Sunshine time: Dancin’ Falcon; Wren’s move; D-Wade’s exit?
The Hawks have lost two straight. The Braves have lost seven straight. I think it’s time to lighten things up a little, don’t you?
So here’s our first “Sunshine Blog” — three things to feel happy about!
1. A Falcons’ receiver has some moves! (Kinda, sorta.)
The Falcons need a strong second receiver behind Roddy White. I’m not sure if Ryan Wolfe is the answer but at least we know he can dance a little.
Wolfe, who was signed as an undrafted free agent this week, led UNLV in receiving last year with 74 receptions for 760 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he and a UNLV teammate appeared in this ESPN/Kenny Mayne comedy short with Justin Timberlake last October.
In the bit, Timberlake is teaching potential NFL players to brush up on their entertainment skills for teams’ traditional rookie shows in training camp. Wolfe is No. 88.
♦
2. Frank Wren made the right on Javier Vazquez!
Life as a Yankee hasn't been good for Javy Vazquez.
As many problems as the Braves have had, Wren’s decision to re-sign Tim Hudson and deal Javier Vazquez to the New York Yankees was the right call, even if what came back for Vazquez (Melky Cabrera and prospect Arodys Vizcaino) isn’t much for a front-line starter who went 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA last year.
Hudson has looked strong since coming back from surgery late last season and this year is 1-1 with a 3.28 ERA in four starts, with opponents hitting .233. Vazquez is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA with opponents hitting .309, and he is being booed at Yankee Stadium (which, granted, doesn’t put him in exclusive company).
He also was thrown under the bus by former pitcher Curt Schilling, who referenced Vazquez’ first time as a Yankee. “It is easier to pitch and be successful in the National League than it is the American League,” Schilling said on a New York radio station. “If anyone thinks that Javier Vazquez is going to be different the second time around than he was the first time I think they are fooling themselves.”
More Schilling: “I never ever thought the move to New York the first time was a good one [for Vazquez]. And I didn’t think this [move] was good as well. I don’t think he suddenly learned how to pitch when he went back to Atlanta and dealt last year. He’s a phenomenal National League pitcher. It’s hard to say this without sounding disrespectful and I don’t mean it that way — the National League is an easier league to pitch in, period. And some guys aren’t equipped to get those same outs in the American League, and he’s one of those guys.”
♦
3. Dwyane Wade almost officially can be yours (for a price)!
Was this Dwyane Wade's final post-game hug with Miami?
It doesn’t seem likely the Hawks, should they choose not to re-sign Joe Johnson in free agency, would have a strong shot at signing Dwyane Wade. But Wade may have played his final game with the Miami Heat Tuesday night.
Miami was eliminated by Boston and Wade is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Wade on his future: “I have no control over that. I hope it doesn’t end, but I really have no say-so.”
Wade is said to be leaning toward staying in Miami but he clearly is putting the onus on management to fix the team: “We’ve got some work to do, the front office has to do it, and there’s no pressure on me.”
So, do you have you sunny thoughts on D-Wade?
♦
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122 comments Add your comment
Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
12:37 pm
PMC — Thanks. If this gains some semblance of popularity, I’ll keep it as a regular feature. What say you, folks?
Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
12:38 pm
ChippersLoveChild — Cheap shot. Accurate but cheap.
Matt the Brave
April 28th, 2010
12:38 pm
I like JJ, but I LOVE Dwayne Wade. He would make this team truly THE place to be in the NBA.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
12:39 pm
Andruw Jones is 2nd in the Majors in homeruns…………….
How’s that working out?
HA HA HA
Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
12:41 pm
Choke — you don’t suppose having the No. 3 defense in the league last year had anything to do with that, do you? Nah, too logical.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
12:41 pm
TONE
April 28th, 2010
11:57 am
34 yards and o touchdowns in a playoff win , yeah he did it all by himself the defense didn’t have to carry him
we will see what happens when the defense goes away, that defense won a superbowl with dilfer (enough said)
———————————————————
25 PICKS in 29 games………… that’s Hall of Fame stuff………..
DUMP THE POODLE WITH THE ARM MADE OF NOODLE
Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
12:42 pm
Najeh — Well, that’s an interesting discussion. Sign and trades involving Joe-and-Wade. OK. Let’s take Smith and Horford off the table. Who WOULDN’T you throw into that deal with JJ?
ryan
April 28th, 2010
12:45 pm
Vazquez would have been no better than Lowe or Kawakami this year.
