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414 comments Add your comment
Ebenezer Snerdberg
October 22nd, 2011
3:28 pm
When we get a local owner and fire Wren and Fredi and all the rest and start with a clean slate, I’ll get excited again. Until then YAWN! SOS!
Kudzu Wildcat
October 22nd, 2011
4:29 pm
Nice game DOB. Kansas State 59 KU 21. We play a tougher team, against our practice squad. Enjoy your weekend. Every Man A Wildcat!
chris
October 22nd, 2011
4:35 pm
Hitting in baseball is not something you can teach by words – the hitters have got to make contact and be able to play smart. NO amount of Walker-Fletcher words will heal this situation in Atlanta unless we get some MAJOR LEAGUE HITTERS into Atlanta….Wren can make Parrish the scapegoat who I thought did a horrible job dont get me wrong- never like the choice from the beginning, if he wants to but the real problem are the players themselves..they’re getting paid to hit, field and pitch on a professional level. We need some power bats and keep Bourn at the top of that lineup = in other words – we need a complete 100% overhaul of this team and start over top to bottom…..im not ready to throw Fredi G under the bus – he didnt do a bad job even though he did oversee the worse collapse in Atlanta sports franchise history in 2011 – but if things dont turn in 2012- he goes too
Quick Hits: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Epstein | Forex News
October 22nd, 2011
5:57 pm
[...] Braves have hired Greg Walker, formerly of the White Sox, as their hitting coach, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Walker was one of three candidates interviewed by [...]
James
October 22nd, 2011
6:29 pm
You people you are correct sir and don’t mind the young 80’s mouth. He is the board douche know it all
James
October 22nd, 2011
6:39 pm
I like the moves Wren is making. It is better than making no moves at all. Now only time will tell if adding Walker, Fletcher and Dascenzo will make a difference at both levels.
Quick Hits: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Epstein | My Blog
October 22nd, 2011
6:43 pm
[...] Braves have hired Greg Walker, formerly of the White Sox, as their hitting coach, writes David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Walker was one of three candidates interviewed by [...]
James
October 22nd, 2011
6:44 pm
I forgot to add Luis Lopez and Don Long to those names above. Spring Training for us this year at Lake Buena Vista will be hitting oriented on the main field and the back fields. Very excited by these moves. Great teachers and great individuals.
Fat Ralphy
October 22nd, 2011
7:02 pm
So Braves hired a sub-hitting coach along with WALKER ? That’s just stupid. Shoulda got a REAL former hitter like Wade Boggs or Tony Gwynn. Greg Walker couldn’t hit over .240
Fat Ralphy
October 22nd, 2011
7:19 pm
Matt Harrison starting for Rangers tonight. Along with Andrus & Felix another example of Wren’s trading prowess…
ab inito
October 22nd, 2011
7:20 pm
Does anyone remember Wren stating categorically that ‘…situational hitting was poor.’?
Right. Agreed. It was beyond poor.
So, what the hell are ya doing, Wren, by hiring a power-hitter as a hitting coach?
Is your goal to get Alex Gonzalez to at least hit a fly ball to a waiting outfielder, instead of just hitting a rally-killing double-play?
What are seeing that no one with a pulse is seeing, Wren?
OMG, zee goggles, zay do nuzing!!!!!!!!!!!
Rangers Fan
October 22nd, 2011
7:42 pm
Wow ! Wren was really crazy to trade Feliz,Andrus,& Harrison for 3 months of Mark Teixeira ! But I’m so glad he did. They are 3 of our best players.
Felix
October 22nd, 2011
7:47 pm
Dave: It might be better for your sanity and ours if you stay away from articles about hitting coaches.
Frank is Trolling us
October 22nd, 2011
7:47 pm
UTTER DISASTER. This guy is a terrible coach that responsible for some of the worst offenses in the AL. Organization continues to dismiss OBP. What a joke. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to polish this turd.
bravesfaninNashville
October 22nd, 2011
7:52 pm
Fat Ralphy…… it wasn’t Frank Wren that made the trade with Texas it was John Schuerholz..
Kris
October 22nd, 2011
8:13 pm
I don’t love this hire, but I have to say you guys out there that are justifying this move by saying that Dunn was a crap hitter are clueless. Yes it’s a fact that Dunn’s career batting average is .243 and that he generally averages around 180 K’s per year, but so what? His career OBP is .374 and aside from this past season he was a lock for 35+ HR’s. Everyone makes such a big deal about the K’s and low batting average but who cares? OBP is a way more accurate statistic for measuring a players ability and striking out a high percentage of the time doesn’t mean anything. I’d rather a power hitter strikeout 180 times per year and mash 35+ bombs than hit into rally killing ground balls. Look Dunn had an atrocious 2011, but he has been a very solid producer for a long time. I seriously doubt that one season with Walker led to his decline.
