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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
882 comments Add your comment
fleming
March 31st, 2010
4:05 pm
BravesfaninWis
O’Flaherty
Soph
March 31st, 2010
4:05 pm
Soph – and it has occurred to me that with a few more shots falling in the opening game, my guys could be there doing the same thing…
Destiny, VJ, destiny. My Heels are MEANT to be NIT champs this year.
And, it makes me sad…
Lawton
March 31st, 2010
4:05 pm
Nova, interesting acquisition for sure to get a guy with that much MLB experience. But, he really has not been good the last couple of years. It will be interesting to see how he performs this season.
Anyone remember that Robertson broke into the bigs as a Marlin? I didn’t……….
thinbreakness
March 31st, 2010
4:05 pm
Glen W-
I unfairly jumped you, I knew what you meant and you’re probably correct.
ABTSteve
March 31st, 2010
4:06 pm
Chipper is an old guy and playing it smart. Absolutely no reason for him to play today. And for those saying we need him to play 150 games this year, I strongly disagree. Chipper was top 2 or 3 in games played on the team last year. It was too much. Chipper was tired and it showed. The bench is deep and versatile this year. Keep Chipper to 130 games this year and we will get a much higher quality Chipper in the games he does play.
RHR
March 31st, 2010
4:07 pm
April 5th big day, maybe 45,000 fans. Hope so.
For opening day? It will be more like 52K … or whatever a sellout is. Definitely over 50K.
Poorbrave
March 31st, 2010
4:08 pm
Thurston for last spot…agree
glove51
March 31st, 2010
4:09 pm
I agree with ABTSteve — Chipper at 130 to 135 games is plenty and will keep him fresher.
Glen W
March 31st, 2010
4:09 pm
Anyone remember that Robertson broke into the bigs as a Marlin? I didn’t……… -Lawton
I did not remember that at all either. Funny that they felt strongly about adding a left-hander to the rotation… is that because of the Phils and Braves lineups? and the fact they they really don’t have an established left in the pen? Probably, no?
Poorbrave
March 31st, 2010
4:09 pm
not sure but believe sell out is around 47,000.
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
4:10 pm
“Nova Scotia Steve
March 31st, 2010
2:20 pm
Can anyone explain to me what exactly happens when a hitter knocks the ball over the outfield wall?
I forget.”
Well, at that point the Yankees manager comes out onto the field and explains to the umps that according to NY rules, that in order to satisfy the fans while creating a fair environment, 2 bases shall be awarded when the ball is struck by an opposing batter whilst 4 bases are bequeathed in favor of the home teams batters.
Poorbrave
March 31st, 2010
4:10 pm
April 5th is also a school day. That will cut crowd some.
CB
March 31st, 2010
4:11 pm
Wayne from Utah,I knew- it was my way of getting a little dig on you.
SC Smith
March 31st, 2010
4:11 pm
I was thinking about all the Managers & past managers with ties to Bobby Cox. Gonzalez, Yost, Jimmy Williams, Cito Gaston, Grady Little, ect… But then I thought about the players he managed still in the game in some way coaching or broadcating or front office. Gant, Jordan, Justice, Glavine, Smoltz, Maddox, Roberto Kelly, Guillen (manager) and I’m sure I’m missing some. Must be gratifing for him.
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:11 pm
unbelievable, ok just what are you saying?
Lawton
March 31st, 2010
4:13 pm
ugaaccountant: Well, at that point the Yankees manager comes out onto the field and explains to the umps that according to NY rules, that in order to satisfy the fans while creating a fair environment, 2 bases shall be awarded when the ball is struck by an opposing batter whilst 4 bases are bequeathed in favor of the home teams batters.
you know, I thought the same thing when I read that question, but couldn’t have phrased the response nearly as well as you.
go jackets.
JJ
March 31st, 2010
4:14 pm
April 5th is also a school day. That will cut crowd some. – Poorbrave
This is Georgia, half the school systems will close when they hear of the threat of Jason Heyward’s power coming into the state.
RHR
March 31st, 2010
4:15 pm
On April 6th it might effect the crowd but on opening day, at a 4:00 p.m. game, it won’t matter. I’ve never seen an opening day or home opener where it wasn’t packed. The next night there might not be 10,000 people there but on opening day you can count on a sellout. Especially when they’re playing a team like the Cubs who have a lot of fans in the ATL area.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
4:16 pm
Scary thing to me about the Phils is last year they sucked for like two months early on and still won the division.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2010
4:16 pm
CB
Be careful, you might hurt my fragile feelings!!