Trading him was the right thing to do.
But I would have seriously preferred to trade him for just a bucket of balls than for Melky.
I wonder what Melky’s salary could have gotten us in free agency.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
12:46 pm
Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
12:41 pm
Choke — you don’t suppose having the No. 3 defense in the league last year had anything to do with that, do you? Nah, too logical
——————————————–
Or maybe wasting a 2nd round draft pick on an aging tight end and still throw 14 picks in 13 games and still miss the playoffs………..
Doesn’t matter if you had the 1st defense – you would still lose.
By the way Jeff, the Ravens finished 18th in defense – are you a fibber?
JSS
April 28th, 2010
12:48 pm
“Choke,” I was looking for you all draft day! Why didn’t you chime in? Well Ozzie certainly got Flacco some receivers and targets now. That offense has to carry their weight from jump street… I look forward to seeing if they all come together…
clay
April 28th, 2010
12:51 pm
we def. need to go after d wade. give him all the money he wants. if you have to go over on payroll and pay the luxury tax then do it. He will put fans in the seats. Fans will get passionate and excited again and you will make your money back and then some when he wins a championship with atlanta. You wont have to sell PLAYOFF TICKETS for 10$ anymore just to put people in the seats. Somebody that owns an atlanta team please do something crazy for once and take a shot. It cant be worse than what it already is.
DeepDiver
April 28th, 2010
12:55 pm
Look what you’ve done Jeff. You’ve got the blog buzzing again about the Hawks making a run at Wade. [b]Announcement: the Hawks cannot sign Wade under the current CBA as they do not have the cap room, even with Joe’s contract off the books[/b]. Just because Joe’s 14 or 15 mil comes off that does not mean we have that money to spend — that’s not how the CBA works. We are up against the cap with or without Joe, so we might as well sign him.
The only way we could get Wade is a Joe – Wade sign and trade. I don’t need to tell you that would never, ever, ever happen.
gcs
April 28th, 2010
12:57 pm
Wren is still an imbecile.
.
preston hannatized
April 28th, 2010
12:58 pm
Hudson v Vasquez is a wash. Hudson has never been a “big game” picture — witness his playoff years with the Oakland A’s. He’s a Maddox light … Greg put up spectacular regular season numbers and lackluster October ones. Huddy is the same … if by spectacular you mean a few games over .500 in an Atlanta uniform. Over-rated.
JASon
April 28th, 2010
1:00 pm
Jeff, the logic there on vazquez is a bit flawed. He was our #1 starter last year, and if I’m not mistaken, the Braves are not in the AL. But I think there was more to that trade, namely Vazquez’s attitude. I applaud Wren overall for the moves he made in the offseason, its too bad the coaching staff is wasting the team away. As for the Falcons, I think its ridiculous to say that we need another receiver. If you can’t make it work with whats there now, then something’s wrong.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
1:00 pm
Jeff:
I stand corrected about the 3rd defense.
The Ravens gave up 16.3 and the Falcons 20.3 – 4 points difference.
That’s hardly an overwhelming difference.
The bottom line is, a defense can only take you so far, it is up to the quarterback to not lose a game and throwing picks causes more points. If CHOKE didn’t become a PICK MACHINE the defense could have been in the top 10 instead of number 14.
Joe Flacco finished number 15 vs CHOKE number 21 in passing ranks.
Joe Flacco percentage passing 63.1 vs CHOKE 58.3.
Joe Flacco passing yards 3,613 vs CHOKE 2,916.
Joe Flacco touchdowns/int ratio 21/12 vs CHOKE 22/14.
Joe Flacco qb rating 88.9 vs CHOKE 80.9.
Joe Flacco beat CHOKE in every quarterback statistic, yet he had far less talent on the receiving end of his passes.
That has changed on the off season and that is why they are 9/1 odds to winning the super bowl vs 30/1 for The Falcons lead by the CHOKE.
Need anymore logic?
