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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5,326 comments Add your comment
Mako
December 13th, 2012
11:19 am
Just like the 5/6 years prior, the Phillies were supposed to bow down to the Braves, that didn’t happen either.
P'cola Brave
December 13th, 2012
11:19 am
keylargo
True about Lowe but the difference being Soriano coming off a 30/100 year opposed to Lowe’s decline.
DAP
December 13th, 2012
11:19 am
TOBF I think he can… was a good pitcher in the AL, just looks better w/ his periphs cuz he’s in the NL now.
personally, i dont think so. the bump in his performance is not adequately explained by a change of leagues. i dont expect him to be terrible, because he is a good pitcher. but i think last year was more of a “career year” situation than the new normal for gio in the NL. his walk rate will go back up a bit, his ERA will normalize, and he wont be able to go as deep in games. still good, but not 2012 good.
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
11:19 am
Thanks P’Cola, I am just trying to scrape near the bottom of the barrel so the Braves do not have to actually reach bottom and employ Constanza in any kind of starter or platoon situation.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
11:20 am
DOB, don’t like the new AJC Braves layout. Still think you deserve the spotlight next to whatever pic is up on the headlines. It’s nice to have someone who keeps us informed with accurate info about our favorite team. Thanks for all of the blogs and hope you and everyone on here has a safe and happy holiday season.
Mako
December 13th, 2012
11:21 am
“I don’t think Gio can sustain what he did last year.”
Neither will Medlen or Minor.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
11:22 am
It’s not a matter of downplaying the Nats – it’s a matter of totally downplaying the Braves. I think they are both really good teams, but no one gives the Braves the credit THEY are due.
We’ve got offense, good young pitching and an absolutely incredible bullpen. (not to mention plenty of time and resources to get b even better before the season starts), yet some believe we stand no chance and might actually come in fourth or fifth in the division.
Rick C
December 13th, 2012
11:26 am
TOBF, again you give the Nats credit for being better in SP, but the Braves bullpen is only “slightly better.” And again I will say, the margin between the two last year was actually greater in the bullpen. Not to mention, the Nats bullpen had to pitch more innings last year. I’m not sure how many extra innings they played but it was probably more than the Braves.
Lemke's Knuckler
December 13th, 2012
11:27 am
“I don’t think Gio can sustain what he did last year.”
Neither will Medlen or Minor.
Any reasons to back up that assertion?
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
11:28 am
Lew – . . .yet some believe we stand no chance and might actually come in fourth or fifth in the division.
Last year at this time, I was one who thought the Braves were going in serious decline. It turned out not to be the case. I am more optimistic this year. The Braves have talent in all phases. If the young guys continue to improve and some veterans (Uggla and McCann) return to some sort of form, the offense should be strong even without Chipper and Bourn.
Besides, from a fan’s perspective, having no faith like I did last year was no fun. Baseball needs to be a little fun and an escape from life’s more difficult aspects.
Rick C
December 13th, 2012
11:29 am
“Neither will Medlen or Minor.”
Minor pitched terribly the first half though. He should likely balance out somewhere between his first and second half performances. And a full year of Medlen should be better than the spot starts Jurrjens, Sheets, and Teheran made.
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
11:31 am
I predict that every player will perform differently in 2013 than they did in 2012.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
11:33 am
Mako, I don’t know where you’ve been but I remember last year there were a lot of folks who said the Nats were going to be a dangerous team. No one in their right mind would’ve said the Phillies would bow down to the Braves. The Phillies were picked last year to do better than what they did but no one could foresee how bad they would miss Utley and Howard. Most on here were saying the Braves should finish second and that was pretty accurate. The Nats are a strong team, but the Braves are no slouch. It will be a tough division and will probably be determined in the last week. But you can bet we will be there competing.
P'cola Brave
December 13th, 2012
11:34 am
I agree that they have a phenomenal bullpen and a SP staff that will give us a chance to win on most nights. The biggest question as its been the last few seasons is the offense. Its such and up and down lineup filled w/ inconsistently. They are still one piece short of really running with the Nats next year. And it don’t have to be a premium player but a guy that brings a good OBP to the lineup and helps set up some of the big bats. Really I’d like to see them go get a veteran player through trade that gives us more depth than anything and still allows our bench to be strong. The Braves are right there in the Wild Card hunt but their a piece short of really pushing the division
Lew
December 13th, 2012
11:34 am
Cliff – Yeah, but it’s like that EVERY year. The Braves get no love from many of their own fans. If we all had a dollar for every time teams spending a fortune were predicted to win it all and came nowhere close, we could all buy season tickets for Braves’ games.
