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
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
7:58 pm
Wait a second, Steve. You’re telling me Skyla Cox — daughter of Bobby Cox — is going with the bottom of the sixth for tonight’s thumb?
I have to check the fine print and see if relatives of the ejectee are allowed to win the T-shirt.
Frankie say
August 30th, 2010
7:58 pm
“RELAX”
kurula
August 30th, 2010
7:59 pm
maybe a custom tee with just a thumb and you’re out! on it. when i say custom, i mean a white tee shirt drawn on with a sharpie.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
7:59 pm
“A balk a day keeps the manager away”…..Bob Davidson
heywood...
August 30th, 2010
7:59 pm
i predict top 13th and i’ll tell u why. same reason when i play the
lottery, i choose 1,2,3,4,5,6 b/c nobody else will and then i won’t
have to share the winnings. my odds are slim but they’d be slim
anyway and some other schmuk would get 1/2 my crap.
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:00 pm
I remember when Rafael Belliard hit his 2nd homer of his career, about 15 years into his career, he walked the next time up and Skip Caray said “they’re afraid to pitch to him.”
Anyway, I’d like to get ahold of an old Atlanta Knights t-shirt. I wonder if those are still floating around anywhere?
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:00 pm
Darn. Braves lead by three. No way Cox is getting tossed now.
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:00 pm
Woo hoo heyward……
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:00 pm
Or a Frankie Say Relax t.
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
Great example, EJ called j-hey’s shot a “Haymaker”
Steve
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
Ha ha. See what you can do Mark. I told her to call him real quick for the 6th inning ejection. Doubt it will happen now thanks to Mr. Heyward. Nice shot!
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
NO WAY Skyla can participate. an obvious conflict of interest for her father.
BravesFaninMD
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
Jay-HEY!!!!
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
WOW I think my white painted Butt just got spanked.
Singed,
RUSS the UGA tempoprary mascot.
heywood...
August 30th, 2010
8:01 pm
hello coach todd. have u hit mark w/a limerick yet?
Katherine
August 30th, 2010
8:02 pm
I predict no ejection today…but an ejection on wednesday.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:02 pm
Got to put Misch right back out there JJ
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:03 pm
heywood, not one that i thought was printable. but the night is young.
Headley Lamar
August 30th, 2010
8:03 pm
Francouer in ATL and no Sonny Clusters?
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:03 pm
To Cox Going Out On Top: I’d actually thought about that. Thanks for seconding the emotion.
GMCK
August 30th, 2010
8:04 pm
Nice hit from heyward!!!!!
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:04 pm
Sonny was here earlier, Headley. But he had to swing by DQ.
Remarkable
August 30th, 2010
8:04 pm
Mark, I take back my earlier question, at least for tonight! Thanks for responding. (By the way, Go U of L Cardinals!)
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:04 pm
Mark I am good on the 5-2 on my bet.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:05 pm
say Mark. you dont think farnsworth can get bobby tossed tonight?
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:05 pm
Skyla Cox could call her dad on his iPhone and say, “Take a dive this inning. A T-shirt is riding on it.”
Heath
August 30th, 2010
8:05 pm
We was sayin’ he’ll be back.
GMCK
August 30th, 2010
8:05 pm
Jurrjens is starting to make me nervous
Selleck Waterfall Sandwich
August 30th, 2010
8:06 pm
Mark, who is the best Braves W.A.G.?
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:06 pm
I will say this I love that the Braves catchers are OLD SCHOOL with the Mask and the batting helmet instead of the new Hockey mask type of catchers mask.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:06 pm
Yes, GMCK. You don’t want to walk the leadoff guy after you’ve just started a three-run rally.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:07 pm
for all the ejections, Bobby doesn’t hold a candle to George Steinbrenner when it comes to missing baseball games.
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:08 pm
SON did you not see the BREAK on that pitch? Go back to the Dugout and think about it. Bye Bye.
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
8:08 pm
Dont the starters have some kinda bet on highest Batting Avg?..without looking Id say JJ is inching closer to Huddy.
Guy behind home plate
August 30th, 2010
8:08 pm
“Yeah…I think I’ll wear my neon yellow shirt tonight. That’s a good look for me.”
Not distracting in the slightest.
The T-shirt winner should definitely win a neon yellow T-shirt.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:08 pm
if he takes a dive, it will be a wet teeshirt. heh
Steve
August 30th, 2010
8:09 pm
She refuses to call, she said with a smile. She may get tossed from her family for bothering dad at work.
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:09 pm
Here’s Frenchy. Swung at the first pitch.
So unlike him.
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:09 pm
FRANK you can’t get on top of that HEAT. Why do you think we let you go.
BravesFaninMD
August 30th, 2010
8:10 pm
Wow, that’s the way Jair!!
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:10 pm
No way Bobby tosses Skyla, Steve. He’s crazy about her.
Ask her about the fish she used to have. Named “Pendleton.”
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:10 pm
he’s nothing if not consistent
5150 P.O.A.D
August 30th, 2010
8:11 pm
All HIGH heat like Cheech and Chong but FRANK couldn’t hit it if it was packed in a bong. AHHAHAH Go BRAVES.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:11 pm
the fish probably would have been a better pitching coach
Mark Bradley
August 30th, 2010
8:11 pm
OK, folks. Last half-inning to enter. Call the ejection or forever hold your peace.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:12 pm
rather hitting. or for that matter pitching.
todd grantham
August 30th, 2010
8:13 pm
4042025725 is the number you can text to ask jim powell how he really feels about don sutton
Bravissimo
August 30th, 2010
8:13 pm
Nice catch frenchy!
"Chef" Tim Dix
August 30th, 2010
8:13 pm
Wow! I thought the Marlins outfielders left with the team
heywood...
August 30th, 2010
8:14 pm
i stand by top 13.