He’s Frenchy, as in benchy, and he could soon be gone

Mark – it’s hard to believe that the Braves will get much of anything since he’s now arb-eligible and already making over $3 million a year. He’s basically a non-tender-in-waiting.

What will be interesting to see is what the Braves end up doing in the OF moving forward. With Matt in RF and Garrett in LF, poor Nate will be dead by the end of August. Can’t imagine that lineup will hold for long.

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If Braves make a trade, they need to do it Pronto, before this whole road trip is lost and they’re 8 games or more out by the break.

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I hate Clemson, so I hope they do take him, so I can watch him flounder around in molasses out there. Just kidding, I don’t hate Jeff.

At this point, I dont think we need the power hitter, just a good solid average with medium pop, that knows how to drive runs in. Last night, we strung the hits together to create scoring opporutinities, but nobody was up to the task of getting a basehit. Diaz struck out with the bases loaded and 1 out. This lineup needs to be lengthened with another professional type hitter. That way we wouldn’t need to totally mortgage our pitching this year and next, or give up our big shortstop.

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I just want to say it is not only Frenchy who is strugling at the plate it is the whole damn team. What is Cox going to do bench everyone. There is not one player on the team that you want going to the plate with the game on the line. Fire TP now and maybe save season.

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I think they should wait a little longer until hopefully someone becomes desperate.

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I will tell you this. I pitched against both McCann and Francouer in high school. Francouer was the same erratic swinging, curveball chasing, wannabe superstar he is today. McCann on the other hand, wore me out, hitting the longest homerun I have ever seen off of me. McCann took a LOT of pitches and walked a LOT. The point is… some things never change. Francouer had a fluke rookie campaign and the hometown people loved it, myself included. But then came reality, and Jeff’s inablility to be humbled and make a change has left the Braves with no choice…except to make a change themselves. See ya Frenchy, you had it made and were too proud to change your ways.

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GT, who did you pitch for?

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At least if he goes back to Clemson to play safety on the football team, it will be a lot easier to hit something. The guy is a great athlete, and could be successful, but it seems like he doesn’t take to coaching very well. He has actually made Terry Pendleton look like a bad hitting coach vs. Terry making him a bad hitter. That takes a lot more effort.

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Frenchy’s just Andrew revisited. Adjust or leave.

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Wonder how he’d respond to a competent hitting coach…

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Frenchy needs to give up golf it may end up saving his swing ,he is not a pitcher(John Smoltz) stick to baseball till you retire or the majors will do it for you.

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My gut is the arbitration and $3MM salary have put the breaks on any real deal so Cox has no choice but to sit him. If a pennant race team gets an injury in the outfield, they can move him and eat about $1 million of the remaining salary for the year. I don’t see any perpetual rebuilding team, ala KC, taking him with an arbitration-protected salary (I believe you cannot get more than a 10% salary cut in arbitration).

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Too bad other than a couple of games recently he has been hitting. Everyone has bad games or bad series so what if you actually think Matt Diaz will keep going like he is going you are kidding yourself. He hasn’t had a starting job for a reason.

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Seems to me theres a problem with the hitting coach not the players. Especially when its Kelly, Jeff, and numerous other players along the way. Maybe they should fix the problem with Pendleton and keep the hitters and get them fixed up. Oh but that would make to much sense.

Oh yea and a lineup of Blanco-Prado at the top of the order was getting it done. Why is it that Blanco is now benched? Move the center fielder down in the order and play Blanco. Hes better then Anderson for sure. Play the hitters and forget about hurting feelings. The other players and especially the pitchers do not deserve what they are getting in run support.

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Joe, Norcross

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GT…let me tell you this: You did NOT pitch against McCann and Francouer in high school. That is a ridiculous statement. We both know that in fact you lack an opposable thumb on your throwing hand.

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Bobby, I disagree, I think Jeff DOES have superstar ability. But he lacks the ability to adjust his approach at the plate. And that doesn’t come with learning a new swing. It’s things like not swinging at the first pitch of a pinch hit at bat with nobody out and runners on first and second and popping out in foul territory. He is to PROUD to change bc he thinks he can hit ANYTHING and he CAN’T. There is only one person in the league that can hit all the junk Frenchy swings at and his name is Vlad Guerrero (sp?)

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Vazquez + Francine + Kotchman for Fielder + Hart

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What bothers me the most is that Frenchy seems to be more upset over his lack of playing time than the current state of his team. His remarks to DOB came off (to me, at least) as somewhat standoffish. Understanding that things sometimes translate differently in print, the whole “I’m not happy about it” bit put me off. How about “This is what’s best for the team”? When was the last time you heard the guy say “We”?

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We need a competent hitting coach, even though Frenchy is a complete lost cause TP is NOT getting the job done either.

also, why were we bunting a hitter who was 2 for 3, with 0 out, a guy on 1st base, down 2 runs in the 7th???

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You’re right bfan, Diaz hasn’t been a starter because of his defense. That’s the same reason Prado hasn’t been a starter and we’ve already been seeing it. When he was “promoted” I predicted he wouldn’t be a everyday 2B by the end of this month, but I forget when Infante’s coming back, Prado may get a week or two longer.

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If you don’t drive in runs, you better get on base, score runs, and move runners. If you don’t do those things, you better be knocking the ball over the fence and driving in runs at least. If you don’t do either then you need not be surprised/miffed when you become a part-time player.

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GT unbelievable shot. Gave up one of those myself to Bo Jackson in the day. Cleared a 100 year of oak tree, then a highway and endup hitting an apartment building. All you can do is laugh although pitching on Norcross field, you had to feel pretty safe. Its huge.

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once again mark bradley is a dueche bag!

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In the beginning, Francouer had the skill and apparently, the self motivation and determination. WHAT HAPPENED??

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Jeff Francoeur, will do better somewhere else, as for Kelly, he’s not a second baseman, nor can he hit, so it’s time he either moves to the outfield or gets out of baseball. Be patient, year in, year out be patient, going on 4 years and nothing happening, at best third or fourth place. So far a copy of last year
Bobby Cox, cares for his players, and his coach’s, what he really should be caring for, is the fans that pay his salary.
It’s ridicules to be keep blaming players after players, for not winning.
What’s needed, is to start cleaning house, beginning with the manager, and than the coaching staff.
Reprogram the players, and hope the damage by the manager won’t last long.

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We need a tennis blog. Just sayin.

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A change of scenery is sometimes the best medicine.

But please spare me all the apologists that say he has ‘extra’ pressure here because he’s the hometown guy.

He’s had more support and the extra rope BECAUSE he’s the local guy.

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gt not a chance you pitched against either of them, and if somehow you did u prob came in late in the game becuase phs was up big and francoeur had already hit 3 homeruns and then prob proceeded to take you deep

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seriously mark how have you not been fired yet, there cant be anybody that likes you

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Francoeur is never going to get any better in ATL. He MAY improve with a change of scenery but it’s played out here. Trouble is, what can you get for him? Some balls? Diaz should be platooning with both Anderson & Franceour or playing the rest of the reason in right. Jeffy can never seem to wrap his golden boy head around the fact that he is not as good as his best bud Mac. I know he’s a nice guy but frankly, he seems to be a bit of a lunkhead. Let him flail at bad pitches somewhere else. He’s done here. End of Story.

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There’s too much water under the bridge here. The best chance for Francouer to salvage his career is to go somewhere and start anew. I don’t see where arbitration eligibility would hold up a trade. What leverage is he going to have in an arbitration hearing?

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Give it a rest, for crying out loud. The manager starts playing a hot bat with a team that is struggling to score runs, that does not spell the end for a struggling player. You all are worse than a bunch of gossipy old hens.

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Other Braves who didn’t fit:

Deion Sanders – traded for Roberto Kelly (and for running his mouth)
Tim Spooneybarger – key for Marlins in the Mike Hampton deal (whined publicly after Leo hurt his widdle feewings)
Albie Lopez ($4 million mop-up man)
Danys Baez (refused a set-up role and sat out the final month of season on DL with no apparent injury)
Bob Wickman (but only after his super-powers from his inital half-season wore off)

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Maybe, The Braves need a new hitting coach.

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As annoyed as your blog yesterday made me this is redemption.

You know, I already made a big long post in DOB’s comments yesterday about the difference in Kelly’s comments/reaction to being benched, Prado’s comments about playing time, and Jeff’s comments to DOB yesterday about being benched. In short, Kelly and Prado were all about “where ever I’m needed” “I’m not doing well right now (KJ)” and “whats best for the team” … Jeff on the other hand was all “I don’t make out the lineup” “I know I can play” “I don’t like it”.

The boy just doesn’t get it. He still believes he’s The Natural and that the Braves are crazy for not giving him a “david wright type contract”. I absolutely cannot wait until he is no longer a Brave. I am certain that if anyone else would take him that day would’ve already come. At worst, we’ll have to put up with him for the rest of this season but I would be stunned if he’s back next year.

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How many excellent hitters have come to Atlanta only to get much, much, much, much worse? Maybe Bobby ought to take a close look at the staff.

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Why not try a new hitting coach. I know that Terry P. is the chosen one being the next manager. Put him in the front office and let someone else try to get the braves bats hot. One 10 run game a month and everyone is drooling all over themselves. If no changes are going to be made lets start looking toward next year. Be sellers and not pretenders.

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Francouer is all but gone. The question is: “Can Wren get anything of value in return for him?”

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It is good to give players, especially young players, a reasonable opportunity. But you make Bobby Cox’s approach seem good. It takes him longer to make obvious need adjustments than it would any good manager. How many games has he already lost this season by not going to Prado several weeks ago. How many games has he lost this season by not replacing Francoeur weeks ago. And this is nothing new; he has lost many games over many seasons because he did not make obvious moves. He won’t even adjust the batting order to take advantage of hot hitters or move down slumping hitters.

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Mark,

Questions???

You think Prado can be a productive everyday player over a long period of time? I hope your answer is yes.

We’re not going to get much for Frenchy, are we?

Diaz/Anderson in left are not horrible. You agree?

When are Chipper & McCann going to take some responsibility for letting the team down in clutch situations as often as they do?

You think Javy Lopez juiced in his great $$$ year?

Please tell me that Juan Pierre won’t be a Brave?

