Archive for the ‘atlanta braves’ Category

The screaming indian was part of the Braves logo when the franchise moved here from Milwaukee in 1966. (Uni Watch)

ESPN’s Uni Watch blog unveiled the upcoming baseball season’s new batting practice hats.

Among the most notable new designs is the Braves’ cap, which includes the screaming indian logo that has not been a part of the Braves’ uniform since 1989. The new cap features the yelling brave in red stitching on a blue rimmed hat.

In 2012, the Braves introduced an “alternate home” uniform that was similar to what the team wore when the franchise moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta in 1966. The cream-colored threads did not feature a tomahawk nor the screaming indian. The left sleeve of the new jersey has a crossed tomahawk instead of the screaming indian logo that appeared on the 1966 jerseys.

Continue reading ‘Screaming indian’ logo returning to Braves gear »

The stickers worn by Yunel Escobar contained a homophobic slur.

Major League Baseball is investigating former Braves shortstop Yunel Escobar after he wore a sticker containing a homophobic slur written in Spanish during a game.

Escobar, now with the Blue Jays, wore the sticker as eye black Saturday against the Red Sox. Players wear eye black to reduce glare but Escobar’s had words written on it.

The message was first noticed by a fan who took a photo of it from behind the Toronto dugout and posted it on photo-hosting site Flickr.

Click here if you want a translation of the slur. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The Blue Jays released a statement Monday night, saying: “The Toronto Blue Jays do not support discrimination of any kind nor condone the message displayed by Yunel Escobar during Saturday’s game. The club takes this situation seriously and is investigating the matter.”

The Jays will hold a news conference at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday and Escobar is expected to …

Continue reading Baseball investigating homophobic slur worn by ex-Brave »

Sunday was not the first time Andrelton Simmons has arrived on-base head first. (Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com)

Braves rookie Andrelton Simmons fractured the fifth metacarpal on his right hand Sunday against the Phillies making a head-first slide into second base. Simmons could miss up to six weeks.

Braves’ center fielder Michael Bourn could not beat the tag of the Phillies’ Ryan Howard. (AP)

Simmons is not the first player hurt this season making a head-first slide. (The Nats’ Roger Bernadina agonized after a head-first dive against the Blue Jays earlier this season.) And Simmons is not the only Brave to approach a base head-first. (Leadoff hitter Michael Bourn often dives in attempting to beat a high throw to first.)

But it does beg the question of whether players are taking an unnecessary risk. Do players lose an edge by sliding feet first? Of course, there are those who will argue that sliding feet-first puts the defensive player at risk. Hall of Famer Ty Cobb made …

Continue reading Is there a safer way to slide? »

Cliff Lee has reportedly opted to rejoin the Phillies. (Matt Slocum, AP)

Free-agent left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee has reportedly spurned the offerings of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers and opted to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies – the team that traded him away to land Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.

A fourth-round draft pick in 2000, Lee is 102-61 with a 3.85 ERA in nine major league seasons. He has excelled in the postseason, going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA for Philadelphia and Texas in the past two years, including 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA against the Yankees.

According to the Associated Press, Lee has accepted the Phillies’ preliminary offer of a $100 million, five-year contract.

Lee passed up an extra $50 million from the New York Yankees to join a rotation that includes Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.

How does that stack up against Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens?

The deal clearly makes Philadelphia the favorites to win the N.L. East …

Continue reading What will Braves do now that Phillies have Lee? »

Braves’ third baseman Chipper Jones could only watch on Wednesday. (AP)

It was widely reported earlier in the season that Braves’ veteran Chipper Jones was contemplating retirement.

The 38-year-old third baseman suffered what could be a season-ending knee injury in Tuesday’s win over the Astros on a spectacular grab behind the bag and leaping throw.

Jones told the AJC’s David O’Brien that Tuesday’s injury was not like the ACL tear he suffered as a rookie in 1994.

Jones is batting .265 with 84 hits, 10 homers and 46 RBIs in 317 at-bats. He is hitting .400 with four homers in nine games in August. He is signed through the 2012 season.

