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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4,462 comments Add your comment
Puma
January 24th, 2012
11:26 am
Braves attendance – Every Braves game I go to is unfortunately in Chicago, which does not help their attendance numbers. I think there are a lot of Braves fans out there, its just that many are in other cities which does not help their attendance numbers. I have seen Braves games in Montreal, San Fran, Arizona, Chicago (both stadiums) and Milwaukee. I have not seen a Braves game in Atlanta since I lived there as a kid in the ’80s.
I am always shocked by Cubs fans here in Chicago – how do they keep selling out after fielding such bad teams with such unlovable players like Soriano and Zambrano. They are like masochists here, they almost love to be bad, to bemoan how bad their team is and has been for so long. Although I have a feeling things are changing around here for them.
David O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
11:27 am
Would prefer the tomahawk being retained on the new uniforms. Would the Cards not have the bat and the cardinals on their uniforms? The tomahawk kinda makes the Braves, the Braves. — Jeff R
I’m told the tomahawk is part of that patch you can see on the sleeve, where the screaming chief used to be.
JeanE
January 24th, 2012
11:31 am
Hey, Diaz is a very capable outfielder, so fermez le bushe (my highschool french is rusty) but hopefully you get the drift, are you already picking on Matty and the season hasn’t even started yet, sheesh.
Jeff R
January 24th, 2012
11:31 am
Like the dark blue road uniforms. The Sunday red jerseys and the big tomahawk on the cap, I can do without.
Marketing being what it is (hyper), how far are we from teams having different uniforms and caps everyday of the week? I can’t wait until the Braves are in shorts, floppy hats, and those huge sunglasses.
Jeff R
January 24th, 2012
11:33 am
DOB – Ah! Still would prefer the tomahawk across the chest… pretty commanding look.
Jimmy
January 24th, 2012
11:34 am
DOB – Yeah, if you go to the link you provided in the story, the picture is bigger. Yes, I see crossed tomahawks on the patch.
Jeff R
January 24th, 2012
11:37 am
The Marlins’ new uniform – pastels and rainbow effect… reminds me of the decor of hotel rooms I’ve stayed in while visiting the Sunshine State. The Marlins’ cap looks like one of those goofy caps you’d buy at a Florida souvenir shop (along with a matching goofy tee-shirt).
Too Tough
January 24th, 2012
11:44 am
Hey ck out the music video of Stereomonster on youtube…the song “What A Day”! enjoy!
DAP
January 24th, 2012
11:45 am
puma I am always shocked by Cubs fans here in Chicago – how do they keep selling out after fielding such bad teams
the cubs dont keep selling out. the still have better attendance than the braves, and that has alot to do with the fact that they are in chicago, and how long they have been there. they got about 90% capacity in attendance last year.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
11:45 am
Jean E – What? No glowing soliloquy about how great Matt Diaz is?
Murph
January 24th, 2012
11:46 am
Hey, Diaz is a very capable outfielder,
In what world is Diaz a capable, MLB quality outfielder? Not in my world, aka, reality.
Ron Roberts
January 24th, 2012
11:47 am
Y’all can make all the “gentleman’s wagers” you want about attendance; if this squad starts out the gates struggling, and is middling around .500 at the All-Star break, I think attendance drops sharply.
Let’s be honest with ourselves; the Braves, when having the superior roster, had hard enough times beating the Marlins and Nationals; now that they’ve shrunk the talent gap, not just with us, but the Phillies, too, we could be in for a bigger struggle.
The sudden off-season change-of-heart about Tyler Pasternicky baffles me, honestly; going into the off-season, it was a priority to get a one-year stop-gap at SS, then all of a sudden it wasn’t. Why? Did Tyler play particularly well in a string of pickup softball games none of us are aware of? It’s a gamble.
So is thinking Chipper won’t go down fairly often at 3B, putting Prado in down there and leaving a hole in our lineup at LF, too. I’m as big a Matt Diaz fan as there is (I was of the opinion, two seasons ago he should have a crack at the everyday gig – but that was then), but he, Hinske, and Constanza (we saw how he withered on the vine after the league caught onto him) are only serviceable for random off-days. If Chipper’s out for a considerable stretch of time, we lose power and batting average, and replace it with streaky and often bad AB’s (Diaz), fleeting and irregular power (Hinske) or useless speed ’cause he can’t hit his way on (Constanza).
