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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,547 comments Add your comment
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
4:32 pm
Shaun – Guys don’t make it to the majors by playing the game the wrong way.
I definitely agree with this statement. While some guys may not exactly do the right things off the field, I can only imagine the vast skills possessed even by the worst MLB player. I tried to compete in a different sport and fell way short of even a sniff at making it for one day professionally. I worked hard, had a bit of talent, but was in way over my head. That is why it is important on some level to appreciate the talent of every MLB player (even Jose Constanza).
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:34 pm
Shaun, I had faith that you could put it into a perspective that I could understand. You are right, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a major league player that got there because they ran the bases backwards. Thanks for clearing that up.
RC
January 11th, 2013
4:34 pm
Better to try and win than to try not to lose
Just beautifully stated. Although, isn’t it pretty much better to do anything and “win” than to….well, anything else?
Is it better to try and not win than to try not to lose? Is it better to try and maybe win than try not to lose? What if you might win if you try, you might win if you don’t? In that case you might as well also try not to lose, yes?
RC
January 11th, 2013
4:35 pm
That is why it is important on some level to appreciate the talent of every MLB player (even Jose Constanza).
I dunno, I think I can lick a bat just as well as Constanza. Maybe better.
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
4:37 pm
Is it better to try and not win than to try not to lose? Is it better to try and maybe win than try not to lose? What if you might win if you try, you might win if you don’t? In that case you might as well also try not to lose, yes?
Wait…is this a new drinking game???
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:37 pm
RC, between you and Shaun, I’m totally confused.
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
4:38 pm
Bleep Jose Constanza. And the bat he licked in on.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
4:38 pm
I always play the game the wrong way. Probably why I’ve never been invited to a tryout w/ the Bravos?
RC
January 11th, 2013
4:39 pm
RC, between you and Shaun, I’m totally confused.
Shaun is taking every argument very seriously and presenting detailed, logical arguments to support his point of view.
I’m trying to be the class clown and make people laugh because I get bored when things get way too serious about subjects which are way too trivial.
Clear things up?
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
4:39 pm
Cliff Fiscal, yep. When people discuss playing the game the right way, they usually mean they like the players mannerisms, and it usually has nothing to do with a player’s skill or work ethic, in actuality, though some jump at the chance to confusion a player’s mannerisms and personality that he displays on the field with whether a player works or tries hard. Some fans want to play the role of amateur psychologist and want to make their own assumptions about such things. It’s an interesting part of sports fandom.
Murph
January 11th, 2013
4:40 pm
So, your point is that the team will be unable to draft any future players with any talent at all?
A system full of Gilmartins ain’t gonna help the offense score many runs.
RC
January 11th, 2013
4:40 pm
Is it better to try and not win than to try not to lose? Is it better to try and maybe win than try not to lose? What if you might win if you try, you might win if you don’t? In that case you might as well also try not to lose, yes?
Wait…is this a new drinking game???
It can be.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:40 pm
It would probably make more sense if you were drinking.
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
4:41 pm
“Bleep Jose Constanza. And the bat he licked in on.”
This conversation has gone in an uncomfortable direction.
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
4:43 pm
…an interesting part of sports fandom that causes a lot of misjudgement and injustice, insofar as there is injustice in sports fandom…people making assumptions about a player’s work ethic and whether he cares or is trying based solely on mannerisms or personality he might display on the field.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:43 pm
RC, I took it the way you meant it and was laughing when I wrote my comment, just haven’t started using the emotocons(I think that’s what they are called).
