Bradley’s Buzz: Not much spring love for new-look Braves
The Bravos’ bandwagon? It’s not yet rolling
Not for the first time, I’m in the distinct minority. I believe the undefeated Braves will win 88 more games and the wild card. Almost nobody else does.
This is the time of year when the big Web sites poll their experts, and the raw data isn’t promising for the local nine. Of ESPN.com’s 21 baseball analysts, only two see the Braves making the playoffs. Of SI.com’s 13 baseball pundits, not one does. (Though, intriguingly enough, three different Braves are tabbed as rookie of the year — Jordan Schafer, Tommy Hanson and the 33-year-old Kenshin Kawakami.) Of CBSsports.com’s four baseball analysts, two have the Braves finishing third in the NL East and two have them fourth.
As for power rankings: Sporting News Today puts the Braves 15th among the 30 big-league clubs; USA Today has them 14th, and ESPN has them 11th. But Jayson Stark of ESPN does call the Braves “the best team nobody is talking about,” and Stan McNeal of Sporting News Today does endorse Bobby Cox for manager of the year.
Oh, and in the first (but surely not the last) Buzz invocation of Facebook, I should note that esteemed former colleague Gerry Fraley, who now corresponds for only the finest publications, posted this on FB at 3:59 p.m. Friday: “Best team in Florida this spring: Atlanta.”
Michael Dwayne Vick in (another) legal fix
It has gotten so bad for the former No. 7 that he can’t even go broke properly. Lester Munson of ESPN.com calls Judge Frank Santoro’s rejection of Vick’s reorganization plan a “serious” setback, and Munson believes Santoro “was not impressed with Vick’s story of true remorse.” And if Vick and his lawyers couldn’t sway a judge, Munson asks, how will they persuade NFL commissioner Roger Goodell?
More draft! More draft!
Writing for CBSsports.com, Clark Judge analyzes the Falcons and sees a need for starting defensive linemen and linebackers. This would seem to dovetail with last week’s Buzz, which addressed the possibility of Atlanta drafting the Missouri DT Evander (Ziggy) Hood. But in his latest mock draft, Don Banks of SI.com has the Falcons picking tight end Brandon Pettigrew.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.More Banks: He has Matthew Stafford going No. 4 overall to Seattle, and he doesn’t have either Knowshon Moreno or Michael Johnson going in Round 1. (Me, I think Knowshon’s a Round 1 lock. But maybe that’s just me.)
Les Miles and the English language (Part 3)
Nobody in the world — not Salman Rushdie, not Philip Roth, not John Ashbery — uses adverbs with the flair of the LSU coach. For most football men, a bon mot is saying, “We’ll have to watch the tape.” Not for our Leslie. In an interview with Matt Crossman of Sporting News Today, Miles breaks out another beauty. Ready?
Miles: “The new staff that was hired on the defensive side has really been bringing in what responsibly has to be a new approach.”
And even when Linguistic Les eschews the adverbial, he remains a threat: “To be frank, any loss is a miserable event. The opportunity to minimize that experience is what we’re all about.”
In “Up on Cripple Creek,” the Band’s Levon Helm sings of his paramour Bessie and her feeling about the humorist/vocalist Spike Jones: “She said, ‘I can’t take the way he sings, but I love to hear him talk.’ ”
I have no idea if Les Miles can sing — actually, I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if he’s another Perry Como — but I do love hearing the man talk.
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138 comments Add your comment
Getaway
April 6th, 2009
7:17 am
The national media rarely has any valuable insight. They boldly predict the Yankees or the Red Sox. How many saw Tampa Bay coming out last year?
FalconUGAFan
April 6th, 2009
7:24 am
Hmm, they may take notice of the Braves after last night. Long season, though…
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
7:25 am
Only 161 more games to go, from what I understand.
matt_T
April 6th, 2009
8:23 am
I’d rather sneak up on people than fall flat on our face after being picked for the World Series by Jayson Stark, and Peter Gammons.
