Braves collapse, and the shine just came off Fredi Gonzalez
Fredi Gonzalez watched as the Braves blew an 8½-game wild-card lead in 23 days. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Fredi Gonzalez was quietly handed the Braves’ managerial job before Bobby Cox ever stepped out the door in a wink-wink, nudge-nudge deal, and nobody really had a problem with it.
He had the resume and the personality. Everybody liked and respected him. He knew the players, the organization and the city. The Braves weren’t making over the manager’s office as much as they were changing a light bulb.
Something went wrong.
This is not a “Fire Fredi Gonzalez” column. But we’ve just witnessed one of the worst collapses in sports history, and the Braves can’t just assume that a few roster tweaks are going to fix the problem. When a team goes 10-20 down the stretch — including 0-9 against their two biggest competitors (Philadelphia and St. Louis) — and loses three consecutive series to the division’s flotsam (Mets, Marlins, Nationals), this isn’t about just injuries or a few guys going into a slump.
The vibe was missing this season. That’s on Gonzalez. The team fell apart when it needed to come together, blowing an 8½-game lead in 23 days. That’s on Gonzalez. The Braves seemed tight and meek and borderline frightened, as if waiting, hoping, white-knuckle-praying for a playoff spot to just fall into their lap. They didn’t just take it, and didn’t play like they felt they deserved it.
That’s certainly on Gonzalez. The shine just came off the perfect replacement.
I understand this isn’t football. Managers make in-game decisions, but they aren’t calling plays. They change the lineup and the batting order. Gonzalez did that. He pulled Chipper Jones out of the No. 3 spot. He benched Jason Heyward.
Ultimately, the question is whether a manager is making a team better, making it believe. The Braves clearly weren’t, therefore Gonzalez clearly didn’t.
Even with injuries, this was twice the team that reached the postseason last year and lost three one-run games to the eventual World Series champions in San Francisco.
Gonzalez doesn’t need to go. But he needs to change. Or maybe someone. Gonzalez said Thursday that all of his coaches are coming back. But for all the screams from the cheap seats about former hitting coach Terry Pendleton, his replacement, Larry Parrish, didn’t bring anything to the table.
Maybe Gonzalez just needs to change himself. Maybe he came in and, consciously or subconsciously, didn’t want to disrupt things too much in the first season after Bobby Cox retired. It was such a feel-good season last year, that would be understandable. But if that was the strategy, it backfired.
When asked about the collapse following Wednesday’s final loss, Chipper Jones said, “It’s cruel, because probably nobody in Atlanta sports is probably under as much scrutiny as he is filling in for Bobby Cox. To have it slip away in late September, it’s cruel. It’s really cruel. It’s not indicative of the way this team played, the way he managed, and what we deserved in this situation.”
Not sure about the “deserved” part of that quote. The Braves just played 162 games. That’s enough time.
They blew it. They blew it like no team in Atlanta sports history. That blew it like few teams in all of sports history. The only people who aren’t saying today that they blew it live in Boston — because they have their own problems.
What just happened is mind-numbing. But even before the collapse, the Braves seemed to have chemistry issues. They never quite came together like most anticipated. This was a team that figured to challenge Philadelphia in the National League East and possibly for a World Series.
There aren’t a lot of tangible things we can pin on Gonzalez. He certainly stuck with Derek Lowe too long, and the decision to start him Tuesday over rookie Julio Teheran blew up in the manager’s face. He made the bold decision to go with Jose Constanza over the struggling Heyward in right field for several starts, which seemed to ignite the lineup. But then he switched back to Heyward, who is the better player, but still seemed to be a mess.
But it never should have come down to that decision, or to a few starts by Lowe. When a team goes 10-20 to close the season and gets swept at home in the last three games, the issues are bigger than that.
Implosions like this are on the manager. He didn’t make the team better. The Braves underachieved. And Gonzalez just lost the benefit of the doubt.
