Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
164 comments Add your comment
truth
June 30th, 2011
7:45 am
FIRE FW
braveshoo
June 30th, 2011
8:03 am
The Braves will use the savings for next year from McClouth and KK for salary raises that are already on the books like McCann, and arbitration raises for JJ and Hanson. We cant afford another big contract until Chipper retires. McClouth will stay this year as the 4th OF. Prado will play LF and 3rd base to give Chipper a rest. Our hitting will improve with Schaffer, Heyward and our other young hitters getting more experience. Pitching and defense will continue to be the key.
FelixMillan
June 30th, 2011
8:23 am
Hey Dave: Could the Braves sweep the big awards this season: McCann MVP, Jurrjens Cy Young, Freeman Rookie of the Year?
Nut Job
June 30th, 2011
8:30 am
Maybe Chipper should read this?? I’ve seen him roll over so many pitches out away from him and pull a little weak ground ball. Its very frustrating as a fan to watch a rookie go out there with a better approach at the plate than a future HOF player day in and day out…
**FREDDIE FREEMAN
“I was just trying to be short and quick, just trying to hit the ball to left field, because he had a really good two-seamer, good sink. If you try to pull that ball, you’re just going to roll over every time. So I was just trying to go up the middle, go the opposite way, and it worked out today.”
Come on Guys
June 30th, 2011
8:38 am
I guess it is a helluva note that Freddi has not tipped his cap in a while, maybe because they are playing better. Chipper bashers, have you noticed he has been playing at less than 100% and is hitting over .400 with RISP. I believe Lowe’s contract is coming off the books next year also and if Chipper retires, how much would they have to spend then? Did you see Murph in his last years, pretty awful in that he could not lay off the low and away pitch, but we still loved him. Oh well, love them or hate them, I will still take the 3rd best record in the game and hope some of the guys pick it up in the 2nd half. I was at a game in April and saw some of the photos of the late 80’s team and their record of around 68 to 72 wins for several years and think how far they have come. So come on guys lay off the negativity and enjoy the ride, are you perfect?
Nut Job
June 30th, 2011
8:44 am
LOL at all of you clowns saying that we need to go out and get Wilson Betemit, Figgins, and Cantu. Do you people just spin a wheel of names and pick one?? You people would just whine and moan when they came in and hit .250 with no production…More of you clowns saying that Fredi G. is clueless?? Like always, you are showing the readers of this blog that you have absolutely no baseball knowledge at all. You are quite comical.
dean
June 30th, 2011
8:57 am
A team, a gimped up team, goes 17-9 in June and people bich.
anotherbrave
June 30th, 2011
9:13 am
47-35 Wow! The only teams in all of MLB with even a slightly better record are the Yankees and Phillies. And their payroll is twice the Braves. Yet, here we go with fire Fredi, fire Frank, release Chipper, trade Dan. Sure am glad that the so-called fans that vent on here aren’t in charge. lol
E-6
June 30th, 2011
9:19 am
another brave – took the words out of my mouth. 12 over; we’re ahead of the leaders of both central and both western divisions. Imagine if we could hit.
bring back blauser
June 30th, 2011
9:22 am
braves in great shape. pitching on team and minors are the best in baseball. we have a great leadoff man in the making. a mvp caliber catcher which, if you ask any real baseball person will tell you is key in handling a pitching staff. 2 potential 30-50 home run hitters (heyward and freeman) a fantastic player no matter where he plays. an all star second baseman albeit coming off an awful first half but has delivered the power everyone wanted in the off season. a shortstop that is like a vacuum at his position. a hall of fame third baseman that is the team leader in more ways than many want to give him credit for. 2 of the best pinch hitters in baseball. the only thing i see wrong is the fact that the other teams also have good pitching and have scouted our teams very well. but face it the braves are going to the playoffs. let them play the game fredi is doing a fine job running this team. let wren tweak what needs to be tweaked to make them a little more competitive this year. then in the off season let him make moves that will make the braves a team to really give a run against philly and washington next year. maybe just maybe he will get some help from a new owner of the team that will infuse some interest in the operation of this team. i think wren has done a great job with what he has had to work with
reckingball
June 30th, 2011
9:24 am
I just wish that the Phillies were in the Central Div.
