The view from Philly: First-place Braves are nothing special

Philly Schmilly

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Wow! McCann is an easy out? Why wouldn’t we feel more comfortable with our closer than they would their’s?

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I hate Phillies fans and writers! Our starting pitching is ten times better than theirs, our bullpen is 20 times better than theirs, before Utley got hurt, Prado was playing better than him. We are better at Catcher, 2nd, third (when Chipper is healthy or Infante is in there), and Right Field (before Heyward hurt his thumb). Glaus and Howard are very comparable. I hope the Phillies win the Wild Card and then we have to play them. We’ll show them who is better!

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We also have the loyalty and respect of manager Bobby Cox by the players, who want to win it all in Bobby’s last year, to send him out on a high note…

Plus I don’t see the Phillies doing things like everyone leaving the dugout after a guy hits a walk-off homerun (McCloth in April) nor give a veteran a crowd-pleasing standing ovation, like the Braves did when Chipper got the game-winning hit. Those things may lead to a division title or even the World Series title.

Tenth?!?

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This guy is a jerk-off. Braves have much better pitching. The Phils have been nothing sice they were caught stealing signs. They have cheated for the past 2 years and they suck now that they are on the same playing field as the rest of the league. I hope this fires the Braves up becasue we are much better than them.

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Mark, this just sounds like sour grapes to me. Atlanta has beaten the Phillies five of last six, so I do not think the Atl is scared of them. Even without the injuries something just doesn’t mesh with Phildelphia this year. If the hometown paper wants to spin it this way let them have it. Most Braves fans would take the division or wild card going into this year so we should battle for one or the other.

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What else is he going to say? That the Phillies are a crappy team with no chance? He’s just writing local team propaganda. The Phillies are a good team but hopefully ours is better. Like Tom Glavine said on Sunday, it’s marathon with peaks and valleys.Right now it’s ours to lose.

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ok, really? i’ll give you a push or even give the phills the slight edge w/ hamels/halladay vs. hudson/jurrjens. but ur gonna take moyer, blanton and kendrick over hanson, lowe and medlen? really? i know i know, u only need 3 starters come post season, but u gotta make it there first! wild cards r gonna b hard 2 come by w/ st. louis and cincy dominating the otherwise deplorable central division!

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There you go Bob Ford. Spin Jurrjens’ numbers like he can’t pitch.

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Well what’s the view from ATL?

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I hope the actual Phillies think like that writer thinks. If they do, they will be watching the Braves play in October.

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The Braves can’t match the Phillies starting lineup…even at second base. But I believe Hudson, right now, is every bit as good and reliable as the #1 starter for the Phils. And I will take any of the other Braves starters over any of the Phil starters….hands down. Bullpen….lights out in favor of the Braves…and I would take Wagner in one game over Lidge any day. Lidge will most likely lose the game for you. Wagner is mostly likely to strike out the side without even thinking about it. Wagner pitches with blinders on. Lidge is a head case. The Braves bench is better too. The Braves win the division in a close one…but not to the Phils….to the second place Mets….by 2 games. The Phils finish 7 back in 3rd place.

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“decent power in launching pads of AFCS and Turner Field”. He’s calling OUR PLACE a launching pad? What is their place……Williamsport?

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Bob Ford is an idiot – The Philadelphia Inquirer’s baseball writing went down hill when Jason Stark left.

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Here is a favorite quote of mine from the article:
“The Braves did make a Braves-like move recently, sending away talented, but undisciplined shortstop Yunel Escobar in favor of Alex Gonzalez, one of those quiet professionals more to the liking of their grumpy, old-school manager.”

Here is a Phillies-like move: making a great trade to get Halladay. However, sending Cliff Lee away for a pile of poo. Cliff Lee sure would look good in a Phils uniform right now.

The way I see it, I still believe the Phillies are a good team. They are dangerous. However, their pitching is crap. Halladay is a beast, that has been over worked, Moyer is a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher, Blanton is throwing batting practice, Hamels is decent and inconsistent, and Kendrick is terrible. Their bullpen stinks. Lidge has the same problems as Moyer.

Utley’s injury hurt them.

Never underestimate team chemistry.

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thats supposed to say 5-5 in last 10 and lost 7 of 12 to the braves this season. Sorry i was blinded with fury.

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On paper, yes, the Phils are more talented. But just like our former SS Y. Escobar, they did not show up in the first half. Their ace pitcher Halladay has been getting pushed around a little recently, and no body other than Howard is clutch. I don’t see the Braves going on another 9 game skid, nor do I see Philly winning 9+ in a row. I belive the Phils are going to have to play .750 the rest of the way to have a chance.

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As long as we end the year in first place in the division, who cares what Ford or any other writer thinks? I thought this was going to have quotes from the folks in the Phillies’ clubhouse. I’d be more interested in their opinions, and I’d bet they’d be a lot less quick to dismiss the Braves.

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when Utley comes back their offense could easily blow the Braves offense away (except catcher only 20 RBI from their top 2 catchers). But the Philly’s starters suck; Halladay barely over .500, the old man won’t a second half comparable to his first half, Kendrick stinks, Blanton stinks, Hamels maybe maybe not.

Braves win even if Rollins, Werth, Ibanez and Victorino turn it around offensively.

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Typical answer I would expect from a Philly fan. I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and we never considered Philadelphia a part of PA!!!! The fact of the matter is our starting staff and bullpen in much better than the Phillie’s. I would give their offense a slight edge especially if they get Chase back. I think our Braves are for real this year and I think this is the best TEAM we have had! They are great team mates that pick each other up!

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I’m glad they feel this way. I hope they think we stink.

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So the point is that “IF the Phillie’s play up to their potential they can easily take the east”

If I had a dollar for every under-achieving team or person that didn’t get as far as they should have I’d be a rich man.

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Maybe is the Phillies pull out the binoculars and steal signs again they can get back into first place.

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I think the guy is exactly correct. If the Phillies played like the Phillies they win the East. The problem is they are not and don’t act like they are going to play like the Phillies. The Braves are no power house but are a nice team as he says. I am not sure there is a power house team in the Majors this year. The Yankees are not that good and Braves are at least as good as the Rays. Maybe Texas is the team in 2010, we will see. Just hope the Braves make playoffs for a change.

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Too bad we don’t get to witness the Phillies losing in prime-time for the third night in a row tonight!

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Easy outs? The “real” Phillies? Turner Field – a launching pad? This guy is clueless!

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Joe Morgan once said, “The Braves weren’t any good until they got Fred McGriff. Sure, they went to the World Series in 91 and 92, but only because the rest of the National League wasn’t any good.”

