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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,067 comments Add your comment
sidslidkid
February 21st, 2010
1:54 pm
Sweet! New blogage!
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
1:56 pm
I like the hat, but it doesn’t look good on Bobby
nolie
February 21st, 2010
1:56 pm
New blog? We’re only on page 8???
nolie
February 21st, 2010
1:57 pm
does anything look good on Bobby anymore ?
sidslidkid
February 21st, 2010
2:02 pm
Good read DOB. Love all the photos. And I don’t hate the hat. I’m not going to go out and buy one, but it ain’t that bad.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
2:04 pm
I think he looks pretty sharp with a cigar
CB
February 21st, 2010
2:04 pm
nolie,I don’t know, does anything look good on any of us oldtimers?
nolie
February 21st, 2010
2:04 pm
yeah, the hat is OK Sid.
uhwqhuauh
February 21st, 2010
2:08 pm
hahahha
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
2:10 pm
David Ross is awesome. Definitely a great guy to have on the team.
CB
February 21st, 2010
2:11 pm
I may have to buy one of those hats,looks sharp.
Kentavo
February 21st, 2010
2:13 pm
Those dang hats – I’ll definitely have to buy one of those. Hope they have ‘em at hte Lids store here in durty Myrtle.
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
2:15 pm
It’s nice to have some good ole competition for some bullpen spots and not have to rely on Manny Acosta.
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
2:16 pm
Good to have such great bullpen depth, in case Medlen needs to make a few starts or (God forbid) someone gets hurt or sucks. It’s an enviable position to be in, for sure.
Tennbravefan
February 21st, 2010
2:16 pm
Lane Kiffen can bite me!
toga party
February 21st, 2010
2:17 pm
Nice run-through of the bullpen situation DOB. That was a good read.
Sure is a pleasant change to not have to make bullpen decisions due to players being out of options. It’s much easier to go with the hot hands when you know you get to keep the rest of the guys down the road at Coolray.
TexasBrave
February 21st, 2010
2:18 pm
I still can’t help feeling that even if all 7 in the bullpen are outstanding that Bobby will still wear out three or four guys, thus causing the other three not to get many innings to stay sharp when really needed. I hope Bobby only brings in Wagner and Saito during real save situations. Of course another key is how long our starters go into games.
Cactus Jack
February 21st, 2010
2:19 pm
The two hot Danish Curling Sisters are on MSLSD right now! Yay!
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
2:20 pm
And a good point about the out-of-options thing. Like others have said, it’s nice to put the best 7 back there instead of the best 7 that are out of options.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
2:25 pm
So Damon’s a Tiger, huh. I guess we won’t ever hear from him again. He just went into the land of obscurity.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:25 pm
I’ve been saying it all Winter, this is the best 40 player roster the Braves have had in a decade. Wren has done his job well. It’s unfortunate that Heyward will take Blanco’s spot. Hopefully Gregor has a great Spring and we can get a little something for him.
yeah, baby!
February 21st, 2010
2:25 pm
DOB, any new news on the Edward Salcedo signing? Does it still look like a sure thing?
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
2:25 pm
Is bloggage a word?
keylargo
February 21st, 2010
2:26 pm
One other thing about the Yunnel Escobar vs. Hanley Ramirez comparison. With Ramirez’s stats of:
42 doubles, 24 HR’s, 27 Stolen Bases and .342BA/.410OBP/.543SLG/.954OPS
he would have led (tied LaRoche for HR) the Braves in all categories. When is the last time a Brave led the team in all those categories? Further back than I want to research.
