If Braves send message to Phillies, it will be done nicely
Braves and Phillies meet for first time since 2010 finale, when Atlanta won to make playoffs.
The Braves and Phillies don’t conjure up thoughts of a great rivalry, probably because the teams generally involved in great rivalries usually have a certain degree of contempt for each other. They think the other brags too much or whines too much or is too arrogant or is just kinda dumb.
Do you ever get that sense when the Braves and Phillies meet?
“We have a healthy respect for the Phillies,” Braves general manager Frank Wren said.
“I think of them as a model club,” Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro said.
Group hug.
The 1 and 1A of the National League East Division meet for the first time this season in Friday’s home opener at Turner Field. It’s chapter one of 18 for the mutual admiration society.
It seems difficult for Braves’ fans to work up a good hatred for the Phillies. The problem with the Phillies is, they’re just good. They’re not really obnoxious when they win. They’re not all that much fun to mock when they lose.
They almost don’t belong in Philadelphia. Maybe somewhere closer to Lancaster, with the Amish.
Little did the Braves realize after this division-clinching win over Colorado in 2005 that it would be their last East title for a while.
When the Braves were battling the New York Mets for the N.L. East, that defined a rivalry. Chipper Jones loved tormenting the Mets and their fans so much that he named his son Shea. (Jones was a career .313 hitter with 19 home runs at Shea Stadium. When it was demolished, it was a wonder he didn’t hold a candlelight vigil.)
When Tom Glavine went to New York, the reaction was, “Of all the teams, he signed with the Mets?” But when Glavine went 9-14 with a 4.52 ERA in his first season as a Met, it was much funnier than if he was a Brewer.
Even Wren, who’s not one to take shots at opponents, contrasted the Mets’ rivalry with the Phillies. And he put it so nicely: “I would say in our head-to-head rivalry with the Mets, the teams were not as mutually respectful as in this one.”
Why?
“I just think it always was the tone. I don’t know why. It predated me, starting back in the ’90s. There was a little additional animosity there.”
The Braves won 14 straight division titles, the last nine coming after realignment moved them from the West to the East. The Phillies have won the last four. The Mets had one sandwiched in between in 2006 — kind of like the off-ramp connecting two interstates.
Nothing will be decided this weekend, any more than the results from the Braves’ first week of games in Washington and Milwaukee mean they’re going to be a .500 team (being two-hit by Yovani Gallardo in Milwaukee was not on anybody’s radar). But even Amaro said, “It’s a great gauge for us as far as seeing where we think we stand against the elite clubs in our division. We play each other so many times that there’s no surprises, but obviously both clubs have made some changes. We understand it’ll be a difficult series. They understand it’ll be a difficult series.”
The Braves are 18-18 against Philly in the last two seasons. They won the regular-season finale at Turner Field last year to win the wild card berth. They would rather not make that a habit.
They will officially unveil a wild card banner against Philadelphia, but that doesn’t nearly carry the same weight as if they were unveiling a division title flag. Actually, it’s a little strange, given the team that beat them out will be in the other dugout. The Phillies also have stolen a page out of the Braves’ past by building one of the greatest starting pitching rotations in history — Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt — possible positioning them to extend this streak of division titles for years. But the Braves probably have a better lineup, with the Phillies missing the injured Chase Utley and departed Jayson Werth and the Braves adding Dan Uggla. Amaro acknowledges Atlanta’s bullpen probably is better.
“They have some great young arms,” Amaro said.
“They are the reigning division champions,” Wren counters.
Not expecting a bean ball war.
By Jeff Schultz
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143 comments Add your comment
Tep
April 7th, 2011
3:29 pm
On top
JSS
April 7th, 2011
3:39 pm
Well, we know that mutal respect doesn’t extend to the blogs! And infantile trash talk starts in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
JSS
April 7th, 2011
3:39 pm
“mutual”
Luke
April 7th, 2011
3:44 pm
I usually want to give Ryan Howard hugs on a daily basis.
T-Bone
April 7th, 2011
3:49 pm
Personally I hate the Phillies.
dawgsfan1990
April 7th, 2011
3:57 pm
Ph*** the Phillies.
Juan
April 7th, 2011
4:03 pm
I would’ve expected an obnoxious blog if this was from a Mets blogger, so as a Phillies fan I can acknowledge a mutual respect.
Chris
April 7th, 2011
4:03 pm
I’m sorry, but this entry is way off… Every Braves fan I know absolutely hates the Phillies and everything they are about. They’re the Yankees of the National League. Philadelphia has the worst fans in all of sports. The Braves/Mets days of the 90’s might have been grittier, but don’t think for one second the Braves/Phillies rivalry of this decade is all fun and games.
kenny b
April 7th, 2011
4:05 pm
I can’t hate them as much as the New York team’s espn of course think the only 2 teams in the american league is Boston a–holes an the New York pri-ks
Brotherly Love
April 7th, 2011
4:05 pm
You had to get in the comment that “they almost don’t belong in Philadelphia”. What are you trying to say? BTW, I lived in Lancaster and people there are not any friendlier than in our great city. Everybody has to be a hater……lets see, Atlanta…..the Tomohawk Chop….really? Isn’t that racist? Also, John Rocker, Mickeal Vick (pre-philadelphia), 1996 Olympic Bombing…..plenty of incidents you could name that might have nothing to do with the people of Atlanta, but could easily be mistaken to be so. We in Philadelphia are sick and tired of the abuse we take for being “the worst fans”, when we are actually the best and most loyal fans (see stats from Facebook). We travel well and always support our teams, win or lose…..just because we don’t like losing and we boo doesn’t make us bad people, it simply means we are passionate. Isn’t that the true definition of a phan? And for the handful of idiots that get into trouble now and again, every city has them….LA for instance leads the country in beatings after games over the last 5 years. Cleveland throws bottles on the field, Detroit has melees in the crowds between players and fans, etc. So Mr. Schultz I would greatly appreciate that you refrain from insulting the fans of Philadelphia in the future and report on the games.