By Jeff Schultz
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845 comments Add your comment
BobDawg
September 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
Wait a minute, Jeff…. We lost 2 of our best 3 starters for the entire month which caused the bullpen to blow a gasket as the sub-starters could not go into the 7th, 8th or 9th enough times…. This team was still built on starting pitching and the Bullpen and that became our weakness… Medlen was hurt all year, the Young-ins are not quite ready and he had to ask Lowe to step up and the used up starter couldn’t get it done…. I don’t blame Gonzalez… It is what it is… Chipper and McCann got hurt and that hurt also….
BobDawg
September 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
Wait a minute, Jeff…. We lost 2 of our best 3 starters for the entire month which caused the bullpen to blow a gasket as the sub-starters could not go into the 7th, 8th or 9th enough times…. This team was still built on starting pitching and the Bullpen and that became our weakness… Medlen was hurt all year, the Young-ins are not quite ready and he had to ask Lowe to step up and the used up starter couldn’t get it done…. I don’t blame Gonzalez… It is what it is… Chipper and McCann got hurt and that hurt also….
john
September 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
-Most Braves Fans(including ME) welcomed Freddi G to replace Bobbie
-But Remember-Bobbie was not that productive the past five years – one and out last year
-Braves Players LOST THIS TOO- Brian never recovered but Freddie should have played Ross, same with Jason, most Braves Fans fully support Jason as future Star but he was terriblle this year-Why sit red-hot Georgie ?
- Chipper played too amny games hurt but Wren never got a good 3rd base Replacement-do not put us thru 2012 with Chipper playing hurt
- Prado really tamked when needed but Freddie played him and worse in 2nd spot-
-Wren did not go out and get desperately needed seasoned Bull Pen help-KIDS do not come out of the Pen in late Season and WIN .-Kimbrel was great but too much pressure ln late September -look at the eight Play-off Teams -seasoned Closers and Relievers- Wren should know better
john
September 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
-Most Braves Fans(including ME) welcomed Freddi G to replace Bobbie
-But Remember-Bobbie was not that productive the past five years – one and out last year
-Braves Players LOST THIS TOO- Brian never recovered but Freddie should have played Ross, same with Jason, most Braves Fans fully support Jason as future Star but he was terriblle this year-Why sit red-hot Georgie ?
- Chipper played too amny games hurt but Wren never got a good 3rd base Replacement-do not put us thru 2012 with Chipper playing hurt
- Prado really tamked when needed but Freddie played him and worse in 2nd spot-
-Wren did not go out and get desperately needed seasoned Bull Pen help-KIDS do not come out of the Pen in late Season and WIN .-Kimbrel was great but too much pressure ln late September -look at the eight Play-off Teams -seasoned Closers and Relievers- Wren should know better
Tucson AZ
September 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
You have to put the loss on the offense,our pitching gave the offense alot of chances to win the game but they blew it.Also fire FG and his staff and start over.
Home Opener 2012
September 29th, 2011
12:51 pm
Look for me in right field. I will be the one hanging the Wait Til Next Year banner.
Hoosier Aaron
September 29th, 2011
12:51 pm
Orioles Fan – Chipper for Adam Jones….Done!
Hey, we traded Murph – anybody is fair game.
I have to believe this TEAM (not one particular player) set an all-time record for strikeouts with a runner at third and less than two outs. Brutal to witness – time and time again.
Good days ahead for Braves fans…Freddie Freeman & Craig Kimbrel both deserve to be ROY. Our young pitchers showed they belong with the Big Club. We need J-Hey to pull a Matt Kemp next year and get Mac & Uggla back to being Mac & Uggla – the entire season.
Chris Matthews
September 29th, 2011
12:51 pm
Dump Chipper and Lowe!!! Dead weights!!
Fols
September 29th, 2011
12:52 pm
Bob whare are you on?
With the exception of Lowe the pitching staff did more than it’s fair share of work to keep us in ball games. If our line-up knew how to swing a baseball bat at a baseball we would be hung over from drinking the bubbly last night.
Dennis Reynolds
September 29th, 2011
12:52 pm
One good thing about the offseason…Get to check MLBTR.com every 17 seconds.
Brian Asselstine
September 29th, 2011
12:53 pm
Bourn and Constanza at the top of the lineup on base all the time will make Chipper, Uggs, and McCann much better hitters than they probably are. Bourn will be the key to the entire team for the next few years. He can hit, run and disrupt pitchers.
