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Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3,409 comments Add your comment
Anders
February 1st, 2010
12:01 am
Well it’s official. I went a whole Sunday for the first time in like 6 months without hearing the name Brett Favre and survived!
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:01 am
‘Night, LAdy. You too Jim, if you’re still up.
David O'Brien
February 1st, 2010
12:03 am
DOB, fact or fiction. Heyward wins rookie of the year if he starts the season off in Atlanta? — Andrew in PA
How ’bout, I think he’d have at least as good a chance as anyone, and leave it at that? Or does that not work in the fact-or-fiction world?
Ask me again near the end of spring training.
TnBrian
February 1st, 2010
12:05 am
DOB, I got the address– FINALLY– for tonight’s Grammy’s performance. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A7tLVIsuNw
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:07 am
Chuck James can Potentially be Solid until the 6th again!!!
Curt
February 1st, 2010
12:09 am
DOB,
Any chance you will be at the Braves Caravan stop tomorrow?
David O'Brien
February 1st, 2010
12:09 am
Curt: No caravan stop tomorrow for me tomorrow. I’ll be at pitching camp in the morning, then home to write a story.
Anders
February 1st, 2010
12:09 am
You realize, with 100 posts per page, that we almost didn’t mention the sport once! Who woulda thunk it? (Tom A Hawke)
I didn’t want to rub your guys faces in it. {:
Chuck James can Potentially be Solid until the 6th again!!!
February 1st, 2010
12:10 am
TOH
Yeh man, the blog tonight is literally at the lowest it can and probably will get this year. Taylor Swift, The Grammy’s and Anders has the most posts…
ABTSteve
February 1st, 2010
12:10 am
Some Javy Lopez scoop. Just finished a phone interview with him. At the conclusion he told us that Scheurholz has formally invited him to do some coaching at ST this year starting on March 8 for a week.
Check out the interview at Atlanta Baseball Talk (he covers a wide range of topics from being cut in ’08, the ’95 and ’96 series, his relationship with Maddux, and steroids. You can take a listen here. Thanks.
Anders
February 1st, 2010
12:10 am
DOB,Any chance you will be at the Braves Caravan stop tomorrow?(Curt)
How about no chance in hell, and we leave it at that?
Jurrjens4NLCY
February 1st, 2010
12:12 am
It’s at wasteofdamntime.com, I think.
I’ll take “It’s already been done” for $600, Alex.
Just kidding.
Anders
February 1st, 2010
12:14 am
Yeh man, the blog tonight is literally at the lowest it can and probably will get this year. Taylor Swift, The Grammy’s and Anders has the most posts… (Chuck james)
I think you’re selling yourself a little short there buddy.
Curt
February 1st, 2010
12:18 am
Oh well, I was hoping to have a chance to meet our crusading everyman as well as some of the Braves players. DOB, if you see Hudson at the pitching camp tomorrow be sure to let him know some Auburn folks are head up to the Caravan stop tomorrow since he skipped the one in his home town of Auburn!
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:20 am
Hey, Anders. I noticed this {: on the end of your post, and I’ve seen you do it before. I’m assuming that this produces a smile emoticon elsewhere? Here, however, it just makes weird punctuation marks
. Try using the parentheses above the zero, after the colon.
(shhh, don’t tell anybody I helped out a Met fan. I have a hard enough time getting anyone to take me seriously, now.)
Anders
February 1st, 2010
12:25 am
Tom – Not a big fan of the emoticon. That’s why I use what i do. No big deal – just a personal quirk I guess (among many) {:
TnBrian
February 1st, 2010
12:27 am
Javy Lopez … now there one dude I wouldn’t f*** with. Imagine him getting those guns around your neck? YIKES!
Didn’t he charge the mound once in his younger days, or am I thinking of somebody else?
Remember Galarraga charging the mound against that young Rockies pitcher when he was a Brave? Dude got lucky the Big Cat missed that left handed shot or he’d have probably … well, you know.
nolMan With No Name
February 1st, 2010
12:28 am
Tom
I hear you been talkin’ ’bout me pardner. You ready to slap leather?