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
1:04 pm
JSS
April 28th, 2010
12:48 pm
“Choke,” I was looking for you all draft day! Why didn’t you chime in? Well Ozzie certainly got Flacco some receivers and targets now. That offense has to carry their weight from jump street… I look forward to seeing if they all come together…
——————————————————
Watching Thomas Dimitroff vs Ozzie Newsome during draft day is like watching Charles Barkley vs Tiger Woods on the gold course.
A big joke and a total waste of time
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:05 pm
Now “Choke,” Jeff Schultz is right… They (Ravens) were the #3 in total defense. The Ravens were #18 in passing offense, but their average numbers across the board especially completion pct., yak, ints. and yrd per completion were better than the Falcons offense. The San Francisco game skewed the Falcons passing numbers for the season.
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:07 pm
Barkley-v-Woods, that is downright cold
I mean COLD!
Joe
April 28th, 2010
1:07 pm
I hope the hawks don’t re-sign Joe Johnson he needs to go somewhere else they will never win a championship with Joe Johnson. The Hawks need a vocal leader Joe is not a vocal leader maybe we can Amare Stoudemire to go along with Al Horford and pick up somebody else to help out.
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
“Choke,” Enjoy the off season! You and the Falcons fan are going to have a lot to talk about it seems!
Andyman
April 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
don – Regarding Teixeira, Drew, Andrus, Feliz, Wainwright, what do they have to do with Wren exactly? If you’re talking about the trades with Texas and St. Louis, he didn’t make those trades.
M Red
April 28th, 2010
1:18 pm
Only a fool like schultz would compare nl stats to al. Of course he’s going to get rocked in the al. Look how Roy is dominating the NL much more than he did the al. He will not lose more than 2 games. It’s one month. Give him time. But the idiot schultz goes by what happens in 4 starts. Nice journalism. What I expect from a stupid liberal.
Firearm
April 28th, 2010
1:21 pm
Wren right about Vasquez? More like Ozzie Guillen was right about Vasquez.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2010
1:23 pm
“Najeh — Well, that’s an interesting discussion. Sign and trades involving Joe-and-Wade. OK. Let’s take Smith and Horford off the table. Who WOULDN’T you throw into that deal with JJ?”
I would probably throw in anyone else, including Crawford, Bibby, or Teague. Problem is, I don’t think Miami does a deal like that unless the Hawks part with Smith or Horford. And if the Hawks do part with Smith or Horford along with Joe to acquire Wade, I don’t think the team is improved.
On a different note, people who think the Hawks need to part with Joe are out of their damn minds. Yes, watching him go one-on-five is sometimes painful, but the blame for that resides with Woodson. No, he doesn’t show emotions on the court, but not every star does. If the Hawks ran a competent offensive scheme you would see a lot more ball movement and a higher field goal percentage from Joe. Joe may not be LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Durant, or Melo, but he’s the next best thing as far as wing scorers in the NBA are concerned. And considering that the Hawks can’t acquire any of those five realistically, they better do whatever they can to keep Joe.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
1:23 pm
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
“Choke,” Enjoy the off season! You and the Falcons fan are going to have a lot to talk about it seems!
————————————————-
I only have 2 dates on my calendar:
vs The Eagles
vs The Ravens
We will see if that 72-million dollar investment finally pays off in year 3 or will they continue to say………………
He’s still learning although Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez has already taken their teams deep into the playoffs as rookies…………… ha ha
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:24 pm
@Joe…
I love Amare’s game, but what has he ever won?
Playoffs!?!?
April 28th, 2010
1:31 pm
In defense of Vasquez, he’s had some decent years in the A.L.. Don’t judge him by 4 starts in April. He’ll be just fine as a #4 starter for the Yankees. One positive thing about Vasquez is that he’s a workhorse, never on the DL–200-plus innings every years. Wren should have been a little more patient before trading him, could have got more if he waited.
Wren seems to be a little quick to pull the trigger on trades and that’s hurt the Braves.
Najeh Davenpoop
April 28th, 2010
1:35 pm
There is no denying that although Ryan may look the part, Flacco statistically outperformed him last year, and while Ryan took a step back statistically from his rookie year, Flacco made significant improvements. And there is also no denying that Flacco did not have the receiving threats that Ryan had — when your running back is your best receiver, that’s a pretty clear indication that weapons are lacking on the offense.