P.S. I must be the only person int the world that thinks the Atlanta pitching is far overrated. The young arms are good but ready for a major league season? JJ, Hanson, Beachy, Minor not as good as we hope they are. D-Lowe- well I feel sorry for him. Old guy diminished skills owed a $100 trillion. No way he retires from that payday and no one will take him. He was good in the 90’s when he broke in.
Ted
September 29th, 2011
12:53 pm
Well said. Seems to nail most of it.
Jack Lill
September 29th, 2011
12:55 pm
I have said all year that Wren does not know what he is doing. The best thing that can happen to the Braves this off season is for Wren to retire and take Fredi with him. Wren has made two good moves since he has been the GM. They are Uggala and Borne. Now why hasen’t he tried ti lock up Borne? Fredi is like Cox , He dosen’t know how to handle pitchers. Maybe Chipper should retire and take Fredi’s place
.
Jack Lill
September 29th, 2011
12:55 pm
I have said all year that Wren does not know what he is doing. The best thing that can happen to the Braves this off season is for Wren to retire and take Fredi with him. Wren has made two good moves since he has been the GM. They are Uggala and Borne. Now why hasen’t he tried ti lock up Borne? Fredi is like Cox , He dosen’t know how to handle pitchers. Maybe Chipper should retire and take Fredi’s place
.
Grant
September 29th, 2011
12:55 pm
Fredi was the problem. He needs to go now. He was fired midseason by the Marlins..why? His team quit on him. It has happened in Atlanta. He is the problem and we need to kill cancer before it spreads. Out with Fredi NOW!
Ted
September 29th, 2011
12:56 pm
I have Fredi fatigue. Tired of his well groomed goatee. Tired of his taking no chances on the bases. Tired of him sitting on this asterisk when we are getting smoked.
Rowsdower
September 29th, 2011
12:56 pm
There is no doubt that Fruiti has lost the benefit of the doubt. His handling of the bullpen alone puts him on the hot seat. He was handed the best young bullpen in baseball and treated them like he was Dusty Baker. We all know what happened to Kerry Wood and Mark Pryor. If there are long term ramifications for the 26 year old Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty and the 23 year old Craig Kimbrel, I will never forgive him.
This team’s strength is it’s youth. The future is bright as long as Fruiti doesn’t ruin our young arms. I have the utmost faith that McCann and Prado will turn it around next year because they’ve proven they are professional hitters. They’re just entering their prime. I am tempered on my expectations for Heyward (obviously) and Freeman (see Heyward), but I think they’ll have great careers. A full season of Bourn will be big as long as he is given the green light run at will. Prado needs to figure out how to hit behind him.
As painful as last night was this team is going to be a force for years to come. Find a sucker…err team to take Lowe and move Delgado into the rotation. Continue to groom Teheran. Use Minor as a trade chip if we can get an impact bat or keep him as insurance. God knows we needed it this year…
Ken Stallings
September 29th, 2011
12:57 pm
Fredi’s prime mistake was over using the bullpen throughout the season. You could not tune in to any baseball show without the professional players and managers (hired as analysts) talking about how the bullpen innings on O’Flaherty, Venters, and Kimbrel added up to a huge warning flag. Fredi has access to the same numbers and yet nothing really changed.
Secondary mistakes are Larry Parrish. The Braves have not had a truly excellent hitting coach for a long time. Perhaps to find the last really good one is to go all the way back to Willy Stargell, who’s prime bonus was instructing Chipper Jones in the minor leagues. Regardless, this team throughout the year showed a consistent inability to work counts and for situational hitting. Turner Field is not a homer-friendly ballpark. You have to put the ball in play. Frankly, we got more insight into poor hitting from color man Joe Simpson! Why Parrish could not work with the players to correct those flaws is on both him and Fredi Gonzalez.
Another is also on Fredi. There is a happy balance between the constant fire and volcano personality of Ozzie of White Sox fame and Bobby of Braves fame. Fredi needs to find that happy balance and get some fire on this team. Acceptance of failure is not tolerable even as baseball is a marathon and individual plays cannot be allowed to destroy a team. But a pattern of behavior cannot be tolerated and motivation must always be there. Fredi tolerated the destruction of Derreck Lowe, who right up to game 161 lost it totally and should have been relegated to the bullpen and must be relegated there next season whether he likes it or not. If he wants his release, give it to him!