As for Beckham – the dude is just not very good.
gcs
October 22nd, 2011
8:58 pm
wow. i think i’ll run out and buy a dozen season tickets…
.
K.K.
October 22nd, 2011
9:04 pm
Fredi: Please hire K.K. before green card run out.
TeheranTime
October 22nd, 2011
9:39 pm
Braves fans are fast becoming the biggest complainers and malcontents among MLB fans. Who else did you genuises hope to see as hitting coach? I have read this blog since Larry Parrish was fired and heard not one reasonable recommendation as a hitting coach. That’s probably because you were reserving your energy to criticize whoever the organization hired. Last year, it was get rid of Terry Pendleton. This year, it was get rid of Larry Parrish. Maybe the real problem is not even in the coaches. The real problem is in those men who step across that line and call themselves professional hitters. They get paid A LOT more money than most of us will ever make to hit a baseball. Maybe the blame should be placed squarely on their shoulders and quit criticizing coaches. Tyler Flowers mentioned that Jason Heyward was open minded. That said to me that a lot of problem with struggling hitters- who have made a mess of things not because of what the hitting coach told them to do- aren’t willing to listen to what they are told to correct flaws in their swing. You guys are incredible.
Cesar
October 22nd, 2011
10:41 pm
I see a great effort by Frank Wren to to turn this team around..the man is getting into the new era of baseball. All new modern techs in hitting to improve team.. Give the man credit he wants a winner and now the whole organization will be on same page as far as hitting is concerned.
For the first time in years I’m excited something new is taking place. Mr Walker and all new hitting coaches, I believe will turn this team into winners. We all bitch about this and that but I can see Mr Wren is making every effort to win.
Larry
October 22nd, 2011
10:51 pm
“The White Sox ranked eighth in the 14-team American League in average (.252), seventh in on-base percentage (.319) and 11th in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.706), down from sixth in OPS (.752) in 2010. They were 11th in the AL in runs in 2011, seventh in 2010 and 12th in 2009.”
Wow! With such stellar achievements this alone will result in 25% more season tickets next year!
Hitting coach was not our problem…the man who filled out the lineup was!
Johnny Rocker
October 22nd, 2011
11:23 pm
DOB’s song of the night should be WALK(er)Don’t Run by The Ventures
HuH?
October 23rd, 2011
12:26 am
I saw WALKER and I thought Larry Walker. What a good thing.
Never heard of the other guy.
HuH?
October 23rd, 2011
12:31 am
Hey, Johnny Rocker is right above me…..He was the most abused Brave of all time. He was a great Brave who was abandoned by the sxxholes of the Braves, like the despicable Glavine. He lost his confidence after the abandonment. Rocker did nothing wrong. Nothing.
NickB
October 23rd, 2011
1:25 am
if you idiots wanna complain about the Texiera trade you might wanna spend the 5 minutes to do the research … You would discover that it was our present team prez John Schieurholz who made this trade.
I often wonder if much of the grief heaped on FW isn’t due to this simple understanding. If you look around the lead most GM’s have similar hit and miss records. The difference is FW has some really excellent trades, JJ, Uggla (whine all you want , we stole him), dumping Javier Vasquez at the perfect time, O’Flaherty picked up off the waiver wire…etc These are all excellent moves (drafting Minor for cheap and Gilmartin similarly are good things too)
I honestly think many of you are spoiled. If you were fans of 20 other teams around the league you’d be selling fingers to be rooting for a team with as much success and as good an Org. as the Braves….
Dud had an awesome swing...
October 23rd, 2011
4:16 am
Played against this guy in high school…had the best swing (left-handed by the way…) of any high schooler I’ve seen over the last 35 years.
Played for a good Coffee County team that lost to eventual state champ, Marist (the win a lot of baseball titles at that school), during his senior year.
He was a man among boys…give him a chance here people, he knows the art of the swing!
Believe…
Joey
October 23rd, 2011
8:27 am
Maybe he can coach the Braves into hitting their ave (as opposed to 50% of it) in September . . .
Larry
October 23rd, 2011
8:35 am
It wasn’t the hitting coach that batted Heyward 1st in the lineup.
It wasn’t the hitting coach that batted Gonzalez or Uggla 2nd in the lineup.
It wasnt the hitting coach that tried a suicide squeeze with two stokes on Hanson.
It wasn’t the hitting coach that pitched Venters in a 6-1 lead after he had pitched the three previous days
It wasn’t the hitting coach that pitched Lowe in game 161 when he had a 10+ era in September.
It wasn’t the hitting coach who abandoned the most exciting and versatile lineup with Bourne and Constanza manufacturing runs
And it certainly wasn’t the hitting coach who is most at fault for perhaps the most embarrassing collapse in MLB history.
