Are the do-nothing Braves in dire divisional peril? Probably not
The bat and the gloves belong to Chipper Jones. I assume the tattoo does, too. (AP photo)
Two reasons the Braves’ subdued offseason has been poorly received by many locals: The 2011 season didn’t end well, and other members of the National League East have made bigger personnel noise. (It would, we can agree, be hard to make less noise than simply paying Derek Lowe to go away.)
Conventional wisdom holds that the Braves have been content to sit idle while the rest of the division moves onward and upward, but conventional wisdom can sometimes be less than wise. As pitchers and catchers set to work at Lake Buena Vista — if you can call what transpires in spring training “work” — let’s eyeball the Eastern bloc:
Philadelphia Phillies (finished 102-60 last season, 13 games ahead of the Braves): Lost closer Ryan Madson but added closer Jonathan Papelbon; lost left fielder Raul Ibanez and starting pitcher Roy Oswalt; will be without first baseman Ryan Howard, who tore his Achilles tendon on the final play of the Division Series, probably until Memorial Day.
Unless Vance Worley and Joe Blanton fall to pieces, the Phillies shouldn’t miss Oswalt, who was the fourth of the Big Four, and Papelbon figures to be a slight upgrade on Madson. But the everyday eight will struggle without Howard, and even his biggest years seem behind him. At 32, he’s the youngest among starting infielders. (And catcher Carlos Ruiz is 33, and center fielder Shane Victorino is 31.)
Starting pitching and the 2011 deadline addition of Hunter Pence should enable the Phillies to bleed out one more division title — that’ll make six in a row — but Philly’s window is closing. Last season’s Round 1 exit puts even more pressure on this aging team.
Washington Nationals (finished 80-81, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves: Added starting pitchers Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson and relievers Brad Lidge and Chad Durbin; lost Livan Hernandez, who made it his lot in life to beat the Braves 10 times a year for the past 50 years. (Slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.)
The Nationals have targeted this as their year of arrival: The famous pitcher Stephen Strasburg should be recovered from his 2010 surgery, and the almost-as-famous hitting prospect Bryce Harper could be in the starting lineup on Opening Day. (And there’s another big hitter — third baseman Anthony Rendon — in the chain.)
The elder Nats, however, are less imposing. Outfielder Jayson Werth hit .232 on the first year of his $126-million contract. Shortstop Ian Desmond has made 77 errors the past two seasons. The first baseman is Adam LaRoche, who’s 32 and is coming off shoulder surgery.
New York Mets (finished 77-85, 12 games behind the Braves): Lost shortstop Jose Reyes and outfielder Angel Pagan; added closer Frank Francisco.
There’s not much to say. Owing to their Bernie-Madoff-incurred financial straits, the Mets have little to spend and are all but bereft of top-shelf talent. They should finish last by some distance.
Miami Marlins (finished 72-90, 17 games behind the Braves): Hired Ozzie Guillen as manager; added shortstop Jose Reyes, closer Heath Bell and starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Carlos Zambrano; lost starting pitcher Javier Vazquez.
It’s a toss-up as to which NL’Easter is more pumped for 2012 — Washington or the team formerly known as the Florida Marlins. The Fish will move into their new downtown ballpark, which comes equipped with a retractable roof and actual fish tanks behind home plate, and they’ve spent nearly $200 million of fixer-upper money on free agents. Even Phillies manager Charlie Manuel indicated he sees the Marlins as the “biggest threat.”
But are they? The advent of Reyes means incumbent shortstop Hanley Ramirez will move to third base, and Ramirez has already expressed differing emotions about the move. Zambrano’s temperament can render his arm ineffective, and No. 1 starter Josh Johnson missed nearly all of last season with shoulder soreness. On paper, this seems a good team. On the field, it could be rather less.
Projections: The Braves chose to do little over the offseason because they believe enough players who had bad years will remember who they are, or were. That’s a risk, yes, but it’s a considered one. Much went wrong for the 2011 Braves, and still they won 89 games. Before we wring our hands over the possibility of them being passed in the standings, we need ask: Are the young Nationals capable of improving by 10 games? Are the new-look Marlins primed to improve by 18?
Much has changed, but really not much has changed. The Braves figure to be the second-best team in the East and the National League team best equipped to draw the wild card. Given that the wild-card holder wound up winning the 2011 World Series, that’s not such a bad place to be.
By Mark Bradley
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217 comments Add your comment
Benjamin
February 20th, 2012
12:11 pm
First.
And we beat the Phillies this year.
J.J.M.
February 20th, 2012
12:13 pm
probably not but just like every other atlanta team that dont sign or trade for a superstar I wont be spening my money on any of the team games this season.
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
12:13 pm
Kudos, Benjamin.
Wrecker
February 20th, 2012
12:18 pm
Mark: As you noted, the Phillies are getting old fast. Ryan Howard is a huge guy and the prevailing wisdom is that huge guys have serious joint and ligament problems as they age.
SeaAtl
February 20th, 2012
12:23 pm
Phillies a lock for the division; Mets a lock to finish last; the Nats and Marlins will battle for 2nd & the WC; that leaves the Brave a virtual lock for 4th place. Hard to argue against that – Braves don’t have a RF, LF, or SS; they have an older 3B that will play great but not likely for more than 120 games; the bullpen will regress from last year’s overuse; and the starting rotation is the walking wounded.
Braves Fan
February 20th, 2012
12:25 pm
I don’t think we needed to make big moves this off season. If we stay healthy and Pastornicky pans out then I think we have just as good a shot as anyone else in our division. We’re just not the go out and buy a team kind of organization and people need to get over that. GO BRAVES!!!!!
@LukeDixonATL
February 20th, 2012
12:27 pm
I don’t blame Wren for not going out to make the big, sexy acquisitions this offseason. Maybe it’s a lack of being able to spend, but a collapse like that won’t happen 2 years in a row, it just won’t. Mark made two great points: The Marlins are improved on paper and the Phillies are older than most realize. I could definitely see both the Braves and Marlins making the playoffs. I won’t predict the order, but it could come down to that last week at the Ted vs. Miami.
BvgNeedsaHaircut
February 20th, 2012
12:27 pm
Because everybody bounces back after bad years…..can it just be acknowledged that our owners care nothing for the team and will never spend another dollar on FA. Only way we sign players is when money comes off the books
GoWest
February 20th, 2012
12:27 pm
Can we get a new owner? Mr. Blank?
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
12:31 pm
You know, there’s something to be said about the Braves’ stated-by-Terry-McGuirk position: The free-agency system is the most inefficient way to build a team. I know it’s exciting when a team spends big on a big name, but more often than not it’s a poor investment.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
12:35 pm
Everyone seems to forget that we did make a big acquisition last year with Dan Uggla…and Michael Bourne is a huge game-changer to have from Game number 1. Granted, Uggla did not pan out last year as we had expected. Staying on Uggla, it is much more likely that he will return to career-averages this year than have a repeat of last season. This is the same reason any Marlin and Nats acquisitions are not “locks”…just see Werth from last season.
Every team has issues. If you have to bring it to three key points for the Braves, they would be:
1. Pastronicky or whomever our shortstop is. Gonzo was not an offensive threat but we are going to miss his glove terrible.
2. Heyward. Will he bounce back from the sophomore slump? This is our biggest key…even bigger than the issue at shortstop.
3, Chipper Jones health, or more importantly, how do we plug left field when Chipper is out of the line-up. I would really have loved to have another outfield bat, but you are essentially platooning any new acquisition with Bourn out there as well as relying on point #2, Heyward being an every day threat.
Loafer
February 20th, 2012
12:36 pm
And a Marlins team that loaded up big time (like they did the year they won the World Series)And a Mgr that totally burned out our pitching staff on the way to second biggest collapse in MLB history?? Just too many things that need a total turnaround and NAtionals team that will beat us head to head and Hudson who won’t even play till till May due to a bad back and 2 rookie pitchers that can’t find the plate when the heat is on. Been a Braves fan for 30 years but we are a 3rd place team at best.
Steve
February 20th, 2012
12:42 pm
SeaAtl, worst predictions I’ve read.
swhite1951
February 20th, 2012
12:45 pm
There’s this thing called “the season.” Take a look at the predictions EPSN made last year about MLB. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview/2011/news/story?page=11expertpicks Of the columnists surveyed, only 6 predicted the Cardinals to win their division, none predicted them to win the wild card. The overwhelming choice to win the World Series – the Boston Red Sox. Need we say more? None of us on this blog have any earthly idea of what’s going to happen. Pastornicky could be a bust or he could be rookie of the year. Hayward could come back or be traded at mid-season. No one knows, and that’s the beauty of baseball.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
12:45 pm
My prediction is with Bradley this time. I predict second place. Everyone can agree that the Mets are out of it and destined for last place. That means the Marlins, Braves, Nats, and Phillies will spend the season beating up on each other. This is also the reason I don’t see the second place team in the East as the favorite for the wild-card.
