Prado DL decision expected Monday (updated)

FW needs to make a trade now!

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DOB – any trades sitll in the works for the Bravos? Know it’s not likely but sure would like to get Dunn…Having Prado out is certainly going to hurt a lot, but rather go ahead and DL him to give a few more extra days so we have him healthy for stretch run plus rather not play short handed for next week and a half…

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If he’s only out a week it’s not too bad because Infante can fill in for him but if he’s out the whole 15 days could let the Phillies catch up to us. Hopefully it’s not that long.

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Conrad at 2B.

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prado is so important to this team;s winning that I see we will have more numbers in loss column than in win column.
IF Omar goes to 2nd and Omar is the only one who could be Prado for awhile but then who plays short.
Gonzalez is not a sure bet as gastritis is something that can bite you again and again.
by the way, Yunel is hitting .358 for Toronto. evidently they know how to handle him….we didn’;t and that is a shame.
who else could play SS if Gonzo gets sick again……and Prado goes on DL…who do we have at Gwinnett?

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oopps, me bad! Conrad at 2nd is a good option and keep Omar at SS but we know Cox won’t keep Omar at short. he hits tooo good.

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HICKS SHOULD GET A CALL SOON

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When are these guys going to learn that sliding head-first has more bad possible outcomes than good? Jeez.

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Losing Prado is huge. Leadoff men impact on teams lineup is critical. Look at the Phils w/o Rollins and Mets without Reyes. To make it worse look at the next 10 starting pitchers the Braves will face….

Arroyo,Volquez,Santana,Dickey,Pelfrey,Linceum,Zito,Cain and J. Sanchez.

That’s tough for a lineup that has already been struggling as is.

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Kelly Johnson is being shopped…could help if Prado goes on the DL…and play LF when Prado comes back…Just sayin’

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Yunel hitting .358 for Toronto?? I remember a guy named Jeff Francoeur who was leading the Mets in batting average, HRs and rbis back in April. Yunel will be Yunel as soon as he gets called for an error he disagrees with and spazzes out for an inning or two.

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you can take away head first slides….some teams have mandated that star players not do it….or, outfit players with a “cast” like device for players to wear…posednik of the dodger (formerly of the Royals) has one he wears after breaking finger…2nd time this year we’ve lost a catalyst to a head first slide…but I guess that’s baseball…so is missing the playoffs

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I love Freeman, I think it may be wise to bring him up to give Glaus a extended breather. Maybe recharge his batteries. Don’t give up on him yet. We were all calling for his head in April and then he led the team in May to a lot of wins. If it wasn’t for him, we’re not in 1st. But I do need he needs a break….and a long one at that.

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Troy Glaus WTF WTF!!!!! is wrong

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Yeah no more sliding head first(Ricky Henderson did it for 20 years) or trying to take second baseman out or diving for balls or trying to knock the ball out of the catchers hand. No more foul tips off the foot or shin and for goodness sake when a guy throws 90+ don’t get anywhere near the ball. Bunch of nansies.
Prado plays hard agressive baseball – it’s what got him here and he should never change.

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Maybe we can pick up KJ, Andruw, Frenchy, Cody Ross, Adam Dunn, and even convince Smoltzie to close for us. We need to fill in for Prado and counter the Phil’s move NOW

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Cody Ross is not much of an improvement….I like J Clay’s take: gregor in CF, Diaz in LF and Hinske on 1B. and to heck with whether the opponent’s pitcher is a righty or lefty. who says Matty can’t hit right handers. tis a mystery to this ole woman

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Ricky did it for 20 years….but Heyward did it for 2 months and tore his hand up…and now Prado. I know it’s needed at times, but at other times it is not. We’ll see what happens next time we lose a team leader to a head first slide.

What’s wrong with Ellsbury….nothing. When he’s full strength in a few weeks he gives the team an X factor that we don’t have. Speed on the base paths drastically effects a game.

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Sometimes the best trade is the one that you did NOT make.

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Gregor is not an every day CF, if he was…he would have been there a long time ago. He’s great for a short time…but not the whole season and not in the playoffs…we’ve had Gregor for how long and how many CF’s in that time….obviously someone doesn’t think he can handle it

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Flag – He may not be option long term in center but neither is Ellsbury…they both have speed (so did McLouth) – I’d rather roll with Gregor than give up prospects for Ellsbury…Recall, Bobby did not think Prado was everyday material either until KJ was hurt – even after he came back they put him in over Prado for a week or two…Cox, for all his strengths, if he has made up his mind on someone tough to change his mind…The move to give up prospects for would be Dunn – though I doubt that will happen

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Why don’t some of the brilliant GM’s on here just trade KK and McLouth to the Reds for Votto and Cueto even up.

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Akinori Iwamura appears to have regained his stroke at AAA. And I bet the Pirates would let him go cheap. Just sayin’.

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Who made head first sliding popular in the major leagues?

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Man….there’s slightly less than 2 hours left before the trade deadline. Can’t the Braves make some kind of trade? They always need another bat. And they have one pitcher in the bullpen that is just dead weight…can’t use him (KK). An arm, a bat, or a callup would be nice. Yes. I know that the minors are entering their last month of the season. But, the Braves are trying to hold off the division contenders after they just got stronger. They need to stay at least five steps ahead.