Stop making Parish a scapegoat for possibly the single worst mismanagement of a baseball team ever!
Don’t buy tickets and do not renew season tickets until this team’s senior management acknowledges their poor selection and hires a proven, accomplished, and sufficiently intelligent person to get the most out of those manages! Otherwise, you are contributing to and enabling the problem versus demanding the most from your hard earned money.
You, as the purse strings, have the power–use it wisely’
Mike#1
October 23rd, 2011
9:10 am
It’s amazing to me how the Braves organization doesn’t see the faulty managing of this past season. .
clay
October 23rd, 2011
10:16 am
here’s to the everyone wanting terry pendelton out as hitting coach when they were first in the league in obp. now look where we have gone.
Rufio
October 23rd, 2011
10:18 am
I have been trying to figure a good ways statistically to see if the Braves made a good choice with Walker or not. I chose to look at the Runs/Per Game Avg. and ranked them against the rest of the American League since 2004 when he began as hitting coach. I believe the hitting coach should be judged with this statistic., The same as the Pitching Coach should be viewed by the Team ERA vs the rest of the league. Since 2004 the White Sox have done the following:
They have averaged 7.25 place in the league in Runs/per Game. They have been above American league average 4 times and below avg. 4 times. The highest the have been is 3rd place twice (2004 and 2006) In 2005, their WS year they were 9th.
The last 4 years the White Sox.were 11th, 7th, 12th and 9th in the AL R/G.
Atlanta during those years…….R/G League Placement=5.14 Above League Average 7 times Below League Average only 1 time. Highest ranked 2nd Place Lowest Ranked. 10th place.
Terry Pendleton coached teams during his 7 years…… R/G League Placement=4.42 Above League Average 7 times Below League Average O Highest Ranked 2nd Place and Lowest Ranked 6th place.
Larry Parish’s 2011 team-10th place in Runs Scored per Game in League.
Last 4 years The Braves were 10th, 5th,6th and 6th in NL R/G.
Using this statistic it could be argued that the Braves have the best hitting coach at First Base………..
Rufio
Fastball
October 23rd, 2011
10:55 am
It’s Sunday and I’m just checking back to see if Frank Wren and Fredi Gonzales have been fired yet. Guess not. I’ll check again tomorrow. Please get something done about this.
wjones
October 23rd, 2011
11:04 am
“Rangers Fan
October 22nd, 2011
7:42 pm
Wow ! Wren was really crazy to trade Feliz,Andrus,& Harrison for 3 months of Mark Teixeira ! But I’m so glad he did. They are 3 of our best players.”
Three points:
1. Wren really WAS crazy to make that trade, and the Braves were really crazy to let him, since he WASN’T GM AT THE TIME!
2. We actually had him for 6 months, not 3, and the only reason we traded him, not because of performance, but our entire starting pitching staff went on the DL for the rest of the year, we were obviously out of the race without pitchers, and MT and his agent made it clear they were pursuing the FA route.
3. The amount of time MT spent in our uniform, if you combine the two partial seasons, make what amounts to a regular season. The numbers were outstanding, and if not for the aforementioned pitching staff issues in 2008, and Andruw’s total bomb of a season in 2007 which made the trade necessary in the first place, MT and the Braves may very well have made TWO postseasons. Might the trade have been viewed differently then? Who knows?
Rufio
October 23rd, 2011
11:14 am
WJones——John Schuerholz was responsible for making the trade with Texas to get Teixeira not Frank Wren. It seemed like a good trade at the time. I guess he wanted one last shot at the World Series. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda………It is easy to be a 20/20 hindsight GM.
phil
October 23rd, 2011
12:58 pm
Larry is spot on with his 8:35…stay away until our boneheaded manager is fired…..
Pitching Venters with the big lead might have been THE dumbest move of many….
alexcox
October 23rd, 2011
12:59 pm
a
phil
October 23rd, 2011
1:00 pm
Lol at St. louis and Pujols annihilating the Rangers last night….