Kashi
April 7th, 2011
4:11 pm
Freeman should bat 7th. Have Alex back him up. Freeman isn’t getting any good ball to bat at 8th hole and this being a first year, it is looking aweful for him.
KC Frenchy
April 7th, 2011
4:22 pm
Would have been ok to split with Brewers if ump didnt blow the call at the plate Wed. night, Fredi didnt raise enough stink, replay showed McCann taggged him, a shame to lose on a blown call
Joe Tess Fish House
April 7th, 2011
4:27 pm
WOW….Braves R loosing…Again. This is what hapens win U hire a loosing managar with a loosing record. I no you heard me say this B 4
Joe Tess Fish House
April 7th, 2011
4:31 pm
How stoopid R the Braves? Why hire a managar with a loosing record?
Guess what? They loose again. 4 – 2
Joe Tess Fish House
April 7th, 2011
4:32 pm
At this rate, Braves will be 40 games out of fist place at teh all star brake.
Kyle
April 7th, 2011
4:36 pm
Loosing 3 out of 4 to the Brewers and really shouldn’t have won the one they did……You can say it is the first week of the season if you like but I hardly think the Phillies are going to have to give a second thought to this bunch like I thought they might have a week ago.
braves
April 7th, 2011
4:38 pm
they cannot beat the worst team in the league, how can they send a message to the best team in the planet? Oh yeah, braves sux.
10,000 losses and we still care
April 7th, 2011
4:38 pm
Phils and Braves are too far apart to have demonic hatred for each other.
Besides, ATL people care more about NASCAR and college football than 14 division titles.
It’s almost like the Braves should be in Milwaukee instead of Atlanta.
Matt
April 7th, 2011
4:40 pm
loose vs. lose. joe went to a goverment school didn’t he?
Matt
April 7th, 2011
4:41 pm
Shoulda focused on the Brewers first. Many pick them to be in the playoffs this year and we just dropped three of four… Time to right the ship against another playoff caliber club.
Joe Tess Fish House
April 7th, 2011
4:41 pm
Matt I am hear 2 talk Braves. No need 2 pick on me. U got sumtin 2 say about the Braves then say it oterwise but out.
Matt from MN
April 7th, 2011
4:41 pm
The Braves need to worry about themselves and not the Phillies. It’s been an underwhelming start to the season and “McLousy” needs to go right now!
Matt
April 7th, 2011
4:42 pm
Kyle,
The Brewers are a playoff caliber club.. I don’t think it’s that awful to lose three of four to them, it will happen, but we must rebound tomorrow. Come on Huddy!
PMC
April 7th, 2011
4:44 pm
At the moment I’d settle for a few wins.
ab initio
April 7th, 2011
4:45 pm
The only message these bums will be sending to the Phils, is that if the Phillies’ pitchers throw anything that bends, they will flail away like drunken women in a mud wrestling contest. These bums just can’t hit a lick.
Portcity
April 7th, 2011
4:45 pm
The Braves/announcers should have been more focus on the Brewers series than Philly. Hitting looks the same as last season. They can hit against the average pitchers, but have problems with good pitchers or pitchers they are facing for the first time. Inconsistent offense.
The Grinch
April 7th, 2011
4:46 pm
We have a healthy contempt for the Mets, sure, but “hate” against a team like that is perhaps too strong. What have they done to deserve enough of our attention for “hate?” It’d be like hating a kid with Down Syndrome; that’s just cruel.
One thing I DO hate is the unveiling of this Wild Card banner. We made endless fun of the Mets for being pathetic enough to do it, and now we’re playing the Mets to the Phillies’ Braves (yes I know that’s an awkward sentence) by renewing our rivalry this way right in front of them. That’s just straight up ammunition for any low-life Phillies fan or sportswriter to bring up anytime they want and we can’t refute it. What in the world were the PR people smoking when they came up with this idea? Epic fail.
Brotherly Love…really? A Phillies fan coming on here and telling our sportswriter what he should and shouldn’t write for Braves fans? That’s rich. I’m sorry your feelings were hurt that that mean old Schultz mentioned the same thing about Philly fans that everyone else in America does. If you want to change the stereotype you have to do it from within. Acknowledging you have a problem is the first step towards recovery.
Memphis
April 7th, 2011
4:46 pm
OMG the sky is falling. The end of the world is coming! After the first week of the season maybe we should call up our whole Gwinnett roster and let those guys play. Uggla sucks, Chipper sucks, Prado sucks, Mccann is awful, Freeman is garbage, Gonzalez shouldn’t start, our bench sucks. Damn people give it a rest.
Tucker T
April 7th, 2011
4:47 pm
“They almost don’t belong in Philadelphia. Maybe somewhere closer to Lancaster, with the Amish.”
I can see all the players coming out of the dugout with long Amish beards. That would be awesome.
Joe Tess Fish House
April 7th, 2011
4:47 pm
I disagre ab. The Braves bigest problems is win they hired a managar with a loosing record. He dont no how 2 win. Now is si spreading that mess 2 the Braves.
braves
April 7th, 2011
4:48 pm
braves are playing like girls.
Swaga1
April 7th, 2011
4:48 pm
I don’t understand how anyone can blame Freddy G for the braves not hitting. Freddy calls the shots but the players have to go out and perform and as of now the only people that are performing is the pitching staff. We lost 3 out of 4 to a Brewers team that didn’t have all of their players. we made their pitchers look like the phillies pitchers and chipper has the nerve to say they’re getting their feet wet as an offense….that was a bunch of BS….you had over a month of spring training your feet should be all in by now.
ab initio
April 7th, 2011
4:50 pm
Joe Tess, this team is sleepwalking. There’s only two players in the lineup even remotely close to .250 and Fredi can’t do anything about that except move these bums around.
