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Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
2,127 comments Add your comment
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:17 am
jeffrey d—
I did. I can’t believe how despicable some people cann be towards a good guy…
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:17 am
Top of the Page To You!…
Lee in S GA
June 20th, 2012
9:18 am
jeffrey d – probably both but I know Mitchell attacks him regularly
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:18 am
Either that, or retire as the greatest-hitting shortstop in the history of the game.
The Orioles will rename their park “Andrelton Simmons Stadium”
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:18 am
“I can’t believe how despicable some people cann be towards a good guy…”
While I’m not one to tolerate unnecessary and harsh criticisms of our players, I think there is such a blind-homer fan club for McCann on here, that it invites a pretty strong backlash.
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:18 am
Whoops….that’s *ss
Lew
June 20th, 2012
9:19 am
McFann – No first baseman today?
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:20 am
I think there is such a blind-homer fan club for McCann on here, that it invites a pretty strong backlash.
Thank you! I mean, besides the consecutive All Star appearances, Silver Sluggers, and being arguably the best hitting catcher in baseball since coming to the Majors, what do people see in this guy??
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:20 am
Top of the Page To You!…
And the rest of the page to you!
Ease
June 20th, 2012
9:21 am
It was Dot-Don…
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:21 am
Currently, Brian McCann is the 6th best hitting catcher in the NL. A line of: .240/.315/.423/.739 for an All-Star, Silver Slugger Catcher, doesn’t get anyone too excited.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/position/c/league/nl/sort/OPS/order/true
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:21 am
The Braves have given up 123 runs with 2 outs, which is 42.9% of their total runs allowed. That percentage is third-highest in MLB, behind Tampa (47.0%) and St. Louis (43.6%). The total MLB average is 38.8%.
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:21 am
Lew—
Ah…Whoopsie!! That could create a rather large hole on the right side…
Bourn CF
Prado 3B
Heyward RF
Uggla 2B
McCann C
Freeman 1B (Or should he go after Chipper…?)
Chipper DH
Diaz LF
Simmons SS
That danged DH is what through me off. Gosh, I can’t stand that thing…
DAP
June 20th, 2012
9:22 am
i know it worked out ok, but i think it was more poor bullpen management last night. chad durbin is dealing, and threw less than 10 pitches. he needed to go out there one more inning.
Lee in S GA
June 20th, 2012
9:23 am
thanks ..Ease…
Don, Mitchell, Robert…gets so confusing…knew someone hated Roger
flange1
June 20th, 2012
9:23 am
MikeinFl,
Loved eh Jesus Jones/ ZZtop remark!
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:23 am
DAP, there is today to think about as well. If he goes two innings yesterday, you can probably eliminate him from consideration today.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:24 am
If Diaz is playing it should be against a lefty, and therefore he should never be hitting 8th. 6th at the lowest….as high as third.
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:24 am
Whatever happened to Dot Don?
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:24 am
Plus, Durbin went in there to face mostly righties, while Venters got the tough lefties.
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:24 am
MFin—
Didn’t you see my winky? I was just teasing jeffrey d…lordy…
(ITS)
jeffrey d And the rest of the page to you!
Why thankya!…
Thank you! I mean, besides the consecutive All Star appearances, Silver Sluggers, and being arguably the best hitting catcher in baseball since coming to the Majors, what do people see in this guy??
Well, if you’re gonna put it that way, gee, I don’t know…Maybe I should change my name to ConFanZa…
ncbravesfan90
June 20th, 2012
9:25 am
Our offense is in bad bad trouble if we put Diaz hitting 3rd even against a lefty.
Jimmy
June 20th, 2012
9:26 am
Brian from SC – Thanks. The stats the guy quoted was alot higher.
I don’t really know what that tells us, but 42.9% seems out of line.
Just thought it was a somewhat interesting stat.
Thanks Brian.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:28 am
“Our offense is in bad bad trouble if we put Diaz hitting 3rd even against a lefty.”
Go ahead and look at the numbers against lefties, and let me know how ridiculous your statement is.
CrαZy
June 20th, 2012
9:28 am
Don / Robert / Mitchell
Is there really a difference?