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:28 am
Anders, lets see if I got this straight. You’re not a big fan of the emoticon, but you are, instead, a big fan of “{:” (he asks, as he quietly moves away…)?
Jurrjens4NLCY
February 1st, 2010
12:31 am
17 days til pitchers and catchers report!!!
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:34 am
Tom
I hear you been talkin’ ’bout me pardner. You ready to slap leather? —- nolMan With No Name
Who, I say who is talking to me?
TexasBrave
February 1st, 2010
12:37 am
Tom O’Hawke – I think that is Anders way of showing us he has a toupee. {:-)
Man With No Name
February 1st, 2010
12:38 am
You can call me Joe. Man oughta know the name of the feller’s gonna shoot him down like a dog in the street for talkin’ ’bout him.
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:42 am
TexasBrave, I don’t know what to make of it. The closest that I can think of, is that it looks like the beginning of the early Alfred Hitchcock tv shows.
Hey, it’s getting late. If I was on the west coast, I could hang around for a few more hours. (Although, the morning commute would, probably be a bitch.)
Goodnight, all. It has been a slice of heaven.
nolie
February 1st, 2010
12:47 am
nite Tom
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
12:48 am
Oh, and goodnight, Joe. When you get a chance, would you tell nolie and Jim that you do, indeed, have a name. Thank you.
Man With No Name
February 1st, 2010
12:51 am
dang sidewinder run off afore i got a chance to plug him
Tom O'Hawke
February 1st, 2010
1:00 am
dang sidewinder run off afore i got a chance to plug him
OK, I may be getting silly, but that cracked me up. This is IT, with my replies. nolie, that has to be you or your cousin, right? I’ll see if you reply, tomorrow.
StingerSplash
February 1st, 2010
1:08 am
Anders,
You might be right on Vito’s line to Johnny. It’s late anyway and all this Grammy talk makes my head and stomach spin violently.
birddawgbill
February 1st, 2010
1:08 am
Last night someone posted Ks arent important. I looked hard at it today. And as I said last night a ball put in play has a chance of producing something and a ball in the catchers mitt is just an out. Just a little evidence. In 2008 Mark Reynolds hit .239 with 204 Ks in the balls he put in play he hit near .400, so if he strikes out 100 fewer times you could say he gets 35-40 more hits which probably means at least 5 more HRs. So this makes him close to a .290 hitter with nearly 45 HRs and surely adds 25 more RBIs. Ks are a hindrance to a lineup and a rally killer.
random thought of the night
February 1st, 2010
1:09 am
Does anyone see a striking resemblance between Edge and Jayson Werth?
NO MORE BOBBY
February 1st, 2010
1:20 am
The one time I get on here talking real baseball not trashing Bobby and Tom O’Hawke has to be a wise guy. I hope that was not your best attempt at being funny.
nolie
February 1st, 2010
1:20 am
Last night someone posted Ks arent important. BDB
that’s a fairly popular though by no means universal here. The guys who are into the newer stas metrics feel that way about Ks. It prolly makes a bit of difference but extremely unlikely to be near what you are saying. 100 less Ks ain’t gonna produce 40 more hits for a 260 hitter or even close.
I have mixed feelings about it myself. I like many of the newer stats but I an an old fogey who still clings some to batting average and fewer Ks.
That’s what makes guys like Chipper and Albert superstars. But most players don’t have that ability.
As a team you look at a guy’s skill set compared to how he fits your needs and what he will cost.Power guys with high K totals do bring assets to a team especially if their OBP is pretty decent. Might not be ideal, but still worth having in many cases.
I guess that’s one that will be continued to be debated for quite a while.
nolie
February 1st, 2010
1:23 am
What I think is much more questionable are the plethora of players who strike out a lot and don’t bring power to the team. seems like there are more of those all the time, and I have a harder time convincing myself how much they are worth.
