Live from Braves-Phils: First place – wouldn’t it be nice?
"Got to keep those lovin' good vibrations happenin'." (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
The Braves haven’t been in first place this late in a season since Oct. 2, 2005. They’ll be in first place if they win today.
How’s that for a snappy lead?
Memorial Day at the ballyard. Phils in the house.Big crowd assembling. Traffic a mess. Clouds overhead. Beach Boys to perform afterward.
(And here I pause for a Beach Boys digression. I saw Brian Wilson perform at the Daytona 500 a few years ago, and I thought to myself: Here’s an individual who couldn’t bring himself to leave his house — the one with the sandbox in the living room — for years at a time, and now he’s standing up there in front of a couple hundred thousand other individuals.)
Chipper Jones said it Sunday: “We’d like to win two of three. When we’ve played these guys the last few years, we went in knowing we had to sweep.”
True enough. Since 2005, which ended the run of excellence, the latest the Braves have been in first was May 15, 2007. So you could say there’s something at stake today. Then again …
It’s baseball. This is Game No. 51. There will be 111 games remaining after this. You don’t clinch pennants on Memorial Day, and the Phillies, who have been hurting — Jimmy Rollins is on the disabled list and Placido Polanco has been hurt — and who haven’t been scoring (six runs in the past eight games, three in the past six). And the Braves won’t face either Roy Halladay, who just worked a perfect game, or Jamie Moyer, who’s 2-0 against the Braves this season without yielding an earned run.
In sum, you have to think the Braves have a splendid chance to win this series, which would not only put them in first place on Memorial Day but would leave them there on June 2. Which would be big news ’round here.
And I’ll be here to witness the doings, and I invite you to join me. And if Brian Wilson and Mike Love get into a fistfight afterward — Love famously thought Wilson’s shelved masterpiece “Smile” was gobbedlygook — I’ll tell you who prevails.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
513 comments Add your comment
AlabamaRamblinwreck
May 31st, 2010
4:12 pm
Avg .313 HR 6 RBI 14 Runs 29 SB 12 Andrew McCutchen #22 Center Field Pittsburgh Pirates
Wouldn’t mind adding this guy to the lineup….ideal leadoff hitter and great defense in centerfield.
Brave New World
May 31st, 2010
4:12 pm
c ya _. Try again
DARE I SAY IT ?
May 31st, 2010
4:14 pm
FROM WORST TO FIRST!!!!!!!!!
well maybe not but it brings back good memories
heywood...
May 31st, 2010
4:17 pm
mark, i got married and tripled my number of children
in one “i do”. free time is a little more scarce these days.
still reading u daily tho!
JKP
May 31st, 2010
4:25 pm
I’m not saying this is going to be the World Championship team. But, they have definitely gotten very little respect. This is why you don’t write off a team in the first quarter of a season…especially a Bobby Cox team. If they had won even 3 games during the 9 game losing streak, they would have the 2nd best record in all of Baseball right now.
This is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive baseball season in every division. 18 of 30 teams are .500 or better right now. Go Braves, and go baseball.
eddie willers
May 31st, 2010
4:29 pm
I went to the Philadelphia Inquirer to gloat and all they were talking about was something called Hockey.
p.a.u.l....l.e.n.t.z
May 31st, 2010
4:46 pm
I’ve been SUPER busy the past month so I havent had time to post here. However, I will gladly eat some crow and say that I was TOTALLY WRONG about the 2010 Braves. As much as I ripped Bobby Cox in 2009 and in April of 2010 (and rightfully so)…..I have to give him big props on whatever it was that he did to get this bunch going in May. The turnaround has simply been amazing……and a pleasure to watch.
Glaus has become Troy Glaus again, lol. Now if Chipper, McCann and Escobar can revert back to their regular selves (meaning consistent power)………then our line-up will have a chance to keep up the current pace that they have set the past month.
It’s been 2 months and McLouth hasn’t shown ANY signs of establishing any consistency at the plate. Sure, he’s had a few glimpses of excitement with the bat. However, there’s not much one can do to sugarcoat a .179 batting average 2 months into the season. If McLouth doesnt pick up the pace in the month of June, I’d suggest that the Braves call up Jordan Schafer and have him hit 8th and play center. Schafer certainly has a much better throwing arm that is better suited for center field.
I love our bullpen. The Braves have arms (along with a few capable back-ups in Triple A) to bring in who can shut a rally down.
Mark Bradley
May 31st, 2010
4:47 pm
Beach Boys just sang “Catch a Wave.” And I must note that Frank Wren is still sitting in his box, watching the concert through binoculars.
p.a.u.l....l.e.n.t.z
May 31st, 2010
4:56 pm
Mark Bradley…………..do you think that it’s too early for you to do an article plugging Frank Wren’s chances for 2010 Executive of the Year?
Mitchell
May 31st, 2010
5:20 pm
Yo, MB.
How many people stayed for the Beach Boys?
As awful as it was to see fans sitting on their hands with two outs in 9th, seemingly unaware or perhaps disinterested in the importance of the game, it’s almost worse to see people walk away from a FREE concert.
I mean, why not stick around to see a concert that you don’t even technically have to pay for?
I must say, I was very dispirited and disheartened and any other “dis” word you can think of by the supposed Braves fans in attendance today. But who the hell am I? I wasn’t even there.
Nevertheless, I’d like to think I would be on my feet making some noise there in the 9th if I was.
Seriously, we are a pathetic fan base. For the first time in five years it’s legitimately worth saying that the Braves deserve better.
Mitchell
May 31st, 2010
5:21 pm
Actually, if some of those people were in fact sitting on their hands, like literally, they’d probably have crushed them to smithereens.
What?
May 31st, 2010
5:30 pm
Dis? Calling the fans at the game pathetic and you weren’t even at the game. How did you know they were sitting on their hands? I was watching the game on the tube and it looked like almost everyone I could see was standing up for the final out.
What?
May 31st, 2010
5:32 pm
Besides, Chavez pitched the final inning and they might of have waiting to see what was going to happen before they got too revved up.