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
2:31 pm
thickfreakness–he’s really done a tremendous job with the pitching staff, which I think is the thing a team needs first and foremost to be successful. It’s come at a bit of an expense for the offense and some defense, but I think it will (hopefully) be resolved by adding Heyward, Schafer and Freeman to the lineup. The Troy Glaus signing might work out very well for us, but in the end he’s not the big offensive piece the team needed to go to premiere contender status. But that’s ok, as the team has a limited budget and when you invest so heavily in pitching, that’s gonna have to happen. I still think the offense is good enough, though. Unfortunately, I think we’re going to have to wait for Heyward, Schafer and Freeman to come up before the defense is an asset for the club. An outfield of McLouth-Schafer-Heyward ain’t gonna allow too much to hit the ground, that’s for sure. I can’t wait to watch those guys play.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:33 pm
Keylargo-
When I compared the two players, I was looking to this year. Hanley has had the benefit of hitting 3rd for 3 straight years. With the exception of 2-3 months last year, Escobar has been bounced around in the order. You’ll see what kind of numbers he produces while hitting the entire year at 6th. Last year, Escobar led both Leagues in batting avg with runners in scoring position (.415) Yes, he outhit Hanley with RISP.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:38 pm
Steve OH-
You are correct sir. Don’t worry about the offense, this is team that finished 2nd in runs scored the 2nd half of last season. This is a team that will truely double people to death. I know we hoped for that last year with KJ and Frenchy. But alas, the downside of their potential was realized. Fortunately, they now longer wear the uni.
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
2:39 pm
Offense will get us to the playoffs, but pitching will get us to the World Series.
Ralph Garr
February 21st, 2010
2:40 pm
The pitching staff looks solid but with no lead off hitter and too much riding on Glaus I think the biggest mistake was not resigning La Roche
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
2:40 pm
We just need one last solid year out of Chipper. I feel like if he performs like he can this year, we’ll be fine. Next year, Heyward will be closer to taking his mantle as the Braves’ no. 1 offensive threat, but this year we need Chipper.
Danga
February 21st, 2010
2:40 pm
I can’t wait to watch those guys play. -Steve from OH
Amen.
Frankie Knuckles
February 21st, 2010
2:42 pm
Glad to see spring training start. I will not be buying a hat.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
2:43 pm
I will not be buying a hat.
That’s exactly why we couldn’t afford Damon.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
2:44 pm
Dang it, Heath…do you see something that stands out about this image?
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/fp/flashPollResultsState?sportIndex=frontpage&pollId=86536
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:46 pm
Steve OH-
I wouldn’t worry about Chipper. He will see twice as many hittable pitches this year than he did last year. He may only hit 20 dingers, but he’ll drive in 110. I guy like Chipper (great understanding and great situational hitter) doesn’t hit .365 one year and all of the sudden lose it. The order last year took a big toll on his approach and yes Glauss will make a huge difference as well as a very good #2 wether it be McLouth or Prado.
Andy K.
February 21st, 2010
2:48 pm
Hope everything is okay with Chipper physically and personally. He’s usually one of the first guys down there in Dark Star.
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
I’m not worried about him either, thick.
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
“We just need one last solid year out of Chipper. I feel like if he performs like he can this year, we’ll be fine. Next year, Heyward will be closer to taking his mantle as the Braves’ no. 1 offensive threat, but this year we need Chipper.”
Much agreed but I don’t think we can count on 100 Ribeyes from Chipper at this stage of his career. I’d be happy with an average closer to his overall career avg.and 25Hrs, and 85-90 Ribeyes
I can’t believe his B. Average dropped 100 points from 2008 to 2009
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
2:50 pm
“Greg Norton to become hitting instructor”
There’s so many jokes that come with that line it’s almost overwhelming, isn’t it?
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
Agreed…
I not a fan of those S. Training hats at all, ! and that is leaguewide…I do not the side color alterations as well as the red out-line of The “A”
because of Marketing it won’t be long until every team in the League has a different cap for everyday of the week…
Frankie Knuckles
February 21st, 2010
2:52 pm
I’ll buy a hat and hopefully I’ll be buying a Heyward jersey, but it will not buy that hat.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:53 pm
Tomahawkin-
The guy drove in 100 eight straight years. Chipper is a tremendous situational hitter. He doesn’t have to go deep to drive in runs. Prado will hit 55 doubles this year and if there are men on 2nd and 3rd, no outs, Chipper will simply single because Glauss, McCann and Escobar will continue the barrage.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
I don’t see why we’re making such a big fuss about these hats. They’ve been slightly altered to be a little more modern. Nothing major or anything. Some of you are talking like there’s unicorns on it.
Bill
February 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
Looking forward to seeing the bull pen pitch, sounds great! Also like the Cowboy, boots hat and all.
Weather here is great today, so I know its good in Fla. Time to get out the low rider and enjoy! Thanks for info DOB
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
2:55 pm
“When is the last time a Brave led the team in all those categories?”