We have nothing that comes close to that guy….wow!
alexcox
October 23rd, 2011
1:09 pm
creo q no hay en el mercado otro entrenador con la esperiensia q tiene GW abria q dar la opurtunidad pero si el equipo le hase falta un jardinero DIESTRO o BTEADOR dos mano pero categoria 1 CREO deben dejar a prado como super lider enel banco y un relevista tipoA y poder traspasar a LOWE.
don
October 23rd, 2011
1:13 pm
Do you suppose he can do for Heyward what he did for Adam Dunn.
alexcox
October 23rd, 2011
1:16 pm
MGUSTARIA VER A EN ss maickel yuong y alex gonsales banco y RF CARLOS QUEINTIN y prado como super utility estos chicos en el banco fortaleseria labanca. y la adquision d jugadores como MY y CQ ledaria alos bravos mas posibilidad d llegar a WS
alexcox
October 23rd, 2011
1:20 pm
JH lf dar un poco mas d tiempo para su desarollo bari bons en peso a si no adan dun no caeria en este equipo como nesesidad
Cedeno
October 23rd, 2011
3:28 pm
don..what the he!! do you know about what he did for Dunn? What a stupid commit..you don’t have a clue what was wrong with Dunn are Heyward.
dap01
October 23rd, 2011
3:36 pm
Larry: Chilll, it’s not that bad. Parrish was bad, no one can deny. Actually this should come as no surprise considering he had never been a hitting coach before.
We simply did not have enough hitters last year. And he did more harm than good.
Dang we need more Braves news, we are arguing about hitting coaches.
Cedeno
October 23rd, 2011
4:40 pm
This is USA please write in English. thanks
Angels Fan
October 23rd, 2011
4:49 pm
So you Braves fans wouldn’t want a Wade Boggs or Tony Gwynn as your hitting coach ? When you accept mediocrity you get mediocre results. Always.
TeheranTime
October 23rd, 2011
4:56 pm
Adam Dunn has never hit for very much average but he did stink this year.
Ronaldus Hyattus
October 23rd, 2011
5:58 pm
…and it’s poorly written spanish, at that.
Bob the Blogger
October 23rd, 2011
6:14 pm
I hope Walker can teach guys to hit better than he could do it himself. A .260 career average with a mediocre OBP, slugging, SO to BB, and every other stat is not confidence-inspiring. But many have said that great hitters don’t necessarily make great hitting coaches, so it’s the knowledge and the ability to communicate it that counts. Getting an assistant and gathering data at greater depths sounds like a good idea. I guess we’ll all know at this time next year.
Bob the Blogger
October 23rd, 2011
6:25 pm
I pumped the spanish post into a spanish-to-english translator, and here is what it came up with:
q I think there is another coach on the market with GW Abria esperiensia q q is given the oppurtunity but if the team will need a gardener hase BTEADOR Righty or two CREO Category 1 hand but must leave as a super leader inthe meadow bank and a reliever type and power transfer to LOWE
Is that really what he said????!!!
NickB
October 23rd, 2011
6:34 pm
Larry……. The Braves led the world in HR;s during the months of July and August. They weren;t “manufacturing runs”. They were actually getting people on base. Then Constanza came back to earth and he got benched and rightly so. The guys a AAAA player at best.
mike mangan
October 23rd, 2011
8:08 pm
Still say we missed the boat by not bringing the Little Hammer Gerald Perry as hitting coach,,,
Mister Frisky
October 23rd, 2011
8:22 pm
Now get this guy some real hitters to coach.
urban redneck
October 23rd, 2011
9:05 pm
5 bucks says everyone who posts “first!” are virgins that live with their mothers.
also betting jason heyward remembers he is jason heyward.
as for greg walker………………eh. at least it ain’t parrish.
how many days til spring training????
Call for Sonny Clusters on Line 4
October 23rd, 2011
9:12 pm
Greg Walker? Frank, what’s your hurry?
rugburn
October 23rd, 2011
9:35 pm
constanza was a perfect fit for this AAAA team. heyward should still have been sent down, but we couldn’t send everyone down that sucked so we kept this team intact.
phil
October 23rd, 2011
9:53 pm
Fire FG….
We make the September 2007 Mets look like 1927 Yankees
October 23rd, 2011
10:17 pm
It’s kind of hard to have a consistent lineup…when both your #3 hitter (Chipper Jones) AND your #4/#5 hitter (Brian McCann) regularly need at least one day a week off (AT LEAST, given Chipper’s fragile health…as well as the physical demands that the catcher position puts on McCann).
I seriously doubt that the Cardinals would have been able to catch up with us if both Pujols and Holliday needed regular days off on a weekly basis. Not having consistent power in the lineup in defined roles on a regular basis…makes it hard for a lineup to jell.
The bigger issue is the mood of the clubhouse. Honus Wagner himself couldnt do much with this bunch….given that management’s philosophy is to coddle the players and make excuse after excuse for their failures.
I’ve said this before, I wish that Bobby Valentine was the manager of the Braves when the September slide started. Someone needed to rip our guys a new one for the way they played. The “uh, we’ll get them tomorrow….no sense of urgency” BS made me sick.