And if Tyler P. doesn’t pan out, are we, the fan-base, to be relieved to have Jack Wilson there to step up? Or is Prado THAT backup plan, too? Which puts us back to Diaz/Hinske/Constanza in LF again…
Whether it’s true or not, the PERCEPTION amongst Braves’ fans is that the team’s ownership won’t do “whatever it takes” to win a championship, and that’s soured some folks on the team. It wasn’t mentioned in the article, either, but there’s something to be said for the loss of Braves/TBS broadcasts, too. I live in South Carolina, and the nightly “which of the three channels will the Braves be on, it at all” routine wears on some, and there are those in places like Louisiana and Mississippi and North Carolina, where the Braves had ardent fan support, where they don’t get FS South or SportSouth, let alone Peachtree TV.
I go back to two points I’ve made all off-season:
1. Turner Field needs downsizing, badly. Trimming 10,000-12,000 seats off the place (preferably off the top rows of the cavernous upper deck and/or the awkwardly angled right field corner, from top to bottom) would make for a more intimate fan experience and create more demand for the smaller “supply” of seats. Look at the under-attended games; empty upper deck and outfield seats. Screw the discounts for the season ticket holders; come off the price for single-game tickets or put together partial-season ticket plans for those seats, maybe. Chill out on the gaudy and cartoonish side-shows, wall decals and such and make that stadium the visually stunning ballpark it never has been. Take a look at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Put a contending product like ours in that stadium, and Atlanta would sell it out far more frequently, I believe.
2. If you aren’t going to make a sizzling off-season move, market market market what you DO have, and educate your fan-base that the team HAS the pieces in place to win it all (I believe they do, with a lot of “ifs”). Screw the hecklers on these boards; most Braves’ fans LOVE Heyward, McCann and Freeman, came to see what Uggla usually is, and some forget that we have an All-Star CF for the entire season in Michael Bourn.
Heck, before this week, I’d not heard much in articles that gave us the indication that Tommy Hanson, Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens were both 100% going into spring training. That excites ME, anyhow. With Minor, Beachy and Delgado (maybe Teheran later) to round out the rotation, there’s no real weakness.
Being quoted in blogs and articles doesn’t reach the casual fan; the team needs to be showcasing their rotation and lineup stars wherever possible, whether it be free media or in advertising.
full of it
January 24th, 2012
11:48 am
DOB
ides of march at 10? that by far is my fav movie of the year. but i do appreciate you list always gives me something to watch, infact your were the one who informed me bout SOA now its by far my fav show. Do you get AMC? did you get a chance to watch hell on wheels, that too is one of my new favs
DAP
January 24th, 2012
11:49 am
its kinda funny how the attendance rankings breakdown in 2011. braves are 15th in total home attendance, and average home attendance. they are 20th in capacity, because they have one of the bigger parks in baseball. braves are 10th in road attendance, which could mean people come out to see them, but could also be cause we play games in philly. (of course, we play in miami too, so it probably balances out).
jb
January 24th, 2012
11:52 am
Well all the Ross talk can stop for Braves..Ross signing with Red Sox.
Diaz=Joke!
David O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
11:54 am
I’m not a big hockey fan, but this guy wrote a terrific column about being a teammate (Jerry Crasnick had linked to it, was the only reason I even noticed it to begin with). And no, it’s not about politics, though I’m sure that won’t stop some here from portraying it as such:
http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2012/01/24/thomass_absence_left_bruins_shorthanded/?page=2
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
11:56 am
All of the Wren talk about how we don’t really need to make any more moves…go with what we have. That may be realtalk, back-up position, or bluff. Let me ask this of all the cynics…When you need a new car, do you go to the dealer and say “Boy, I’m in bad shape…I’ve GOT to buy a new car before April 5, no matter what it costs. What kind of deal will you give me?” Did you ever stop to think that Wren may not to tip his hand, or tell everything he knows, while attempting to negotiate. Of course, all the rumors and “inside scoop”, and speculation must all be true, and therefore Wren must either be a fool or a liar…right?
phoenix
January 24th, 2012
11:56 am
Can’t believe Matt Diaz is even still a possiblity. Dude hasn’t hit a home run since, gosh who knows? Didn’t even come to close to one in 2011. Even Constanza went long once.
