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Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,068 comments Add your comment
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:36 pm
Didn’t Vince call Babe Ruth’s debut too?
cabravesfan
April 30th, 2012
12:39 pm
He’s not that old.
cabravesfan
April 30th, 2012
12:40 pm
Did you really call him “Vince”??
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:40 pm
Fire McDowell. He obviously totally screwed up a great pitcher in Lowe for three full years
Hugo Z Hackenbush
April 30th, 2012
12:41 pm
Didn’t Vin call the crash of the Hindenburg?
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:41 pm
sure back in the 30s he wasn’t Vin yet….
CrαZy
April 30th, 2012
12:42 pm
Only think D Lowe and Bret Farve have in common:
Both had problems staying away from the booze in Buckhead!! Only explanation for Lowes success so far in Cleveland!!!
Venice Jim
April 30th, 2012
12:42 pm
Thanks, Carroll!
CrαZy
April 30th, 2012
12:42 pm
Thing***
George
April 30th, 2012
12:43 pm
George repost from old blog. and SCULLY is VIN not VINCE sorry nolie.
April 30th, 2012
12:38 pm
cabravesfan
April 30th, 2012
12:33 pm
Tremendous baseball point by Keith Olbermann. The baseball aficionado pointed out Saturday that for Mickey Mantle’s big-league debut in 1951 and for Bryce Harper’s in 2012, Vin Scully was in the broadcast booth both times.
**************************************************************************************
Good point cab, but I don’t like OLBERMANN’s politics.
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:43 pm
there are rumors that he called some games in the original Colosseum. Big Lions fan I heard
Murph
April 30th, 2012
12:43 pm
Derek Lowe just pitched 7 2/3 innings of three-hit shutout ball for the Indians yesterday against the Angels to move to 4-1 for the year, with a 2.27 ERA. He’s tied for the AL lead in wins with James Shields and David Price of Tampa Bay and Robbie Ross of Texas.
Lowe had a good April last year, too… finished the month with a 3.21 ERA.
He’ll soon return to form… I’d guess he finishes May with an ERA around 4.50.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
April 30th, 2012
12:43 pm
They don’t have booze in Cleveland? If not, they should.
CrαZy
April 30th, 2012
12:44 pm
They don’t have booze in Cleveland?
Maybe he hasn’t found them yet!!
Carroll Rogers
April 30th, 2012
12:46 pm
Thanks Venice Jim….or should i say Vin?….cracks me up to see conversation hop right over from old blog to new….and just resume. you guys sure know the drill!
George
April 30th, 2012
12:46 pm
Wait a minn cab, no inter-league play in 1951, how could VIN have called the MANTLE game?
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:47 pm
we’ve been trained well by you and David
Calvin
April 30th, 2012
12:48 pm
Didn’t D-Lowe pitch well at the beginning of last year only to suck it up later on in the year?
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
12:49 pm
Thanks for the work CR!
GO BRAVES!!
#3
April 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
Outside Uggla’s catch, the coolest thing on the field over the weekend were the new uniforms. Any word on how often we will see these beauties? Any chance these could become the home jerseys?
PS: Is it just me or do the hats not match exactly?
CaptMudd
April 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
i do not feel adequately trained to openly blog 24/7.
Murph
April 30th, 2012
12:50 pm
Haven’t seen anyone discuss JJ’s start yesterday… sounds like he did ok. Just getting to the 7th inning is encouraging.
nolie
April 30th, 2012
12:51 pm
Nope it’s all McDowell’s fault
cabravesfan
April 30th, 2012
12:53 pm
George-
Spring training. Keith explained it, apparently I just missed it
Greg
April 30th, 2012
12:54 pm
How about D. Lowe?! Sometimes a change of scenery is all a guy needs to resurrect. Good for him!
DAP
April 30th, 2012
12:56 pm
id like to see medlen get a bunch of 3 inning saves this season.
Brian from SC
April 30th, 2012
12:57 pm
#3, I think the plan is to wear the alternate unis for all Sat. and Sun. home games. Reds on Friday nights.
CaptMudd
April 30th, 2012
12:58 pm
the few sacred words i do offer are merely geared to the betterment of the bravo nation—and, of course my grandmother.