Last year it was can Prado and Heyward come back to form – this year it’s can Uggla and McCann. It’s always going to e something and every time our competitors make even the smallest move it will be considered huge and every move we make will be thought a bust.
Whatever. I’ll remain optimistic and a Braves’ fan. Everyone else can believe whatever they want.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
11:35 am
Gio’s good season last year wasn’t totally out of the ordinary… his BABIP stayed within his career range. Beachy, Medlen, and Minor were all well below their career babip averages when they pitched well… heck, they were so far below what an average pitcher has (they were in the low .200s)
I think it’s more reasonable to expect Gio to repeat his 2012 than for Minor and Medlen to repeat their 2nd halves again
Lew: Did I say we would finish 4th or 5th? No, I believe I said 2nd, and should get the 1st WC. I still think we’re a top5 team in the NL, just not better than the Nats. Don’t get why I’m supposedly some doom and gloomer because of it… just look at what they’ve done. They look better.
ncscoots
December 13th, 2012
11:36 am
Yep, it’s that time of year, the homers trying to downplay the Nats.
Yep, it’s that time of the year when posters assume everything will go right for the opposition and nothing will go right for the Braves, the numbletards trying to downplay the unknowns of baseball.
I mean, if these guys were right, then no team that ever won a pennant would ever not win a pennant. Ever. Because these teams always try to get better the following year, right? And if they were good enough to win the previous year, and they just got better, well then, golly gee, there is no hope for anybody else, correct? Sheesh.
The reality is that baseball teams very seldom replicate either success or failure from one year to the other in exactly the same way or to the exact same effect. That’s why they make you actually play 162. That’s a pretty basic principle. If you can’t grasp that one, probably ought to move the fandom over to women’s curling.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
11:37 am
Mako, do you really think Medlen was a fluke? I would be willing to say he wins at least 18 games next year with Hudson winning 16 and Minor winning 15. That would put us with 3 starters over 15 wins. Sounds like a pretty good rotation to me.
old man
December 13th, 2012
11:38 am
My proposals for name of Johnson Francisco platoon:
FRANJOHNSCO.
FRANSON.
JOHNCO.
JUEED.
Please register your votes.
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
11:38 am
Lew- I learned that lesson last year. Panic over the Braves’ 2011 late season swoon, no activity in the offseason, and other teams in the division making bold moves (Marlins, Nats) led me to the dark side of doom and gloom. Never again. Do not want to be a joyless fan of the Braves.
old man
December 13th, 2012
11:38 am
Whoops.
Schafer already has that last one.
CB
December 13th, 2012
11:38 am
Nothing wrong with looking at the picture realistically, talent wise on Dec. 13th Nationals appear to be ahead of Braves. It doesn’t mean that on opening day it will be that way and most certainly doesn’t mean we concede them the division. YOU PLAY THE GAME!
O.M.G.
December 13th, 2012
11:38 am
Lew they are just trolls looking to cause trouble. Division winners next year will be the Braves, Reds and Dodgers with the Gaints, Cards and Nats fighting it out for the wild cards.
Mako
December 13th, 2012
11:39 am
And the same non-sense comes from the “numbletards” from the other side too. Everyone on the Braves are going to be better/have bounce back years, but the Nationals and other contenders are going to fall off.
“No way Gio can sustain what he did last year, but Medlen and Minor will continue pitching over there heads!” “McCann and Uggla will bounce back, but Utley and Howard are done!”
Whatever, indeed.
Rick C
December 13th, 2012
11:40 am
“Beachy, Medlen, and Minor were all well below their career babip averages when they pitched”
Have these guys really pitched enough to even say where their average BABiP should be around?