P'cola Brave
January 24th, 2012
11:57 am
Diaz certainly isn’t what he once was but the only thing missing from last year to what he used to be was the little bit of power he had. Only 14 XBH last year, 0 HR, but still managed to hit LH which last I checked is what hes paid to due. He hit .293 against LHP last year. Same Diaz, just limited power.
wxwax
January 24th, 2012
12:01 pm
Senna’s so one-sided it’s not worth being called a documentary. It’s more like a hagiography.
The old-timey video of races and drivers meetings is great, though.
Jeff R
January 24th, 2012
12:05 pm
Ron Roberts… good points. You wrote:
“[T]he team’s ownership won’t do ‘whatever it takes’ to win a championship.” Perception or reality? I think reality. The free-spending days are long-over the Braves’ executive suite. I do think that Wren would seek to upgrade if needed if it meant the post-season, but I don’t think that management would assume a big, long term contract as part of an upgrade. That makes it more challenging for Wren.
PNC Park is a much under-appreciated facility (thanks to the Pirates’ poor play). I’ve been to more than a few parks around the majors, and PNC is definitely one of the best. It’s setting – along the river in the city – adds to its charm. Turner is next to the interstate, which might make it more accessible (I guess), but it’s not as attractive in that regard. I do like your ideas about making Turner more fan-friendly.
David O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
12:06 pm
ides of march at 10? that by far is my fav movie of the year. but i do appreciate you list always gives me something to watch, infact your were the one who informed me bout SOA now its by far my fav show. Do you get AMC? did you get a chance to watch hell on wheels, that too is one of my new favs — full of it
I think AMC is standard on every cable package, isn’t it? Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Killing, Walking Dead, Rubicon … all on AMC.
Hell on Wheels didn’t interest me, though I know a lot of folks on the blog liked it.
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:07 pm
ron roberts Turner Field needs downsizing, badly. Trimming 10,000-12,000 seats off the place (preferably off the top rows of the cavernous upper deck and/or the awkwardly angled right field corner, from top to bottom) would make for a more intimate fan experience and create more demand for the smaller “supply” of seats
so…your idea, because we dont have enough money to spend, is to reduce the earning potential of each home game by about $600,000? you really are a genius arent you?
by the way, the braves sellout games several time every season. nearly 50,000 people pack into the place, a number that many stadiums couldnt possibly handle. you want to get rid of 12,000 seats so it LOOKS more full, and so that people that want to come, cant? oh, and you also want to reduce concession prices. and this is going to raise new revenue?
i guess you are thinking that if 12,000 people cant get tickets tot he game they want to see, they will get tickets to a weekday game…but i dont think thats gonna work here. the bes thing the braves can do is try to maximize their best days. weekends, and special events need to be pushed so that those sellout crowds balance out the wednesday night crowds.
JD
January 24th, 2012
12:08 pm
There’s definitely a target market that the Braves are trying to reach w/ the new concessions discount. I’m an average fan and last year I only went to one game (Opening Day). Due to work, family, and life, buying a 20 game ticket plan just for a discount on concessions, doesn’t make sense to me, but I guess I’m not in their target market. In addition, I’m sure the Braves upper management are not happy that fans are still allowed to bring food & drinks into the stadium. We can all thank Ted for that… just my two cents.
ABTCurt
January 24th, 2012
12:09 pm
I think a lot of the attendance issues relate to ownership. I don’t think the fans get a sense that there is a real concern for the team from the people who are ultimately in charge. Jeff Schultz or Mark Bradley wrote an article some months ago looking at attendance for the teams and who the owners are. As DOB points out, attendance started to drop dramatically after Turner sold the team. There is no face. There is no accountability. The Falcons have enjoyed success both on the field and in the stands like they never have before under Arthur Blank. The Hawks and (late, great) Thrashers languished under the joke that is the Atlanta Spirit Group. I just don’t see a fundamental change in attendance numbers happening until the Braves are sold. That might be incredibly idealistic of me, but that’s what I’m sticking with.