Once again they are ahead in the inner-divisional games.
If the Braves can get on top of the Muts, Nats, and the Fish.
I still believe that it is possible for the Braves to take the East away from the Phils.
Go Braves!!
TheAntiMe
June 30th, 2011
9:28 am
COME ON BRAVES FANS HAVE SOME FAITH!!!!
Actually, ken, we do but you can’t get discouraged by the comments in the blogosphere and think that they are representative of the actual Braves fans as they are two entirely different sample bases and two entirely different sets of demographics.
I would be willing to wager that if DOB were to put out a multiple choice poll question asking what people think of the Braves performance so far this season along with the game quotes, the vast majority of people would say that the Braves are doing well to very well this season. However, when reading the comments it seems a given that you will find that around 50% of comments are unfavorable regarding the Braves performance. I suppose that’s just a natural by-product of forums as there will be differences of opinion and that is what forums and blogs are all about.
I noticed this effect last year when Mark Bradley had a poll asking how people viewed Bobby Cox as a manager and probably over 70% of the people who answered said that Bobby was a good manager. However, in that same blog, the comments toward Bobby were probably at least 70% unfavorable.
Someone made a comment yesterday that the Atlanta Braves fans are the worst in the country based on the blog comments. That is not an accurate – nor fair – representation of the folks who watch the Bravos day in and day out.
GO BRAVES!!!
Bill in VA
June 30th, 2011
9:28 am
THIS JUST IN…Fredi is going to give Venters the night off!!
Dirty Dawg
June 30th, 2011
9:34 am
Guess my paranoia is showing again, but once again the New York sports/baseball media has ignored the Braves and focused on the, losing, performance of a foe. A couple of weeks ago it was that guy Batista – we beat their butts and who gets the media attention? The one with a meaningless HR and a nice catch on a meaningless fly ball…after that it was something, or someone, else that was ‘featured’ – again in a losing cause…and now, all they could talk about was ‘King’ Felix, all they could show was a sympathetic view of that 60’s-era, mustachioed manager protesting an obvious strike call, and absolutely no mention of Derek Lowe and barely anything about the Braves’ current hot streak. If it ain’t New Yawk, Philly or Boston, it don’t count..I guess.
TheAntiMe
June 30th, 2011
9:54 am
And you may have noticed, Dirty Dawg, during the Red Sox – Phillies game last night that the ESPN broadcasters were already billing that game as a preview to the 2011 World Series.
On an espn.com message board a couple of weeks ago a Red Sox fan said that it was a lock for the Red Sox and Phillies to play in the World Series. I asked him what makes the Phillies such a lock as they surely weren’t a lock for the WS last postseason and this season they have more holes in their team on offense?
But you know, I really don’t mind. It’s always kind of fun when no one gives your team a chance and they wind up beating up on one of the big boys. When this year is over the national media folks will most likely be calling in a locksmith because they will be forced to change their locks.
bill
June 30th, 2011
9:54 am
I think we have come to the info overload time for sports. Guys with no life sitting at home with stat sheets and an imagination big enough to put them in in the majors in their mind. I read the stuff from DOB but thats about it. The rest of the time I just watch or listen to the game and enjoy the baseball. When armagaedon happens it won’t start at Turner Field.
bill
June 30th, 2011
9:57 am
Oh yeah Chipper on one wheel gets my support for all his years of loyalty. Remember when he restructured so we could get some more players. Never saw a Smolts or Glavine or even maddog offer one cent for relief.
The Lemmer
June 30th, 2011
10:00 am
Chipper is doing whats best for the team by hanging in there until Prado gets back, & YES he WILL be back for his last year again next year, power & average are down but he should make the all star team this year based on what he’s done & not just cause he’s Chipper, second on the team in rbi while playing hurt & part time? Cmon man!!!!!!!!!!
reckingball
June 30th, 2011
10:06 am
I very rarely watch ExPN or the MLB network, and if I do(it will be for just a few minutes at a time), I don’t care what they have to say.