Lemke's Knuckler
December 13th, 2012
11:42 am
I’m with the logical people. The Braves won 94 games last year despite…
1. Only 1 consistent starting pitcher for the entire season (Hudson).
2. Only 1 consistent offensive producer in the lineup (Prado)
3. Jonny Venters showing that he is, in fact, mortal.
4. No viable #4 arm in the bullpen (rotating circus of Durbin, Gearrin, Avilan and others).
3. A terrible season from Uggla.
4. A injury-riddled season from McCann
5. Inconsistent hitting from both Heyward and Freeman (at times)
6. A terrible 2nd half from Bourn. Terrible is an understatement (81 K’s in 70 games).
I think the Braves are due to have an much-improved offense this year. I think Heyward and Freeman are going to be absolute beasts. I think McCann will produce back to normal levels over however many games he plays. I’ll be surprised if they get a bounce-back year from Uggla, but stranger things have happened. I expect Simmons will continue to improve at the plate and Prado has proven he’s a sure bet to hit .300 as long as he’s healthy.
Granted, there are some things that helped the Braves win 94 games that might not happen this year (incredible first half from Bourn, late season runs of Medlen and Minor, Kimbrel putting up a video game season). So it will probably all average out and I think the Braves are still a 90-95 win team, regardless of what they do in left field.
And if Gattis gets a shot and does what I think he’s going to do, watch out!
jfp
December 13th, 2012
11:44 am
ncscoots, well put.
P’cola Brave, inconsitency with offense is always a problem for any team. The Giants beat the Cards because of timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and most importantly great pitching. There are a lot of offensive lineups that look good on paper but good pitching can overcome that and it usually shows up in the big games.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
11:44 am
TOBF, again you give the Nats credit for being better in SP, but the Braves bullpen is only “slightly better.”
Nats ‘pen pitched 30 innings more than ours and used 14 different pitchers in relief… we used 12 (Teheran, Delgado, and JJ’s 1inning stint discounted)
We had roughly the same number of guys go over 50IP and 30 IP in relief… outside of Stammen, they weren’t terribly overworked. When we look at guys who were regulars in the ‘pen for the Nats, they have a 3.03… their pen doesn’t sukk, and their back 3-4 are just about as good as ours. We might be better than them, but it’s not really that big a deal. Their bullpen won’t cost them many games.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
11:45 am
TOBF – Of course, your posts are the only ones I comment on because there are so many of them, right? Dont flatter yourself – I was referring to others. Put on the appropriate shoe and wrap the velcro around it.
Murph
December 13th, 2012
11:45 am
If you can’t grasp that one, probably ought to move the fandom over to women’s curling.
My favorite sweeper, Brittany Le Fleur, was really something. She could clean some ice… man oh man, could she clean some ice. Sweeping back and forth, back and forth… slowly at first… then faster… and faster… and FASTER…
She left curling after the big PED scandal of 2003. Saw her shopping at Granville Island a year or so later… looked a lot like Sid Bream. Testosterone does funny things to women.
ncscoots
December 13th, 2012
11:45 am
And the same non-sense comes from the “numbletards” from the other side too.
Did I deny that? No, and I won’t. But the fact is that even the blind homers here are usually closer to being right than the dismissive doom-and-gloomers.
Lemke's Knuckler
December 13th, 2012
11:47 am
If you can’t grasp that one, probably ought to move the fandom over to women’s curling.
Best thing about that sport is a woman holding a broom, just the way it should be.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
11:48 am
Have these guys really pitched enough to even say where their average BABiP should be around?
Yes, that is an issue, but I’m pretty sure we can agree that it shouldn’t be at .201 for Beachy, .223 for Minor, or .249 for Medlen when the average pitcher (and many aces) have BABIPs over .275. There should be some “regression” from those great 2nd halves.
YOU PLAY THE GAME!
Exactly… injuries can happen, guys get really hot, a team just totally struggles… gotta wait out the season to see what happens.
ncscoots
December 13th, 2012
11:49 am
Have these guys really pitched enough to even say where their average BABiP should be around?
No. Not even close. All three pitchers have a very wide band of performance into which they could fall, and trying to deduce probable landing spots from the tiny sample of stats available is just dart-throwing.
Brava
December 13th, 2012
11:49 am
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN
As Ichiro signs with the Yankees, he’ll be turning down a two-year, $14 million offer from the Phillies.