By the way….glad Prado’s injury wasn’t more serious. My heart fell into my stomach last night when I saw him writhing in pain miliseconds after scoring in that headfirst slide. You’d think the rest of the team would learn from J-Hey’s DL stint to stay away from that sort of slide. Siggghhhhh…..

And, I think it’s ridiculous that the Yanks just got Lance Berkman. WHY did they need anyone else? Sometimes I think that a salary cap is needed just for certain teams so that parity can exist in the MLB as a whole.

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For all those banging on the head-first slide, it should be noted that Magglie Ordonez broke his ankle on 7/24 using a feet-first slide!

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J Clay- Ellsbury has speed and can hit for average and has done so consistently at the ML level. I know that Bobby didn’t give Prado a chance…but Gregor has yet to prove he can do it….every time he fills in he starts off good and then cools…he is not and will not be an everyday CF…a nice piece for the bench and that is it.

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DOBber, all i have to say is this, Al Rosen…1954 All Star game…look it up

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I too was wondering about Manny…but I don’t think he fits this clubhouse

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Dodgers just got Lilly

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Vanfowler’s not playing by the rules…

He now must be banned from all sites….

JK – don’t get all worked up over it….

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Manny doesn’t fit our clubhouse, but gotta think his bat would be exactly what would take us all the way…

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No to Ross, he’s no help…..

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Ross is off the market since Coghlan got hurt….ok by me

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Whoever says that headfirst slides should be banned should be banned. Whoever says that the Escobar trade is hurting the Braves should be banned. Whoever says that Bobby is an idiot should be banned. Whoever thinks that the Braves will be fine with Conrad starting ANYWHERE should be banned.

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the fact that frank wren can’t get creative and find us a servicable outfield bat is driving me crazy

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Dave- Is it safe to assume that Prado’s injury isn’t going to require a surgical pin? I know other avulsion fractures can require pinning. Will have a cast for a few days? Although I am hopeful, the description of the injury sounds worse than a 10 day stint.

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We should have got Dunn two years ago instead of that broken down left fielder. can’t even remember his name now

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I know Rick Ankiel has missed all but 30 games of the season, but in the 10 games since he has been back he is hitting the ball hard and with base hits. why wouldnt we take a flier on him?

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Hinskie needs to play first, so we can rest Glaus. A long rest. And we need to pray that Cox doesn’t get Greg Norton back before the deadline. Our great manager Cox who all last year pinch hit Norton ahead of Conrad.

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J Clay and others:

Jacoby Ellsbury would be a MAJOR upgrade for a team that is woefully short on speed. Any one who feels that Blanco is a better player than Ellsbury needs a serious reality check!

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I just enjoy it when the GM’s on this blog say who is a every-day player and who is not.You never know until someone is given the chance.(Prado for instance).Blanco needs a chance and Thurston would be a better call-up than Hicks.He has ML experience and can play second as well as third.You know we need an extra player for thirdbase fropm time to time.As foir Yunel,I still say it was a bad trade.Our next manager might have done a better job of relating to YE,but BC made sure we will never know.A potential superstar get traded for a journeyman.Oh yeah.did Bobby jump Chipper for not running on a pop up with two outs?Oh no,his oblique or his whatever was hurting him,but for the first time in many moons he don’t go on DL.Amazing,isn’t it?Prado get well,because you are due arbitration and you know you are not a back-up catcher,so beware.GO BRAVES….. .

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I know his history is injury prone, but he is not owed a lot of money. i would be the same type of move like Glaus.

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DId not say Blanco better than Ellsbury….but did say I would not give up prospects for Ellsbury, rather would take my chances with Blanco….Dunn is worth trading prospects for IMO but not Ellsbury

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Ellsbury is clearly a better player than Blanco. To say anything else is just silly, but is Ellsbury better than Blanco enough to make up for what you would have to give up to get him? That is a reasonable question, but the problem is we have no idea what the Red Sox would want in return if they were even interested in moving him.

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Latest tweet from DOB says likely Braves get a trade done for a reliever and/or hitter…

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The thing about Ellsbury is, he’s often over matched by good pitching. He’s just not that good. He’s a guy you like in small samples – the daily grind exposes him for what he is: great speed/bad jumps/no arm in OF. great speed/mediocre bat/average OBP at the plate.

I think people get mesmerized by the idea of speed for it’s own sake. But in baseball, there’s a reason why slugging trumps speed. You can’t steal first base.

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the braves need to move today….waiting until the end of august is going to sink this team…the phillies made up 5 games in a week and have added another #1 pitcher….we need to counter today….or in another week we’ll be looking up at the phillies in the standings

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I hear Ken Griffey Jr is available and talking to the Braves again……jk

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oswalt is a #1 pitching as a #2 and hamels is a #1 pitching as a #3….ouch

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i’m glad that ‘reasonable’ chance of a trade today likely won’t include cody ross

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One of these days these guys are going too see that head first sliding is bad for the hands and wrists. First the thumb of Say Hey, now this. I think the 2Bman of Phillies injured himself on a head first slide also, but several others have also. Head first sliding into home where the catcher is all padded us with hard shin guards is not smart baseball, period.