For all the nay-sayers for the Braves out there, out of the East, whose everyday line-up do you like better than the Braves. When I see Bourn, Prado, Chipper, McCann, Uggla, Freeman, and Heyward as our 1 through 7, I have a hard time wanting to swap places with anyone.
Bill
February 20th, 2012
12:46 pm
81-81
When Pigs Fly
February 20th, 2012
12:49 pm
Even if their offense returns to full strength it is still suspect. They really have no excuse for making no move to help the offense. Expect a third or fourth place finish in the division.
Ship
February 20th, 2012
12:54 pm
The point not made is that confidence lost is difficult to regain and, in this winter season, the front office has done nothing to provide renewed confidence. Sadly, a decent season that end in the same way as the last.
mark
February 20th, 2012
12:56 pm
Once again the local media give the Braves a pass and more specifically the manager. Gonzalez is terrible plain and simple. Hudson is already out until May both Hanson and Jurgens are coming off injuries. We have a third baseman that might play 100 games. The new hitting coaches hopefully will make a difference but if we have 5 starters that are only allowed to throw 5 innings a piece then the bullpen will be dead by August. Gonzalez has not shown that he is up to the task of keeping his bullpen fresh and healthy for a whole season. I still think the Marlins have real shot at over taking us in the 3rd spot and we struggle against the Nationals. Bottom line is until we get new ownership that holds management responsible for lack of production than the Braves will continue to back slide. Attendance is the best indicator of where the local Atlanta fan feels about this team.
Ted M
February 20th, 2012
12:58 pm
The Braves are counting on at least 6 different “ifs” working out right for them. Thats a lot…I’m worried.
K.Conway
February 20th, 2012
12:58 pm
Braves will be lucky to finish in 4th place. There will be so many empty seats this year that folks will think it’s the old Braves teams of the past! ” Just sit anywhere you want”
Steve
February 20th, 2012
1:00 pm
Gotta love all of the negative predictions already. If last year, with Uggla having a terrible first half, Freeman struggling at first, the pitching injuries, and having a terrible center fielder for the first half of the season, and Heyward struggling all year, they won 89 games, I don’t see how they will be worse. 92-95 wins and the Wild Card.
Bryan G.
February 20th, 2012
1:00 pm
Oh, I don’t know, maybe they could have gotten a shortstop? I’m worried that Pastornicky is going to be more Scott Thorman and less Jason Heyward
Ted M
February 20th, 2012
1:00 pm
Mark – What did you think of the picture of Chipper Jones w/son at spring training?
Steve
February 20th, 2012
1:02 pm
Mark, the Braves averaged 30,037 per game last year. That’s not bad at all and is right in the middle of the pack.
Ted M
February 20th, 2012
1:03 pm
I thought Chipper looked like a dumpy old man. I can’t ever remember seeing him look like that.
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
1:04 pm
That would not have been my reaction, Ted.
Mark (another one)
February 20th, 2012
1:05 pm
I’m guessing 92 wins and first for the Braves. Heyward, McCann, Freeman and Uggla become power central, while Bourn, Prado and Chipper get on base and score runs.
lanier
February 20th, 2012
1:06 pm
what concerns me is off production out os the SS hole. this guy has never faced big league hitting.
I can envision them having to make do with only 7 bats which will doom them
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
February 20th, 2012
1:06 pm
Atlanta = Weak. Chumper needs to cut back at the Golden Corral! All teams in and around Atlanta have that dreaded disease of choking in playoffs or big games. It’s been around for years with no known resolution.
extremus
February 20th, 2012
1:10 pm
Hmm, I’m not one to be superstitious, but the last time you said the Braves had nothing to worry about, Mr. Bradley, they had a rather well-remembered, historic September collapse. Hopefully you’re right on this one, or folks are going to start equating your praising Atlanta sports teams with sticking pins in a Braves/Falcons doll voodoo curse-style.
Hmm, you don’t by chance have any Braves or Falcons dolls in your office, do you?
Steve
February 20th, 2012
1:15 pm
Lanier, Alex G. at short stop last year did not do much at the plate at all.
extremus
February 20th, 2012
1:17 pm
The thing is, numbers can be deceiving. The Nationals don’t necessarily have to improve record-wise by 10 games or the Marlins by 18 to grab a wild-card or even possibly a divisional title if their improvement brings more overall parity to the NL East. I seriously doubt any team in this division will win 100 or maybe even 95 games in the near future (and if I’m wrong, well, that team DESERVES to win). The Braves could find themselves in a beastly annual pennant race where the toughest division in MLB (that’s the NL East) boasts records like 92-70 or so for the division winner and 81-81 for an honestly good team in third or fourth place. In summary, put-up-or-shut-up time starts Opening Day, not necessarily in the crapshhot that is the playoffs..
BRAVESNATION4EVER
February 20th, 2012
1:17 pm
We just gave the 2011 World Series title to those cardinals last October by us totally collapsing with a 10 and a half game lead last August, not to mention we,ve been totally sharing the wealth of pity and sympathy with the yankees in 1999 and 1996 by giving them both World Series titles and those twins and those jays in 1991 and 1992,so the BRAVES have always been totally beating themselves during their 14 straight NL East titles,but I’m sure the Braves will start winning the big ones in October year after year sometime in the near future, especially after those two sox’s the redsox and the whitesox were losing in October for 80-plus years and yet they have won 3 Fall Classics combined with the nation winning 2 of them and the whitesox winning one of them.The BRAVES are going through the exact October heartbreak now,but they’ll start winning the big ones in October every year soon and it may even be starting in 2012 and beyond.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
extremus
February 20th, 2012
1:17 pm
crapshoot (I hate typos)
bill mann
February 20th, 2012
1:18 pm
freddi gonzales is an idiot,never gonna win with this fool in charge,should have fired him after last years debacle
Hooters Girl
February 20th, 2012
1:25 pm
Wonder where the Hooters tatt is?
DC
February 20th, 2012
1:25 pm
I compare the Braves to my EPL club Arsenal. They have the money, they have the name (prestige), but they have owners/chairmen who won’t pull the trigger to get some big name signings in the transfer markets…
I will note that my Gunners are in 4th in the EPL…4/5th place sounds about right for the Bravos too!..
BRAVESNATION4EVER
February 20th, 2012
1:26 pm
Charlie Manuel sees the marlins as the biggest threat to unseat the phillies in the NL East instead of the BRAVES yeah okay we Braves fans will see about that ,especially when we win it all in 2012.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
1:27 pm
We read that the tattoo looks like that because of an unfortunate mis-spelling incident like sometimes happens on this blog. When Chipper first got that particular tattoo it was spelled “Mothre” and after a few days he uh, realized it should have been “Mother”. That’s when he went back for a warranty adjustment and they told him they could just do a deer head instead. Looking intelligent is important for a ballplayer at the plate and having the right tattoos says a lot about the hitter. Mouth breathing, seed spitting, and tobacco drool along with properly timed scratching and adjusting can repulse the pitcher and take his mind off the next pitch. Those mistakes are what keeps Chipper coming back year after year after year after year after year after year after year after year and so on.
Will
February 20th, 2012
1:30 pm
Why doesn’t this community support this team anymore?
Steve
February 20th, 2012
1:32 pm
They do Will. The negative people on here just have issues or are just “glass half empty” type of people. I am willing to bet they still follow the team very closely.
BRAVESNATION4EVER
February 20th, 2012
1:33 pm
Free-agent signings don’t win Fall Classics all the time DC,especially when you look at the 1997 and the 2003 marlins and the the 2010 giants so the BRAVES are totally capable of winning the World Series in 2012 and it should be zero surprise to anyone,especially BRAVES fans if or when they win it all in 2012 because having zero star power has had and will have will power to win in October,for example the marlins and the giants 1997,2003,and 2010 and it may even be the BRAVES in 2012.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
1:33 pm
This team should compete for a WC again this year because, assuming they’re healthy, no one is catching Philadelphia with their pitching.
The manager continues to be a problem, though.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
1:33 pm
For everyone on here demanding that the Braves should have made a big-offseason move after getting Uggla and Bourne last year, where do you suggest they get it? I am being serious. I will concede that Shortstop is a mighty big gamble, but there are not a whole lot of versatile shortstops out there…and the ones that are/were available would have commanded four or five year deals while the Braves have two up and coming shortstops in the minors that are almost as hyped as Heyward and Freeman were.