Kotchman seems to be flying under the ridicule radar. He’d be a decent pinch hitter & late inning defensive player, but definitely doesn’t need to be our starting 1st baseman after this season. Your thoughts on that?

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i have a life man, im not the one making up stories on an ajc blog telling everyone i struck francoeur and mcann in hish school

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Yeah, Duluth was 280 down the left line. It was a joke. Although it didn’t seem to help or hurt McCann or the Greens.

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Mark, you are so much in the tank for Cox, anyone but the die-hard Cox supporters would tell us that patience is not always a virtue especially when there is only 162 games in a season and it took Cox half a season to do what everyone eles new he should have done 2 months ago, were it not for Cox’s patients (or as I call it “stupitity”) the braves could have been in 1st place now.

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And I cannot believe that some people are so clueless they are still blaming Francants troubles on TP. Jeff is uncoachable! Either he is a complete idiot or he thinks he already knows it all! How do you people not see that?

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The payroll would have a lot of flexiblity if we proposed my trades allowing flexiblity in the offseason plus upgrading our offense. Don’t think trading Lowe and gaining William Smith and Clay Buchholz would hurt our starting rotation much.

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my 8 year old nephew has more discipline at the plate than franceour. The posterboy for daddy-ball brats everywhere. He doesn’t listen to a guy who won mvp’s. Get him on the next plane to washington or kansas city.

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Did someone just suggest we get Julio Lugo? in the words of Lloyd Christmas “ok kill him”

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Mark,
Whats your thoughts on my proposals? I know Houston loves Berkman but I also know they are building for the future. Wouldn’t they consider a Berkman for Kotchman, Johnson, and/or JoJo/francouer?

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MB he hasn’t spent every day with Rudy and plus Rudy’s technique is a total change but this guy has made a millionaire out of a bunch of guys like Derosa, Blalock et al. Can’t change a swing overnight especially in 10 sessions. The Braves are one of the worst hitting teams. You take out McCann and Jones (taught by Daddy) and it goes down dramatically) Could be the talent level but some has to rest on the coaches.

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My thoughts are get rid of Frenchy and Kelly Johnson…that will free up about 6 million……..get a regular player, keep Prado at 2nd base.

Matt Diaz is cheaper and more productive than either of the two I mentioned, and can platoon in either left or right field.

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Andre,

PF is a free agent in 2010, and he is a Boras client so he will command $20+ million/season–he is owed only $7 mil this season. However, I say we do the deal and let him walk and have Freddy Freeman take over in 2011, his scheduled ETA.

Vazquez + Kotchman + cash for PF. DO IT FW!!!

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Everyone has clamored for Frenchy to get benched or traded. I find it ironic that, now that he has been benched and the Braves have lost all three games since.

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well mark if you remember correctly jeff spent time with rudy during the offseason and then had a great spring training and started out hot at the beginning of the season so maybe its a little more tp fault than you think

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To, Too, Two. They sound the same but…

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By the way, Frenchy will be in the lineup tonight. Take it to the bank.

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joe,

esco + javy is too much for braun, especially considering we’d have to make another move for a SS unless we want to try to make a run w/ diarrhea hernandez at short. also, braun fits into milwaukee’s long term plans more than prince (unsignable) fielder, as they have an excellant first baseman in Matt Gamels who will be ready in 2011.

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ray pugh…diarrhea hernandez…lol. well, i just read about braun calling out his management and teammates, and how the GM is very upset about it…probably not enough discontent there to trade him, but i was only wishing. vazquez, francouer, kotchmann for fielder then.

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I kind of like Diaz in RF. Not saying we shouldn’t pursue another bat, but Matt is a different player since JS picked him off the scrapheap (thank you, KC). He’s got to be 20 pounds lighter and he had the depth perception problem corrected.

I think Matt’s fielding is like his hitting – occasionally really ugly, but gets the job done. Don’t forget, he’s a career .310 hitter, like Chipper, and there are only a few of those around.

And he hits righthanders. Check his splits from the first two years he was here – well over .300.

You just have to put up with him swinging at a fastball in his eyes or a slider eight feet off the plate once in a while. OK, once or twice a game.

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How did TP get the hitting coach position in the first place? He is a career .270 hitter, and that is with the MVP year included.

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Baseball needs a salary cap. Until then, it’s hard to foresee a situation where the Braves can just make a couple tweaks and launch themselves into contention.

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curtis answer my question you homo…were you number 34 at mtn park

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With the team pitching we have, The Braves should be winning more games. I dunno if there is a lack of chemistry within the club house (personally think it’s the lack of a consistent lineup)
But this team should score more runs. I’d like to see Blanco back at lead off for a couple of games (put him in RF). Move McLouth down to the 6 hole, in front of Escobar and Kotchman….try to manufacture some runs from the bottom of the order.

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Ray Pugh: esco + javy is too much for ryan braun? are you nuts? braun is one of the best hitters in the game and he’s making 455k this year because he isn’t arbitration eligible. for the salary, he and tim lincecum are the best players in baseball.

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I have very mixed feelings.

I hate to see Jeff go UNLESS we get some SUBSTANTIAL in return. And I just doubt that’s going to happen.

With exception of McCann and Chipper with occasional flashes from a few (very few) others, this team really doesn’t have the bats to compete. Further, everyone keeps applauding the pitching– to me it’s been erratic and less than stellar.

I thought the ESPN crew said it best last night… the Braves have a lot of guys that can hit singles but it takes a lot of singles strung together over the course of a ball game to win. The Braves just do not have the consistency and power offensively to win ball games.

We need BOTH– more pitching and more bats.

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joe,

braun called out mgmt. b/c of their lack of effort to locate a top-tier starter. you know any top-tier starters that may interest them?

also, getting them to take on jeffrey franchise is a pipe dream unless it’s something like this: vaz, kotch, francine, and about $6mil and cash for Fielder and Hart. Milwaukee would be stupid to do this b/c the pitching they would gain in vaz would be negated by the amount of offensive suckage they would gain by azquiring kotch and francine.

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Bravo…it’s gonna take a lot more than Jojo/Frenchy/KJ/Kotchmann to get Berkman. If the Astros wanted to build for the future, why would they take our excuses for putting dung on the baseball field?

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Frenchy is a free swinging, see it – hit it batter. Don’t know if you can change that – it’s ingrained in his nature … don’t know if you want to try to change that – you can see what happened to him last year when he tried to become a patient hitter. Can get away with it in high school and maybe even the minors but MLB pitchers are too good. Vlad might be the only one I can think of who can get away with that mentality.

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Jeff was a bit of a cry-baby when he was sent down last year (”I don’t think my attitude toward the club can ever be the same”) and now, when benched for a few games, (more or less “I’ll be good elsewhere”). Give me a break. Prima-donna. He should be thanking the Braves and Cox in particular for $3.835 Million dollars for the last 2 years when his stats say he should have been in the minor leagues. All the while batting .239 and now, .247. That’s not even talking about his OBP. Incredibly, his walks per at bat rate this year is worse than its been since 2006. Where’s the gratitude for Cox’s sticking with him? Perhaps Francoeur’s nickname should be “hot dog” instead of “Frenchy.” Man up, Hot Dog…how about making this quote, “Staight up, I have not done the job. Bobby has been loyal beyond belief. I am committing today to redouble my efforts and do whatever the heck TP tells me to do. The bottom line is that I want to win and I want the Braves to win and I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”

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ok my turn – trade Franceour for Pujols, Johnson for Chase Utley and that should solve our problems. It’s a win/win for everybody!

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oh yeah, and get rid of that bag Kawakami to SF for Lincecum.

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wawel 78 get the hell off the blog dumb a..

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Just trying to fit in Lifetime.

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Some bloggers seem to think that Wren has a majic wan that he can wave and say “ok, i’ll give you this guy who can’t hit a lick and this worthless pitcher for your all star first baseman, etc”. Braves have all the talent they need, they just need someone who is smart enough to manage it.

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Mr Stellar performance went 0-4 last night. And I saw Frenchy on base.

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guess what Bravo, I am watching the games, and here’s what I see in esco:

1) .303/.373/.420

2) $400,000

The set of numbers are his career offensive splits; for a defensive-premium position like SS, those are very, very good. the 2nd number is his 2009, an incredible bargain. you can put up w/ a bad attitude and a few mental lapses for that kind of production from a player making $400K a year.

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Don:
“How many games has he lost this season by not replacing Francoeur weeks ago.”

How many of the last three games that Jeff has not played have they won?

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Everyone knows this team needs a right handed power hitter, but I think just as big a problem is the lack of a true lead off hitter/speed. There has not been a real threat on the base paths since Furcal left.

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I’m not sure who Mr. Stellar is but the batting average for Prado and Diaz is 40 and 30 points higher than FRANCEOUR’S ONBASE PERCENTAGE. Good argument Lifetime.

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We’ll add you to the mix also bfan.

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Hey Ray, guess you need to put up with lossing then!! I love how you only qoute his offensive numbers, how many runs has he given up and how many baserunning blunders have cost us innings and runs? There’s more to the picture then just offensive stats.

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I think the braves should send Frenchy back to the minors and let him prove he is ready to come back to the majors. He has such a good arm and is a good outfielder but for some reason he cannot control what he swings at. He is not alone there. I watched the game last night on ESPN and Anderson swung at at least 4 pitches in the dirt or a foot outside. McCann does that too but not as much as Frenchy does. I think the braves should not allow him to swing at the first pitch he sees and be patient but that may be easier said than done. I hate to see him go for nothing giving the track record the braves have with trades.

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You talk of Escobar as if we’re still playing tee-ball, If he hasn’t learned the fundamentals yet then we have a problem.

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Frenchy should go to Clemson. He’ll be a two sport pro in three years.

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Steve from Dalton I was thinking the same thing. Maybe try it a little while. Ross seems to play very well when he gets a chance. Kochman has no power and with Cox batting him 8th recently shows manager has little faith in him as well. I wonder if he has any trade value? Tax man I think that the coach he likes is AAA head coach now. That may not be a bad idea and maybe he could be ready after All Star Break. If Braves are not going to trade him try to help him.

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gt im not talkin to you man

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$3.375 million dollars. The reason he’s not going anywhere. Nobody wants to take on that money in this baseball economy. That risk would be like buying into Enron.