Keylargo, uh, a Brave leads the Braves in all those categories each year, duh.
Andy K.
February 21st, 2010
2:56 pm
jeffrey d, agreed…I’m not really hung up on the hats…they are a bit different but nothing out of sync with they way MLB has been doing Spring gear the past few years…
Snotboogie
February 21st, 2010
2:57 pm
“Greg Norton to become hitting instructor”
There’s so many jokes that come with that line it’s almost overwhelming, isn’t it? – TnBrian </strong.
And add to it that his team's name is going to be "The Zephyrs". Appropriate for his swing and miss technique.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
2:57 pm
Is it against MLB regulation for Wagner to come out of the bullpen on a horse?
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
2:57 pm
I’m not getting too excited about the Pen as of yet. We still have to play the games. Afterall doesn’t it seem like every year the Bullpen we start the season only halfway resembles the sme bullpen we see in Late September? Same can be said for the lineup for the same matter…?
As The Late Skip Caray used to say “The season-long will tell that story”
David O'Brien
February 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Is bloggage a word?
Sure it is. Didn’t you see how I just used it in a sentence thingy?
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
This team will lead the League in runs scored in the 7th, 8th and 9th.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
2:59 pm
I wonder if Damon wishes he had taken the 2/$14 deal the Yanks offered early. Boras isn’t the genius here everyone is saying.
Snotboogie
February 21st, 2010
2:59 pm
“Greg Norton to become hitting instructor”
There’s so many jokes that come with that line it’s almost overwhelming, isn’t it? TnBrian
Add to it that his team’s name is going to be “The Zephyrs” – appropriate for his swing and miss technique.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
3:00 pm
I think that would bring up attendance at least a little
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
3:01 pm
Thick-Freak-Ness
My logic on what happened last year with Chipper is his Bat Slowed Down some, But agreed it seemed like everytime Chipper was hitting he had no ducks on the Pond in front of him. We need Nate-Dawg to walk more and cut down on his K’s
Then again I thought more pitchers were afraid to pitch to B-Macc rather than Chipper especially in the second half…
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:01 pm
Dan-
thingy ain’t no real world or I mean word.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:03 pm
Dan-
hopey, changey maybe, but not thingy.
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
3:04 pm
“Is it against MLB regulation for Wagner to come out of the bullpen on a horse?”
I’d rather they play the Dueling Banjos scene from Deliverance when he comes in, Now that would Rule!
Bill
February 21st, 2010
3:04 pm
Don’t like the hats either. Maybe Wagner can come out (of pen) on one of Chipper’s cutting horses, since he (Wagner) throws a good cutter.
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
3:05 pm
According to John Perrotto, the Braves project to have the 12th-highest payroll on opening day.
Poorbrave
February 21st, 2010
3:06 pm
SoWeGa..you know Damon is crying over turning down Yankees
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
3:07 pm
And then after he gets the save, he can hop back on the horse and it would carry him off into the clubhouse
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
3:07 pm
the Braves project to have the 12th-highest payroll on opening day.
Gosh, isn’t ownership terrible??!
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:08 pm
12th, that sucks, hang Malone, fire Wren – spend money you don’t have for phucks sake.
JoeMaMa
February 21st, 2010
3:08 pm
Dye would be way, way better than LOAF turned out to be but would fill the same role while Heyward and Schafer work their way into the lineup. LOAF was really bad. No more LOAF please.
hotstove.com / archive » Sunday Afternoon Hot Stove Notes: Twins, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Tigers, Red Sox, more
February 21st, 2010
3:09 pm
[...] The latest notes from Braves [...]
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
3:10 pm
DOB–I think this competition is yours to lose, dude:
http://punkondeck.blogspot.com/2010/02/scarfing-scribe-scavenger-hunt.html
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:10 pm
“swing and miss technique” Snotboogie
There’s one joke down. Only 500,000 more to go!
Bill, Wagner throws a cutter? I really didn’t know that. I thought he threw fastball,slider and heard he’s been working in his changeup more.
Jerald Holcombe
February 21st, 2010
3:11 pm
DOB, we really appreciate the info you bring to us, especially this time of year. This could be a really good year, but there are a lot of ifs surrounding this team. Of course, they are no ifs in the starting rotation, unless it’s Derek Lowe. But even Lowe will get us double digit wins and Kawakami, with another year of major league ball under his belt, should show what he’s made of. Would’ve been nice to have a true leadoff hitter though, because McClouth strikes out way too much.