Glen W
March 31st, 2010
4:17 pm
Scary thing to me about the Phils is last year they sucked for like two months early on and still won the division. -SoWeGa Fanatic
Not so hard to believe when the next best team in the division is running Kelly Johnson and Jeff Francouer out there every day.
RHR
March 31st, 2010
4:17 pm
not sure but believe sell out is around 47,000.
I’m not sure either but I was going on attendance numbers announced at games that I have personally attended. I’ve been to a few where the attendance was announced at 51-52K.
Poorbrave
March 31st, 2010
4:18 pm
agree JJ and RHR …….Play ball!
Yoda
March 31st, 2010
4:20 pm
Chipper…hurt already!!!!!!!!!
Put him on the DL and then find somebody stupid enough to trade for him….like maybe the Mets!!!!!!!
Glen W
March 31st, 2010
4:20 pm
Smacks of desperation a little bit:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2010/news/story?id=5044213
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2010
4:20 pm
Glaus has four doubles, a single and four RBI in his past five plate appearances, raising spring avg to .413 w/ .518 OBP and .522 slugging
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:21 pm
sportmandh Who would you rather have, Rollins or Jeter? Most people would say Jeter and he’s a lot older.
what does this have to do with rollins being in decline? besides, i think who most people would want between the two would depend on what the team needs, and for how long.
CB
March 31st, 2010
4:22 pm
Turner Field is listed capacity of 50,000.
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:23 pm
turner field capacity is 49831 according to gotickets.com. but there are lots of different capacity numbers. they are all right around 50,000.
ATL22
March 31st, 2010
4:23 pm
I think with the buzz surrounding this team plus the Heyward factor you’re looking at 50,000+ fans packed in for Opening Day at the Ted. If you search for tickets on braves.com you can’t even find 2 seats together anymore, only scattered single tickets. So that tells me expect a packed house with the gameday walkup crowd.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2010
4:24 pm
I am not sure why folks are getting so wrapped around the axle about Jesse Chavez poor showing this spring…….
He will probably make the squad as the 6th or 7th reliever down in the pen. Besides, if he falls on his face, then he will be replaced by Proctor when he is ready.
As I see it, the last two spots are down to Reyes, Proctor, Chavez, Venters and Kimbrel. I think Chavez and Venters will get the nod, and the others will go up to Gwinnett and get some work in.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2010
4:24 pm
The Whigs are on Letterman tonight. If you’ve not heard ‘em, very solid band from Athens, Ga., and their new CD is outstanding.
jtb
March 31st, 2010
4:24 pm
Opening day is sold out already.
dpelfrey
March 31st, 2010
4:25 pm
Thanks DOB, thanks a lot.
Now that filthy nasty toe image is burned in my mind for the rest of the day. I couldn’t even read the sections of the blog in that area.
Jersey Gil
March 31st, 2010
4:26 pm
The Sport Talk Show here in Phillis land are concern about Pitching staff trouble…Blanton with problem and Lidge with Elbow, and today Halladay give up 4 run first inning.No good news for Phillid Fan to start the Season.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2010
4:27 pm
Glen W: Agreed on Lidge. Can’t think of many worse ways a pitcher would want to start the season than getting a cortisone shot. I mean, other than having surgery in spring training, that’s about as unsettling a development as you can have days before the opener.
Thing is, I don’t even know if the Phillies are really hurt that much by not having him. Seriously.
Venice Jim
March 31st, 2010
4:27 pm
The highest recorded attendance for a Braves regular season game in Atlanta is 53,953 and was set at Turner Field on July 21, 2007, against the St Louis Cardinals. The highest recorded attendance for a Braves playoff game (and overall) in Atlanta is 54,357 and was set at Turner Field on October 5, 2003, against the Chicago Cubs – per the wizards at Wikipedia…
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2010
4:29 pm
A well placed cortisone shot can do wonders for some ailments………..just sayin’
That fact that Lidge had a c-shot doesn’t necessarily signal doom and gloom for him.
eltrompo says, "J-Hey, where strikeouts go to die."
March 31st, 2010
4:30 pm
DOB- I see what you’re saying but it is never an advantage to go into a season without a closer. Hopefully that is part of their upcoming (again, let’s hope) downfall during the season.
