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Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,806 comments Add your comment
Jimmy
June 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
Gordon – yeah that is strange – the way baseball has evolved into todays game.
I don’t understand why pitchers can only throw 100 pitches. Why aren’t the ten warmups between innings counted? Why aren’t the throws to first considered?
Out of the bullpen, why only 2 innings every other day. Why not build up the pitchers endurance to go longer.
I can only say “that is the way it is”.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
Thanks, cab!
Batting………4th…?
cabravesfan
June 29th, 2011
1:31 pm
McFann-
Third
MikeInFl
June 29th, 2011
1:31 pm
McFann, not horn in, but what is it you’re trying to determine? Curiosity is killing me…
Jimmy
June 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
MikeInFl – they are trying to figure out if her tv has stereo sound and how to activate it.
Shaun
June 29th, 2011
1:34 pm
Why are you talking of OBP when you are talking about producing. Chipper has 3 less rbi’s than Mccann and nobody else is close and that is including missing time. Don’t give me it’s because he is in the 3 position because he is hitting with runners in scoring position…To me that is a better measure of production
timthebrave, so if McCann played on a horrible team and hit behind horrible hitters and didn’t have as many RBI, he would be less “productive”? Everyone should start ignoring RBI for individual hitters like smart front offices do. Chipper is having an okay year largely because his on-base is okay and his slugging is okay. McCann is having a great year because he’s getting on base at an awesome rate and his slugging is great. I could care less about RBI or runs for these individual players. RBI and runs only matter on a team level.
N8, I think Fredi’s most obvious failure as a manager is batting his least talented hitters high in the order and his most talented hitters rather low.
Jimmy, Both state facts and what has happened. If a player goes 0-for-4, that would be a fact and what has happened. Regarding usefulness of stats and lack thereof because they merely show past events, the past is usually fairly reliable in telling you what is likely to happen. The past isn’t a crystal ball but it’s useful to some degree, if you have enough of the appropriate information.
For example we know because of the past that McCann is likely to be a more valuable player than Kurt Suzuki over the next 5 years. Does that mean it’s a sure thing? No. Does that mean there is absolutely no possibility of Suzuki somehow being more valuable than McCann? No. But because of things like past performance and other information we have, like ages and skill sets of each, we know it’s very likely McCann will be the better player. Of course, I suppose those who want to disregard stats and think stats are of no use will reject that argument.
MikeInFl
June 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
Oh…thanks.
McFann, on my tv’s, if I access the onscreen menus (for the tv, not for cable), where you can set various options, there is a setting, Stereo/Mono. You might check to see if you can get to such a menu (make sure remote is set to “tv” and then press “menu”, maybe?), and find such a setting (if it’s there, you obviously have stereo).
That’s my 2 cents worth, but no charge for you…
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
Lineup?
Jimmy
June 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
Please..someone hand me the duct tape!
Lew
June 29th, 2011
1:36 pm
Unless you were planning to replace McCann with Suzuki, why would it matter?
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:37 pm
The sound on our TV has been REALLY weird lately…we’re trying to come up with what’s wrong with it, hoping it’s nothing internal…
What’s odd is that DVDs sound pretty normal…
Thanks, cab! Thought maybe with Chipper our he’d go back to 4…
MikeInFl
June 29th, 2011
1:38 pm
Sounds like the flux capacitor to me, McFann. Bad news.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:38 pm
Thanks, Mike!
I found some menu…but it didn’t say anything about stereo that I saw…
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
1:39 pm
McFann
Don’t bother, the AT&T remote wouldn’t get into the menu of the Sony TV, I don’t believe. Without a Sony remote, you couldn’t control the audio seperation.
Let me check into U-Verse. Did your audio problem happen since that was installed?
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:39 pm
MikeInFl—
Carp…hope it’s not that…
Jimmy
June 29th, 2011
1:39 pm
MikeInFl – LOL. They are expensive to replace.
George
June 29th, 2011
1:40 pm
Outta here. Have a good afternoon y’ll. KEEP IT GOING BRAVES.
Shaun
June 29th, 2011
1:40 pm
Lew, The Braves are winning primarily because of pitching, so of course their OBP isn’t going to tell you how well they are playing.
Chipper has been on a steadly decline for pretty much 4 years.