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Lifetime Braves Fan July 7th, 2009 12:17 pm
ppaddy123 if you think that Prado and Diaz are going to stay hot you are nuts. Stellar performance got went 0-4 last night. Neither player has upside of Frenchy or KJ.

You stated Bradley was defending T.P. I assume it is in reference to Frenchy and KJ’s poor performance as this was the subject of Bradley’s Blog. I stand by my statement . If Pendleton has to take responsibility for the guys not performing…………it is reasonable that he get credit for the guys that are performing. Escobar (.297 BA .360 OBP) Prado (.317 BA .380 OBP) Diaz (.317 BA .382 OBP)

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ppaddy do you believe that Diaz is a better player than Frenchy. What solution do you have for Frenchy.

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I don’t know why everyone is picking on Frenchy! He is a nice guy and a good Christian and he just needs to get back to his old self The Natural. Give him more time!!1

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Lifetime Braves Fan July 7th, 2009 12:37 pm

Settle down Burningman ppaddy will try to make you look stupid. Oh yea I do agree with you.

Gosh LBF, I wasn’t trying to make you look stupid…………it just kinda’ happened a by itself!

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Just my 2 cents.

Frenchy is good as gone. Possibly KJ too.

I think Escobar has had is wakeup call, and Bobby has put back in his corner to straighten up and play right. KJ may get a second chance after his DL stint.

Frenchy is out of chances, and I think he will be gone by the trade deadline, possible over the allstar break if not sooner. I also think he will be a throw-in to complete a deal already in the works or one that is starting discussions. he will not be a center-piece but someone will take him with the hope of turning him around. Maybe a Vasquez-Frenchy for Dunn or for Holliday.

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who are you calling a dweeb

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Why is it that many of the Braves go elsewhere for batting instruction and help? Could it be TP’s fault and not the players? Jeff will be better off elsewhere. He needs a discipline that cant be found in the Braves organization.

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how often have you hit “refresh” over the last 20 minutes to see if anybody would respond?

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He is trying too hard because the offense all depends on him as the big hitter. Chipper has his money and is just a singles hitter.He needs a sports psychologist like Smolz had.

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Bowman blogs that Braves are rejecting all Escobar offers

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He started to go down hill when he married me.

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People that blame Pendleton for Francoeur and the Braves’ hitting woes are mo-rons. This isn’t tee ball, it’s big league baseball. All a batting coach can do is help a player prepare, they can’t take ABs for struggling players. As MB pointed out in an earlier column on TP, it’s the player’s responsibility to step up and execute when they step into the batter’s box, not the hitting coach. Our team doesn’t hit well because outside of a few players, they’re a collection of mediocre hitters. There isn’t a hitting coach on the planet that is going to get KJ and Frenchy hitting .280 so start pointing fingers at the players who swing the bats.

As far as Francouer’s eventual departure, one word: finally.

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Best thing for Frenchy is a change of scenery. If you can’t trade him, send him down.

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TP is not the problem. Chipper and McCann are much better hitters not because their father is their hitting coach now (they aren’t), but because their Dads taught them the proper APPROACH to the hitting at a young age. They are patient, cerebral hitters.

Frenchy is not. He hacks at the first pitch and never seems to be looking for anything. I’m sure TP has tried to teach him, but he hasn’t responded. He’s still got a little league approach to hitting and a hard head and thats costing him his career, not TP.

Good Luck to him wherever he lands. I hope he gets it before it’s too late. Either way, he’s a rich man who should be able to support his family for his lifetime, so it doesn’t matter that much.

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This Francouer saga is starting to border on Mark Fidrych stuff.

Very, very sad to see.

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Frenchy probably needs to go, but there are other problems with this team. Terry Pendleton is not getting the job done. This lineup cannot get a walk or a hit at crucial times. Undisciplined and sloppy at the plate. It’s also time for bobby cox to go – too much of a player’s manager. He will not get another team to the playoffs.

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Francoeur could have helpe his cause, and the Braves’, by ceasing to swing at balls out of the strike zone. He’s fully unaware of any situation–he’s up there to hack. Many times, I’ve seen him watch a couple guys get walked, then swing at the first pitch. With a man on second, he never even tried to hit behind the runner. The thing is, Cox let this go on for much too long. Braves hitters have a history of being poor situational hitters. I blame the manager. Back in the glory days, Schuerholz followed any trade with this statement. “we’ll do whatever we have to do to make our team better.” He should have dumped Cox and hired LaRussa, Leyland, Torre, etc.

They need to make Chipper the batting coach–make him the coach now.

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He is Brad Komminsk – at age 24 Komminsk ops in 300 abs was 640 and Francouer is the exact same over his last 900 abs at the age of 24 and 25 with a declining trend line. At least Komminsk improved from 23 to 24. Just to close the loop Komminsk had 360 more abs in his career of which only 5 came with the braves.

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Bravo, for every blunder he makes, he gets to a ball/makes a throw that most other SSs wouldn’t couldn’t by virtue of his superior atheleticsm. if you care to put in 5 minutes worth of research, you will see that the more sophisticated defensive metrics show that he is better than most other shortstops in baseball. appearances can be deceiving.

that’s the kind of stuff that keep you from “lossing”…

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Francouer has a terrible glove and spends more time running to the wall on missed balls… I think he just likes to look up in the bleachers at my “niece”…

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I just want to point out that Francoeur (not Francouer) is untradable, not that the Braves haven’t been trying. From Jayson Stark over at ESPN:

“Here’s how one front-office man describes the Braves’ efforts to export Jeff Francoeur: ‘They’re trying to peddle him everywhere. They’re calling people all over baseball. But nobody’s biting. Right now, he’s about as ugly as he can get offensively. He’s the kind of guy we’d think about taking a gamble on over the winter — if he gets non-tendered and you could take him for a very low base. But right now, I think they’re stuck with him.’”

Also, just for the record, it’s not a 2-year slump he’s in, Mark Bradley, it’s a 4-year slump. Despite the 29 HRs in 2006 he was gawdawful that year. 2007 was better but not acceptable when you consider that he’s a RF. You simply have to get offense out of your corner outfielders. I don’t know what “potential” some of you are talking about. Yes, he was a first round pick, but most MLB 1st round draft picks turn out to be busts and Frenchy is just another one. He just happens to have gotten more of a chance to prove that he stinks than most of those others did.

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I’d send him to AAA & do what I had to to get JF straight. I don’t think he is done. Why give him away for virtually nothing? You can always get nothing for a player. Take a look, I don’t see a real force at any postion in the OF. Diaz looks better than the other 2. CF is hitting .260 or .270 with no a lot of power. Great, that is really going to get you to the WS. Anderson is just a fill in guy. The LAST thing I want to see is a 38 or 39 year old power hitter coming to Atlanta to save us. This team has many more problems than JF & KJ. If it was just him, get the elderly power hitter. Be realistic, this is just not a Championship team until many moves are made & that may include an Ownership change. Don’t give up on JF & KJ yet.

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im number 34 youre a dueche…did u go to parkview

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1) b/c they need a top-tier starter;
2) they have plenty of offense w/ braun/cameron/hardy/hart/etc.;
3) they’d be getting a cost-controlled gold-glover for the next 1.5 seasons, + cold hard cash to balance out the books; AND
4) they have an excellent young 1st-sacker in the system named Matt Gamels who will be ready by that time (b/c PF would walk anyway once he became a free agent in 2010).

How’s that? If we lose him in 2010, we’d have Freeman ready to take over in 2011. Make the deal FW!

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What about Chipppper Jones???????? We keep that idiot and get rid of Jeff? At least he doesnt blame the fans for the teams downfall. I bet he is ready with a nice list of excuses for this year. I would be happy to see the Braves lose the rest as long as this jerk is on the team…..Smoltz, Jeff….and Chiipy stays? geez what idiots they have in the front office. Glad to say I am not a Braves fans anymore…not till they get their act together and quit blaming everyone else (ala chippy’s way) for everything

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I can’t stand to watch him at bat because its the same old garbage. He will just continue to suck until he changes his approach. I said at the beginning of the season that if he didn’t do anything this year, to get rid of him. Well, since the FIRST WEEK of the season, I have been wanting him to be sent packing. The sooner the Braves get rid of him the better.

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Bleh, you people always want someone to blame. Jeff isn’t hitting cause of Jeff. He’s had 30 hitting coaches and has go to play with one of baseball’s most consistent hitters since he got called up. It’s his own damn fault if he hasn’t figured it out yet.

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I am not “Joe” @ 1:23. Dude, your hatred for Chipper is totally unwarranted, naive, stupid, and makes no sense at all. Unless you are a fan of the stupid Mets or Phillies, that is. If so, all is forgiven and you have my sympathies.

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We’re not getting Fielder either, the Brewers are in the thick of it, it’d just be stupid to part with him right now. If they get pitching they’ll do it by trading some prospects.

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Read and weep ladies. Yes Pennsylvania walks the walk why you just talk and talk.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=436380&page=NewsPage&service=page

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Read it and weep ladies. Yes Pennsylvania walks the walk why you just talk and talk.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=436380&page=NewsPage&service=page

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Other teams figured him out. He has a hole in his swing. The other issue here is when does Atlanta finally give up on Bobby Cox. Show me where he’s outmanaged anyone. He’s been blessed with Hall of Fame talent. He rode that to 14 division titles. When he had to manage (playoffs) he lost. Now the talent is gone and he’s sub .500.

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I hear the famous San diego chicken is retirein this year maybe Jeff (who lucky underwear not help)Francouer can replace him!

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But he be fine new team better Hittin coach who will kick his ass to better swings….and are old frenchy will be a 300 hitter n 40 hr guy and 114 rbi man with cubs!

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1-The addition of Frenchy in any trade package is meaningless. He has 0 value around the bigs.

2-Frenchy hit well in spring training. Also, meaningless. Spring training stats don’t matter and have no predictive power. Do you also look at spring training standings to predict which teams will play well?

3-The 0-3 record since Frenchy got benched is meaningless. I can’t believe some of the commenters have mentioned that one. Come on.

4-In the minors, Frenchy hit (UGA 75 at 1:37 PM)? Actually, no, not really, he didn’t. He hit well in an 18-game stint the first time he came up in Rookie ball in 2002. But that’s all.

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Braves Fan,

There is only ONE big flaw with your plan to send Jeff to AAA to “figure things out”.