CrαZy
June 20th, 2012
9:30 am
Whatever happened to Dot Don?
I like to think he finally jumped off the cliff!!
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:30 am
McFann – I didn’t really see your statement as much of a joke. I mean I agree with it. I don’t see how people can lash out so strongly at players. Occasional jokes I understand, but incessant rantings against guys I don’t get. Plus it is hard to interpret the eyeroll and the wink. I haven’t encountered that in daily conversations in real life.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:31 am
Four interleague games left…I’ll be glad when this mess is over. I’d be OK with a 2-2 finish, then get back to work against the weaker circuit. 3-1 over the next four would be a momentum boost.
jeffrey d
June 20th, 2012
9:31 am
Our offense is in bad bad trouble if we put Diaz hitting 3rd even against a lefty.
Why? Diaz has a career .872 OPS against lefties
Ease
June 20th, 2012
9:33 am
Is there really a difference?
Don hates Roger McDowell.
Robert hates Bobby Cox.
Mitchell hates the Braves.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:33 am
“Why? Diaz has a career .872 OPS against lefties”
Ahh, but only .841 this year.
ncbravesfan90
June 20th, 2012
9:34 am
So your telling me that if Diaz played for any other team, that just because of his numbers against lefties that he would bat 3rd? Come on, yeah Josh Hamilton we’re moving you down to the 5 hole because theres a lefty pitching and your a left handed batter, and this guy Diaz hits lefties so well that we’re putting him in the 3 hole. No way
Jimmy
June 20th, 2012
9:35 am
To get McCann to resign with the Braves, maybe they could work a deal with Omaha Steaks to keep him in supply with their Twice Baked Tators.
Understand he enjoys them.
Regularly.
.Don-Key
June 20th, 2012
9:35 am
Even assuming that Chipper can come back from injury, there are still the big questions as to whether the Braves are going to continue getting any offensive production from the LF, First Base, and Shortstop positions. Beachy and Moylan are injured. Earlier this year some were raising the question as to whether Hanson has lost something off this fastball. JJ seems healthy but how long will that last? Will Tim make it through his 3rd season back from elbow surgery? So the real question may be can the Braves produce top pitching prospects faster than the Sexual predator Roger McDowell and his failed conditioning program can ruin them or will they finally wise up and hire Leo again??
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:36 am
Stagnant, mediocre:
Here are the NL East standings in games since May 27th:
Braves 10-9
Nationals 9-9
Mets 10-11
Marlins 7-12
Phillies 7-13
We’re waiting on someone to make a move…
CrαZy
June 20th, 2012
9:38 am
That’s my best .Don impersonation I got!!
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:39 am
That was excellent, Crazy.
ncscoots
June 20th, 2012
9:40 am
We’re waiting on someone to make a move…
Braves need one more middle bat to heat up, and the starting pitching to stabilize. If that happens, stand back and watch the ufn.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:40 am
“Come on, yeah Josh Hamilton we’re moving you down to the 5 hole because theres a lefty pitching and your a left handed batter, and this guy Diaz hits lefties so well that we’re putting him in the 3 hole”
We have NO ONE NEAR AS GOOD AS HAMILTON on this team. When Michael Bourn is leading your team in slugging percentage, yes you can put Matt Diaz in the 3-hole and move that guy out of the spot. Not to mention it has been Chipper, McCann, or Freeman, all of which aren’t lighting the world on fire this year.
flange1
June 20th, 2012
9:42 am
Kudos Crazy!!!
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:43 am
“Braves need one more middle bat….”
Yes they do, but who can they get.
Ok, I know I know, I pulled an AJC and used a misleading quote. 
Ease
June 20th, 2012
9:44 am
Except the -Key was my creation…should have left it at .Don
We have gone from having probably the two best young pitchers in all of baseball last season (JJ and Hanson) to both of them having really significant problems. Hanson has had 3 really bad outings. And remember that even before the knee injury, JJ had the sholder problem and had not won a game all season and had an ERA of about 6.00. Fredi saying nothing is wrong is absurd — Something is wrong whether it be physical injury/problems or mechanics or mental approach or whatever. Wonder if he regrets passing up the opportunity to get Leo back as Pitching Coach and keeping the Coach with the record of some many injured pitchers in the last few years. In fairness, most of those injured pitchers were older pitchers.