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J Clay
July 31st, 2010
2:40 pm

DId not say Blanco better than Ellsbury….but did say I would not give up prospects for Ellsbury, rather would take my chances with Blanco….Dunn is worth trading prospects for IMO but not Ellsbury
====

Yup. Boston pulled the plug on Ellsbury as their leadoff guy because he wasn’t able to get on enough, and that was with Pedroia as protection. He’s certainly not going to bat leadoff here, with MP around.

And I’d like to see how he fares batting eighth, with the pitcher for protection. It’s a different world for those borderline hitters once they come to the NL.

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ESPN blog now saying Braves likely to get one or two deals done before deadline….first I have seen them comment on it yet….Between DOB and ESPN reporting, hopefully something big is cooking

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Wow so a career line of .295/.347/.412 in basically 2 1/2 seasons while swiping 131 bases is mediocre?

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elllsbury doesn’t get on enough?????? career .350 ops….prado’s ops this year .357…..thats laughable

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i think if we got ellsbury, it would be time to move chipper from the 3 hole…what is he doing there….you could bat ellsbury and prado 1-2 or vice versa…heyward 3….mac 4….glaus or chipper 5…the other 6

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scarier top of the lineup that way than what we have now

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I saw that as well…but it was very vague….no names mentioned..???

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I would be happy if Braves get Guillen from Royals 268-16-60rbi…also the former Braves Farnsworth is having a great year 2.42 era 13w to 36 k’s in 43.5 inning give up just 2 hrs.
No matter what you say both would be a big plus for Braves to make play-offs. Now give me hell!
Never happy anyway.

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The Braves ALWAYS publicly underestimate injuries ( i.e. LIE) he’s out for a month–minimum.

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Diaz for Ellsbury – close?

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ellsburg is another schafer

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Please no Farnsworth – anyone remember game 4 2005 vs. Astros? Bring Back Bob Wickman or Dan Kolb before Farnsy

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Update Frank Wren acquires a brain

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No way about Kemp. I would go streaking

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Ellsbury could not endure as the Red Sox’ leadoff guy, despite a loaded lineup that takes an enormous amount of pitches, especially Pedroia-Youkilis, who protect the leadoff hitter.

Since I live in Rhode Island most of the year, I see an awful lot of Ellsbury. Also, seeing is believing when it comes to Ellsbury’s defense. He is another one of those guys with great speed who can’t really employ it often enough, because he gets such bad jumps, he actually loses any speed advantage because his get-off step is delayed. Yeah, I know, ESPN shows those east-west dives and everyone goes “WOW!” What they don’t show you are the routine over-the-head to dead center flies that guys like BJ Upton can put in their back pocket. Watch those fall in for half a season and then come back and tell me how we “must” have Ellsbury.

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kemp to the braves has been mentioned in the past… but i don’t think the dodgers would give him up….i think they’re going to make a run at the division and at the least the wild card

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The best short term choices to replace Prado at AAA are Diory Hernandez (just off IR) or Wes Timmons. Both can play more than one INF spot and are two of the hottest hitters on the team right now. Matt Young is killing the ball and has been playing some 2nd base along with OF. He has speed to burn as well.
We have a wasted roster spot with KK. Dunn had the one bad outing and has not been seen since. Luckily, Chavez came through last night. I know he has no big league experience, but Marek has been lights out all season at AA and AAA..
I hate to part with Medlen or Minor in a deal. If we want a big bat, the asking price will be a young big league ready pitcher.

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I wouldn’t be happy if we traded Diaz. I just like the guy. Maybe my fandom’s getting in the way. Maybe its because he is always asking me to meet him on FoxSportsNet.com.

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I would give up Melky but not Diaz – I think Dunn is included also

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Why do you people want KJ back so bad? His defense was TERRIBLE and his bat was streaky.

Just say no to K-Jo.

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Kemp – now that’s a player to build an outfield around.

Not buying that LA is dumb enough to deal him. You don’t trade in-prime studs who play up-the-middle positions.

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KJ’s defense did suck really bad. I dont really care so much about him, I just want Lowe gone.

I also thought Oswalt imploding in his first start was just delightful. He does that a couple more times and the Phillie fans are gonna eat him alive.

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Ummm Shakespeare… 70SB/ 12CS I think you’re being a little tough on the guy…

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rob, I understand, me to but I want to win bad.

42 more minutes…wake up Wren!

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I imagining that either DOB is feverishly putting together a story about the deal that takes us to the World Series, or sitting there picking his nose and staring at his cell phone.

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game last night was really something. I got thrown out of the bar at chilis after that assclown robbed Conrad’s tater. but it all worked out. except for Prado. but he’s a tough cookie.

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Did they let you take your Jalapeno poppers with you at least?

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Braves game starts at 4:10.
MLB said Prado had broken finger. That will be more than 10 days.

38 mins to DL

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Whatever happened to the feet first slide? The catcher is wearing a lot of gear.

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masivatack
July 31st, 2010
3:15 pm

Ummm Shakespeare… 70SB/ 12CS I think you’re being a little tough on the guy…
===

His numbers are OK, but I’ve seen enough of him to know he’s just not that good of a player. Here’s the problem: if you’re not going to have much slug, at least be a superior defender: he’s not, and as I said, he is a counterfeit leadoff guy, which the Red Sox finally figured out when they pulled the plug on him.

