Bloggers demand a Braves’ change, and Bennett obliges!
Never think for one moment the ol’ blog is lacking in power. On the live chat from Game 2 of the Yankee series, Jeff Bennett was a source of much conversation/consternation. I’m quoting here:
Varodrunner, 8:53 p.m.: You cannot put Bennett into that situation and expect anything different outcome – Bobby is INSANE.
Ross, 8:54: Why the FREAKING HELL is Bennett in the game??????? What is WRONG WITH COX???
Kris in NC, 8:56: Time to go watch something else. Why in the world do you bring in Bennett? Medlen was doing fine. Bennett was the same guy who came in and gave up the walk off HR to none other Nick Green on Sunday. Now he gave up a 2 run RBI to A-’roid.
Greg, 8:56: Seriously…why haven’t they demoted Bennett yet? there’s got to be SOMEONE else…
Norris, 9 p.m.: How can we put our worst pitcher in the game to pitch against AROD with the bases loaded. Bobby Cox is an absolute idiot for that move. Bennett has no business in the majors much less coming in the game in that situation. Amazing …
Mark l, 9:05: Why the hell does Jeff Bennett keep getting the ball
Ross, 9:05: Bennett – pitching from the stretch with no one on board – fat pitch – in the stands. What a miserable chump. GONE! GONE! GONE! GET RID OF HIM!!!!
Ecooper, 9:05: Why is Jeff Bennett still in the majors? He is the new Dan Kolb. He’s more than proven his incompetence and inability to pitch in the majors.
Faraway Brave, 9:06: Can we please get rid of Jeff Bennett. I’m tired of seeing him pitch like crap!
Sean, 9:09: Why is Jeff Bennett still on the team? When was the last time he pitched without giving up an earned run and/ or an inherited run. There has to be someone better in Gwinnett.
As we now know, Jeff Bennett is no longer on the active roster. He broke the little finger of his left (non-throwing) hand by punching a door Wednesday night in frustration. He’s on the disabled list. And — this is just me speculating — he might not ever pitch for the Braves again.
Ballclubs hate it when a player isn’t available, and they hate it a thousand times more when he has been rendered unavailable by doing something silly. As Bobby Cox told Dave O’Brien: “It’s good that he cares; it’s not good when you break something.”
And it isn’t as if Bennett was on track to win Fireman of the Year. By the time he heals — he’ll require surgery — the Braves could well have moved on. And I’ll say it once more:
You disappoint readers of this blog at your immediate peril.
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121 comments Add your comment
KT
June 26th, 2009
2:52 pm
Please Bobby retire after this season. PLEASE!
Eric
June 26th, 2009
2:52 pm
Jeff Bennett = Blaine Boyer. It took two years for Bobby to realize Boyer couldn’t get my three year old out and yet he led (or was near the lead) in appearances last year. Not sure why Bobby can’t let go sometimes. Alot like the KJ experiment at 2B. It’s not working. Hasn’t worked the last two years. Put Prado in and move on.
Old Blue
June 26th, 2009
2:55 pm
Bobby Cox should never again curse an umpire who has a brother that is a witch doctor.
lagnamor
June 26th, 2009
2:57 pm
I’d bet that anyone of the three would do better than what we got. 14 great years was not all Bobby’s doing but he gets credit. If who follows Cox succeeds or not depends on who they hire. You don’t have to have Mgr exp. to be successful. If you hire crap, that what u get.
Mike
June 26th, 2009
3:08 pm
Only get rid of him if you can attach Esco-error to the deal. Or just use the “Glavine option” and release them both.
Adam
June 26th, 2009
3:08 pm
I’m just saying the odds of success following a legendary manager — a guy who is mentioned in the same breath with Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel, Sparky Anderson and Tommy Lasorda — are not that great. Doesn’t matter how many buttons he pushed or not — he won. And for those of us who endured all those 100-loss seasons in the 70s and 80s — extra baseball in October was phenomenal even with only one Series title.
So the next guy coming in here will be lucky to last 2 years without a winning season. And by the looks of the Gwinnett and Mississippi clubs, help is not on the way until 2011.
If anything has exposed Cox to a degree it is the MUCH WEAKER coaching staff he now has.
Larry
June 26th, 2009
3:11 pm
Braves73,
Worry not my friend as Football Season is fast approaching and at least Mike Smith has the courage and willingness to put in the best player on a given play in order to win the game. As we know, Bobby will stick with player or choose a player at a given moment without regard for the outcome and this is why he is the worst postseason manager in the game.
Further, I’ve been buying these darn season tickets for over 20 years and the only reason I’ve continued the past few years is they are such great seats (”Hank Aaron,” behind the plate) and I keep hoping he’ll just finally retire and let someone else have a shot. However, this is it! If the Braves renew him again there will be a few more empty seats in 2010 to go along with so many others who no longer choose to waste their precious time and money for the most boring and predictable baseball management style in the game today. I mean how fun is it to watch a bunch of streaky hackers play error filled, poor fundamental baseball? I’d rather take my kids camping, hiking or to the mountains or beach during the summer than continue to fight the traffic from Turner Filed all too often in a rage!
paul
June 26th, 2009
3:30 pm
simple issue here, simply put, cox was a good man, and a solid manager of one of the best pitching staffs ever assembled… he should have had atleast 3 rings. The braves are a AAAA team that should admit it and go through the process of growing again. if we make the playoffs it won’t be because we are good, it will be because the other teams are just as bad. that is not the way to go….