George
April 30th, 2012
12:58 pm
Ok cab
I just thought of ST myself, so not MANTLE’s offcial dabue[ sorry spelling]
Billy
April 30th, 2012
1:02 pm
http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/2012/04/28/mantle-and-harper-and-vin-scully/
George, for the love of God, would you please use Google before you let your fingers type anything here. If you did that, and retrieved your own information, you would immediately go from the bottom of the information escalator to the top of the information escalator quickly. It would be less embarrassing for sure.
George
April 30th, 2012
1:03 pm
Those were great baseball days in NYC [1951 TO 1957] every game all three teams had a great CFder playing [barring injury of course]
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:04 pm
gives [the Nats] four starters with ERAs under 2.00. Yow.
…and therein lies the problem, I think. They are bound to come back to earth, even if it’s just the tiniest little bit, and then their offense becomes a fairly large problem. They are coming out on the right side of low-scoring one-run games right now, but an extra run on the starters’ ERA is liable to make such outcomes problematic. That would still their make rotation fan-freakin-tastic, but somewhat less so for their W-L record.
That team is going to have hit much better, and I’m not sure they have the players to do so.
DAP
April 30th, 2012
1:06 pm
scoots, with mike morse and ryan zimmermann healthy, i think they’ll hit plenty.
kevkat
April 30th, 2012
1:10 pm
Are we going to have to follow Derek Lowe’s progress all year?
jeffrey d
April 30th, 2012
1:10 pm
Thanks for the new blog, Carroll
nolie
April 30th, 2012
1:10 pm
yeah more than likely right about that DAP. missing those two is hurting them now
George
April 30th, 2012
1:13 pm
Billy
April 30th, 2012
1:02 pm
Billy why should I Google anything? I was commenting on someone else’s INFO. Not up to me to research thier INFO.
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:13 pm
i think they’ll hit plenty.
Morse had a .900 OPS last year, and I got real American dollars that says no chance he even sniffs that in 2012. Zimmerman had an off year by his standards, but still had an ops around .800. And they were 12th in runs scored.
You might be right, in the end, but I still see the offensive side as a problem, until proven otherwise.
DAP
April 30th, 2012
1:14 pm
kevkat, we are still getting jeff francouer updates. i think we’ll probably continue to hear about lowe at least until retirement.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 30th, 2012
1:14 pm
Did not realize the standings were what they were but, the Bravos are 2 out of having the best record in baseball behind the Rangers and Dodgers. Knew they were playing well but the Bravos are really kicking tail. Good to see.
Joey the Bull
April 30th, 2012
1:15 pm
There is something special about this team. I did not feel the same last season because I figured we would have to have a ton of good luck and planetary alignment to get us to the big show. This season, with the few key additions and subtractions we made (Bye bye D Lowe-we won’t miss you, and as for you Gonzo, even my daughter last season (she is 10) hated when you came to the plate especially with RISP-because she and I both knew “out”) this season is different. Especially Chipper. He is leading this team and even though Kemp is a lock for the MVP, Chipper this year is the Braves MVP. He has injected something special-call it energy, call it confidence. But I have not had this much confidence since the ‘96 season. I have not felt this excited about the Braves since the ‘91 and ‘92 seasons-it is like we have the energy back. Remember how Buckhead sports bars were over crowded and Atlantans hanging on every Avery or Glavin or Maddux or Smoltzy pitch? What is different about this team vs. the ‘91 team is Chipper. We get to watch his story book farewell season. This will be a year to remember. How awesome will it be if Chipper is the WS MVP…
DAP
April 30th, 2012
1:16 pm
scoots, im not thinking they have even a top 5 offense, or anything, but they have good arms, and a few very solid bats. i think they are in good shape for a win total in the mid 80s, putting them right there in the convo all the way to the end.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 30th, 2012
1:16 pm
I now Morse is injured, when is he expected back? Where is he gonna play? RF? Larouche is hitting the ball well and Harper is up here to stay. Just thinking out loud!
Juan
April 30th, 2012
1:20 pm
kevkat
April 30th, 2012
1:10 pm
Are we going to have to follow Derek Lowe’s progress all year?