Steve Young
January 24th, 2012
12:10 pm
Dave do yourself a favor and watch Senna. If you have Netflix its available instantly.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:11 pm
raleighbravefan, you probably thought was a pretty sharp pist, oh I mean post to all us cynics, but don’t you think that if YOU could figure that out, 20 some odd other ML GM’s couldn’t as well? it’s all BS-smoke and mirrors…
nolie
January 24th, 2012
12:15 pm
maroons run rampant
DogsBrekky
January 24th, 2012
12:16 pm
Dobi – Shame was so painful to watch… Drive was good and if you like that extreme violence (and parody) check out a new pommie movie called “Kill List” in theatres and on pre-release VOD on cable… gutsiest movie with the most chilling ending I have seen in a decade.
My top movies in some kind of order
Kill List, The Artist, The Trip (English), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Young Adult, Drive,
Money-ball, 50/50, Win Win, Roadie, The Help,
Lincoln Lawyer
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:16 pm
DOB, i couldnt disagree more with the writer of that article. personally, i would have gone to the white house, but the act like he is a bad teammate because of his choice is stupid. he came to all the practices and games and played hard to help win a championship. he did his part, and im sure his teammates dont care. in fact, the story about the team going to the white house wouldnt have even been seen outside of boston, if he hadnt done this. so, he probably got his team more recognition.
DogsBrekky
January 24th, 2012
12:17 pm
Senna – going to watch THAT today
the billman
January 24th, 2012
12:18 pm
I just reviewed the probable roster the Braves will take to ST. Way too many “ifs” to justify $4.50 for a 22oz. Coke let alone the ticket prices. Oh, for a time machine to take us back to the 1990’s and the days of pitching, power and decent ownership.
CB
January 24th, 2012
12:18 pm
nolie,maroons have always run rampant. We just have the internet now.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:18 pm
Yep, it’s incredibly idealistic.
Ask The Orioles, The Marlins and The Pirates how individualownership has worked out ofr them. There is absolutely NO guarantee that an individual owner will spend any more money on the Braves than Liberty Media does.
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
12:19 pm
DOB,…….That was some good writin’.
steve
January 24th, 2012
12:19 pm
It is a disgrace that the payroll is still around 90 mil. as had Liberty increased it to 105 mil. they more then likely would have seen the Braves in postseason more and a better chance at winning another World Series, winning championships draws more fans to the Ted and brings in more revenue, if Liberty is not here to win then they need to get out of this business.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:20 pm
Or that they will let the basebal personnel make the necessary moves without any interference – like The Orioles and Angelos.
John Adcox
January 24th, 2012
12:20 pm
Any Leonard Cohen fans out there? His new album is streaming online, and it’s amazing stuff. Just terrific. http://tinyurl.com/LeonardCohenSneak
DogsBrekky
January 24th, 2012
12:20 pm
55 degrees here in the Hamptons, off to the beach, January record temp in my village
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:20 pm
BF80″ – Of course, I do realize the the cynics and whiners do have superior intellegence and insight as a group.
BTW, if other GM’s are so smart (and they are) why do so many here think they will make terrible trades favoring the Braves?
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:21 pm
the worst thing for braves homes attendance in recent memory was jeff francouer flopping. whatever you say about him, he was a draw for the fans. he was supposed to be the next dale murphy…if he had even begun to approach something like that…it really would have benefited this team.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:21 pm
Nor is payroll a guarantee of success. Of the ten highest payrolls last season, only one team – The Tigers – made it past the first round of the playoffs and two others were one series and out.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:22 pm
That was supposed to be a roll of eyes, denoting my obvious sarcasm.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:24 pm
most of us who want new ownership aren’t after somebody willing to spend Yankees money, but an owner who will bump payroll by just a few million (if that is desparately needed) most would agree would help the team by leaps and bounds. the bucs have been poorly run for quite some time, that’s not so much on the ownership, how many years can you get a crack at the nation’s top draft talent and keep coming up on the short end of the stick?