Leland
April 6th, 2009
9:03 am
Dear Mr. MB–it’s not true that some people can’t predict the future. Most of them can’t, even when they know what they’re talking about. Your pal, Leland
NC Braves Fan
April 6th, 2009
9:15 am
Hopefully last night is a positive sign of things to come. That opening night ESPN game against the Nationals last year was a brutal loss, and it seemed to set the stage for what unfolded thereafter.
Maybe last night is a sign that the baseball gods will be a little kinder to the Braves this year.
Dr. Warren
April 6th, 2009
9:18 am
Adverbs are rarely needed in good writing. Let me rephrase: Good writing requires few adverbs. Go Braves…quickly?? competently??
MatthewH
April 6th, 2009
9:23 am
This is why I waste time at work reading this blog-The Braves, NFL Draft, college football and a reference for The Band. Where else can I get that?
dap01
April 6th, 2009
9:33 am
Does ESPN really think that all of America is interested in the teams from the Northeast? There are other teams other than Boston and NY.
Left to Right
April 6th, 2009
9:34 am
Mea culpa regarding your column on Anthony Grant (Damon Evans Hire Anthony Grant Now) a couple of weeks ago. I believed there would be a a number of well-known coaches who would be interested in the possibilities of Georgia basketball and the large amount of money Damon Evans was willing to spend. But I underestimated the amount of damage that has been done to the Georgia basketball brand by Adams and Dooley. As it turns out, there was not the level of interest I anticipated. But I do believe Fox can be successful at Georgia. As David Ching of the Athens Banner Herald points out, Fox has had 5 players he coached reach the NBA. He has also won as much as Grant did at VCU (and please don’t tell me the Colonial is a tougher conference-one fluke run by George Mason does not a conference make). It will be interesting to see how well they both do over the next 4 years.
Wildcard
April 6th, 2009
9:36 am
Cewtainly!
Blindog
April 6th, 2009
9:36 am
The Braves looked good last, man, it feels good watching the Braves again.I don’t like Johnson batting lead off,MARK,what would your opening day line-up look like?
Dennis C. Brown
April 6th, 2009
9:42 am
Give the young Turks a chance and we might be pleasantly surprised. Last night was a thrill for those of use thirsty for signs of the past. McCann, Escobar and Kelly are legit, Francouer and Kotchman need to come through, and pitching a question as always. But Lowe sure looked awesome last night and while Gonzalez made it frightingly interesting, he came through, Schafer’s home run opened my eyes, and Jones – well he’s Chipper. Looked as good as ever last night. Hopefully we can get a 100 good games out of him this year. My Brave’s enthusiasm has them a legit contender and fighting for the division title this year and overall, certainly higher than the middle of the pack that the so-called “experts” pick them to finish.
Ryno
April 6th, 2009
9:44 am
Go Braves Go!
Mark – so far, so good on your call for an MVP award for Brian McCann.
Although, I was more pleased to see that Chipper seems to be close to 100%. Nice hits last night from him.
Do you have any idea how Garrett Anderson is fitting in with the team? He seems to be a quiet, no-nonsense guy, like the rest of the Braves. I hope he adds some great veteren chemistry in the dugout. We need more guys with World Series experience!
Little Brave
April 6th, 2009
9:44 am
Now, if they can repeat their accomplishments of the opening game in game #2 and #3, things may be brighter for our “new Braves”. Winning three of four would be NICE!!!
The_Superhoo
April 6th, 2009
9:44 am
i want Johnson leading off EVERY GAME. he’s the man for the job right now.
Little Brave
April 6th, 2009
9:46 am
Four of four against the WCs may wake up some people . . .
Reid in EAV
April 6th, 2009
9:46 am
I, for one, am complete happy and at ease with the national media ignoring the Braves. It’d only bother me if I felt that, deep down, they were onto something. And honestly, I don’t believe they do. Just in the rotation alone, we’re far better than the 72-win team of last year.
So here’s from being the surprise from outta left field. Let ‘em ignore us until after the All-Star break, or even longer. (After all, what does a preseason assessment get you? Absolutely nothing but a few short-lived bragging rights.) Fine with me, as long as we’re there in October. And I think we’re going to be.