Why not…..We’re paying 10 mill of his Salary
phil
April 30th, 2012
1:21 pm
phil
April 30th, 2012
1:20 pm
cabravesfan
April 30th, 2012
12:33 pm
Tremendous baseball point by Keith Olbermann. The baseball aficionado pointed out Saturday that for Mickey Mantle’s big-league debut in 1951 and for Bryce Harper’s in 2012, Vin Scully was in the broadcast booth both times.
************
Time will tell the tale obviously but right now, it’s not fair to compare a nobody like Mantle to the future hall of famer Harper.
George
April 30th, 2012
1:22 pm
Joey, AGREE on most of your post, however GONZO much better fielder and hitter then PASTORNICKY.
B_F 52
April 30th, 2012
1:25 pm
Carol thats Ven not Vin on VJ
George
April 30th, 2012
1:25 pm
Outta here, hope to be back before game, if not. Lets win one tonight y’all.
B_F 52
April 30th, 2012
1:26 pm
Carrol not Carol
Gustopher
April 30th, 2012
1:26 pm
Nice blog Ms.Rogers. JP and Don have talked about the effect KM has had some of the other pitchers. They said he has helped Tommy with his pick off move to first base.
B_F 52
April 30th, 2012
1:27 pm
Carroll not Carrol
B_F 52
April 30th, 2012
1:27 pm
Anyhew Thanks Carroll
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:28 pm
i think they are in good shape for a win total in the mid 80s
That’s a run differential of about 40, give or take; maybe a few more, if they continue to be a low-scoring team. Now, I find it totally within reason that the pitching staff could be sub-600, given some decent luck, so 85 isn’t out of the realm of possibility, I guess.
Count Dacula
April 30th, 2012
1:30 pm
Hey Juan, here’s an update: “Derek Lowe combined with Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez to shut out the Angels on three hits to give the Indians a victory in the rubber game of their weekend series. Lowe improved his record to 4-1 this season”
nolie
April 30th, 2012
1:34 pm
not much of a believer in ol’ Pythagoras myself, IIRC 70% reliability is a 5 game spread or more
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
1:36 pm
…and therein lies the problem, I think. They are bound to come back to earth, even if it’s just the tiniest little bit, and then their offense becomes a fairly large problem.
Therein lies another problem, their offense could turn around just as the pitching comes back to earth and further sustain them. I don’t see them playing .700 ball all season, but I think they have a real shot at being in contention all season.
woman in the throes
April 30th, 2012
1:36 pm
@BBB – “I now Morse is injured, when is he expected back? Where is he gonna play? RF? Larouche is hitting the ball well and Harper is up here to stay”
Wouldn’t think they’re giving up on Werth and you’re right Laroche is hitting the ball right now (though we know how streaky he can be). My guess is Harper or Werth moves to center with Ankiel being the odd man out but if neither of those guys is equipped for CF maybe they platoon Harper. Either way I think Morse has a job somewhere.
Derek Lowe
April 30th, 2012
1:38 pm
Hey guys ~ sorry I couldn’t have pitched that way for y’all down the stretch last Fall… maybe you should’ve employed hotter female Fox Sports South ‘beat’ reporters…?
Anywho, the 10 mill is spending just fine up here in Ohio… later.
OTP
April 30th, 2012
1:39 pm
Go Braves!
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
1:39 pm
Right now Xavier Nady has an OPS+ of 1. One.
That’s certain to last for the next 5 months.
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:40 pm
nolie, 3.99 root-mean-square error
Actually closer to reality to use expected runs and expected runs against than to use what actually happened. Go figure.
In any event, I’m just using this as a ballpark estimate. Admittedly, sometimes the “ballpark” is the size of the new Marlins stadium.
Hugo Z Hackenbush
April 30th, 2012
1:40 pm
Nothing wrong with mentioning the current ERA of Mr. Lowe, as long as you take the opportunity to also mention the current OPS of Elvis Andrus (.694), Yunel Escobar (.552), Jeff Francoeur (.574), Mark Teixeira (.663), etc.
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
1:41 pm
Of their line up right now, I think the corrections would be LaRoche slowing down, Zimmerman, Nady and Espinosa speeding up.
…
At least, I’m pulling for that dirtbag anyway.
sheeesh
April 30th, 2012
1:41 pm
Why would anyone in Atlanta be “hanging on” pitches by Maddux in ‘91 or ‘92. Maddux’s first year as a Brave was ‘93.