The $29 mil that the Braves are going to pay Derek Lowe and Chipper Jones could be better spent on a healthy power hitting bat..as well as someone like Jose Reyes to hit behind Michael Bourn. After those two contracts come off the books after 2012…hopefully the Braves will wisely spend that $29 mil.
leftrecursion
October 24th, 2011
12:02 am
The Mets tried Reyes in the 2 hole…it didn’t work out so good. I don’t think the Braves are going to be winning the whole thing next year. Once the 29 million is freed up from Chipper and Lowe Wren will probably be using some of it to secure some of the players the Braves currently have (Bourn, Hanson, etc). I think some of it will go to either a third basemen or left fielder but don’t look for a high profile name. This is a middle market team and I think they’re building the team the “right” way with young talent.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
12:03 am
James: were you looking in a mirror while typing? I’m the knowitall on here in comparison to you sir? Hardly…
wjones
October 24th, 2011
12:46 am
“Rufio
October 23rd, 2011
11:14 am
WJones——John Schuerholz was responsible for making the trade with Texas to get Teixeira not Frank Wren. It seemed like a good trade at the time. I guess he wanted one last shot at the World Series. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda………It is easy to be a 20/20 hindsight GM.”
Rufio, if you reread my comments you might find it apparent that I, unlike thousands of others on this blog, understand that JS was GM at the time of the MT trade. Your sarcasm meter must not have been working at the time.
wjones
October 24th, 2011
12:51 am
Besides the Teixeira deal, here are some other trades that Wren should not have made:
1. Should not have traded Brett Butler to Cleveland.
2. Should not have traded David Justice & Marquis Grissom.
3. Should not have traded Jermaine Dye.
4. Should not have traded Steve Bedrosian.
5. Should not have traded Dusty Baker.
6. Should not have traded Donnie Moore.
7. Should not have traded Joe Torre.
8. Should not have traded Johnny Antonelli.
9. Should not have traded Alvin Dark.
10. Should not have traded Rogers Hornsby.
It is apparent that these were all trades that set this team back last season, and Wren foolishly made them all.
NickB
October 24th, 2011
1:52 am
I think that whomever ends up with Reyes is going to end up highly disappointed. he’s got a history of performing “well” as well as a history of getting hurt. Then all of a sudden CONTACT YEAR! and he’s hitting lights out (and still getting hurt). If someone wants to give him a 6 year $100+mill contract…. good luck to em
Morning Reads for Monday, October 24th — Peach Pundit
October 24th, 2011
7:01 am
[...] – Georgia Tech fell out of the Top 25 after losing their second straight game. – The Atlanta Braves hired a new hitting coach. In case you missed it, here is a recap of last night’s episode of The Walking [...]
Bob the Blogger
October 24th, 2011
7:20 am
I hope Reyes gets a rediculous contract in the NL east, tying up lots of their money with little return.
Arkie
October 24th, 2011
7:22 am
Probably Parrish was the scape goat of the 2011 season. Walker may help. You do not have to be a rocket scientist to be a good hitter. Keep your hands back, avoid trying to hit below the knee pitches, hit the ball where it is pitched, be calmly agressive, avoid 0-2 and 1-2 counts, etc. Walker, you have a tough job trying to change our Braves bad hitting habits. Good luck. I worry about our pitching coach. A PC that leaves a young pitcher in a game when it is evident something is wrong (Hanson) and we now trust him with our youth arms? Fredi, get a good bench coach – it could save your job. Chipper you can be a great # 2 spot hitter. With speed on first you will get more fast balls to hit. You will drive in as many runs as Bourne will be on second base a majority of the time. Bring Frenchy back. Let Walker work with Frenchy and Heyward this winter. Then, get a proven younger hitting, defensive shortstop, DeRossa for utility infield help, improve the bench and maybe another player or two and we may be the TEAM in 2012.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
9:16 am
seriously, EVERYBODY, stop focusing on whether or not a hitting coach will or won’t help our offense, who they shoulda got instead of Walker, how everybody in Walker’s hometown of loosegravel GA just loves his bones and thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, and focus on the real problem, our FO, and on-field management blow the big one and we aren’t gonna make serious noise in the division again until they’re gone!
billmaier
October 24th, 2011
9:22 am
WJONES you left out a few- wren should have never traded- joey jay, bob buhl, juan pizzaro, eddie mathews, warren spahn, lew burdette. joe adcock, don mcmahon. and hank aaron
Heathcliff Slocum
October 24th, 2011
9:57 am
Speaking of trades, if you have not read the Bloomberg Business magazine’s article dissecting the Michael Bourn trade, do so. Excellent detailing of how it came together.
Smoke Screen
October 24th, 2011
10:37 am
Since it seems the main premise of baseball is production of statistics, it would seem the Braves chose to hire someone whose product seems to reside in the lower half of the American League. Other than homers, it would seem Walker’s charges underperformed for the White Sox. As for homers, the Braves already have a team that swings for the fences.