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
12:24 pm
What is the Braves record when they wear the red jerseys, and what is it when they wear the blue jerseys?
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:25 pm
Lew – Agreed, and a new owner certainly doesn’t guarantee success OR bigger payroll…quite possibly the opposite. New owner may go cheap, and also fire the baseball people and bring in their own bunch of incompetent morons.
Ron Roberts
January 24th, 2012
12:25 pm
DAP, the Braves had a whopping 13 games last season where they had 40,000 or more fans attend a game. Only twice did that happen on back-to-back nights, and in the first case, the Cubs were in town, and the second, the Mets (both teams have fans who draw well here).
My point is, in almost eery case, a fan going to buy a ticket to a sold-out game could have gone the next game.
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:28 pm
ron roberts My point is, in almost eery case, a fan going to buy a ticket to a sold-out game could have gone the next game.
i dont think that works in ATL, and i think your “solution” is one of the worst i have heard. atlanta’s big stadium is an asset, not a hindrance.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:28 pm
raleighbravefan, I’m for trading whatever prospects we need to in order to get a big bat, I do not expect Wren to pull off a miracle, just that he shouldn’t go around baseball trying to peddle a half-season pitcher with “knee issues” triying to get top-talent in return and then coming back to the fanbase saying that nobody would pony up, I’m all for trading Teheran or whoever we have to in order to get into the playoffs and I don’t give a rat’s a s s about next season or the one after that because there’s many a slip between a cup and lip and serious, play to win it all clubs PLAY TO WIN NOW!
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:29 pm
I’d rather spend money on making it easier to get to the stadium (subway spur, easier parking, other ideas) vs making major renovations to the stadium itself.
TommyP
January 24th, 2012
12:30 pm
Just watched Moneyball and loved it. Warrior was my favorite of last year. I barely remember Lincoln Lawyer….seems like 2 years ago. I do remember I liked it. Watching Ides tonight. Midnight in Paris was refreshing.
Afraid the Braves will be without moves ’til some point in March. Ugh…tough time of year for sports fans. College football over, NFL about over, baseball too far away….college b-ball still early in conference season.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:33 pm
I don’t agree, but I do respect your opinion, and can understand your viewpoint. I prefer to remain competitive every year, vs selling out the future for a CHANCE at a flash in the pan one time success.
I’d rather be the Braves of the last 20 years, vs the Marlins or Blue Jays of the last 20 years.
David O'Brien
January 24th, 2012
12:34 pm
DogsBrekky: You mentioned three that I still haven’t seen but will soon: Win Win, Roadie and The Trip. Heard great things about all of them.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:35 pm
Why, exactly, should Wren trade minor league talent that – obviously – he does not want to let go (likely cause we’ll need them in the future) to get an impact bat when they can get one next year with the extra payroll coming off the books and a much better free agent class to choose from?
The Braves will be competitive this year with the p[layers they have – just like they were last year and the year before that. We went out and got Bourn. We have a much deeper and infinitely more solid bullpen than last year and have – potentially – eleven starting pitchers. There is no other team with th pitching delpth we have and the only actual potential weaknesses we have is a rookie shortstop and a fourth/fifth outfielder.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:35 pm
TommyP – You need to start following hockey, man…constant action, lots of contact (at high speeds) great display of skill, and even a good fight every once in a while. Especially great in person.
abwright
January 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
I’ve figured for a few weeks that the Braves were “good to go.” Starting to get excited to see how things shake out in Spring Training. Heyward, Prado, Jurrjens, Hanson, Hudson, McCann … are they ready to go?
I just pray for a failure to repeat the “Mike Hampton pulled something on his first warm up pitch” scenario.
I’m concerned that the offensive malaise will persist. But, we’ll know pretty soon if the 2010 Braves or the 2011 Braves show up at the plate.