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:14 pm
Some of you were talking about MLB The Show ‘10 coming out and if it’ll have Heyward and to repeat what some said … nope, a player who hasn’t played in MLB won’t be on the game. BUT, you can go to any player (has to be an unknown player) and edit him. You can make up any name you want,height,weight,number, skin color or whatever.
Yes, I’m a Play Station nerd.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:16 pm
David O’Brien
February 21st, 2010
2:58 pm
Is bloggage a word?
Sure it is. Didn’t you see how I just used it in a sentence thingy?
That’s where the “Dan” came from, DOB. Dude thought you were ole Dan Webster.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:16 pm
Wow, Howard only weighs 245. He sure carries it differently than Heyward or (Glauss at 250).
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:17 pm
SoWeGa-
I thought his name was changed to Dan and DOB was code.
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:21 pm
“Last year didn’t go the way we wanted it to” Ryan Howard
They made it to the world series and he’s disappointed? Look, they’re getting WAY too arrogant up there in Philly and I think it’s time to give them a taste of the Braves we knew in the 90’s starting right now!
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
3:21 pm
Wow, Howard only weighs 245. He sure carries it differently than Heyward or (Glauss at 250).
DOB had a blog post about how those weights are almost always inaccurate. They usually update them when they first come into the league and do not revise them often.
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
3:23 pm
I’ was on the Phillies Forum, and It just struck me that the Phillies went to the World Series last year despite Rollins and King Cole Hamels having off years, Lidge being Garbage because of injury
Braves need to focuses on the Wild Card and Play the teams outside the division well, not to mention that we need to beat up on the Cellar Dwellers of league
And is anyone other than myself tired of the Unbalanced Schedule BS?
I like playing 18 games against the NY Mess and The Phils but I hate having that many games against the Nats and Marlins…
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
3:24 pm
They made it to the world series and he’s disappointed? Look, they’re getting WAY too arrogant up there in Philly
There’s nothing wrong with being disappointed. I’m sure they’re thankful that they were able to make it that far, but you can’t play 162 games, make it to the third and final round of the playoffs, and not be disappointed when you fall just short of claiming the top prize.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:24 pm
joe-
Either Glauss lost weight or Howard gained weight, not sure.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:27 pm
Andruw came in weighing 190, but they had to change that one. I still thnk he went over 250.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:29 pm
The Yankees simply executed the pitches against Howard. The guy struck out 186 times last year. He struck out 13 times in 23 at bats in last years WS. The guy pounds most pitches, but there are some he will never hit.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:29 pm
“Braves need to focuses on the Wild Card”
Not really. They need to focus on winning every game they play, and let things develop. Just win, baby.
jeffrey d
February 21st, 2010
3:32 pm
The guy pounds most pitches, but there are some he will never hit.
Not when we pitch to him.
thickfreakness
February 21st, 2010
3:34 pm
jeffrey d-
I know, we need to walk him.
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
3:35 pm
‘Not really. They need to focus on winning every game they play, and let things develop. Just win, baby.”
Co-Sign, The seriously need to avoid letting their guard down against teams like the Pirates and Reds. They had a really bad habit of playing down to the level of their competition last year….
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:35 pm
jeffrey d, I don’t care, it’s time for the Braves to regain their dominance and really give Howard and company something to be disappointed about.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:35 pm
Howard struck out over 1 in 3 times last year, and in the Series about one in 2. I would say he misses most pitches, but the ones he hits go a long, long way.
Steve from OH
February 21st, 2010
3:36 pm
I would say he misses most pitches, but the ones he hits go a long, long way.