Ahhh! The misrememories!
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:44 pm
At least, I’m pulling for that dirtbag anyway.
I know this, which is why I refrained from any mention of Desmond and Espinosa.
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
1:46 pm
I know this, which is why I refrained from any mention of Desmond and Espinosa.
Desmond is doing what he did last year. Besides the dirtbag I pull for at that position plays in Colorado. So you can blast away at Desmond all you please.
nolie
April 30th, 2012
1:48 pm
694 Andrus OPS is just about dead on his mean
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
1:50 pm
So you can blast away at Desmond all you please.
Yeah, but seems like half the universe has those guys joined at the hip. You almost never hear the Nats’ announcers mention one without the other. Therefore, I would normally follow suit. But I think I’ll pass on doing so.
nolie
April 30th, 2012
1:51 pm
Elvis caint hit worth a damn even in a great hitter’s park like Texas….
TennesseePaul
April 30th, 2012
1:52 pm
You almost never hear the Nats’ announcers mention one without the other.
I guess I’ve installed such a great mental filter I haven’t noticed. I just hear Danny Espinosa’s name.
Don in TN
April 30th, 2012
1:52 pm
“Why would anyone in Atlanta be “hanging on” pitches by Maddux in ‘91 or ‘92. Maddux’s first year as a Brave was ‘93.
Ahhh! The misrememories”
I’m doing good to get the right decade!
Younger Than That Now
April 30th, 2012
1:52 pm
As always, nice blog Ms. Carroll!
@Phil… LOL! That’s funny right there! Personally, I don’t care to hear anything out of Olbermann’s mouth and didn’t feel much different when he was at ESPN back in 1953. He exudes arrogance, and I don’t care for arrogance.
Whatever the Nats hitters and pitchers do against everybody else is pretty irrelevant, IMO. The fact is, they give the Braves fits, and did so when they were at the bottom of the heap. Every team has that opposing team that just takes them to the woodshed, and for the Braves it’s the Nats… Marlins used to be the same way it seems.
I’m certainly not saying that the Nats aren’t for real… I think they are… but the weekend in LA says a lot for how they can expect top tier teams to match up with them. But all those games were close and at least 2 of them could have gone either way… easily! I recorded and watched all of them and both teams look like serious foes… and as has been pointed out, the Nats have several key pieces missing.
It’s gonna be interesting, but I’ll stick with Harold Reynolds and his prediction… “it’s gonna be Atlanta!”
GO BRAVES!
woman in the throes
April 30th, 2012
1:53 pm
@TennPaul – Yeah I don’t think you’d count on LaRoche having finally figured “it” out this year and Nady has been sooo bad, he has to get better but you have to believe they’re not counting on those guys as their future so Morse and Harper will be in there somewhere don’t you think?
Jimmy
April 30th, 2012
1:55 pm
“You almost never hear the Nats’ announcers mention one without the other” -ncscoots.
You know, that is absolutely right. They do mention both of them.
Like Simon and Garfunkle…or the like.
sheeesh
April 30th, 2012
1:55 pm
At some point in the not-too-distant future this season, that “special injection” that will be tied to Chipper’s name won’t be confidence or energy — it will be cortisone, morphine, or some type of exotic painkiller. Or maybe just the old familiar sound of a needle and syringe plunging in to suck all the bloody gunk out of his knees.
Oh, the glory and the pageantry!
Hugo Z Hackenbush
April 30th, 2012
1:59 pm
With the advantage of hindsight, I think I’d rather take my chances with Pastornicky or Simmons, rather than Elvis.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 30th, 2012
2:01 pm
Got it, forgot about Werth! Morse is a good ball player and has raw power. Better LF fit than RF or CF. They are a formidable group, no question.
Brooklyn Braves Brawler
April 30th, 2012
2:03 pm
Still like Elvis. if we had Elvis then we are not talking about Gonzo @ SS and I think we still trade for Bourne
Murph
April 30th, 2012
2:09 pm
I liked Andrus, still do… but I miss Feliz and Harrison way way way more than I do Elvis.
urban redneck
April 30th, 2012
2:10 pm
wonder if kawakami is having as good a year as d-lowe…………nah, just kidding. i don’t care.