The lack of offensive production was anticipated. Dan Uggla’s signing was helpful and he rose to his normal level of production. But Jason Heyward was a shocking disappointment. Martin Prado proved his is a utility player — good for a spot start, but not able to carry a team. The Braves still need another quality outfield bat in left field. That has to be the number one offseason acquisition priority. A player with speed and a great bat should be the focus because working him at the number two hole with Bourne leading off is something that the Braves need. The Braves almost need to replicate what the speedbird Cardinals did in the 1980’s.
Highlands
September 29th, 2011
12:57 pm
A collapse like this means that someone HAS to be fired, even if only for symbolic purposes. LP gets my vote; if someone has to go, he seems the most easily replaceable on the staff.
AnotherGM
September 29th, 2011
12:57 pm
The guy the Braves would not trade for (Pence) comes back to haunt them.
jayvee
September 29th, 2011
12:57 pm
Kirk Gibson was everything that Fredi Gonzales wasn’t this year. Gibson has the grit that made the Arizona Diamonbacks, who finished last in the West last year, surge to shocking heights. The D-Backs took on the character of their manager, and they fought and scratched and clawed every pitch through the whole season. They bought in, made the effort, made the plays. Joe Maddon obviously has a similar effect on the Rays, who never quit. The Braves looked like deer in the headlights for the past month.
Fredi needs to put the fire and will of the D-Backs and the Rays into the Braves. I actually think Fredi needs to quit making excuses for guys and start calling some of them out. He’s too nice of a guy, and we know what happens to nice guys. They might not finish last, but they do finish out of the playoffs.
fan
September 29th, 2011
12:58 pm
Last night on TV, Simpson and Caray used a word to describe the Phillies: “relentless”
That is one word that could never be used to describe this Braves club. No heart, terrible BA with RISP, terrible strategies like relying on HR’s to score instead of ABC baseball.
Rests with the manager…I like Fredi and hope he is successful, but he needs to do some self-assessment and evaluating the performance of his staff.
If most of us performed as poorly at our jobs as these guys, we would be joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Maine Conman
September 29th, 2011
12:58 pm
following this team from a distance, could someone tell me how many (or how few) 1-2-3 innings Venters and Kimbrel had since mid-August? Maybe it was the introduction of Minor and Beachy into the rotation and they agreed among themselves it was either strikeout or walk for every batter. I haven’t read through all the comments but I haven’t noticed any questions about the pitching coach and the inability to convey the concept of pitch efficiency to these brilliant young arms.
Ted
September 29th, 2011
12:58 pm
And, right, Wren has not shown, by Lowe, by Fredi, and also by Uggla (based on the bucks paid with no performance incentives) he does not know wtf he is doing.
Bill Gullion
September 29th, 2011
12:58 pm
There’s nothing wrong with the players on the field. It’s the goals of present management. They seem to be satisfied with divisional titles. Take down those pennants at Turner Field. Leave up the ones that count . .. National League and World Series Championships. Divisional championships mean nothing! Aim higher. Ask yourself this question. Is the organizaton good enough to win it all. If it isn’t make some changes!
Dennis Reynolds
September 29th, 2011
12:59 pm
Bourn-
“Yeah, its a little upsetting that Pence was traded to a winner while I was traded to….well. This place.”