N8, right, but without the reference to where he was four years ago, that’s a pretty meaningless statement. This is what I couldn’t get Lew to understand about what “decline” means. If a player was one of the four best hitters in the league four years ago and he’s steadily declined since this, there is a distinct possibility that he’s still a pretty good player.
bravesgrl4life
June 29th, 2011
1:41 pm
McFann, I’d be surprised if you got a bb playing hubby – McCann is married after all
My 23 year-old niece is dating a guy who umps some minor league games.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:41 pm
Tom O’Hawke—
We got U-Verse in 2008…this is the first time we’ve had this trouble (started a month or so ago, I believe)…
flange1
June 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
Interesting article on mlbtraderumors about CF options and upgrades and teams that could use one.
The Braves and Nats are the teams that need one!
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/06/contenders-in-need-of-a-center-field-upgrade.html
cabravesfan
June 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
Lineup:
ajcbraves David O’Brien
#Braves l-up: 1. Schafr cf, 2. Heywrd rf, 3. BMac dh, 4. Freeman 1b, 5. Uggla 2b, 6. Conrad 3b, 7. Ross c, 8. McLouth lf, Gonzo ss, 9. Lowe
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
bravesgrl4life—
Yeah, haha! Right now, I can’t even picture myself married, anyway…Just seems weird, ya know?
My 23 year-old niece is dating a guy who umps some minor league games.
Cool! Wow, she’s not much older than me…
Lew
June 29th, 2011
1:44 pm
Shaun – Really? I didn’t realize (rolls eyes – damaged though they may be).
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:44 pm
Twitter’s hating on me right now…
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
1:45 pm
cabravesfan – Thanks. Interesting to see Lowe hitting 9th over A-Gon
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:45 pm
Mike—
Wait…did you make that up? I really know nothing about TVs except that you cann watch stuff on ‘em…
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
McFann
You said the DVD’s sound is good? Does that sound come out of the same place as the TV’s audio?
Besides the Braves’ audio, didn’t you say that a few other stations have a messed-up sound?
Shaun
June 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
Unless you were planning to replace McCann with Suzuki, why would it matter?
Lew, because if you are discounting stats because they have no use except for revealing what happened in the past, you must disregard the likelihood that McCann is going to be better than Suzuki; in your mind, it’s just as possible for Suzuki to be better because you can’t rely on past events to determine the likelihood of what’s going to happen to these two players in the future. Everything from here going forward is just utter and complete randomness and the path that the future is likely to take is a complete mystery.
But let’s look at it on a more practical level. The Braves have Jeff Francoeur in 2009 and the Mets are ready to pull the trigger on a trade for him. The Braves know they have a young kid tearing up the minors who very well could be ready to take over rightfield the next season or within 2-3 seasons, at most. If we disregard stats because they only tell us about past events, there is little reason to trade or not trade Francoeur. Sure it’s likely Heyward will be the better player going forward in their major league careers based on the stats, but we have decided to disregard stats because they only tell us about past events. So it really doesn’t matter if the Braves trade Francoeur. It’s a complete and utter randomness as far as what is likely to happen with these two players.
I’m not trying to discount randomness. There is a lot of randomness. But it’s also foolish to discount the past as a completely unreliable indicator of what is likely to happen in the future.
Beez
June 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
OK, For all the people arguing stats do or don’t matter. Do you not believe that the Braves would have more wins if their #’s batting were better? Stats tell how well a team or player has been playing in various facets of the game. The better the numbers the better the W/L record will be. No one stat is going to determine or correlate perfectly. However, the culmination of all of the stats is a good indicator of how well a team has been playing. The reason they don’t correlate exactly is because they are playing a game against another team that is also producing statistics.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:51 pm
Tom O’Hawke Does that sound come out of the same place as the TV’s audio?
Yes, I do believe so…
Besides the Braves’ audio, didn’t you say that a few other stations have a messed-up sound?
Yeah, a few channels, it sounds like the people are talking under water or into a tin cann—TVLand is the worst.
cricket
June 29th, 2011
1:54 pm
why isn’t chipper hitting 3rd or 4th today?
Threadkiller
June 29th, 2011
1:54 pm
Lew..The twins are after you today!
Gordon
June 29th, 2011
1:54 pm
Jimmy I too am wondering. Pitchers routinely went 9 innings and closers went 3 innings when needed. You are right about the building up arm strength long toss, throwing a football, bowling and just a lot of use strengthens the muscles around the areas that breakdown. Does not mean injuries will go away. Pitchers careers ended prematurely back in the old days before Tommy John surgery became normal. I just believe there would be fewer injuries if pitchers arms and surrounding body areas were stronger and mor flexible.