Tech sucks
April 6th, 2009
9:46 am
Knowshon not going in the 1st round is laughable. If you voted No, you are an idiot.
Reid in EAV
April 6th, 2009
9:48 am
That should say completeLY happy… (Sorry, I write and edit for a living. It bothers me.)
marseilles mutt
April 6th, 2009
9:48 am
Judging from the few comments and, contrary to popular belief, it appears that there is hope and that at least a major portion of your readership actually have jobs.
Great win, great article and a lot of impressive potpourri for a Monday. Ought to satisfy even the most jaded of your bloggers. ( After having said that, now get ready for the MB you are and idiot routine!)
Still have to respectfully disagree with you however; I don’t think Francouer has to positively have a banner year for this team to be successful. Two reasons: Anderson and other options on the bench. I suppose the caveat would be if BC feels comfortable using them.
Great start! Too bad we are not playing today.
PS- Three to four inches of snow last night. Please have some good weather for G Day!
Reid in EAV
April 6th, 2009
9:49 am
Tech sucks, I don’t think this is the blog you’re looking for.
pat
April 6th, 2009
9:50 am
I’d prefer to stay under the radar. And somebody please kick Joe Morgan in the nuts….Evertime he opens his mouth some thing stupid comes out of it.
Bill
April 6th, 2009
9:50 am
Great job Mark. I believe the Braves will win 85-90 games if Chipper plays 135 games. If bullpen can get the job done. (my opinion closer not that great)If Frenchy can bounce back. The Braves after last three years have alot to prove.
Falcons will draft a good player because they have a GM that knows
his job.
Your 7:25= One win or good game doesn’t make a season. How true that is.
Go Braves, Falcons, Hawks, GT, UGA, and go away Paul Hewitt.
Blackberry Cobbler
April 6th, 2009
9:56 am
There is no reason for the national media to jump on a Braves bandwagon. The Braves are still a big, big question mark. A good, but not real good starting rotation, question marks in the bullpen, an aging and injury-prone Chipper Jones, and a big question mark as to whether or not Francouer will have a better year than last year. Facts are the Braves are far from playoff material. They are potentially a better team than last year but there’s no reason for the media to be in love with the 2009 edition of the Braves.
Keeper
April 6th, 2009
10:18 am
aka Mr. Bill, aka Sarah Grace’s dad (I took this screen name in pre-Facebook days when Wendy Parker was breaking AJC blog ground, though back then I’m pretty sure it was only because no one thought soccer deserved print space, rather than any strategic push to be interactive)
Anyway, my opinion is you’re being too conservative, Mark – not that I blame you after last year. But this is the year the sleeping giant awakens. The lack of national respect will only help the Braves sustain focus over 162 games, and pitching will take care of the rest. Phillies realize what life is like with a bulls-eye on their backs and can’t cope; Mets crumble because, well, they’re the Mets, regardless of talent; Florida gives it a good run, but they don’t have Bobby Cox. Meanwhile, we’re flush with pitching and have a perfect balance of veterans and fresh, eager talent – sort of like ‘91, eh? In ‘09, we reclaim the NL East as Braves property.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
10:20 am
Thanks, Bill. Hey, Leland. And Dr. Warren, you’re absolutely, positively correct about adverbs.
GeoffDawg
April 6th, 2009
10:20 am
“Les Miles is a classless jerk and I love to hear him shut up.” Must be opposite day.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
10:22 am
And Ryno, I have to admit that when McCann hit the home run in the first inning I thought, “See? He’s already the leading MVP contender.”
ssiscribe
April 6th, 2009
10:22 am
For what it’s worth — and it’s probably not worth much, because I don’t like him — but Skip Bayless on ESPN First Take just picked the Braves to win the pennant and go to the World Series, losing to the Red Sox.
He cites Lowe, Chipper, Cox, and the young talent as to why he’s going with Atlanta.
Just thought I’d share.
The Scribe abides.