Robert
January 11th, 2013
4:44 pm
Here’s the scoop on Justin Upton
1. Already has a career adjusted OPS of 117, and has posted a season with an adjusted OPS >140 – all that and he is just now entering his prime
2. Very consistant, if not spectacular, OBP
3. Has power and speed – maybe not spectacular with either, but remember he is just now entering his prime
4. A reasonable salary, and a reasonable contract length – meaning you’d like to get more than a year out of someone you trade a big prospect for, but on the other hand you dont want to risk saddling yourself with a long long term contract anchor either – 3 years at just under $13 mil a year is wonderous
5. Reasonable, if not spectacular, K rate and K/BB ration. Moreover, the K rate and K/BB ratio have improved over time – again, not spectacularly, but at least they are going the right way
The bottom line here is that this is about as good as it gets when it comes to trading for something. Solid production, good trends, reasonable to expect those trends and production to now peak, reasonable salary, reasonable contract length – If it’s better than that, it’s not available for trade
You have to give up something to get something – Yes Venters is a solid reliever and a valuable asset, but Upton is the better player
If Teheran ever becomes 80 percent as good as Upton already is, well then good for the Diamondbacks
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
4:46 pm
When people discuss playing the game the right way, they usually mean
Oh, bubba, you don’t have the slightest idea of what I mean, LOL. It’s just an area in which you have no context, is all. Nothing wrong with that.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:47 pm
just found out how to spell it. emoticons.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
4:54 pm
It’s a crime shame that more folks do not correctly use emoticons in their posts, so as to not confuse us as to whether you are trying to be funny, or if you are just stupid.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:54 pm
Kind of wish there was a spell check on the blog, but it’s hard enough just to update on a regular basis.
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
4:55 pm
Kind of wish there was a spell check on the blog
It’s disguised as “proofreading”.
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
4:56 pm
DS! – It’s a crime shame that more folks do not correctly use emoticons in their posts, so as to not confuse us as to whether you are trying to be funny, or if you are just stupid.
I find that emoticons are relatively useless for me as my attempts to be funny often reveal that I am stupid.
)
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
4:56 pm
Anyone who makes the claim that the Braves have guys who play the game the right way probably means that he/she likes their mannerisms and the personality they display on the field and that it seems like, based on that, they are trying hard and working hard.
No major league team has players that play the game the wrong way. It’s pretty much impossible to make it to the majors or even in to pro ball if you are playing the game the wrong way.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:56 pm
I probably fall under the stupid category. Especially with the crime shame vs. the crying shame. I’m also deaf so I could have heard them wrong.
Murph
January 11th, 2013
4:57 pm
Emoticons are for women.
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
4:58 pm
Shaun, just go ahead and do the other six posts you’re going to make about “playing the game the wrong way” and let’s get it over with, shall we?
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:58 pm
scoots, just said I was stupid, how would you expect me to proofread something that I don’t know how to spell? Too lazy to Google the correct spelling.
BravePack(FreeFan)
January 11th, 2013
4:59 pm
As much as I would love to have JUpton and think he is necessary for this team to contend for the divsion title I just don’t think it gets done. Wren values his prospects too much and has a hard time giving them up for trades. The thing about prospects, especially the ones the Braves have in the minors currently, is most of the time they don’t pan out. The prospects that did are already in Atlanta playing for the big team. One thing the Braves do have is arms and Wren would be smart to trade some of them except for Graham to get Upton.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
4:59 pm
scoots, that is part of his thesis. Don’t break his concentration.
MikeInFl
January 11th, 2013
4:59 pm
Wayne, are you suggesting that stupid people should be encouraged to attach an emoticon to tell us that they are indeed stupid and not just “funny?”
I don’t mind doing it, mind you, but don’t know which emoticon indicates stupidity.
On the other hand, if you can’t tell the difference without visual aids, maybe it’s you who needs the ’special’ emoticon.
Robert
January 11th, 2013
4:59 pm
“No major league team has players that play the game the wrong way. It’s pretty much impossible to make it to the majors or even in to pro ball if you are playing the game the wrong way”
Unfortunately, thats not the case
It’s impossible to make it to the big leagues playing baseball BADLY, but there’s been lots of guys who have made it playing the wrong way
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
5:00 pm
If you claim that a player plays the game the wrong way, what you likely mean is that you don’t like the way he looks or carries himself.
