From Phil (Mickelson) to Phil(lies): Chatting live off the Braves!
Brandon Beachy against the Phillies here last fall. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
When last we met, I was in Augusta watching golf. I have since relocated. I’m at the ballpark for Saturday’s titanic tilt between the first-place Phillies and the third-place Braves. (Standings subject to change.)
The Braves won last night, as you’ve heard. They beat Cliff Lee, which isn’t easy. Today they’ll face Roy Oswalt, who’s no slouch. The Braves will deploy Brandon Beachy, whose first big-league assignment came on 12 hours’ notice last September when he was summoned to face the Phillies in Citizens Bank Park in Game 1 of what would be a three-game sweep for the home side. Not that Beachy was bad that night: All things considered, he was quite good.
He went 4 1/3 innings, yielding four hits, three walks and only one earned run. (Jason Heyward flubbed a ball in the outfield that led to Beachy’s undoing. You might recall that the Braves were making errors hand over fist at the shank of last season.) The Phillies won 3-1.
Beachy would start again against the Phillies in the season’s 160th game, and that was more of the same. He entered the sixth inning with the game tied at 2, whereupon Brooks Conrad made an error. The Phillies would win 11-4.
There’s a bit less pressure today. But it’s never too early to beat the team you know you’ll have to beat. And I’ll be here to chronicle every last putt … er, pitch. I’d be mighty pleased if you’d join me.
By Mark Bradley
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234 comments Add your comment
TheDream
April 9th, 2011
12:33 pm
First! From Seattle!
GO Braves!
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 9th, 2011
12:34 pm
the ramblin’ man himself. greetings mark!
TheDream
April 9th, 2011
12:38 pm
Mark, you left Augusta just as Tiger is roaring back into contention for the Green Jacket to see a regular season Braves game? I’m not a Tiger (or that big of a golf) fan, but golf just seems a bit more exciting when he’s in the picture for the title- especially since he hasn’t played this well in a LONG time. I love the Braves, but come on man, it’s the Masters!
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
12:48 pm
Kudos, TheDream.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
12:49 pm
And I don’t always get to set my schedule, FYI.
Trevinb
April 9th, 2011
12:53 pm
I was at Augusta yesterday, too. I bounced around slot, but did see Tiger’s bogey on 7 and his birdie on 18. How do you cover golf? Do you sit at a hole? Walk around?
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 9th, 2011
12:53 pm
Predictions Sure To Go Wrong:
i say braves win 4-1 and tiger shots a 66 and leads heading into Sunday.
Brandon from Warner Robins
April 9th, 2011
12:53 pm
Predictions Sure To Go Wrong:
i say braves win 4-1 and tiger shots a 66 and leads heading into Sunday.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
12:58 pm
There are really only two ways to do it: Trevinb — walk around or watch it on TV in the press center. I tried to do both: Walk the first nine with somebody (Tiger on Thursday, Mickelson yesterday) and then head to the press center. And then rush out to the 18th green when the guy I’m writing about finishes.
Golf is tricky. There’s no great way.
Kimbrel
April 9th, 2011
1:00 pm
FEAR THE PEACH FUZZ!
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:09 pm
About to begin here. Not a sellout, but a decent crowd. Maybe 40,000.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:13 pm
Leadoff double. Flyin’ Hawaiian.
SandyB
April 9th, 2011
1:14 pm
In Fla. for Spring Break….no Braves on Fox….we get stuck with the Yankees and the Red Sox…
Ralph
April 9th, 2011
1:18 pm
Why is it that everytime the braves are on FOX or PTV it takes two or more innings to get the right game on the tube, it was the same crap last year all season long. I wish someone could strighten out the idots at the control board, I am sitting now watching the Red Sox and Yankees on FOX.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:19 pm
Phils lead 1-0. Ben Francisco RBI hit after an IBB to Ryan Howard.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:25 pm
Nine pitches for Oswalt in the first frame
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:31 pm
Nice play by Uggla. Dives to grab Wilson Valdez’s one-hop liner, which was tailing on him. Gets up and throws Valdez out.