MikeInFl
June 29th, 2011
1:55 pm
LOL, McFann! Flux capacitor is the nuclear-powered doohicky that provided time travel capabilities for the car in Back to the Future. Thought surely you’d catch that… sorry if I scared you!
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
1:56 pm
McFann
Call U-Verse. It’s their problem and they should fix it for free. It sounds as if it’s something simple, maybe a bad ground or something in the wiring.
I’m 99.9% sure it’s not your TV.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:56 pm
MikeInFl—
Haha, that’s OK!
I’ve never actually seen Back to the Future, but I’ve heard of it…
N8
June 29th, 2011
1:57 pm
“N8, I think Fredi’s most obvious failure as a manager is batting his least talented hitters high in the order and his most talented hitters rather low.” Shaun
I agree. I’m kind of leaning towards nolie in thinking the “order” in which you bat guys doesn’t much all matter. Provided that they are all reasonably productive. But when there is a clear, distinct difference betweent the “good and bad” hitters (or at least who is currently hot and cold), it shouldn’t be too tough to figure out.
“If a player was one of the four best hitters in the league four years ago and he’s steadily declined since this, there is a distinct possibility that he’s still a pretty good player.”
Agree Shaun. However, the basis of my argument wasn’t completely based on production. It is based on his body’s ability to maintain health at a reasonable clip, thus allowing him to do what he’s been known to do.
His health has been in decline, thus his production has followed. When healthy, Chipper is probably still amongst the best offensive 3B in baseball. But then again, when Mike Hampton was healthy he was also one of the better pitchers.
Chipper’s perceived value by some Braves fans (myself included) is often a product of what we were so used to seeing from him in the past. He’s a victim of his past success (and his salary to an extent).
Like I said in my first response of the day on this topic. There IS certainly a place for Chipper on this team for as long as he wants to play. I just don’t think it’s the 3-hole anymore and quite honestly, healthy or not, I’d give him regular rest to make sure he REMAINS healthy.
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
June 29th, 2011
1:58 pm
Tom O’Hawke—
Thanks for your help!
cricket
June 29th, 2011
1:59 pm
McFann ;Ô; ;Ô;
12 years is too long for a TV nowadays. You can get a new one with a good deal, may be that’s a better option. Also the quality of flat screen HD TV is way better. It is really worth it. Check out online deals.
raleighbravefan
June 29th, 2011
1:59 pm
mlbtraderumors says Melky is available! Problem solved! (roll of eyes).
MikeInFl
June 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
I’d think it’s a movie you’d enjoy, McFann, based on what I know ’bout you. Pretty wholesome (well, compared to most movies, but maybe not to Andy Griffith episodes), and pretty funny.
Threadkiller
June 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
Lew..Do you think Frank Wren cares about his players stats?
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
Trade McAnn for Melky!
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
The funny part is when the Braves replace Chipper with Conrad, I don’t worry soo much about the loss on offense, but more so on the loss on defense.
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
Jordan Schafer has scored a run in 68% of the games he’s played in. If he played a full year and kept the same avg. he would score 112 runs. Is that good for a team that doesn’t score many runs?
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
You’re welcome, McFann.
Hey, if I’m wrong, wait until there’s hardly anyone on here before you tell me.
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:03 pm
Listened to Mike and Mike this morning and they announced every score of last nights games except, guess who?
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:04 pm
Saw Melky the other night on TV and he was looking rather svelt. Amazing what happens when you get in shape. Also the announcer referred to his arm as “a cannon” believe it was. He must have improved there also.
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
2:05 pm
12 years is too long for a TV nowadays.
If you’re talking just in terms of longevity, cricket, Sony’s last a long time.
If you mean from a technology standpoint for viewing, I agree.
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:05 pm
@ bowilly
was it Philly and Boston?
Shaun
June 29th, 2011
2:05 pm
N8, I guess whether Chipper should be a 3-hole hitter largely depends on things like batting order philosophy, etc. I don’t have a problem with him hitting third. He’s still pretty good. The three hole is a pretty good spot for one of the top few hitters on the team but not your best hitter. The number 3 hitter isn’t quite as vital as most think because the number 3 hitter is going to come up to the plate with fewer runners on base than the number 4 or 5 hitters.
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:05 pm
Fish what are you smoking??
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
2:05 pm
bowilly – They can’t announce the score because it wasn’t published in the paper. There was no way for them to find out the final score.