Brava
December 13th, 2012
11:50 am
Jayson Stark @jaysonst
Clubs pursuing Mike Adams say he could sign in next couple of days. Among teams linked to him: Nats, Jays, Phillies, Rangers, Cubs, Brewers
CB
December 13th, 2012
11:50 am
Lemke’s Knuckler, you may want to leave before the feminists get here.
O.M.G.
December 13th, 2012
11:50 am
Lemke you did not just say that?
Brava
December 13th, 2012
11:50 am
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
hannahan is believed to have gotten about $4M on 2-yr deal with #reds.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
11:50 am
well I was unsure about that Lew, you had addressed me in your 11:01 where you mentioned other teams that were supposed to be so great because of their additions… my talk of the Nats fit in with your prior premise
Mako
December 13th, 2012
11:51 am
The blind homers certainly wasn’t right about the Nationals.
So what, are these doom and gloomers the one’s who don’t expect the Braves to stand atop the division? If that’s the case, they’ve been right a lot over the recent years. Or is it the one’s who thinks Medlen’s not sniffing 18 wins. Good chance they’re going to be right about that too
Brava
December 13th, 2012
11:51 am
MLB @MLB
OFFICIAL: @RedSox sign OF @ShaneVictorino to 3-year deal.
DAP
December 13th, 2012
11:52 am
mako “No way Gio can sustain what he did last year, but Medlen and Minor will continue pitching over there heads!” “McCann and Uggla will bounce back, but Utley and Howard are done!”
i know you werent exactly adressing me, but let me just say, i havent made any of the above assertions, except for gio gonzalez not being as good next year. so, dont paint me with that brush.
by the way, i said all year last year that gio wouldnt keep it up, and he pretty much did. (faltered a little at the end). i could be wrong, but i expect the walk rate to go back up and some point, resulting in more runs, and shorter outings.
Rick C
December 13th, 2012
11:53 am
TOBF, you are missing my point man. I am trying to say that you can’t say the Nationals starting pitching is clearly better while also discounting the Braves bullpen as only slightly better. The stats say the bigger margin was actually in the bullpen. Obviously the SP will take more innings, but over the course of the season their pitching is pretty balanced when you consider both SP and the bullpen. The Nationals were only .09 runs better last year.
Lemke's Knuckler
December 13th, 2012
11:55 am
Lemke you did not just say that?
I’ll tell my wife to slap me when I get home. I’m sure I deserve it.
old man
December 13th, 2012
11:55 am
Brava, thank God Victorino is off the table.
Brava
December 13th, 2012
11:55 am
I agree, old man. Can’t stand him.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
11:57 am
TOBF – And Mako had also brought the doom and gloom along with others. And if you notice what I actually posted, I never claimed the Nats were not good – I just said that the Braves were better than many thought they were and that the division was going to be closer than many seem to believe.
I hope it IS a close race – makes things much more interesting than seeing any one team run away with it all – even the team you cheer for.
But I damned well would not count the Braves out cause it’s not always a matter of money and it isn’t always the “premium” players that are the difference makers.
But it just galls the hell out of me when people think our players can never achieve what they’ve already achieved once yet all the other team’s players not only can, but will exceed anything they’ve ever done.
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:02 pm
t’s not a matter of downplaying the Nats – it’s a matter of totally downplaying the Braves. I think they are both really good teams, but no one gives the Braves the credit THEY are due.
We’ve got offense, good young pitching and an absolutely incredible bullpen. (not to mention plenty of time and resources to get b even better before the season starts), yet some believe we stand no chance and might actually come in fourth or fifth in the division.
Lew….you are way too optimstic. Does Wren send you Kool Aid every month or every week?
While I will most definitily admit that our offense was much much better last year and Prado and Heyward both showed great signs. You cannot serouisly think that we have a good offense as it stands right now. We have no left fielder. A very talented but CF-but you never know what you’re going to get. Heyward is solid and so is Martin. Simmons is a rookie and cannot be counted on for his offense, I think anything he does should be considered a bonus. Uggla had his worst season 2 years ago and topped that last year, I am very worried about his production. Freeman is solid. And while I will go on record and say that I do think McCann will bounce back this year. I do not think that he will completely come back to form until mid-season…this is a huge surgery he’s coming off of and his swing was still messed up last season. So, I’d say that you will get a good second half from McCann. Plus Laird is going to start the season as the starting catcher. With no proven leadoff hitter and the teams best hitter gone, I am very concerned about how this offense is going to perform. Everytime Chipper was out of the lineup in the past few years, it seemed to deflate the team and they looked like they lost confidence. That is a very big concern, you cannot buy confidence or the ability to change mentalities.
