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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3,625 comments Add your comment
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:04 am
not a ryan guy, but he can manage a offense.
ryan is not a guy that can extend a play. but when inside his first checkdown or even the second he is real good.
cabravesfan
December 16th, 2011
12:05 am
Look at all the people I got to show up!
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:06 am
Hello, Mr. Noles
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:06 am
Braves sign Ludwick and Cedeno. and win the WS.
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:07 am
hello Thomas, whats the haps?
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:09 am
I was walking past my puter and I heard this really sultry voice saying to visit the blog. So that was cab huh? I shoulda suspected
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:09 am
Look at all the people I got to show up! — cabravesfan
I’m glad to see it’s not just, ME, that is under your spell.
cabravesfan
December 16th, 2011
12:09 am
nolie-
I have no idea what you are talking about (VJ just got home)
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:10 am
alright BAS.
not that you need to know but tnbrian?
simple target. can you imagine.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:12 am
BAS, has his targets. sometimes BRAVA.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:13 am
(VJ just got home)
Man, that’s like a cold shower!!
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:14 am
cab, i still believe brava thinks you or vj got thawkin banned.
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:15 am
was out watching the new Sherlock Holmes movie. Not bad, perhaps better than the first one, but not really great either.
DS1
December 16th, 2011
12:17 am
whasssuppppp
My laptop seems to be saying, “Wayne, quit listening to that Tower of Power and get on the blog………”
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:19 am
okay, my opinion on the braves. keep jjj and prado.
.
cabravesfan
December 16th, 2011
12:19 am
uga-brave-
Wasn’t either one of us. I wasn’t even involved in that whole discussion. And I know it wasn’t VJ.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:20 am
cab, i still believe brava thinks you or vj got thawkin banned.
uga-brave, if that was possible for a poster to ban another poster, there’d be no one left here. (other than me & maybe, McFann)
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:20 am
musta been that damn nolie……
kenhotlanta
December 16th, 2011
12:20 am
uga:
What kind of reception does Prime Time get at the Dome? The Birds looked very good tonight, wish they could do it every week. Julio caught 2 tough balls, I wanted A.J. but I guess Julio will do.
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:21 am
McFann for certain, not so sure about you Tom………
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:25 am
ken. as a dawg. we tried to trade up for him.
that said julio has the bigger body.
4.36. showed on that first touchdown.
DS1
December 16th, 2011
12:25 am
Been off the grid for the most part for the past few days. Just peeked in a couple of times.
What’s the latest rumblings?
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:26 am
McFann for certain, not so sure about you Tom………
You may be right, nolie, but consider the, possible, favoritism of the author.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:27 am
ken, primetime still gets welcomed.
gotta tell a bunch of you the demographics of the falcons game.
they love a winner. but they still love vick.
kenhotlanta
December 16th, 2011
12:28 am
uga: yes, I know we tried to get AJ. I thought we payed too much for Julio, but maybe not. Time will tell.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:29 am
What’s the latest rumblings?
According to reliable baseball sources; nothing is happening.
According to some of the blog denizens: the entire team is being traded, released, or DFA’d.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:30 am
dont get all this trade thing. keep martin.
keep jjj.
line them up. play ball.
cabravesfan
December 16th, 2011
12:31 am
I’m off to bed- good night all!
(night Tom
)
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:32 am
well I’d vote for you to stay, for the right price.
after all I Gotta live up to my rep that my “good friend” TnB gave me
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:33 am
wow that happened fast after VJ got home. s’picious if you ask me………
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:34 am
ken, the future picks we gave away will tell the difference.
our defense led by, what i think BVG is a defensive coach.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:34 am
Good night, cabravesfan. It’s been fun.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:36 am
wow that happened fast after VJ got home. s’picious if you ask me………
You took the thoughts right out of my head, nolie.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:41 am
I’m still here…
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:43 am
vj, trouble with tribbles?