–30–
bravofan
April 6th, 2009
10:24 am
Lowe was stunning 2 hits through 8 innings! Gonzo scared me at the end I kept thinking he looked very nervous but i gotta hand it to the guy he settled down and slammed the door shut. To beat the world champs forst game of the season off to a good start!!!!
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
10:30 am
Now we’ve got bloggers (meaning Left to Right) doing mea culpas — is this not the place for confessing one’s misfired predictions or what?
Of course, nobody has as much to confess on that front as I do.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
10:34 am
Thanks for the insight, Keeper. I agree about the Phils and the Fish. About the Mets, I’m not yet sure.
Brad in Jasper
April 6th, 2009
10:43 am
“Up on Cripple Creek ….. If I spring a leak….” Thanks, Mark. Now I have an earworm for the day. Go Braves! End the season NOW!!!!
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
10:50 am
That is one infectious ditty, Brad. (Me, I always try to imitate Levon’s voice, which is impossible, when I sing along.)
ND
April 6th, 2009
10:57 am
Mark, do you know what Schafer had to give up to the fan who caught his HR? They didn’t throw that one back like the did BM and JF I don’t think.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
11:06 am
I don’t know for sure, ND, but it’s usually a bat and an autograph.
WestPalmDawg
April 6th, 2009
11:28 am
Yeah, I hate thinking like this, but we could technically go 1-161. Ouch
Baba O'Riley
April 6th, 2009
11:30 am
WestPalmDawg- I live in Jupiter. S’posed to get a bit cooler here tomorrow.
spotts
April 6th, 2009
11:31 am
Go ahead and call me a wet blanket, but I hope Schafer’s night last night doesn’t give people the expectation that he’ll be like this all year. Rookies not named Albert Pujols typically struggle at the plate early on.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
11:39 am
You mean Schafer isn’t going to hit a home run every game? Send the bum down!
scott
April 6th, 2009
11:44 am
i can’t wait to see Schafer’s speed on the basepaths and in center. I hope that he quickly matures into the leadoff spot–would be nice to see the Braves become a base-stealing team . . .with Escobar, Schafer, and Kelly J et al, is it possible?
spotts
April 6th, 2009
11:51 am
no no….I know that Schafer WILL be good. I’ve just seen fans on these blogs make impulse impressions based on one game. Some people might call for his head when he hits about .250 in April and doesn’t keep his 162 HR, .667 pace.
Dr. Warren
April 6th, 2009
12:02 pm
Most certainly, a finely conceived rejoinder by the AJC wordsmith!
marseilles mutt
April 6th, 2009
12:05 pm
ssiscribe
Haven’t seen the ‘30′ sig on a column for some time. Nor have I heard someone sign off with “…and that’s the three o for tonight…”.
Good memories! Thanks.
Thomas
April 6th, 2009
12:13 pm
well peter gammons thinks very highly of us, he picked the mets to win the east and i think the Phils to win the wild card and after he said that he said do not count out the braves, theyre going to be very good this year
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
12:15 pm
Why, thanks, Doctor.
And Marseilles, I’ve been in this business since 1977 — when we were using telecopiers to transmit stories — and I’ve never put “30″ at the end of my stories. But I do remember a newscaster somewhere — in Lexington, perhaps, or maybe Cincy — signing off with “and that’s 30 and good evening.”
Charlotte Mike
April 6th, 2009
12:23 pm
Great looking game by the Bravos last night. Although obviously Schafer won’t play like that every game, you can’t underestimate what it does for a young guy’s confidence. Remember how Jeff took off after he started hot as a rookie?
I really like the Braves to take the Wild Card too, I think the Phils rotation is going to let them down. Mets take the East, but the Braves get in as the WC. Solid bullpen and three proven inning-eaters in the top of the rotation should carry them a long way. Also, I believe I have heard about a very well-regarded 1B in the Braves farm system. Does anybody know if there’s a chance he could get called up if Kotchman doesn’t step his game up? I’d give it a month or so at least before I’d consider it, but even Prado at 1st could be an improvement. He’s looked pretty lost since the minute he put on the tomahawk.
speaking of wordsmiths...