The Grinch
March 31st, 2010
4:30 pm
I guarantee it’s a sellout; got my tix two weeks ago and best I could get was upper level general admission.
CB, I’m not always overly optimistic (I predicted 88 last year before we knew how bad KJ/JS/JF were gonna be). But this year feels different to me. I’m likin’ the way it looks. Agreed about the general negativity on the blog, though; you’d think most here were fans of some perennially awful team with no hope and no payroll. Yeah, we hit a temporary dry spell but we’ve got a GM who knows what he’s doing and this year is gonna go a long way towards re-establishing the NL East pecking order.
unbelievable
March 31st, 2010
4:30 pm
unbelievable, ok just what are you saying? -DAP
nothing really. He’s a great player, but Id be alarmed if I was the Phils. You have to be a little dont you if you’re them? Everything across the board has dropped for him – just looking at everything…SB’s are down, power is down, obp is down, avg is down, fielding is down (yes he still won a gold glove) Dont get me wrong here, he’s still a huge asset to the Phils, but Im just watching to see if its just a bad 2009 or if he’s declining this fast.
smitty
March 31st, 2010
4:32 pm
I think SRO tickets might be made available the day of the game but as of a few days ago the home opener was sold out.
Scoots
March 31st, 2010
4:33 pm
DOB – who are you betting on for that last utility spot – Hinske or Conrad? Seems like they’re both doing their best to make it a hard call.
Playoffs!?!?
March 31st, 2010
4:33 pm
Last!!
That's Nice
March 31st, 2010
4:34 pm
@Marty
Looks like a young Chipper….but I think it’s McLouth.
unbelievable
March 31st, 2010
4:35 pm
Scoots – Hinske has already gotten his spot on this team. Its down to Thurston and Conrad
KC
March 31st, 2010
4:35 pm
“Thing is, I don’t even know if the Phillies are really hurt that much by not having him. Seriously.”
I don’t know if it hurts them or not. Depends on which version of Brad Lidge we’re talking about. Dude is like a box of chocolates.
All I know is that if the bullpen coughs up late leads like it did last year, it’ll be a problem for them THIS year. The Braves dug such a hole early that the Phillies never really had a real challenge in the division. If the Braves are just relatively healthy, it’s going to be much tougher for them to get away with that this year.
Scoots
March 31st, 2010
4:36 pm
I think if McLouth, Diaz, Melky and Prado can get on base this year, it’s going to be a good season. Esco, Heyward, Chipper, McCann and Glaus are each potential 100-RBI guys.
Scoots
March 31st, 2010
4:37 pm
My bad, that’s what I meant – Thurston or Conrad
bravesgirlnc
March 31st, 2010
4:38 pm
Norris and the other dude,
Who gives a flying flip about Kimbrel getting with his assigned team as soon as possible? Do you know who his “assigned team” is? The Braves. The big boys. End of story. All of the minor league teams are ultimately just practice for the big time. Right now is the point in Spring Training when the hitters are hopefully ramped up and ready to go. Again, why would we NOT want one of our top pitching prospects facing these guys while he can without actually using up service time?
Neither of your “arguments” make any sense. They kept up Freeman and Heyward last year for quite a while for the same reason.
Playoffs!?!?
March 31st, 2010
4:39 pm
Last again!
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
4:40 pm
Question of the day – With the Phils offense, can Halliday win 30 games in 2010???
larry jones
March 31st, 2010
4:42 pm
mmmmm, toe-jam, yum-yum
glove51
March 31st, 2010
4:42 pm
scoots: it’s between Thurston and Conrad. Hinske is in for sure. I’d make Conrad the slight favorite.
Snotboogie
March 31st, 2010
4:42 pm
Question of the day – With the Phils offense, can Halliday win 30 games in 2010??? – SoWeGa Fanatic
My fantasy team hopes so!
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
4:43 pm
I think he can do it, if all falls just right.
glove51
March 31st, 2010
4:44 pm
No way on Halladay winning 30.
I doubt he wins 20 personally.