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 20th, 2012
9:47 am
Currently, Brian McCann is the 6th best hitting catcher in the NL. A line of: .240/.315/.423/.739
Which is why I’m not voting him for catcher more than 2 or 3 times a day. Posey and Molina get the rest of my votes (can’t vote for Ruiz)
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:48 am
Haha, OK, sorry, MFin04…sometimes it’s hard to tell with you—I mean, you aren’t exactly a cheerleader on the BMac Squad…
ncbravesfan90
June 20th, 2012
9:48 am
MFin04-
That was my point. That just goes to show you what kind of offense we have if we put Diaz in the 3 hole against lefties, yet people continue to say we don’t need a big bat in this lineup. Im not saying that Diaz doesn’t need to be in the lineup against a lefty, he does. Point being, as you mentioned, Bourn is leading the team in slugging percentage, a leadoff hitter that hit 2 homeruns last year. That is not an offense that will survive a playoff push.
CrαZy
June 20th, 2012
9:48 am
Ease ……
that is true the Key was all Ease!!
Ease
June 20th, 2012
9:49 am
Bizarre story…Could very well be an in-game blogger…
NJ man arrested in mother’s closet after calling police, demanding to speak to Tim Tebow
Tebowmania has caused its first arrest.
The New Jersey Herald reports that Jason Slater of Hopatcong, New Jersey was arrested on charges of creating false public alarms after calling 911 three times on June 10th and then refusing to give dispatchers any idea about why he was calling. Slater then called police headquarters and demanded to speak to Jets quarterback Tim Tebow while claiming to be the President of the United States.
Police went to Slater’s house to make sure that there wasn’t any emergency and found him hiding under some pillows in his mother’s closet. Slater, who is 28, was arrested at that point. Mark Sanchez probably wishes that the police were that vigilant when the Jets started calling Denver in an attempt to get in touch with Tebow a few months ago.
Slater greeted the officers with expletives and was taken to the police station for processing. Slater was then observed throwing his summons on the ground after leaving the station, earning him another summons for littering.
Perhaps his next call to the police will be an attempt to get in touch with Emmanuel Sanders?
CrαZy
June 20th, 2012
9:50 am
Poor eating habits instigated by Terry Pendleton are the direct cause of the extremely high rate in which players are getting hurt. That combined with the piss poor teaching ability of Larry Parrish and the poor conditioning program laid out by the sexual predator Roger McDowell this team has no chance.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:51 am
Looks like Chipper is out today. McCann DH, Ross C, Francisco 3B.
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
9:52 am
Brian from SC—
You’ve gotta be FRIGGIN’ KIDDING ME!!!…
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:53 am
Oh, and McCann is hitting 3rd.
ncscoots
June 20th, 2012
9:53 am
That is not an offense that will survive a playoff push.
I believe you are making the error of mistaking the present for the future. Do you honestly think that Bourn will continue to lead the team in slugging, for instance? Probably not. Yet, you would base an assumption of the future on a premise that is unlikely to be correct at the time of that future.
Jeff R
June 20th, 2012
9:54 am
Hate to say it, but Molina’s been getting my votes.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:54 am
“Which is why I’m not voting him for catcher more than 2 or 3 times a day”
You do realize it is pointless to vote for him, if you are voting for other guys as well? Same thing with outfielders. You either have to go all Braves, or you are essentially cancelling out your vote.
And I’m not the biggest fan of Brian McCann, no, used to be, but the guy seems to be declining. I’m hoping he can bounce back and get back to his career averages by the end of the year, could be tough, but I wouldn’t put it past him. He usually isn’t good at the end of the year though…
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 20th, 2012
9:55 am
Mark Bowman @mlbbowman
#Braves lineup: Bourn 8 Prado 7 McCann DH Uggla 4 Freeman 3 Heyward 9 Simmons 6, Francisco 5 Ross 2
Uh oh, Fatcisco is playing….
Mark Bowman @mlbbowman
Hinske is now 4-for-58 since his 4-hit game at Coors Field on May 4.