I understand that they are driven by TV ratings, and that they are catering to the Northeastern population.
It’s nothing personel, it’s just buisness.
Go Braves!! — — –Kick some tail-feathers off of them birds tommorrow!!!
henry from TN
June 30th, 2011
10:06 am
dan uggla does not make 15 million a year nor 9 mil a year he makes a little more than 12 mil a year he got 60.2 mil for 5 years that equates to a little over 12 mil a year get your facts right people….
bill
June 30th, 2011
10:11 am
Dave our current record at halfway compares awfully well to some of our glory years at the halfway point. 82,91,95, 96, 2000 01,05. I would trade all those 100 win seasons for one more world series win.
bring back blauser
June 30th, 2011
10:13 am
those that want cantu figgins and betemit should take into fact that they offer no more to the braves than what we have now. i will take conrad for his bat off the bench any day same said for hinske. lugo never had a bat but he is adequate defensive backup for the infield which leaves conrad to do what he does best ….pinch hit. give shafer time. he has done what noone other than prado has done for this team…give the team a spark. he will be jewel if he is left alone and learns more about being a leadoff man. in the offseason i hope that the braves pursue jose reyes. this man is a one man wrecking crew. with him at the front of this lineup with shafer, don’t ever think that heyward, freeman, uggla, and mccann will be getting many change of speed pitches, therefore making them one of the most feared teams in baseball. i still remember the cardinals under whitey herzog wreaking havoc on nl teams with his speed on bases, and making the 3,4, and 5 hitters better than what they really were. i know some will say reyes is having a career year, this is true, but he has one thing that can not be taught…….SPEED. and what do pitchers fear most…..SPEED on bases. any wonder why shafer scores in most cases when he is on base?
bill
June 30th, 2011
10:14 am
I used to cheer for the RED SOX but now I hate them as much as the Yankees. Last year we had San Francisco and Texas in the World Seroes and I do not think many people thought that would happen
Bill
June 30th, 2011
10:29 am
Getting Prado back will be like making a trade….Prado has been out since June 8 and still leads the team in runs scored.
Chipper is still Mr. Brave..the man wants to win!
Chris P. Bacon
June 30th, 2011
10:30 am
If we had a competent manager who knew how to leverage his bullpen…and a batting coach not named “Larry Parrish”, the Braves would likely be leading the NL East over the Phillies by a comfortable margin.
Jack Lill
June 30th, 2011
10:34 am
It gets me, no matter what hapens, the pitching was good. Hanson has been real good this year, but his last start he struggled alol the time he was in there. It looks like Cox is still there, pitch a guy until his arm falls off. If they make the play offs then the relief pitchers are too tired to do anything
Don
June 30th, 2011
10:37 am
The great pitching for the Braves may be wasted. It is going to be difficult to be competitive with your 3rd place hitter barely hittng .250, your shortstop at .240, your second baseman below .200 – and getting terrible production from two of your three outfield positions (McLouth at .232 and Heyward and Schaffer both in the .220s.
This is a shame to waste this great pitching. It is difficult to understand had the Braves continuously fail to develop/improve their hitters at the major league level. There may not be many really great hitting coaches out there, but the Braves have been in desperate need of one for years and years.
bring back blauser
June 30th, 2011
10:39 am
i find this to be hilarious in the fact that if fredi did not use venters in that situation these same naysayers would be saying why didn’t fredi use venters in that situation and try to get the sweep. hey folks you can’t have your cake and eat it too
Bill
June 30th, 2011
10:46 am
Well said Don.
bring blauser back…why not? you can’t eat it if you don’t have it but save some for later.
henry from TN
June 30th, 2011
10:55 am
uggla got 60.2 mil for 5 yrs that equates to a little over 12 mil a year not 15 or 9 that has been stated in this blog….