Perhaps different phraseology would help. Perhaps just saying something like, “this player is fun to watch” and “this player is boring to watch,” would be more accurate. That’s what we are really talking about here is personal taste, not really how a player plays the game.
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
5:01 pm
jfp, nobody here cares about spelling. Have you mangled a word so badly that no one could figure out what you meant? I doubt it. This ain’t a spelling bee and no trophies are awarded.
I will, however, delete you from my Christmas card list for making posts that correct a typo in a previous post.
Don’t be that guy.
MikeInFl
January 11th, 2013
5:01 pm
Yunel Escobar.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:02 pm
Murph
January 11th, 2013
5:02 pm
I don’t mind doing it, mind you, but don’t know which emoticon indicates stupidity.
Can “Hello Everyone!!!” be considered a text emoticon? If so, just start your posts with that and we’ll know what you’re trying to convey.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:03 pm
Sorry, like I said I’m deaf and I may have heard it wrong and would give you the benefit of the doubt. So, do I still get a Christmas card?
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:05 pm
Wouldn’t mind having a trophy though. A World Series one would be nice.
O.M.G.
January 11th, 2013
5:05 pm
Then you have the players that start out playing the game the right way and then somewhere down the road flip. Anybody come to mind?
ncscoots
January 11th, 2013
5:05 pm
what you likely mean
Fercrissake, you’re b!tchin’ about people using “amateur psychology” and you have the stones to presume to know what other people mean? You are some piece of work, dude.
Soph
January 11th, 2013
5:06 pm
We need a bloggism refresher course.
Robert
January 11th, 2013
5:08 pm
“this player is fun to watch” and “this player is boring to watch”
It’s more than that Shaun
Think Ruben Rivera, Elijah Dukes and those kinds of guys.
They played the game WELL enough to make it to the big leagues, but they lacked professionalism – they play it the right way.
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
5:09 pm
Yunel Escobar.
I’m assuming that’s an example of a player someone thinks plays the game the wrong way. I think what you actually mean is that you think Escobar is a distraction, perhaps a jerk, etc., not that he plays the game the wrong way.
I suspect people say “plays the game the wrong way” because it makes disliking a player sound less subjective. It leaves no gray area. He plays the game the wrong way and not the right way, and that’s that. You don’t have to explain that Escobar is a solid player that a team may not want because of distractions and issues that he’s created in the past.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:09 pm
Cliff
Many of us in that fraternity!
jfp
“crime shame” is an old bloggism, in the same manner as “your and idiot”. Very old stuff.
MikeinFL
I think you are onto something!
Robert
January 11th, 2013
5:10 pm
“Then you have the players that start out playing the game the right way and then somewhere down the road flip. Anybody come to mind?
”
Two categories of guys come to mind
Bret Boone represents one.
Andruw Jones represents the other
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
5:11 pm
ncscoots – I will, however, delete you from my Christmas card list for making posts that correct a typo in a previous post. Don’t be that guy.
I was deleited from the Christmas card list last year.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:11 pm
Cliff Fiscal, I can relate to the 4:56 comment. Very funny. Without the emoticon.
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
5:11 pm
deleted. And now this year too.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:13 pm
DS1, thanks for clearing that up. The second one was a little more obvious for me. Sometimes I’m too literal. Ok stupid.
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
5:13 pm
Robert, those guys had off-field issues or they just weren’t very good in some aspects of the game or both. Why not just say that, instead of they played the game the right way, which is really inaccurate. Probably because it makes someone seem more authoritative if he/she says, “that player played the game the right way,” instead of just saying, “that guy wasn’t very good compared to other major leaguers” or “that guy had a lot of off-field issues.”
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:13 pm
Soph
Great idea!
I’ll get it started.
The old standard would be “your and idiot”
crime shame comes quickly to mind
mute point
Pre-Madonna
Looser
There are many more…………
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:14 pm
Cliff, you’ve still got time to get back on Santas list.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:14 pm
Unless he sends all of his cards out in January.