Kat
June 20th, 2012
9:55 am
Was looking forward to cheering for Chipper at the game today. That stinks.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:56 am
McFann – Surely you KNEW he would be DHing today? Only makes sense.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:56 am
Chipper must have woke up sore or something. I think the plan was for him to DH today.
Jimmy
June 20th, 2012
9:56 am
Terry Pendleton needs to go!
Watch him today. He shows no scrappiness or grit over there.
He takes the batting gloves and protective gear with one hand – not using both hands.
He’s not clutch.
Fire TP.
Alex Ochoa is the best in the game!
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
9:57 am
Chipper is almost OPSing .900 against lefties…
ncbravesfan90
June 20th, 2012
9:57 am
ncscoots-
Or could i be basing the future on the past? Fall of 2011…
Honestly, I feel that there has to be a move made for a big power bat in the middle of this lineup to be able to make the playoffs.
Ease
June 20th, 2012
9:57 am
Apparently Fredi did not consult McFann before making the lineup.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
9:59 am
Haven’t heard from DOB in the last little while. He’s probably finding out what the deal is with Larry Wayne.
Jeff R
June 20th, 2012
9:59 am
Poor eating habits instigated by Terry Pendleton are the direct cause of the extremely high rate in which players are getting hurt.
More Belgian endive, radicchio, sesame seeds, and soy beans are the answers. Yes, indeed.
Me, whatever’s on Prince Fielder’s and CC Sabathia’s menus, make that double for Braves’ players.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:01 am
At least maybe Ross can help reign in the running game against Hanson. That’s a tall order.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:01 am
“what the deal is with Larry Wayne.”
Out of game due to: O.L.D.
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 20th, 2012
10:01 am
I don’t mind Mac DHing. Gets Ross some ABs, and allows him to practice using his cannon to throw out runners.
Hate to say it, but Molina’s been getting my votes.
I’ve slowly been dropping Mac from my votes as well. He hasn’t earned it really. Not going to give him a “pity” All-Star appearance
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:01 am
*rein in*
Ease
June 20th, 2012
10:01 am
there has to be a move made for a big power bat in the middle of this lineup
Well Uggla is not really that tall, if that is what you mean by big, but he has ginormous arms and is a power bat. And Heyward and Freeman are pretty big guys…
And McCann…is, well big…too.
Jeff R
June 20th, 2012
10:02 am
Terry Pendleton needs to go!
Watch him today. He shows no scrappiness or grit over there.
Dang super-size meals Pendleton’s woofing down before games. Slows the metabolism down, don’t you know?
Jimmy
June 20th, 2012
10:02 am
Yankees don’t run very much. Though, they might try against Hanson.
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
10:04 am
MFin04 Surely you KNEW he would be DHing today? Only makes sense.
No—Fredi said he’d prolly catch and that Chipper would DH. But he also said Freeman was gonna be the #3 hitter for the rest of the year, so I should know by now that I cann hardly believe a word he says…
Ease Apparently Fredi did not consult McFann before making the lineup.
He never does.
ncscoots
June 20th, 2012
10:04 am
Or could i be basing the future on the past? Fall of 2011…
That would be even worse.
Unless, of course, you think that historical collapses would now become commonplace, rather than, well, historical.
It seems to me, sometimes, that folks here have little problem extrapolating losses into team-wide systemic failure, while being unable to accept wins as anything but a fluke. For all the chest-thumping of being a “realist” (and I’m not saying that you are one of those guys), there’s not much real objectivity in play for many of our folks.
ncbravesfan90
June 20th, 2012
10:05 am
Ease-
In addition to those. Because outside of Uggla, no one is exactly hitting it outta the park.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:05 am
“Yankees don’t run very much”
Well they sure tried with the WRONG guys last night.
Jimmy
June 20th, 2012
10:05 am
Chipper – Well, he did have to run to second on his double, then to home when he tried to score on Heyward bonehead play. He hasn’t had to do that for a while.
Maybe he is stoved up.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:06 am
I’d say Michael Bourn has the highest odds of hitting it out today…
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:06 am
But he also said Freeman was gonna be the #3 hitter for the rest of the year
Did he really say that? Do you have a link?