Also, maybe fans on this blog are harsh on the Braves-myself included-when ridiculously stupid things are being done by the front office. However, if you look soley at how the “experts” view the Braves, they are not one of the 5 top teams in the NL. They are not the favorites to win the division. But they do have a chance to win one of the wild card spots. Now, I think that assessment is correct.
Lastly, I know that 1 player (unless it’s Josh Hamilton) cannot make a huge difference, but I do agree with most people who think the Braves will be a 3rd place team in their division if they do not acquire a proven MLB Left Fielder. This “internal option” talk is garbage.
keyLargo
December 13th, 2012
12:02 pm
My proposals for name of Johnson Francisco platoon:
FRANJOHNSCO.
FRANSON.
JOHNCO.
JUEED.
Please register your votes.
——————————————————
Prado LF
Francisco 3B
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:05 pm
Patrick – And you’re way too negative. Who sends you weekly shipments of bile to drink?
DAP
December 13th, 2012
12:07 pm
lew the Braves were better than many thought they were
they had pundits picking them 4th. i even had some friends say they had no chance to finish above 4th place.
being the measured person i am, i admitted that i could see them missing the playoffs, but i guess there was no way they finished lower than 3rd place in the east. that was before the season.
i remember around the middle of june when we had the series with the yankees, i said to my wife “i just dont think this team has it this year. something just isnt right…” i came to my senses in july though. i was pretty sure they had a shot to go all the way.
ncscoots
December 13th, 2012
12:07 pm
I know that 1 player (unless it’s Josh Hamilton) cannot make a huge difference, but I do agree with most people who think the Braves will be a 3rd place team in their division if they do not acquire a proven MLB Left Fielder.
How in the world do you reconcile that statement with anything close to logic, LOL? One guy is not a huge difference, but the Braves are out of the playoffs if they don’t get him?
DAP
December 13th, 2012
12:10 pm
patrick You cannot serouisly think that we have a good offense as it stands right now.
i do. i think its well balanced. we have our contact/average hitters (simmons, prado), we have our power/free swinger guys (uggla, upton), and we have our all around hitters (power, avg, OBP, ect) in heyward, freeman, mccann.
i really think one more contact, high avg hitter like prado, and we could have a good offensive machine.
P'cola Brave
December 13th, 2012
12:11 pm
Of the five teams that made the playoffs last year, here are their rankings in certain categories:
AVG:
# 2 STL
# 3 SF
# 4 WSH
# 9 CIN
# 11 ATL
OBP
#1 STL
#4 SF
#6 WSH
#7 ATL
#12 CIN
SLG
#3 WSH
#4 STL
#6 CIN
#8 SF
#10 ATL
Runs
#2 STL
#5 WSH
#6 SF
#7 ATL
#9 CIN
Pitching
ERA
#1 WSH
#3 CIN
#4 ATL
#5 SF
#6 STL
Quality Starts
#3 STL
#4 CIN
#5 WSH
#7 SF
#12 ATL
Runs scored
#1 CIN
#2 WSH
#4 ATL
#5 STL
#6 SF
Just need some more QS this year from the SP but our offense is so inconsistent. That is going to have to improve if we are going to make a deep run.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:13 pm
Patrick, we now know who is most disappointed about not getting that impact left fielder. It’s gonna be ok fella. By the way who are we supposed to finish behind?
Efrim
December 13th, 2012
12:15 pm
As Ichiro signs with the Yankees, he’ll be turning down a two-year, $14 million offer from the Phillies.
Good god, Amaro is not smart.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:16 pm
DAP – And I claimed they could come in anywhere between first and fourth. But this year is different.
Full season of Simmons. Full season of Hudson (with Simmons). Full season of Medlen in the rotation. Minor with a half season of excellence to bolster his development. A deeper bullpen with Walden and a full year of Luis Avilan (and no Livan Hernandez). More power in the lineup.