He’s not a terrible player by any means. His one outstanding asset is his speed – but he just can’t make good enough use of it in CF. I don’t want to trade on defense. What good is he if he steals a base, if he turns flyouts into doubles?

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Mathman, I don’t want to bring up multiple AAA players before september. Option issues aside, we don’t need to rely on a buch of rookies to get us to the show. I just hope Glaus gets his sh** together.

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I bet Wren will say we still have time after DL to get someone off waivers. Thats just more BS.

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Dan Kolb’s mom is a total lush. Not surprising considering she had to watch her son play his entire life.

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Dave just tweeted that Braves are working the phone and “it ain’t over til its over”

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Yankees, Dodgers, padres, Philles, Cardinals, and Rangers make trades to bolster their team – FW who is a happy trader sits still. Something seems amiss at the circle K. Is it budget? Teams asking for top prospects? There is more to this story,

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Well, the Wren haters should all be showing up here soon… Never mind that he has put together a team that has us in fist place.

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Tale of Woe- it clearly isn’t a budget issue, what salary are they afraid of? I am sure it is a prospect issue. I am sure a lot of teams want Hanson, Medlen, Venters, Minor, Freeman. Are all of them “untouchable”?

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bvillebaron
July 31st, 2010
3:24 pm

Billy Shakespeare:

I didn’t say to give up the farm to acquire Ellsbury, what I said was that he would be a major upgrade over Blanco in every way and he has what this team sorely lacks: great speed. I don’t know, I guess you feel that a guy who average 60 steals in 2008 and 2009 is a bum.
====

No, I wouldn’t call him a bum, that’s ridiculous. I would say, however, that he’s not going to replicate that in the NL, because he’s not going to get the protection he had in Boston. What’s more, he’s the owner of a .335 career OBP when batting first. That is just not good enough, as Boston realized.

Also, as someone pointed out, he seems rather delicate. He seems to have one injury or another.

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Tale of Woe… Of course there is more to the story… Unless you have a direct feed to the nanny cam that Shuerholz keeps in Franks office…

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It could be budget – with KK and McLouth taking up 10m in wasted salary / or whatever the number is.

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Toucheee!! FJ10. Lets just make em all quit playing Baseball…. This is a tuff game
you wantta take away the rewards then take away the risks. No I aint happy about guys on the DL
but cmon its part of the game… Watch softball if u cant handle contact sports… Sometimes you get hurt just standing there !! Huh. Medlin? Sometimes you get hurt just being at spring training? Huh Ron Gant? Somrtimes sliding feet first ask Ordonez??? Lets enjoy it for what its worth. A tough game and soetimes you get hurt when you play rough and tough!

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easy dude… I never said that… I think that he is nothing but a gentleman and a scholar.

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plus how do u go froma 8 game lead to a 2 1/2 game lead in over a week. This team needs help and you know it.

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J-Man- Wait you mean that your position is more important at the end of the season than the middle? Whoa, I had no idea! Is this the kind of deep insight and baseball knowledge that you would bring to the GM position? Somebody call Shuerholz and sign this guy.

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…. and his stature as a ballplayer is preceded only by his refined taste in women…

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and he isn’t against a little fan-on-man action…

http://i47.tinypic.com/vfv3v5.jpg

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Billy Shakespeare:

I guess Ellsbury wouldn’t get any protection hitting in front of Prado who leads the NL in hits and is second in MLB, huh? You also criticized his “poor jumps” if I recall correctly. Maybe you should look at the stats: they show he has stolen 131 bases and was caught 23 times for his career which equates to an 85% success rate. How many guys have a better success rate? Since you live in Massachusetts and are so initimately familiar with him, how many times was he on the DL in 2008 and 2009?

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I’m with J-Man….we might be in 1st now….but who cares come the end of the season….if you’re happy with the team the way it is….in 1st with many glaring holes….rapidly losing ground in the standings….then you aren’t a true fan….you’re just a homer who doesn’t have the guts to criticize your team

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Wavingthewhiteflag
July 31st, 2010
3:37 pm

NO NO NO NO to Chone Figgins

Chone Figgins is the very definition of washed up. Agree. NO.

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Insider is usually right in football. Hope U right now. Hart 1st then Davis. Davis has not power just alot of speed.

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What is scary is the Phillies have the rotation they do, are still scoring runs despite being depleted by injuries and will be getting Utley and the hawaiian back….Just scary

Lest we not forget the other teams making major runs too. if we stand pat, we won’t even win the wild card

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We’ll end up with Jermaine Dye as our big move

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Wren should trade Prado to Ariz. and get Kelly Johnson back.
Kelly would never had broke his pinkie sliding into home, last night.
Wren still has 15minutes.

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Red Sox just released Jeremy Hermida

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Yeah, Oswalt looked real good last night.

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Or did he evaporate?

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the braves will be set for 10 yrs with talent in farm system..

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Can McLouth play second?

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For all of you who are whining about the Braves being cheap, I for one don’t subscribe to the “let’s make a deadline deal” just for the sake of making one. No more Texeria fiascos, not with the budding talent this team already has in the majors and in the farm.