Wren seems to already have forgotten that his main goal for the offense this season was to improve/generate situational hitting.
Seems with this hire and in this SITUATION, Wren forgot that.
Don
October 24th, 2011
10:45 am
Absolutely no question – The Braves needed a new Hitting Coach. Really good ones are few and far between. Have no opionon, as to whether this guy is good – we will see.
BUT THE MAIN POINT BEING MISSED IS:
EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONG TO MAKE NO DIFFERENCE — IF WE DO NOT CHANGE FROM GETTING ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THE STARTING PITCHERS THAT WE BRING UP OR ACUIRED – INJURED AT SOME POINT.
Mr. O’Brien, I keep asking these questions. No one seems willing to answer them:
(1) In the 6 or 7 years since Leo left (since McDowell has been the Pitching Coach), HOW MANY OF OUR STARTING PITCHERS HAVE BEEN INJURED IN EACH OF THESE YEARS???? List if for each year — Has it been TWO and somethimes THREE, in each of those year?? One year, was it FOUR out the five.
(2) In those 6 or 7 years, HOW MANY TOTAL STARTING PITCHERS HAVE WE HAD AND HOW MANY OF THOSE (IF ANY) HAS NOT BEEN INJURED AT SOME POINT????? (Count only the Starters who have been in the rotation for a reasonable amount of time.)
Right now, THREE OF THE YOUNG PITCHING STARS THAT SHOULD HAVE FORMED THE CORE OF A GREAT ROTATION FOR YEARS TO COME – ARE INJURED.
WILL THEY EVER COME BACK AND BE AS EFFECTIVE AS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN??????
DawgDad
October 24th, 2011
11:05 am
So, they hire a new hitting coach but keep the same hitters? The Braves folded on the field in September, they are folding in the public relations arena in October.
I would like to point out the Cardinals, bless their hearts for mercifully ending the Braves debacle, strike out a lot and hit into a TON of double-plays. And, they’re beat up, too, from the long season. But they sure don’t have a “deer in the headlights” look about them, do they?
Welcome to Douglas,Ga
October 24th, 2011
1:16 pm
Walker’s hometown of loosegrave, Ga.
Mr. 80’s now you cutting down the people of Douglas,Ga with your “Loosegrave” comment. Sir you’re one stupid idiot. You need to get a life. Do you think with your smart mouth you will get a new FO and on-field management change. Think again!
nashvillewill
October 24th, 2011
1:32 pm
Re: Larry @8:35 am.
Agree with you 100%. Add to your list:
FG’s failure to use young starters earlier in season when JJ was obviously not himself and Lowe continued to fail.
FG’s failure to stick by earlier statements to use various closers: Kimbrel was too young and inexperienced for this role and showed it at the end.
FG’s failure to move Uggla down in the order: a .230 hitter bats 7th or 8th.
FG’s and McDowell’s inability to coax more than 6 innings out of starters, thereby straining the bullpen.
And others, I’m sure. Worst manager in baseball.
Hawked Out
October 24th, 2011
1:53 pm
I can’t believe the Braves are gonna pay Chipper $14 million to play part time next year 4 months out of the year. He will be off 8 months. I work all year for $35,000
Doctor’s that actually save lives make $150,00 per year.
Teachers that taught EVERYONE including Chipper Jones make between $30,000 and $55,000 per year.
America’s salary structure is screwed up really bad…
And on top of that America has a $90 trillion debt to China…
NickB
October 24th, 2011
2:46 pm
He gets paid that much because not very many people can do his job. There are only 700 major league players at any given time. Of those maybe 5% will turn out to have careers lasting 10 years or more (not counting relief pitchers who stick around forever) of those less than half will become HOF’ers. yeah Chipper is overpaid now, but he was one of the biggest bargains in baseball for 6 or 7 years.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
3:06 pm
WelcometoDouglas: Loosegravel*? It’s a term meant to mean that the name of the town doesn’t really matter, I live in Andrews, NC, ever heard of it? Didn’t think so!
Ozzie
October 24th, 2011
3:08 pm
All contracts especially for older players have to be based on future value not past value. A team like the Braves cannot afford to pay players for what they did but what they can reasonably be expected to do (relative to what is on the market).
Wren and JS inability to consistently apply this logic is one of many flaws in their approach.
When Chipper was extended he was a player who could not play more than a 125-130 games but won a battle title (his first I believe and why he got this deal). He continues to be that player (sans the batting tile bit) and the Braves just cannot afford to play a guy 14mm a year to miss 35-40 or more games.
If Prado was an RBI guy and made 1mm a year then maybe. But a Prado/Chipper platoon is too close to 20mm a year for my liking and the production of said platoon is not great.