A bat for the outfield? Are you going to platoon him? You aren’t supplanting Bourn. So your options are to give up on Heyward or to bench Prado and leave one of our most versatile players riding the bench except when Chipper is out. It is easy when money is not an issue, but outside of five teams in baseball, most clubs must work within the payroll. I am not a big supporter of Liberty Media but they do give us $90M + to work with. So we have Chipper making $13M and Prado making, what, $4M? So to get an outfield bat of any substance, you would have to essentially pay a combined for $17M for a third-baseman/bat-off the bench combo, along with at least $6M to $7M for any left fielder of any substance. It just doesn’t make sense.
Once Chipper retires, Bourn doesn’t re-up, or Heyward flops…whichever of the three happens first, the Braves will invest in a big outfield bat. Until then, it is what it is.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
1:37 pm
Having a third baseman that wears grandmother athletic shoes (those little black orthopedic shoes popular amont the grandmother set) is going to be embarrassing this season. We read that Mizuno has made a deal to supply Chipper with some special shoes to help him with his tender feet and toes and heels and ankles and that hammer toes is something that should slow him down a little but not stop him. We was always in favor of getting a younger third baseman ready just in case sometime in May an unfortunate flu-like illness or perhaps a tweak or a twinge or a pull or a tear or a burp or a fart should render Chipper useless for a few days or weeks. Now, people tell us we are too hard on Chipper just like Ward was sometimes too hard on the Beaver, but we have been watching him for a long time and we don’t think he’s going to lead the team to a championship anytime soon.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
1:42 pm
Sonny, Chipper isn’t going to lead us to a Championship with his bat, but he is still one of the most reliable third-baseman in the game when he is healthy and a clubhouse leader outside of that. Whether or not that is worth $13M is a different argument, but to come on here and beat up on Chipper who is going to be a 1st Ballot HOF is embarrassing…especially considering he had every opportunity to play anywhere he wanted for years, but elected to be one of the few players in the modern game to stick with his team, volunteer to play left field, take deferred payments on his contract…all for the good of the team.
But c’mon…it is easier to make fun of him for playing with the pain and injuries, to bring up the Hooters thing a decade after it happened, and more or less blame him for all the ills of the team.
Outside of the Hooters incidient over a decade ago, can anyone name one time Chipper has embarrassed the club with his behavior?
Jake
February 20th, 2012
1:43 pm
Mark “…The new hitting coaches hopefully will make a difference but if we have 5 starters that are only allowed to throw 5 innings a piece then the bullpen will be dead by August.”
I agree with Mark. If the Braves keep utilizing their bullpen without letting the starters stay out there for at least through 6-7 innings, look forward to a repeat of last year when it counts the most in August. It’s time to change your strategy guys.
ChrisN
February 20th, 2012
1:44 pm
I think the Phillies will win the division, and the Braves, Nats, and Fish will fight it out for second. But I don’t believe second in the NL East will win the wild card. The schedule is just too tough. Not only is the unbalanced NL schedule a disadvantage (the teams in the NL East will be beating each other up instead of taking advantage of weaker teams in the Central and West); the interleage rotation pits the NL East against the AL East this year. That means series against Boston, Tampa Bay, and the Yankees (in the Braves’ case, TWICE against the Yanks). That doesn’t set up well for a team from the NL East winning the Wild Card.
DEBravesFan
February 20th, 2012
1:46 pm
You people are hilarious. Heyward had one bad year. ONE! You are now already to cast him off as worthless. He is still a kid. He is actually younger than me(I am 23). Just let the guy play. He was doing fine for a while until injuries crashed into him and slower him down. Same goes for Prado. As far as Pastornicky let the kid play before you judge. Stats do not tell everything. As far as the errors, Minor league fields are not receive the same maintenance that the major league fields do. They are not as bad as Little League but they are not top notch. The scoring is also a little harsher in the minors from my experience. Just let the kids play.
nashvillewill
February 20th, 2012
1:46 pm
Gonzales back as manager is biggest concern. Did he learn from the mistakes that cost the Braves at least 10 games and the WC? Way too many IF’s to suggest this team is more than .500. Among the biggest IF’s: Chipper, Heyward, Uggla, Hudson, Hanson, rookie pitchers, Prado. Very few solid answers.
Klaus
February 20th, 2012
1:48 pm
I don’t think anything McGuirk says should be quoted with any regard or admiration. He is an empty suit who was in a position of influence when TW & the Braves FO signed that terrible 25yr TV deal.
He conveniently acts like he had nothing to do with it yet on the other side of his face he says TW and now Liberty leave him in charge of everything.
The Braves stood pat b/c their budget is on complete lock down. No other reason.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
1:50 pm
DEBravesFan…couldn’t agree more. Please don’t let old age make you bitter like so many of the bloggers on here before the first game is even played.
Klaus
February 20th, 2012
1:51 pm
2013 will be the Braves years. 2012 is a year you have to get through. Chipper looks pretty old and out of shape. Heyward, Prado and Pastornicky have various levels of question marks.
Uggla should be better than 2011 in the 1H but he is not going to hit .310 and 120 RBIs either.
Hudson down until May is not ideal b/c after Lowe he was the only pitcher in the rotation capable of pitching late into games to save the pen.
Hope will spring eternal this ST but the reality is this team is still without the proper LF bat and has a low experience rookie at SS who is a complete ? on which way he could go.
Joey
February 20th, 2012
1:52 pm
“…Chipper isn’t going to lead us to a Championship with his bat, but he is still one of the most reliable third-baseman in the game…”
*************************************************
How so? He gets to almost no balls in gaps, he misses hard hit balls right at him often, and gets probably 2 of 10 outs when he charges slow rollers or bunts.
I think his hitting is the most valuable asset.
Phlegm Lattimore
February 20th, 2012
1:52 pm
I played a little ball in my time and I can tell you that Chipper Jones has, too. I bet he smells like Ben Gay and that is something I would never want to smell like in a major league dugout. A lot of people on here are proud of Chipper and then there’s a few that seem to want to make fun of him about how he grunts and talks so much like a Golden Retriever. I think he deserves our respect and I for one am going to see if I can get him to autograph one of the taillights on my pickup so that I can show some love everytime I hit my brakes.
Joey
February 20th, 2012
1:53 pm
Chipper is the perfect DH for the Yankees or Sox . . .
Dennis
February 20th, 2012
1:55 pm
I think it was former VP Spiro Agnew who used the term “nattering nabobs of negativism”. Methinks a boatload of nabobs are right here on this blog. Good grief! I am forever confused with the things I read here. 89 wins without Prado playing at full health; without JJ and Hanson on the stretch run; with Heyward going through his struggles; with McCann never returning to full health after his oblique strain; and here we are again. I think there are prob ably 25 cities that would kill for what Atlanta has and all I read here is a steady chant of fire everyone. Budgets are budgets (unless you are the Obama administration) and Liberty has one that limits what Wren can do. I want a Mercedes but can’t see buying one with what I have to spend. I wish for a lot of things for the Braves, but given the limitations of budget, I am pleased with what they have and what I believe will be the end result at season’s end.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
1:56 pm
Joey, I was referring to his bat in the line-up, though I don’t see him being nearly as bad defensively as you seem to think he is. I have seen some dynamite plays over at third-base…still, I wouldn’t put him better than middle of the pack in the MLB defensively.
Braves Fan Since 1966
February 20th, 2012
1:57 pm
When an 89 – 73 team has a starter with a 9 – 17 record and ejects him, that’s a big deal in and of itself. If Lowe had just been a .500 pitcher then the Braves would have been 93 – 69 team. With that said, I think they need another right handed hitter who can hit 15 – 20 HRs.
Bruce Benedict
February 20th, 2012
1:58 pm
Chipper looks like he spent most of the off-season on the sofa eating ice cream, but I bet he’ll still probably hit more homers than Jay Hey. Either way, I’m sure Fredi will be “proud” of them when they come up short again.
Peter
February 20th, 2012
2:01 pm
I’m sick of people blaming Fredi for overworking the pen last year. What was he supposed to do? The Braves led the league in extra inning games, the middle relief guys gave him no confidence whatsoever, the starting pitchers couldn’t go deep into games,and about 75% of the Braves wins were by three runs or less, so the offense was not giving them the add-on runs they needed to give the pen a break. It was basically a perfect storm to have no choice but to overwork the big three.
1eyedJack
February 20th, 2012
2:03 pm
I’m going to go ahead and tip my cap to all the teams the Braves are going to play…Just in case.
DEBravesFan
February 20th, 2012
2:04 pm
Marteen…. I am just tired of everyone else here who is a “fan” basically ruling this team out before ST even started. As far as Jason it comes down to which do you believe his rookie year or last year? It seems like everyone thinks last year would be his “normal” year. The guys dropped his should and elbow after his shoulder injury last year killing him and cause him to roll over everything.
NC Dawg
February 20th, 2012
2:04 pm
I think the Nats will play Morse over LaRoche @ 1B. Am I wrong?