April 6th, 2009
12:23 pm
Shouldn’t the title say “NOT much spring love for the new-look Braves”?
uga_b
April 6th, 2009
12:31 pm
I love mock drafts because at the end of them everyone has taken everyone and no one is wrong. If only work could be like that.
Bubba
April 6th, 2009
12:32 pm
Thanks to Bill for mentioning what a loudmouth Joe Morgan is. What would it take to buy him out of a game and make him just SIT THERE, SHUT UP, and LISTEN? One the other hand, his broadcasting partner kept yammering about the initial success of “Logan Schaefer,” whoever he is. As soon as I’ve finished training my camel to talk, I’m taking him to ESPN. He can already spit further, (and has two more humps to his credit) than either of those guys.
1eyedJack
April 6th, 2009
12:36 pm
I do beleive that in 1991 most of the baseball pundits picked the Braves to come in dead last. Even the next year some of them still were not giving any respect. We will surprise some folks.
spotts
April 6th, 2009
12:37 pm
Charlotte Mike – If you mean Freddie Freeman as the highly regarded 1B prospect, then he’s still at least a year or two away from being ready for the majors.
Kotchman will be fine. Solid, but not spectacular. One “expert” called him boring, which I think is accurate. Great contact hitter and great defense, but he won’t continually launch bombs or blaze the basepaths.
bfred
April 6th, 2009
12:42 pm
Lowe’s performance is exactly what we were missing last year. Eight strong, then (sort of) shut the door. No long relief, no four-inning/five-pitcher slog, no two-inning save, bullpen is fresh for tomorrow.
Charlotte Mike
April 6th, 2009
12:43 pm
Thanks spotts, that’s exactly who I was thinking of. Good to know there’s the possibility of a big bat at 1B down the road, but I am certainly pulling for Casey to succeed in Atlanta. He’s struggled at the plate since he got here (not too unusual, seeing as he’s been in the AL his whole career and doesn’t know the pitchers as well), but he has played a solid 1B and is a great character guy from all accounts.
McCann for MVP!
April 6th, 2009
12:45 pm
Who gives a **** what ESPN or anyone else predicts. Seriously, how many times do they get it right? Who had the Phillies and Rays last year?
Let’s all just agree that our Braves looked really, really good last night and enjoy the prospect of 90 or so more in the W column.
Derrick Lowe is going to sell some jerseys this year!
McCann for MVP!
April 6th, 2009
12:49 pm
Forgot to downplay the Phillies and Mets. Have you seen the Mets starting rotation vs ours? Plus even if they have a great year they will choke in September. Braves win the division over the Phillies by 2 games. Mets watching at home in October.
spotts
April 6th, 2009
12:52 pm
Hopefully they’ll be able to spell Derek’s name right on those jerseys.
I agree about Morgan and Miller. I don’t understand why so many people, particularly the big sports chanels/broadcasters (ESPN, Fox, CBS, etc) have such inane and unlistenable announcers. Is there nobody in our population of 350 million who has personality AND knowledge of sports?
Fletch
April 6th, 2009
12:52 pm
Last year we would’ve lost that game in the 9th…keep it up Bravos!
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
12:56 pm
Logan Schafer? Morgan really said that?
David Granger
April 6th, 2009
1:15 pm
Great! Best thing that could happen is for the Braves to open the season WITHOUT a lot of hoopla.
Baba O'Riley
April 6th, 2009
1:29 pm
Jon Miller referred to him as Logan Shaefer many times.
Dr Henry / Augusta
April 6th, 2009
1:31 pm
I must say that even an old grouch like me enjoyed last nights game…couldn’t take jon, joe, and mr.met (stevie phillips) tho….As much as I miss Skip and Pete, Sutton sounded pretty good and I like Jim Powell…Winter is over, the braves are back, and we have this little golf tourn. here in my hometown….Have a good day guys!!!!
scott
April 6th, 2009
1:33 pm
Joe Morgan is tolerable, but boy will I miss the pairing of Skip Carey and Joe Simpson. For some reason, whether it was TV or radio, when Skip was paired with Joe they were both at their squirreliest–and I mean that in the best possible way. Hysterical together.