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:43 am
Really? hurts being replaced by a machine doesn’t it VJ?
nolie
December 16th, 2011
12:44 am
see y’all
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:45 am
vj, old star trek was the best.
movie wise. THE wrath of khan.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:48 am
uga-brave – the local station removed Star Trek from the 10:00 slot, so I have not gotten to play name that episode for a while…
NO MORE WREN
December 16th, 2011
12:48 am
I don’t get the fans that hate to see players go that don’t perform. This is a business. Not a redneck BBQ. Conrad cost Bobby a chance at another ring and then didn’t shine off the bench in 2011. I’m glad to see the Braves dropping dead weight.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:48 am
Might be wise to ignore nolie’s comment…
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:49 am
kahn.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:49 am
I’m still here… — Venice Jim
Great!! As if this blog needs any more bad news.
Hello, buddy!
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:51 am
I’d stick with Khan…
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:51 am
Unless you mean Roger…
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:53 am
Hello, Tom – don’t expect to be here long – need to get up early tomorrow because…well, whether I want to or not, I will undoubtedly get up early…
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:53 am
loved the old star trek. bones and scotty.
giving it all i can. jim.,
just an old country doctor.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:55 am
I didn’t start watching it until the first night it was ever on TV…
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:56 am
VJ
My first post, tonight, was addressed to you. It was in response to one of your posts, addressed to me. Near the top of the last page, I believe.
I just don’t want you to think that your, “Tom O”, posts go unnoticed.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
12:57 am
Thanks for pointing that out – just went back to look…
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
12:58 am
I didn’t start watching it until the first night it was ever on TV…
Ha,ha…(nerd!)
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
12:59 am
tom, blog has got stale.
tough to keep chewing through the same thing everyday.
fact is trade or no trade this offense revolves around that rf guy.
if heyward hits no problem.
if not,?
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
1:00 am
For those keeping score, the Washington Post beat the New York Times with their respective 3 page obituaries posted for Christopher Hitchens less than an hour after his death was reported…I’m always intrigued to see how quickly newspapers are ready for these things…
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
1:01 am
Watching Bing sing some little-known Christmas-ditty in Holiday Inn…
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:04 am
anders, did you watch the hbo thing about the rangers and philly?
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
1:04 am
And, after those random comments, I will dim the Christmas lights and head off…
Good night, Tom and uga! (and, undoubtedly, Ward in the near future)…
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:05 am
uga-brave
The Braves can’t give up on Heyward, at least, not yet. Besides Heyward, the Braves need Prado & McCann to be healthy and return to form. Having a 2nd half, Uggla, for the whole season, would really help out too.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:05 am
vj, are you a fan of BOSS?
kelsey grammer should be up for an emmy.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:06 am
Good night, Jim.
Oh, and if he misses it, I’ll tell, Ward, you said good night.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:06 am
tom, i want to play with the hand we are dealt.
Venice Jim
December 16th, 2011
1:08 am
uga – really enjoyed Boss – just finished the last episode today. Kelsey was nominated for a Golden Globe – I suspect an Emmy nomination is likely, but they’re 9 months away…
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:09 am
tom, i know people are itching for a trade, but no reason.
prado will hit. probably will hit better then anyone we acquire.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:14 am
vj, gus vansandt directed most of it “good will hunting”.
really good stuff.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:15 am
tom, i want to play with the hand we are dealt.
It’s not a bad hand, uga, IMO.
In April, it was poor-fair. In September, it was horrible.
For the other 4 months, it was about the best in baseball.
I can’t see making major changes because of one bad month, that was aided with injuries.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:18 am
tom, i know people are itching for a trade, but no reason.
No reason, is right, uga. The people that know baseball aren’t the ones that are getting “itchy”. If Wren ever paid attention to many on here, the Braves would set new records for the worst team in baseball.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:23 am
tom, just dont see how we are better sans prado or jjj.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:28 am
now if intact we add beltran.
beltran makes too much sense. he can play right against tough lh’s
he can give bourn a day off in center.
he rotates in between rf, and lf.
so he plays 120. perfect fit.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:31 am
so if we take on that payroll, we might be able to deal later. beltran makes so much sense.
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:33 am
uga
Wren isn’t looking to trade either one. That was a rumor that started from a KC newspaper article. I think they were just looking for a story.