Joey
February 20th, 2012
2:05 pm
Oh, I guess I read you wrong. No doubt his presence in the clubhouse is a plus. But man, I had to look away from a bunch of his (non)plays in the field last season. I saw many grounders that went by that he made NO move towards.
It’s not really Chipper’s fault – I mean he’s 40 (or very close). Unless you get on the juice (HGH), you lose the reflexes. Maybe some of us fans should get a HGH prescription and go leave it on Chippers doorstep! Currently ther are no tests for it – MLB just catches some players purchasing it.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
2:05 pm
“Former Braves manager Bobby Cox was present for Sunday morning’s organizational meeting and spent the afternoon participating in a golf outing with members of the Major League and Minor League coaching staffs.”
Good to see the golfing’s already begun. Don’t let an EPIC Collapse and the need for some big changes in the way things are done get in the way.
bulldogbubba
February 20th, 2012
2:08 pm
Todays sports are like anything else in life.Its not what they can do for us, its what we can do for them.They can put a mediocre team on the field and expect the fans to pay top dollar to watch them choke.Derek Lowe was a disaster last September and the management knew just like the fans but they put him out there because of the ridiculous money they were paying him to “perform”.
Sonny Clusters I would love to see you at the first game at Turner Field with a flag saying “EPIC COLLASPE” on it. I would buy you a deer dog and take you for a dilly bar after the game.Maybe even take Mark with us and buy him one.
DEBravesFan
February 20th, 2012
2:09 pm
Thank you Peter. I agree the Braves also pitched the most innings in baseball. Not just due to extra inning games but also because on the road they had to pitch that extra inning occasionally
DawginLex
February 20th, 2012
2:09 pm
Philly 98-64
Miami 90-72
ATL 85-77
Wash 79-83
Mets 69-93
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
2:09 pm
DE, here’s hoping we see the year 1 Heyward…he wasn’t the same even in year 1 after steamrolling Nate in the outfield.
Joey, your points are valid…I just tend to get defensive with all the Chipper bashing. He is what he is at 3rd base…serviceable. I just wouldn’t trade him for many third baseman that are out there right now as far as his presence in the batter’s box and in the clubhouse. We are going to miss him when he is gone.
Peter
February 20th, 2012
2:11 pm
Miami will finish fourth, Nats are our biggest threat. Mark it down.
Peter
February 20th, 2012
2:14 pm
Phillies 95-67
Braves 92-70
Nats 90-72
Marlins 85-77
Mets 66-96
gt4ever
February 20th, 2012
2:15 pm
Bruce,
Not icecream…. There is a rumor that Chipper gets real excited when the Red light comes on at the Krispy Kreme…. mmmmmmm Good… He should be ashamed of himself….
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
2:18 pm
What’s the deal with the Braves players and all the One-Car-Crashes? Don’t they know it’s usually two cars that crash? If you’re not going to crash into another car, why crash at all? We was wondering.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
2:19 pm
There’s something to be said for a box of doughnuts on a lonely deer stand.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
2:20 pm
DawginLex…usually agree with you on the Dawg blogs, but I don’t see anyone winning 98 games in the East this year…just way too much infighting between the Phililes, Braves, Nats, and Marlins. I think 92, perhaps even 90, takes first this year.
Mike
February 20th, 2012
2:21 pm
Braves on course for repeat ! No upgrades equals same old same old!!
Mike
gt4ever
February 20th, 2012
2:22 pm
Sonny he looks about 3 months pregnant…. It’s really pretty pathetic…. A professional should take better care of himself…
T
February 20th, 2012
2:23 pm
Won 89…so they won 55% of the games they played. Yippee. I don’t see any improvement over last year and a nl central or west will get the wild card. Braves are old. Chipper should’ve quit when bobby did. 84 games this year and another if only we’d done this season
Nail on the Head
February 20th, 2012
2:25 pm
Terry McGuirk (loser) might want to check out the roster of the 1991-1993 Braves….built on free agency…what a douchebag remark to make.
DawginLex
February 20th, 2012
2:26 pm
Hope so but the teams all have deficiencies that the Phils don’t have. I hope I’m wrong.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
2:29 pm
Washington is improved, but they’re not THAT improved. They’ll likely win around 85 games. Whether the increase is from teams in the East or from other teams on their schedule is unknown.
Klaus
February 20th, 2012
2:31 pm
Funny how given McGuirk’s TBS background that he would have stayed silent re: the ills of the current TV deal when it was inked.
“Terry McGuirk is currently the chairman of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves. McGuirk has also been with Turner Broadcasting System since 1972, where he served as CEO from 1996 to 2001 and now serves as vice chairman”
Klaus
February 20th, 2012
2:31 pm
Tommy Hanson in car accident. Being checked for concussion. Blew a tire.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
2:42 pm
We have to be careful what we say about Chipper but he doesn’t look like he’s in shape to us. He needs to get out on the golf course right now and get himself in shape. Some fishing would probably help, too. Not to mention the Daytona 500 and some funnel cakes and beer. We was reading where Chipper was hoping the young guys would report in shape for the season. We guess they’re lucky he didn’t step in a hole this year while a huntin’ and mess up his knee. In any case, we are sure Fredi and his staff will be all about the business of baseball now that they’ve got some golf in like they reported in the paper. One concern we have is there are so many Publix stores in Florida and they make a good doughnut. Keeping Chipper away from the doughnuts may be a good job for Bobby Cox now that he’s retired. Of course, we’d never share a box of doughnuts with Bobby Cox.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
2:48 pm
“He ran off the road a little,” Wren said. “We don’t know a lot of details other than that. And he banged his head in the process. We’re just being cautious with him, making sure and getting him checked. He’s going to see a doctor just to double check, like we always do. There were no physical signs, other than he just doesn’t feel great.”
We remember when Rafael Furcal “ran off the road a little” over in Mableton. Running off the road a little is not something to play with. They had to tow the car so it must have been off the road a little and not able to get back on the road a lot. In any case, Hanson looks a little like Jesus now and he should be able to get out of those scrapes with no damage. We was wondering if Fredi is going to make Hanson clean up a little before donning the sharp new uniform without the tomahawk??
Felix
February 20th, 2012
2:49 pm
Due to their pathetic offense, the Braves I fear are DOA. I just hope they can squeak out 3rd place and also beat the Metropolitans’ brains out (remember last year against the Mets was not great).
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
2:49 pm
Mark, I agree with you and Terry that free agency is inefficient. You’re paying for what a player has done, rather than what they will be worth in their decline years. I do with the Braves would spend a bit more liberally on the draft. Minor is fine and all, but lacks the upside of a #1 pick according to most while Gilmartin is even a step below that. Also agree that improving by as much as what the Nats and Marlins need to do will be difficult in one season. It’s not unprecedented but it’s not common either. Personally, I believe the Gio Gonzalez deal was one of the worst moves of the offseason. One of the others was Papelbon, who despite the reputation and the glittering save stat may actually not be any better than Ryan Madson. Having said all that, the one thing I wish the Braves had done was change managers. Of course, I knew they would not but it is their most obvious issue and the one where upside is most easily obtainable. Heyward may rebound, Uggla may have two halves, the pitching may stay healthy, etc., etc. but Fredi is just simply not very good at his job.
SeaAtl
February 20th, 2012
2:53 pm
Why do some people on here insist that “fan” = “cheerleader”?!
biff pocaroba
February 20th, 2012
2:56 pm
braves don’t have (or don’t want to spend)the money needed to contend with the phillies,the days of ted turners deep pockets are long over,ted turners money even made a fool like jon schuerholtz look competent
Klaus
February 20th, 2012
3:00 pm
FA do put fannies in the seats and give fans hope. They sell jerseys and help teams increase their value.
Sure many flop but many also put teams on the map.
Few teams win it all and or consistently win without dipping into FA now and then. The Braves abhor it b.c they are being squeezed by Liberty.
They are pulling the poor person model which is to lower your dreams to fit your income or in this case budget.
Give Wren 150mm payroll and he would be doing hand stands and back flips across the OF.
Seattle Braves Fan
February 20th, 2012
3:01 pm
I don’t understand why people make such a big deal about the braves doing nothing. 6 of our 8 starting position players have been an All-Star in one or both of the last two All-Star games and Freddie has a great shot of making it this year. And our pitching staff is one of the Best in the NL. It is not unreasonable to think our offence will bounce back.
Hooters Girl
February 20th, 2012
3:06 pm
Wren would have $$ for a outfielder if not for that $15M going to Mr Flu-Like-Symptoms-and-if-you-think-I-need-the-money-you-should-see-my-bank-account (Chipper).