Venice Jim
June 29th, 2011
2:06 pm
Hey, if I’m wrong, wait until there’s hardly anyone on here before you tell me
Like I always do?
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:06 pm
“Listened to Mike and Mike this morning”
My least fav sport show. I can’t stand the little dude especially. Can’t stomach it.
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:06 pm
All my sony tube TVs still work. They were awesome in their day with the Trinitron technology.
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
Entire major league schedule
Afan
June 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
Mike and Mike has a disLike for who we like!
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
Monty last time for me
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
N8 about to be sucked into a Blackhole. Goodbye!
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
They can read???
Bat Masterson
June 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
Saw Melky the other night on TV and he was looking rather svelt. Amazing what happens when you get in shape
Probably gave up eating snacks off his bat during games.
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
I agree with MikeInFl, McFann. Back To The Future was excellent. Especially the first one.
It’ll also give you an education on the flux capacitor.
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:09 pm
I miss Bobby Cox.
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
bowilly -”Monty last time for me”
Good- give you more time for blogging!
bowilly
June 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
Ichiro hits first pitch out last night. Braves close your eyes pretend you didn’t see it. Please
Tom O'Hawke
June 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
Yes, buddy, just like you do.
cricket
June 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
Tom O’Hawke
I was talking from technology POV. I clung to my sony for a long time before getting new bravia (sony again) and the difference between old and new tech is just tremendous. Flat screen HD TV is absolutely mandatory and worth the money. Prices are also falling pretty fast.
O.J.
June 29th, 2011
2:12 pm
I think out of all the players MLBtraderumors mentioned, Bourn is the best option, the guy leads the majors with 34 stolen bases out of 37 attempts. That is fricking fast, and thats what we need. Sure, Schafer is fast, but Bourn is just faster. I mean, think about it, if Bourn were to get on base, thats an automatic double, Martin moves him over to 3rd, Chipper knocks him in with a Sac fly or a hit, bam, we start the game off with a run.
Bourn for leadoff!!!!!!!!
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
MacFann ;o; ;o;, I wouldn’t listen to them fellers who like Back to the Future. It is really scary. It is about a machine that goes back in time to look for John Conner’s mother Sarah. John will be the leader of the resistance to fight off the machines in the future, so it’s the machines job to turn on the flux capacitor to get rid of Sarah before she births John.
monty
June 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
Bat-”Probably gave up eating snacks off his bat during games.”
You mean those snack-kabobs?
TennesseePaul
June 29th, 2011
2:14 pm
The number 3 hitter isn’t quite as vital as most think because the number 3 hitter is going to come up to the plate with fewer runners on base than the number 4 or 5 hitters.
Ohhhhh…. So that is what most people think… I was wondering. I had a different thought and wasn’t sure if it was in line with “most people.” It really must be tough being so tuned in to the majority of the population all the time. There’s a lot of pain out there. Guess that’s why you’re Payne.
TennesseePaul
June 29th, 2011
2:18 pm
I mean, think about it, if Bourn were to get on base…
You know if Schafer were able to get on base… If Heyward were able to get on base… If Uggla were able to get on base… if Seabass were able to get on base…
What the Braves need is for at least half of the line up to get on base with regularity. Can’t steal first, no matter how fast you are.
Venice Jim
June 29th, 2011
2:19 pm
Yesterday morning on Mike and Mike they had a non-ESPN baseball analyst on. They brought up Joe Mauer, and the analyst discussed him, but then turned the subject to what a great year BMac is having. He managed not to mention that he did some pitching to Mac towards the end of his own career…
timthebrave
June 29th, 2011
2:20 pm
Gordon, The game has definitely gotten more specialized and thats the reason for the additional bullpen needed. Also there is a premium on pitching and keeping pitchers healthy. If a guy is throwing a shutout but has 110 pitches by the 7th he will now get pulled. Before a guy throws until he says he is tired or starts leaving pitches up indicating he is tired. I think you need the extra bullpen guys so you don’t have our young relievers throw their arms off. They are too valuable to the future of this organization. IMO
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
2:22 pm
Yep. No one on this team is getting on base at a good rate. McCann, McLouth and Freeman are probably at their expectated levels. Everyone else is tanking.