long time reader, first time poster
September 29th, 2011
12:59 pm
Enter your comments here
willie g hates liberty media
September 29th, 2011
12:59 pm
well i made my last money against atlanta last night , its to bad the barves need to get rid of heyward trade him to marlins for mike stanton, they were stupid management was not to get hunter pence , that is once again john scherholtz fault, frank wren is stupid he never won in baltimore he will never win in atlanta , but the braves need to put chipper part time , get rid of lowe, stick him with kamakani, in the minors, tim hudson has always been the ace in atlanta , he always will be, trade jurrgens he gets hurt to much , trade brian mccann and get the saltamoonna back from texas, mcann failed miserably in september, get rid of nate mcclouth, jason scafer you traded , what fools in atlanta , jose constanza was yr SPARK, and freddie was to stupid to mot see it through, fire larry parrish, find chris chambliss and hire him or jeff bagwell as hitting coach, or ron cey, or stsve garvey, to teach these idiots, how to bunt, sacrifice, and hit singles instead of going for hr all the time, and finally somebody needs to go to GET RID OF LIBERTY MEDIA, PERIOD, HIRE ARTHUR BLANK OR MARK CUBAN AS THE OWNERS THE BRAVE FANS THAT BUY THE TICKETS DESERVE A WINNER NOT THIS TEAM THEY ARE A BUNCH OF RICH NOT GOOD TALENT PLAYERS THAT SHOULD ALL BE IN MINORS.
long time reader, first time poster
September 29th, 2011
12:59 pm
See, it shows now that Braves season is over maybe I can quit drinking every night
Jerry
September 29th, 2011
1:00 pm
Some good points Jeff.
To: Braves front office
CC: Frank Wren
The Braves style is good arm/heroic bat. This will never win it all (okay maybe once). Buy more offense. You know what makes a pitcher great – intimidation and confidence. You know what makes a great pitcher – a four run lead.
God hates Atlanta
September 29th, 2011
1:00 pm
I have been predicting this collapse for the last few weeks and it finally came to fruition. The Braves gave up an 8 1/2 game wild card lead and are now getting ready to hit the links on the golf course. Who is to blame for this monumental choke?
1. Fredi Gonzalez. Looking like a deer in headlights all season long, our fearful leader seems like just that. Bring back Bobby! At least that old dinosaur still had some blood pumping through those veins.
2. Offense. Our offense this season was well….offensive! 29 sac flies this year. Inability to score from third with less than 2 out. The list goes on forever. Fire f&%@ing Parrish.
3. God. Maybe God hates Atlanta. With all that traffic and crime, who’s to say it wasn’t a divine act from above? Just saying.
4. Everything else. This is just a combo of it all. Bad pitching. No hitting. No emotion.
Somebody, and if it has to be me, fine, needs to step in and light a fire under these “professional” assclowns asses!
See you next year
BOB
September 29th, 2011
1:02 pm
What pissed me off about Fredi was during his ESPN interview last night he was Smiling during the whole interview like think God this season is over.
count_schemula
September 29th, 2011
1:03 pm
Winnipeg Braves, Winnipeg Hawks, Winnipeg Falcons – make it happen.
juan
September 29th, 2011
1:03 pm
Jeff: Once upon a time, I somewhat enjoyed your articles. That day has passed. You are not just an idiot, you are a full blown buffoon. To lay this at the feet of Fredi Gonzalez is lunacy. This is professional baseball, not some high school sport where the manager or coach should be required to “fire up” his players. The blame (as you and some so-called fans dare to call it) falls squarely on the shoulders of those who did not perform (whether as a result of injury, lack of talent, youth or failure to rise to the occasion). We are not born with some divine right that our teams must always win. Sometimes, other teams just happen to perform better. Thanks and Good Bye.
Dennis Reynolds
September 29th, 2011
1:04 pm
Ive been trying to get this nickname rolling for a while but it hasn’t caught on for some reason. I, for one, think its great.
Wait for it…..
Fredi Gonzsuckass.
Really? Nobody else likes that?
hawesg
September 29th, 2011
1:05 pm
ARGH.
Heyward had a .375 OBP in September. He is OK. Fredi is a Frediot.
Jordan Jefferson's Aunt
September 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
Lets review:
The Braves had a decent season, except for lately when the pressure was on and they choked miserably because of highly paid players who refuse to hit, and a manager who was handed the keys to a nice car and eventually turned it into an unreliable clunker.
The attendance was bad this season, and will only get lots worse if Mr Excitement aka Fredi G is retained.
The Braves are a tired looking team.
Sons of Rick Matula
September 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
Players play and the Braves didn’t show up. The Cardinals scored 25 runs in three games in Houston … the Braves could scratch together 6 in three games with the Phillies. 7 runs in their last five … over almost 50 innings! Dreadful collapse.
But I’d still let Freddy go.