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
3:07 pm
Actually, what does Fredi Gonzalez do well? Most people out here seem to also be of the opinion he should be relieved of his duties. But for his apologists, what does he do well? I wish Frank Wren would come on here and answer that question. And not a bunch of touchy/feely things either, instead skills that can’t really be quantified or proven. Some tangible evidence of something Fredi Gonzalez does well. If Frank Wren can’t answer that question then the follow-up question is “what does Frank Wren do well?”
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
3:12 pm
Fredi Gonzalez is, to borrow from Sonny Clusters, skilled at cap-tipping.
Yes, I’m kidding. But on a serious note: Don’t you think it’s a tad early to pass judgment on a manager?
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
3:12 pm
Somebody said it before us but we think a sign in the outfield that says 2102 EPIC Collapse would fit right in with those other silly little signs like the 2010 Wild Card Champion sign. If we was in charge of the Braves we would tell Fredi to make some changes and let everybody at camp know the first day that the Braves are going to play the best players and play hard all season. The two that played hardest last year in our opinion was Uggla and Bourn. They ran out everything and hustled more than anyone else on the team. Of course, both came out of other organizations just like Constanza who also ran fast and hard to base. The way some of the Braves pull up on their way to first means the other team never has to rush a throw and maybe make a mistake. We know one player that roots around when he’s on base and that is something he probably got from being out in the woods so much.
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
3:14 pm
On a separate note: Is Mr. Sonny Clusters aware that Adam LaRoche has some sort of Buck Commander hunting show?
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
3:16 pm
Mark, Fredi’s experience as a major league manager predates the Braves. Some of the tangible things a manager can do is manage the pitching staff, optimize a lineup, and make probability based in-game decisions. At what point has Fredi done this well either in Miami or Atlanta, and in which area has he shown improvement? I don’t know how shallow the pool of qualified managers is but I suspect it is not sufficiently shallow to have a contending team derailed by on-the-job training.
mark
February 20th, 2012
3:17 pm
How is telling the truth negative? Bottom line is the ownership is disengaged to say the least and we have set a budget of 90+ million and are never in the bidding for top flight free agents. I am not saying we to spend 250 million to be a better team, I am saying we need ownership that looks at this team as something more than a balance sheet entry. I love some of the guys on team McCann, Freeman, Venters, and Kimble are a core group worth getting excited about. But when you go into the off season and clearly need a left fielder and you do nothing counting on a third baseman that has not given you over 120 games in three season come on. Steve pull of your rose colored glasses and see the light, ownership could care less about this entity and the continued lack of accountability only dims the hopes of fans.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
3:19 pm
His obsession with bunting is ridiculous, Mark.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
3:20 pm
Fredi may be exposed this season. Starting every interview the same and tipping his cap all the time will catch up with him. We was wondering last year if he watched the same game we did. One game we watched in person and wish we hadn’t was during Derek Lowe’s Farewell Tour when he went 2 1/3 innings with 6 runs on 9 hits and then they gave the ball to Linebrink. We was never so disappointed. We remember some bad ballgames since we became a Braves fan but that one took the cake doughnut as Chipper might say. Playng baseball is a very serious thing for us and we like to see players play like they care about themselves and the team and the fans and the integrity of the game. When we see sissies out there tanking like Lowe did we have to tip our cap to the other team for taking what Fredi gave them and beating the stew out of us with it. Fredi may not be over-matched but we’d bet on it based on what we’ve seen. When he gets his coaches off the golf course maybe he can get the baseball issues cleared up.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
3:22 pm
Fredi also completely abused his bullpen, Detroit. I think you and I are on the same page in spending in the draft, although now we are at a huge disadvantage with the new CBA.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
3:24 pm
I’m not a Braves fan but if I was, I don’t think I’d be panicking just yet.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
3:25 pm
Mark, Adfam LaRoche is sporting a new Buck Commander tattoo and if anyone can look as stupid as Chipper, he may have done it. Now, we know we’re not supposed to say Chipper and stupid in the same post and we were trying not to do it but just like Lord Beaverbrook used to say, “you’re going to read it in the papers anyway.” We suggest Googling LaRoche Deer Tattoo for your amusement and viewing pleasure. A man can get very lonely in the woods.
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
3:25 pm
@George Stein, I actually cringe a little when I criticize their drafts. Not because of what they have done recently, I mean they clearly have not done well, but I don’t know enough about the new CBA to formulate much of an informed opinion yet going forward. What little I do know does not sound encouraging.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
3:32 pm
Take a look at this nonsense, Detroit.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2011/2612639.html
Then consider the Braves will have the 26th most money to spend in the draft this year. We will have $4.03MM to spend on our top ten picks while the Twins will have $12.368MM to spend on theirs.
Marteen is a Ballplayer
February 20th, 2012
3:34 pm
As much as I support the Braves here today and have in the past, I am completely on-board with having my doubts about Fredit Gonzalez. If anything brings out negativity with me and the Braves it is Fredi G. His game managing decisions are suspect at best and I still can’t shake the memory of him not standing up for McCann last year.
Cox had his questionable moments as well, but I would love to have him in the dugout as opposed to Fredit G.
Joey
February 20th, 2012
3:36 pm
Damn, that’s (buck commander) some stupid stuff. Can’t believe grown men are that idiotic. It takes a bunch of skill to sit in a deer stand and kill a big buck who is 1) headed to a pile of corn to feed, or 2) headed to a doe who is in heat, then shooting him at 80 yards with a high powered rifle that could kill said buck at 10x that distance.
Larry
February 20th, 2012
3:36 pm
Sonny,
You have to remember none of these goobers could so much as sort mail if they couldn’t time a fastball for a living.
Just look up all of the college degrees for Major League and NBA players and this is why you see more tattoos than brains.
Crickets…
How nice it was to see the one well educated person, Tony La Russa, win it all again for the third time while Fruiti G. was “tipping his cap” watching it all on TV.
Brave Hokie
February 20th, 2012
3:38 pm
It’s Feb 20th, Chipper is fat, and Braves suck…
1eyedJack
February 20th, 2012
3:53 pm
Let’s hope that’s the hardest Hanson gets hit all year.
Joey, it ain’t quite as simple as you make it sound, and hunting over a pile of corn is illegal.
ExBraves Fan
February 20th, 2012
3:57 pm
The Braves NEED to get off to a fast start while Phillie strives to get their team going. No Howard, Raul, etc. Braves can get a step on them if they play well in April and May before Howard has a chance to get back and going. Every loss in those months counts. The Braves can handle the loss of Hudson for a month. Plenty of arms. They HAVE TO HIT. The players they have HAVE TO HIT. That is what is important for this team. Ugly has to get off to a better start. Chipper has to stay on the field. Heygoodheywood has to come back. McCannnnnnn has GOT to come back with his power bat. A good start and maintaining that early is important. The Marlins will be without Johnson at full strength and the Nats are still trying to get theirselves going. They HAVE to get a strong start and maintain it. A 25-10 to 24-12 start would give them something to build on.
Lee
February 20th, 2012
4:02 pm
no mention that tim hudson is out for at least a month there mark?
Joey
February 20th, 2012
4:07 pm
In Georgia it is illegal, 1eyedJack. In most states, Florida and Texas included it is legal to hunt deer, hogs, etc over a corn pile.
And it is pretty simple at private ranches where the wealthy owners have imported trophy deer and usually other exotic animals in fenced portions of their ranch, and thus is just a matter of conditions to kill a buck, and sometimes a trophy.
I hunted in many states, including GA, FL, AL, KY, CO, NM backin the day, before I outgrew the passion for killing animals, at age of 28. If you have the money to hunt at “managed” ranches, you could get a deer or most any other animal, if you could shoot straight.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
4:11 pm
I quit hunting years ago, so I really don’t have a dog in this fight but what they do at those “managed ranches” doesn’t have a thing to do with hunting, in my opinion.
Joey
February 20th, 2012
4:20 pm
That’s true Hillbilly. I still read about it, as well as keep up with the game laws in GA. The legalizing of hunting over baited fields failed in the GA legislature a few years back, but most states are going to it.
In my hunting days, it was a well-placed tree-climber in a tall pine tree that got a trophy, not a heated ground stand with a wash-tub full of shelled corn about 50 yds away, in a mowed rye field.
The rut
February 20th, 2012
4:25 pm
Get back to me when F. Gonzalez is fired and I’ll jump back on board. He would screw up an All-Star team
2012 Preseason Fulmer Cup Champs
February 20th, 2012
4:46 pm
“Are the do-nothing Braves in dire divisional peril? ”
Yes, and next week you’ll write a column about how the Braves will win the World Series.
2012 Preseason Fulmer Cup Champs
February 20th, 2012
4:47 pm
“Given that the wild-card holder wound up winning the 2011 World Series, that’s not such a bad place to be.”
It helps when your team has a great manager, Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter.
x senator
February 20th, 2012
4:48 pm
The Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources is a money making machine because they understand the redneck mind and are only too happy to take their money.
