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.)
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936 comments Add your comment
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:19 pm
Mr. Bradley whats the final edition gonna be J-Hey puts on a show as the hapless mets fall further back something along those lines
Tonight's Headline
August 30th, 2010
10:20 pm
“Braves, shirts, blind the Mets”
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:20 pm
hurray apocalypse now references
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
10:21 pm
Title ” The Metropolitans get lost in Terminus”.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
10:21 pm
lets just start calling him d suck
Motesart
August 30th, 2010
10:21 pm
Ding! Ding! You win a bingo, Allen.
D-Suck
August 30th, 2010
10:22 pm
Isn’t that a Jenna Jameson movie?
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:22 pm
wagner has got to let a runner on just to get in the game
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
10:22 pm
frenchy is muttering to himself….i’m boycotting coke now
Jean Pierre
August 30th, 2010
10:22 pm
Frenchy! OMG! We surrender. Vive la Braves.
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
10:22 pm
Well Mark…Ive enjoyed this chat session..and I think this game is in hand with 2 outs.
So Ill have the grilled stuffed burrito from the Bell with a side of jalapenos…..have a good night and I hope they send you to the race! night all
Sonny Clusters
August 30th, 2010
10:23 pm
Dairy Queen Time.
Trey
August 30th, 2010
10:23 pm
Atlanta has some of the greatest Sports writers in this country. I honestly love all the time and effort they put into blogs and writing these articles, from DOB, to Mark Bradley, to Jeff Schultz, to the old Furman himself. I miss reading Bisher’s old articles for the AJC.
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:23 pm
Isn’t that a Jenna Jameson movie?
was that a serious question? okay yes is was a jenna jameson movie also starring martin sheen in a very dark war movie…but with a sexy side…
Trey
August 30th, 2010
10:23 pm
Sonny, are you going to share?
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
10:23 pm
braves win braves win……..lets hope the phils lose now
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
10:24 pm
Thanks to all! Good blog, good win. D Suck sticks!
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
10:24 pm
Braves win! But, on a sad note, Cox does not get ejected! No T-shirt tonight.
Sugar Hill
August 30th, 2010
10:24 pm
bullpen gave up no runs again!
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
10:24 pm
A little something about Brian McCann, Allen. Thanks for asking.
kurula
August 30th, 2010
10:25 pm
well, it’s a long series. there’s always hope!
Christopher Chance
August 30th, 2010
10:25 pm
Now it’s time to watch the Phillies-Dodgers game.
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:26 pm
i like to keep up
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
10:26 pm
Thanks for everything MB…..enjoyed it and hope you get to the race!
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
10:26 pm
Mark I don’t want a T-shirt I want Bobby to Stay in the dugout and never have a bad game the reat of the year.
Allen
August 30th, 2010
10:28 pm
its time for me to get food got way too wrapped up in the game and the blog, first time on, thanks for the experience guys hope to do it again tomorrow, in the mean time i got my famous homemade rotisserie chicken waiting with green beans and baked sweet potatoes, eat your heart out philly, all you got is a cheesesteak!!
chattadawg
August 30th, 2010
10:29 pm
dodgers up 1-0 in the first
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
10:32 pm
Thanks Mark…have a great night everyone
MitchC
August 30th, 2010
10:34 pm
I wasn’t home tonight, so I didn’t see the game. Most important thing is, with Sept 1 a bit over 24 hrs away, we won. Leave it to Bradley to focus on the ejection. Now you know why I call you “Mr Negative” , my friend!
Seriously, we need three of four from the Mets. Yes, the Phillies are playing the Dodgers, but we need to fatten this lead. This NL East is like a horse race heading for a photo finish, wayyyy too close for comfort.
If we can get ahead a few more games in the division, that would certainly help.
Trey
August 30th, 2010
10:37 pm
Hopefully the Dodgers can win.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
10:50 pm
Guy pitching for the Dodgers is tough.
bulldog bubba
August 30th, 2010
10:55 pm
Clusters, The Coach wants to know if you and Frenchy are’nt doing anything Friday night,could you come to the Orange Jungle and help him out?
Christopher Chance
August 30th, 2010
11:03 pm
Headley Lamar………Kuroda is no-hitting the Phillies through 4 innings.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
11:13 pm
If you’re inclined … here’s a little something on Brian McCann. If not, thanks for your continuing patronage. Maybe the best live Braves blog of the season, IMHO.
Chris
August 30th, 2010
11:15 pm
Does anyone know what happened to the little girl in the stands (near Mets dugout) who was hit by a line drive at about 8:15 p.m.? We were sitting behind her and are just hoping she is ok.
Heath
August 30th, 2010
11:21 pm
Dodgers pitcher seems to have a no hitter through 5