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As a guy that lives just 30 miles south of the filthadelphia area.I had to live with thier mouths flapping for two years.As i write this the radio is full of cry babies.The talk now is to dump WORTH on anybody that will give them some pitching.But it is great listening to them cry.Buy sept. they can keep warm burning all of their world series tickets that they printed when they got HOLIDAY.

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Jamie Moyer, enough said.

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Dear Mr. Bob Ford,

Denial is not a river in Egypt. The Fillies had a good run, now it’s over.

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I myself am not looking at the standings and thinking we can coast…because I know the Phillies have firepower on offense. But one of those main pieces won’t be back until September…Chase Utley. And at this pace the Phillies will be 10 games out by then.

And a baseball fan worth his weight can look at the two pitching staffs and see who is better. If the Phillies pitching staff pitched to its highest level it would not match the best of the Braves. Comparing Lidge to Wagner is like insane. Wagner has never in his career crapped the bed like Lidge has.

Pedal to the floor boys!!!!

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I think Bob Ford should take a look at what Frank Wren is doing before dismissing the Braves. Wren had obviously looked around the NL over the first half, and decided that the Braves have a great shot at the pennant.

The Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, and Cardinals are all below the bar they’ve set for themselves in recent years. The Reds and Padres (like the Braves) are having resurgent seasons, but neither seems dominant. Add the fact that the NL has home-field advantage in the WS (thanks to B-Mac!), the Braves have a legitimate shot to get Bobby and Chipper a ring in their final seasons.

If I were a Phillie fan (terrifying thought), I would be worried the Braves are still looking to improve the team. They’re not dumping salary, or calling up young players to get experience. This team isn’t going to beaten simply because the Phillies return to form.

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Wow. Maybe that guy should give the Dawgs a pregame speech in Jax.

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Philadelphia’s answer to Mark Bradley.

All I can say is, try telling that to the Phillies themselves. I think it would be a pretty difficult task to convince the players in that clubhouse that they have the slightest chance.

I mean, they may but I don’t get the feeling they really believe it. Not they way they looked after we kicked their @$$es the last time.

Shane Victorino standing with his head down at the wall as Matty’s homerun sailed over the fence in center field pretty much said it all.

Shane Victorino, a Braves killer no less! Hanging his head in defeat for what seemed like five minutes. Watch the highlight. You’ll see what I’m talking about.

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“Jair Jurrjens who is just back from the disabled list and carrying around a 4.75 ERA…”

This guy obviously didn’t do his homework. Hasn’t he recognized the dominance of Jurrjens post DL stint? I mean he should have had a first row view when Jurrjens 1 hit the Phils for 6 innings a couple weeks ago.

Who is this guy?

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I trust the sports writers with the AJC will not write a similar piece about any of the teams in our division.

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“The Braves are nothing like the team that so recently dominated the division. Those Atlanta teams were built on great starting staffs, just enough offense and some decent power production in the launching pads of Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field.”

Um…I think he just described our current team…aside from the fact who calls Turner Field “a launching pad”. I guess Citizen’s Bank is a T-Ball field compared to our “launching pad” site.

What a joke.

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I just sent BOB an email calling him out…I will let you know if I get an email back.

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Jbird, so did I….he is not known for having the balls to admit when he has made a mistake….doubt you will hear back

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That boy is on cheesesteak overload. He sounds just like one of those buttsniffers from Athens, GA.

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jbird–

“launching padS of Fulton County Stadium AND Turner Field.”

English 101: The “s” makes “launching pad” plural. The “and” also gives the sentence plurality.

Anything poor journalism or ignorance. I don’t care either way. Joke.

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“some decent power production in the launching pads of Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field”

Pads is Plural…so the reference is for Fulton County & Turner

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OK…OK…part 2:

Who are the “real Phillies”? Could it be the team Mr. Ford WISHES were the “Phillies”…in that case, his team is in his IMIGINATION…the truth is the “real whichever team” is what it is. Seems to me I hear a “death rattle” in the throat of Mr. Ford…in addition to the proverbial, “whislting thru the graveyard” behavior. (Wasn’t it always fun as a kid to say, “I’m not scared”, when truth was, you were about to “pee” yourself and YOU KNEW IT!!!…that’s what this is so obviously a person seeking to feel better about his team. How would you feel as you know you spent the last two seasons in the World Seeries and this year you may not even be the “Wildcard’ team…

Truth is…when a fan’s team is not performing, the fans tend to look for excuses (ie the injuries, etc.) or devaluate the competition (they’re just “lucky” or they’re really not very good or talented, they’re just all playing over their heads or having “break-out” years)…tell me this doesn’t sound like the last time you got “waxed” in your golf foursome and you didn’t employ some of Mr. Ford’s same logic. For God’s sake, It can’t be about THEIR failure to produce…and has anyone stopped to think how maybe the “stars aligned” a bit for the Phillies over the last couple of years anyway…maybe, just maybe, they weren’t so much the “team for the ages” after all…seems to me it didn’t take too much personnel change or too many injuries to bring them “back to earth” (get Roy Halladay and “the rest of the ‘east’ will throw in the towel”…b/t/w, same goes for the Mets…Johan Santana and “big boppers” were going to “single-handedly” bring them a world championship)…sorry but we need not get ahead of ourselves, all the games still have to be played…and along that note:

Every team has injuries and DL “issues”…(the Braves have had their share too this year and the last two also) we have about 32 games left w/i our division and looking at the cumulative records, each team has about a 500 record…so the way I figure it, nobody’s gonna “lay down” for the other and the last couple of years when the Braves have had to play “spolier” it was FUN to whack on the “Muts” in ‘08 and “Phils” even at the end of the season and I suspect that will be happening right up to the end…oh…I almost forgot, do we think Mr. Strasburg (of the DC variety) is gonna “shake in his boots” to face the “Mightly Phils” (or any other east team for that matter) or will he relish the idea of the challenge and want to do his best every time out…’nough said…now let’s plays the games and see how it all turns out…I suspect that if the Braves can play at about a .540 clip the rest of the way…the division is theirs…now that means the Phils better “crank it up” several notches…let’s say, maybe playing at a .630 clip from here on out and given their current .522…I’m just not sure that will be so easy…and quite frankly, I think Mr. Ford is just mentally and emotionally preparing himself for the uncomfortable reality of “it ain’t gonna happen for us this year” and this is just a way to make it easier to “swallow”.

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whensidslid92

July 20th, 2010
2:16 pm

who pissed on your breakfast this morning???