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
1:25 am
Taylor Swift can talk? I never un-mute my remote when I see her. As for whoever said something about a Swift smackdown earlier, I’m all for it. But it would involve parts that weren’t shown during the Grammys. Butt seriously…
And for god’s sake, it’s “Je nes se quoi.” Once and for all. And Nolie, when you mentioned us bailing them out from the Germans, which time did you mean? The Arc De Triomphe has had more German soldiers march under it than French citizens and foreign tourists put together.
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
1:30 am
And K’s are important. Giving or receiving. New stats are fine if they add something, but attempting to remove the importance of “old” stats just for the sake of garnering attention and pretending to know something the greats didn’t is offensive to me.
Chuck James can Potentially be Solid until the 6th again!!!
February 1st, 2010
1:32 am
That Javy Lopez interview was A+ stuff. Very intriguing to say the least. Definitely take a listen if you have some time!
nolie
February 1st, 2010
1:33 am
sorry,but it’s je ne sais quoi google that exact spelling.
I meant WW2. I was there in the 50s and they had already starting ignoring the extent of our help. In the 70s and 80s I found it even worse.:(
I prefer both the Germans and the Italians to the French, but that’s just me. Not the German food so much though.
nolie
February 1st, 2010
1:33 am
nite y’all
Andrew in PA
February 1st, 2010
1:35 am
That’s fair DOB, just wondering if their are any other elite rookies coming in this year.
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
1:37 am
Wow, I was drunk enough to misspell my correction of others. Oops. That (sais) honestly is what I meant. When I was typing, a different language probably kicked in mid sentence. It happens.
German food isn’t as good as Italian, but it rocks. And don’t get me started on the beer. I’m on a Franziskaner Dunkel wheat right now.
birddawgbill
February 1st, 2010
1:39 am
nolie,
You are correct on many points. And I agree about power bringing something to the table. I should have made myself clear on what I was talking about. Last night I was refering to the suggested trade of Shafer and Prado for Uggla, and the Phillies having an imperfect lineup. I think you can survive with 1 or 2 high K guys in the lineup but the Phils have too many and as the Braves proved many times last year good pitching can shut them down. Down the stretch they just put too many in the zone against Howard. This cat should never see a pitch to hit. He will take a BB but he also gets frustrated and will swing at a pitchers pitch.
Could you imagine what Dave Kingman would do in these bandboxes they play in now. Ive always said McGwire was nothing more than a modern day Kingman with a little better avg.
birddawgbill
February 1st, 2010
1:43 am
Lets get some opinions here. Did Marcus Giles dropoff have to do with Prior running him over or the league testing for steroids. He was one of my favorite players but as small as he was he had some real power. And Brians power dropped at almost the same time. I would hate to think they used but it kinda points that way.
Andrew in PA
February 1st, 2010
1:46 am
giles had to of been on something.
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
1:47 am
birddawg, when Ryan Howard steps to the plate and first is open, it’s the manager’s duty to signal the pitcher to walk him. If I’m not mistaken (and I’m too trashed to look this up; it’s from memory), Howard hit EIGHT home runs under those circumstances against us last season. Bobby didn’t figure it out after two, or four, or six. And three years ago I was at a game with KC (the blogger, not the city) and Bobby had CHUCK JAMES pitch to Howard in the SIXTH INNING (I.E. well after 100 pitches) with first open. What turned out to be the game winning runs went over the fence with the 1st or second pitch, as the phils and the crowd and the announcers and everyone but Bobby knew would happen. So it’s nothing new. Bobby believes in the three run homer for the other team as well as his own.
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
1:49 am
Roids, no question. He and his brother both disappeared off the map right after testing was enforced.
China Grove
February 1st, 2010
1:57 am
Looks like roids, but you never can know til you see the results.
Nick in PA
February 1st, 2010
2:00 am
The caravan should come to Pennsylvania…just sayin.