Baba O'Riley
April 6th, 2009
1:35 pm
Put Woody Paige on the Sunday night baseball crew. At least he would add personality to a dull broadcast
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
1:42 pm
The mute button was invented for T. McCarver, but it was perfected for J. Morgan.
Youngerthan Thatnow
April 6th, 2009
1:48 pm
Tell me what team doesn’t have question marks on this fine day. The one thing that you can say about the Braves is that they won their season opener in fine style and well, nobody else can say that right now… maybe later today, but not right now.
The only difference in the talking heads of national media fame and most all of us here on Mr. Bradley’s blog is that they all get paid for their opinions and ours are free. But opinions are like a lot of things… everybody’s got one and most of them stink!
Youngerthan Thatnow
April 6th, 2009
1:51 pm
“The mute button was invented for T. McCarver, but it was perfected for J. Morgan.”
Truer words have never been printed on this fine blog!
spotts
April 6th, 2009
1:52 pm
Wasn’t Miller the one that used to say Rafael FOUR-call?
Rabon
April 6th, 2009
1:53 pm
why is eveyone picking the mets. I do not think they even have an ok rotation. Sure the lineup is good. Texas has a good lineup also. I dont see anyone picking them.
scott
April 6th, 2009
1:53 pm
Agree that McCarver is completely intolerable.
Rhynster
April 6th, 2009
1:55 pm
National pundits are notorious for basing their trends completely on what happened last year.
As soon as a young player has a boom year, they predict they always expect the success to carry over to the next season. Adrian Beltre’s .334/48/121 season in LA, anyone?
And they’ll also predict demise for anyone having a down year. As a matter of fact, alot of “experts” are predicting Derek Jeter is in decline after last season’s down numbers. They say he’s over the hill at 33. Whatever.
Anyway, if Braves fans need an example to point to, how about the 2008 Falcons’ preseason expectations?
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
2:03 pm
Pretty good screen name you have, YoungerThanThatNow.
marseilles mutt
April 6th, 2009
2:07 pm
The greatly underrated Jim Minter was with the ‘Constitition’ when I was there. And I always suspected that what he hired me simply to prove to FB that an ex UGA lineman could actually write. (Semi-coherently, at any rate.) You were right re ‘30′ as a baseball sign- off and it was read as…” and that is the three oh mark for tonight.” to close out the games radio broadcast.
I first heard it used, I believe, by Ernie Harwell, when he did the old Atlanta Cracker ball games. Could have been Les Henrikson, I am not sure. But I was one of Mr. Hub Hubbard’s ball boys down at old Ponce de Leon Park at the time, and asked about it. They explained that it was an easy way to end a broadcast, a column or…well, most anything.
Simple really. 3-0; no runs, no hits, and no errors; ergo, the end. A lot of the old timers, myself included, used it to end a column.
The Scribe, I think, or hope, is telling his age. Glad to know there are a few more of us left. Either that or he had a good mentor.
Hope this helps, and keep up the good work!
Pal Joey
April 6th, 2009
2:09 pm
As for the Braves not getting respect from the media, why should they? They have been pretty miserable the last three years and have to earn the respect this year that they once had. Besides, to expect a bunch of self appointed “experts” on sports shows to be anything more than predictable spewers of the accepted norm is ridiculous. They have a herd mentality and read each others’ screeds in order to make themselves sound important. Concentrate on whether the Braves actually show they are a better team this year, Forget ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can hold your finger up in the wind and do as well as those overpaid puff adders. If you know the game of baseball, your opinions are probably as good as theirs and you don’t have to listen to them pat each other on the back for their sage advice.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
2:18 pm
Thanks again, Marseilles. And someday I’ll tell you about my job interview with Mr. Minter.
indybrave
April 6th, 2009
2:22 pm
Logan Schafer by John Miller and Daryl Escobar by Joe Morgan. I like those two usually but didn’t care for them last night.