Wren would trade anyone, if the price is right, including his wife. But I don’t think anyone would be able to give the Braves enough to make that happen. (not sure about Mrs. Wren, though)
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:35 am
Beltran, probably, needs more money than the Braves can afford, uga.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:35 am
so if we blow in the first half we can deal. so why not roll the dice.
dont blame wren, smilin frank does not set the payroll.
want to blame someone. blame terry mcquirk.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:43 am
i want mcquirks job. he just nods. he is running out the clock.
cant blame him.
he is getting paid really well is my guess. so is JS.
always wondered what JS and mcquirk are drawing.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:46 am
so let us guess what kind of salary our absentee owner terry mcquirk is drawing..
Tom O'Hawke
December 16th, 2011
1:47 am
uga-brave
I have to go. Dinner time. Good luck with your Falcons. I’ll talk to you, soon, I hope.
Josh
December 16th, 2011
1:48 am
Conrad hit 220?
–
ATL Insight Sports Blog: http://bit.ly/atlblog
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:49 am
then again he signs the back of your ticket you buy.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:52 am
so why do we need terry mcquirk. seems to me JS could do that job.
pretty sure that liberty media does not care who does that job.
why both of them?
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
1:59 am
mcquirk is the guy that answers to liberty media. he is the guy you should blame about the payroll.
not wren. wren does what he is given.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
2:00 am
pretty sure both are drawing a combined 4 million.
uga-brave
December 16th, 2011
2:05 am
pretty sure mcquirk is drawing more then our future backup shortstop.
then again he is the chief opperating officer of the atlanta braves.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
2:55 am
Hello everyone! Been searching for news,and found out that the Braves are interested in Ronnie Cedeno SS. I would accept that with Patornicky,but found nothing on J.J.,or Prado.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
2:58 am
Wren, should just sign Betemit,and get Ronnie Cedeno,and keep Prado.If he can’t trade Prado, more like trade J.J. instead.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
2:59 am
I don’t think that Baltimore trade will go through. It’s been quiet again.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
3:03 am
My gut is telling me that Cody Ross will sign with the Braves,but I’ve been wrong before.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
3:15 am
Pastornicky can do the job in my book.Ronnie Cedeno would be good too.Trade Prado,and J.J. only for a good package,and nothing else.So many things can be done.Wilson Betemit to back up Chipper Jones,Mark DeRosa back as utility guy.I really like Cody Ross addition.Baltimore trade would be O.K.I I like Raul Ibanez as LF. too.Braves can do so much,and who knows. These are just my ideas,and I like them.
Ward
December 16th, 2011
3:17 am
Talk later if anyone comes on? VJ have a good one!
Ward
December 16th, 2011
4:29 am
Well,all have a good one,and peace……
Webster
December 16th, 2011
6:00 am
Does anyone know how good the 2 3rd base prospects the Orioles have? Could they be targets for Wren to replace CJ?
Couch Tater
December 16th, 2011
6:21 am
How in the heck can you manufacture, package, and ship a remote control for a $1?
Legume Soy of Acme Electronics has a knack for buying undervalued parts and turning them into a competitive product. There was a book written about it. “Remotes: How To Beat Sony in an Unfair Market.”
A whole society of “remote nerds” exist in Far East basements playing Fantasy Remote, because of Soy. They create obscure formulas like “catsWhisker Diode”, to calculate undervalued parts and the “Coke Spillage Test” for a part’s defensive metrics.
Word is, there was a movie deal working with Pat Morita to star as Soy, until he died in 2005. Then, the Coen Brothers just hit the off button and started looking into the Bug Zapper industry, where there was a lot more opportunity for blood.
richbrave
December 16th, 2011
6:28 am
FALL BALL
AUSTRALIA
CANBERRA CAVALRY
LHRP STEVEN KENT [3.38 ERA] 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 12 BF…52 p/ 31 S, 5 GO/ 2 AO.
PERTH HEAT
No game scheduled.
EASTERN TOROS
Lead-off CF JOSE ‘George’ CONSTANZA [.275 BA] 0-4, 1 BB.
ESCOGIDO LIONS
1B MAURO ‘45′ GOMEZ [.175 BA] 1-4.