If the Braves show up healthy and remember how to get on base, 2012 will be a great year.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:36 pm
Were you following the team at all back then dude? the 90’s saw years where there was an almost entirely different team from year to year. Turner and JS made whatever moves they had to to keep winning, I realize we can’t go that far with a more limited payroll (by today’s comparison) but there has been a huge shift in mentality where this is concerned and quite frankly, it hasn’t worked…
My Oblique is Killin' Me!
January 24th, 2012
12:37 pm
We seem to get the “JJ and Hanson were hurt” thing going every time anyone wants to explain why the Braves folded last year or the Braves will be fine this year due to getting those two back in the rotation.
I don’t buy it and many don’t.
JJ and Hanson both contributed to the overworked bullpen when they were healthy by not pitching past the 5th or 6th so they have to take the wrap for their contribution to the bullpen problems late.
Tons of extra inning games were due to the fact that the Braves offense didn’t display timely hitting or ability to push across go ahead runs in the late innings.
In essence, even with the injuries to Hanson and JJ, the pitching staff did a commendable job and surely pitched well enough to go .500 the month of September instead of foldhundred.
The foldhundred record can be laid squarely on the shoulders of the offense, which Wren hasn’t fixed during the off-season.
No sense in name calling and there is no sense in looking for a pony under all that horse….
The Braves have the same team they had when they folded in September. Lowe didn’t make this team fold. Conrad didn’t make this team fold. The guys who hit the road over the river weren’t the main reason for the meltdown in September so the argument of addition by subtraction is junk.
This team will be capable of folding any time between April and September with this team.
It is what it is.
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
12:38 pm
rbf@12:33……I agree with you, the Braves need to keep as many of their young pitchers, as they can keep.
Murph
January 24th, 2012
12:40 pm
Diaz had 0 HR and 20 RBI last season. Lowe had 1 HR and 7 RBI.
Wren sent the wrong bum packing. As much as I disliked Lowe, he’s more qualified with the bat than Diaz is.
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
12:41 pm
wow?
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:42 pm
Lew – You just don’t get it, do you. If we had just signed Beltran, we’d be on our way to the WS right now, even before the season starts. And just think what we could get for all of our young guns in a trade. We won’t be needing those guys anyway
(pure sarcasm, if there was any doubt)
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:43 pm
reckingball, that’s just it, “as many of their young pitchers as they can keep” you hit it on the nail head! those they can’t keep, bye bye! just get quality return for them and nobody will be hurt for it. what good does it do to have 10 quality starting pitchers and 0 offense? somebody a few posts back said there really was only a question at SS and a 4/5 outfielder… REALLY? that may be one of the dumber things I’ve seen posted on here…
BigTimeTECHFan
January 24th, 2012
12:45 pm
Did you see War Horse, it was pretty good
Ron Roberts
January 24th, 2012
12:46 pm
Hey DAP, that’s your opinion, buddy. If venue size were an asset, they’d have built a much larger park in Philadelphia (much larger market). The Falcons have one of the larger venues in the NFL and is maybe 75% full even on “sellout” games.
Having a large stadium doesn’t do squat for fan experience or they wouldn’t have to tarp off upper deck seats in Jacksonville for the Jaguars, either, or in Oakland for the A’s.
Baseball’s an 81-game per season event, and if you’re only going above 40,000 13 times per season (and your average is well under that), then your venue’s too big.
Like I said, only twice all year did the Braves even have back-to-back 40,000+ games, which means a lot of other weekend series could have had their crowds beefed up on more than just one night.
It’s simple supply/demand economics.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:46 pm
Do you think the “huge shift in mentality” has anything to do with the huge shift in payroll? (DUH) Ted Turner has left the building, and isn’t coming back. Braves FO isn’t working with the a reduced budget because that is what they choose to do. The people who own the team make that determination.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:47 pm
Might want to check out how many times that Jurrjens went 6 or more (19 of 23 games) Hanson wasn’t quite as good, but better than you seem to believe ( 15 out of 22 games). Jurrjens pitched 7 or more 9 times and Hanson 7 times.
When they were healthy, they were logging the innings – particularly Jurrjens.