Lou Brown
April 6th, 2009
2:23 pm
there is a reason that nobody else wanted to sign Garrett Anderson. we don’t have anybody on the farm that can give us 12 bombs and 50 rbi’s for 400K?
indybrave
April 6th, 2009
2:24 pm
Morgan even said he loves Daryl Escobar.
richbrave
April 6th, 2009
2:26 pm
I’m up for the wild card, but at 87 wins.
Jeff Grady
April 6th, 2009
2:39 pm
Mark, how about your predictions for 2009 re the following: Rating the sports programs nationaly: Based on your prediction for 2009 combined football, basketball, and baseball, rate top college sports programs: Give 7 bonus points for winning the NCAA Championship in Basketball (now in progress) and baseball, (not for football, since the champsionship is not won on the field); 25 points for finishing tops in the Rivals poll, 24 for 2d, on down to 1 point for finishing 25th.
example: My team, UNC: 76 points: football 12; basketball 32; baseball 32 (football, 12th place Rivals finish; basketball, 32 points for national championship; baseball, 32 points (ditto basketball)
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
2:42 pm
Jeff, if we rated my predictions using that scale, I’d be the first to ring up a 0.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
2:49 pm
But I did have three of the Final Four. So maybe I’d get a 3. (Or a 4 if you give me props for Cleveland State over WF.)
Bo Williams
April 6th, 2009
2:51 pm
Come on sports fans who think your school is best in the big three sports:
UGA predictionsfor 2009: 40 total points (FB 20, Baseball 20: fifth place finishes in those two sports; no points for basketball.
MightyQuinn
April 6th, 2009
3:03 pm
If Frenchy were to continue to hit in the same style as spring training in the regular season, i.e., high average, lots of contact, low K’s, would he not make a good 2-hole hitter? Just a thought.
David
April 6th, 2009
3:08 pm
You wrote: “but I do love hearing the man talk”. Better yet would be to avoid the passive voice and write: “but I do love to hear the man talk”.
Jack G.
April 6th, 2009
3:13 pm
If you dont win the !st one, you cant win them all.
Having said that, its a long season
Kenny Powers
April 6th, 2009
3:43 pm
Don’t worry Braves fans, if they start too slip they will call me with my 101mph heat right in the opponents eyehole!!!
35YrBravesFan
April 6th, 2009
4:18 pm
It was Jon Miller, kept calling him Logan Schafer, he did it for about a three minute string..DOH!!!!! I don’t mind the Braves under the radar, people will learn soon enough.
No jinx to the Blue unies, either!
GO BRAVES!!!
Keeper
April 6th, 2009
4:21 pm
“The mute button was invented for T. McCarver, but it was perfected for J. Morgan.”
That’s so true that I’ll echo Youngerthan Thatnow’s 1:51 call out with another round of applause. Those two are in a class by themselves, topped in all of sport by only the insufferably conceited and condescending Johnny Miller.
What makes Miller the Mope even more grating is that he’s usually right on target. Case in point: I watched maybe 10 minutes of yesterday’s Houston Open, but in the middle of that brief segment, he started analyzing how Freddie Couples’ drive on the 18th hole was going to end up in not the massive lake, not the rough or out of bounds, not just A fairway bunker, but a SPECIFIC fairway bunker that would ruin any chance for Couples to send the tournament into a playoff. He wasn’t just saying it might happen, he was calling the shot, before Freddie even took a practice swing. And the damned ball went straight into that bunker, on the exact trajectory Miller described, in a spot that Couples had no chance to recover from.
At least with Joe Morgan, he’s so far off base, so bland, so blindly insistent on making the scene revolve around his personal experience, that you can almost laugh at him in pity. Sort of like one T. Moore, come to think of it – I hit the visual “mute button” on that space years ago. (Mark, if he’s a friend, I apologize for the low blow, but the comparison hit me as I was typing this up, and I couldn’t resist the temptation.)
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
4:57 pm
I like Jon Miller, although sometimes I wonder if he’s talking down to his audience.