HE DOES NOT WANT TO GO THERE and WORK on his swing. You saw the temper tantrum he had when he was sent down last year to AA for 3 fraking games. You would have thought the world was ending. He felt “betrayed”!

You see, unlike Schafer or KJ (who still needs to be gone btw), Jeff cares more about himself and wants to START on a major league team. The worst thing is, he has convinced himself that 1. There is nothing wrong with him, and 2. He can start for other teams out there if the Braves were to release him, trade him, none tender him.

Problem is, just like experts like Stark are pointing out, NOBODY out there believes he’s worth trading for, and worth given a starter OF spot to.

Jeff is in for a rude awakening this off-season, when he’ll have to HUMBLE himself, ala Andruw Jones and work for an AL team as a 4th OF-er in hopes of saving his MLB career.

Mark,

Wren doesn’t need to BLOW UP the team. However, we are REBUILDING right now. The sheer ingnorance of most fans and their refusal to see it have blinded them and they are demanding INSTANT results.

Braves rebuilding process will not be complete without the acquisition of a LEGIT Power hitting OF-er in the off-season, and having Freeman/Schafer/Heyward/Johnson up here with the big league club in 2011 or as they each progress in their various stages of development.

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I am not the kind of “fickle” fan who advocates getting rid of a player who goes 0 for 4 three games in a row…….or if a pitcher has an ERA of 6.50 through 3 game stretch. While Chipper, McCann and Lowe have struggled recently, I have watched enough baseball in my life to know that even GOOD players are going to have a stretch where they struggle for a week, a month, or even a couple of months. Slumps of various lengths occur over the course of a 15-20 year career. I have “repeatedly” advocated that some of you guys are quick to get down on Derek Lowe and say “get rid of him and eat his contract” because he has struggled for the past month. However, despite his recent struggles, he’s still able to grind out 6 innings while not “taxing” our bullpen. Our best players have shown that they can fight through slumps and bust out of them. I’ve seen more than enough of these guys to feel confident in saying that Chipper, McCann, and Lowe will be fine.

Also, talk of trading Escobar shows a lack of baseball intelligence. So what if he is “moody” and “sulks” sometimes? This aint church. These arent “choir boys”. These are grown men from a variety of backgrounds playing baseball. It’s a manager’s job to “deal” with issue like these while getting to most out of a player. Like it or not, fair or unfair……..Yunel Escobar has the talent and PRODUCTION to warrant patience. Frank Wren knows that. Escobar isnt going anywhere. For what the Braves are paying him this year and will be paying him next year (he isnt eligible for salary arbitration until after the 2010 season), he is simply too much of a BARGAIN to give up.

Many of you were quick to bash Frank Wren for Garrett’s struggles early in the season. I got RIPPED for posting that the month of April was basically Garrett’s “Spring Training” because of his injury in March to his hamstring. Garrett isnt an every day player. However in a platoon situation with Diaz (which is why he was signed to begin with), he has shown that he can be productive……and is a real bargain for he $2 mil that Frank Wren signed him for.

Jeff Francoeur, however, has shown that he simply isnt capable of making the adjustments of being a decent Major League hitter. 16 homers in his past 889 at-bats isnt going to cut. Nor are his PALTRY 52 walks since the start of the 2008 season. The Braves cannot afford to continue giving him a chance to work out his struggles. Francoeur “may” feel like he knows what he is capable of. However his lack of production at the plate in the past year and a half shows otherwise.

The Braves have 2 choices concerning Francoeur. He either accepts a role as a defensive replacement late in games and occasional pinch hitting or pinch running role…….or……..he gets sent down to Triple A for the rest of the season. I do not see any team trading for him. At the end of the season, Francoeur will be non-tendered.

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In the 10 games he has not started, the Braves have won 3 of those. I know he isn’t hitting like they want him to, however they are winning more with him than without him.

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Last time I checked, Cox hasn’t done anything without his 3 hall of fame pitchers involved. My guess is Francoeur went to Jaramillo because Pendleton couldn’t help him. Maybe Cox is being loyal to the wrong people. Pendleton should go. Unfortunately, he’s probably going to be the next manager. Good thing the Nats are around or we’d be back to 1988 again.

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Hey…….The A Bomb…….Mark Fidrych hurt his arm or shoulder second year in spring traning, and never was the same……Frenchy doesn’t have any excuses !

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ON TED WILLIAMS:
Ted Williams said that the key to his hitting success was an ability to get “his” pitch. That ability to mentally out-guess the pitcher and Williams’ keen eyesight were major reasons for his success.

ON FRENCHY:
EVEN WHEN Frenchy is “on” a pitch, even when he’s guessed right in the count, he is, more often than a major leaguer can afford to be, not squaring the ball on his bat. It’s like going to the batting cage, knowing you’ll get a fast ball, curve ball, slider or change AND STILL not be able to square the ball on your bat more than 80% of the time.

TWO ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS, FRENCHY:
Review your VISION PLAN, Jeff and learn to THROW YOUR HANDS TO the pitch.

There’s a hitting drill that starts with two baseballs in your hands. Get in your hitting “set-up” position, then practice “throwing” the balls at a target pitch in your hitting zone. This helps you utilize your fingers and hands more as you throw the hands to the pitch. You’ll also adjust that swing plane and hit more shots to right field.

Review and practice your SIGHT PLAN and learn to throw your hands at the ball. Much success.

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don’t do that to me Chief–i would run down the street in excitement…

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Andruw Jones seeing time at 1B…LOL. –Dallas MOrning News

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chief,

did the braves trade JF for you, Chief Iblogpurecrap?

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Barks Madley…………while it would be nice to have a power hitting first baseman, it isnt like the Braves arent getting “any” production from Casey Kotchman, he is batting .272 with 3 homers and 18 doubles. If the Braves were getting “any” power from Jeff Francoeur (he is batting .247 with 5 homers and 9 doubles), then the Braves would have won more games. Replacing Kotchman with a first baseman with more power “does nothing” to address Francoeur’s lack of power. At least Kotchman will have make contact (he has 22 walks and 24 strikeouts). Also, Francoeur has had 53 more at-bats than Kotchman.

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Billy BOB– I’ll make sure i tell frenchy to read your genius hitting instructions and drills.

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BravesFan123,

Thanks, it’s free advice. Considering his lack of success with “paid” hitting coaches, I felt an obligation.

I’d like to see the guy succeed. How ’bout you?

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Maybe the Royals would overpay us for Francoeur. In my opinion they still owe us for getting Jermaine Dye for virtually nothing the day after John S made an opening for him in right field. the guy should still be our right fielder. His 20 HR and 51 RBI would be nice.

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Paul 11:55 – you are so right. There are great players on this team to build around, but the status quo rules. Bobby is god and can do no wrong – no matter how old and out of touch he might be. McGuirk thinks he walks on water and it isn’t going to change.

Unless of course, the team sells – with the Cubs going for $900 mill, maybe someone will step up to the plate here and have the kind of interest and investment in this team that can only come from local ownership – not some corporation in Colorado.

Shut it down this year, closers are at a premium and the Braves have 2 good ones. Get some AAA propects to fill the gaping holes and power vacuum of this team and start to build around the young players and dare I say this?……………………….. a new, in touch, aggressive manager with enough clout to go in and pull out the cobwebs from the clubhouse.

After all these years, can you just imagine how thick it must be in there?

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Mark, please elaborate on your reference to Bret Boone not fitting in as a Brave. What happened?

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I’d say Frank Wren is prolly just trying to find someone…anyone to take JF…

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Curtis Jones. Boone was vocal in his criticism of the coaching staff….mostly Bobby Cox for his decisions in the line-up during the ‘99 WS…..which is mostly the reason he was shipped out. Basically, he wanted to win. After going 3 for 5 in game 3 he found himself on the bench in lieu of left handed Keith Lockhart. We al know what happened after that.

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The bulk of the Braves offense stinks so while KJ and JF have their issues the lack of timely hitting and situational hitting is a team wide issue.

Some of that will invariably fall on the hitting coach.

This team needs a leadership enema is the worse way. KJ and JF are symptoms of a larger problem.

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To all you TP haters, from 2003-2008, the Braves have ranked in the top 6 in the NL in both batting avg & runs scored every year.

Does TP get all the credit for that?

Face it, we stink this year – you don’t win with a line-up that includes at least 5 players that are of questionable MLB talent. The only four that are legit big league starters: McCann, Chipper, Escobar, and……I can only come up with three (oh yeah, the pitcher).

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I don’t know what Bobby is doing the Braves win 5 in a row with Frency in the line up, he sits him and we lose three in a row. Maybe it is about time Cox got fed up with his coaches.

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francoeur + $3.5 mil for the philly phanatic

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Mark B.: “And Francoeur, who’s no fool, already seems to have one eye on the exit.”
Beg to differ with you on that one, MB. He was a total fool a couple years ago for turning down 5 years/$5 Mil or so, and the Braves are certainly happy he was a fool.

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Francoeur probably spent a day or 2 with Rudy Jaramillo. If he was the hitting coach and could work with Francoeur on a daily basis, you would probably see some results. Instead Francoeur is stuck with Moron Cox and TP. You’re not going to get much results from those two idiots.

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Frenchy seems like a great kid and I sure would like to see him do well. However, I really think he needs to take a long hard look at himself in the mirror. I am not a professional hitting coach, but it sure looks to me like, in addition to being undisciplined at the plate, he also is pulling off when he does swing (even at good pitches).I also think that ultimately Frenchy’s biggest problem is that he appears to be in a state of denial. He has played poorly for a year and a half and yet he makes comments in the offseason like “I won’t fail again” and was quoted recently after being benched as saying “I know I can play this game”. This all reminds me of the comment of Johnny Miller who said that he finally broke through and won his first tournament after he finally looked in the mirror and realized that he had been “choking like a dog” when he came close but did not win prior tournaments. I think Frenchy won’t ever improve (here or somewhere else) unless and until he recognizes that he has been failing and as Jimmy Buffett said “some people claim that there’s a (fill in the blank), but I know, it’s my own damn fault”.