Prado makes 3.1mm and I believe goes to arb again this year. He made the AS team but then tanked. So let’s say he gets 4mm for 2012.
So Chipper and Prado cost the Braves 18mm. Try to convince yourself the Braves could not find a 110-120 RBI guy for that amount of money plus a decent bench guy who makes 2mm.
Either at 3B or LF. Then you could put a lower cost guy in the other open slot.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
3:12 pm
NickB: you’re not actually trying to justify pro athletes ridiculous salaries are you? By that logic, the President of the United States should be paid more than anyone else in the United States because there’s only one of him…
bostonbravo
October 24th, 2011
3:16 pm
hitting coach unimportant. what his stats were, not relevent. here’s a good example: roger craig. remember him? one of worst pitchers in history…once lost 18 games in a row. went to Tigers as pitching coach…Tigers won world series…just another pal for Fredi to sit around with & chat.
wjones
October 24th, 2011
3:17 pm
“BravesFanSince80’s
October 24th, 2011
3:12 pm
NickB: you’re not actually trying to justify pro athletes ridiculous salaries are you? By that logic, the President of the United States should be paid more than anyone else in the United States because there’s only one of him…”
Nick B doesn’t have to justify anything. Like most professions, it is market driven. Players make what the market says they should make, and what teams can afford to pay them. When their marketability goes down, within the system, and/or when the teams can no longer afford to pay them that value, then it goes down. Being angry or jealous at what someone in another profession makes versus what you or others make is a waste of time. There are many, many worse examples of salaries than Chipper’s, or even Lowe’s, all around the ML’s.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
3:22 pm
WJones: I’m a pretty big Chipper fan myself, I defend him on here on a regular basis. Point I was making is that NOBODY is worth that kind of money and the salaries these guys get paid dictates what it costs to go see a game, so that I take my kids to far more minor league games than major league games which is sad however you or anybody else making enough money to dump it down the drain on a Turner Field ticket wants to justify it…
wjones
October 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
BravesFan, we all say we want the Braves to be competitive, but we can’t say that and get upset at what players make. It is what it is. We can all argue back and forth what’s right and wrong, and truthfully there are valid points on both sides of the argument, but in the end what any of us think is irrelevant. If you have an issue with how much major league athletes make, then I understand your reluctance to support them. If you are ok with the very low wages that minor league ballplayers make, or the employees in your favorite restaurant make, then I understand your willingness to support them. I just don’t worry about it on either spectrum, because it isn’t anything I have any control over (other than make sure I tip those servers).
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
3:32 pm
WJones: do you have kids?
bigbrave
October 24th, 2011
3:38 pm
Great hire!!!! You negative haters will eat your words.
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
My Grandfather, who recently turned 80, figured up not long after Chipper signed that biggest contract extension years ago, that Chipper was being paid more for ONE AT BAT than my Grandfather had ever made in an entire year for his entire working life! Do not try to justify what these guys make to me or anyone from a “normal” walk of life. The entire thing is flat out ridiculous. Love Chipper from the perspective of a Braves fan, but I try not to even think about what they get paid as little as possible…
wjones
October 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
“BravesFanSince80’s
October 24th, 2011
3:32 pm
WJones: do you have kids?”
Yes, I do.
wjones
October 24th, 2011
4:05 pm
“BravesFanSince80’s
October 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
My Grandfather, who recently turned 80, figured up not long after Chipper signed that biggest contract extension years ago, that Chipper was being paid more for ONE AT BAT than my Grandfather had ever made in an entire year for his entire working life! Do not try to justify what these guys make to me or anyone from a “normal” walk of life. The entire thing is flat out ridiculous. Love Chipper from the perspective of a Braves fan, but I try not to even think about what they get paid as little as possible…”
That’s my point…there no point in thinking about it, if it affects you that negatively.
wjones
October 24th, 2011
4:17 pm
“We make the September 2007 Mets look like 1927 Yankees
October 23rd, 2011
10:17 pm
It’s kind of hard to have a consistent lineup…when both your #3 hitter (Chipper Jones) AND your #4/#5 hitter (Brian McCann) regularly need at least one day a week off (AT LEAST, given Chipper’s fragile health…as well as the physical demands that the catcher position puts on McCann).
I seriously doubt that the Cardinals would have been able to catch up with us if both Pujols and Holliday needed regular days off on a weekly basis. Not having consistent power in the lineup in defined roles on a regular basis…makes it hard for a lineup to jell.”
Hate to break it to you since you’re already apparently on the ledge here, but Holliday missed 38 games during the season. You do have a point about Pujols, as he missed only 15.
Bill in VA
October 24th, 2011
4:40 pm
Did you see that high five W gave to Nolan last night? I’ll watch tonight, just to see another one!!