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Potential has NEVER won a division. Production will EVERY time. On paper we are not great, but these Braves ARE damn good.

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We may not have a slugger like Ryan Howard, but like you show Mark, Glaus’ OBP is higher. Runs in the post steroid era do not come from home runs. Small ball rules the day and the Braves to it well. Also, ERAs are fun to talk about, but the Braves keep winning games. That is the only stat that matters.

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Ford says that they need to start hitting like the “true” Phillies, that team was lost when everyone in America saw them cheating from the dugout by stealing signs. Any major league hitter should be able to hit well if they know what pitch is coming!

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Mark – while the writer may have a point, the win numbers aren’t in Philly’s favor.

If the Braves just go .500 the rest of the year, they win 89 games. For the Phillies to win 90 games, they have to go 42-28 – .600 baseball. That’s a pretty big swing with 70 games to go.

I’m not saying it isn’t doable, but you’d have to assume the Braves will win 92-95 games (they are on pace to win 95).

If the Braves win 95 games, Philly has to go 46-24 to beat the Braves…that’s almost .667 ball.

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If Jurrjens and Hanson pitch to their career averages for the rest of the season, the braves win >60% of their remaining games leaving the Phillies in the dust. This team has as much — if not more — pitching than the Braves teams that dominated the Phillies in the 90’s. Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens are all potential Cy Young winners over the next few years. Medlen will be joining the ranks of those three soon, and Lowe is a solid, very well-paid 5th starter.

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Magic number is currently at 65

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Another column from a writer who has no clue what he is talking about…If I am six games behind, I would not be running my mouth..nice job Ford (idiot)

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What a bunch of crap. I find it funny that he is actually trashing the Braves pitching staff when the Phils entire staff is nothing special after Doc Halladay. Their next best pitcher is 1000 year old Jaimie Moyer who the Braves just touched up for 7 runs not two weeks ago. By the way Lidge has a 4.32 ERA and Wagner has a 1.15 ERA. Is this dope really trying to say that there is no difference between the two? I will take Wagner over Lidge any day of the week. The Braves have a 3.66 team ERA and the Phils have a 4.09 team ERA. If he wants to say that the Phils offense is more explosive than the Braves then I am fine with that but to compare pitching staffs is ridiculous. If the Phils do lose out on the title I am sure that this idiot will give no credit to the Braves and will blame it all of injuries and the Phils “choosing not to show themselves”.

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Just think how cocky this a-holes would be if they’d have won 15 Division titles – or ever how many it was, I forget, and it really doesn’t matter – in a row instead of, what, two? This is my bet, if Philadelphia beats us then Buck Belue kicks Kincaid’s butt..OK?

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If they switched Philly.com’s sports columnists with the AJC.com’s sports columnists, would anybody really know the difference?

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I love it… Please make sure the players get a look at the article. Glaus and McCann for sure. All Star MVP is an easy out this guy must be trying to change careers what a clown.

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All you Braves’ fans have got to admit one thing — The Phillies have the Phanatic and you don’t.

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Bob. Oh, Bob.

It’s a shame firejoemorgan.com is no longer active because they surely would have had fun with Monday’s ‘Phils’ biggest obstacle is themselves’ column.

But since that since that site is no more, I guess the responsibility to point out the shortcomings of your article falls to me.

—You call Turner Field a “launching pad.” It most certainly is not. According to baseballreference.com, Turner Field has a multi-year park factor of 98 for both batters and pitchers. Any score over 100 is considered a hitter’s park and anything under 100 is deemed a pitcher’s park. But the point that Turner Field is a hitter’s haven really wasn’t integral to your argument. I just wanted to point out the silliness of what you said. I digress…

—You say this: “ Bookending their bad start and their hot four weeks, the Braves have since lolled about playing just over .500 baseball.” Wrong. Any way you want to measure it, that’s simply not true. Since the 20-5 stretch, the Braves are 21-15, which equates to a .583 winning percentage. Over the last month, the Braves have gone 15-10 for a winning percentage of .600. Over their last 15 games, the Braves are 9-6 for a .600 winning percentage. Why did you say something that has so little basis in fact?

—You cite Tim Hudson’s W-L record as a reliable gauge of whether he can “carry a team to a division win.” What century are you in? In no way do wins and losses reflect how good a pitcher is.

—You say that “there isn’t much separating the starting staff from that of the Phillies.” Atlanta has a 3.85 ERA from their starters, and that’s with 15 starts from Kenshin Kawakami, who is no longer in the rotation. Philly’s starters ERA? 4.09. A quarter of a run worse than Atlanta’s. Also, as you mentioned, Jair Jurrjens is back in the Atlanta rotation. But, what you fail to mention is the fact that since returning from injury, Jurrjens has a 2.56 ERA. This coming from a guy who had a 2.60 ERA all of last year. I think it’s safe to say that replacing Kawakami with Jurrjens makes the Atlanta rotation much better than Philadelphia’s. In fact, if you replace all of Kawakami’s 2010 starts with a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA (which we can reasonably assume Jurrjens would have been if he had not been injured due to his career numbers), the Braves’ team starters ERA would be 3.64. Still thinking the Philly rotation compares?

—Inexplicably, you say: “The real question, though is whether, with one game to save, you would feel any more comfortable with Wagner than you do with Brad Lidge.” Why yes, Bob. Yes, I would feel more comfortable with Wagner. And if you even cursorily glance at the stats, you would agree. I mean, how is this even close? Wagner has been one of the two or three best closers in baseball this year, and Lidge has been, well, Lidge. What you said is akin to asking someone whether they would rather go to a Bruce Springsteen concert or a Justin Bieber show. Gimme The Boss please, and it’s not even close.

—You say that Atlanta’s offense is 12th in the NL in slugging percentage, but fail to acknowledge that they have the the league’s best on-base percentage, which offsets the lack of power and is why the Braves are 7th in the NL in runs.

—You say that Troy Glaus and Brian McCann are easy outs. And now you’re just rabble rousing. Troy Glaus is 24th in the league in on-base percentage. Brian McCann is 11th. So as it turns out, Glaus and McCann are not easy outs. They are actually the 24th and 11th best players in the league at NOT making outs.

I don’t expect you to respond to this e-mail, but I hope that you read it. I know you are doing your job, which is writing for a PHILLY paper, not an Atlanta paper, but I don’t think that gives you a pass for blatant homerism.

