When I think splat, I think of June 2006, or just about any June the Braves played in the 70s and 80s.

Our Braves went 11-15, June met the Braves full steam and they went SPPPLLLAAAAT!

Right in the middle of the train tracks. AS in road kill.

But the huge mistake now is leaving McLouth at leadoff. He has 14 homers overall, tops on the club. WHY is he not hitting cleanup? Move Prado to the top, insert Escobar in the 2 hole. Keep Chipper at 3, then go with B-Mac and McLouth in the 4-5 spots (either way). Anderson No. 6, Kotchman 7, Diaz/Frenchy 8.

You’re probably not going to get anybody better that isn’t rent-a-rich just like Tex. Anderson is 100 years old, so you never know when he might go down (I think Chipper is the same age). Diaz seems to be competent in left, and I still think Frenchy can turn things around in his career given the right guidance. There’s nobody in Gwinnett to bring up, and there’s nobody you’re gonna get who is any less of a risk. Don’t forget that this guy was hitting near .300 and driving in 100 a couple of years ago. I don’t know, but maybe TP is doing something wrong.

All that said, this exact team can win the NL East. Make the World Series? Depends on the pitching, which is awesome — even without Tim Hudson. Just don’t blow this thing up because it’s maybe a player or two (or just a better current player or two) from being very good.

I emailed Tom Verducci and asked him if Dale Murphy and Fred McGriff now have legitimate shots, because their numbers suddenly look very good again, like the numbers of many players who came before them who’re in the HOF.

He said he was always a Murphy backer, but that he believes that yes, guys like Murphy are now going to get a more fair shot from the writers because all of these 400 to 500 home run hitters the last 15 years are all suspect in some form or another.

I mean, we wouldn’t think Ken Griffey Junior would have ever taken PEDs, because he’s so talented, but then again, we would have said the same thing about A-Rod, too.

And Griffey has seen his career derailed by a ton of injuries involving ligaments and muscle tears… signs of PED usage.

So while this whole era is bad… it could be okay for the guys like Dale Murphy or Fred McGriff, who did things the right way.

But in this day and age, what we believe and what is true are not always the same thing.

I would have NEVER have thought Manny did PEDs.

He doesn’t have the “look” of someone doing PEDs.

There are the slam dunk, no duh guys: Bonds, Clemons, Anderson, Palmiero, Sosa, MacGwire.

Guys who suddenly got great who were average, guys who were very good and their career fell apart due to injury, and guys who got better the older they got.

And then there are the “huh?” guys, like “they did PEDs… why?” guys. A-Rod. Manny. And throw in some guys who’re suddenly bad this year like David Ortiz as a maybe on that pile.

The thing is… we’ll never know.

Guys who were good and suddenly aren’t anymore… stuff like that is going to invite unfortunate questions.

And the thing is, because no one besides Canseco has come forward to name names, EVERYONE is going to be painted with a broad brush when it comes to PEDs.

The mythic locker room silence is going to doom a whole generation of players.

Cox has made all the hard choices, and the results are more than a few benched former starters. It is painful medicine finally administered. Perhaps with this, the Braves might win this thing (as you said by default). Any other division in baseball and the Braves would be playing for pride.