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bring up freeman, trade for k johnson ,arizona , the giants are trying to get him now.

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Mr. willis…. if you are responding to the o, you are incorrect.
The Braves don’t need Oswalt, in my opinion.

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6 mins Insider

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As someone already mentioned, a trade could easily happen and we might not hear about it till 4:30 or later. Yanks just got Kerry Wood. Who haven’t they got?

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Insider reporting at 3:44 that Braves are still waiting to hear on Venter’s suspension. Boy, that gives me confidence in my Insider membership…NOT!

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bad job by Wren not getting anything done today – i guess its time to turn my attention to finding a way to score some runs off Arroyo with our awful lineup. No prado, no new face in trade. No protection for j-hey or McCann. Terrible job today

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what are you talking about blackbird?

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The not guily verdict on Venters, just goes to show how ignorant, Bob Watson is.

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1min

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FRANK WREN AND LIBERTY MEDIA ARE CHICKEN SHI PEOPLE , AND THE BRAVES WILL FINISH LAST.

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Your best hitter is probably going on the DL and if no move of some kind is made we are done.

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oh no, its 4 and i didnt hear about a trade. must mean nothing happened….losers

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insier- I am hearing nothing on mlbtv. what is your source?

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Something needs to be done

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I’m betting on Insider………..

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the 4:30 ish announcements are getting less, and less common with so much reporting going on. Not even hearing rumors.

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deals over $1 mil. in cash have to be approved by commish

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haters stop saying it was a trade for the sake of a trade – we NEED a bat we NEED another bullpen arm. and without Prado we are in a lot of trouble. Wren and ownership is clearly not committed to capitalize on being in first place in August. Cheap cheap cheap – cheap doesn’t win world series

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game will be om fox, calm down

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THE BRAVES ARE A JOKE NO WONDER I PULL FOR OTHER TEAMS , NO WONDER THE YANKEES WIN WORLD SERIES ALL THE TIME, GEORGE IS GONE AND THEY STILL MAKE MOVES .

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I have the game on Fox. Comcast.

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Calm down guys, I am gonna fake a hammy today and Freddie will be called up to give me a two week break.

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rob- I don’t get the cheap comment. What salary were the Braves afraid to take on?

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This is NOT a 1 week injury. I had the same exact injury. It takes a 2-3 weeks before the ligament reattaches. If he comes back sooner than 4 weeks, he won’t be able to throw. I hope the braves aren’t stupid about this.

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All u people saying we did nothing, get your money out. The Insider knows!

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Some of the people on this blog are really, really stupid.

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from detroit

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i don’t think cheap comes into play. most teams that are the sender are eating a majority of the salary. look at the oswalt and berkman deals…the astros ate a lot of their salaries.

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much biggter deal close

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insider…knew something

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Rosenthal just said Much bigger deal close

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Figgins being reported….

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This is their Derek Lowe

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woo i was wrong we got Ramirez we got Ramirez…wait Who not manny? Oh who is Wilkin…we now have a wilken who has never played in the majors and a melky who is fat and slow

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Granted I’m not giving up Minor for Cody Ross but damn something needed to be done

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Ankiel TO BRAVES and Farnsworth

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Braves don’t need anything. They’re good enough already.

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whatever is in the pipeline it is bigger than the ramirez trade

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Infante stop?

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BRAVES GET NO ONE ROLLING IN MONTANA THE BRAVES GET NO ONE FROM DODGERS.

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Farnsworth and Ankiel?

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Not Farnsworth again

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for who?

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Braves Acquire Ankiel, Farnsworth
By Tim Dierkes [July 31 at 3:10pm CST]

The Braves acquired Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals, reports CBS’ Danny Knobler. The Braves are sending Jesse Chavez, Gregor Blanco, and Tim Collins to Kansas City, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.

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ankiel and farnsorth is done. just received approval from MLB.

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at least we got rid of chokevez

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Farnsworth and Ankiel to #Braves confirmed. #Royals get Blanco, Chavez, Collins. #MLB

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who is Collins?

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blanco, collins , chavez.

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I hate Gregor is leaving but I’m glas that Chavez is.

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In told you all and hour ago that the braves were working with royals and dodgers just found out dodgers wanted 4 players for kemp.

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Braves have acquired Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth for Gregor Blanco, Jessie Chevez, and another minor leaguer.

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whats the story on Ramirez?

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J-man???? Having a bad day???? Wow, you have been pretty much wrong all day. Shameful.

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I do hate losing Blanco.

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Good deal for both teams Blanco will start, good for him and Farnsworth 2.42 era 36k’s in 42 inning 2-0 record. Welcome home big boy.
Ankiel always been a Bobby and Wren favorite. Now lets play.

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all that talk about how awesome collins was when we traded esco….and now he flip him…..scouts in minors must have seen something they didn’t like

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we gave up an awful reliever in Chavez, a career defensive backup cf, and a promising small lefthand reliever. Really hard to complain with that.

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All the whiners can stop crying about no trades by Wren.

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I honestly don’t know anything about Collins, but it doesn’t seem like we gave up much. And took on salary.

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I told you to bet on INSIDER. The man is right about 99% on the time .

