Archive for the ‘Braves / MLB’ Category

Brian McCann's solo homer in second inning jump-started the Braves' offense. (AP photo)

(UPDATED: 10 p.m.)

In his first six full major league seasons, Brian McCann has played in six All-Star games, won an All-Star game MVP, won five Silver Slugger awards, accumulated more home runs, RBIs, extra-base hits and game-winning hits than any catcher in baseball, won a lot of games, smiled a lot, never caused a riff and has proved to be so genuine and honest that he probably wouldn’t know a magic muscle-inflating pill if one did a backflip into his morning Cocoa Puffs.

“He puts up numbers, and he did it even when other guys were taking performance-enhancers,” Braves teammate David Ross said. “He’s more like, ‘How many Advil should I take?’ I can’t corrupt him. He won’t even drink a Red Bull. I want to punch him.”

All of which makes you wonder how it could be that the Braves and McCann may part ways at some point in the near future.

The Braves are off to a good start. …

Continue reading McCann shows a spark, but will Braves give him new deal? »

Michael Bourn was doubled off first to end the Braves' loss to Philadelphia. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Once the confetti finally settled in the aftermath of the Braves’ four-hour, 11-inning, 28-run, 36-hit, is-that-really-Tim-Hudson-grabbing-a-bat marathon win over Philadelphia the night before, the Braves were left with one painful truth Thursday: The Phillies still own them.

This doesn’t mean the Braves won’t reach the postseason this year. It doesn’t even mean they can’t win the National League East Division. But Philadelphia didn’t leave town without reaffirming the pecking order.

We may see a blur of replays of Chipper Jones’ walk-off two-run blast that ended Game 2 of the series. We may remember the pyrotechnics of Wednesday’s 15-13 victory for several years. But it was the Phillies who bounced back to win Thursday’s game 4-0. That wrapped up yet another series win over the Braves — and ultimately, that’s really the big picture.

“Somebody said at the beginning …

Continue reading Braves’ progress won’t matter until they can beat Phillies »

Chipper Jones was mobbed by teammates after his game-winning homer (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Good morning. Did anybody go home?

I talked to a the elevator operator and few other stadium employees and they all look a little bleary-eyed. After Wednesday night’s crazy, E-ticket of a game — you know it’s special when 40-year-old Chipper Jones says it’s the greatest game he ever has been associated with — the Braves and Philadelphia have a short-turnaround today and close out their three-game series with a rare noon game at Turner Field.

Today’s game will have a lot of to live up to. The Braves won 15-13 Wednesday on Jones’ two-run, walk-off homer in the 11th inning.

To recap in Twitter-form: The Braves trailed 6-0, led 8-6, trailed 12-8, led 13-12 and were tied after nine innings. (I think that’s under 140 characters.) Braves highlights: Jones’ two-run homer, Brian McCann’s grand slam in a six-run fifth, Jason Heyward’s go-ahead, pinch-hit two-run single in the sixth, Martin Prado’s …

Continue reading LIVE: Braves try to follow wild Game 2 with win over Phils »

Chipper Jones sees something in these Braves that was absent in 2011. (Curtis Compton/AJC)

(Updated: 10:05 p.m.)

When the Braves started this season 0-4, a number of thoughts went through the minds of fans, not a single one of which was: “Do you realize that we could still go 158-4? That would be a record.”

But when the first month of the season ended Monday, the Braves were operating in relative bliss. (Well, bliss interrupted by the implausible wrecking ball of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but bliss nonetheless.) Until a 9-3 loss to the Pirates, they were 14-4 following that 0-4 hiccup, a nice place to be with the Philadelphia Phillies coming to town.

It’s not merely that the Braves suddenly found themselves winning games but that they were winning them in ways that suggested this stretch won’t be viewed as some aberration at season’s end.

That projection may seem just as knee-jerk as those who were panicking at 0-4. But consider the words of Chipper Jones …

Continue reading Loss aside, these Braves look way ahead of last season »

Greg Walker has made an impression on Jason Heyward and Braves. (Jason Getz)

After watching the Braves score 55 runs on 78 hits in the last eight games, there is a tendency to jump to rash conclusions, like: 1) How did Greg Walker get away from Mensa and; 2) Is Larry Parrish giving out the wrong change on the New Jersey turnpike?

So just a little perspective: It won’t always be this good. But Walker, the Braves’ new hitting coach by way of the Chicago White Sox, clearly has made an impression on players and it’s showing up in the numbers.

So I figured I would spend this morning’s blog on Walker. Let’s call it, the TalkBlog. What follows are nothing but comments from Walker and several players, gathered after Wednesday’s 14-6 win over the New York Mets.