Bo Diddley
April 9th, 2011
1:32 pm
I thought Uggla was supposed to be a defensive liability??? Have you seen the plays he’s made???
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:35 pm
Hey Mark,
You are my game today, Buddy. Had tickets to last night’s but had to work, covering for co-workers vacation. Today the same. I also have un-subscribed Gameday. I’ll probably actually have to do a little work as well. Oh well, Go Braves!
JoshTown
April 9th, 2011
1:35 pm
Mark, any thoughts on Manny?
Bo Diddley
April 9th, 2011
1:36 pm
Always wanted to see Oswalt in a Braves uniform. He seems like our kinda guy.
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:36 pm
Is this thing on?
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:37 pm
OK, there I am. Last post didn’t make it. I didn’t say anything bad.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:38 pm
Not really, JoshTown. Manny was just Manny.
Bo Diddley
April 9th, 2011
1:38 pm
Jason Heyward = Claudell Washington + skills
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:40 pm
Not really, JoshTown. Manny was just Manny.
Don Sutton all but called him the stupidist player in baseball last night.
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:41 pm
Mark-
Don Sutton all but called Manny the stupidist player in baseball last night.
Steve
April 9th, 2011
1:42 pm
Mark, any new news on the Braves potentially being for sale? If they are, I figured you and Jeff could go in together and buy them.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:44 pm
Manny appeared to be mighty clever with the bat in his hands.
bucky oneil
April 9th, 2011
1:45 pm
Yeah, so did Barry.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:47 pm
Nice double play turned by Gonzalez and Dan U.
Joey
April 9th, 2011
1:47 pm
“Manny appeared to be mighty clever with the bat in his hands”
*********************************
Seems he was pretty clever before he got to the ballpark everyday also, huh, Mark?
Bo Diddley
April 9th, 2011
1:47 pm
Ok. I’m fine with Uggla at 2B. Any questions?
We_Run_This_Country
April 9th, 2011
1:50 pm
Bark Madley,
Is Chipper Jones’ defense ~ Mendoza’s offense?
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:52 pm
Tied at 1. Freeman singles the other way to score Gonzalez, who’d doubled the other way.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
1:53 pm
MB – how you doing?
Bo Diddley
April 9th, 2011
1:54 pm
Oswalt is leaving some pitches on the fat of the plate. Wait for your pitch and hit it where they ain’t.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:55 pm
Braves lead. Prado RBI single, also the other way.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
1:55 pm
So, how’s the attendance looking at apathetic Turner Field?
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:56 pm
McLouth lines into a DP.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
1:57 pm
I’d hope at least you could sell out the first series of the season, but then again the old bravos were getting less than 20k last year when they were in first place, so you never know with the braves fairly lame fan base…
Steve
April 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
Well, Phillies, Class of the NL, looks like about 45,000 after having 51,000 last night. Philles + Class? HA HA. Good one. Will be hilarious to see Phillies fans faces after they don’t win the division. Cliff Lee? Yea, he did great against Atlanta last night. Oswald? Not so much today.
Joey
April 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
Nate hit it right on the button. Tough luck.
Mark Bradley
April 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
No RBI on Prado’s single. Francisco muffed the grounder in right field.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
How was that unveiling of the “Wild Card” banner last night, was there a roaring ovation?
chipontheroad birdsrus
April 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
classless of the nl and ne boo ya
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
Wait, so no sell-out today? hahaha – I actually thought it would be since its a Saturday and its April and there wouldn’t be any of those built-in excuses (its too hot, cant get there from work) – but I guess it just comes down to the fact that braves fans are HORRIBLE!
Joey
April 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
“So, how’s the attendance looking at apathetic Turner Field?”
************************************
Mark will not want to be rude, Phillies . . . so I will.
Decent crowd. Good folks not booing their own team. No one intentionally throwing up on a child. Fresh air.
All things that one will never see in that stinking Philly.
Phillies, Class of the NL
April 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
MB, how you doing old boy? Been awhile mate.
Gumby
April 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
Crap there goes the lead!!