C WILKIN CASTILLO [.253 BA] 1-5, 1 BB, 1 SB off CASTILLO [one of many].
LICEY TIGERS
RHRP CRISTIAN MARTINEZ [H 3, 3.46 ERA] 0.1 IP, pristine, 1 BF, 1 GO/ 0 AO.
ORIENTE STARS
1B DONEL LINARES [.344 BA] 0-4, 2 SO.
PUERTO RICO
RF BRAIHIAM MALDONADO [.136 BA] 0-4, hat trick! Stinkeroo!!!!
VENEZUELA
ANTOATEGUI INDIANS
RF STEFAN GARTRELL [.217 BA] 1-4, 1 SO.
LARA CARDINALS
C JOSE YEPEZ [.208 BA] 0-1.
ZULIA EAGLES
1B ERNESTO MEJIA [.280 BA] 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR [8], 1 RBI [38], 1 BB, 1 SO.
richbrave
December 16th, 2011
6:45 am
P.S.
Future BRAVES
VENEZUELA
ARAGUA TIGERS
SS RONNIE CEDENO [.273 BA] 1-4, 1 2B [2].
Ward
December 16th, 2011
7:00 am
From Bill Shanks:
Panic is not something an executive for a major league baseball team should have. He is supposed to be calm and proactive, not reactive.
Leave it to the fans to be in panic mode, and I believe the fans of the Atlanta Braves are doing just that.
It’s December 16, and the Braves have only traded away a big contract for a minor league reliever and plucked another minor league reliever off the Rule V scrapheap. That’s not exactly something that will send people to their phones to buy season tickets to put in their Christmas stocking.
Usually by now the Braves have done something, at least something more than send Derek Lowe packing to save $5 million bucks. But while other teams in the NL East have improved, the Braves have been silent.
It’s not from a lack of trying. I firmly believe general manager Frank Wren is talking with teams about trades and maybe even talking with a minor free agent or two.
But this is a team that choked in September. There is no other way to put it. The had a huge lead in the wildcard, only to collapse and watch the St. Louis Cardinals pass them all the way to a World Series title.
So where is the commitment to make this team better? Where is ownership promising fans it won’t happen again?
Instead, we’re left to wonder if Wren simply has no funds to work with. He said earlier in the offseason the payroll is going up, but how can we believe that when other players are signing elsewhere?
Take Josh Willingham. Now I’m not going to pretend that he would have even been my favorite target for the Braves. But he is a right-hander power hitter who has averaged 22 home runs per season in the last six years and hit 29 bombs a year ago. Willingham is from Huntsville, and he’s never held back on his desire to be a Brave one day.
Yet Willingham signed a three-year contract with the Twins for $21 million dollars – an average of only $7 million per season.
OK, maybe the Braves didn’t have interest in Willingham, even though I’ve been told in the past they did have interest in him. Maybe they didn’t want to commit three years to him? Or maybe they just don’t have the money to offer that type of contract?
Would Willingham be better for left field than Martin Prado? Well, if you value power, yes. Prado is not a power hitter, and he showed last year he’s more suitable offensively for second base than left field. He can play left field, but he’s really a second baseman playing left instead of being a left fielder.
Put Willingham in the Atlanta lineup and I think you’d see an improvement. He’d make a pretty good right-handed power-hitting duo with Dan Uggla, and they could have complimented left-handed hitters Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman and hopefully Jason Heyward.
But instead, we’re led to believe that a combination of Prado and Matt Diaz will do the job for 2012.
Prado needs to be traded. Again, he’s a second baseman who can play left field. If the Braves are not going to commit to him for the long-term, they need to trade him now. He’s a free agent in two years, and waiting until next offseason would only lessen his value.
Jair Jurrjens also needs to be traded. He’s in the same boat as Prado, in that he’s a free agent in two years. Jurrjens is represented by Scott Boras, so there is no way he’ll sign long-term here. Trade him now why you can get value for him.
Sure, there’s worry about the rotation. They’re not sure about Tim Hudson and Tommy Hanson. But the depth is there to not worry about it. They have Brandon Beachy, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.