On the flip side, the Falcons faced tougher pass defenses than the Ravens last year (mostly because the Steelers, who play the Ravens twice, were much worse than usual). And while both play in conservative offenses, Ryan is asked to shoulder slightly more of the load than Flacco (he averaged three more pass attempts per game), mostly because his defense doesn’t give him the luxury of leaning on the running game as much as Flacco’s does.
It boils down to this — you can’t look at the existing information and say for certain that one is better now or that one will be better in the future. What you can most definitely say is this: Ryan, recipient of a $72 million contract, is most definitely not worth more than twice as much as Flacco, recipient of a $30 million contract.
keith
April 28th, 2010
1:35 pm
Who cares what schillings opinon is….All he does is bump his gums and acts like he is a hall of fame pitcher…..He was at best a middle of the road guy with great stuff but not great numbers….someone needs to tell him to stfu so please pass along my message to him…
NikkiFree
April 28th, 2010
1:36 pm
You want butts in the seats every night as well as a player that can get the team to the next level? Well, Wade is the answer. Joe Johnson is not!!!
Roy Hobbs
April 28th, 2010
1:41 pm
The Vazquez trade worked out poorly for all involved. The Yankees did not get the pitcher they hoped for, the Braves (or possibly just the refusal to not play Melky) downgraded the lineup, and Javy is clearly unhappy. Lose, Lose, Lose. Hope that young guy we got with Melky pans out.
JSS
April 28th, 2010
1:45 pm
@”Choke”
I had to laugh when pointed out those 2 games… Like I said, enjoy the off season…
By the way, tell me if these numbers mean anything to you?
213
220
199
185
174
281
125
224
262
222
234
303
152
234
214
3,571 passing yards
223.19 per game average
You can throw out 222, 234 and 303. Those performance belong to someone else…
so…
213
220
199
329
185
174
281
125
224
262
152
234
214
2,812 actual whole game yards
175.75 per game passing yards
Interesting when I saw it…
Bill in VA
April 28th, 2010
1:46 pm
SEC Fan, I like your 12:06 post about Tommy G will be GM in ‘11 comment. Braves could do a lot worse. Maybe not in ‘11, but soon!!
Playoffs!?!?
April 28th, 2010
1:47 pm
Roy Hobbs–How do you judge the Vasquez trade in April..It’s a long, long season. Get some perspective!
Jabronie
April 28th, 2010
1:54 pm
This is preposterous. Wren was right dealing Vasquez, but it has nothing to do with his slow start. It was because if he traded Lowe he would have been paying a good part of his salary. Vasquez had the most value, so he was dealt. Its somewhat common knowledge to everyone that its tougher to pitch in the AL because they have a designated hitter. Schilling, master of the obvious, isn’t really breaking new ground here. For the Yankees, they have a guy who is going to pitch 200 innings to help carry the weight of the 3 starters who each pitched over 200 innings and won them a championship (in November, by the way). If Wren was right about Vasquez, was he wrong about Kelly Johnson and Jeff Francour, each off to great starts in the first four weeks? Its April. I think there’s still a few games on the schedule.
Archie
April 28th, 2010
2:02 pm
I think having 14 teams in the AL as opposed to 16 in the NL is also a big advantage for NL pitchers. Everybody plays the same number of total games, so the AL pitchers are playing more games against the same teams while the NL is playing fewer games against more teams. That leads to AL hitters getting more familiarity with the pitchers. NL batters may only see pitchers from other divisions once all season, that may not be the case in the AL… big advantage for AL hitters and NL pitchers.
Plus, the DH has an effect on more than just one spot in the batting lineup, it changes the way the entire batting lineup is put together. With a pitcher in the lineup, you need one of your best .OBP hitters in the 8 spot to get the pitchers to the plate more often and leading off innings less often. In the AL, that same player (and the DH) would be batting in a different spot in the order. Batting orders are simply constructed entirely different.