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Phillie Phan,
Honestly…the Phanatic is pretty juvenile. If you listen to 97.5 FM up here, which is ESPN Radio, all of the radio personalities (Mickey Mis, Gonzo, etc) admit the Phantic quit being funny after the age of 8

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whensidslid92

July 20th, 2010
2:30 pm

yeah, looks like I made a BIG mistake..LOL

you obviously are very sensitive to other peoples comments and wouldn’t be after eating sh*t this morning but l I was doing was letting you know that was the nickname of the old stadium.

I do know from now on I better watch my P’s and Q’s around you….LMAO!

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I think it’s funny he cites slugging percentage. It’s unquestionably a valuable stat but consider where they play half of their games and it might become a bit more clear as to why their slugging is higher but their on-base isn’t.

Further, the idea that Turner is a launching pad could not be more wrong. Atlanta-Fulton County was a hitters park but anyone with a brain knows Turner is fair but leans towards being a pitcher’s park.

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Um Bob, The Braves are 6 games better than the Phils and after they lose to Carpenter tonight they will be 7 games back.

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Excellent post, This is what I emailed. Kudos for pointing out that a pitcher’s W-L record means NOTHING.

I’d also like to know what their team ERA is independent of Roy Halladay’s. He definitely skews their pitching stats.

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Sounds like somebody is jealous!

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Perhaps the Phillies need to change the color of their uniforms to yellow..If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that Ford was “4NCS are better than 1″.

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I just want to say THANKS to Bob Ford for making us better by writing this article. I sure hope the locker room got a copy!

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we need a big bat in left or center

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Yeah this is just a pep rally article, most of the philly writers have been in panic mode for about 2 months now and gues it was just time to write something different. It will be easy for writers to doubt this Braves team if your just looking through a stat sheet, because no their are no real superstar names or stats for that matter, except maybe Hudson and Prado’s. so I would expect this to continue if we make the playoffs. What he doesn’t tell you is what we all know, this Braves team has something you can’t write on paper, and thats chemistry, they know how to win as a team. Every part is equal and they all lean on each other to come away with a win. Braves just need to keep on keep’n on, and they will be fine. Bobby is real good at concentrating on the series at hand and not worrying about other teams, and thats just what they need to do, win series and not worry about the Phills, they can think about how they somehow knocked off goliath after they clinch the division.

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The difference between this Braves version and some of the last few years comes in the form of a stronger bench and bullpen..If we could somehow swap Cabrera and a middling prospect for Chris Young…I know he’s not a superstar, sort of Mike Cameronesque, then we could platoon Matt and McLouth if Nate gets back to hitting and our bench goes back to strength that it was earlier in the year..We are much stronger when Hinske, Conrad, Infante, Ross and the fourth OF are available off the bench…Remember Norton, Diory, Corky Miller…Now we have guys that can give the starters a break and deliver in the pinch….And that bullpen is the best I can remember from 1-6…

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Outside of a few inflammatory comments, I believe Mr. Ford is just pandering to his Philly readers. I’m sure he believe’s that with this article freshly on the minds of the Phillies, they will respond and catch fire to win the east/national league/world series.

Paaaaaaaaaa-lease.

Mr. Ford, keep writing these kinds of stories so it will be easier to beat the Phillies. And their fans will be jumping off bridges by the dozens by season’s end.

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Well I just sent o’l Bob a letter with facts that prove his “facts incorrect” I also told him he should be more worried about the Marlins catching this Philies than the Phillies catching the Braves. I also sent him a ebay link for clown shoes

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We need more writers like him in the Philly camp. The more they write, more complacent they will become. I would rather have Phillies asleep and in serious funk that they are in right now. I hope, before they realize, this season will pass by.

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Boy Philly gets good for what 3 years and all of a sudden they are world beaters and have a “real” team.

Imagine if they had won 14 years in a row…(ahem, like the Braves)

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Ha – what a strange article.

The whole article seems like the crazed ranting by a man in denial of the reality he sees around him. He even cherry picks stats in an effort convince himself how good the Phillies really are, reality be damned. For example, he tries to boil the offensive comparison down to batting average, but ignores that OBP has been shown to be a much better indicator of how many runs a team will score. You can’t just say “well, our batting average is only 5 points lower than their, so we’re just about as good a team as they are”. That’s ridiculous. In June the Royals were leading the AL in batting average, so it’s not THAT key an indicator of where your offense is.

Second, he spends a lot of the article comparing the real version of the Braves with a fantasy version of the Phils. I think this is where sports writers and fans get way to obsessed with expectations. This guy is so convinced in what he believed about the Phillies heading into the season that he is trying to ignore what the Phillies have actually done in reality so far. There is a reason they actually play the game on the field as opposed to just holding up historical stats for each team and rewarding the trophy to the team with the best numbers.

At any rate, i hope this makes the Braves bulletin board and inspires them to continue crushing the Phillies in the 2nd half.

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“with one game to save, you’d feel any more comfortable with [Billy] Wagner than with Brad Lidge. By the end of the season, the difference could be minuscule.”

DELUSIONAL

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It was my misfortune to live in Philly for a couple of years. That is to put it nicely, a different kind of place with a different kind of people. They suffer from a city wide self esteem problem which makes them rather rude a blustery to compensate. To do anything other than ignore their blather is wrong!

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Hey Mark– Why can’t you be this optimistic when discussing the Braves’ chances when they’re 3rd in the standings?

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That homerun that Pujols hit off of Lidge in the NLCS just flew by my window! C’mon, Lidge over Wagner.

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It is great to write for and back the home team, but Ford is taking the Brave a lil lightly I believe.

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PRICELESS the look on their face when they r losing!

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Phils suck, always have. Always will.

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We have two pitchers we can count on week in and week out. Hanson is lost on the mound and is a number 4 starter at best. Face it, Glaus is an easy out unless he’s “riding the streak” which will hopefully happen at playoff time but no guarantees with that. McCann is a double play machine unfortunately and Chipper continues the slide to oblivion. But even with all this…the Braves have IT this year. I’m loving their scrappiness and demonstrative enthusiasm. I’m glad the poker-faced, no emotion days of Chipper and Glavine are gone. It’s been worth the $160 mlb cost this year to watch them. Keep on rolling Bravos.

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I read the article. Total Philly homer trying to make his readers feel good about their team that is spiraling downhill. I think they will finish about where they are at. Only one quality pitcher who is starting to look a little shaky, no bullpen, average outfield, and a second or third tier catcher. I don’t think we have anything to worry about. I know the northeast media like ESPN will try to build them up but they are toast. They could get a starting pitcher but most out there to trade are #3 starters at best.