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:45 pm
unbelieveable SB’s are down, power is down, obp is down, avg is down, fielding is down
if you consider that those numbers are down from a career spike in all categories, resulting in an MVP award, then sure, but put into context his entire career, and its not down that much. career average SB per 162 is 38, he did 31. average HR is 17, he had 21, average 2B is 40, he had 43, average slug% is .439, he did .423.
my opinion is that if he takes care of that low OBP (partly from hitting for higher average and partly from walking a bit more) then he will be back to normal. more chances to steal, an extra few hits will improve his slg%, ect. his numbers just dipped for a year, hes not there to stay. seriously, give him 10 singles and 5 walks over what he did last season, and it wouldnt look that bad.
RHR
March 31st, 2010
4:45 pm
Question of the day – With the Phils offense, can Halliday win 30 games in 2010???
Maybe he could have if it weren’t for those 6 pesky SI covers.
SC Smith
March 31st, 2010
4:45 pm
I may have missed something, but where was Nate today?
Christine
March 31st, 2010
4:46 pm
Chipper is a poor excuse for a Brave and an even poorer excuse for a man. He is waaaaaaay overrated and is on the DL more than he isn’t, no matter how ridiculous the excuse.
Renegator
March 31st, 2010
4:46 pm
Question of the day – With the Phils offense, can Halliday win 30 games
Only if they are all complete games… Have you seen that bullpen?
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:49 pm
KC Depends on which version of Brad Lidge we’re talking about. Dude is like a box of chocolates.
how so? :- )
SC Smith
March 31st, 2010
4:50 pm
Wow Christine, pretty rough on the first ballot hall of famer, don’t ya think?
Nick n Nash
March 31st, 2010
4:50 pm
Christine…..that’s why he has hall of fame caliber numbers correct?
Bobby Hill
March 31st, 2010
4:54 pm
Do the Phillies have the resources to make mid-season acquisitions? Does anyone know?
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
4:54 pm
Taking stock of our long term plans in OF now that Springs basically over:
Heyward – Legen, wait for it, dary
Diaz – in good shape
Melky – in good shape
Nate – much better this week
Hinske – in good shape
relevant to Hinske:
Glaus – in good shape
Chipper – in good shape
Not ready today:
Schaefer – not playing yet
Mitch Jones – didn’t succeed
Blanco – didn’t succeed
Young, Clevelan – not realistic options yet
There still needs to be some thought given to how we carve out a spot for Schaefer to earn. Look like we won’t need to worry about that for a few months, but I wonder if a trade is being explored?
Basically, Hinske’s playing well enough that he could be our primary backup for 1b/3b and corner of, IF we had a placeholder for Schaefer available. We do not, as Jones and Blanco failed. I really wanted Jones to succeed because he could have been our extra backup for 1b as well.
Anyway, hope a trade possibility is being considered, but it would be ideal if that wasn’t until mid-season when Schaefer’s able to take a spot on the roster.
Ga in Hi
March 31st, 2010
4:54 pm
SAFF….
for the amount of money Larry is being paaid, he shud play thru the minor stuff…
after learning to play hardball on the red dirt fields of N Ga. and following the old Cracker teams,
I seen my share of loafers.. It is time for old men to watch and teach and get out of the way of younger better players.. The more they make the more they are watch, and honestly he hasn’t from the time he got the big bucks earned for the team..
It seems he plays to pad his numbers for the HOF
RC
March 31st, 2010
4:55 pm
Christine, I think it’s time to go home for the day. Hope you are taking MARTA though, because with the mood you appear to be in I wouldn’t want to come across you in traffic.
FEAR
March 31st, 2010
4:55 pm
hallady will win 18
DAP
March 31st, 2010
4:55 pm
i think the cause of christines emotional evaluation of chipper jones is clear. probably has something to do with what happened with his first wife.
SC Smith
March 31st, 2010
4:55 pm
WOW, Nick n Nash thinking the same thing.
John
March 31st, 2010
4:55 pm
Glad he’s puny again. Retire you bum.
BM-L26
March 31st, 2010
4:56 pm
Chipper should start getting pedicures and he won’t have the ingrowns.
Looks like Tackysue might be getting laid-off if KK english keeps improving.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 31st, 2010
4:57 pm
Chipper needs a raise. That he can’t afford nail clippers (with a crooked-tipped file for toe-jam digging) is heartbreaking.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
4:57 pm
Forgot about the bp, but that offense and Doc H are intriguing to me.
ncscoots
March 31st, 2010
4:58 pm
No way on Halladay winning 30. I doubt he wins 20 personally.