As for DWade, why on Earth would he NOT want to play for the Hawks? Personally, I think it’s the ideal team for Dwayne Wade. Man for man, the Hawks have the most talented roster in the NBA (in my opinion). Teams like Cleveland, LA, Orlando, Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix… they all have one superstar, one sidekick and a whole bunch of interchangeable parts as role players. The Hawks aren’t built that way, they’re built with 5 high talent guys who out class the other teams’ role players but get out classed by the other teams’ stars. If you swapped Joe Johnson for Dwayne Wade, then you’d have a legit superstar who could go toe to toe with any star in the league and 4 teammates on the floor who are all better than any other star player’s 4 teammates, better than Kobe’s, better than LaBron’s, better than Nowitzki’s. That would make the Hawks a powerhouse. However, like all you guys, I just don’t see the Hawks going after a move like that. It would also be a hard sell because we dont have the name brand of the Bulls or Knicks or the hometown sentiment of the Heat.
westy12
April 28th, 2010
2:11 pm
Newsflash: The Braves play in the National League. So, how is it that trading a “phenomenal National League pitcher” for a 5th outfielder and a minor leaguer could possibly be “the right call”? Next, I suppose you’ll tell me the Glaus signing was pure genius.
Mel Kiper
April 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
Seems choke forgot to mention that the Falcons were laughing stock of pro sports before Matt Ryan took over and took them to back to back winning seasons for the first time in team history. Looks like we headed in right direction
TMoney
April 28th, 2010
2:14 pm
Dear AJC Bloggers,
Please do not feed the troll.
Sincerely,
TMoney
Playoffs!?!?
April 28th, 2010
2:27 pm
Not only is Frank Wren too quick to make trades, he’s too quick to release a player (Kelly Johnson). If he didn’t want him, he could have at least got a minor league prospect for him. Arizona obviously wanted him. To quick on dumping Francoeur, c’mon trade him in our own division-? that’s pretty arrogant to think you know he’ll never bounce back–he may haunt us for years. He’s done pretty well since he’s been there–and it’s not just this April.
Last Saturday, he got the game-winning hit. The over/under is 3 on how many times he’ll burn us this year.
Are you over or under?
DeepDiver
April 28th, 2010
2:37 pm
I will say for the 100th time on these here blogs that it is not possible for Wade to come here under the current cap rules. Please someone listen to me.
JSS
April 28th, 2010
2:40 pm
@TMoney…
What are BugKiller or Crabapple Doh around?
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
2:50 pm
As sad as that 72-million dollar contract is, it is still the rookie contract.
That means that ole Artie has to decide to extend and re-work that contract.
Do you really believe Blank will give him a Peyton or Phillip Rivers type of contract when he has NEVER won a playoff game or made a pro bowl?
The Falcons should have drafted a quarterback that could stretch the field, because in 1 or 2 more seasons, they will have to either give CHOKE an increase or release him.
You guys didn’t think you could use the “he’s still learning” excuse forever did you……………..
I guarantee you Flacco will get an extension from the Ravens before Artie gives money to someone with no playoff wins and championship game appearances.
HA HA HA
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
2:53 pm
TMoney
April 28th, 2010
2:14 pm
Dear AJC Bloggers,
Please do not feed the troll.
Sincerely,
TMoney
——————————————————
Didn’t I see you on the Sci-Fi Channel?
Leprechaun In DA Hood
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 28th, 2010
3:01 pm
Let’s be honest, I’m just bitter that Vick is gone. I prefer a QB with completion percentage around 45%, not Ryan’s 60%. Also, I like that Vick threw more INTs than TDs. After all, TDs are way overrated. Mostly, I like that Vick is black. There, it’s out of the bag. I’m a racist, okay? You gotta problem with that?
College playoff may be on agenda for new NCAA president | Jeff Schultz
April 28th, 2010
3:10 pm
[...] ♦ Sunshine time: Dancin’ Falcon; Wren’s move; D-Wade’s exit? [...]
jerry
April 28th, 2010
3:37 pm
Maybe the talent level is up in the AL because Boston has to try and keep up with the Yankees, somebody else has to keep up with Boston, someone else has to keep up with whoever is trying to keep up with Boston, and so forth. Who do you have to keep up with in the NL? The Braves? hahahahaha
mark
April 28th, 2010
3:43 pm
i watch the game on monday and joe looked more like a role player than a star and to be honest with smith needs to put on some muscle and move to the center and let al go to the power forward because al’s jumper looks better than josh’s is just ugly crawford is the real star in my eyes
JSS
April 28th, 2010
3:53 pm
@the Impostor M”C”R
See that is “troll,” Dude be original!