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What this Philly clown doesn’t mention in hit article is that the Braves have a ton of utility players that step up and play well in the clutch, including Brooks Conrad, Eric Hinske, ALL_STAR Omar Infante, Alex Gonzales, the MLB leader in Shortstop Homers, rookie phenom Jason Heward, and once McLouth gets healthy again we will be at full strength. He doesn’t mention that the Braves lead the majors in walk-off wins, or that we absolutely dominate the Phillies when Halladay isn’t on the mound. So, obviously this pompous Philadelphia sportswriter can’t handle the fact that his Phillies aren’t going anywhere this year, are a mediocre squad, and that Jason Werth is banging Jennifer Utley

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Tell Mr Ford we just sent a 1-9 pitcher to the bullpen who has an ERA lower than 3 of his starters. Everytime I might get a little nervous about the Phils, up pops their 3, 4, 5 pitchers in the rotation. The comment about Jurrjens carrying around the 4.75 was the usual journalistic lie by omission. He’s shaved off a run since coming back from the DL and is looking pretty good over the last 3 starts.

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The Phillies “ace” starter is 10-8.

Philly fans like to puke on each other.

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bford@phillynews.com
after you send an email please link a page that will link him to a site that has gear a clown would wear

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Obvious homer article.
Since Pat Gillick left as Phillies GM in 2008 [After building yet another WS Championship team], the Phillies have been slowly making poor personnel moves. Ex: Choosing to bring in Holliday, instead of keeping Lee. Though they have a solid nucleus, the peripheral pieces are not blending as well. Plus the needed backups are not contributing when injuries occur.
Look at all the Braves that Charlie Manual picked for his All Star team, including taking heat for picking a backup like Infante. I believe he was speaking to his organization with these moves.

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The REAL Phillies? What’s that exactly? I guess you could say when the REAL Braves show up they post 7-3, 9-3 games against Philly and win the Division 11 years in a row as opposed to say 3.

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He’s just mad because he lives in Philly!!Braves win it all this year!

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Hey Scobberknob Bob the Philadelphian Slob………………..

Check out the scoreboard after the Cards sweep the lowly frantic Phils. They screwed their chemistry (which actually wins more games than talent in team sports) when they acquired Halladay or when they traded away Cliff Lee. Either way it is the same thing so keep looking up at the Braves and don’t forget Mets will also be in front of you. Goooooooooooooood day

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ICEMANcometh10
dont forget the marlins are even gaining ground on the phillies

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I agree with DawginNYC. This is simply what happens when you’re the team to beat. This is the worst kind of white-hot hatred… that degrading madness to rile up some kind of pride in a failing team. It keeps your head up when you see yourself sliding in your position. I love it!!!

And it makes absolutely no sense because you first have to beat the Mets before you start talking about the Braves, LOL!

This piece in Philly.com made my entire season up until now! The Braves got them shook! They are actually fear in this piece! WOW! The Braves have them SCARED!

Oh, and did you not read about how he called Bobby Cox some grizzly old manager? Like Bobby Cox is some angry soul? You know… the same Bobby Cox that you can hear rooting and clapping for every Braves batter like he’s their dad? The same Bobby Cox that players loves to play for- a players’ coach that hold the record for getting tossed out for arguing on behalf of his players?

See? Crazy, man! Crazy! This article makes me want to go to the park and watch the Braves tonight!

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I would like to know what moron pays this guy to pay to write articles because they should be hung by there toes and beaten wth a sock full of pennies, 6 games back and doesn’t seem to be getting any better but they are better than us? i just can’t imagine where this moron gets his information, just because they suck and have no hopes of getting any better unless there number 1 starter the 70 year old moyer heats up(hahahahahahaha) the are screwed

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Apparently there are still some folks living on a flat earth. They still don’t realize that on-base percentage is the same as out-avoidance percentage.

McCann leads all major league catchers in on-base percentage, i.e., he’s the toughest out among catchers who qualify for rate-stat leaderboards.

Glaus ranks fairly low in on-base among firstbasemen but he ranks higher than Ryan Howard.

The Braves as a team lead the league in on-base percentage. They are the toughest team to get an out against.

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All Ford is trying to do is pump up the Fhillies(no P for me) and use the Braves as the poster child. Seems he has created very good bulletin board material for the Braves club house. Well done Mr Ford !

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This writer just made sure the Braves don’t forget about the Phillies between now and September. The only way the Phillies catch the Braves is for the Braves to lose focus, this guy just made sure it was renewed.

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At the beginning of the season I thought the Phillies were the best team in the NL. If healthy they can be again. But the Braves have a 6 game lead with consistent pitching, good defense and a somewhat streaky offense. I like our chances!

That being said, when the Phillies get “hot” as a collective unit at the plate, they will be a tough group to deal with. Ryan Howard can truly carry a team with that bat….

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Wow, Mark, you wrote a column where TampaGator, GT alumn, Gen Neyland and gadawg ALL agree with each other. Dang. Peace in our time. Middle-East strife? Muslim extremism? Rising China and militarized Russia? No problem!!! We have seen the hardest enemies come together today (in a hate for Philly, which is twisted, but still…).

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The Braves unite all of us across the college football spectrum! Also, we better lay off, all i know is im wearing a poncho next time i’m sitting in front of a Phillies fan, we have all seen what they do when you make them angry…

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One more thing…if McLouth doesn’t perform let’s go after DeJesus! Rutgers product and has a nice OBP. Stick him in the two hole and put Heyward in more of an RBI role.

1. Prado
2. DeJesus
3. Jones
4. McCann
5. Glaus
6. Heyward
7. Gonzalez
8. Hinske/ Diaz/ Infante
9. Pitcher

Pretty potent line-up

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This is a non event – no Phillies players came out and commented – story appears to be much like Mr. Bradley’s columns – designed to elicit venom from the blogs. Manuel has come out and said the Braves are for real and the players know the Braves are a solid team.

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This writer is like every other a-hole from Philly including John Kincaid. I don’t know how Buck stands working with the jerk.

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All I can say is DAMN YANKEE! Hey, I lived up in the northeast and this is the way they are. And if we win the division don’t expect credit. It will be excuses why the Phillies did not finish ahead of the lowly Braves. Don’t miss that crap up there.

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I wonder what he’ll be saying NEXT WEEK? When the Phillies are 10 games back lol

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Typical Yankee

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View from around the world continued:

-Steve is broken

-Virginia isn’t a baseball state

-The Jackets will sweep Virginia Tech and Virginia again

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Thing about the Braves bullpen is there is depth there, too. Two or three relievers in the minors that could/should be in MLB. It would have to be a wholesale collapse to sink the pen.