Roger that. Johan was supposed to be god-like coming to the “lesser” league and a (then) powerful lineup. And the NL East top-to-bottom is a lot better today than when Santana arrived. No joyride for Doc, he’s going to have to earn it.
But he’s plenty good, and that’s bad enough.
Mad Mike
March 31st, 2010
4:58 pm
DOB… in case you (and anyone else here) missed it (which probably didn’t happen since you and the blog introduced me to this band to start with), you may be interested in checking out the new Whigs album, “in the dark,” for your drive over to Orlando. it’s phenomenal.
RC
March 31st, 2010
4:58 pm
SAFF….
for the amount of money Larry is being paaid, he shud play thru the minor stuff…
Don’t know if you’ve watched the Braves for the past, oh, 20 years, but he does play through the minor stuff….when the games matter. Thing is, Braves could win by 100 or lose by 100 in a spring training game, and when April 5th rolls around, they’ll be 0-0 along with every other team in baseball (except for the Yankees and Red Sox). I’d much rather Chipper trade one game in Spring training for a week worth of play during the season….shoot, I’d rather he trade ALL of spring training for one game of the season.
Mad Mike
March 31st, 2010
5:00 pm
silly me…i just scrolled up and saw your 4:24 post DOB. thanks for reminding me about the letterman appearance.
Daslied
March 31st, 2010
5:00 pm
Scoots, what did people predict when Santana came to the Mets? 31-5, 28-2, stuff like that, if I remember correctly.
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
5:01 pm
I don’t think these Chipper bashers are kidding. Way too many of them to all be one guy trolling. It’s spring training which is basically practice. No way in **** should any of our regulars play everyday. It would be better for most of these bloggers if Bobby’s quote for everyone was that MLB requires rec-league rules of everyone gets to play.
Mikeyc588
March 31st, 2010
5:02 pm
DOB –
Do you mean to suggest the Phillies aren’t hurt by not having the Lidge of LAST season, or by not having a healthy/productive Lidge like they had in 2008? Because although he had a terrible season last year, he can be dominant when he’s on. If you meant last year’s model, then I totally agree. More of a frustration/liability than anything. Fortunately for us, I don’t see Lidge circa 2008 coming back this year.
unbelievable
March 31st, 2010
5:04 pm
seriously, give him 10 singles and 5 walks over what he did last season, and it wouldnt look that bad. – DAP
yeah I agree. He’s basically missing a few of those infield singles and about 10 BB. His BABIP shows he was a little unlucky last season also. However, it’ll be interesting to see what his overall 2010 will look like
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
5:05 pm
Roy Halliday’s potential line this season, from a positive bias spin:
35 starts
22-25 wins
10 complete games
250 innings pitched
225 k’s
ERA 2.25
That’s the rosy glasses view based on his past 2-3 years given the league change, better offense, etc. I don’t think it gets even close to that, but yeah I can see where the fun with projection people would get that idea.
sportsmandh
March 31st, 2010
5:07 pm
DAP
B/c someone commented Rollins was only 31, in part of their idea they don’t think he’s declining.
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
5:07 pm
Forgot to say, the most important assumption on Halladay is that he continues to stay deep into ballgames due to his dominance relative to that sorry bullpen. But if they insist on pitch counts, pinch hits and other excuses for taking him out early, he’s going to have an extremely disapointing year.
I’m a huge fan of his because he’s one of the few guys that really will go deep into games on a regular basis. Few things are more satisfying to watch than a complete game masterpiece.
Braveheart
March 31st, 2010
5:07 pm
The thing with the attendance is that they have that area up top where you can just stand around and watch the game. Who knows how many they can cram into that area if the seats are all filled? It’s always kind of cool when you see that area start getting crowded, although it must suck to stand around when it is blazing hot out there. Plus, you don’t really have to stand there. You can always walk down to the bottom and stand around down there.
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
5:09 pm
Further complication – does anyone ever win 30 again without going to a 4 man rotation?
Bobby Hill
March 31st, 2010
5:10 pm
I’m having a hard time picturing Schafer on this team. He really needs to accrue some playing time. I don’t think the Braves would want to bring him up from Gwinnett to sit the bench. Not after all the time he’s missed in recent years. Unless McLouth can’t get it going, or a serious injury crops up there’s obviously no spot for Schafer. And the whole outfields is still under contract for 2011.