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hmm i think its either boston or kansas city, dunno who though, possibly brad penny in boston and/or mark kotsay, and maybe david dejesus in kc, we shouldve gotten Zack Grienke in the offseason when we had the chance, too late now hes too good, hes their future

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francoeuristheman: “well mark if you remember correctly jeff spent time with rudy during the offseason and then had a great spring training and started out hot at the beginning of the season so maybe its a little more tp fault than you think”
Schafer had a great spring training also…so what? Not sure what you mean by “hot” cause all JF did in spring and early in the season was hit singles. Yeah, thats really hot.

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The A Bomb

July 7th, 2009
2:36 pm
There just can’t be a market out there for Francoeur — my assumption is that he will be designated for assignment very, very soon.

A sad situation because we have a guy here who has worked to try and correct what is wrong.

And if he won’t take the DFA, release him.

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Pete: “He was a total fool a couple years ago for turning down 5 years/$5 Mil or so,….”

Meant to say $25 Mil

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The struggling at the plate is only part of it. The base running errors like the one last week when Francoeur is on second and the ball is hit on the left side of the bag, he ran right into the tag. The Braves got another hit that inning that would have bought a goofy Francoeur home to score and we lost the game by one run. He has absolutely turned brain dead, and it seems it started with him getting married. Maybe for baseball McCann was a better roommate but who knows. The look on Francoeur’s face when Cox sat him down for Anderson in the 8th and Anderson jacks it was priceless too. The whole dugout is up congratulating Anderson, and Francoeur looked like he had been drugged not knowing whether to act happy or be mad because he had been yanked and it was so obviously the correct move by Bobby.

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Mark … you’re right about Bobby and his coaches. But with the exception of Glenn Hubbard, if he ran them all off tonight, would the team be better or worse? McDowell has been creditable with the pitchers; how was Leo without MG&S? Bobby overworks the pen which leads to meltdowns like Gonzalez on Saturday. I do think Pendleton is weak; it isn’t only Francoeur. No one seems to have a clue how to work counts, the same junk gets the same guys out over and over. I will give TP the fact that he has chops, he has done it on the big league level. Who are Brian Snitker and Chuddy what’s his name anyway? They must be good old bush-hogging buddies at Bobby’s ranch. I’m not saying you have hall of famers on the bench but these guys are – not to put too fine a point on it — nobodies. The team neads a shakeup, the staff needs a shakeup.

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Mark,

Is Jordan Schafer about ready for another shot?

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GT is a scorned man! At least she didn’t take your computer. Or are you at work? Just kidding. You make a very good point. Frenchy has lost it completely.

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As of late, I don’t see where Francoeur has been much worse than McCann & Chipper. I guess a 3 year slump does stand out like pink elephant though.

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“When you’re a Brave and you’ve lost Bobby Cox, you’ve lost everything”

Awesome line there Bradley, that one sentence says everything. I couldn’t have written it better.

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Mark – on the point about being released, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit. In fact, I bet Jeff would ask to be released rather than accept an option to the minors.

And for the Braves’ part, it’s not like Jeff would be sent out to “find” himself. As you rightly point out, it appears that he has – finally – played himself off the team for good.

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Enter your comments here

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If the management of any other team heard the ESPN announcers blasting Escobar for his attitude and for looking up at the official scorer’s booth and cursing them when they give him an error, and then standing around doing nothing for the next couple batters then NO ONE would even take Yunel! When announcers start noticing attitude and respect problems in players, that’s pretty bad.

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Schafer is hitting .239 since being shipped down so there is no reason to believe he is going to be back this year. Maybe the wrist has something to do with that but who knows. But i do know that Heyward is hitting .417 since being promoted to mississippi. If he tears up AA the second half of the year there is an outside shot he could be in the outfield next year with an impressive spring. I know the Braves don’t want to rush this kid but he has been getting it done at every level so far. He is without question the Braves top prospect now that Hanson is in the bigs.

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I love how ppl here say it’s because Bobby can’t manage. What a joke! The man is a genuis at managing, Jeff is just a hardheaded jerk. I’m sorry, but do you guys want the Braves of the 80’s back?? The problem is is that they gave up way too much future to try to keep the streak alive and now it is hurting us. The farm is dry for a few years and people still want to trade prospects.
I can think of a few non-productive pen guys and some regulars to trade. I don’t personally need a 30-40homer guy out there, but i would like a decent contact hitter with speed. .280 20-30homers and a few swipes and it makes for a fun game. Nate has been here a month and he already is about to pass the others in homers not counting the ones he hit in Pitt.
I know MB and DOB like Terry but he doesn’t seem to be doing good. Just wait….in about 4 yrs Chipper is going to be the best hitting coach ever!

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Mark,

Have heard announcers of late mention a Cuban “mentality” as a possible link to what some see as Esco’s poor attitude.

Any validity to this? I’ve never followed any other Cuban players, so I don’t know if this is really a culture thing, or just announcers spouting off nonsense.

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I dont know what will happen with JEFF. I do know that my family and I have enjoyed his play while he has been here. Its nice to have hometown boys on the team. He has been a ROLE MODEL for my kids and I have never heard about him having a “ho house” or fathering a child out of wedlock,or DUI’s or hanging out at the bar til 4:00am.
We will luv u Frenchy no matter what. I wear your jersey proudly and we will root for YOU every time.

AND ONE MORE THING all of these bloggers that say awful,cowardly,hurtful crap WOULD BE THE FIRST INLINE TO GET JEFFs PICTURE,AUTOGRAPH,or PAT HIM ON THE BACK.
None of you who blog crap about this kid on here could hold a candle to Francoeur.

I want to be one of JEFFs many fans to let his mom,dad,wife,and other family know that we luv,send best wishes,and hope he cotinues to play great and even better.

Personally, I hope u stay Frenchy. If not, I hope u come back w/ another team and knock the ball right down the BRAVES throat.

JEFF IS NOT THE ONLY REASON WE ARE LOSING!

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Enter your cWhofan

July 7th, 2009
10:48 am
Frenchy’s just Andrew revisited. Adjust or leave.

Are you kidding me??? ANDRUW won what 10 gold gloves here? Hit nearly 400 homers?

Andruw is a potential hall of famer on those first 10 years alone…

DO NOT put Frenchy in the conversation with AJ…he can’t carry AJ’s jock strap!!!!

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I think that Jeff may not have the mental ability to be a good major league hitter, and he does not have the pure ability to hit anything they throw. Kelly on the other hand may be a Mark DeRosa. Bobby gave up on Mark and he just kept getting better. Money will dictate if the Braves keep Kelly. But it boils down to the fact that you play you best players and Jeff and Kelly are far from that on an offence starved team.

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Frenchy, Schafer, Medlen, Brandon Jones, Kotchman, JoJo

for

DUNN, N.JOhnson, Willingham

OR

Frenchy, Kotchman, Medlen, Brandon Jones

to the Rangers for

ANdruw Jones and David Murphy

then call up Canazaries to play first base

I know how some of you feel about AJ but he has 11 hrs in 150 at bats! That is better than anything we are currentyl running out there

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The truth of the matter is, we’ve got to get some pop in our lineup and in return where do you put it, rf,lf,1st,etc…? Personally I believe Francouers defense can mask a lot of his offense, I’d love to see the Braves make a move that would bring Berkman to first. He can also play LF which could be valuable, but in order to get him here we’d must free up payroll. I’d like to see them move Lowe to the Angels for Wood and Smith. Then move Escobar to the BoSox for lugo and Buchholz. While moving Kotchman, Johnson, JoJo and Marek to the Astros for Berkman. I know lugo isn’t the primere SS that everyone is looking for but at the same time he’s servicable. And how many teams have made it to the Series with a light hitting SS? Answer is a lot. So what we gain in Berkman would mask what we have in lugo. At the same time, the Braves could look at using Wood in LF. Use either Medlen and Buchholz as the 5th starter until Hudson arrives. That would allow the Braves to also move KK next year if both Medlen and Buchholz is ready to hold down a spot.

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Frenchy’s a good kid with natural talent. I hope he can get his swing back and continue to play the game he loves.

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if we can get Frenchie an aluminum bat, he might turn the season around!!

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I’d say sign frenchy long term while the cost is low.

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Mark,
What do you think it would take for the Braves to get Adam Dunn? And if we could get him, can we afford him? And if we can afford him, where would you play him, in the outfield or at first base?

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I don’t usually question Bobby too much but, in the last few games why did he take Hansen out so soon, when the bullpen is already overworked. And last night your three hot hitters, Prado hits second, Escobar his sixth, and Diaz hits eighth. It might be just me but I think you bat those guys a little closer together. As I said thats just me.

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Will Booby stick to his guns, or will Stenchy be back out there tonight.
I’d put my money on the Frenchman being in the lineup and Booby saying his was riding the hot hand (Diaz) and nothing about Stenchy stinking it up.

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Guys – the manager ain’t the problem. Prior to this stint as the Braves manager, guess who you have to go back to to find a Braves manager with a winning percentage over .500? That’s right – Joe Torre – All Torre did was give the Braves their first divison championship in 13 years, and then finish in 2nd and 3rd place in the division (which was WAY above where they were prior to his coming along). Then, when we decided the Braves had too much “talent” to be losing that many games, we got rid of Torre and got…. Eddie Haas (.413); Bobby Wine (.390); Chuck Tanner (.424); and Russ Nixon (.376) over a course of 5 1/2 seasons. Sometimes, we need to be reminded of just how bad things can be. I’m proud to have Bobby Cox as manager of the Braves, and the man’s results have earned him the right to finish in Atlanta on his own terms. I can live with being in contention for the playoffs until late in the season – usually making it – rather than being mathmatically eliminated sometime in late July. Fans need to get real.

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Manny Acosta is pitching well. He has a 2.12 ERA. He should have been on the team from the start of the season. Let him pitch more and he will get even better with his control. He has an awesome arm.

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Ya said alot about our ‘adequate’ LFs and ‘adequate’ 1B, Mark; they are, indeed “adequate.” None of them, however, are “above” adequate, though. We have a superior catcher, an above-average 3B, SS, and adequate CF, 2B, 1B, LF (x2), and three outstanding starters to go with the enigma that IS Derek Lowe.

It’s merely “adequate.” Actually, it’s sub-.500 so I’m not even sure the assemblage IS “adequate.”

I know this… Tommy Hanson’s time is now, the Braves have Vasquez (at least now) and he’s not super-expensive but IS super-effectie, and Jair Jurrjens is a Cy Young candidate in-waiting, himself; this IS a window of oportunity, and if we don’t find some consistent offense, we’re going to lose it.