First, from Walker, who spent almost his entire playing career with the White Sox and later served as their hitting coach for nine seasons:

(on connecting with players) “When I left Chicago I was pretty mentally beat up. I had …

Continue reading Braves’ bats come alive — is it all about Greg Walker? »

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Henry Aaron said he knew the Braves had made the right choice with Chipper Jones. (AJC photo)

(Updated: 2 p.m.)

Enjoy this season because it will be your last look.

Enjoy watching Chipper Jones because the chance to watch a first-ballot Hall of Famer – and if he’s not enshrined in his first year of eligibility, I’m surrendering my vote – just doesn’t come around very often.

Jones isn’t the best position player in Braves’ history. That’s only because there’s a guy named Henry Aaron ahead of him. Sometimes, being in second place is an honor — especially when the guy who is in first place is bowing in your direction.

“I remember when we took Chipper in the draft,” Aaron recalled Thursday. “There were a lot of people in the organization who thought we should take that pitcher [Todd Van Poppel]. But I saw star written all over Chipper, and I put my vote in. There were quite a few people involved in that decision. I can tell you this: Some are going to say now that …

Continue reading Appreciate Chipper Jones while you still can — Aaron does »

Furman Bisher: One of few worthy of "legend" being attached to his name. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Every few weeks, the same thoughts would roll through my head:

I just had a conversation with the man who sat on the front porch sipping ice tea with Ty Cobb.

I just exchanged emails with the man who scored the only interview with “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.

The man who watched Cy Young pitch, the man who saw Joe Louis box, the man who covered the very first post-bootlegging NASCAR race — one of the few people who legitimately deserved to have the word “legend” attached to his name — just dialed my cell phone to say, “Hello, young man. I like what you wrote . . .”

I’m sad today, not just because I lost a friend and former colleague in Furman Bisher but because this is like a door to history slamming shut  for all of us.

In a few weeks, I’ll be going to Augusta for the Masters and I won’t be able to turn to my right and exchange thoughts with the man who played golf with …

Continue reading Furman Bisher: We lost a legend, I lost a friend »

For the last time, Chipper Jones is not fat. David Justice in decent shape, too. (Jason Getz/AJC)

First, an apology. Before heading down to spring training, I wrote that I would take your questions and give responses. But I kept putting it off and, before I knew it, my week at Camp Bravos was almost over. So rather than go back and answer questions on the original blog post, I figured I would just create a new one.

Below are some of your questions and my answers. If you have any other questions that you haven’t already thrown at David O’Brien, post them below and I’ll answer them as best as I can.

Overall, I liked the vibe in camp. Emotionally, the Braves don’t seem too hungover from last season’s collapse, and the best way I can describe the mood right now is cautious optimism.

But truth is, it’s really impossible to draw conclusions right now. This is spring training. Often you can’t even tell much from spring games, let alone batting practice and bullpen sessions, which is …

Continue reading My Braves’ camp wrap (and finally, your questions) »

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel has learned from his mentor, Billy Wagner. (Jason Getz/AJC)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Having just watched the final out of the final loss of the final-month bloodletting that would crush the Braves’ season, Billy Wagner – retired, but a little sick over matters himself – picked up the phone in his rural Virginia home to call one of the team’s players. He figured Craig Kimbrel would be in need of some emotional counseling.

“It was right after the game,” Wagner said. “I was just going to leave him a voice message, but I was surprised when he actually answered. I think he was still in uniform. I just reminded him of the season he had. I told him what an honor it was for him just to be there. I said, ‘You went out there and it didn’t work out. But you got the greatest gift ever. So learn from it, go back out there next year and don’t beat yourself up.’ He’ll be fine.”

The Braves start playing games again Saturday, albeit a …

Continue reading Wagner reminded Kimbrel to learn from last year’s ending »

The one-game playoff format is straight out of Bud Selig's "Baseball Commissioner For Dummies" manual. (AP photo)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – There’s no need to spend time debating whether Bud Selig is making a good decision any more. It’s more about ranking his degree of nonsensicalness.

Is it worse than leading torch-carrying villagers against former commissioner Fay Vincent (and then taking his job, of course), but probably not as bad as inexplicably preventing the New York Mets from wearing FDNY and NYPD hats on the 10th anniversary of 9/11?

Is it worse than doing nothing about performance-enhancing drug use in baseball until getting humiliated before Congress, but maybe not as lame as deciding that home-field advantage in the most important game of the season (World Series, Game 7) would be determined by the winner of a meaningless exhibition (the All-Star game)?

Where does this gem rank? Major League Baseball is on the verge of approving an expanded playoffs. Sort …

Continue reading Braves pan Bud Selig’s latest gem — a one-game playoff »