Dan
June 30th, 2011
11:05 am
Just read an article by Verducci listing 10 midseason MVP candidates, and no McCann? At first I though, well ok, maybe not number 1 but certainly top 10, but the more I think about it…Best hitting catcher in baseball (with Mauer out its not even a discussion) handling arguably the second best (statistically) staff in baseball, the entire outfield has been on the DL, Your high priced offseason acquisition hitting 170, your aging superstar missing games, a rookie first basemen, I think it is fair to say nobody is carrying more of the load for a contending team than Mac
TheAntiMe
June 30th, 2011
11:14 am
No, actually Dan Uggla is making $9,146,942 this season. That is the amount of money that is counting against the Braves payroll for Uggla this season. That total will increase yearly over the life of his contract.
ken
June 30th, 2011
11:20 am
okay Uggla gets 9 million this year
Joseph I seriously doubt you were in philladelphia when Ted managed his one game
dan yeah they are wasting their great pitching with the 3rd best record in the MLB
Braves fans just be patient and enjoy what is a very very good team!!!!
ken
June 30th, 2011
11:25 am
here is what you will hear at the trade deadline:
The Atlanta Braves have aquired (Reed Johnson or Josh Willingham) for a couple of lower prospects!!!
ken
June 30th, 2011
11:27 am
Reed JohnsonRF, #5Chicago CubsJun 30 · Giants at Cubs · 2:20 PM ET
OPP AB R H HR RBI BB K SB
Jun 28 SF, L7-13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jun 28 SF, L3-6 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
Jun 29 SF, W2-1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Season: GP 49 · Avg .327 · HR 4 · RBI 22 · Runs 13 · SB 1
Josh WillinghamLF, #16Oakland AthleticsJun 30 · Marlins at Athletics · 3:35 PM ET
OPP AB R H HR RBI BB K SB
Jun 15 KC, W2-1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jun 16 KC, W8-4 5 1 1 0 0 0 2 0
Jun 17 SF, W5-2 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1
Season: GP 64 · Avg .231 · HR 10 · RBI 42 · Runs 27 · SB 4
Player Stats · FOX Sports on MSN(STATS, Inc. © 2011)
Mister Frisky
June 30th, 2011
11:29 am
Don makes a solid and valid point.If Larry goes on the DL and Prado goes to third..that will leave you with an outfield hitting between 220 and 235 with no power.Thow in Uggla at 175 Gonzalez at 240 this will be too much for even the best staff in MLB to overcome which the Braves are.We know they are a season best 12 games over 500 but Braves fans have their eyes on the big prize and it’s gonna be difficult to overcome 5 holes in the line up .
Don
June 30th, 2011
11:30 am
Way to go, Braves. Great wins in Seattle!
That said I have some real concerns regarding something that has been going on for a few games now, and it is the very dangerous game Scharffer & McLouth are playing with each other. Now Schaffer is the CF and as such is suppossed to call for & get any ball he can. So far he has done well, sometimes verturing into McLouth’s terrritory to track down slicing balls. The problem is it appears that McLouth thinks HE is (or should be) the CF and is coming very close to crashing into Schaffer, even though it is evident that Schaffer is screaming his head off getting to the ball. I don’t know if this is intentional or not, but because it has happened quite a few times I will guess it is intentional. The result will be that at least one of them (or maybe both) will have to go on the DL to recover when (not if) the crash occurs. So fellows, think of the team and put your egos behind you!
ken
June 30th, 2011
11:37 am
Catcher
Brian Mccann .315 Carlos Ruiz .247
1st Baseman
Freddie Freeman ..272 Ryan Howard .250
2nd Baseman
Dan Uggla .178 Chase Utley .272
Shortstop
Alex Gonzalez .240 Jimmy Rollins .253
3rd Baseman
Chipper Jones .256 Placido Polanco .288
LeftField
Martin Prado .277 Raul Ibanez .238
CenterField
Nate Mcclouth .232 Shane Victorino .291
RightField
Jason Heyward .228 Dominic Brown .214
am I missing something here!!!!