Hey, you gotta go big or go home…
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:37 pm
Agreed, Thawkin. If the Braves beat the teams they were supposed to in 2009, they would have run away with the division.
jer
February 21st, 2010
3:37 pm
I think the Braves have too many oft-injured and/or old players (Chipper, Wagner, Saito, Glaus, Hinske, Hudson, Infante, McLouth, McCann (eyes)); in other words, too many ifs to have much of a chance of contending. Therefore, they should let Heyward develop at AAA rather than risk him being overwhelmed in the majors (remember Schaffer last year), especially since he has less than 200 at bats above the A level. Heyward will either not be ready and therefore would have been better off at AAA or even if he is ready, it is extremely unlikely he will be a difference maker in his year (even Rookies of the Year are hardly ever difference makers). If he is ready in June, he can be brought up then without possibly losing a year free of salary arbitration. Furthermore, he had back problems last year. I suspect that pitchers will try to be getting him to lunge at pitches. Although he is not a prototypical lunger (a la Andruw), he could further injure his back if he is overmatched. My son is a competitive swimmer and one of the other swimmers on the team grew so quickly (a la Heyward) that she had back problems. The coach insisted she swim everything but her parents instead took a doctor’s advice and refused. She went to another team that allowed her to avoid the most strenous events for the back for a year and now she competes in every event as on a university scholarship. I think Schaffer should also start at AAA since last year and brought up when he is ready since last year was a waste due to his being brought up early and being injured. I have been a Braves fan since 1959 and remember Hank Aaron saying when asked if he had ever since a player’s career wrecked because his development was not handled properly. His answer was that he had seen many players careers mishandled.
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:39 pm
Tomahawkin, the Braves simply can’t lay down against Fla. and Was., especially the Nats. Can’t complain about the schedule, just have to go out there and find some fire. Good having Wagner around to help fuel the machine some. Chipper is too busniess-like and a closed door type a guy. We obviously know why … he basically grew up around that business approach in the 90’s and that’s what he is.
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
3:40 pm
Opening day last year Lowe just pounded sinkers at Howard and he couldn’t hit them.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:42 pm
You know, this could be a so-so year, but it could be something magical, as well. Dream a minute: Chipper is Chipper of old, pitching performs as expected, Heyward displays all-star qualities out of the box, Glaus shifts his gold-glove defense to 1st and hits 40 dingers, McCann sees and hits as he can, McLouth puts up 2008 numbers, Esco matures another year. Man, this could be something to see.
David O'Brien
February 21st, 2010
3:43 pm
Bobby Cox was told Joe Torre announced he’ll retire after 2011 season. “See what I started,” Cox said, smiling between bites of a sandwich.
SoWeGa Fanatic
February 21st, 2010
3:44 pm
Dang, and then here comes 2011 and all that young talent! My glass is definitely half full!
David O'Brien
February 21st, 2010
3:44 pm
Jeffrey D, I like the idea of Wagner coming from the bullpen on a horse. Should do it with six-shooters blazing, too. Imagine how well that could have worked with the Astros in the old Astrodome….
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:45 pm
joerochester, yes he threw some sinkers in on Howard, but he also threw a few really good sliders/slurves down and in and it had the big man in knots.
Slider and slurve are pretty close to the same thing, right? I guess the slurve has more of a looping action to it than the slider.
Andrew in PA
February 21st, 2010
3:46 pm
TnBrian
February 21st, 2010
3:14 pm
Some of you were talking about MLB The Show ‘10 coming out and if it’ll have Heyward and to repeat what some said … nope, a player who hasn’t played in MLB won’t be on the game. BUT, you can go to any player (has to be an unknown player) and edit him. You can make up any name you want,height,weight,number, skin color or whatever.
Yes, I’m a Play Station nerd
What games do you got? You play online?
joerochester
February 21st, 2010
3:49 pm
I just said to a blind person by accident:
“Do you know which model you had your eye on?” Whoops..
Tomahawkin
February 21st, 2010
3:51 pm
SwGaFanatic
Troy Glass will NOT come Close to hitting 40 Homers, “Bank On It!”
1) There are No where near as play players hitting 40 homers as opposed to 10 years gao
2) He is off the HGH/Roids, Pencil him in for 22 to 26 homers and thats a big if because his is injury prone. Also he will probably make us miss Roachy’s Glove at first…
However, I like the optomism, but that’s reality since offense leaguewide is in decline
Andrew in PA
February 21st, 2010
3:53 pm
Jer, you cant play baseball worrying about injuries,if your gonna get hurt your gonna get hurt. To start Heyward in AAA so you dont risk him being overwhelmed,i dont understand your logic. Also to compare him to Schafer is a little much dont you think? I dont recall Schafer being on the same talent level as Heyward being voted the best prospect in baseball. Schafer was also hurt.