simple things…..this may get me banned from the blog, but we need a fire sale…. Lowe, Vasquez, Gonzalez, Soriano, Chipper, Yunel, Kawakwangi, Anderson (is anyone else tired of seeing him loaf?) kotchman and johnson (pick up huddy’s option and plan on dealing him as well) should all be dealt to highest bidder. we could rake in some solid prospects to rebuild around, mccan, jurjens, hanson, medlen, francouer, (yes keep him…25 yrs. old he is solid and should be a solid 7 hitter. if we are counting on him being a cleanup we are stupid) mcclouth, prado, freeman, the big minor league outfielder,, my bad name escapes me… and schafer) we will be solid in 3 years…
if we accept this as our fate, get back to treating the fans the right way!!!! then they will come out and watch this team grow up and win… if we keep lying to ourselves about what kind of team we have we will all go insane.
random thoughts – anyone else think we are idiots for not playing prado everyday? I for one sure like the big firstbaseman we brought up last we week…. they said his defense was poor… we freakin crap, what is chipper’s and yunel’s? we have one of the worst left sides in major league history right now… and now that hoss can’t hit for power he is not helping.
TIME TO REBUILD BRAVES…. GET A MANAGER THAT WILL TEACH THESE GUYS HOW TO PLAY AND REBUILD!!!!!! OR YOU MAY LOSE WHAT FANBASE YOU HAVE LEFT.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
4:16 pm
I see a meeting of Bobby Cox Chowder and Marching Society has again been called to order. Let’s read the meetings of the last meeting, shall we?
“Bobby’s got to go … Fire Bobby Cox … et cetera.”
Larry
June 26th, 2009
4:33 pm
Mark,
We all know you’re a vanilla sportswriter who likes to throw soft tosses at the mention of Bobby Cox, and perhaps this has been dictated to you so the AJC can continue to collect those Braves sponsorship checks to pay you, but for goodness sakes man can’t you work on hiding this a little better! You’re sarcastic attempt above with the “Bobby Cox Chowder” comment is sophomoric at best.
Yuck! At least try not to sound like a girly man! You’re a veteran writer in a major city not writing for the Unadilla, Georgia Gazette!
Larry
June 26th, 2009
4:43 pm
Mark,
To be fair, at least you had the courage to mention yesterday, I think, that this year under Cox seemed a little different, unlike that Martha Burke loving Jeff Schultz or that silly song lyric peer of yours, DOB, who’s so perfectly politically correct with everything so he’ll keep getting invited to speak on the radio while chomping on a chocolate chip cookie during a live interview. Ask John Kincaid what I’m talking about. It was embarrassing!
Of the three vanilla flavored writers, I’ll give you credit for at least having some sprinkles in the mix!
kool$kat
June 26th, 2009
4:46 pm
Larrrryyyy….who do you hire to replace the manager that won 15 division titles????????
Nobody is available that is qualified.
Mark Bradley
June 26th, 2009
4:56 pm
Let me reiterate: We mightn’t have Mr. Bennett to kick around much longer. To a team’s way of thinking, it’s better for a guy to fail on the field than to be sidelined due to something preventable.
turkey
June 26th, 2009
4:57 pm
Looks like Bennett has come down with a bad case of Kolbitis. I wonder what Kelly Johnson has?
Einstein
June 26th, 2009
5:13 pm
Cox has been and will continue to be the problem. Also, the way MLB figures ERA for relievers skews in favor of the reliever. Bennett can come in with the bases loaded, give up a triple, and not be charged for a run. Time to change managers, attitudes, and ERA calculations…andput some fun into the Braves. Peace.
shortcircuit
June 26th, 2009
5:45 pm
My daughter and I have a running joke. she would call me when Cox put Blain Boyer in to pitch now I call her and tell her Boyer is going in when bennett is put in. I can’t tell the difference. Both are not major league pitchers.
BradInHuntsvegas
June 26th, 2009
6:03 pm
Bennett pitched decent last year, workhorse middle reliever, fewer hits than innings, but too many walks. His results so far this year were not quite so good, WHIP quite high. And granted he is not the guy you want to depend on to get a critical out. But in the modern game, the guy who CAN get the critical out can only pitch the 9th inning with a 3 run lead, so he can tally an S.
lagnamor
June 26th, 2009
6:12 pm
To reiterate maybe someone will step on Bobby’s toe, which could have been preventable and he’ll be gone…like Bennett.
Where you like it or not your #1 subject is going to be Bobby Cox. Do you believe 60% or more fans are stupid and your 40% is so smart.
softball guy
June 27th, 2009
4:02 pm
why is everyone killing Jeff Bennett?? this guy gets put in the game in the worst situations. He is always inheriting other pitchers base runners. I would probably punch something too! Look at the stats before you post some stupid joke of a comment! This guy throws 95 plus! what other middle reliever can you consistently count on to get outs?? The braves need more base runners not middle relievers!
Kevin
June 28th, 2009
7:12 am
why yes and jeff bennett best pitch to journyman Nick green who braves had let go cause Bobby cox could not stand him/Well cox Nick green is back n givin u hell now franceour tryed to break his right hand other day but he swung on and miss strike three…Kelly johnson has hemmoroids in his bat…TP and bobby cox have that maloxx movement at times..Oh wait bob horner hurt his wrist by pickin up a pizza one time must been the extra sauce on it!
The Braves' best (but mostly the worst) of 2009 | Mark Bradley
July 8th, 2009
1:18 pm
[...] little finger on his left hand by punching a door. This revelation prompted Blindog to offer this on the ol’ blog: “When I read that Jeff Bennett had broken his non-pitching hand, I thought … which [...]