Concerns right now continue to be center field and third base. Glaus would be a concern if he doesn’t pick up the pace again; same with Heyward, but those guys are likely to get hot again.

Agree, Tyler, on DeJesus. I liked what I saw of him. Have to think he’s on the table if Wren wants to pull the trigger. But I think Wren wants to look at McLouth again; might come back strong like Diaz has done.

A lot can happen in the heat of summer. I’m looking forward to it.

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I might vomit. And I grew up outside of Philly in K of P. Typical Philly obtuse arrogance! I love it, let them be delusional all the way ’til we win the division and see them in our rearview mirror! And He– yes, I’d take Billy Wags over Brad Lidge in a one game save situation. No doubt. Bring it on, Phillies!

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That article is total envy. If the Braves didn’t matter, they wouldn’t have wote it. So this Ford guy is showing his respect to the Braves in typical Philly Phashion.

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Philly hs always had a weird view of itself and the world. It is hard for Philly fans to believe that the Phillies’ heros of last year and the year before are slumping without Cliff Lee or that the Braves will knock them off their arrogant perch.

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I’m just surprised anyone who follows the Phillies can actually write in complete sentences.

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Enter your comments here

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2010-
Team ERA 3.66, .261 team batting average

Championship Years
1991-3.49 era, .258 team batting average
1992-3.14 era, .254 team batting average
1993-3-14 era, .262 team batting average
1994-3.57 era (strike shortened season), .267 team batting average
1995-3.44 era, .250 team batting average
1996-3.52 era, .270 team batting average
1997-3.18 era, .270 team batting average
1998-3.25 era, .272 team batting average
1999-3.63 era, .266 team batting average
2000-4.05 era, .271 team batting average
2001-3.59 era, .260 team batting average
2002-3.13 era, .260 team batting average
2003-4.10 era, .284 team batting average
2004-3.74 era, .270 team batting average
2005-3.98 era, .265 team batting average

This Braves team looks comparable to other Braves championship teams to me.

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Ford then moved away from his type-writer and split a smoke with his mother while she complained about how painful the cyst in her shoulder is.

Philly and its people are all miserable.

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You know what a “championship year” is?

It’s winning the World Series.

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Just wait and see how the season plays out. There is no chance in hell the Braves will beat out the Phillies!!!!!

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This article gives me more and more hatred for the phillies

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You sure that wasn’t an article by that tool Kincade? Can’t even listen to him on sports talk radio!

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What separates this Braves team from the teams of the past… Bullpen. Very few teams have the power arms available at the end of the game, complimented by Moylan’s grounder inducing sidearm delivery.

The Bullpen and bench play a huge role in the Braves’ success this season versus seasons past, and it is what has hurt the Phillies this year.

The Braves have endured injuries to plenty of guys, and still are leading the division. Getting McLouth back and to the level he should be would just be gravy at this point.

Lineups at 100%, yeah, you’d have to give the nod the the Phillies but the difference from 1-8 total is not much. Starting Pitching? Braves. Bullpen? Braves. Bench? Braves. And to top it off, farm system? Braves.

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Im pretty sure we lead the season series versus the phillies this year 9-5, with a sweep at the beginning of june…. hey at least he has a hopeful outlook. Its funny how the phils have won like 4 division titles in the last twenty years and yet they can act so big and bad now.
division titles since 90′- braves 14—–phillies 4
world series wins since 90′- braves 1—– phillies 1
world series apearences since 90′- braves 4——phillies 2—– BRAVES win!!!

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Ah, Bradley, feeding raw meat to the lions.

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7-5…few more left to show Bob Ford who’s boss. Even if we don’t win the division, let’s sweep philly from here on out.

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All I got to say to Mr. Ford is enjoy the Cards for the next three games, we will meet back here and see where we are at.

The “real Phillies”…that’s like me saying the real Chipper, they are what they are now, not what they were…savvy?

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Yeah, I guess ole Ford has never watched a game at the Ted or been there. It ain’t no launchin pad.
The Philly’s park is a cracker box.

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Obee – I thought the same thing. Mark, were you intending to chum the feeding grounds of the Great White?

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You can tell fans across the country are playing too many video games. Way to many homeruns and foul balls dropped. I saw a women hit on the head on ESPN highlights today.

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At the bottom of the article there is a link to email Mr. Ford. I took the liberty to do so, and I’ll share it with you guys….

—-

Well Mr. Ford, after reading your article completely discounting the Braves as an actual threat to the Phillies, I must say I can only see it as maybe a way for you to fire up the troops or the fans. But for an accomplished writer such as yourself, your article had some serious holes. All I gathered from it is that you sure know how to pick your stats to highlight in order to make your team look superior to the one currently in first place. Troy Glaus may be an easy out, but he also has 3 home runs this season against your beloved Phillies and would have 5 if not for a couple of beautiful take-aways by Shane Victorino in center (hey look at that, at least one of us is giving credit where it’s due). And they weren’t just inconsequential solo shots, they were daggering blows that put you guys away. You mention that the Braves are 12th in the NL in slugging percentage. Way to find a stat we’re not excelling in, there’s not many to choose from. Did you not have access to see the league leaders in on-base percentage or runs scored? Cause we’re up near the top if not at the top in those two, and I think they’re more important than your precious slugging percentage. Not to mention we lead the world in walks. You mention that Jair Jurrjens has a 4.75 ERA, pretty much discounting him as nothing special. You do know he was hurt for two months and has less than 10 starts this season? Maybe you should instead have looked at his career numbers, which are far better, or at least looked at how he’s fared in the three starts since coming back from his injury. There’s one final very important stat you’re overlooking. The Braves have a six game lead on your third-place Phillies with roughly 70 games to play. I’d maybe start worrying if I were you and the city of Philadelphia. I sure hope for your sake that your hometown boys are as good in the second half at finding ways to win as you are at picking unimportant stats to try to discredit the Braves as a legitimate threat. We’ll see you in October. If you make it, that is. 

Sincerely,
Gerardo Valdez

Feel free to share your thoughts, my email is bravesfan_18@yahoo.com

—-

I’d say we won that exchange, what do you think, Braves Country?

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GO BRAVES!!! PHILLYS SUCK!

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It’s kind of like when we were kids on the playground. After the game there was always one kid on the other team that we beat who would always say, “We would have beaten you but we just let you win, that’s all!”

Bob Ford is that whiney little kid that just let us win.