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BRAVES GET WILKIN RAMIREZ…BRAVES GET WILKIN RAMIREZ…BRAVES GET WILKIN RAMIREZ!!!!!

Who is Wilkin Ramirez ?

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Lucky and insider- my hat is off. Now, insider go ahead and give us your sources.

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Ankiel is a good center fielder. streaky hitter with pop. Just got healthy and started to hit. Farnsworth for Chavez probably a bit better than a push. Wilkin probably a replacement fro Blanco at Gwinnette

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J-Man, they have reported the trade all over the place including MLBTV. Why do you “hope” it is true.

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ramirez is OF prospect, not ML ready, going to be in AAA, think of him as Jones’ replacement

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Plus if you remember Farnsworth had NO issues when he was here all he did was take more $$$$$ with the Yankees but he would have been our closer if he stayed

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How long will the Braves have control of Farnworth and Ankiel?

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Don’t know if this is enough to give us more pop and worry pitchers. Better than a poke with a sharp stick I suppose

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Merlin- Farnsworth is significantly better than Chavez. Not even close. Remember we are using him as a 6th/ 7th inning match-up guy, not a closer. VERY strong. Plus, might even give Wags a spell.

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great throw j-hey

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ankiel is going to be the 5th starter!

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Not a bad trade.From the way it sounds we didnt give up anything real big except for Chavez.Just kidding:)

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Cox’s greatest strength is his faith and support of his players. Cox’s greatest weakness is the same (see Leibrandt in the world series as one example if you doubt this). I wish that he would see the wisdom of platooning Glaus and Hinske at first base , at least until such time as Glaus finds his groove again. He could then leave the braves best hitter, after Prado, Diaz in left and do whatever in ctr. with Cabreba, Infante, even Blanco when he comes back from Gwinnett.

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The Farnsworth/Ainkel trade hasn’t hit the wire yet…
Who is reporting it?

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Blanco was the perfect #8 hitter, he was really taking off in that role. I hope Ankiel doesn’t suck too bad the rest of the year.

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Uh- Smitty, Blanco was just traded to KC for Rick Ankiel. But thanks for your deep insight on what Bobby Cox “should” do.

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Farnsworth is pretty good, UNTIL you realllllly need him. He then comes apart like a cheap suit.

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Overall I am happy with the deal. Hope Ankiel stays healthy and can contribute right away. Apparently Ramirez is supposed to be a pretty solid prospect.

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prado on dl

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I really don’t like this deal. Blanco was one of my favorite young Braves.

I just hope Ankiel can turn it up w/a contender.

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Farnsworth appeared in 2 post season games for the Braves in 2005. Faced 12 batters in 3 innings and gave up two hits both home runs, walked 1 and allowed 3 runs vs Houston

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thanks johnsmith for re-reporting the news thats been reported 100 times

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Ankiel has 9 hits in his last five games including a homer with KC…

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Thank you, dlowe, for your sarcastic remark. It’s helped my focus immeasurably.

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one more dr. to take a look. will be announced mon. worse than expected.

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So…. what do they do with McLouth?
I hope Blanco prospers in KC with the rest of the former Braves there under Dayton Moore.

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Mr. Melancholy

July 31st, 2010
4:34 pm

Farnsworth is pretty good, UNTIL you realllllly need him. He then comes apart like a cheap suit.

—————————————————

“cheap suit” … I love it : )

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With Farnsworth’s affordable club option ($5.5 mil) for next year, if he continues to pitch well, he will be a good bridge at closer for next year.

If Ankiel has a good second half, he is also VERY affordable for next year as well. I’m not sure the new manager will be as fond of platoons as Bobby Cox is…so Ankiel could very well be starting in LF with Schafer in CF…or Ankiel could also start the year in CF.

Nice job today Wren. The Braves are a deeper and better club today than they were yesterday.

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OK…I’m still waiting for someone to put up an Ankiel-included lineup…

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Ankiel bats 4/5/6 with McCann and Glaus.

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This trade helps this team.
What we needed: OF & RP.

What we got: OF depth & bullpen strength.

What we gave up: nothing really.

Good job Frank Wren.

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Wow farnsworth::: ankiel thanks but no thanks. Only good thing is chavez wont losr em farnsworth will. Horrible trade horrible

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RC in the ATL, Schafer’s been stinking it up in the minors and just got demoted. Unless there’s some stipulation in his contract, I’m beginning to doubt he’ll even be at Spring Training next year.

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blanco got traded today i did not catch the name team or who they got

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Wouldn’t be shocked by a Glaus-Hinskie platoon at 1b. I’m all for it. Hinskie would get much more playing time than Glaus.

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Now the REAL question is what in the world happens with McLouth. The Braves are starting to find themselves with a bevy of outfield options. There are two open slots, and Ankiel (who is not going to be a bench player if he comes back), Schafer, Diaz, Cabrera, the aforementioned McLouth (who also makes too much money to be a bench player)…and if Infante is resigned (which I hope he is) – he is also a good fifth outfielder.

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1. Prado
2. Heyward
3. Chipper
4. McCann
5. Glaus
6. Gonzalez
7. Ankiel
8. Melky/Hinske/Diaz
9. Pitcher

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I seriously doubt Schafer will be starting in CF next season. If the Braves can upgrade with a big RH bat in left then I could see Ankiel in center.