Shaun
January 11th, 2013
5:15 pm
Robert, Bret Boone and Andruw Jones never played the game the wrong way. They just stopped being good at major league baseball for several reasons.
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
5:15 pm
Robert – Andruw Jones represents the other
I am not sure Andruw Jones approached the game any differently on the field in his latter years. He just could not play as well.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:15 pm
DS1, I’ll never remember all of those.
Soph
January 11th, 2013
5:16 pm
Flash in the pants
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:17 pm
One that I see a lot is would of instead of would have.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:19 pm
jfp
In this day of smart phones and cataracts, we are very forgiving on the blog of misspelled words and such. Sometimes folks come on and say something that just kinda makes the whole blog chuckle, and they must be remembered. Kinda like passing down an heirloom.
Soph
I love that one!
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:21 pm
jfp
but it’s gotta be funny or it only counts as poor grammar or spelling.
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:22 pm
Get ready for some heirlooms. I have a tendency to speak and think later. Sometimes the mouth works faster than the brain. Could be getting old.
O.M.G.
January 11th, 2013
5:23 pm
If a player does not go all out all the time, if he loafs, if he worries more about himself than the team, that’s playing the wrong way.
Cliff Fiscal
January 11th, 2013
5:26 pm
What about if a player like Bourn decides it is time to become a home run hitter and try to lift balls over the fence rather than put them in play and take advantage of his speed? I would consider him playing the wrong way.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:26 pm
could be getting old.
Beats the hell out of the alternative!
Gonna run for a bit.
I’m leaving Soph in charge of the bridge! “Make it so Number One!”
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:27 pm
I’m writing down all of the qualifications. Pretty sure I’ll be caught saying something stupid that will probably be funnier to someone else than it is to me. Btw, it’s fun to read some of the comments on this blog. Some are very entertaining, while others are quite informative. Don’t know where some of you get your info from, but most of the time it’s pretty accurate.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:28 pm
Or if Andrelton Simmons wore Jonny Venters glove out to play SS, that would be playing the wrong way too, right?
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:29 pm
DS1, only if he ran the bases backwards.
Bat Masterson
January 11th, 2013
5:34 pm
escape-goat
kenhotlanta
January 11th, 2013
5:34 pm
prolly
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:36 pm
Bat, that’s a good one
kenhotlanta
January 11th, 2013
5:36 pm
Rally Stripper
The Hannah Rule
Bat Masterson
January 11th, 2013
5:41 pm
one of my favorites, jfp
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:42 pm
“chew the facts” with my buddies is another good one.
MikeInFl
January 11th, 2013
5:42 pm
A blessing in the skies….
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:43 pm
Bat
Some of my relatives in SC own escape-goats.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
5:43 pm
Kinda like the drug guy’s “Lil Mule” in Romancing the Stone!
jfp
January 11th, 2013
5:46 pm
DS1, shouldn’t that be owned.
MikeInFl
January 11th, 2013
5:47 pm
for all intensive purposes…
Bat Masterson
January 11th, 2013
5:48 pm
Mike….
Wayne, I like ‘em BBQd
axeman
January 11th, 2013
5:56 pm
axeman, a 117 OPS+ means for his career Upton’s OPS adjusted for league and parks was 17 percent better than league average. There is no need to make any adjustments after that. ..Shaun
FCS dude, i know what the hell it means and you know what it means and there are millions of others who don’t give a damn what it means, how hard is that for you to understand? not everybody, in fact most people, have no idea what 117 OPS+ means nor do they care. they want to know homers, etc.
chipl1960
January 11th, 2013
5:58 pm
irregardless
Bat Masterson
January 11th, 2013
6:03 pm
jfp @ 5:46 ……. well played
axeman
January 11th, 2013
6:04 pm
irregardless
A word used by uneducated people intending to sound intelligent. Educated people notice and those who use this word instantly identify themselves to educated people as being uneducated. Educated people rarely correct them because it helps educated people more easily identify them if they are well groomed.