BravesFanSince80's
October 24th, 2011
4:57 pm
sheesh and to think somebody on here earlier tried to call ME a knowitall…
The Truth....
October 24th, 2011
5:01 pm
Was it really Larry Parish’s fault that this team is weak? Or maybe its the fault of the player evaluation process? Maybe their just not as good as we think they are…..You just can’t make chicken salad from chicken s#@%!
NickB
October 24th, 2011
5:04 pm
Movie stars make $10 mill or more for a 4 week movie shoot. i think last year somebody got paid $15 mill for a one minute commercial that aired during the SuperBowl! like someone else pointed out. Income inequities are out of your control and are determined by the market. If teams couldn’t afford it , they wouldn’t pay them.
In the history of free agency players have been paid for what they have done with a hope that they will continue to do similarly. Often times they do well for the first half and start to falter during the latter half. The Braves gave chipper his extension due to the fact that he’s still a top tier 3rd baseman with the bat, and for all that he has done for the team in regards to loyalty, salary and moving his $$$ around to allow for other good players to be brought in.
Pujols is going ot be the highest paid player in the game next year, odds are he will not outperform his contract in it’s latter half. yet the team will make a substantial amount of $$$ off of his name, merchandising and in revenue based on milestones. he is going to end up costing the team next to nothing. I bet chipper is similar i this regard for the Braves.
besides, all of this whining about $$$ is pointless. Chipper can’t be traded and isn’t retiring and his replacement would probably perform worse offensively. So be happy he’s here and remember that until Liberty sells the team to a private owner, this is the financial situation we have to deal with.
NickB
October 24th, 2011
5:06 pm
@the Truth
It was apparent to anyone who has followed the team for awhile that the entire hitting philosophy had changed from being patient at the plate to being aggressive at the plate. The result was a terrible oBP and thus, less runs scored. true hitting coaches don’t do the hitting, but they have to be able to spot swing changes, asisst in making adjustments and promote the teams hitting philosophy. Parrish apparently wasn’t too good at any of these things.
NickB
October 24th, 2011
5:17 pm
some people would complain if you hung em with a new rope…..
WrenGoAway
October 24th, 2011
5:18 pm
BFS80’s, don’t sweat it man, lots of people who read this agree with you, just because some stuffed shirts try to claim they know more than everybody else doesn’t mean your points aren’t valid, the ticket prices and expenditures to take a FAMILY to an MLB game have gotten out of hand and no amount of retarded market this or that BS is gonna change the fact that the asinine amount of money that players make is directly responsible. Yes the players should be paid a good living as the oweners are set to make plenty of money as long as the stadium draws well and tv sponsorship follows in line as well, so no one in particular is to blame but the ENTIRE system of MLB is highly to blame to anyone living paycheck to paycheck which seems to account for an ever-growing portion of the American population…
DogsBrekky
October 24th, 2011
7:15 pm
G’day y’all.. listening to the missus’ collection of 70’s LP’s.. some great stuff in here….
Think the new hitting coach is a good idea but why didn’t anyone take responsibility during the season to see we improved in certain areas ???
Hope everyone is well… WS is a blast… loving some of the coaching heroics and miscues but most of all, I am praying that the Rangers beat those whiny boys from the city with the large Arch…
Also very peeved that the footy channels up here in NY STOPPED the Falcons game with 2 mins left in the 4th quarter…. was so exciting
DogsBrekky
October 24th, 2011
7:21 pm
wjones – your comments re pay are also more than valid for the NBA… the owners get less than 1/2 the GROSS revenues for taking 100% of the risk and when they try to haggle, the biatch players whine like little girls and tell ‘em they will “take their ball and hoops” home for the year instead of being guaranteed an average increase over 5 years of $2M per player (up to $7M per player)……. this at time when 75% of the owners lose money each year… the likes of Dr Buss must find it all heart breaking
Everyone is out of their fricking mind when it comes to the economics of business and the amount the EXECS and pro sports players receive as a ratio to the avg working man
DogsBrekky
October 24th, 2011
7:21 pm
I meant USA business executives not sporting execs per se
Morning Reads for Monday, October 24th
October 24th, 2011
8:12 pm
[...] – Georgia Tech fell out of the Top 25 after losing their second straight game. – The Atlanta Braves hired a new hitting coach. – In case you missed it, here is a recap of last night’s episode of The Walking [...]
Random
October 25th, 2011
10:42 am
DOB (1:19 pm October 21, 2011): “Ex-White Sox hitting coach Walker was hired to replace fired Braves hitting coach Larry Parrish, and Scott Fletcher was hired for a hybrid role as assistant hitting coach — a new position for the Braves — and advance scout.”
Scott Fletcher, the left-handed third baseman?!?!?
Gimme a break.
PS: (Hybrid, my ass.)