Live from the Braves’ game, not long after a really tough loss
Jerry Hairston Jr. slides home with the equalizer last night. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
A few words about, er, me: For nearly two decades I expected the Braves to win every game — even though I knew they wouldn’t, I still expected it — because for nearly two decades they did nothing but win. Then they stopped winning, and gradually I came to expect less.
But over the past two months I’ve been geeting that feeling once more: That a Braves’ victory is something close to inevitable, that they’re going to figure out a way to win even if you’re never sure just how they’re managing it. And I operated, as you blog and Twitter folks well know, on that assumption last night. And the Braves …
Well, they didn’t win.
They blew a ninth-inning lead for only the second time this season. Billy Wagner failed to close a game for only the second time in almost two months. They messed around a while longer before losing in the 12th inning. It didn’t hurt the Braves in the standings — the Mets and Phils both lost again — but it served as a nice little reminder. (At least for me.)
This is baseball. Nothing is inevitable.
And on that semi-sobering note, I open the floor again for questions, comments and other metaphysical garbage. And yes, before you even ask, it’s hot at the ol’ ballyard today. Too hot. We need a roof. Somebody get Arthur Blank on it, will you?
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540 comments Add your comment
ED
July 22nd, 2010
1:24 pm
Need to score more to give hudson some breathing room
The Bream Team
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
EGG!
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Two out and ball in air, why is Chip not running the whole way?
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Will Venable drops Diaz’s liner for no reason. Error, says Jack Wilkinson.
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Too bad Chipper wasn’t running hard. Shocker.
DC Fan
July 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Don’t know who I would rather face, Cards or Reds in the first round. Looking forward optimistically of course.
McClouth for Franceour, Straight Up
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
Wow, Chipper could have had 3rd base. C’mon, Gonzo, bring ‘em home!
joedirt
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
need to win this game and push the mets and phillies back. phillies for sure cuz they are facing adam wainright today
StingerSplash
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
Jon Heyman of SI was on the Jim Rome Show a little bit ago and said the next manager of the Braves will be … Fredi Gonzalez.
Jon Heyman, if you need him. (Insert 20 seconds of dead air here). Clones.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:26 pm
Big moment here for Sea Bass.
Ron
July 22nd, 2010
1:27 pm
Anyone know of a good on-line internet feed for this afternoons game??
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:27 pm
StingerSplash I would be shocked if it was anyone but Fredi. He will make a good fit.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:27 pm
And Sea Bass strikes! Two-nothing.
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:28 pm
Well chipper not running hard is a moot point now. Ran hard there.
The Bream Team
July 22nd, 2010
1:28 pm
A-Gon rippped that
Mitchell
July 22nd, 2010
1:28 pm
Terrible play! Are you kidding me?!
If that was the last play Yunel ever made in a Braves jersey, they would trade him before the 7th inning stretch.
That was bush league.
Yeah, now he’s running.
The Big Dog
July 22nd, 2010
1:28 pm
Remind me again why they call him Sea Bass?
Bat Masterson
July 22nd, 2010
1:29 pm
Way to go, New Guy!!
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:29 pm
If anyone cares, Yunel is 0-1 today, and finally playing a pitcher who has an era below 5.
Batman bin Suparman
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Anyone still miss Escobar? Didn’t think so.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Kevin Millar gave him the nickname when both were Marlins because Mr. Cowboy Up believed A-Gon resembled, er, a sea bass.
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
HUGE strike zone today. I can live with that if Hudson gets same calls.
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:31 pm
Mark do you think between innings you can run down to the dugout roof and crack an egg to see if it cooks? Maybe some bacon also?
Chris
July 22nd, 2010
1:32 pm
Escobar? Did they trade the batboy?
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:32 pm
I can tell you that baseball folks fully expect Fredi Gonzalez to manage the Braves in ‘11. But most of them are guessing.
Mitchell
July 22nd, 2010
1:32 pm
This is what the Braves used to always do last year.
They’d be down two runs in the 9th and lose and then get five in the first the next day.
It’s like, “We could have used those last night.”
Not complaining mind you. Great first inning. Very glad Gonzo got the “runner” in from second.
That was big.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:33 pm
I had eggs in my $10 press room salad. They didn’t boil, Steve.
The Big Dog
July 22nd, 2010
1:33 pm
Thanks.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
The time-honored rule in baseball: You don’t make the first or third out of an inning trying to advance to third base.
Brandon
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
hey everyone here is a link for the game atdhe.net then click on the braves link
Katherine
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
Wait…the game hasn’t ended from last night?
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
Yunel 0-2.
Mitchell
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
Ho, sit down.
GTSteve
July 22nd, 2010
1:35 pm
That was a long half inning for only 2 runs
Mike
July 22nd, 2010
1:35 pm
Can we trade McLouth before the third inning?
Well, then, how about before the fifth inning?
Braves go to extra innings, use a zillion pitchers, none of them named Kawakami.
So that’s all we need to know about what they currently think of Kawakami.
Katherine
July 22nd, 2010
1:36 pm
I bet the padres can’t wait to get out of this heat and humidity
MyPatooti
July 22nd, 2010
1:36 pm
If you have to explain a nickname, it’s no good! That is one of the worst ever! Braves fans need to give him a good one.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:37 pm
Sea Bass with a nice play on D. This guy’s OK, I’m telling you.
bob
July 22nd, 2010
1:37 pm
Fredi Gonzalez is too obvious. I randomly pick Don Mattingly
Mitchell
July 22nd, 2010
1:38 pm
I remember hearing that.
He does kind of look like a fish. There’s nothing wrong with saying that, is there?
No wonder he did so well with the Marlins.
I kill me.
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:39 pm
Their right fielder is terrible!
Kentavo
July 22nd, 2010
1:39 pm
Here’s a nickname for Sea Bass: Not-Yuni
Aaron
July 22nd, 2010
1:40 pm
NOW you put on the glasses.
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:41 pm
I think it would be funny if the Braves shocked the world and let Greg Norton be manager next year. Maybe he could be a player/manager and start! 100 loss season for sure.
Harry
July 22nd, 2010
1:42 pm
Has Glaus caught a foul ball this season?
Katherine
July 22nd, 2010
1:43 pm
Please don’t mention Norton or Kolb…..bad memories
Adarisville Brave
July 22nd, 2010
1:44 pm
Braves need to go for the throat asap, they need to keep piling on the runs unlike last night where they got the lead and then bats went to sleep, starting to remind me of my bulldogs who get the lead and then run the ball for a 3 and out every possession.
Steve
July 22nd, 2010
1:44 pm
Ha ha. I forgot about Kolb. Wow that guy was terrible! I have a poster of Norton over my fireplace mantle. What a winner.
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:44 pm
Heyward with a single. It’s 3-0.
Mitchell
July 22nd, 2010
1:44 pm
Mark Bradley
July 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
The time-honored rule in baseball: You don’t make the first or third out of an inning trying to advance to third base.
Mark, are you serious? Seriously. You’re not serious.
You also don’t hesitate and stop running with two outs on a fly ball to right. If Brian McCann had been running all the way he would have made it easily.
Yunel would get killed if he did that.
Jason Heyward is clutch.