And let’s not forget that even in their worst seasons, Mac still 4th or 5th among NL catchers in HR’s and RBI and Uggla still 3rd among NL 2B in HR and 2nd in RBI and OBP and we should expect improvement from both.
Efrim
December 13th, 2012
12:19 pm
Reds will have a payroll in the mid-90’s for the first time in a while with the Ludwick and Choo signings/trade.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
12:19 pm
Quality Starts
#3 STL
#4 CIN
#5 WSH
#7 SF
#12 ATL
Yep… that’s what I’d like to see more off, more quality starts from our rotation. And Minor/Medlen be able to produce at a high level without having to have a ridiculously low .225 BABIP to do so. Still skeptical there.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
12:21 pm
better avg. and SLG too… step up Danny!
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:24 pm
DAP
Heyward struck out over 150 times last season. I’d put him in the same boat with Upton and Uggla.
And Lew,
I’m realistic, while that comes off as negative to you, there is still truth in what I say…you on the other hand seem to insult (and I put my kool aid comment in there because of the last time you insulted me) instead of coming up with any real reasons to backup your “optimism” show me links where a sports writer has the Braves as a serious contender, or that their offense is projected to rank as one of the top NL offenses.
The reason for this blog is so that fans of Braves and discuss the team and moves that they like and don’t like. I actually gave you reasons why I AGREED with some of what you said and reasons why I didn’t. You only come back with sarcastic or insulting remarks.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:25 pm
Efrim, If the Phillies were willing to pay that for Ichiro, you can bet that Bourn or Hamilton are still in the picture.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:27 pm
Patrick – Call it realism all you want to – it still comes off as total negativity. And I insulted you? How exactly did I do that? Don’t remember call ing you anything other than negative. I doubt many here would disagree wit that, either.
But if I had your outlook, I think I’d be looking for medication to control the depression.
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:28 pm
Patrick, we now know who is most disappointed about not getting that impact left fielder. It’s gonna be ok fella. By the way who are we supposed to finish behind?
Yeah, that would be probably more than just me. Fella
And if you watched the MLB Network at all this past week their top 5 NL teams were: San Francisco, Washington, Cincinnati, St. Louis and the Dodgers.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:28 pm
Patrick, since you seem to be so concerned about what sports writers have to say, how do you feel about them leaving Dale Murphy out of the HOF?
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:29 pm
And if you can’t handle sarcasm? Maybe this is not the best place for you to be.
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:29 pm
Patrick, since you seem to be so concerned about what sports writers have to say, how do you feel about them leaving Dale Murphy out of the HOF?
I think that he should have already been elected into the Hall and I’m disappointed that his value is being great underrated.
59bulldawg
December 13th, 2012
12:29 pm
Good job Chad! You make your daddy . . . and those of us who watched him play and think he should already be in . . . very proud!
Arkansas Transplant
December 13th, 2012
12:30 pm
I still wouldn’t mind moving Uggla in some trade to allow Prado to move there.. I just think his skill set is best served at 2nd or 3rd.
Something like Minor/Uggla to Detroit for Castellanos/Garcia/Crosby plus a low level prospect.
Rick C
December 13th, 2012
12:30 pm
Interesting to see that the Nationals had more QS despite the Braves pitching more innings.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:31 pm
Patrick, you said we were going to finish 3rd. Only one of those teams is in our division, or have you checked to see which division we’re in? The division you created would put us at least in 6th place.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:38 pm
I think that he should have already been elected into the Hall and I’m disappointed that his value is being great underrated
And yet these are the same guys that you would like lew to get quotes from to back up his comments. We are all humans with our own opinions (just like the writers), some of us choose to look at things a little more positvely than others and can take the information that is being passed on by others with a grain of salt. It’s kind of like being able to make your own decisions and be influenced more by what you see than what you hear.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:40 pm
Sorry about the last post, didn’t show where his comments ended an mine started. Gonna have to learn to use italics.
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:43 pm
And if you can’t handle sarcasm? Maybe this is not the best place for you to be.
Oh I can handle it….however, my response back to the first insult you threw my way must have been a little too over the top since I tried posting it 3 times and the ajc wouldn’t post it….