Swaga1
April 7th, 2011
4:53 pm
and I’m already predicting that Freddie Freeman will be back in Gwinnett soon. He looks clueless and aweful at the plate. I understand it’s the first week but the offense looks lousy and these guys should have lost the 1st game of the milwaukee series as well. Lets hope the phillies take it easy on us this weekend. Our pitchers can’t throw shutouts every time out guys we have to score runs.
Mitchell
April 7th, 2011
4:57 pm
I definitely respect the Phillies as a team. I don’t really like their players individually but it’s hard for me to say I really hate the Phillies as a whole.
I thought the Braves were better than them at this time last year and I was almost right in predicting they would win the division but until the Braves actually step up and take it, there’s no real rivalry.
Personally, the team that his risen to the level of Met hatred of years past is the Giants.
There’s some serious revenge in order from both teams.
Bruce Mac
April 7th, 2011
4:58 pm
Braves are already sending message to the Phils. Here is the message “Take it easy boys, we are all hat and no cattle”. Hanson, Minor, and Beachy wow, those Phillies are shaking in their boots.
ab initio
April 7th, 2011
5:02 pm
I admire the Phillies as a team. They are a reflection of a management and ownership that is going to any lengths to put fans in the seats and win ballgames. The Braves are treading water; have been doing so for years; and, it appears that shooting for the wildcard is the best that management can target. Agree about Hanson, Bruce Mac. He’s a bust. Hasn’t learned a thing about pitching since the Braves called him up.
NorCal Brave
April 7th, 2011
5:07 pm
I still think the offense will prove better than last year, but the message we got from the Braves in spring training was they were ready and couldn’t wait to get regular season started. Other than Chipper and Mac, that hasn’t been the case. So far, this does not look like a team that will put any pressure on Philly. This weekend’s series suddenly looks bigger than it ought to.
Hillbilly Deluxe
April 7th, 2011
5:11 pm
The difference in a .250 hitter and a .300 hitter is one hit a week. 5 for 20 as opposed to 6 for 20. At this stage in the season, your average can easily go up or down .50 points, in a day.
DawgDad
April 7th, 2011
5:13 pm
Pitching is not really the problem, offense is the problem. The Braves were a streaky offensive club last year and they’re picking up right where they left off, in a down streak.
I wonder which will last longer, Heyward in the six-hole or the manager penciling him in there. His OBP is being wasted ostensibly because McLouth offers superior speed in returning to the dugout after making another out in the two-slot.
ab initio
April 7th, 2011
5:19 pm
Sure, Hillbilly Deluxe, I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. But the division has improved in its pitching, and the Braves haven’t done enough with their offense to offset that. Nate McClouth is not a good part of any sample size no matter how anyone looks at it.
LY
April 7th, 2011
5:27 pm
Your columns have been awful lately. No insight, no real opinion, no new information, nothing. I cannot believe you get paid to do this.
Matt
April 7th, 2011
5:31 pm
How can you criticize the Phillies fans when it seems you guys haven’t had a sellout in years.
Hillbilly Deluxe
April 7th, 2011
5:39 pm
Pitching nearly always dominates hitting, in April.
Rock Star from Mars
April 7th, 2011
5:41 pm
Heres the message….we cant hit, we dammn sure cant field, and our pitching is really suspect.
Einsteindawg
April 7th, 2011
6:08 pm
Please relax folks…it will take a little while for our players to respond to a real hitting coach (I thought you learned this in the minors). TP was a great player, but unfortunately, a sorry coach. We’ll be fine.
Stinger2
April 7th, 2011
6:10 pm
Like noses, everyone has an opinion. So be it. Bottom line: Bloggers opinions mean nothing. Braves start 3-4 on the road. Why panic? The Boston Red Sox have not won a game yet. Calm down Braves fans and get a life.
clay
April 7th, 2011
6:10 pm
i dont know if its just me, but it seems like the braves start this way every freakin year. I know its just the first week but wouldnt you like to see them be 6-1 or 5-2 putting up some offense. The offense is the same as it was last year. Perfect example was today 10 hits 2 runs. with that many hits you should have atleast 4 runs. It is just frustrating because it seems like no matter who you put on this team it turns out the same exact way. we get on base but cant knock anyone in. we scored a total of 8 runs that whole series agianst 2 guys that are not even that good. like i said though they still have 155 games left so……..
The Grinch
April 7th, 2011
6:12 pm
Matt, nobody criticizes their habit of ticket purchase…just everything else about them. You can have a loyal customer at your bar that’s still an obnoxious jack@$$; doesn’t always make it a net gain.
grammy
April 7th, 2011
6:12 pm
Braves suck
Philly Phan
April 7th, 2011
6:18 pm
Being a diehard Phillies fan for over 55 years, I don’t have the slightest of ill feelings towards the Atlanta Braves organization. I think I admire and respect your team much more than the majority of your own bloggers. Atlanta is the only team that has the potential to take the NL east away from Philly. I think this weekend’s series will go a long way to see if that potential is real.
dean
April 7th, 2011
6:27 pm
Damm, Joe Tess.
I was hoping you’d stay away until football season. It’s not still snowing in Nebraska, is it? (Is it hard herding sheep in the snow?)
Have a Great day.
By-the-way, 4% of the season has been played. Jeff’s right. Nothing has been decided yet. Let’s talk at the end of June.
Wildcard Banner
April 7th, 2011
6:28 pm
hahahahahahaha!!!! wild card……hahahahaha
dean
April 7th, 2011
6:35 pm
Philly Phan,
We just don’t like anything from Philly. Sorry. Nothing personal. I hope the Eagles suck this year. Bad luck (but wishing No injuries) to the Phillies this weekend. I hope the Braves kick their assses with each game being a 4 to 5 run bottom of the ninth win. Psyche-killer wins.
dean
April 7th, 2011
6:36 pm
Yeah. No chit. “Wild Card” banner?