The Braves will have quite a few holes to fill next season. I have to think Freeman has progressed enough this season in AAA for him to start the season in Atlanta next year. His power #’s are up & he’s been smashing the ball of late.

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Ankiel does make our outfield the one with the strongest arms in the League. Ankiel has a cannon as does Heyward.

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Stuart- You actually think Blanco is better than Ankiel? Dude, you must be kidding.
Abs- I hear you about Farnsworth and pressuer but as just another member of a deep bullpen rotation he won;t have the same pressure. Plus, he was less “ratty” with Bobby.

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Thank goodness Glaus struck out. Beats a DP.

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i would say ankiel would do well 5th but bobby is so partial to his guys, don’t know if he would do that to glausy

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The Braves are just giving away scoring opportunities today. The score should easily be 4-0 right now.

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fastballs- I expect to see Freeman for Sept. call ups.

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How damn OBVIOUS is it Glaus needs a REST?

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i don’t understand those of you that think this was a bad trade because we gave up Blanco.
Sorry, but he began the year in AAA. has been back and forth. He is a good guy, but doesn’t have big league talent or he would have been here from the jump.

I like the guy, but to get who has big league talent in CF… that’s a good trade and the Farnsworth for Chavez… is a no brainer.

C’mon people. Is the best trade in the world… no, but it’s good and it improves this team.

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My only issue with the trade is if Freeman gets the call we are ridiculously LH heavy.

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I sure hope the Braves don’t come to regret blowing these scoring opportunities.

The trade is a good one, it helps address the automatic out in McLouth, but there is still the automatic out playing 1st base.

The Braves look like they want to make it a 6-inning game, but they better do a better job with RISP.

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kelly would never get to us on the wire, too many teams with worse records were interested in him.

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Marc in Fla. ……..congratulations on being the 1st, to complain about the trade.

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O… Farns can’t record say he can’t finish under pressure…

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Don’t forget that Saito can close as can Moylan in the pinch. If Wagner starts to go south, then Farnsworth can pitch inning 6-9. He’s playing a much different role than he played during his first stint with the team.

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I wish KAWACRUMMY would have been traded. I thought he would with the BRAVES getting some cash in the Mitch Jones deal.

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I really like the trade…Don’t know a whole lot about Ankiel. I thought I remembered him hitting a lot of homers a few years ago and playing great defense for the Cards. If Kyle gets in the game hes better than Chavez…

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I am sure the Mets will put Frenchy on waivers and he’d probably clear them Anyone want him back in CF ?

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I for one am thankful this trade deadline did not come and go without an improvement to this division leading team.

To many times in the past a significant move was not made…

This not only improves this team, but sends the message directly to the players saying that the front office is behind them! Good Job FW.

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I’m not singing his praises as THE answer to everything. He’s a career 271/322/442 21 HR hitter. His post season Ba (Oakland 03) was 455 and on the Angels before being politically incorrect and making Soccia mad he was hitting 297 in the pennant race. He’s a Clutch player. We have two now playing regularly and with our 209 or so RISP BA we need clutch. Not going to happen though .. just blathering

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merlin wave your magic wand and dissappear

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i had a box of rocks as a kid that had more sense then Merlin

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Am I the only one that thinks that Bobby Cox should tell his team to stick that head-first slide you-know where? First Heyward and now Prado? Feet first gets them there just as quickly and no hands get hurt. Am I missing something here?

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still as dumb as a box of rocks Merlin

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Lucky.. as you say oh magnificent one. I await enlightenment from your endless stream of B. . . knowledge

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seems like every inning, lol

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Way to go Eric!

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Dang

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Jurrgens is pissed

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What’s the technical rule on Chavez & Blanco’s availability today? I mean, what if either of them had been in the starting lineup? Would they have to immediately come out? And are they prevented from entering the game now? Anybody know?

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So we are two men short

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Rolen

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Damn it Cox why didn’t u take Jair out when Rolen doubled

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I should be manager ……..Jesus

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Damn Melky

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Well, one thing’s for sure: Ankiel’s GOTTA be better than Melky.

Are we sure he was a Yankee?

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Another game lost because the starter was left in too long. Why the hell do you warm up the relief guys and then not use them in such a big situation?

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There’s a reason he was tradeable and it wasn’t the size of his contract.

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JJ has to make that pitch in that situation., he’s our #2. He’s under 100 pitches and pitching to the lower part of the order. He got squeezed on the previous pitch and then just served one up.

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We could have gotten out of the inning with a ground ball and still had the lead. Now we are gonna lose and waste 6 awesome innings by our starter. FML

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Melky is a Douchee, laughing at that horse sh*t outfield play

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Even Sutton on radio said JJ not the same on mound after hit by pitch…

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Big “L”…we made a trade but unfortunately Bobby Cox wasn’t included in them. He’s the weakness. Thanks Booby for letting it get away. DAMN IT!

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I can’t believe Cox was warming up Venters for the fifth day in a row. Can we give this guy a rest now that we’re losing by three, for f**k’s sake?

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i need a beer damn it

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Play Brooks Conrad tomorrow for Chipper

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Again!!!!!!