Braves fans have FAITH!!!!!
ken
June 30th, 2011
11:40 am
The Braves starting lineup is hitting .251 on the season while the Phillies starting Lineup is hitting .256 and yet though Braves fans Bitch!!!
I bet Phillies fans are not trying to trade everone and fire the Manager and General Manager:)
Dan
June 30th, 2011
11:49 am
Right on Ken ! Except of course there is absolutely zero doubt Philly fans are bitching, I went to school there, 1 they are clueless, 2 they will bitch if there team is undefeated. But regarding the comparisons the braves are doing fine and thats haveing gone most of June without their starting outfield
Steve 34
June 30th, 2011
12:00 pm
Mark my word… Chipper will be the next brett favre! He does not know when to retire and will just hurt our team more in the coming years… Chipper Jones is a lil whiney bitch
rob
June 30th, 2011
12:07 pm
i just hope the braves don’t do something stupid like trade Shafer…..the kidhas loads of potential and just needs some at-bats….i could so see them trading him and then us all watch him tear it up for another team. don’t give up on shafer braves. not yet anyway.
TheAntiMe
June 30th, 2011
12:12 pm
Chipper Jones is a lil whiney bitch
Seems to me, Steve34, you are the only one here whining, bitch. Is mommy not giving you enough attention at home?
D man
June 30th, 2011
12:22 pm
Bravesnhave the second best record in the National league. Freddie must be doing something right…
D man
June 30th, 2011
12:26 pm
The Braves have the third best record in the Major league behind the Yankers and the Pissys. I think they are doing just fine…
David O'Brien
June 30th, 2011
12:43 pm
AntiMe: Good points at 9:28 a.m.
My Thoughts
June 30th, 2011
12:56 pm
RH hitter back up at first base ? Backup at 3rd to allow Prado to stay in left ? Decent 4th (speedy outfiielder). I’d take Cantu, Figgins, Betemit over Brandon Hicks, Young/Ramires, McCant thro the ball at all , Diory Hernandez (not Conrad at all he stays) Get the point guys ?
bring back blauser
June 30th, 2011
1:05 pm
hey my thoughts their junk would be out treasure? funny you say that cantu is a fredi reject, figgins wanted to play in seattle rather than atlanta, betemit is a braves castoff. am i missing something here? what do they have in common non performance if anything go after mike cameron who was just cut by boston that reject makes more sense
Ball's-N-All
June 30th, 2011
1:07 pm
PLEASE! OH PLEASE! Frank W. go and get Michael Young from Texas,and we will win the World Ser….He hits for power,he hits for avg.,He playes all infield pos.,He playes the outfeild…AND HE HAS SPEED..Nuff said….GO Braves im with you guys win or lose..
T. Johnson
bring back blauser
June 30th, 2011
1:11 pm
michael young would be a great addition but texas will not deal him he is to valuable to them and besides it would take another texiera type deal to get him and he is not worth that
DMAN
June 30th, 2011
1:12 pm
Bunch of Yankee inbreds with all the negative comments,why don’t yall get the hell out of here and pull for the Phillies!
Let's Go
June 30th, 2011
1:13 pm
12 games over 500, 3rd best record in the NL, 17 and 8 for the month of June and winners of 8 of their last 10. We may also be looking at not only the MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Cy Young winners but if this keeps up Fredi will be a shoo in for manager of the year.
gcs
June 30th, 2011
1:30 pm
The Braves have a better road record (25-18) than they do home record (22-17). Is it something we said?
.
nashvillewill
June 30th, 2011
1:43 pm
Fredi’s helpful moves: spelling McCann for Ross; playing Schafer; moving Freeman up in order; moving Alex down; handling of starting pitchers. All rate an A or A-.