I simply don’t understand why you’d insult a fan of the same team as you. I am never dis-respectful to any person on this entire blog, no matter what their view of the team’s moves are. It seems though that if someone doesn’t agree with your views, that you insult and make fun of them like 17 a year old, instead of coming back with a response that has some facts or a well thought-out reasoning of why you disagree with what someone else thinks
George_George
December 13th, 2012
12:43 pm
jfp
December 13th, 2012
11:20 am
DOB, don’t like the new AJC Braves layout. Still think you deserve the spotlight next to whatever pic is up on the headlines. It’s nice to have someone who keeps us informed with accurate info about our favorite team. Thanks for all of the blogs and hope you and everyone on here has a safe and happy holiday season.
**********************
AGREED , The BRAVES new front page is a bad layout.
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
12:47 pm
Patrick, you said we were going to finish 3rd. Only one of those teams is in our division, or have you checked to see which division we’re in? The division you created would put us at least in 6th place.
I told you what the MLB Networks top 5 NL teams were. That answered the question you asked me of who I thought we’d finish below.
And I said that I agree with those who think that if we do not get a proven left fielder that 3rd place in our division is something that I could see happening.
Don’t twist my comments from two different posts around.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:48 pm
Patrick – And I still don’t see how I insulted you. Is calling you pessimistic or negative an insult? I know I never called you an idiot, a moron or anything worse than that. I think you must have pretty thin skin.
I certainly never called you anything worthy of a return comment that got banned – or anything vaguely as bad as what I had to hear from Dentz this morning before I blocked his vitriol.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:50 pm
Patrick – Maybe you could re-post whatever it was I said that got your undies in a wad. If it was really as bad as you claim, I’ll apologize. Cant do much more than that.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:50 pm
Patrick, I apologize, Who are we going to finish behind in our division?
George_George
December 13th, 2012
12:51 pm
RODGER GOODALL wants to go from 12 teams in playoffs to 16 of 32 teams. Look for our BUDDY BOY in 2014 to put 16 OF 30 MLB teams in playoffs. AW HECK lets just get on with it JUST CANCIL THE REGULAR SEASON it means less and less each year.
monty
December 13th, 2012
12:52 pm
Can you be somewhere between a Homer and a Doom and Gloomer? I see the Nats as the team to beat with them adding Haran and Span, they will keep one of Morse or Laroach. Morse has hit us better so I wouldn’t be sad to see Roachy staying. I think we can compete with anybody and we will be as good as our pitching. Still want to see a splash made in LF. I see us as a WC. 93 Wins. Chipper provided alot of late inning dramatics,won’t have that this year. Who will step up?
DAP
December 13th, 2012
12:55 pm
TOBF Yep… that’s what I’d like to see more off, more quality starts
i dont care that much about that, id rather rank higher in ERA and runs scored.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
12:56 pm
monty, that sounds more realistic than Homer or Doom and Gloom.
Murph
December 13th, 2012
12:57 pm
I don’t understand why leagues are going to the NBA playoff model, which is a complete joke, the worst in all of professional sports. Why are people so anxious to reward mediocrity? Oh, that’s right, because those in power make more money that way. Awesome.
George_George
December 13th, 2012
12:58 pm
I am afraid to ask to join the new facebook page. I know I would never make the cut. lol
JasonInFL
December 13th, 2012
12:59 pm
Still sad about Choo. Too bad Tower was fixated on getting a SS propspect and that he had soured so much on Bauer.
Lew
December 13th, 2012
12:59 pm
George_George – I don’t see why not.
DAP
December 13th, 2012
1:00 pm
patrick Heyward struck out over 150 times last season. I’d put him in the same boat with Upton and Uggla.
they are in the same category why? because of strikouts? im not counting those as i group these hitters. nor should i.
jason hits for average (presumably) power, and gets on base. Ks dont matter. i think freeman and mccann belong in a category with him, as complete hitters.
simmons and prado are in a category together, because they dont K or walk much. they put the ball in play. these players usually hit for average not power. uggla and upton are low average, power hitters. i think i grouped them appropriately.
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
1:02 pm
monty -Can you be somewhere between a Homer and a Doom and Gloomer?
No. It is either one side or the other. You have to pick. There is no room for rational discourse. No grey areas. No room for compromise.
Having made myself clear, I remain cautiously optimistic that the Braves possibly can compete for another playoff spot if certain players play up to their capabilities, other players continue to improve, and certain other teams fail to live up to their promise.