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:49 pm
ron roberts If venue size were an asset, they’d have built a much larger park in Philadelphia (much larger market)
i said it was an asset for atlanta. we are not philly, and we are not new york. i dont think having fewer seats available works the way you think it would. not in atlanta.
Lew
January 24th, 2012
12:50 pm
Well, I’m out of here. Ca only take so much of lucnh hour at the Misery Bar with so many sneezing all over the splash guard. Later.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:51 pm
WEAK! I already alluded to that, more than once, there are ways around that, the Yankees are pretty onviously tapped out right now and they STILL made a move to significantly improve their club, much as I hate to say that about them. a better GM would help this club tremendously, plain and simple…
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:51 pm
obviously*
Ron Roberts
January 24th, 2012
12:52 pm
Like I said, DAP, that’s your opinion. We’ll agree to disagree. I think the size of Turner Field works against ticket sales; people sit back and wait, last minute, with that “oh there’s plenty of seats” mentality, instead of being proactive and buying in advance.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:53 pm
So if you have less seats, that will make more people want to buy them? I can see it now…Braves eliminate 10,000 seats…fans rioting and fighting over remaining seats. Many who never thought of going to a game suddenly decide to buy tickets…
DAP
January 24th, 2012
12:57 pm
ron roberts, even if taking out seats does cause people to toher games, i fail to see how we increase over all attendance. if every single person (12,000 of them) cant get a ticket for the sellout, and instead go the the game the next night, the braves dont get MORE people to come. all they do is spread it out. its an illogical argument.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
BF80’s – Two viewpoints…1)Wren isn’t very smart, could do a lot more with what hes got…2) Wren has done an outstanding job with the constraints and resources available. I believe the latter (as do many baseball insiders and analysts) and would give him a solid B to B+.Doesn’t make either of us right or wrong, but I do clearly disagree with you.
George
January 24th, 2012
12:58 pm
I am hopeing for good attendence for CHIPPERS final season, but can’t see it happening. The fans [except for a few here on blog] will not forget the Sept colapes when FREDI’S mismangement and most if the teams lack of will to win cost them a playoff spot that it look like they were sure to acieve. Look for attendence and wins to be down this comming year.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
12:59 pm
Ron Roberts I agree, there are tons of seats in that stadium I would never drive through Atlanta traffic to sit in and most people who don’t live within walking distance of the Ted would agree as well. No reason for Atlanta to have THAT many more seats than Boston for sure…
nolie
January 24th, 2012
1:00 pm
spend money to get rid of seats in The Ted? and do what with all the empty space that will be there? sigh
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
1:00 pm
agreed George
DAP
January 24th, 2012
1:03 pm
ron roberts, i guess you could be saying reduce seating, so we get the same # of fans, but we can charge them more? not the most fan-friendly plan, huh?
bravesfansince80s, i have say in just about ever section of the ted. none of the seats are terrible places to watch the game.
perhaps lost in all of this, is how the braves got turner field, for free. the olympics needed it, built and the city of atlanta paid for it. the braves got a sweet deal on it, and really came into a good situation. thats probably why its so big. it wasnt originally built for baseball.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
1:04 pm
Wren…has…done…an…outstanding…job…hmmmmmm…
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
1:04 pm
George – Some, maybe a lot agree with you. I don’t believe as many as you think. The opposite viewpoint is that we will not forget September, but don’t believe it is likely to be repeated, and are excited to move on, and look forward to watching what we believe will be a very good team in 2012.
Gotta go for a while.
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
1:04 pm
I think that the Braves can keep Teharan for a pretty good while, along with 6 or 7 or 8 of their other young pitchers, and it won’t cost them a lot of money.
I have been a Braves fan since the 60s, and can say, that you can have a high octane hitting team, but if you don’t have pitching, you will lose more than .50 of the time.
At least that is the way it looked to me, for almost all of those years before 91.
