Live from the ballyard: Call Thumb No. 158 and win a T-shirt!
I’d all but abandoned hope. There Bobby Cox was, 32 games remaining as a big-league manager, and he was stuck on 156 ejections. My sweet dream was that the Thumb King would reach 162 before he retires, which would make him the only man who could ever truthfully say, “I wasn’t around for the end a season’s worth of games.”
Forget Cy Young and his 511 wins. Forget Joe D. and 56 straight. I was thinking 162 ejections would be the standard to end standards. I was thinking 162 heave-hos would impel the folks in Cooperstown to waive the waiting period and induct the crusty skipper posthaste..
But I had, as noted, begun to doubt the great man. His once-furious pursuit of history had slowed to a crawl. He was tossed only three times through 129 games, and I’d begun to think our roaring lion had resigned himself to going out with a whimper.
Then he got tossed Sunday, which was nice. But even with No. 157 in the book, my spirits were so low as to be a flickering ember.
Then I walked into the Braves’ clubhouse Monday and saw this written on a whiteboard:
“HP – B. Davidson.”
And hope sprang anew. Bob Davidson, known variously as Balkin’ Bob or Balk-a-day Bob, is famous for his quick trigger, and he, as noted last month by Atlanta writer Thomas Lake in a fine profile of Cox for Sports Illustrated, shares the record for most Cox ejections with six.
And here I’m thinking: Balk-a-day Bob in town for four games … two ejections easy, possibly three … Cox then has 159 with 28 pressurized games remaining. In sum, I’m thinking:
There’s still a shot.
And with that, I’ll open the figurative floor for questions, comments and ejection projections. Let the record show that yours truly has “bottom of the fourth” in tonight’s Thumb Pool. But I’m not, as you might have heard, much good at predicting. So I’m asking you to step right and make your picks. And I thank you, as ever, in advance.
Oh, and by popular demand: We’ve made this a contest. Call the correct half-inning — we’ll cut off entries after the third, but you can predict a early ejection now — and WIN A T-SHIRT! (Of some sort.)
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
936 comments Add your comment
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:42 pm
Once about 20 years ago we were thrown out of a game for irritating Joe Boever after he’d had his brains beat in by the Mets. Ah, the good old days when we could all buy the $5 tickets and move down to the “front row.”
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:42 pm
i thought you’d leave after not winning the heave ho pool.
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
8:43 pm
Hey Mark…do you think Jurrjens ever completely overcame his injuries this year? He hasn’t seemed to get a consistent streak going to me.
Sonny Clusters
August 30th, 2010
8:43 pm
We are here. Waiting for Jeff.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:43 pm
You know who likes Ike (Davis)? Jurrjens. Struck him out three times.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:43 pm
is Mrs Mitch trying to win a teeshirt?
GMCK
August 30th, 2010
8:44 pm
nice JJ… glad to see you get out of that little pickle
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:44 pm
You make a good point, Selleck Waterfall Sandwich.
Don’t know about your screen name, however.
Question for Ike Davis' mother
August 30th, 2010
8:44 pm
So you named your son after his father, I presume?
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:45 pm
i like ike
i’ll shout it over a mike
so genuinely human
why even harry truman
says i like ike
with apologies to irving berlin
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:45 pm
Neon Green is standing and pointing, FYI. Colonel Mustard seems to have taken a hike.
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
8:45 pm
I suggest you check out the website then, Mr. Bradley. All I can say is: double rainbows, man.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:45 pm
green guy to yellow guy…”can we leave yet? the real housewives of nj reunion is tonight…that Danielle is such a slut”
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:46 pm
88 pitches thru 5. Gonna need the bullpen tonight.
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:46 pm
OK mark I am living on the EGDE I had 2-6-0 mets and 5-9-1 Braves. Now we are at 2-4-0 Mets and 5-8-0 braves. I am not doing bad, but we do have 5 1/2 innings left if the Brages win in regular innings.
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:46 pm
Coach, if your D is as good as your prose, we should be okay.
Philly Phan
August 30th, 2010
8:47 pm
Watching the game and all the empty seats before the Phils @ 10. I have three questions: 1. When was the braves last sellout? 1b. Have they had consecutive sellouts? 2. Why does Atlanta not support a first place team?
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:48 pm
I remember former colleague Joe Strauss dubbing Joe Boever “Boever the Saver.” That lasted about two seconds.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:48 pm
Joe Boever ” The Saver ” man was he terrible.
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:48 pm
Football season is coming up. We’re saving for that.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:48 pm
Great minds MB
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
8:48 pm
MB..Do you have the Peachtree feed on your monitors in the pressbox?
Neon yellow shirt guy
August 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
Had to leave. His Wiggles concert starts in an hour.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
philly phan…I have a question for you…why do you smell like rotten cheesesteak and tears?
to philly phan
August 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
i am living in boston now but when i did live in atl.. i lived in gwinnett and it was a pain getting off work and driving that far and if you make a wrong turn… your in a place that i dont belong.
Philly Phan
August 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
Heath:
Who the Falcons or GT??? lets be real here
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:49 pm
He shot us a bird as he was leaving the field that night (hand on my heart) and right after that security showed us where the door was. Good times.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
I have surfed the Selleck Waterfall Sandwich Web site. I feel kind of like I did the first time I saw Devo.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
I think Heywards thumb is finally feeling a lot better.
He hasnt hit the ball this hard this consistently since April.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
Philly Phan: without going into 40 yrs of details, suffice to say no rail service to the Ted.
( Or the FUL. RIP.)
Philly Phan
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
i like to smell my own farts
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
philly…people in atlanta have to work…its a monday night and the kids are back in school…get over it.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:50 pm
rumor is the colorful couple left to go find a couple of ballpark franks.
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
UGA. Who are these other teams you speak of?
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
At least he comes with a good attitude.
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
Told ya!
Double rainbows, man.
Double rainbows.
Allen
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
Get out
Sonny Clusters
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
Only one more day and the new blizzard of the month will be introduced. We was there trying to find out but they wouldn’t tell us. Warren Buffett can’t even find out.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
Paper suits DEVO or the Red hats DEVO?
Philly Phan
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
take MARTA and the shuttle then, i lived there for 2 years and drove to about 5 games or so
stay classy katherine, obviously you aren’t at the park supporting your first place braves
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:51 pm
We do, Bravissimo.
Col. Mustard has returned, I note.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:52 pm
lol todd
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
8:52 pm
Still my predicted inning. Still alive.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:52 pm
Red hats Devo. I remember thinking, “What is that?”
Mrs. Mitch
August 30th, 2010
8:52 pm
I can’t say that I grew up in Georgia, but I’ve definitely started an adult life here, and my summers have been filled with baseball. 10 years ago I would get mad that Saved by the Bell wasn’t on and there was nothing but baseball on TBS, WGN, and some other station. Now I love baseball and I have fallen in love with the Braves.
I know understand why the young cute boys in Tucson, Arizona were so proud of their braves hats. Their talent and commitment is admirable, and I’m proud to call them my team.
Marc, thank you.
Allen
August 30th, 2010
8:53 pm
to the phillies fane don’t you have anything more productive to do than trollin’ the awesome braves live forum
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:53 pm
WOW thanks for the high throw for sure. Ball first runner second but a bad throw.
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
8:53 pm
How do u know she not on a mobil device?
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:53 pm
Sonny, word has already leaked the new flavor is selleck waterfall sandwich.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:53 pm
Philly I went to the game yesterday…thank you very much.