Plus, at this point the guy’s got more baggage than Samsonite. I suspect Wren is hoping that Schafer will have a really great couple of months at Gwinnett, and can then become the team’s best trade chip at the deadline.
Braveheart
March 31st, 2010
5:10 pm
I don’t think these Chipper bashers are kidding. Way too many of them to all be one guy trolling.
If there’s one thing Stinky taught us all back in the day, it is don’t ever underestimate the will of one troll to assume dozens of identities in an hour or two.
unbelievable
March 31st, 2010
5:12 pm
as for Halladay winning 30 games, I just dont see how it could happen. He’ll probably get 33-34 starts, but no way he can win 30 of those
I would say its more likely to see him post an ERA under 2 though
unbelievable
March 31st, 2010
5:14 pm
SoWeGA – dont see how someone could in a 5 man rotation, just dont get enough starts. Someone would need probably 40 starts to win 30 games, esp with the way bullpens blow leads these days
CB
March 31st, 2010
5:15 pm
It will be interesting to see what Tommy Hanson will bring to the table this season. Will he take the next step in his career and become one of the best pitchers in baseball? I think we have a lot to look forward to this season,not just Heyward. Hanson adding the changeup consistently will make him more dominant mixed in with his other great pitches.
ugaaccountant
March 31st, 2010
5:18 pm
unbelievable – What’s your take on Halladay pitching even deeper into NL games? With the coupe of extra easy outs for pitchers. Since he was already going incredibly deep relative to everyone else, it’s possible he could have a crazy number of CG’s this year.
Or the pinch hitting ways of the NL could be his undoing through no fault of his own.
Braveheart
March 31st, 2010
5:18 pm
does anyone ever win 30 again without going to a 4 man rotation?
I forget now what the numbers are, but I think starters these days typically average a decision for every 8.25 innings or so pitched. So for a pitcher to get 30 decisions, he’d have to pitch about 240 innings. For him to win 30, all of those decisions would have to be wins. Or something like that
SoWeGa Fanatic
March 31st, 2010
5:19 pm
McClain won 31 of 36 games in 1968 – the first to win 30 since Dizzy Dean since 1934.
If he has a shot late, do the Phils pitch him more? Would he want to?
raleighbravesfan
March 31st, 2010
5:20 pm
Why in H**L would Chipper — OR ANYONE, especially a regular, play with a sore ANYTHING during Spring Training? What is wrong with you people? You are worse than the Bobby Bashers. First, check and see what Chipper has done for this organization. Next, check his stats, even in “bad” years, and then shut up.
Rob from SC
March 31st, 2010
5:22 pm
Don’t forget the stadium Halladay will pitch in.
Braveheart
March 31st, 2010
5:24 pm
DOB, saw your boy Millar got released:
Kevin Millar said finding out that he did not make the Chicago Cubs roster on Tuesday was “the toughest day I’ve had in this game.” “I’ve never been released,” Millar said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “Fortunately, I’ve had an opportunity to play with a couple of different teams and play for a long time, but [Tuesday] was the first time I’ve ever been released. You knew that day was going to come. I still felt confident going into the clubhouse [Tuesday] that I was breaking camp with the Cubbies. It was still a situation where I felt like I was a nice fit for that spot.”
Soon after general manager Jim Hendry told him the news Tuesday morning, the 38-year-old Millar said the reality of the situation hit him. “When I left Jim’s office, when I lost it is, right next door is [scout] Gary Hughes, and I shook his hand and all the emotions hit me,” Millar said. “He signed me in ‘93, St. Paul Saints. I hugged him, and I hadn’t cried it felt like in years. All the emotions hit me. I was upstairs and the guys were warming up [out on the field] … It was the reality of, ‘Wow, this could be it.’ ”
Millar said his agent has heard from a few teams, and he will look into every opportunity to continue his playing career, and even hinted that a return to the Cubs isn’t out of the question. “I think the door is open,” Millar said about the Cubs. “There’s so many things that can happen. I definitely, for at least this week here, will stay active and hit and see what goes on.” If his 12-year career is over, Millar said he will stay in the game in some capacity, whether it be in the front office of a major league team or as an analyst on television. Hendry said Tuesday that he could see Millar potentially working for the Cubs some day. But for now, continuing his playing career is Millar’s priority. “I would love to see if there is an opportunity [to play] out there,” Millar said. “If there’s not, I wouldn’t change a thing for my career, and I move forward.”