The Bravenator
February 20th, 2012
4:51 pm
Guys, this ain’t that hard. It’s all about the Ifs. If Uggla, Heyward and Prado all wake up and remember who they are….If Chipper holds up for 120 games….If FG doesn’t screw up the bullpen now that there’s some hopefully better talent at the back end….If Pastornicky can hold down SS and hit even a little….If assorted dings heal and dents get pounded out, then the Braves will challenge Philly for the East title. Otherwise, it’s third or fourth depending upon how the Marlins and Nationals fare with their Ifs. It could go either way. No secret the Braves still need to get another decent outfield bat. However, this isn’t really trade season and the FA pickings are pretty slim. Hope springs eternal as they say.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
4:53 pm
I look at whether the Marlins can make up the 17 (not 18) games they finished behind the Braves last year a little different.
Braves went 12-6 against them last year, so with Marlins improvement, if they can split the series 9-9 this coming year (not hard to do at all) – that makes it 11 games for them to improve in the other 144 they play – again, not real hard to do.
Additionally, Mark, you make no mention of the Marlins getting Josh Johnson (legitimate Cy Young candidate), who was limited to just 9 starts last year and is now healthy.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a lifelong Braves fan, but not about to assume or presume that we are still the 2nd best in our division based solely on how far last year we finished above the 2 teams that figure to field a much better team this time around.
bvillebaron
February 20th, 2012
4:55 pm
Mark:
Your article is spot on. As I have said repeatedly, despite the dire predicitons of the doom and gloomers, the Braves, even as presently constituted, are at least the second best team in the NL East. Their pitching 1 through 12 may well be even better than the Phils. As you or one of the other posters pointed out, all of the lineups in the NL East have their own questions and offensive issues. With the possible exception of Buorn, who will be here from day one this year rather than only for the last 2 months, NONE of the Braves regulars had even an average season last year and Heyward had a terrible sophomore slump (he won’t be the first or the last). The chances of that happening again are slim. I personally look for Prado and Heyward to both have bounce back seasons this year.
For the life of me, I can’t understand those posters who continue to wring their hands over the fact that Hudson, Jurrjens and Hanson are coming off injuries( only the latter of which involves his pitching arm), yet presumably assume that Strasburg, who is coming off TJ surgery and does not yet have Hanson’s level of success or credentials in the bigs, is going to be healthy all year and kick you know what.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
4:57 pm
Apologies, My bad – Johnson was indeed mentioned in the article – but the problem was you stated he having still undiagnosed shoulder soreness while the fact is he is throwing 3 days a week, pain free and is expected to be their opening day starter.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
4:59 pm
@bvillebaron: You do know that Hudson sill miss a minimum of a month to start the season, right?
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:02 pm
I still haven’t figured out why they call them “Marlins.” That is roughly equivalent to calling our boys the “Braveses.”
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:02 pm
How about those Crimson Tides?
Skeezix
February 20th, 2012
5:04 pm
I don’t have Mark’s confidence about the postseason. I agree the Phils will not be as good. I do think the Nats and Fish will be better and my guess today is that the Braves will be about the same. If Bourne/Prado/Uggla/Mccann/Freeman/Heyward all have solid offensive years, then we probably will make the postseason-if the pitching is as solid as it was April thru August 2011. With the lineup we have and the questions about the health of JJ and Hanson, we just don’t have any margin for error.
atlchris77
February 20th, 2012
5:06 pm
All i know is they have not created any desire to rush and buy tickets!
atlchris77
February 20th, 2012
5:10 pm
Delbert, what would you call them besides Marlins?
atlchris77
February 20th, 2012
5:12 pm
Are you saying that Marlin is already plural?
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
5:14 pm
We was reading Chipper’s Double Dime website and we was thinking about going out there to kill something and see if we can get Chipper to autograph it for less than $100. Do you think he’ll do it? Or will he want full price? We thought if it was on his ranch maybe he’d cut us a deal. Would we have a better chance if we got a deer tattoo? If Chipper and LaRoche was in the woods together and they was talking would you have to be a deer to hear them? Would you have to be a deer to understand them? If Chipper is as fat as he appears in today’s paper do you think Fredi may ask him to run and participate in some conditioning this year? If Fredi does do you think Fredi will keep his job?
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:15 pm
The correct term is “marlin”, singular or plural. Same for “buffalo” and “deer.” A herd of buffalo, a school of marlin. I have never heard anybody, even from my small town Georgia upbringing say, “Let’s go catch us some basses.”
Farnsworthy
February 20th, 2012
5:16 pm
It is perfectly okay to use Marlins for the plural of Marlin—look it up. We don’t say ‘Braveses’ because Braves is already plural.
Sometimes it is even proper to say fishes…………like when referring to several species of fish.
vesaversa
February 20th, 2012
5:17 pm
Dame the parent company that own the Braves should free this team by selling them to the highest bidder .
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:17 pm
“Whales” is okay. If they renamed them the Miami Whales, all would be right in the universe.
BraveMan
February 20th, 2012
5:18 pm
Still need some RBIs out of an outfielder to contend.
david10605
February 20th, 2012
5:19 pm
We should be finishing in last place every year, probably will come in the next decade, what with the absentee ownership, insider fixed tv contract of Time Warner, and knowledgeable fans like Sonny Clusters. The Braves have the best “baseball people” in baseball, it’s not really close. You’d have to know something about baseball to realize this. If winning a major league baseball division for fourteen straight years seems like a nothing accomplishment to you, you’re not going to see this. I really can’t imagine why you’d waste your time commenting on the Braves in that case. Oh, yeah, I guess if I were the most important person in the world, I’d be commenting all the time too. I love the Braves, I have for over forty years, no matter what… it’s called being a fan, I think. But you better check that out with the geniuses on this blog first.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:23 pm
Farnsworthy – Don’t go all biblical on me, with the “fishes.” Although, I did see “The Godfather” Saturday night, and according to the script, “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.”
I give up. Marlins. I think the Braves could finish closer to the Phillies this season and take the wildcard. I am glad to see that Hanson is correcting his hinky arm motion; that has always looked to me like an elbow repair waiting to happen.
Steve
February 20th, 2012
5:23 pm
Sonny Clusters why don’t you use proper English when typing your little blogs?
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
5:25 pm
Let’s say LaRoche is in town with the Nationals and Frank Wren gets Ed Mangen to put some corn down around first base and somebody lets a deer loose sorta like that Rally Squirrel in St. Louis. We was wondering if the deer was to wander down to first base would LaRoche try to (1) engage him in uh, conversation, (2) kill him before he could eat all the corn, or (3) hold the deer still while Chipper tries to shoot him from the dugout? We was wondering.
cowdogit
February 20th, 2012
5:27 pm
The only reason the brave,s have not made a trade is because no one want’s any of the brave’s player’s.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:28 pm
When addressing Sonny Clusters, “y’all” is preferable to “you.” When I lived in South Jersey, “youse” would be appropriate.
Why did my post about the Braves closing on the Phillies this year and gaining the wildcard not pass the censor? Also, I’m glad that Hanson has changed his throwing motion. The old arm motion hurt my elbow just to watch it.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
5:28 pm
Steve, we look to you for our inspiration. Some of your posts are so well done that we wouldn’t presume to compete with you for grammatical excellence. We was honor students at Parkview but that was public school.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
5:28 pm
Continue to wonder why people basically only refer to the injury comebacks from JJ & Hanson. They are much farther along than Hudson – who will miss at least his first 6 starts.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:31 pm
Maybe the post got censored because I mentioned that, according to the script of “The Godfather”, which I watched Saturday night, “Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes”.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
5:31 pm
The one thing we shouldn’t do is judge Bourne’s performance – or anyone else’s, for that matter – on the number of RBI he has.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
5:32 pm
Sorry, I read the prior comment as centerfielder, not outfielder. But my point remains.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:32 pm
cowdogit – Thanks for your support!
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
5:34 pm
Meanwhile, at the United Center – the Hawks trail the Bulls by 18. Joe Johnson and his millions with 4 points in the first half! And just to know the universe in in full alignment, Josh is 0-1 from 3 and 0-1 from the line!
Chuck
February 20th, 2012
5:35 pm
Wrong Mr. Bradley,and I am already tired of hearing about chipper jones.
BBQ MAN
February 20th, 2012
5:35 pm
As a Braves FAN since 66. I’ve about had it with the whiny ignorant so called fans. It’s clear that most of the naysayers know very little about real MLB.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:37 pm
It’s only basketball. That doesn’t mean anything. Watching pro basketball is as exciting as watching tennis-pong.
Delbert D.
February 20th, 2012
5:39 pm
BBQ MAN, the question is, do you believe in moneyball?
Brave Hokie
February 20th, 2012
5:45 pm
@BBQ MAN
And your ’sane’ approach as payed off in how many shiney Atl Braves Championships since ‘66???