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We hear so much about how awesome our bullpen is, but not using them in key situations has now cost us another game. I dont get it. I mean, Jurrjens doesnt suck, its not like he is Lowe, but we have a ground ball specialist and a double play would have ended the threat. wtf.

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For all you Braves fans (and I wonder how many due to the constant empty seats at Turner Field) who persecuted McLouth, I’m sure you are happy with his demotion. But what about MEEKly Cabrera? He is a frickin joke! He can’t hit and I just witnessed a blooper on national TV where the ignoramus threw a ball towards right field after SLOWLY tracking it down. And, he and Fat Boy Hinske were seen laughing as if it were a joke!!! I am really disappointed in Hinske but MEEKLY is a perpetual liability. Please Yankees get him back….you get anybody else you want! Wake up Braves fans!! MEEKLY is a joke!!!!!! And, he is slower a than steam rising on s—!!!!! How can knowledgeable fans defend him? Wake up!!!!!!! Of course, as witnessed by empty seats, probably not many Atlantans really care!!!!! By the way, I had to practically give my tix away for next Tuesday vs. the Mets….not exactly a “hot” ticket! UGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

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REST Glaus tomorrow, Take Melky out tomorrow and No Chipper please

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Glaus now 4-for-30 on road trip…..but BrainDead Bobby has him in lineup for Sunday…

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I wish we had sent Lowe to KC instead of Collins

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oops sorry forgot Matty How could I do that

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I wish Diaz could play more positions

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for what it’s worth in the last 7 days Ankiel is 9 for 20 with a homer a double and 4 RBI

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Merlin we can do that…… Quit doubting me man…… I got this

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Dunn walks a ton of guys. Dont know if this guy is ready for the big-time yet

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Conrad can’t hit a breaking ball. Volquez has a good one. Matty 3rd instead maybe

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ok maybe Diaz at 3 but keep the starting 9 players the same

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Don’t disagree with the lineup aside from Brooks spot

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Jurrjens, Medlen, Prado — all hurting, thanks to the Reds. If another batter gets hit tomorrow, there’s probably gonna be a mound charge.

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Do not — do not — take a called third strike in the ninth when you’re trailing. Anybody who does needs to be fined for the team kangaroo court. If it’s close, hack, try to foul it off, anything. But do not take a called third strike in the ninth.

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and black jesus down looking. how can you not swing at that?

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Ya know almost anyone else on the team can be scolded for that. I can’t see the game because Fox thinks we Texans want to see Boston. But Jason has made more right decisions that anyone but Prado this year. Give him a break.

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Great trade FW, Farnsworth is an upgrade over Saito for the 8th inning role, & Blanco is not a full time OF, Chavez was instant offense for the other team & needed to go. Play Hinske part time at 1st, Infante for Prado until he gets back, & lets see what Ankiel can do. This is a playoff team unless they go into a hitting funk, Oswalt doesnt scare anybody the Bravos own him, Go Bravos chop chop

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damn i wish frank had traded the kid closer in gwunnet and the number 1 draft choice ss we sighned in june to texas for somone we had no chance to sigfhn now that would have fallowed a proven success patern huh ? lol

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Just in case, we should have let go of 3 of our pitching prospects to the Astros in exchange for Oswalt and have the Astros pay 25% of his salary, then the Phillies wouldn’t have a freakin chance in gettin da title!

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Cox is amazing in his consistancy to protect Chipper. Infante has 3 hits in leadoff spot yesterday. Today Chipper is sitting so who does he put in leadoff spot? Conrad, who is replacing Chipper at 3rd base. Who does he put in 3 spot against right handed pitcher? Infante.The most obvious choice to put in the 3 spot with Chipper out would be Heyward, but cox knows if Heyward has a good day hitting and driving in runs, as he did for about 3 games when Chipper was out, then pressure would be on to flip flop them when Chipper returns. If Conrad would bat 3rd and hit and drive in runs then the pressure would be on to let him play 3rd more in place of Chipper or bat 3rd more when he was subbing for Prado. so we get this disjunctive lineup. Cox will never learn that its the team chances of winning that is paramount in choice of lineup, not how not to hurt Chipper’s feelings.

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please tell me what a hitting coach does, i know he can’t hit for them, is he just a figure head or does he coach, what a bunch poor hitters what ever the reason they need help, thank mr gm for for keeping the current coach and the wonderful talent you have put on the field, hope it works out for the team, but i have serious doubts about your ability to be a general mgr,——–by the way i hope i’am wrong as i am a braves fan

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DOB,

is there any we could form a “bat chipper 2nd” petition on the ajc?? not that i seriously think it would do any good, but its worth a shot.

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is freeman coming to atlanta tonight.

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e-mail all comments to wren and cox, maybe just maybe they will learn something

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Tomahawk –
I was watching yesterdays game on MLB extra innings. The Cinncinnati crew was commenting on the same thing. They noticed how much slower his swing (and everything else) is this year. You’d think he would have leaned something from Julio Franco as far as staying playing shape is concerned. But Julio was a freak of nature but not without a lot effort.
You can see Chipper just dragging the bat through the hitting zone. I guess he’s too macho to use a lighter bat. He should be down to a 32 or even a 30 ounce by now.
…just my opinion.

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