Comments on: Braves getting closer to baseball’s most infamous

By: Shot Thru the Lockhart

Shot Thru the Lockhart — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 05:11:45 +0000

Wholesale changes to a team that contends until September? Great ideas everyone! I wouldn’t be a fan of it, but this team could easily make no changes and come back and make the playoffs next year. Look at the Rockies, they sucked last year, made almost no changes except a slight upgrade at closer and losing their BEST HITTER from 07 and 08; and adding the great Jason Marquis, now they’re looking like a playoff team. All it took was a few players stepping it up and seemingly playing over their heads. Now that isn’t the model I would follow if i were FW, and I don’t think it’s the model that FW will follow, but it CAN happen.

Also, how much better would the Braves record be if McLouth, Church/Diaz, LaRoche, and Prado had been in the starting line-ups all season in place of the mostly pathetic bats that they replaced?

Now, what hopefully will happen for the Braves is that FW will make moves this offseason that can bolster the offense as much as last season’s moves helped the rotation. We will see, but the answer is certainly NOT to rebuild. Thankfully FW knows this, even though many of the emotionally unbalanced posters on this board don’t.

By: Shot Thru the Lockhart

Shot Thru the Lockhart — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:55:46 +0000

The ignorance on this page is incredible. For people to think that managers and coaches have that much to do with the success of teams is absolutely ridiculous. Baseball managers are most helpful in how they keep morale up etc. They get far too much credit when teams are playing really well and far too much grief when things are going poorly. Obviously pinch hitting Greg Norton doesn’t help anything, but considering his OBP is actually league average, it hasn’t been significant enough to cost us a shot at the playoffs. And as often as I disagree with the bullpen moves, that’s a problem that the vast majority of managers have these days; Joe Torre (who a few here have championed as so superior to Bobby) being chief among them.

The problem this season was that the braves hitters simply could not produce consistently enough. Still this team is obviously going to contend again next season. Especially if they can add one very good bat or a couple solid ones. Last year Wren stocked the rotation, this year I suspect he’ll be in on the outfielder market.

Also, anyone that blames Frank Wren for this year is equally ignorant. He improved this team exponentially from last season and he has made far more shrewd baseball moves than poor ones. Jurrjens and G. Hernandez (who was the key piece in the McLouth deal) for a washed up Edgar Renteria? That is one of the most lopsided baseball trades of the last 10 years. Jose Ascanio for Ohman and Infante was also a great deal. And considering how poorly Gorkys and Jeff Locke have played since the McLouth deal, it looks like that will be a steal as well, unless Morton turns into a #1 or 2 which isn’t too likely.

This line-up for a full season looks pretty good to me:

1. McLouth
2. Prado
3. Jones
4. LaRoche
5. McCann
6. Escobar
7. Heyward
8. Diaz/LH (maybe B. Jones if he has a good Spring Training or maybe [hopefully] Wren makes a surprise trade or FA aquisition)

Now you can all go back to screaming for the head of every coach and FO person. If 30 ppl representing the average person from this board ran each MLB team there would be at least 22 managers, hitting coaches, and GMs getting canned every offseason.

By: awk

awk — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:35:52 +0000

Honestly, it was a pretty good year. The Braves did some major re-tooling and almost got competitive. Unfortunately, Chipper collapsed and that did them in.

By: ronald

ronald — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:49:41 +0000

Yes, we suffer from a lack of power. That is painfully obvious. Power could be bought were it not for what we are paying a pitcher who ought to be sent to the pen (of course you don’t send a $60 million pitcher to the pen) and a third baseman who, according to many on this blog, is seriously showing the signs of aging. Some people are using his aging sort of as an excuse for him. It’s not an excuse. It’s a fact of life. We have to deal with it. Do we owe him respect? To a degree. However, I learned this is a business the day Hank Aaron was traded to the Brewers. That lesson was reenforced when Murphy was sent packing to Philly. I know Chipper cannot be traded. I know that he won a silver bat last year. Having said that I want to ask two questions. 1. How many runs is he producing? 2. Do you anticipate that he will NOT miss a significant number of games due to injury next year and the year after. If you look at the last few years you have to be realistic. He hasn’t been on the DL this year. In fact, he’s played more games than I anticipated. What are we seeing? We are seeing a player who says “I’m so beat up I need a few days off.” We cannot build the future with players who are worn out and beat up when September comes around. For anyone who thinks the Braves have somehow “returned” to greatness I suggest you check the standings and answer the following three questions.
1. How many games behind Philly are the Braves?
2. HOw many games behind the wild-card leader are the Braves?
3. How many games over .500 are the Braves?

This team is nowhere close to being capable of winning the wild-card let alone the division. Some serious rebuilding is needed.

By: ronald

ronald — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:36:15 +0000

My comment is based, in part, on the fact that he is one injury after another. Obligue, big toe, thumb, obligue, hamstring so on and so forth.

By: Trey

Trey — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:00:19 +0000

Sonny Clusters is just getting old.

By: Trey

Trey — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:44:02 +0000

Donny Corleone, I don’t know I think Sonny Clumps is better than Sonny Clusters.

By: ijudgenot

ijudgenot — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:05:04 +0000

Unfortunately Bobby Cox is not going anywhere until he decides to retire. And as long as Bobby is here Chipper will continue to hit 3rd and have 2 or 3 days off every 2 weeks for nagging injuries like sore toe or thumb. AJC will not call them out. This blog that allows people to vent their frustrations is the best that we will get. The fact that this blog was allowed to go for a day with all the “Fire Bobby Cox” remarks is a testiment of how much AJC agrees with the sentiment but can’t say so themselves. I have seen times when a blog like this was mysteriously pulled for another when more “Fire Cox” comments out numbered all others.

By: Donny Most

Donny Most — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:04:38 +0000

[...] why,” TxDOT spokeswoman Laura Lopez said. “That is something that we know locally – that … Braves getting closer to baseball's most infamousAnd don't criticize another facet of the team when your game hasn't been up to par. I'd [...]

By: Bill Donohoo

Bill Donohoo — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:46:08 +0000

I have said since the end of last season that McCann should be at first base. Just remeber that Joe Torre quit catching, and the Astros made Craig Biggio a 2nd baseman. Both had long careers and were able to maintain above average batting averages.