Maybe you should be more like us crazy ‘naysayers…’
The Atlanta Braves are the epitome of complacency and average {period}
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
5:45 pm
The question, Delbert, is how anyone couldn’t believe in the advanced metrics.
fsubrave
February 20th, 2012
5:47 pm
seaAtl is right…i see this team as a lock for 4th place and about 80-82 wins…nothing better….just way too many question marks..no upgrades anywhere…
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
5:47 pm
Give the deer a rifle and even things up a little. Let the deer get Buck Commander tattoos on their bottoms. If you support the little deer, then don’t buy any deer dogs at the concessions stands this year. Now, there was probably some hot dogs left over from last season that didn’t get eaten and they will need to move them out first when they start playing ball again. We make it a practice not to eat a stadium hot dog during the first two home stands. After that, they should be into the new deer dogs and you stand a fighting chance of a fresh dog. Just don’t buy a deer dog and expect it to be an all-beef dog like you’re used to. It’s going to be a little stringy and a little gamey. That’s why they make mustard.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
5:52 pm
@BBQ MAN: Ignorant as to what? That the ‘faithful’ should be GLAD the team won’t spend money? That the ‘faithful’ should give the team a free pass for blowing the unblowable last September? That the ‘faithful’ should accept one World Series title over a 46 year span in Atlanta? That the ‘faithful’ should just blindly believe that all things that went wrong last year won’t happen again?
Please inform us what a real MLB knowledgeable person like yourself knows that we don’t (you didn’t bother to state any position on anything, just bash others – you’d make a good politician!)
cowdogit
February 20th, 2012
5:56 pm
St Francis of assisi said anyone that can not show pity and compassion for his beautiful animal’s will be treated the same in their hour of need.
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
6:01 pm
I’ve finally realized whose throwing motion Hanson’s resembled — that of Philip Rivers, who if I recall plays a different sport.
Whopper Dawg
February 20th, 2012
6:01 pm
Mark, a lot of ifs for the Bravos -
- If Chipper has one more year
- If the kid can play short and hit a little
- If Hudson and Hanson bounce back from surgery
- If JJ can bounce back from injury
- If Heywood can return to rookie season form
- If Uggla can play a whole year rather than half
- If Fredi doesn’t use up the bullpen by August
- If the bench has anything at all
Now if all that comes true, this team has the potential to go deep into the fall.
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
6:03 pm
There are no guarantees for any team any year, Whopper Dawg. Who, this time last year, could have foreseen Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward not hitting?
Braves Fan
February 20th, 2012
6:04 pm
What’s up with your articles always being so damn negative? You give ATL media a bad name. You wonder why ATL fans act the way you do. Well, here is one of the main reasons – you
Mark Bradley
February 20th, 2012
6:06 pm
And, as far as spending goes …
The Phillies spent almost twice as much as Atlanta to win 13 more games, all of which enabled them to lose in Round 1 of the postseason. If you’re a Philly fan, was that money well spent?
B
February 20th, 2012
6:10 pm
It’s tough being an Atlanta team sports fan. There is just not much to get excited about.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
6:10 pm
When addressing Sonny Clusters, “y’all” is preferable to “you.”
Actually to address Sonny as “y’all” would be incorrect. There is only one Sonny and “y’all” is always plural, never singular. So if you are addressing Sonny, by himself, the correct address would be you, Sonny, or the more formal, Mr. Clusters.
We won’t even get into the differences in the correct uses of “y’all”, “some of y’all” and “all of y’all”.
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
6:17 pm
If there’s a fanbase more qualified than that of the Braves to tell Philadelphia that the postseason is a crap shoot, I haven’t seen it.
louisville slugger
February 20th, 2012
6:17 pm
I’m a glass-half-full guy normally, and in this case, I am as well. I really do think the Braves are positioned well for the year, all things considered. Bourn for a full year, as well as a confident Kimbrel and Venters who don’t have to kill themselves in spring training to assure themselves their spots. If Uggla doesn’t hit like Mario Mendoza the first half of the year, and if Heyward really does have his swing back, I like their chances. Although, I do hope Fredi has learned from his mistakes on how to manage a bullpen…
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
6:18 pm
Mark-
Do you think the Phillies would sell out EVERY game if they spent what the Braves do? I think the fans of Philly answerd your questions with every sell out – YES, THEY DO THINK IT’S MONEY WELL SPENT!
George Stein
February 20th, 2012
6:24 pm
Just wait, Gwinnett Fred. The fall for that team will be swift and ugly. They are tied into several long-term contracts and don’t have the prospects in their system to support them. They’ll be spending lots of money and won’t have the success to back it up, at which point their fans will stop showing up.
Brownie
February 20th, 2012
6:42 pm
Waaaay too many negative comments here – spring training has just begun!! A number of bloggers have pointed out all the health issues the Braves had in ‘11 and they still won 89 games, and it took a perfect storm of injuries, etc. to collapse and lose the wild card.
For all of you who think that Fredi is an idiot who wears out bullpens, consider this. Last year, Huddy was coming off a year + missed due to Tommy John, Hanson and JJ lost the second half to injuries, and Medlin was also coming off TJ. That left him with nothing but young guys, and a lot of spot starts.
Question: would you have preferred he wear out the new young starters, potentially losing them to injuries for the next couple of years? Or do what he did, which was to manage it as best he could – keep in mind that with all the injuries, and most critically D Lowe with an empty tank, no starters other than Huddy could go more than 6 innings per game. He could have kept the starters in and take that huge risk, and would have also lost more games by having them get shelled on their 3rd time thru the order.
Now on to shortstop – everyone is complaining about untested Pasternicky being the starter. Certainly not preferable, but we haven’t seen him yet. Gonzo had to go – every inning he was going to bat, the other team only had to worry about getting 2 outs. AND, if you’ve been reading DOB, you know that the Braves are LOADED with minor league shortstops, all of which will be better than any retread they could have traded (and overpaid) for. Andrelton Simmons will be our SS for years to come – Pasternicky, if he plays well this year, will likely either be traded or compete with Terdoslavich for 3rd base once Chipper retires at the end of this year.
RELAX!!
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
6:44 pm
@George:
I hear you, but since they have been above the league average in attendance for 8 straight years, half of the time selling out virtually every game and the WORST average in that time being over 33,000 a game – I’d say they have gotten their monies worth.
Sure every big hoss dies out – but given 5 straight division titles, 2 world series appearances & 1 championship in that span – the fans have supported them thruout, enabling them to spend big.
The Braves have been below the league average in attendance for the past 8 years. So the braintrust can do 1 of 2 things: Spend to get the fans back at the stadium or cut payroll to match the declining attendance. Unfortunately, they have chosen the latter.
jacket3
February 20th, 2012
6:50 pm
Sonny…
Haven’t read Bradley’s column in a while. Been reading your comments for a long time. As always both you and MB are dead on the money. I guess it is age and 40 years of gonna win everything every spring that makes me laugh at all of it. How long into the season this year will everyone be saying “coulda, woulda, shoulda” all over again…then it will be wait till next year.
Regards Guys
GaryinBham
February 20th, 2012
6:59 pm
I agree, thank you. This team isn’t last year’s team.
The opening day roster was:
PITCHERS (12): Brandon Beachy (RH), Tommy Hanson (RH), Tim Hudson (RH), Jair Jurrjens (RH), Craig Kimbrel (RH), Scott Linebrink (RH), Derek Lowe (RH), Cristhian Martinez (RH), Peter Moylan (RH), Eric O’Flaherty (LH), George Sherrill (LH) and Jonny Venters (LH)
CATCHERS (2): Brian McCann and David Ross
INFIELDERS (7): Brooks Conrad, Freddie Freeman, Alex Gonzalez, Brandon Hicks, Eric Hinske, Chipper Jones and Dan Uggla
OUTFIELDERS (4): Jason Heyward, Nate McLouth, Martin Prado and Matt Young
We used 21 different pitchers, and in the second half lost two major starters. We added a star CF who just barely arrived before the season ended. Our LF was out with a freak injury. etc etc.
We are ALREADY a much different and better team on paper compared to last spring.
Bring ‘em all on. I like our chances.
LivinInAL
February 20th, 2012
7:00 pm
Did ole “raw dogs” Brooks Conrad hook on to a team for spring tryout?
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
7:13 pm
@LivinInAL: Conrad signed a minor league deal with the Brewers (hey, they had to do something with all that money they saved not resigning Fielder!)
BartBuzz
February 20th, 2012
7:24 pm
The likelihood of the Braves falling flat again is slim. The pitching will be better. And I can’t believe Uggla, Heyward and Prado will tank two years in a row. If Chipper will pace himself, he can lead the Braves to the post season. But I won’t be surprised if Wren pulls off a deal. He does have some pitching trade bait.