Leave it in the closet, please.
bruce
April 7th, 2011
6:43 pm
the Philly players may be respected but the Philly fans in Philly are rude, nasty, even hateful to their fans of the opposing team. My wife says she will not go again. I wear a shirt over my braves t-shirt going to and from my seat. Several have tried to pick a fight after the game on the subway train. I am glad to know that the Braves Organization believes the Philly organization is worthy of platitutdes, their fans are not.
mjn
April 7th, 2011
7:13 pm
All this hype for nothing. They look the same as last yrear, no offense. I’m sick of this crap. They went up against no name pitchers and did nothing. I fear what is going to happen this weekend. After the first week, they could already be 5 or 6 games out.
anotherbrave
April 7th, 2011
7:20 pm
What do you expect? With Bobby Cox as manager, and Terry Pendleton as the hitting coach ……. no, that can’t be it. It’s got to be Joe Tess and his fish house. Every cents he got on hear, tha Braves hav bin loosing!
Rodney Dangerfield
April 7th, 2011
7:23 pm
So Bruce, Philly fans are really gator fans?
ab initio
April 7th, 2011
8:02 pm
Why panic? Well, I wouldn’t panic, but there is a very real possibility that the Braves could be 3-7 after Sunday. Either way, the hitting is crap, Hanson is atrocious, and at best a number 5 starter on 3/4 of the teams in the majors.
Mark
April 7th, 2011
8:10 pm
The braves suck. You can’t win with a weak offense. 8 runs in 4 games. Shutout in one game. The pitchers will start giving up soon because the offense is so pathetic. Bobby must be smiling.
Series
April 7th, 2011
8:13 pm
Fri Philly 5 Atl 1
Sat Philly 7 Atl 2
Sun Philly 6 Atl 1
See those phillies scoring runs? 11-0 today. Your offense is a sad joke. Bunch of wanna be’s.
Brody
April 7th, 2011
8:14 pm
6 game losing streak on the horizon
Kyle
April 7th, 2011
8:31 pm
Matt,
You are the kind of guy that is probably thrilled that they went to the playoffs all those years and got one World Series in a Strike shortened year. Philadelphia would never loose 3 of 4 to this “playoff team” you are high on and that is the difference in a team that can win a World Series and this crap. I’m one of the few from here so I’ve seen this for 42 years and it just gets old.
jl
April 7th, 2011
8:33 pm
Different year same old S##T ! Can’t hit, and new guys really SUCK!!! Freddie, Jason and Fish Face could not hit the barn with a bag of rocks. Why Chipper would come back to these jerks is beyond me, he would have to really love to play baseball. These guys are going nowhere!! Oh yeah, how about Nate McOUT???
Brotherly Love
April 7th, 2011
8:35 pm
Grinch, get over yourself buddy. Its all media driven, and that is why we in Philadelphia have the right to defend our fandom by asking writer to stop spewing generalities about our city. Do you know know when the infamous snowball at Santa Claus happened? Probably not, bc if you are under 50, you probably don’t remember it…..I don’t, I wasn’t born yet. How does that have anything to do with today’s fans? Its just a way for the media to lead in with some bs story how we are always doing something to keep up our reputation. Sure, some fans do stupid things, but only in Philadelphia does it become such a national headline based on an incident that happened over 40 years ago. Every city has idiots, even Atlanta as based on some of the post I have read here. Maybe because now we have good teams every year, people now more than ever need to hate on us bc they can’t laugh at our team. All I know is NO other city would stick with a franchise of 10,000 losses or a horrible NFL team through the 80’s and still sell out games and be passionate about their team. I mean you can hear a pindrop at Falcons games in a dome, aren’t they blacked out every week? I feel bad for Matty Ice as we went to the same high school…….I know he’d rather be here. So lay off us and lets enjoy the games on the field.
Worm
April 7th, 2011
8:38 pm
Message sent-BRAVES pitiful.
cheshire
April 7th, 2011
8:48 pm
it’s a great question… i mean everyone hates NY teams, so it’s not a surprise there. And I think that has more to do with New Yorkers and the media love for all things New York. People just get tired of it.
The fact of the matter is that the Phillies are a classy organization, so you can’t hate them. But most every sports fan I talk to agrees that Philadelphia has the most disgusting, easy-to-hate fans of any city. So it’s surprising we don’t hate them more. I think it’s just that the Phillies outclass the city they have to play in.
Jeff Schultz
April 7th, 2011
8:50 pm
Wow, some of you folks are going off the deep end. Seven games down, 155 to go. Chill folks.
Jeff Schultz
April 7th, 2011
8:51 pm
Tucker T — I would love to see an Amish Beer Softball League game. How great would that be?
cheshire
April 7th, 2011
8:51 pm
I agree Jeff, but it’s understandable. I mean how many times do the Braves have to let us down before we just start expecting it? It’s ridiculous.
Jeff Schultz
April 7th, 2011
8:52 pm
LY – I know what you mean. I can’t believe I get paid to do this either. Wow, sucks for you. OK, back to work now. Cleanup on aisle six.
cheshire
April 7th, 2011
8:53 pm
People are definitely overreacting, but it’s understandable. You’re seeing all the same crap you saw last year… Hanson imploding, offense failing to score runs against terrible pitchers. It does get old after awhile.
Coop
April 7th, 2011
9:06 pm
Nice comeback on LY, Jeff:) I think part of the reason it’s harder for me to hate the Phillies the way we’ve always hated the Mets is Charlie Manuel. He seems like the guy you’d run into at the corner store on a Saturday morning. Comes across as a good guy, kind of down home like. Get rid of Manuel and hire Bobby Valentine and let’s see what happens.
JSS
April 7th, 2011
9:29 pm
See comment #2 and #3, yep told you that this blog would head off Acapulco cliff… Braves Fans Timeline moment: 1969-1977 “Big Red Machine fans are the most obnoxious in the World!” 1978-1993 “Dodgers fans are the most obnoxious in the World!” 1994-2005 “Mets (and since 1996 Yankees too) fans are the most obnoxious in the World!” 2005-present “Phillies fans are the most obnoxious in the World!”