Coach Joe
June 20th, 2012
10:07 am
We are the only team in the division over .500 since May 19th? Wow is that crazy or what?
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
June 20th, 2012
10:08 am
Brian from SC—
Not at the moment, but I cann try to find it!
Shoulda bookmarked it…Somebody said it, anyway…or gave me the WRONG impression…
Lew
June 20th, 2012
10:08 am
Why would Fredi consult McFann about lineups when he has his trusty Ouija Board?
Ease
June 20th, 2012
10:09 am
no one is exactly hitting it outta the park.
Too many doubles and triples…you’re right.
David O'Brien
June 20th, 2012
10:11 am
Braves lineup: Bourn cf, Prado lf, McCann dh, Uggla 2b, Freeman 1b, Heyward rf, Simmons ss, Francisco 3B, Ross, c (Hanson p)
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:12 am
“Too many doubles and triples…you’re right.”
Unfortunately, most of the time those don’t score runs or drive in runs for us.
ncscoots
June 20th, 2012
10:12 am
We are the only team in the division over .500 since May 19th? Wow is that crazy or what?
I beleive the AL East has put an end to any speculation that the NL East was ready to assume the “toughest division” mantle. Those teams have opened up a can on their Senior Circuit brethren.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:13 am
There was talk earlier in the year when Freddie was hot that “this could be the #3 hitter for a long time” (that coming from Chipper). I don’t see where Gonzalez ever said anything about where he would bat Freeman. It would be foolish for any manager to say such a thing, when a player could start hitting .188 with a .565 OPS over a stretch of 27 games, which is what Freeman has done since May 7th.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:13 am
At least we aren’t hitting our DH 9th. The was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.
TheOnlyBravesFan
June 20th, 2012
10:15 am
At least we aren’t hitting our DH 9th. The was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.
.196 Batting Average BABY!!!
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:15 am
MFin04, I don’t understand why that is ridiculous? Who would have been better to hit 9th last night? What difference does it make what position hits in what spot?
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:15 am
Enter your comments here
Tomahawkin
June 20th, 2012
10:16 am
Oh My…
I thought Francisco was Playing 1st….
Phew, You Scared the Tar out of me for a Minute D.O.B….Don’t do that No Mo!
Ease
June 20th, 2012
10:17 am
At least we don’t have to worry about Freeman’s range at first…Between him, Francisco and Uggla, the right side should be pretty well covered.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:18 am
“What difference does it make what position hits in what spot?”
I’ll take this as a serious question. The whole point of having a DH is to have a guy that can HIT. Who puts a DH in a game that CAN’T hit. His WHOLE job is to HIT. And if the guy can’t hit and has to hit 9th, then he shouldn’t be DHing.
Which leads me to my next point. The whole AL vs NL thing is ridiculous anyways. When one team is built to score more runs than the other team, I’d think the one who scores more runs and has better hitters would win more often. Imagine that.
Tomahawkin
June 20th, 2012
10:18 am
Gotta Take The Rubber Match, No If’s and’s or Butts! I have a feeling in My Gut that this game will be a laugher in our favor…
southern hope
June 20th, 2012
10:19 am
I’m so happy this is a day game….and not for the reasons you might think….but simply because i can better emotionally handle these games if the sun is shining…the *worst* is staying up until10:30 and heading to bed with a loss….
Lew
June 20th, 2012
10:19 am
Prediction – Francisco gets two hits today including a HR.
Brian from SC
June 20th, 2012
10:20 am
I thought you were saying Gonzalez should have batted Hinske somewhere other than 9th, just because he was the DH.
It sounds like your main concern is with the Braves’ offensive personnel, not with the lineup-crafting.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:20 am
Maybe the NL should be allowed a 26th player added for DH games. That’d help even things up a little. Maybe bring up a AAA or minor league masher. Gattis perhaps.
Murph
June 20th, 2012
10:21 am
Simmons and Heyward are going to carry this team on their backs for the rest of the season, be named co-MVP’s, and then move in together.
MFin04
June 20th, 2012
10:22 am
Your DH should NEVER be your 9th best hitter. NEVER! If that is the case, you need to fix your team quick.