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Nothing like a journalist to try to stoke a fire between ballclubs during a season. Not that Mr. Ford’s observations don’t have merit, but baseball involves many, many intangibles that simply go beyond the numbers. Some of these include the timeliness of the hitting, player effort and morale, team chemistry, and just plain dumb luck. The Braves have had all of these in spades this season. While the Phillies may well be the favorite to win the division and certainly few people would call a six game lead at this point insurmountable, there is one more intangible Ford didn’t mention: that the Braves are going to fight tooth and nail to win a World Series in the final year of two and perhaps three Hall of Fame careers (Cox, Jones, Wagner).

As I recall, the Los Angeles Dodgers kind of dismissed the Braves (along with A LOT of other folks) about this time through the 1991 season. Just a thought.

It’s our year.

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I live just north of Philly and I read his column this morning. Wondered if it would make it to Alanta and if so, how quickly. Wow! That was quick. Plus all the fan comments! As a Braves fan since the late 50s (Milwaukee for those too young to know) but growing up in the Philly area, I have have come to like the Phils but the Braves will always be my team. I generally enjoy Ford but I just laughed at this column. He is doing his job I realize, but it actually shows me how much he worries about us that he felt he had to write this this morning. Go Braves!

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Are those the same Phillies who are dumping another game tonight? LOL

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well what are the phils waiting on then?

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Mark, I dont want to be cynical, but I have to ask you something: Did you post that article to : A. Be a good journalist, and print the truth? B. Rile us Braves fans up, to hate Philly even more than we already do? C. Did you post it, because you partially agree with the writer in Philly, and aren’t sold on this Braves team yet, or.. D. All of the above? I’m not trying to get too complex here, but I think you understand my point, Mr Bradley.

Here’s the thing: You were the guy at the beginning of the season that said: “Bah humbug, third place, at best”. With this team possibly 6-1-2 games up in late July, they are making every skeptic eat their words.

I’m just wondering if there was intent, if any, behind you posting this, and if so, what was it?

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I guess that Ford’s Phillies are just laying back so that the Braves will get overconfident and then the Phillies will just blow right by the Braves in September.

It looks like his plan is working as the Phillies are down 6 – 1 in the 7th to the Cards. I guess they’re going to let the Braves go up to 7 games ahead to make it look good. Yeah, Ford’s plan seems to be working to perfection.

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Maybe, Mr. Ford is the one sporting the Philly fanatic mascot suit. All fanatic, no reality. Right now, the Phillies can’t beat a retreat, let alone the Braves.

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What I don’t get about his drivel — er, uh, um — his article is his reference to the “real Phillies.” If the “real Phillies” magically appear, then they have nothing to worry about. Indeed. What’s the definition of “real?” What he wishes the team to be? Well, then if my “real Braves” show up, they will include Warren Spahn, Phil Niekro, Henry Aaron, Dale Murphy and several Cy Young Award winners from the mid-90s. (And Steve Avery, my sentimental favorite.)
My REAL BRAVES can beat the bad-ass Yankees.
What a bunch of crap. I swear he must not have had anything to write about.

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Mark, I can’t wait for your complementary article for the Inquirer. In spades. Stick it and twist.

What garbage coming out of my former favorite newspaper. Oh, well; they were the days of Schmidt, Luzinski, Carlton, Maddox, Bowa and Boone, and I left them behind on Dec. 31, 1979. Go Braves!!

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Michael C. I like your REAL BRAVES. Do you have Eddie Mathews on that team?

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The Phillies have looked terrible this year…are they really that naive? Sometimes…talent doesn’t mean much…giving up Cliff Lee was very stupid also. The braves have little star power when compared to them but our players are having great years and getting clutch hits. If this trend continues…the braves may have the east locked up by mid August.

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This guy’s an arrogant idiot – typical northeastern bias. I have a word (actually an acronym) for people like this: HUHA, which stands for “head up his a$$”. He really should step away from the computer for a few minutes and get some perspective on what he wrote and why he wrote it. I remember some famous last words from 1991, when the Braves were about 8 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in July, something to the effect of “we’re not worried about the Braves”. The words belonged to Darryl Strawberry, and were probably said by everyone on that team, including Tommy Lasorda.

I think Mr. Ford and Philly fans and the team should be afraid of this year’s Braves as well. It’s amazing that, given our lead, the fact the we took two out of three from them before the All Star break, and the fact they’ve played so poorly since then, that they are not just a little bit worried. They should be careful about underestimating anyone in this division except for the Nationals, and truly they should never just think they can throw their gloves out onto the field and expect to beat them.

A little humility is called for, but hey, it’s Philadelphia – you’re never gonna get them to admit that anyone or any team from the south could ever be better than them – they just don’t have it in them.

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Somebody let Mr. Ford know that the Philthies are now SEVEN GAMES BEHIND

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What an idiot! I mean wow. The Lidge/Wagner thing was the most complete homer/garbage I have ever heard. I think most Philly fans don’t even believe that pile of crap Mr. Ford called an article. It’s one thing to say the Braves can be caught, sure they can, but to sit there and tear them down phase by phase saying the Almighty Phillies are better, irresponsible in my book, and bad journalism. Most of all, it is simply wrong on most accounts.

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Unfortunately, Bob Ford is right- at least as far as he goes. The baseball players on the Phillies are better than the baseball players on the Braves. What does that mean? Perhaps nothing. I’ll have to admit I was wrong about this group of Braves. I thought they were destined for a 5th-6th place finish. What is going on? Bobby’s last season? Our GM is suddenly a genius? There actually is a bb god? Law of averages? I don’t know, and I really don’t care. All I know is that I’m enjoying the *ell out of it! My only hope is that the braintrust realizes that something special is going on, whatever it is, that it won’t necessarily last, that they have very little to do with whatever it is, and take some steps now to take advantage of the situation and their incredible good luck, and try to keep it going. Translated, lets close the gap on natural talent between our Braves and some of the other more talented teams, and keep the magic going!!! Go Braves!

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Bold comments from a blogger whose team is 7 games back and in 3rd place in its own division.

I’ve never heard turner field called a launching pad.

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I was driving through south jersey this afternoon and picked up Philly’s FM sports station. And the way that station spoke of the braves was completely different. That city knows theyre doomed and is royally pissed about how the phillies havent shown up this year. They’re looking for a big trade to bring their starting rotation up to the braves level but know they can’t compete with the yanks (looking for help now that pettite is down) on the trading block. And to top it off Jason Werth was seen partying at a casino in St Louis until 4am the in between 2 losses. They want to hang the guy.

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By the way, I heard somewhere that they use Cristal for World Series celebrations. Anyone know if that’s true?