CrαZy
April 30th, 2012
2:10 pm
Anyone seen the new Brooklyn Nets Logo’s?
http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Brooklyn-Nets-unveil-black-and-white-logo-3521418.php
CrαZy
April 30th, 2012
2:12 pm
I liked Andrus, still do… but I miss Feliz and Harrison way way way more than I do Elvis.
I miss Wainwright!! Wait…. is this limited to the Tex trade???
Bettie K
April 30th, 2012
2:13 pm
Hello, Long time Brave fan. Just lost husband of 50 yrs. Lonely. Want to talk baseball. What are the rules on here?
Murph
April 30th, 2012
2:16 pm
Good lord… so now we have the widowed version of Samantha? When will this madness stop?
I’ll look like double the arse for pointing out that they are fake…. but when have I let that stop me before?
FAKE!
Daybed Wagmoe
April 30th, 2012
2:19 pm
Also helping the bullpen: last year, the Braves played 4 extra-inning games in April. So far this year: none.
Sopheee
April 30th, 2012
2:22 pm
I guess I’m an ass too then because I thought the same thing.
ncscoots
April 30th, 2012
2:24 pm
I miss Wainwright!! Wait…. is this limited to the Tex trade???
Unlimited post-trade moaning is what we’re all about, LOL.
I might pull out a couple of old Escobar-for-Gonzalez rants in a minute.
Bettie K
April 30th, 2012
2:26 pm
Apparently not very friendly people on this blog. So thanks for chatting. I wil try somewhere else.
Shaun
April 30th, 2012
2:26 pm
kevkat, we are still getting jeff francouer updates. i think we’ll probably continue to hear about lowe at least until retirement.
Speaking of Jeff Francoeur…
Freddie Freeman is OBPing .304, worst among the eight regulars, worse than Pastornicky.
He has 5 walks and 25 strikeouts in 92 PA. Matt Diaz has 4 walks in 25 PA.
Luckily he’s slugging .464.
He has swung at 61.1 percent of pitches, highest on the team among non-pitchers.
Only Juan Francisco has a higher percentage of pitches that are swinging strikes. Freeman and Uggla are tied for second among non-pitchers. But Freeman’s walk rate is the second-worst while Uggla’s is the best among the eight regulars and third among the non-pitchers. Only Francisco has a lower walk rate than Freeman, among non-pitchers.
Bat Masterson
April 30th, 2012
2:28 pm
the Rules
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We talk baseball, other sports, music, movies, BBQ and whatever (except politics or religion)
About David O’Brien
Murph
April 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
Apparently not very friendly people on this blog. So thanks for chatting. I wil try somewhere else.
Bye! Hope you find your husband… just retrace your steps. That’s what I do when I lose something.
DAP
April 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
shaun Freddie Freeman is OBPing .304, worst among the eight regulars, worse than Pastornicky.
ooof. gonna have to get that under control. aaaand hes still batting 3rd, by the way. id switch him and jason in the lineup.
Felix Millan
April 30th, 2012
2:29 pm
Sophee and Murph— I make 3 that have thought the same thing.
nolie
April 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
Wainwright having a tough time coming back so far. always liked the big bender he throws
jeffrey d
April 30th, 2012
2:30 pm
I thought it. I wouldn’t have said anything though
woman in the throes
April 30th, 2012
2:31 pm
@Shaun, wouldn’t you agree that few of those things will still be the case in a few months? I just don’t think Freddie is that kind of hitter – sample size.
Murph
April 30th, 2012
2:32 pm
ooof. gonna have to get that under control. aaaand hes still batting 3rd, by the way. id switch him and jason in the lineup.
Yeah, I agree completely.
Freddie could benefit hitting lower without as much pressure on him, Heyward would benefit getting some pitches to hit with Uggla or BMac hitting behind him… seems like a smart move given both of their current situations.
Fish Bisch
April 30th, 2012
2:33 pm
MacDonalds owns us
nolie
April 30th, 2012
2:33 pm
I’m not sold that Freddie will hit for quite as high a BA and OBP as some here think he will. but I do think he will have a few 30 homer years
nolie
April 30th, 2012
2:33 pm
Liberty owns us