New season, same problem with transference…
Greg Mendel
April 7th, 2011
9:29 pm
I’d like to be an optimist, and It’s only a week into the season, but there’s a familiar pattern:
Three Braves up, three Braves down.
Bases loaded with Braves. No runs.
Braves pitcher walks two, gets out of inning after holding opponent to one run.
Braves lose 1-0.
Braves win next game 14-2.
Braves lose next three games, with 5 hits and two runs.
Repeat.
We can’t count on all the other teams to play worse, which is what happened last year.
Skeezix
April 7th, 2011
9:31 pm
Braves fans don’t like the Phillies but they really, really don’t like the Mets. Those feelings go deep and go way back in time. After all these years, many Braves fans still look at it as though Glavine sold out and for a few more measly bucks, betrayed Atlanta, and went over to the enemy’s camp.
Darryl Blackberry
April 7th, 2011
9:47 pm
I admire the Philly fans’ dedication to their team. One can’t argue with ticket sales.
Unfortunately, they have no sense of humor…at least if you go by the overly defensive comments here. I mean, honestly, this article was very complimentary towards the Phils, and some folks have already read something into it that just wasn’t there.
Dr. Phil
April 7th, 2011
9:52 pm
It has been a bad week for the Braves. If they can win two out of three from the Phillies, there will be hope.
Jamie
April 7th, 2011
10:40 pm
Awesome Blog entry. Funny.
J. Book
April 7th, 2011
11:03 pm
So, Mr. Schultz couldn’t resist taking a swipe at the Philadelphia fans by stating that the Phillies better fit the mold of the Amish people. Well let me tell you Mr. Schultz I have spent time in both locals and Lancaster is no picnic. As an officer in the Philadelphia Police, I was shot by officer McFee, a rogue cop, during an attempted murder of a child witness. I escaped to Lancaster in order to recover from my injuries. While there I was a witness to some local toughs smashing an ice cream cone in the face of my good Amish friend, Daniel Hochleitner. Despite my loyalty to the locals none of them picked up a gun to defend me from officer McFee when he came after me. I don’t have time to tell you how I defended myself against McFee and his partner by trapping them in the barn and in a corn silo. Go Phils!
Brotherly Love
April 7th, 2011
11:09 pm
The Grinch – I had a 3 paragraph response and I hit submit and it went into cyber limbo somewhere so rather than retype it, i’ll keep it simple. Philly fans are the best fans period. Media gives us a bad wrap for a snowball incident that happened before most of us were born so get over yourself. Stop hating on us because we are good.Talk to me again when 2 million strong show up to our World Series victory parade in early November while you hope to add another Wild Card banner. Tomahawk chop that! Oh and if you are watching the games this weekend, notice how many Philly fans are there bc without them there would be plenty of empty seats “Notlanta”.
Let them have it
April 7th, 2011
11:45 pm
WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL HATING ON THE PHILLIES!!! RESPECT US WE RESPECT YOU!!! Sorry braves fans NOT THIS YEAR (AGAIN) is hard for you Braves fans to see us win RIGHTT.. SORRY LIVE WITH IT.. HAYWARD WAS A PHILLIES FAN, GO AHEAD AND ASK HIM.. JERSEY KID C’MON
James Adams
April 7th, 2011
11:51 pm
What have the Braves done to be considered 1A? Maybe a solid 2. Do not put them in the same realm as the Phillies. Wow.
Let them have it
April 7th, 2011
11:56 pm
I’ll take the Phillies lineup PLEASE!!! And the rotation ANYTHING ELSE SIR!!! andddd 8a Cheesesteak. THANK YOU!!
Let them have it
April 7th, 2011
11:59 pm
Halladay, Lee, Oswalt, Hamels, Big Joe and lineup (THATS NOT FAIR)
Lucie
April 7th, 2011
11:59 pm
Brotherly Love, you should keep your comments to yourself or blow all your hot air on your own fan page. Don’t flatter yourself by thinking that Phillies fans wil be taking up most of our seats – you are way off base, so get your facts straight. You are sadly mistaken. We love our Braves and love a good rival with the Phillies, so let’s all keep that in perspective. This should be fun…Go Braves and let’s have a great opening night!!
Let them have it
April 8th, 2011
12:02 am
SERIES: Fri Philly 7 Atl 0
Sat Philly 4 Atl 0
Sun Philly 8 Atl 3
The Dude
April 8th, 2011
12:05 am
I don’t know a Braves fan who doesn’t hate the Phillies. Do you actually live in Atlanta, Jeff?
Wright
April 8th, 2011
12:27 am
The Braves have about as much chance against the Phils as the proverbial one legged man in an ass kicking contest.
PhilPhan
April 8th, 2011
12:42 am
Braves fans on here hating the Phillies are just jealous plain and simple. . . there is nothing to hate about this current Phils team. .they are about as classy and hard-playing of a bunch you’ll see. . .we in Philly are blessed to have this squad and it starts with the manager Charlie Manuel. . . Cliff Lee freaking turned down millions from the Yanks to come back to Philly. . .as the losingest team in the history of american sports, it’s about time the Phillies had something so enjoyable to watch.
The offseason prognosticators that said the Braves would beat out the phillies, win the world series, etc were a bit off. . the Braves offense is much improved, but their starters are a tad over-rated. . .also, you can’t overlook the Marlins who could be a serious sleeper in the NL East. Also, injuries can affect any team.
Its very early. Last year the Braves started 8-15 if I recall. . and the Phillies were a .500 team around the allstar break. . . its a long season enjoy it
51WTGW50
April 8th, 2011
12:43 am
I FEEL HER caress. She is working on my shoulder. She moves deep in the muscle and she makes me feel good.
I lay my head in the soft cradle of her caress.