That’s a young group, but it’s talented. And if you’re leaving Kris Medlen out of your 2012 rotation discussion, don’t. He’s going to be back and will compete for starts this season. And that alone should give Wren enough confidence to trade Jurrjens, despite the health questions of the other veterans.
When a team chokes like the Braves did, it’s not a bad idea to shake things up a bit. Sure, you could make the argument that before the collapse they were one of the best four teams in the game. But the collapse should tell you that you’ve got to get better to avoid it happening again.
It’s hard, however, when you see the other teams in the division make moves to improve on what they had in 2011. The Phillies have added Ty Wigginton, Jim Thome and Jonathan Papelbon. The Marlins have added Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle. Those two teams could be better next season than they were last year, and where does that leave the inactive Braves?
Third place.
Michael Cuddyer is out there. You can’t tell me he wouldn’t be valuable to the Braves. Cuddyer can hit for power from the right side. He can play all over the diamond. You could have him in left field, and then if you needed someone to play third for Chipper Jones, Cuddyer could slide right in.
Instead, we hear the Twins and Rockies are battling for his services for a contract similar to what Willingham got from Minnesota.
Heck, the Braves even got outbid for Nick Punto, a reserve infielder they were reportedly interested in. He signed with Boston for two years and $3 million dollars.
That’s evidently just too expensive for a franchise that is owned by a multi-billion dollar media company that doesn’t seem to give a damn about this team.
Management could argue that I’m wrong, and that Liberty Media does care. But how many Liberty Media executives do we see sitting in what is known as Ted Turner’s box in Atlanta? How many statements have we had from Liberty Media that they are fully committed to bringing a World Series back to Atlanta?
Zero is the answer to both questions. Zip. Nada. None.
Look, things can change in an instant. A conversation that Wren has been having about a trade could result in a deal in a heartbeat. But after going through baseball hell in September and seeing the team fall apart, the Atlanta
World Be Free
December 16th, 2011
7:15 am
Let’s face it-the Braves are a solid second class organization, nothing better. no moves so far and few really planned for the future other than cutting payroll. Once a BMW, now a Chevy-that’s the Braves.
Scott from Fairburn
December 16th, 2011
8:13 am
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that yes indeed Frank Wren has a budget he has to work from. Jon Heyman is reporting that the Braves 90 million dollar payroll is by far not the lowest in MLB.
Finally Stu from Lawrenceville posted a status update in his Facebook account that he has confirmed that Martin Prado is not a shortstop
Efrim
December 16th, 2011
8:42 am
Trade options: Gio Gonzalez, John Danks, Jair Jurrjens, Wade Davis, Matt Garza, Wandy Rodriguez
Posting: Yu Darvish
Free agents: Roy Oswalt, Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda, Joe Saunders
Teams: New York, Boston, Toronto, Baltimore, Detroit, Minnesota, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Chicago, Cincinnati, Miami, Washington
Still somewhat shocked that it’s 12/16 and two starting pitchers of significance have been traded: Jonathan Sanchez and Trevor Cahill.
Lemke's Knuckler
December 16th, 2011
8:55 am
Efrim,
I think a lot of teams looking for pitching were waiting on Darvish. I expect the wheeling & dealing of pitchers will start next Tuesday after the bid is announced.
Efrim
December 16th, 2011
9:05 am
Lemke’s, you’re probably right and it sounds like the Jays won the bidding on Yu.
Darvish, Romero, Morrow, Cecil, and Henderson Alverez is a pretty good rotation for the Blue Jays. And they’ve got plenty more pitching on the way(Drew Hutchinson, Deck McGuire, Chad Jenkins, Asher W., Justin Nicolino).
Lew
December 16th, 2011
9:21 am
Shanks sounds an awful lot like Ward.
DAP
December 16th, 2011
9:25 am
i think its kind of funny that shanks has conceeded even 2nd place tot he marlins, because they added reyes and burhle. alot still has to go right for them, in my opinion.
Lemke's Knuckler
December 16th, 2011
9:29 am
Efrim,
Yes, Toronto has some very good young pitching, but they play in the same division as the top two spending teams in baseball (Yanks and Sox) and the most talented team in baseball (Rays). Sucks for them.