timthebrave
June 29th, 2011
2:23 pm
Batting order doesn’t really matter when only 2 or 3 guys are hitting. In other words some “bad hitters” are going to have to bat in positions they shouldn’t….So it goes
brian
June 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
Schafer did have a big hit last night but still has been flying out way too much. He needs the Willie Mayes Hayes treatment – every pop up the veterans (and coaches) should make him do 20 push ups in the dug out
cricket
June 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
Looks like padres are selling. Nothing that will work for us anyway.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jon_heyman/06/29/padres.trades/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_wr_a3
David O'Brien
June 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
In case anyone missed it from Twitter feed:
Braves lineup: 1. Schafer cf, 2. Heyward rf, 3. BMac dh, 4. Freeman 1b, 5. Uggla 2b, 6. Conrad 3b, 7. Ross c, 8. McLouth lf, 9. Gonzo ss
Just a day off for Chipper, but his knee (meniscus tear in right knee) is a little sore again. He told me if he can avoid surgery, he will. If he goes on DL at any point, he said he’d probably have the surgery. But he wants to avoid it if he can.
ncscoots
June 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
I had a different thought and wasn’t sure if it was in line with “most people.”
Well, obviously the 3 is going to come up with fewer baserunners; the nominal best-hitter would be at 2 and driving them in beforehand. Try to keep up, TennPaul.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
June 29th, 2011
2:27 pm
HDTV is mandatory now? I must’ve missed the proclamation from the TV Czar!
Bat Masterson
June 29th, 2011
2:27 pm
Bat-”Probably gave up eating snacks off his bat during games.”
You mean those snack-kabobs? monty
Probably bugs …… Melky Renfield Cabrera
Hugo Z Hackenbush
June 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
Or Czarina, whichever.
ncscoots
June 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
Schafer did have a big hit last night but still has been flying out way too much. He needs the Willie Mayes Hayes treatment
What he needs, is to put his skirt into it and drive the damn ball.
David O'Brien
June 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
Wren said nothing new on Prado, keeps progressing but hasn’t been cleared to start running yet. Could be any day, but not till incision is entirely healed.
Murph
June 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
I’m going to bet that D “No Hit” Lowe shows up today. He’s due for an great start.
MFin04
June 29th, 2011
2:31 pm
I’m gonna guess D-Lowe gets another loss today. Guy just hasn’t been very good lately, and the offense has been awful outside of Freeman and McCann.
That and the Braves don’t like sweeping series.
groundfog
June 29th, 2011
2:32 pm
Chipper is waiting for Prado to get back imo..He needs to get the surgery done. If we can survive without Prado like we have, we can survive without Chipper
Fish Bisch
June 29th, 2011
2:35 pm
Trade Chipper for Bourne.
ncscoots
June 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
If we can survive without Prado like we have, we can survive without Chipper
According to my calculations, every game without one of the regulars adds one-half of one-third of an inning to the IP of Venters and Kimbrel.
Probably didn’t know that.
BravePack
June 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
Who else loves watching Kimbrel come in to pitch the 9th and see the opposing batters look clueless up there just hoping they can guess right at what pitch is coming? I’m reminded of the movie Major League where Parkman knows the heat is coming and still can’t catch up to it. He has made a great hitter like Ichiro look lost up there swinging at balls in the dirt.
timthebrave
June 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
I got a coupe of questions for the blog:
1. How can Ichiro hit so well while moving at the same time?
2. Is he a hall of famer?
O.J.
June 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
TennesseePaul, but thats the thing I am talking about, Bourn DOES get on base. At a .385 clip. Much better than Schafers .299
AtlYnkHtr
June 29th, 2011
2:40 pm
Wow, the way that lineup is posted with the 9 after Gonzo and before Lowe, I thought for a minute that Fredi’s ouija board told him to bat Lowe even with the DH. Oh and wait, we can have both catchers involved in the game? What will we ever do if Ross gets hurt? You know that less than 1% chance that we have to manage our entire Pinch Hitting philosophy around?
Bat Masterson
June 29th, 2011
2:42 pm
McFann
You might find this interesting.
Epileptic turtle has brain scan
Murph
June 29th, 2011
2:42 pm
According to my calculations, every game without one of the regulars adds one-half of one-third of an inning to the IP of Venters and Kimbrel.
Run your calculations again, only don’t forget to carry the one this time. You’ll be surprised at how wrong your assumptions are.
Bat Masterson
June 29th, 2011
2:43 pm
McFann
Maybe even more so with a link
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3663952/Epileptic-turtle-has-brain-scan.html#ixzz1Qdg9DKWw
Snotboogie
June 29th, 2011
2:43 pm
My turtle contribution:
Turtles Force Runway Closing at Kennedy Airport
Link