I close my eyes and slow my breathing. I am RELAXED in her comforting caress.
I have to pay every time I visit the Message Therapists for this same Relaxing Therapy.
TAP TAP on the cold metal.
I smell the WIND. I check my Breathing again and I can feel my Pulse throbbing against the Smooth Rosewood. I hear the CLICK….CLICK….CLICK as I dial the PHONE.
This CALL is not from a Cell, Internet, Land-line, or Sat-Phone. This call is more like MORRIS CODE. I Make the TAP and caress the the CRADLE.
My Call is from 300-1500 yards. My call takes anywhere from .8 to 3.2 seconds to complete. When people hear the RING of my call you are DEAD.
DO you KNOW ME?
My name is SNIPER. KILLING is MY J.O.B.
LOVE me, FEAR me, RESPECT me, HATE what I DO, but know Your TAX money pays me, one of your friends gave birth to me, and I will never ask you to LOVE ME.
I am the American Soldier you never knew and the Soldier you will always need.
GB CPT. Wayne “PEE-CAN” Sparks THANK YOU. I wish I could have know you better and MORE. NGC has another HERO in their RANKS.
People you never knew did things you never want to know.
Green Bennie We stand tonight.
Brass between the lips
Green Line Hooked TIGHT
Johnny YUMA Claimed another Man TONIGHT.
Stand-Up Hook-up Shuffle to the DOOR.
57 RANGERS Headed out for MORE.
Grease Gun K-Bar and a 45
I Jump Out Knowing I should DIE
If I die on the OLE Drop Zone
Box me UP and ship me HOME……………
51WTGW50
April 8th, 2011
12:46 am
I LOVE you WAYNE.
Mrs. SPARKS your son was a Great MAN and Friend. I am PI..ed I can no longer talk with him. I cry as I type. Your SON was a great & honorable man.
brian
April 8th, 2011
1:47 am
lol i think joe tess needs hooked on phonics instead of a tv and a computer at the fishhouse. this guy is dyslexic and uneducated wow total retard
scottbravesfan
April 8th, 2011
1:59 am
Phillies fans are the biggest A holes though. Their team is fine just hate their fans.
scottbravesfan
April 8th, 2011
2:01 am
Jason Heyward was all of 3 months old when he lived in Jersey. Also real people from Philly hate New Jersey.
Josh
April 8th, 2011
4:07 am
I cant hate the Phillies like I do the Mets!
Check out THE NEW BRAVES BLOG @ http://www.atlantainsight.com
tony
April 8th, 2011
5:45 am
I already don’t like the new manager. He rest a player every game? Freeman(OBP.200) batting 2nd?
I would like to see JH(OBP .444) as our lead off guy because he will baffle opposing pitchers with his ability to stead bases. Maybe the new manager know what he is doing.
MoreLikeCityofBrotherlyHate
April 8th, 2011
7:20 am
Oh, Phillies fans. I hate your guts. You are the worst, most obnoxious, rudest fans ever. Your team stands for everything wrong with baseball and the country might actually be in a better place if the city of Philadelphia didn’t exist.
Schultz, you’re so off-target with this blog. There will be plenty of expletives thrown around tonight, I’m sure.
Go Bravos!
WTF
April 8th, 2011
7:27 am
Stop complaining about the Phillie-folks bashing the Braves on the AJC blog. Remember – they are YANKEES.
And we all know about Yankees – no class, no manners, no vocabulaty,no education, no civility – well, this is a blog and ‘War and Peace’-sized entries are tedious, and no one reads them anyway – a hint to you guys who want to write reams about what is, after all, just a game. And it’s the first 30 yards in very long race.
Stuff like this is just a few more data-points nailing down our conviction that those ’sports’ in the NE, aren’t. Whether Phillies, Mets, or Yankees.
UGASlobberknocker
April 8th, 2011
7:38 am
Actually, the Braves won 11 straight East titles after re alignment, not 9 (1995-2004).
Schultz points out something that bothers me every year..we dont really have a goof rival..our rival for the season is usually just whoever is a contender that yr. Its not like the old Dodger rivalry we used to have..
I really wish the Braves were in the Central..if we swapped places with the Pirates, then we would be playing the Cards,Cubs,Reds and Astros 6 series a yr each instead of the Marlins and the Nats. Do you realize that almost 25% of Braves games are against those two losers? it makes for an awful home schedule…and if we were in the Central,about half of the road games wold start an hr later which would be a good thing IMO.
UGASlobberknocker
April 8th, 2011
7:38 am
above should read 1995-2005
papadawg
April 8th, 2011
7:51 am
That’s what’s wrong with sports today, not enough hate and contempt for the opposing team. Good Grief even in Fottball they hug and help each other off the ground. I guess it’s the Politically Correct Era
Joey
April 8th, 2011
8:12 am
Boy, if the Braves hitters thought the Brewers pitchers were hard to hit, this weekend could have them all swinging-and-missing.
Heyward may have to break up a couple of no-no’s . . .
Depressing.
But I’ll still be watching.
And hoping.
01HAWK
April 8th, 2011
8:16 am
WELL, WELL, WELL……………………………………So it was Terry Pendleton that screwed the BRAVES bats up all of those years. LOL…………………..They just can not hit, are stubborn, and will not listen.
Blame it on BRAVES management for not doing what it takes to put the best team on the field. Liberty Media is a joke and so is Frank Wren.
The MUTTS dumped 18 million in salary this year in Castillo and Perez, but BRAVES can not dump KAWACRUMMY nor MCOUT.
Say what you want about NYJER MORGAN. He is is the CENTER FIELDER that I wish we had. I know it would have probably not happned trading him within the division, but until we get a speedy leadoff hitter that can disrupt things leading off then we will be 2nd fiddle in the National League.
Instead of cleaning house of all BOOBY COX people we get a disciple of him to run the club. I wish we had Jim Leyland for he would get this sorry bunch in shape. Oh, and if you did not like it, he would ask you if you would like to take it to the tunnel for a little fight if you wanted to undermind his authority.