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I sent the above message as an email directly to Bob Ford.

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301st.

Yeah, almighty Philly…..if those goombas hadnt traded lee, they wouldnt be in the pickle they are in now.

And we may not need to make a trade, with Diaz hitting so well….but thats just me.

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philly- no play all talk in baseball talk is cheap phil’s are too stupid to realize they won’t be competing for the ws if they keep playing like this. F’ the haters, LETS GO BRAVES!!!!!!

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phils won’t be competing for anything if they keep playing like they are 48-44 pretty mediocre to my opinion for a team that has “dominated”

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Suck on that Philly! 7 games back!

Will the “real” Philly please stand up….waiting….didn’t think so.

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The Padres are the voice of America. Not the Braves. Winning one game, isn’t the world Series, I know that, you know that, and Karch Karai knows that.

First off huh??????

Second nobody said winning one game is the world series. All that said id rather win that one game. Braves gave the Padres a dose of their own medicine. Overpowering pitching

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Anyone can be dellusional I suppose. I mean our pitching is better in all but one starting rotation slot and our bullpen is better top to bottom. Our offense, while not as potent, is comparable in some aspects.

It just depends on if you believe offense will win out or if pitching will win out. I’m going with pitching.

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@shane
Padres don’t use or need medicine: only sunscreen.
And only one team has the great Adrian Gonzalez.

They might need some medicine for their fannies after the Braves spank it a couple more times.

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the braves are playing better than the sum of their parts…. they are actually fun to watch ( I haven’t said that in a while).

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“Padres don’t use or need medicine: only sunscreen.”

donny has the IQ of a carrot.

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The Phillies are 2-time defending League champs and have won a recent World Series, things the Braves haven’t done lately. That breeds a justified confidence on the Phillies’ part that they can prevail. Phillies are still champs until someone knocks them off, and no one’s knocked them off yet. In summary, Braves’ fans (and writers) shouldn’t be concerned with the Phillies’ attitude and should be more concerned with their own team’s performance.
Go Braves.

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I’m a big Braves fan, but I think the article is spot on.

There are even those on the AJC staff (Schultz) who like to remind us that the Braves are playing above their talent. If the Phils can play to their talent and the Braves return to theirs, the Braves aren’t good enough to hang on.

I have said all along, that the Braves need more/better pitching and more (consistent) power in the lineup.

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i was just wondering if anyone noticed that since the Phillies were accused of stealing signals and signs they have dropped precipitously in the standings. is it possible when they have to guess the pitches like everyone else it is tougher.

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name one team with at least 50 wins this year that is just “okay.” Regardless of how bad the Phillies are this year, you have to be pretty good to be 17 games over .500. And as for our pitching staff…I’ll take Hanson and Lowe with their 4+ ERA’s over Blanton and Moyer any day of the week.

Braves’ bullpen is better, bench is better, record is better…Philly fans, keep telling yourselves that the Phillies are standing in their own way. Enjoy watching Bobby’s farewell tour.

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This guy calls Turner Field a ‘launching pad’?! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

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Turner Field had always been known as a pitchers park…wtf is that guy talking about???

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we play them the final series of the season. i hope we capitalize on that opportunity

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Yeah real easy out that McCann. Hitting .295 with 12 homers 55 rbi’s and a .472 OBP they really own that guy.

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I believe Mr Ford the most wins is how you get in first place.

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Nothing special? This team has the same look as it did in the early 90’s. Oustanding pitching, and a group of guys on the field that play as a team, play smart and hustle.

Mr. Ford……..Philly is the team that is nothing special…….stop making excuses and take a look at the growing issues on your team.

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Well, I will give him this…I agree that the Braves are playing over their heads and the Phillies are underachieving…but this is not May, we are in late July, the Braves are (at least for now) healthy and a 6-game lead is anything but minor…now, the way they managed to catch the Mets in September- was it two years ago?- and the way the media annointed them division champs in just about every preseason publication probably gave them and their slobbering, classless fan base a feeling of invincibility…but that is why we go out and actually play the games.

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nice bulletin board material!

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And people say the AJC writers are homers:) This guy is dreaming. There are a lot of games to be played, and the Philthies could go get another starter ; and the Braves could collapse. But the fact remains the Braves currently have the best record in the NL with 70 games left. They just got two of their best players back,Jurjens and Heyward . All indications are, they are no fluke. And by the way, wasn’t Bob Ford ” the dirty little coward who shot mr. Howard” aka Jesse James, in the back while he was hanging a picture on the wall?

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Yak yak yak: 7 games. End of story.

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Hey Delawre “Delta is ready is ready when you are”. This article is about a Phila. sports writer and
not thier fans.

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[...] Braves “a nice team” but contended that “the Phillies, if they play as they can, have nothing to worry about.” Mr. Ford also characterized Brian McCann and Troy Glaus as “easy outs.” His [...]

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Remember these are the guys who traded Cliff Lee…………….

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This is a bad loss. Offense went in the tank after the 3rd inning. Sure, Wagner blew the save. However, that’s going to happen from time to time.

The Phillies losing to the Cardinals helps take the sting off it. Hopefully Arizona will beat the Mets tonight as well.

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This is a bad loss. The offense took the rest of the night off after the 3rd inning. Sure, Wagner blew the save. However, that’s going to happen from time to time. I blame the offense for tonight’s loss.

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It has been “touched on” well~ by many bloggers~ Team Chemistry! Never~Ever~ underestimate Team Chemistry! These Bravos Certainly have that going for them! I cant remember a Braves team that has “Been on the Same page” as well as this team! I have followed the Braves since the days of Tony Cloninger, Ron Reed and the Ephus pitch! Was even at “The Ted” the night they let Satchel Paige pitch an inning or 2? Cant remember how many~ I was like 8 yrs old. This team is Having “FUN” playing the game this year! Awesome move by FW to get AG!!! Esco~has of course the better “Upside” However~ This IS the Braves Year!! I’ve never been a huge BC fan~ However~ He is as well noted a player’s manager! He is~IMO managing better this year than I can remember him EVER managing!
Bravos make playoffs~! Win Division! I just hope Larussa doesnt out manage Bobby
FW deserves MAJOR Kudos~ for putting this tam 2gether! Wud be Awesome to see a trade for a power hitting outfielder! However! We Definitely do NOT need another Texiera debacle!
Corey Hart???? Would be a fine addition! Or maybe Bobby could talk Brian Jordan outta the booth? and start him in center~just for old times sake?
LOL

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA
Mark Bradley is an idiot.

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