Rahul
April 6th, 2009
5:10 pm
Mark, I agree that the mainstream baseball media does not think very highly of the team this year. But, if you look at the people who actually know what they are talking about (Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs), the Braves have received a good bit of praise there and are expected to compete. So, you should be pleased that your prediction is in good company.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
5:17 pm
My predictions can drive down any neighborhood, Rahul. But thanks nonetheless.
Keeper
April 6th, 2009
5:19 pm
Have to laugh at my own oversight there – given the fact that Jon Miller was working the ESPN game, I should’ve made it extra clear that I was referring to NBC’s golf analyst Johnny Miller. A bit of a rabbit trail there, but the golf Miller was in full annoyance form yesterday and deserves a mute button more than Morgan and McCarver combined.
I too like Jon Miller, who is just about the opposite of a mope. Of course, I used to like him more, back when ESPN actually got excited about the Braves. They’ve gone so far in the opposite direction these days that I rarely watch baseball coverage on that network. Come to think of it, without TBS, living outside of Peachtree Network range, and with the Braves inexplicably lacking a radio presence in Charlotte, the AJC is just about my lone window into baseball anymore.
mowreck
April 6th, 2009
5:36 pm
Wild Card my Rassin Bag!! We going for the division title! And yes, I think Knowshon Moreno WILL go in the 1st round.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
5:38 pm
You know, I was wondering: Jon Miller does golf? Would he count off strokes the way he does double plays? “One … TWO!”
Bring Me the Head of Deforest Kelley
April 6th, 2009
5:40 pm
Bradley, what do you expect – for ESPN to all of a sudden crown the Braves premature champions after winning one game? Guess there’s no reason to even play the other 161 games now, huh?
I had no problem with ESPN’s coverage last night. It was brought up countless times how difficult it will be for the Phillies to repeat last year’s performance. No one is shying away from that. They also mentioned the Braves as legitimate threats to the Phillies repeating.
As a Braves fan, it was certainly exciting to see them win last night. But there are still a lot of question marks about this team that will take more than one game to answer. As fun as last night’s victory was to watch, I’m not ready to change my prediction about the division standings. Anyone who would do that after just one game is foolish.
Let’s remember what’s important here. Its about the Braves winning games. Period. Not who is picking them to finish where in the division at this point.
Mark Bradley
April 6th, 2009
5:45 pm
That’s correct, BMTHODK. The Braves were so dominant for nine innings on April 5 the rest of the season should be scrapped herewith and the team from Atlanta declared world champion. I mean, fair’s fair.
brewdawg
April 6th, 2009
6:09 pm
The UGA fan in me almost wishes the Falcons needed a RB, because it would be a big boost for the city (and the team) to get a local star like Knowshon Moreno. Obviously though, the Falcons are just fine with Michael Turner, and should be for 4 more years or so. However far Knowshon falls in the draft, there will be talk in 10 years along the lines of, “Isn’t it almost inconceivable that so many teams passed on Moreno?” and “Look at some of the players that were taken before moreno”
Youngerthan Thatnow
April 6th, 2009
6:29 pm
Thanks MB for the kudos on my screenname… which btw was taken straight from Bob the Great’s “My Back Pages” and one of my favorites from the MSG ensemble of Dylan, Petty, McGuin, Young, Clapton and the late, George Harrison. Good stuff.
I’ve just muted Morgan & Miller who are doing the Orioles/Yankees game on ESPN. I too, like Jon Miller to a degree, but as far as I’m concerned you can put Morgan & McCarver on a slow boat down the Hooch… nah, scratch that. That would mean that they would be in Georgia, which would make them and all of us extremely unhappy… not to mention the gators and catfish.
The talking heads have done the Tampa Rays exactly as they did the Braves, post ‘91. I wonder if they’ll have to win five straight division titles and a World Series before they’ll be considered anything but red headed step-children. The ‘08 Rays reminded me so much of the ‘91 Braves… somebody forgot to tell them that they weren’t supposed to win.
So, this isn’t a new situation for the Braves but oh how I would personally love to see them shut up some of these prognosticators with some seriously well played baseball. But it will again take a few more years of domination to win some of them over. Might as well get it started now!