This pitching rotation is good now and if kept intact, would be next year, too, but the minor leaguers to play behind ‘em won’t be ready this or next year. Something needs to be put together, and soon.

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no way frenchy can be a bench player.. he’s one of these young guys who in little league got to hit no matter what, always got a trophy, probably didn’t even keep score..you get the picture, he’s a prima-donna and thinks he should be playing hitting in the 4 hole.

send him, schafer, medlin, and kj to washington for dunn…

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Enter your comments here

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N17317, I wish I were the Braves GM too! Thanks.

I think Anderson was a fine signing given that the Braves had Diaz. He wasn’t that expensive and he was likely to give the Braves okay production in a limited role.

Also, I think Wren’s hands were tied with Francoeur. I think the Francoeur situation became problematic when the Braves decided he was their rightfielder of the future in 2006.

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I remember seeing somewhere that JF’s best hitting stats are AB on the first pitch that are put in play. I think part of his problem is that he is taking way to much on the first pitch these days.

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same ol same ol, did you even play baseball after the age of 12? pitching and defense, pitching and defense!!!

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Wade, Francoeur’s shortcomings have been clear his whole pro career (majors and minors). I don’t think his eyesight is a problem. If it is, it’s been a problem since he entered pro ball. I believe that a huge part of plate discipline and control of the strikezone isn’t learned, and the aspects that are learned are learned long before a player is close to pro ball.

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Jeff Francoeur’s EPIC FAIL

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Mark, totally agree with you on the need for Wren to blow up this team! This team has no clear design about it, it isn’t designed for balance (speed and power), it isn’t designed for power, and it darned sure isn’t designed for speed. It has great pitching, but unlike when BC and JS designed the early successful 90’s Braves there is no solid defense to support the pitching, nor any fundamental hitting either.
This team is a collection of differing parts that together don’t make a complete competitive team.
I’ve said this for months and finally someone agrees with me. Thank you.

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Listen, Francouer is going no where, just face the cold hard facts. There’s no one out there that wants him plus if there was.. your not going to get something that’s going to turn this year around.

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The whole Braves as a team including managers needs to change.Francouer is the tip of the iceberg! Welcome to corporate baseball.

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macdwolfpack,

MB was saying he DOESNT want Wren to blow up the team, due to the foundation it has (strong pitching, a couple good pieces like B-Mac and McLouth)

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N17317 sucking on defense is just as bad as sucking on offense. Not being able to get to a ball that scores 2 runs that most outfielders get to is equal to a hitting into a double play with runners on. My point is when Francouer is out we have a weak defensive outfield. Its not like Anderson provides any power, he’s been hot of late driving in runs. Anderson and Diaz better hit because their not spectacular in the field. Okay u tell me who is a better RF than Francouer in MLB. All the games I get are on the MLB package so I get the opponents announcers every game. They all rave about Francouer’s defense. Just wait untill someone is on 2nd and the ball is hit to diaz as opposed to Francouer, u will say he ain’t no Frenchy. U can count Diaz as a big reason we lost last night also, struck out with the bases loaded and 1 out. Bottom line with him on the bench this team isn’t getting an overall upgrade. We’ve lost 3 in a row!

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End of spring training, Braves people thought we’d have this by the all-star break

Schafer CF – lefty, speed guy, can steal bases, put pressure on defenses.
Escobar 2B – contact doubles hitter, can spray ball all over field, move Schafer.
C.Jones 3B – lifetime .300 hitter, can still drive in runs
Francoeur RF – Showed signs of turning it around in spring, will get power back and be 30hr, 100rbi
McCann C – Ideal #5 hitter. Protects Francouer, has pop, can also drive in 100rbi
Anderson/Diaz LF – Decent #6, both can hit for average, interchangeable with Kotchman.
Kotchman 1B – Good contact, good defensive player.
Johnson/Prado/Infante 2B – #8 hitters than can get on base and turn the lineup over.

I would say that AT THE END OF SPRING TRAINING that’s not a bad lineup with the starting pitching. I would expect to win more series than lose with that lineup at the start of the year.

Instead…1) Francoeur fell back into bad habits and never found a power stroke. 2) Schafer hits a homer in Philly’s bandbox, then pitchers figure out how to pitch him, and about 100 K’s later, he’s back in AAA. Now, the Braves have replaced the Schafer component with the McClouth trade, but replacing the Francoeur piece is much harder, and I don’t think the Braves should get desperate at this stage when Heyward or Freeman can be that guy as soon as next year. Next year’s rotation should be Vazquez, Hanson, Jurrjens, Lowe, and Hudson/Medlen. That’s still not bad if Chipper can produce in the #3 spot another year. I would take it, and if Escobar is a clubhouse cancer, put Prado at #2 and Hernandez at the #8 spot and get something for Escobar in the offseason.

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“n reguards to Kelly, Does anyone remember that Kelly Johnson IS/WAS NOT A 2ND BASEMAN when he came up? He always played in the outfield until the Braves threw out MARCUS GILES,and DE ROSA. Kelly was put at 2nd cause the front office had nobody and did not want to PAY$$$ anyone to play there.”

– I thought KJ was moved to 2nd because he blew out his arm in the OF.

I don’t understand all of this love of DeRosa, he was a .239 utility player his last year in Atlanta. As far as Giles goes, he wanted to go home to SD to be with his brother, AND he’s not even in the game anymore. His last season? .229 in 2007… Sorry, I’d take KJ’s efforts over his.

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I like Jeff.. really like him, but he’s not hitting. I hate to see him go, but maybe it will be best for him as well.

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wawel78 nailed it. Let’s trade Francouer for Pujols. Kelly for Braun. Are you people nuts! Please! Stop talking this “we can trade” so and so for anybody that comes to mind. Maybe the Giants will take Kawakami for Lincecum. Buddy Carlyle for Josh Beckett. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you trade away a dollar don’t expect to get a five in return.

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“Okay u tell me who is a better RF than Francouer in MLB. All the games I get are on the MLB package so I get the opponents announcers every game”

It’s hype because of his “big arm”. Statistically, he’s not the best RF in MLB, maybe 10th best.

He has gotten to the point where he solely depends on his arm to make up for his lack of range.

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Bobby Cox’s overall post season record is 66-66. He has lost more post season games than any other manager in ML History. Bobby’s 1-4 WS record speaks for itself, not to mention the back to back WS losses in 1991-1992.

Not coincidently, Cox has a 1-4 record as the manager in his five all-star games.

He is a legendary players manager and just about everybody loves the man. Cox has spent the better part of the last fifty years in ML Baseball. The 14 straight years of winning his division speaks to the man’s consistency in the regular season. Five pennants and one WS title add to his Hall of Fame resume. He will be elected into Cooperstown on the first ballot. I just wish that Bobby would retire because the longer he manages, the more he tarnishes his past legacy.

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Mark – Clemson can actually use a Safety this year…

I remember a “Fanfest” day at Turner Field a few years ago when JF signed my ball. As a Clemson alum, I joked with him that he could always take the Chris Wenkie route and come back as a Safety in his mid-20’s. At the time, I was clearly joking. Now, I wonder if that’s his best option.

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For anyone who pays attention to the farm system, 2 words are the answer to the Frenchy Problem: Jason Heyward. He’ll be here by late August/early September. And he’s a beast at the plate. Take it to the bank.

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For anyone who pays attention to the farm system, 2 words are the answer to the Frenchy Problem: Jason Heyward. He’ll be here by late August/early September. And he’s a beast at the plate. Take it to the bank.

************************

He is NOT ready. We are looking at 2010 (July) at the earliest with Heyward. He is an exceptional talent but there is NOTHING to be gained by rushing him.

Most likely scenario is that Jeff’s playing time right now will be cut in half (one can hope so). No Team wants to trade for Jeff, or have him included in a trade…maybe with the exception of KC and Dayton Moore.

So the likely scenario is that Jeff is just released in the off-season and that’s the end of it. Then some team will give him a shot as a 4th outfielder with a minimum payscale contract.

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Arkansas Braves fan 3:55 PM “sucking on defense is just as bad as sucking on offense.”

I totally agree. What I’m saying is that at RF you have to have offense. Doesn’t matter if you have Willie Mays in RF, he has to hit. That’s because it’s not as important a defensive position as SS, 2B, CF, C, etc., which is why you sometimes see good-field no-hit players in those positions. You can’t have that in a corner outfield spot. Francoeur (or, as you call him, “Francouer”) is the biggest offensive black hole around.

To answer your specific question, I don’t care what the announcers say. Frenchy has a strong arm but is otherwise average. Who’s better in RF? Nelson Cruz is. So is Jayson Werth. Ichiro. Jay Bruce. Alex Rios. Justin Upton.

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how about brandon jones? wish we’d give him a little longer of a look at the show…

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After listening to Frenchy whine like a toddler, it doesn’t surprise me at all he’s such good friends with John Smoltz.

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Its about time Cox gets rid of that cocky lil pansy, he has never been a standout player, what makes u think he will ever be? So long young buck!

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Get rid of the wanna be superstar cocky lil pansy and find some good talent! Its gettting really old watching yous guys trading players right and left. So long Young Buck, go to Clemson!

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Mrs. Chanandler Bong: “After listening to Frenchy whine like a toddler, it doesn’t surprise me at all he’s such good friends with John Smoltz.”
Could not have said it better myself…great post!

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Brandon Jones has exactly 0 home runs in the minors this year. He will add exactly 0 punch to the Braves weak offense. There was a time when Brandon Jones looked like he had a future here but how can a corner outfielder hit no home runs? The only prayer we have in our farm system is waiting on heyward and freeman to get here hopefully sometime in 2010. If you look at our AAA club there is just nothing there outside of schafer and he is banged up. But at least heyward and freeman both are progressing nicely and look to be top flight major league material. I notice that the Braves have been promoting them together at each stop. Freeman tends to get overlooked but I can tell you that his numbers at high A ball were just as good as heywards.

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they should trayde COX and WREN

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N17317, Of those players u listed I would say 1 is better..Ichiro!..others may be just as good..Remember Werth kicking the ball all over the place against the Braves, Rios signed a nice deal with the Blue Jays, has a whopping .320 OBP! Jay Bruce plays in a babe ruth field, no ground to cover! My question is, if u sit Frenchy and your corner OF is Diaz and Anderson, are the Braves better? I don’t think so!