An MRI on Thursday confirmed the six-time All-Star suffered a torn ACL on the play.

With a long-term rehab ahead, what do you think he will do? Play through the pain? Sit out the rest of season? Retire?

Continue reading What should Chipper do? »

The Braves are hovering around the .500 mark as they reach the quarter point of the season. So what do you think?

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It’s been an up-and-down first quarter of the season for the Braves. Highlights included Jason Heyward’s mammoth home run in his first at-bat in the big leagues and the continued emergence of Martin Prado as a star. Lowlights included a struggling offense that led to a nine-game slide in late April and Kenshin Kawakami’s 0-6 start to the season.
Even with all that, the Braves are still very much in the mix in the N.L. East.

The offense got off to an extremely slow start to the season.

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As they reached the quarter point of the season, the Braves were batting .247 as a team and were ninth in the National League in runs scored. The offense started …

Continue reading Braves at the quarter point: Your take »

Pitchers and catchers will be reporting before we know it and with March comes the start of Spring Training. Baseball’s back, basically, and with so many teams making big offseason moves it’s like it never really left us.

MAKE THE CALL: Which MLB teams – NL or AL – among the Braves’ 2010 opponents retooled themselves best for the upcoming season and who’s already looking like a cellar dweller? Also, are you headed to Spring Training? Which teams are you most eager to see and why?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves Spring Preview: Which MLB opponents look toughest in 2010? »

Braves starter Tim Hudson says he’s willing to give the team a ‘hometown discount’ and that “I’ve said all along that Atlanta was the place I want to be” but the veteran righty also says “I just hope when we start talking, my idea of a hometown discount and their idea of a hometown discount isn’t 5 or 8 million [dollars] apart.”

YOU TELL US: If Hudson and the Braves can agree on a ‘hometown discount’ that’s suitable to both parties, would you be happy with the 34-year-old, who boasts a career 148-78 record, staying here? Or, while the hometown discount offer is nice, is it time for the Braves to move on and get younger?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Tim Hudson’s 2010 ‘hometown discount’ offer — worth it or not in the long run for team’s good? »

In her “Braves could play two one-game playoffs” piece, the AJC’s Carroll Rogers sets out the scenario under which Atlanta might host two deciding post-regular season games:

“If the Braves finish in a three-way tie with the Phillies and Rockies, they would play Monday to decide the division winner and if they lose, another game Tuesday to decide the wild-card winner.

That would happen if the Braves go 5-0, the Phillies go 0-5 and the Rockies go 2-3.

Here are the teams’ schedules, including results for all three clubs from Tuesday, Sept. 29. The schedules end Oct. 4.

Braves – at home vs. Marlins (9/29-30) LOSS vs. Marlins on 9/29 … at home vs. Nationals (10/1-4)

Phillies – at home vs. Astros (9/29-10/1) WIN vs. Astros on 9/29 … at home vs. Marlins (10/2-4)

Rockies – at home vs. Brewers (9/29-10/1) WIN vs. Brewers on 9/29 … away at Dodgers (10/2-4)

YOU TELL US: Which scenario listed above is most likely to happen, given the three teams’ schedules? Will the Braves play one, two …

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Does this team still have a shot at NL Wild Card vs. Rockies? »

Mr. Met: We loved to hate him.

Ten years ago, when the Mets came to town, Braves fans got ready to rumble. The rivalry was on: Bobby C. vs. Bobby V. Chipper vs. Piazza. Mr. Met vs. the Tomahawk Chop. Us vs. Them.

The 1999 NLCS, pitting Atlanta against New York, was our own unique taste of what MLB’s storied archrivals have known for over a century: Baseball, like love, is war. And we ALL think WE should win.

YOU TELL US: Does Atlanta still care about Braves-Mets? Or have both once-mighty teams fallen so far that this rivalry is beyond revival?

Continue reading Atlanta Braves: Remembering the 1999 NLCS, when the Braves-Mets rivalry really mattered »