OK, Gonzalez, you have more payroll to work with now. Will they be better than the MARLINS ?
Joseph
April 8th, 2011
8:44 am
I think by 1 and 1a you meant 1 and 4
Brotherly Love
April 8th, 2011
9:18 am
Lucy, this is America……I don’t know the rules in the sovereign state of Atlanta, but I am free to express my opinion on this blog. If your media people are going to take shots at Philly then we have the right to reply. Tomahawk Chop that and cover it up with a Wild Card banner bc that is all you can hope to achieve this year.
CityofBrotherlyHate or whatever your ridiculous tag name is, Atlanta fans are weak, soft and smile too much. The definition of a fan is one who follows their team win or lose and lets the players know how they are doing. We work hard and deserve to give our opinion if our team is not playing well. As for wearing an opposing jersey, that is anybody’s god given right but if you start talking trash expect to be getting alot in return, that’s just how it works. I mean if you went to another country and were wearing a USA shirt and starting yelling we’re no. 1, wouldn’t you expect to get some flack for that? Personally, if I am away from home I know to try and keep a low profile and not piss off the locals, but hey that’s just me I guess.
BDinFla
April 8th, 2011
9:22 am
I will agree with everyone that says that the braves are playing like crap! And Freddi is already getting annoying “tipping his Hat” to everyone! But all these people getting on here and saying that we should have lost the first game are just stupid. Our pitching pitched good and we hit two HRs! Why should we not have won that?!
Tron5000
April 8th, 2011
9:30 am
Any Braves fan worth his salt should hate the Phillies based solely on the 1993 NLCS. I have a long memory where my teams are concerned. And if possible, I hate Phillies fans more than the actual team. Fans of Philly teams are the rudest, most obnoxious, low-grade dregs of society around.
Philadelphia…You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
papadawg
April 8th, 2011
9:33 am
I really think some of these clowns thought the Braves were going to be 162-0 and now all is lost. LOL
MitchC
April 8th, 2011
9:43 am
Jeff, your column made me chuckle. For the record, this blogger lives in Lancaster, PA, but.. I’m not Amish. Also, I’m a transplanter New Yorker, here since 1999, so, I know all about the Mets and Braves, and their rivalry. For the record, I despise the Mets. Always have, always will. I’ve been a Braves fan since 1983, though, due to TBS. Now, I have the Extra Innings package to catch my team.
I’m glad to see that the Braves and Phillies have such respect for each other. It’s rare in any sport when that happens.
As we know, the Phillies have gotten off to a great start, while the Braves.. well.. they were on the road for a week, and lost a few tough games. Hopefully, home cooking will help us out. I’m at a disadvantage of getting all the Phillies TV stations, including one station with an anchor who I enjoy listening to. All he seems to talk about is the Phillies.
We know that it’s too early for anything to be decided.. but.,. I dont think any of us would want to see the Phillies sweep this weekend at Turner. An 8-1 Phillies team.. and a 3-7 Braves team.. as early as it is.. would look a bit.. bad.. even at this stage.
My hope is that the Braves can win two out of three, even though I concede that the Phillies are capable of winning the division by 10 to 20 games if healthy. As for the Braves… I’m hoping we can just win the wild card.
For now, let’s just enjoy the games. Hopefully, this mutual respect the Braves and Phillies have will last.. and the Braves can play well against them.
MitchC
April 8th, 2011
9:50 am
Tron, 1993 was a long time ago.
While Phillies fans can be.. rough.. One hasn’t seen anything until they’ve gone to a game in NY, with their Braves hat on, as I’ve done. At the old Shea Stadium, people used to curse you out, spit on you, and curse at the team.
Phillies fans have a right to be excited about their team. They are just a good team. There is one guy who works for me, who is a Phillies fan, and he’s an obnoxious jerk, and loves to razz me when the Braves lose.. especially to the Phillies. That’s just his personality, and I dont hold his idocy against the Phillies.. or all Phillies fans.
If the Braves are kept out of the playoffs by losing a big series to the Phillies in Sept.. or Philly beats us in the NLCS, if we both get there, then my emotions will be ramped up, even though I would expect Philly to probably beat us in the NLCS. Until then, it’s so early in the season, that I just want to enjoy the games.
Joe Tess Fish House
April 8th, 2011
9:52 am
OK sum of U seem to thing I hate the Braves and it not true. I hate that they hired a loosing managar with a loosing record. Sum guys just dont have it and Ferdie Gonzolas just aint it. Its like buying a broken doewn car. Just because it came from a bad mechanix does not mean it can be fixed. It just may be a crapy car.
One more time LOOSING MANAGAR
blazerdawg
April 8th, 2011
10:21 am
B Love – Philly does not sell out games even when they loose. Phillies and Sixers attendance is among the poorest in the league when the teams are down – and I do not blame Phil fans for that one bit – but the notion that everything sells out in Philly and the Braves should be back in Milwaukee is ridiculous.
Winston
April 8th, 2011
10:40 am
Simply because I’m tired of seeing it, LOSING is when you lose a game, LOOSING is letting loose.
TommyJack
April 8th, 2011
11:05 am
Simple. It’s not the Phillies I hate. It’s the Philadelphia people. More obnoxious that New Yorkers. And that’s going some.
Allan
April 8th, 2011
11:13 am
The difference between Philly and Atlanta is in the way it supports its teams. Every Eagles, Flyers and Philllies games are sold out . In fact there’s a 3000 year waiting lisf for Eagles season tickets, based on fans not renewing, (they’re usually passed along in wills) while Atlanta often has to bribe fans to show up.
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
11:26 am
Shultz, you idiot! What was the purpose of this? Why not talk about the skid in offence and that in theroy the braves could be sweeped by a well stronger pitching match up than the previous Brewers line up?
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
11:27 am
Plus, we all know about the trolls……..