Uh… yes your Honor…. Irregardless of the the evidence, I was not the young man in the security video.
DS1
January 11th, 2013
6:04 pm
This is more fun that Al Gore inventing the internet!
jfp
January 11th, 2013
6:18 pm
Bat, thought he left that one wide open
axeman, that is too funny, probably true.
You guys have been on the blog too long. I don’t even know how you remember all of these. I spend so much time just trying to ignore the stupid and repetitive stuff.
ChattTownBrian
January 11th, 2013
6:24 pm
Where will Justin bat when the season starts? Well, here’s my lineup:
Prado, Uggla, JHey, BJ, Freeman, JUpton, McCann, Simmons
axeman
January 11th, 2013
6:25 pm
5. Delmon Young | LF/DH
….
However, Young’s 2012 regular season was rocky. He posted a pedestrian .707 OPS and was arrested early in the year and charged with aggravated harassment after making an anti-Semitic remark. He had offseason ankle surgery and is expected to be ready by Opening Day, but for whom? His below-average defense in left field and off-the-field issues have turned off many teams. Both the Yankees and Braves — who have glaring needs in left field — have been very public in stating they have no interest. Young is just 26, but which GM is willing to give him another chance?
VaBravesFan
January 11th, 2013
6:33 pm
Bowden is a pretty crazy with his “Bourn will sign with Atlanta on the cheap well below BJ Uptons market”
DS1
January 11th, 2013
6:33 pm
Jazz vs Hawks tonight.
Go Jazz!
Murph
January 11th, 2013
6:33 pm
CTB, just my opinion, but I think you have to swap the Uptons. Justin’s higher OPS and BJ’s propensity to K… I’d have Justin hitting cleanup and BJ hitting 6th.
Ward
January 11th, 2013
6:37 pm
Hello everyone! Feeling lots better, and will be back to work on Monday next week. I agree with Murph. We need to make some noise, and get Justin Upton! The opertunity is out there, so Wren, should strike big, and get us our big three, Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, and Heyward. A right deal could happen, just has to be worked out. We need to the think Postseason, and beyound. Go The Distance…….
DS1
January 11th, 2013
6:37 pm
Bourn, Lohse and Soriano. All Boras clients.
I’d love to see them all flounder around for another month or so and then settle for LESS than the arb offerings they turned down.
C’mon back Michael. Well take you on a 2 year 20 million dollar deal with OUR option for year 3
McFann :Ô: :Ô: :ô:
January 11th, 2013
6:39 pm
Bat M. “Wren’s modus operandi”…Befriend McFann and get fed mealworms”
I’d have him eating out of my hand in no time!…
Contract for BMac…
axeman
January 11th, 2013
6:39 pm
If Bourn signs a cheap deal, it will probably be for just one season
chipl1960
January 11th, 2013
6:39 pm
well, people I work with say it all the time and I have never corrected them. I just chuckle inside and wonder what they were doing day after day for grades 1-12. Another very irritating thing uneducated folks sometimes do is to use words out of context. Its like they say oh I’ll just throw out this word to make me seem smart. Oh, brother!! I had a customer say to me the other day”My car insurance collapsed” I think they meant lapsed. I just let it go.
Ward
January 11th, 2013
6:40 pm
I’m thinking if we get Justin Upton, we will ave another run……. That’s the impact of Justin Upton. I like Gattis, but if we can get Justin Upton? I say let’s do it, and make a dent to the Nats, and Phillies….
Ward
January 11th, 2013
6:41 pm
Braves will not get Bourn, and Bourn will be a Ranger….
axeman
January 11th, 2013
6:43 pm
Wayward and Medling for Justin. Do it now
jfp
January 11th, 2013
6:46 pm
chip, some of this stuff is unbelievable. But this is a true story, a guy was trying to get on common ground with a customer and told them we bombed Pearl Harbor.