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Come on folks, lets get it together, this kid does not belong in the major leagues, we all know THAT. So Cox needs to put his size 10 boot up Frenchy’s but and get rid of him aSAP!

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N17317- If we agree that he has no trade value, why not try sending him down?
What have the Braves got to lose?

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We have had three duds in the lineup most of the year. We sent one dud to AAA, another to the bench, and the third still plays first base.
Poor Frenchy can at least make a strong throw from the outfield. Kotchman hits a soft .270. When your first baseman hits eighth with three home rums then things are really bad.

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As much as I hate to say it, 2009 is history. I did not expect to make it to the top of the East this year after last year. We are much, much better this season with McClouth, Hanson, Vasquez and even Lowe, who will turn it around. Wren got the right pieces.

I have thought and still think 2010 is the year to point to. Put Heyward in right if he can make the change from left, or put him left and let Garrett/Matt play right. Put Freeman at 1st and keep Kotchman for late defense and pinch hitting. The notion of trading for a first baseman or another outfield “bat” is ludicrous. We have the talent in our own system. No more rent-a-players.

As for Fenchy, he remiinds me of Jason Marquis: stubborn, hard-headed and a know-it-all. Marquis has travelled around and finally is settled at Colorado and won his 12th game last night. Who’d have thunk? Maybe Frenchy needs to get away from home cooking and the big-head life at home and go earn a living elsewhere.

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WK, you’re right. Sorry, I was nit picking about a tiny comment you made about Teahen. My apologies. I completely agree with you about sending him to the minors. I personally don’t think he’ll get it turned around there, or with another big league team, or in another minor league system. But might as well give it a shot. What’s the downside? Nothing.

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As much as I want the Frenchman to go, Diaz is not the answer in right field. Right now we have 2 corner outfielders that are defensive liabilities. I’m not sure Diaz can throw anybody out going from first to third on a single to right. Pendleton and McDowell should both be dismissed. Bring back Leo.

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GT, looks like you are a little BITTER because those guys are in the bigs making the dough and you are sitting around posting on the AJC blogs. Give me a break.

Get a life, loser.

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This might be the first article I’ve read by you that didn’t end with me thinking you’re a complete idiot.

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Mark, Do you believe that Kelly will be helped by the cortisone shots in his wrists and then spend a week or so in Gwinet getting his swing back and then be back on the 25 man roster? Since Prado is so versatile, I could see Prado playing multiple places in the lineup everyday and Kelly getting his ABs at 2nd. Maybe Kelly even takes a few rounds in left and right field to refresh there a bit so that when he comes in on double switches he can go back out in OF or 2B. Do you really believe that Bobby has given up on him? I hope Bobby has not. Thanks, Bruce

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Mark,
Why cant we just keep the team we have, play certain guys more and others less and see what happens. We can fix the offense in the offseason if we must but I dont what to rebuild or trade the future. I like the boys we have now we just have to do it. Sure I would like a right handed bat but there is not one we can have. No one on here can come up with a serious name. I have been through every roster there is not one we can have without giving up something you should never give up like a young cheap and good shortstop or an ace type pitcher or a top prospect(HAyward, Freeman).

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richard 5:06 PM, defense means a lot. Frenchy is about average in RF, although he has a strong arm. But he’s just historically bad at the plate. And he plays a corner outfield position: defense doesn’t mean as much there as it does at other positions (e.g. SS, 2B, CF, C, 3B) so even if Frenchy were above average defensively (he’s not) it wouldn’t make up for his unbelievably poor offense.

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Mark – DOB just wrote that Frenchy is in the lineup. Any reason given? It’s getting tough to be optimistic when they don’t seem to care about putting the best 8 out there.

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If the Phillies take Gonzo, they are a lot dumber than I give them credit for.

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Two down — KJ and Frenchy — with Kotchman looking over his shoulder (as he should). His numbers are mediocre and his production is not “adequate”. Either bring up Barbaro C. from the minor leagues and give him a month trial or pick up Adam Dunn at the trade deadline (I suspect no one else will want him and his 150+ strikeouts a year) for next to nothing (Barbaro plus the proverbial ‘player to be named’) as we would be doing the Nationals a favor by taking his salary off their hands. Then Kotchman can play the role he serves best which would be late game defensive replacement and pinch hitter.

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Pappy Happy,

Jeff Francouer had holes in his swing and big league pitchers will find those holes. Therefore its up to the batter to make adjustments something that Jeff Francouer could not do, hence he’s the worst every day outfielder in the major leagues.

Also I have to ask the Atlanta natives, Francouer was supposed to be this awesome defensive back in football but aren’t those guys supposed to be, I don’t know, fast? Because Francouer has to be one of the slowest guys in the big leagues. Brian McCann is better at stealing bases than Francoeur. Also I think Jeff has a real problem with reality. He still thinks it’s 2005 and he should be the cover boy of SI yet he hasn’t hit in two years.

I bet he wishes he took that contract extention back in 2006 like McCann did.

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Mark are the Braves able to send Frenchy down to AAA ball with his current contract and situation ?

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FIRE BRADLEY!!

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Alan, Greg Maddox did not hit his stride after being traded. He won the Cy Young award for the Cubs the year before the Braves signed him as a free agent.

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I always wondered what it would be like when the Braves were no longer a winning team. Now i know!
I am an optimist but also realize this team just doesn’t have what it takes to win this division.
My Christmas wish is for Bobby to retire and send TP to the Phillies so he can ruin their hitters!!!!

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Hey MB,
All I’m hearing from you is Adequate when referring to current players the Braves have.There’s another word that has that same meaning,mediocre!!! That’s the type ball the Braves have been playing last 4 years running.Package Frenchy,Medlen,JoJo(Oh No!)Reyes,and Johnson for Dunn and Morgan.The bats we have need protection in the lineup.Punchless Kotchman and Francouer ain’t workin out.Since Furcal,we never a leadoff hitter,enter Morgan.I’ll take my chances with that lineup.KEEP ESCOBAR….or else he’ll end up as a perennial all-star when Jeter vacates!Yankee eyes are watchin!!

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let me get this straight…..

The Braves are on a crucial losing streak during a crucial stretch of games

The Braves need a win desperately tonight

Now Zambrano is pitching

And CHIPPER is not in the lineup?????

UNREAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Frank Johnson,

You got a winning opinion,but without dangling Medlen it might be a deal-breaker.All of the afore-mentioned are having a period extended sub-par unproductivity.That’s a concern to the buyer as well.Gotta sweeten the pot.

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given my druthers, I’d keep Medlen and give ‘em Hudson or Vasquez maybe as a last resort.Vasquez is an innings eater and he keeps you in ball games,and not be be overlooked,he’s had no arm problems in his career.

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getting REAL TIRED of JOHN KINKCAID’s PHILLY fan slanted view of the Braves’ situation

it is very transparent but when he is called out on it, he denies it to the end and turns it around as the Braves fans being delusional

love 680thefan

but it is sooooo obvious he is enjoying the Braves being behind hte Phillies ad he is taking his shots

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Mark, let me ask you. Why, when I suggested a couple of months ago that Frenchy should be traded, you, and others, said things like “You cant trade him, because you wont get anything for him”. Sometimes, with a malcontent, you have to get what you can for him, and move on.

Bob Wickman is a perfect example. We get him to be our closer, in .. 06, I believe? He’s lights out the first season. Then, when Wick starts ranting about his use to Bobby, and others, he’s unconditionally released. Bobby Cox doesnt put up with garbage like that from players. While the Braves aren’t what they used to be in the standings, Mr Cox has earned that right, to be respected by his players.

While Jeff is still young, maybe it is best that we let him go. I didnt think so for a while, but, as our division and wild card hopes get slimmer and slimmer, and the Jeff problem seems to be continuing, maybe it is best that we let him go to someone else, where he can have a fresh start.

Mitch

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i knew that frenchy would get the start… damn.

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frenchy may be a good person. thats where it stops. i never bought into the hype of him being a good baseball player. can he still play football at clemson

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Who in the lineup is hitting well? What about trading Terry Pendleton along with Frenchy?

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Having said all that…agree with WK. What’s to lose by sending him to Gwinnett? He’d be upset but that’s what he needs and it would show the Braves still want him to succeed. He might pull it out.

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What do you know? Bobby hasn’t lost confidence with Jeff. He is riding the hot bats. Diaz and Anderson are swinging hot bats right now so it is smart to start them. That’s all. Bobby is actually coaching…..believe it or not!

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Too bad the Braves didn’t think Andruw was worth $1 million for a year. He’d at least bring some pop and decent defensive skills.

Who knows? He’d make almost as nice a #4 hitter as Adam Dunn I think. Their power numbers are not too different.

BUT, the Braves will never swallow their pride and admit they made a mistake.

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Whining Frenchy says he’s got to wait his turn. He’s had a pretty good turn, about 2500 big league at bats, and he’s proven he’s not a big league player. There is not one other manager in baseball other than Bobby Cox who wouldn’t have released or at least benched him a year ago. The Braves sent him down to the minors a year ago and since that time he’s been even worse than he was previously.

This ain’t Parkview High anymore. Time to face reality and waive Francouer. He’ll get a good dose of reality when he sees how little interest there is in him.

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Francoeur still seems to me as if he’s one of those guys who is far too busy thinking about the fat contract he deserves and his future Cooperstown acceptance speech … to be bothered with piddly details like realizing he’s not a very good hitter at this point.

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When we was playing ball together back in school Jeff would never get benched. Scouts come by and watched him play and thought he was strong and tall and could hit hard and play some pretty good ball as state champion and would want to sign him instead of playing football. Thats a part of whats wrong with the Braves.

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0-2 and coming up to bat . . . swings at the first pitch and pops out. Some things dont change and wont change and arent gonna change and one thing is that Jeff is gonna swang at it when they throw it to him.