Will
September 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
For all you Schulzie haters-get over it. He is 100% on target. Yes the players have some resposibility for the collapse because they weren’t doing what they needed to do but then it falls on the manager to do what he has to do regardless of who. I blame Freddi mostly because he listened to many of you yahoo’s and shifted the lineup around so often that chemistry was impossible. He should have set the lineup and allowed the players to produce accordingly. He certainly didn’t have a clue as to when a pitcher needed to be removed or not be removed. If you think keeping Lowe in the regular rotation was a plus then you are idiots as well. Lowe shouldn’t have pitched the game against Philly on Tuesday. He didn’t deserve to pitch the way he had been going. Whether or not it would have resulted in a win is debatable but Lowe should have sat on bench. He should have removed Linebrink with runners on 1st and 3rd with two out in 13th because he always has trouble when runners reach third. Sometimes, during the season he would remove pitchers earlier than necessary and utilize the bullpen which caused the bullpen to become tired and ineffective. Yes injuries played a significant role but other teams seemed to manage through their injuries and are playing in the playoffs. Freddi needs to take charge and learn to manage what he has.
NWFBRAVE
September 29th, 2011
1:07 pm
The Braves just do not have enough good bats in the lineup to be the best team in baseball. We have shown all year long that we do not have the ability to hit the ball in situations where we have runners on base or in scoring position. We have all witnessed this team FAIL to hit time after time, after time, after time, after time. Yes we have some good young arms on our pitching staff. And yes, we have some good young talent playing various other positions. But the Atlanta Braves need to totally re-evaluate where this team is in the building process. Pitching is very important, yes. But hitting is of equal import. Our team batting average is one of the worst I have ever seen this team have. Management’s job is to make sure we have a better hitting team than our competition. Management has failed in this area miserably. If I were manager, I would set a batting average of .250 as the absolute minimum qualification for a player to stay an active player on my roster. If someone dropped below that mark, he would either sit the bench or swap places with a minor leaguer who has a higher average. I don’t care how much money they are guaranteed on their contract. And regarding contracts, I would have a clause in EVERY contract, that if a position player’s average fell below .250, his contracted salary would be reduced by 25% until such time that he brought the batting average back up above .250. I believe this would get the attention of EVERY position player and make him work hard to perfect his hitting skills. This team needs to be run more like a business versus a “friendship club” where nobody is held accountable for bad play. Pitchers must, likewise, be held accountable. If I were manager, and a pitcher’s ERA rose above 4.0, the same type of penalties would be enforced. He would swap places with a qualified pitcher in AAA and take a 25% pay cut until such time that he brings the ERA back down below 4.0. We have minor league players who are chomping at the bit to get playing time in the big leagues. I think it only fair to give more of them a chance when opportunities present themselves by way of a big leaguer’s failure. It is the only fair and prudent way to operate a team like a business. I am sick and tired of players signing these multi-million dollar contracts and then not being held accountable. Derek Lowe is earning $15 M per year and the team has to pay the price for his failures because he is not being held accountable. Other players like Jason Heyward, Alex Gonzalez, Martin Prado, Scott Linebrink, etc. who continue to underachieve in either batting or pitching should also be held accountable. Manager, Fredi Gonzalez would also be held accountable and be judged on his wins and losses and whether the Braves make the playoffs, or not. His salary ought to be directly tied to the team’s success. How else can you establish any sense of accountability without having salaries tied to either individual or team sucess or failure. There is no other way. It simply must be done. Or else, the Atlanta Braves will continue to be a mediocre and underachieving baseball franchise in Major Leage Baseball.
