperchop
January 2nd, 2010
1:38 pm
Also Anders,
I don’t see how you can be so confident in your players being able to bounce back from injures and be productive, but the same can not apply to the Braves. There is still question marks regarding alot of your players,like Carlos Beltran for example who always seems to be injured.
Macon Braves (RIP)
January 2nd, 2010
1:39 pm
New York is a large state, almost as large as Georgia actually (Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi River). Saying you’re gonna swing by Niagara Falls, Coopertown, and NYC is like saying you’re gonna swing by Atlanta, Savannah, and Valdosta. It’s quite a bit more than “swinging by”.
I went to Cooperstown and Niagara Falls 10-12 years ago. Really liked Cooperstown a lot, but you have to be a big baseball fan (which I assume most on here are anyway) to really appreciate it. Niagara Falls is breathtaking, just make sure you go over to the Canadian side as it is much better than the views from the U.S. side.