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
11:31 am
And the fact that the philies are lefty dominate in pitching…
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
11:35 am
and the braves are htting under .200 agoinst lefties…
Truth
April 8th, 2011
12:10 pm
Blame Obama for the Braves being 3-4
Truth
April 8th, 2011
12:22 pm
Its Obama fault for the Braves 3-4 starts
Truth
April 8th, 2011
12:23 pm
Joe Tess,
STFU
Truth
April 8th, 2011
12:24 pm
lol we are 3-4 and Atlanta fans are freaking out. I can only imagine Boston fans after their 0-6 start.
We know Boston fans are better fans than Atlanta fans in every sport
ab initio
April 8th, 2011
12:33 pm
“The MUTTS dumped 18 million in salary this year in Castillo and Perez, but BRAVES can not dump KAWACRUMMY nor MCOUT.”
See, there’s this exchange called a ‘contract’, and it’s terms must be met.
Besides, no other team would want either of these bums, and no manager would be stupid enough to sign them.
Except Wren.
GovClintonTyree
April 8th, 2011
12:58 pm
I don’t know, I think Rollins is a bit of a pr!ck. They’re not all nice guys.
Ted M
April 8th, 2011
12:59 pm
This guy filling in for Utley is play great.
I hope Freeman warms up soon
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
2:01 pm
Ted M
April 8th, 2011
12:59 pm
I agree with you..
CharlieAlphaBravo
April 8th, 2011
2:22 pm
On the contrary, I hate the godd*** Phillies… I would love to break Utley’s other knee and punch Victorino right in his smart little mouth. But that’s just me.
The only good thing about Philly has been dead 200+ years: Ben Franklin.
April 8th, 2011
2:29 pm
I hate Philthy, and all their teams. The Eagles? Yuck. Philthies? Gag. NBA is meaningless anyway. Their fans are idiots, in a way that rivals those arrogant jerks in NYC.
The problem with the Braves is two-fold:
1) Ownership sucks. There’s noway the Braves would go out and get Cliff Lee right now, too freaking cheap.
2) Too dependent on overblown mediocrity like Tommy Hanson and FreeMan. When Hanson throws 6 innings and gets a win, wake me. As for Freeman, can he outhit Rafael Belliard? Frank Wren says Hanson is some #1 flamethrower and Freeman the next Mark Grace. Is he channeling Baghdad Bob?
Ben
April 8th, 2011
2:39 pm
what isn’t obnoxious about jimmy rollins, everytime i see that guy i want to punch him in his stupid face
gophils
April 8th, 2011
2:52 pm
this series means more to atl than the phils
its not the owners fault your payroll is not high
its your lack of support, you had 2.5 million fans at $17 per ticket, if your tickets were $33 you would draw what 1.5 million? and the braves where in 1st place, so i dont see how new ownership will matter, you would rather watch nascar or something
ATL 2009 attendance 2,365,000 avg ticket $16.5 =$39 million
ATL 2010 attendence 2,510,000 avg ticket $17 =$42.6 million
total 2 years $81.6 million
Phil 2009 attendance 3,600,000 avg ticket $29=$104 million
Phil 2010 attendence 3,645,000 avg ticket $33= $120 million
total 2 years $224 million
wilson
April 8th, 2011
3:01 pm
Dear atlanta and all your lame ass sport fans…
You cant sell out your own ballpark and your management doesnt spend on top quality free agents.You shouldnt hate the philles brass for doing what it takes to be a top contender. You need to direct your frustration at mr wrhen and his team of loser!
JoeBravesFan
April 8th, 2011
3:22 pm
For some reason the Braves have always done better against really good teams, like the Phillies, but struggle against crappy teams like the Nationals…not sure why that is, though. Chipper commented in an earlier interview that they need to win against losing teams.
Duke Fame
April 8th, 2011
3:23 pm
The only reason people hate the Phillies now is because they’re winning. If the Phils were the also rans now that they were for most of the 90s, no one in Atlanta would bat an eye Philly’s direction.
Now, the Phillies have built a winning organization and everybody jumps on the hating pig pile. As a Phillies fan, I don’t hate the Braves. They’re a good team. Not as good as the Phillies though.
I’ll take umbrage with one statement in the article. The Braves aren’t 1A in the NL East. They’re #2. They lost the division by 6 games last year. It’s not like they tied and the division winner was determined by a one game playoff. Then, 1 and 1A would be appropriate.
JoeBravesFan
April 8th, 2011
3:25 pm
The offseason will be interesting because KK’s contract is over, so we’ll have that money, I believe McLouth’s contract is up, so we’ll have THAT money and it’s expected that Liberty Media is going to try and sell the Braves. If we get a buyer who actually cares about winning, look for another run of consecutive division titles.
Duke Fame
April 8th, 2011
3:31 pm
It’s fun to think about the future and what new ownership could do. Lots of owners actually care about winning. Actually doing it is another story.
Besides, I’ve heard the Phillies local TV contract is expiring soon and the Phillies are going to start their own network and start to bring in crazy NYY or BOS revenue. In today’s MLB, more often than not, money equals winning.
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
4:19 pm
Duke, its the fans, not so much the team…
LIVE BLOG: Braves try to break out against Phils' Lee | Jeff Schultz
April 8th, 2011
4:21 pm
[...] — who pose the greatest threat to Philadelphia in the National League East — represent “a great gauge for us as far as seeing where we think we stand against the elite clubs in our [...]
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
4:22 pm
JoeBravesFan
April 8th, 2011
3:25 pm
So with the extra money and the team sell, we could sign puljos? For a five year contract for $150 million…
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
4:26 pm
gophils
April 8th, 2011
2:52 pm
Your are right, but after the braves fan starts to understand the con. The support runs out. Tired of the koolaid stand.
Kommandant Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink
April 8th, 2011
4:27 pm
If a had multiple personalities, i could have more fun on this blog..