59bulldawg
September 29th, 2011
1:08 pm
If this is not a “blame it on Fredi” hatchet job, I don’t know what is. Fredi was never my choice to be manager but with that said what can you do when nobody hits and half your starting rotation is injured? I mean the man tried changing the lineup and even benched Heyward the “golden child.” He pitched a number of the younger arms . . . and they gained some much needed experience . . . but, by and large, it’s still a bit early for them at the big league level. The only thing for which I can possibly fault the man is his seemingly undying belief that Derek Lowe was going to pitch like the pitcher he used to be. He benched Heyward and he should have benched Lowe. But overall the fault for the collapse has to be on the players themselves. They quit trying to catch Philly and thought they were too far ahead in the wild card chase to worry about being caught. And then the injuries to the pitching staff. I don’t know if it’s a conditioning thing or what but I do think they should bring back Leo Mazzone and his Camp Leo because I don’t remember this many injuries to the pitching staff when he was here. Look I loved the Bravos when they were losing a 100 games a year back in the 70s and I loved them when they were winning all the time. I not exactly jacked about this collapse but they’re my team and I’ll be pulling for them again next year . . . hopefully with a few changes in personnel.
count_schemula
September 29th, 2011
1:08 pm
Thank God for the Red Sox keeping the heat off the Braves. Though the Braves don’t generate much heat anyhow. They just moved their first round collapse to the regular season, which saves me some money on playoff tickets and improves my health by lowering my stress levels.
Home School Drop Out
September 29th, 2011
1:08 pm
Bobby Valentine was on ESPN yesturday.
He said THE BRAVES DO NOT WANT TO WIN!
He was Spot on.
LAC
September 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
“freddi” is NOT a Major League manager, Maybe AA at best.
This clown needs to go and NEVER return, HE IS the Main reason for this and frank wren, who is another don waddell, needs to go too ASAP !
shmoe
September 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
Jeff Schultz,
This is your best column ever. Although, I would have loved it if you took it one step further and admitted, Fredi needs to go. The dude failed to fire up his team in any meaningful fashion for the whole month.
But Atlanta Braves are not an organization known to react that way towards front office/manager types. But they should…if you are the guy at the top when something historic like this happens, you need to be purged. That’s why you are the manager. His in game managerial skills are even worse than Bobby’s. He has no clue to what the strength of his players are, nor does he have any foresight. He lacks in the testicular fortitude department.
Fire him, Fire Parrish, start over from the top. TP was fine as hitting coach. At least the hitters had a reasonable approach last season.
willie g hates liberty media
September 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
ih yes in macon ga today everyone within a 100 mile radius will get to hear the unprofessional BILLSHANKS, rant and rave about the braves, he will cuss, and do what his show does best is talk crap for 3 hours, well today is throw them under the bus so i throw the billshanks and the braves , uga, hawks, falcons , gt, and eveyone else under the bus because sports teams in the state of georgia sux period , and russ and skip, georgia tech has played no one so, there 4 and 0 is a miracle , so since i am barred from bills show because i cussed on his show i will do it here, BILL SHANKS STAY AWAY FROM THE BRAVES YOU HAVE JINXED THEM AGAIN. .
wes
September 29th, 2011
1:09 pm
This collapse can be blamed on John Schuerholz bad trades last decade first sending Adam Wainwright to the cardinals for JD Drew. if we still had wainwright there would be no need to sign a washed up pitcher named Derek Lowe. Second the Mark Texeria trade. The braves need to stop trading away good players and not signing the return players to long term deals. Quarter of our lineup is in Texas. the braves could have been in the world series instead of them. it must be an urgency to sign bourn to a longterm deal this offseason.
SR
September 29th, 2011
1:10 pm
You nailed it in this story and two things can be equally true- it is on Gonzalez, he got nothing out of this team when it mattered most AND every player on this 25 man roster failed miserably at one point or another during this epic collapse. Chemistry on this team stinks, no one, absolutely no one hits with men in scoring position and/or with 2 outs. Sphincters tightened like a Grip-Tite on a bolt.
Gumby
September 29th, 2011
1:11 pm
It’s on the players, not the coaches. The players and coaches know that. Fans don’t know and scream that if their team didn’t win then by God something is wrong and somebody has to pay/be blamed. It’s a game.
These are human beings not the personal gladiators of the fans, so get over it. This is why they play the games. I agree this is/was a good team. Last years was too but this one was better. I had more fun watching last year and this one than I have in a long time.
I wish the Braves well in the off season and look forward to next year
Dennis Reynolds
September 29th, 2011
1:11 pm
I wonder if Brian Wilson is regretting making his beard his legacy yet. He has nothing left to do now. Whats he going to do, mustache? Fu Manchu? He’s going to flame out socially and professionally as quickly as he caught on.