George_George
December 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
The 12/12/12 concert last night was great entertanment up untill about the last hour. The STONES kind of mailed it in, two songs? Why bother to do it?
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 13th, 2012
1:04 pm
jason … gets on base
As 10Paul would say… .329 OBP last 2 seasons! Not good.
Posts about The Braves From Other Great Blogs issue #1 | Atlanta Braves Dugout Online | Atlanta Braves Blog
December 13th, 2012
1:05 pm
[...] named seven pitchers among its Top 10 Braves prospects for 2013. 1. Julio Teh more… In last year on HOF ballot, case made for ‘Murph’ – blogs.ajc.com 12/10/2012 Dale Murphy won back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1982 [...]
Real Talk
December 13th, 2012
1:05 pm
looks like I may not make the cut on the FB roster:{
Fols
December 13th, 2012
1:06 pm
George one point with the extension to playoffs……the Regular season importance still remains in tact because there is a line in the sand to still make playoffs. Ask the teams that don’t make it if it’s important.
What it does is lower the impact the playoffs. For one, it’s impossible especially baseball to give a large free pass or too much time off to skip a round and possible lose all mojo you had. Therefore they have to play these lesser opponents which adds more chances year after year to see a top team fight all year long to get bounced by a team barely over .500.
BUT…why do we baby these top teams? Why do we care if a Yankee team is booted by a wildcard winning hillbilly squad they don’t believe deserves to be there? If you don’t like it, win your series.
That’s why I believe Baseball would benefit greatly by a few more teams added but change the format to every single series a best of 3. Just like you play in the regular season, just like you build your team to win series all year long. Baseball was never about the one game play-in….it’s about the best of 3. It would force a number of elimination games, keep the series small enough so that a team doesn’t get hurt by a sweep. There is nothing like an elimination game……..
In fact i’d go real bold and have the World Series best of 3 and increase the chance of a monsterous elimination game similar to a Superbowl every season. I think most people can admit that a championship best of 7 is never truly a Superbowl feeling unless it goes to a game 7.
Best of 3 is the way to go if they want to inject pure excitement into baseball.
I love my baseball the way it is but you can tell they want to modernize the game and right now, that means extending playoffs. They dropped the ball with the wild card game.
Braves jump around celebrating a victory to the post-game, dumping champaign and wearing playoff Merchandise for exactly 1 more game than the Royals played this season. Just never made sense for any team coming out of that game with a loss. Either that or you will start to see teams completely ignore those playoff T’s, and stop all celebrations before you survive that game.
jfp
December 13th, 2012
1:07 pm
Patrick, all kidding aside. You seem to be a true Braves fan. I would have to agree with you about some of the offensive concerns. But I tend to look at the potential positive, keeping the negative as a game plan for improvement. This is how I believe the Braves will approach the team. They know the strengths and weaksnesses of their players better than we do and will be working to overcome those individually and as a team. My biggest concern for this team is if someone can step up and take over what we will be missing from Chipper. He played a huge part in coming up with big hits and by increasing attendance for the last 2 months of home games. It will be hard to create that same atmosphere.
chipontheroad
December 13th, 2012
1:09 pm
Its gotta be Jueed it sounds so mellow The Jueed (pronounced weed) platoon shafer could be an outlier
jfp
December 13th, 2012
1:11 pm
Guess that should’ve been recreate.
Cliff Fiscal
December 13th, 2012
1:14 pm
chipontheroad – Huh?
Patrick
December 13th, 2012
1:14 pm
DAP, I actually think that Upton and Heyward are pretty similar. Heyward yes, does hit for a better average than both of them. But, he’s got to keep doing it with consistency-and I love Heyward, I think he’s going to keep getting better. But strikeouts in general, are going to be a real concern with this lineup-I think.
And I don’t know that we’ve seen enough of Simmons yet to compare him to anyone….I sure hope that he turns out to be an all-star like most people think he will. I’m cautiously optomistic about him. The reason that I am is because I think back to Francoeur. Look at how his career started out, cover of sports illustrated and then he had 2 consecutive 100 rbi seasons and then….fell to pieces.
I would hate to see Simmons bust knowing that we probably could have gotten Justin Upton for him.