Andrew in PA
February 1st, 2010
2:04 am
i think the steriod era helps chipper get into the hall
Andrew in PA
February 1st, 2010
2:09 am
yeah it should come to PA, for being pennsylvaina i sure do know alot of brave fans around here
Andrew in PA
February 1st, 2010
2:10 am
pennsylvania sorry i cant spell my state
The Grinch
February 1st, 2010
4:05 am
I can’t spell your state either, Andrew; don’t feel bad. (rim shot) For real, though, China Grove? I’m all for human rights, with several exceptions, but these guys tested plenty. How many got brushed under the carpet? It was that time. It happened. Truthfully, count me in on the camp that enjoyed watching these guys juice. It was entertaining as hell. It’s all a tad crooked, as are we.
Piedmont Blues
February 1st, 2010
7:01 am
Morning, denizens –
Looks like the Tar Heels are providing a huge favor for me this year. There’ll be no reason for college hoops to distract me during Spring Training.
What a combination of mismatched parts. A lot of talent, to be sure, but plenty of immaturity. When Roy has to count on his club to both be defensive stoppers and win games in the half-court offense, trouble’s a-brewin’.
CB
February 1st, 2010
8:10 am
Glad to read the overnite bloggers agreeing with my thoughts about Taylor Swift,Beyonce,Jay-Z,and that idiot Kanye West. The worst one of all is P-Diddy,what a clown.
Purdue Thomas
February 1st, 2010
8:31 am
“Not the German food so much though.”
Comon now, German food is very tasty.
Purdue Thomas
February 1st, 2010
8:32 am
That was a nolie comment BTW
John Adcox
February 1st, 2010
9:29 am
For those interested, I answered my own question. The Decatur Caravan event is NOT open to the public.
keylargo
February 1st, 2010
9:35 am
Willie Mays vs. Mickey Mantle in Home Run Derby on ESPN Classic (208 Directv).
No Mark McGuires or Jose Cansecos. Just pure hitters with power.
RC
February 1st, 2010
9:50 am
Willie Mays vs. Mickey Mantle in Home Run Derby on ESPN Classic (208 Directv).
No Mark McGuires or Jose Cansecos. Just pure hitters with power.
And greenies. Just saying, greenies were around (and popular) during the Mays/Mantle days. Not saying either of them used them, but there was no testing for it, so it’s quite possible they did.
DAP
February 1st, 2010
10:26 am
birddawgbillIn 2008 Mark Reynolds hit .239 with 204 Ks in the balls he put in play he hit near .400, so if he strikes out 100 fewer times you could say he gets 35-40 more hits which probably means at least 5 more HRs.
you are making a huge assumption that putting the ball in play 100 more times would lead to 35 more hits. maybe he has such a high BABIP because when he hits something he hits it really hard, and Ks because he is trying to hit it really hard.
maybe what would happen if mark reynolds cut his Ks down by 100, is he would ground out or pop up about 90 times, get about 10 weak singles and his average would be a little closer to .250.
K-ing 200 times is going to keep reynolds from ever becoming chipper jones, but its not going to keep him from being productive in his own way. its just the kind of hitter he is.
it would be awesome though, if you could say to a guy “dude, just get about 50 more hits. that’d be great.” and it actually work.
Steve McP
February 1st, 2010
10:27 am
Is this blog broken? Only 7 posts in the last 6 hours.
lexbrave
February 1st, 2010
10:27 am
peidmont, and to think there was actually some concern here in the bluegrass that unc might actually beat kentucky to 2,000 wins this year…now it looks like the concern is whether or not unc will actually get to 2,000 at all this year.
DAP
February 1st, 2010
10:30 am
what are “greenies”?
CB
February 1st, 2010
10:34 am
I don’t know if you are serious,DAP, they are amphetamines banned by baseball.
DAP
February 1st, 2010
10:36 am
CB, im serious…ive heard them talked about but i have never known what they actually are.
DAP
February 1st, 2010
10:37 am
i mean, i know that they are a type of PEDs, but thats it.