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
1:07 pm
DAP, big hole in your argument, if the Braves got the stadium for free they easily could have made it more appropriate for baseball and relevant to the size of the city’s population. And yes, sorry, but the ridiculous upper deck seats need binoculars to “see” the game on an enjoyable level and who really wants to do that when they could be sitting at home watching in HD?
reckingball
January 24th, 2012
1:09 pm
If they take out the 12,000 seats, they could make the surface level, put in a dance floor, and hold square dances, disco dancing contest, and such there.
That might increase attendance.
raleighbravefan
January 24th, 2012
1:10 pm
BF80’s – I stand by my statement…AN OUTSTANDING JOB. I repeat that many (majority, in fact) of baseball insiders and analysts agree with me. You can whine all you want, but the only alternative would be to sell out the furture, with the hope of winning now (no assurance of that) Difference of philosophy.
George
January 24th, 2012
1:10 pm
FREDI was just plain awfull the way he managed and overworked his bullpen.
jeffrey d
January 24th, 2012
1:11 pm
And yes, sorry, but the ridiculous upper deck seats need binoculars to “see” the game on an enjoyable level and who really wants to do that when they could be sitting at home watching in HD?
I sit in those seats all the time and love it. You can see the whole field. I’m not sure what you need binoculars to see, unless you’re wanting to get a close up of someone’s complexion. And they’re cheap
jeffrey d
January 24th, 2012
1:13 pm
You can whine all you want, but the only alternative would be to sell out the furture, with the hope of winning now (no assurance of that) Difference of philosophy
In 2 years he’d be complaining about Wren again anyway, so….
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
1:13 pm
reckingball, NOBODY said to trade them all, just give what you have to in order to get what you need. nobody said anything about a high octane offense, I don’t like that kind of game myself either, but we need a BALANCE where we have somebody, anybody, who can consistently drive in runs. MAYBE Heyward and Freeman develop into that, maybe not, no guarantees. your arguments are too “all or nothing” based. Wren couldn’t possibly be given a grade as high as a B or B+ due to recent very poor moves and trades. Lowe, McClouth and Kawakami will go down and some of the biggest failures in the Braves moder era…
BravesFanSince80's
January 24th, 2012
1:13 pm
modern*
ZWacky
January 24th, 2012
1:14 pm
Isn’t BravesFan in 80s the guy who always shows up with an unknown “buddy” who agrees with everything he says?
jeffrey d
January 24th, 2012
1:15 pm
I just realized that 6 of our projected 8 starting position players are All Stars.
jb
January 24th, 2012
1:15 pm
Murph~~the Pirates wanted to move Diaz as bad as the Braves wanted to move Lowe.
BravesFanSince70's
January 24th, 2012
1:16 pm
I agree BravesFanSince80’s!
Ease
January 24th, 2012
1:16 pm
FIRE FREDI!
ZWacky
January 24th, 2012
1:19 pm
KILL THE ALL, LET GOD SORT THEM OUT!!!
ZWacky
January 24th, 2012
1:19 pm
ok, maybe that is a little extreme
Bat Masterson
January 24th, 2012
1:22 pm
DAP, big hole in your argument, if the Braves got the stadium for free they easily could have made it more appropriate for baseball and relevant to the size of the city’s population. _ BravesFanSince80’s
I bigger hole in your argument is you don’t know what the hell you are talking about.
The stadium was originally constructed as the 85,000-seat Centennial Olympic Stadium and used for the 1996 Summer Olympics. Immediately after the 1996 Summer Paralympics, which followed the Olympics, much of the north end of the stadium was removed in order to convert it to its permanent use as a 49,000-seat baseball park. The stadium has hosted the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball since 1997, following a multimillion-dollar renovation to retrofit the stadium for baseball by removing the temporary stands that had made up nearly half the stadium and building the outfield stands and other attractions behind them. It was the site of the 2000 MLB All-Star Game.
Jay Dubu
January 24th, 2012
1:22 pm
If the Braves open the season playiong winning baseball and have some players that come out swinging the bats really well (Heyward, Mac, Prado, Uggs, Chipper, etc), September 2010 will become a long lost memory very quickly, and the fans will show up.
This will be Chipper’s last season, so that’ll be good for 250,000 additional fans over the course of the season and the competitiveness of the NL East will increase attendance as well.