Fredi’s less helpful moves: handling of bullpen, especially Venters and Kimbrel who are both overworked–give them rests when Braves are up 4.(C-); staying with Uggla and Chipper, both of whom should be moved down in order if they must play ($ concerns dictates they play, but not where they bat) (D); not coming out and standing up for players the way his mentor over-did (has he been tossed this season?) (D). Overall job performance, I’d say about a B so far.
jerrbear59
June 30th, 2011
2:02 pm
To the idiots who want to get rid of Alex Gonzalez: Are you crazy? He’s one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball and defensively, how many runs do you think he saves for the Braves? I feel certain that the pitchers on this staff would gladly take his .245 average just to have him at short.I shudder to think where we’d be without that glove of his. It would be great if he hit more but what he does defensively is priceless.
phil
June 30th, 2011
2:35 pm
Steve 34
June 30th, 2011
12:00 pm
Mark my word… Chipper will be the next brett favre! He does not know when to retire and will just hurt our team more in the coming years… Chipper Jones is a lil whiney bitch
And steve 34 has a brain the size of a pebble…
phil
June 30th, 2011
2:39 pm
Fire someone…
Have to keep Gonzo for now…glove too valuable even if bat is termite-ridden…
Looking at gorgeous Atlantic in cloudy Florida….race weekend, braves folks.
J-Man
June 30th, 2011
2:55 pm
I do agree that A GON is a great defensive SS but Alexi Ramirez is a good defensive SS and has a way better bat. Also A GON needs to learn how to bunt and how to not “swing for the fences” and go opposite way because he was a better hitter back in 2002-2007 when he was just a doubles hitter that went the other way
braveshoo
June 30th, 2011
3:35 pm
The Braves will get 2 players to help with the stretch run in Sept. and it wont cost them anything: Moylan and Medlin. They will help keep our bullpen the key stength that it is. This is our main competive advantage over almost every team, including the Phillies.
Chuck
June 30th, 2011
4:03 pm
I went to see the AA Braves last night, hoping to catch a glimpse of KK to see what a $6M man looks like, but had to fix a dryer before going. As it turns out, he was pitching. I got there in the third inning and I had already missed him! In the paper it said he had a rough first inning, then a 1-2-3 second, then gave up a double to the first batter in the third and they pulled him. Sounds odd. My gut says they are trying to make him as miserable as possible. His quotes after the game were “trying to get back to the majors, but I thought I would be working in AAA”, “lots of people telling me different things to work on, not sure who to listen to”, etc. Between the lines, it looked like a mexican stand-off. He knows he doesn’t have the arm anymore but is taking the money, and the Braves are going to make sure he rides buses in AA, far from his Atlanta mansion, and take every chance to humiliate him on the field when they can. I can see Wren telling AA manager “Rocket Wheeler”, “Break him”. Terrible situation when no one has any faith in you and hates you – but surely the money makes it a lot easier. I wonder if the rest of the players are scared to talk to him (through an interpreter, of course). Prediction: there will never be another Japanese player on the Braves team.
reckingball
June 30th, 2011
4:55 pm
Most everyone knows why he is in AA ball.
Who me?
June 30th, 2011
5:07 pm
I’m still laughing about ANYone wanting to bring Wilson Betemit back…
No game tonight, its going to suck but – the Phillies did get smacked down by the Big Red machine today, so all is not lost…..
Wilson Betemit……..LOL
ijudgenot
June 30th, 2011
7:40 pm
Each year about this time for the last 10 years Atlanta fans start asking for a big trade to help their anemic offense. So far Frank Wren has resisted this cry and kept the young prospects on the farm. He tried to address the “big bat” over the winter by locking up Uggla for 5 years. This hasn’t worked out, but other than a straight up trade for JJ or Lowe for a big bat. I hope he resists the call to trade the Braves prospects again this year.
bobbymahlon
June 30th, 2011
10:31 pm
For those of you worring about Schafer cutting in front of Mclouth and Heyward need not worry because someday he will cut in front of Heyward and he will end up on the DL for 60 days.
To have the second best record in the NL you have to give Fredi and A+ thus far.
Can’t wait to get Prado back but I hope he does not come back before he is at 100%.