RC
February 1st, 2010
10:42 am
Greenies are amphetamines.
RHR
February 1st, 2010
10:43 am
It’s almost Groundhog Day and Johnny Damon is waking up day after day without a job.
We mentioned Friday how Damon is still thinking about the Yankees, even though they don’t seem to have a spot for him. Damon told WFAN via the New York Post that he envisioned a scenario that he could sign with a team that could deal him to the Yankees at the deadline.
Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News writes that there is still time for the Yankees to sign Damon.
Oakland was mentioned as a possible suitor, but the A’s are likely off the board after agreeing to a deal with Gabe Gross.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune writes that Detroit is the most likely landing spot for Damon, although the Rays remain in the mix.
YAY!
Lew
February 1st, 2010
10:44 am
Don’t know that I’d consider Greenies to be all that performance enhancing (having used them to study for finals enough times). They’ll keep you awake and give you false energy, but after a while (and I’m not talking more than a day or so), there’s a drain of energy that nothing will cure except for sleep.
RHR
February 1st, 2010
10:45 am
i know that they are a type of PEDs
Only if you consider caffeine pills performance enhancing.
lexbrave
February 1st, 2010
10:45 am
“Greenies are amphetamines.”
No wonder my dog is so excitible.
Salamander
February 1st, 2010
10:48 am
DAP – ‘greenies’ are slang for (fill in the blank) amphetamines. Give you that edge and a little pep.
Given that the new drug testing policy bans amphetamines of many types (without a prescription), there has been a steady rise in ADHD diagnoses of baseball players, and a subsequent increase in players using adderall and other drugs that include active ingredients like dextroamphetamine.
CB
February 1st, 2010
10:50 am
Yeah, coffee may do same thing if you drink enough of it.
KeyLargo
February 1st, 2010
10:52 am
And greenies. Just saying, greenies were around (and popular) during the Mays/Mantle days. RC
Not being an expert on steroids or greenies, I am asking what “greenies” could help you do other than play a game when you were hung over or just worn down? IMO they aren’t performance enhancers over what your body could do naturally.
DAP
February 1st, 2010
10:56 am
coffee may do same thing if you drink enough of it.
DOB, do sports writers have drug testing?
Lew
February 1st, 2010
10:58 am
keylargo-That’s what they do-wake you up on say a west coast road trip and give you some minor relief from jet lag or playing 10 games in eleven days.
However, I had it directly from a ML player that their use was rampant before the testing began.
RC
February 1st, 2010
10:58 am
RHR, there is a difference in caffeine pills and amphetamines. One is a legal, over the counter drug. The other is banned in most professional sports and is illegal without a perscription. I’m not saying they don’t have many of the same effects, but the legality issue is a big one, at least in the context of baseball.
CB
February 1st, 2010
10:59 am
DAP,they need to test him for his taste in music. J/K,DOB.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:00 am
Believe me-If I needed to stay up and cram for a final, coffee would NOT do what some of those little white crosses (Ritalin) used to do), much less the REAL Black Beauties we used to get from long haul truck drivers.
Piedmont Blues
February 1st, 2010
11:02 am
Well, this may not enhance Minaya’s job security. You orchestrate a major trade for a reliever who’s supposed to anchor your bullpen and don’t give him a physical?
Anders, back to you.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:03 am
BFIR-What have you heard?
KeyLargo
February 1st, 2010
11:12 am
Lew – I remember people getting “diet pills” from the family doctor for weight loss. They were simply amphetamines. Truckers did the “Black Beauties and White Crosses” you mentioned on a daily basis.
Amphetamines were not banned or taboo back in the 50’s through the early 70’s. I remember that the players would get them from the team trainers like aspirin. And I remember reading someones biography and them being mentioned as being available in a big glass jar in the clubhouse daily.