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Kinda hard to figure out what I believe happened here. Francouer had a solid rookie year, and then in 2006 had a pretty good season for a young player. Wasn’t real selective, and struck out a lot…sometimes on foolish swings…but overall, a good year. 2007 was another good year…improved his average and almost doubled his walks. Still struck out a lot, and didn’t hit as many homers…but hit a lot of doubles and had just as many extra base hits as the year before. Through it all, he was a good outfielder with a strong arm…and it was an added bonus that he was a local boy. Last year was a big letdown, and I’m not sure why. I wonder if the Braves tried a little too hard to make him into something that he just simply is NOT. It’d be wonderful if he were real selective at the plate, walking 100 times and not swinging at silly pitches sometimes. But I’m not sure you can change a player around that much. Remember that year that Bobby Cox was batting Andruw Jones leadoff? How much sense did it take to know THAT wasn’t going to work? But they pestered Andruw about thinking at the plate and taking pitches…and sure enough, he had a wretched half-season. Didn’t turn around till they dropped him back to…sixth?…in the lineup, and just accepted the fact that he was exactly what he had always been: A free swinger who’s going to strike out a lot…but hit with power and knock in runs. I almost wish they had just left Francouer alone…take the good defense and strong arm….hope that the .290 average was his plateau instead of the .260…don’t worry about the homers…and just let him continue to do what got him to the major leagues..

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With all due respect, David Granger, you’re wrong. 2006 he did manage to hit 29 HRs, but that was it. He was lousy, young player or not. He had a negative VORP! That means a “replacement player” like a guy they could’ve grabbed off the AAA club would have actually helped the run production. 2007 was better – yes, it was because of a phenomenally high (read: unsustainable) BABIP, but at least he was improving. But it really wasn’t that good considering he plays RF. Corner outfielders need to produce offensively. He didn’t deserve the Gold Glove but at least he’s no liability in the field.

But even 2006-2007 on their own were no good. It’s just that 2008-2009 is even worse.

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Think about what will happen to Frenchy’s Maids if he is traded?!? Can’t put a price tag on that. How has no one on the team, much less the outfielders, hit over 10 Home Runs (McClouth’s 14 doesn’t count)? I think a lot of blame needs to be placed on THE HITTING COACH.

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OK….N17317 and everyone else…I think it’s safe to say that if Jeff’s 2008 stats matched the 2006 or 2007 years numbers, or that this year’s stats were on a pace to match either year,….then this entire dump Francoeur rage would have a different flavor…

Just for the record:
2006…..24 2B, 29 HR and 103 RBI’s
2007…..40 2B, 19 HR, and 105 RBI’s
…even with 132 and 129 K’s respectively

Should he be playing RF now….no way….
Should he be traded? …if you can get anything for him…
Shipped down to AAA….indefinitely and absolutely and let him swing and hit….everyone shut up and let him hit the baseball if he can…so if he finds 2006/2008 form he’s in RF again….

Now that isn’t too hard is it….???

Good luck Frenchy….

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Frenchy has no trade value. Best thing for the Braves to do is sit tight. The most sought after brave is Vasquez. He is too good to trade. He’d be outstanding in post season. The Braves should ride out this year and make a trade in the winter. Hopefully, Hudson will have some value.

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You know what’s going to be real funny is when guys like Benjie Molina start scoring from second on hard hit balls to right with regularity.

Say this for Kelly and Jeff, they may leave a lot of men on base but save their share of runs.

Kelly’s a terrible second baseman but good with the cut-off. Better than Yunel often times.

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ok francoueristheman,just shut up,i believe im speaking for all of us when i say just take your mancrush/obsession/homosexual relationship with jeff francouer off of the internet and take it wherever the hell the braves send him,be it gwinnett,rome or houston,new york we dont care,just shut the hell up!

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is that David Granger is right on….let Jeff get his timing and swing back in AAA if he can ….then go back to right field and do his thing…if he can do it in AAA then give him his shot…if not, well he doesn’t make it back…

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N17317 give it a break…the mad focus with fancy hybrid stats are so questionable it’s rediculous……

anyone that has watched and followed the sport over many years understand that T-E-A-M is made up of many components and stats like Jeff-Boy had in 2006/2007 gets most anyone a job in the OF…

So where would the ‘91/’92 teams stack up to these numbers…how about the ‘57/’58 teams…ever hear of guys like Wes Covington or Billy Bruton…that played with Hank Aaron?…No not many folks remember them, but ask Hank…and how they contributed…

Braves 91/92…Ron Gant…for instance in ‘91:
35 2B, 35 HR, 105 RBI….104 K….

Winning teams don’t sit around talking VORP stats…ask Don Sutton what he thinks of stats..you won’t and don’t hear Sutton, Hersheiser, Kruk, Mays and Aarong talking about those gimmicky kind of pseudo scientific hocus pocus composite nothings…

Ask guys like Larry Bowa or Billy Martin about VORP and they’d probably punch you in the kisser….

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It’s not Frenchy’s fault if he doesn’t get a lot of hits, or if he doesn’t hit a lot of home runs.

Oh, wait.

Yes it is.

Seriously, though, I want to thank Francoueristheman (hereinafter “F-man”) for an entertaining read on the blog so far. He began with a wild and semi-coherent attack on Mr. Bradley, whose theme was that Bobby Cox has lost patience with Jeff Francouer, and that said loss of patience means something when it comes to a patient man like Bobby Cox. How can someone dispute that, or even better, get angry at Mark for pointing it out?

F-man then questioned the veracity of poor GT, who related a pretty cool story about having pitched to both McCann and Francoeur in high school (which shed a lot of light about each guy’s approach to hitting). This was made all the more hilarious by another commenter corroborating GT’s story almost immediately (by mentioning Norcross before GT did).

I also enjoyed the bizarre and continuing attempts by F-man to get another commenter named Curtis to tell him where he went to high school and now college, which Curtis completely ignored. F-man, have you ever heard of Facebook? Or the college’s directory? You could just try to contact the guy privately instead of calling him out on a blog with 500-plus comments.

In the end, though, my favorite has to be the fact that F-man kept spelling “douche” wrong.

I mean, seriously, what a douche.

Keep on truckin’, F-man. As far as I’m concerned, YOU are the man. And nothing can change that, ever. Because it’s on a blog.

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Long time no see! I’m Seong-Ho,Yoon left foot on the sea right food on the land continuously until now.

Theseday I heard people of USA appreciate Barack Obama about the recovery of economy, but you have to know that, USA economy’s recovery came from the stable status of foreign exchange rate market, not from the obama’s policy.

This method of fraud made by Babylon in 1998 around, when Jesuit President Kim, Dae-Jung of southkorea was elected, and the real culprit of southkorea’s ecomomical problem was very this foreign exchange market’s unstable status and, just after exchange market’s being stable, southkorea’s ecomomy resurrected. Not by Kim,Dae Jung, but by Babylon’s play.

And after receiving confidence from people over the world by only broadcasting system, Barack Obama started to move toward Isram world,

in first tying to open the gate to Iran the last Zionic nation fighting with Babylon’s neutron resonance schuman’s ruling. In second, Obama’s ministration making retreat army from Iraq, this is good, but after losing crown to Babylon, USA army retreating and moving to Afganistan for another extermination of crown rebelling to Babylon.

Look Iraq now, Jesus Religion’s resonance schumann culture is exploding, soon Afganistan must be the same status.

And toward Russia, you have to know this fact that,
in past, always, Babylon did try to make whole to one organization, why? because they didn’t need to make so many leader of imposter who have loyalty to Babylon.

Therefore, you people over the world in first have to move dispose the evil on earth, that is, the Babylon Empire who drive neutron & resonance schumann & schuman matrix, after that, your whole effort to make world to One could have meaning.

You got it?

May the force of Messiah be with you

P.S: Isram Religion in past called by Asian people, specially by Yamato Tribe, Myung-Kyo, Bright Teaching. Myung-Kyo did repel Babylon from china land temporarily, together with Yamato Tribe.

Don’t fight with Yamato tribe(Kan tribe) Isramist over the world, they are brothers. Just alienation by Babylon’s slaves in your tribe, must be real culprit. Keep in mind!

From 2003 sep to now, nobody could help me, nobody could fight with Babylon together with me, Keep in mind! Allah is Angolmore.

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Cox needs to look in the mirror. As Harry Truman said “The buck stops here”.

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Blow it up

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“Frenchy, You’re Fired!”

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It can’t happen soon enough….. the kid can’t even advance a runner and refuses to go to the opposite field when he’s overmatched. If you don’t do the little things, you can’t play for Bobby Cox.

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Jeff should switch to cornerback and try out for the NFL

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I think it time to can COX!!!! cmon the guy only won one championship!-wish he would hit the road

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Not that I want to be a Jeff appologist or anything, but perhaps if TP was half the coach he was a player, Jeff wouldnt have to look for instruction in Texas. (By the way that Texas thing sure worked for Andruw.)

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Franceour has all the talent in the world, nothing a decent hitting coach can’t fix. TP needs to be the one gone. How many Braves players attribute their hitting ability to TP?

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I think we should make Mark, David and Joe Simson dress out so we can make fun of them on blog.. How negative a group to support a group of youg baseball players. Get Lost.

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Here’s the problem sending Francouer to the minors. The minor league pitchers are going see him at the plate and think “Here’s Mr. Three Million Bucks. I’m going blow a fast ball right buy him and make him look stupid.” Jeff gets fast balls, bangs them around and out of the park, and everyone says “Look, Jeff has it together – he’s hitting .350 in the minors”. Then he gets back to the majors with the same problems he left with.

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I have read many times that the Braves were offended when Francouer went to Jaramillo for hitting advise. How long did he listen and try the Braves hitting advise before he tried the Texas batting coach? Judging the Braves hitting success perhaps other people’s advice might be helpful.

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It’s not too late for Frenchy to pull a Chris Weinke.

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Can u say Brad Komminsk? Another infamous so called “can’t miss star mid-80’s” who had similarities with Francouer.Both have holes in their swings that big league players exploit,and thir inability to hit the breaking pitch.

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His swing seems like a deep upper-cut. It is almost like a golf swing. Man, he swings extra-extra hard and violent too. I like Frenchy, but he has to shrink his zone a bit. He is a pull-hitter with a big zone.

Whatever he learned in Texas wore-off a little…Cox or T.P. would not stop, or alter any successful teaching from his new coach (even though it may have stunned them). Blaming them seems like emotional nonsense from sentimental locals.

The Rays OF, Pat Burrell seems very similar to Jeff, and he struggled early on.

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