You can bet that travel in the 50’s was not luxurious like flying first class is today. No one to handle your luggage, room service, private suits, etc. that the players today enjoy.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:15 am
Key Largo-You’re right on that. I got a ton of dexedrines (also known as Christmas trees) from a friend who was an industrial nurse. Of course, this WAS in 1969. I was a hippie then, but my interest was more in the “Fun” aspects of the time while nolie smelled rock stars.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:17 am
The term Greenies comes from the old “Bennies” or benzedrine tablets which were green triangle shaped tabs.
CB
February 1st, 2010
11:20 am
“while nolie smelled rock stars”,Lew,that was cold.
Arkansas Transplant
February 1st, 2010
11:21 am
Good morning Blog-o-mites,
What’s the topic this pre-groundhog day morning? Any interesting news lately?
Hillbilly
February 1st, 2010
11:22 am
Does anyone see a striking resemblance between Edge and Jayson Werth?
Yes indeed. I made that same comment on here many many months ago. Spitting image.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:26 am
CB-Nah, just giving nolie some grief-all in fun. Just couldn’t pass it up.
Arkansas Transplant
February 1st, 2010
11:27 am
The snow is still around, almost 6 inches here.
Lew
February 1st, 2010
11:27 am
Hillbilly-I know I’ll hear about this one, but one would hope that Werth has more riffs available than the Edge.
bigchiefrg
February 1st, 2010
11:31 am
The Andrea Borcelli performance of Bridge over Troubled water was really good…that is until mary j came on stage. I am normally a big fan of hers but she just oversang it a little. Jeff Beck was awesome, and I liked the Eminem part of his performance minus the other two. Everything else was steaming fescies.
Anders
February 1st, 2010
11:34 am
Piedmont – In regards to your 11:02 – who knows? Putz sure is providing the whole babe in the woods thing though in that interview. Where’s his agent in this? Did Minaya really lead Putz around by the nose getting him to say what ever he wanted etc and his agent allowed this? Hey, we all know he had elbow issues coming over and there was a crap shoot element to the deal. As for the rest of what he says – maybe it’s true? He should fire his agent then – that’s the guy who should be looking out “soley” for Putz’s long term interest. Why didn’t he stop the train if Putz thought he was doing damage to his arm? I never heard word one from Putz or his agent about this before today, which is amazing considering what happened to his arm. Water under the bridge imo.
Steve McP
February 1st, 2010
11:40 am
Putz’s agent is former Braves Minor League player Craig Landis, son of Jim Landis
Andy K.
February 1st, 2010
11:41 am
I generally don’t care for rap, but I make exceptions for Jay-Z and Eminem…really like some of the albums/songs they have put out. Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye deserved the Grammy they got for “Run This Town”…good song, good music video. The Blueprint 3 was surprisingly a good album, because like I said, I really don’t listen to much rap.
P. W. Hjort
February 1st, 2010
11:47 am
JJ Putz never took a physical with the Mets. From the organization that never ceases to amaze me, I think they’ve outdone themselves.
StingerSplash
February 1st, 2010
11:54 am
It’s my understanding that most sports writer drug testing comes just after midnight in varieties of cold, 12-ounce beverages — and they’re the ones doing the sampling.
Piedmont Blues
February 1st, 2010
11:54 am
Lew,
No inside (or outside) knowledge about Minaya. Still, you gotta think the Mets need to show some progress this season.
Chuck James can Potentially be Solid until the 6th again!!!
February 1st, 2010
11:55 am
P.W.
Hahahaa, The Mess are first class losers.
CB
February 1st, 2010
11:57 am
Somebody said last night to check out Stevie Nicks singing Silent Night- boy,were they correct. The worst sight on the Grammies last night was seeing Taylor Swift on the same stage as Stevie. Taylor Swift! Geez
lpad
February 1st, 2010
11:58 am
the fact that JJ never took a physical might not be such a bad thing from the Mets perspective. i’m just being hypothetical, but i can see the Mets giving up a lesser prospect than the Mariners were asking for if they waived the right to give a physical. Everyone knew he had arm problems before the deal. so i don’t think minaya could really be surprised if he got hurt. DOB have you ever heard of anything like this?