Greg
February 20th, 2012
7:44 pm
Mark, I find it hard to believe that with their excess of pitchers there wasn’t a single deal the Braves could work out that would improve the team. Isn’t that straining credulity?
Ken Stallings
February 20th, 2012
7:46 pm
When you set your sights on second best, you often finish third or fourth. Can the Nats or Marlins finish ahead of the Braves in 2012? Absolutely they can. One or both can. And when it comes down to where teams stand, those teams who aggressively put the best possible teams on the field often do put the best teams on the field.
The Braves are managed by a focus on costs above all else and a few aged veterans they are counting on to have good years. I see a lot more than has to go wrong for either the Nats or Marlins to finish behind Atlanta than has to go right for the Braves to finish in second.
The Braves gave up winning the division in their plans last season. Now, I think their penny-pinching ways will see them fall to the lower half of the division standings.
sports
February 20th, 2012
7:47 pm
run this rag-tag bunch out of the state.
Sonny Clusters
February 20th, 2012
8:07 pm
We was involved in a one-Clusters accident earlier this evening. We was not concussed but we decided not to blog for a couple hours until our head cleared up a little. If we was Fredi Gonzalez we would probably keep our eye on Hanson because this could be the start of something big. We was wondering if the Florida State Patrol was involved and did Hanson get a ticket?
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
8:12 pm
MB, obviously the deals given to Howard and Papelbon are questionable at best. So no, I would not say all of the Phillies money is money well spent. But as for the record, 13 games is not insubstantial. The fact that they lost 3-2 in a five game series, the last game 1-0, has more to do with baseball inferring meaning to a small sample of contests after the more meaningful 162 game schedule has determined the relative strengths of the teams than anything else. That in and of itself is not a problem, given a proper interpretation. But the Phillies regular season record, however they may have come by that record, is validating of their efforts no matter the postseason success. I feel similarly about the 1990s Atlanta Braves. I know people will disagree. I actually don’t necessarily disagree with Sonny Clusters that some of those flags in the outfield carry little meaning, particularly the ones existing only because of the arbitrary nature by which baseball designates champions of geography, but some of them have meaning even if the postseason was ultimately disappointing.
Mecca
February 20th, 2012
8:15 pm
the braves should make the playoffs this year, but will go out in round 1–which is a “successful” year for an atlanta sports team!!!
Old Dog
February 20th, 2012
8:36 pm
The Phillies have the best pitching, including an excellent closer, a good enough offense and defense to take the East again. The Marlins and Nationals have improved greatly and will probably take 2nd and 3rd place. The Braves are better than the Mets so will take 4th place. Also, the Braves will not lose the wild card by crashing in September. They will lose it long before that. We have basically the same team as last year but Wren and friends think we have improved. Hello. . .is anybody home in the Braves organization????
Rod Gilbreath
February 20th, 2012
8:36 pm
I can still play short…..
Barry Bonnell
February 20th, 2012
8:38 pm
I can still play second…..
DetroitBraves
February 20th, 2012
8:40 pm
One final thought (for today) on Fredi Gonzalez. The Braves may well make the playoffs. For those familiar with PECOTA I believe their initial projections have the Braves winning 90 games or so, enough to make a strong bid for the wildcard and only about 4 games or so behind Philadelphia. If the Braves do make the playoffs the results shouldn’t blind us to the process. The Braves nearly made the playoffs last year, and if you were to replay that final month with the exact same personnel, and the exact same tactical decisions another 10 times they may make it 9 of those times. But Fredi Gonzalez is the same manager either way. The process is flawed. Talent overcoming those flaws does not a good manager make. He is the manager this year. No changing that at this point. But he should be evaluated on the process, not the results. If the process if found lacking I hope the Braves front office responds appropriately.
Hillbilly D
February 20th, 2012
8:44 pm
The Marlins have improved on paper but given Reyes’ injury history, Ramirez reluctance to move to 3B and the fact that Ozzie and Big Z are both, shall we say, volatile, they probably won’t be able to close the deal.
Wink
February 20th, 2012
9:55 pm
This Do-Nothing Off Season is Officially the Bounce Back Season!
Okay we had a horrendous end to the 2011 season. Losing 20 games in 30 days…missing out on what appeared to be a guaranteed playoff spot. From a team standpoint can we bounce back from that?
We overused our bullpen…did we learn the lesson for that mishap?
Freddi could not right the ship going down the stretch…surly that want happen again…worth waiting to see?
Expressed off season needs a Shortstop & Corner Outfield with power…we can wait a season. Why Chipper’s 10 mil comes off the books when he retires & Lowes 10 mil comes off the books, thats 20 mil, plus any salary increase in payroll we can go shopping in the off season.
Can Heyward bounce back with the bat?
Will Prado bounce back and give us the production in the outfield?
Will Chipper stay healthy and continue to provide power…also hitting coach in training?
Will the hitting coaches make a difference in providing answers for struggling players?
Jurgens & Hanson will bounce back from health concerns and return to form…if not off season trading chips if not at trade deadline?
Will Freeman go thru the sophmore jinx like Heyward did…have to wait and see?
Give Pastornicky the shortstop job…can he handle the defensive side, if not shop in off season???
Will Bourne play fast out the gate from spring training, provide the leadoff hitter for the future, before offering new contract…will have money to spend to retain him…as payroll comes off the books?
Will McCann be McCann and increase his power number?
So with bounce back questions answered by the end of next season…I am okay with doing nothing…as long as we go shopping next year to get what we need to fix the team and not HOARD THE CASH!!!
Disgusted
February 20th, 2012
10:00 pm
Misplaced optomisim. This is a bad team with terrible ownership and management and they plain choked in September, and this should never be forgiven or forgotten.
This was worse than the Public School cheating scandal, the worst thing in the history if this city.
This will never be recovered from. September of 2011 is the worst thing in the history of the world.
Disgusted
February 20th, 2012
10:05 pm
Waaaay too many negative comments here – spring training has just begun!!
@Brownie—You cannot put enough negative comments after what happened. Plain and simple.
The excuse makers are the ones who will wake up bitterly disappointed. It might have been okay for some fans, but not for me, you cannot rip these guys enough after what happened. This franchise is a disgrace and are controlled by cutting costs—there is no future here.
Another decade and the Braves are going by way of the Flames and Thrashers because of cheap ownership and a fan base that is getting more and more alienated.
Disgusted
February 20th, 2012
10:10 pm
Wink—This ownership group is likely to do little or nothing next yr, there is no possible way one can have hope given the bad TV deal and cost conscious above all else ownership.
Before long, this team might be going the way of the Thrashers and Flames given how this TV deal has sentenced them to a 90 mil payroll for another 20 yrs.
What is that going to be in 2020 something? There is NO hope.
Gwinnett Fred
February 20th, 2012
10:42 pm
BTW – While bashing the team, I’m sure most folks will still watch – so here is a heads up for DIRECTV SUBSCRIBERS.
In case you haven’t heard, Peachtree TV is being dropped from their programming, so if you haven’t called DirecTV to complain yet – best you get on it or you will miss a number of games this year!
Sobriety
February 20th, 2012
10:51 pm
Two observations
1.We have a $14M anchor at third. And I don’t mean that in a good way.
2.It is not a question of whether the Braves will break your heart, buy rather a question of when.
Sobriety
February 20th, 2012
10:58 pm
One more thing–this season brings to memory that season of yore when the Braves’ marketing slogan went something like this: “Not too shabby.”
I think I was able to move freely from seat to seat that season.
Arnold Ziffel
February 21st, 2012
12:12 am
Empty seat syndrome going to hit Turner Field and Ga Dome hard this year- Philips is a given every year the Spirit ownership continues. Falcons ticket prices are ridiculously high for an unexciting team in that sterile environment. With Braves, you can get a deal here and there and get to sit outside and enjoy the day or evening. Either way, hard to justify paying all that money and fighting the traffic when the best seat is at home with HDTV. With a highly competitive team on the field, the story to be in attendance becomes more compelling. Don’t think I’ll have to worry about that anytime soon since we’re in the land of ATL mediocrity.
Arnold Ziffel
February 21st, 2012
12:27 am
I said to be happy with Division Titles back in the 90’s and 00’s when we had the talent to win it all. Now that we can’t seem to win anything, I’m going for broke and saying World Series titles or bust! Come on out people- buy tickets, beer, popcorn, hotdogs, and more beer to support my prognostication. Don’t be swayed by the national media guys who say we have no chance. See you at the Fred!
- John Scheurputz
BRAVESNATION4EVER
February 21st, 2012
8:49 am
Of course it has always been World Series or bust in Atlanta and especially in Atlanta because the BRAVES have always wanted to win the World Series,they have never even wanted stupid October appearances because the BRAVES normally do that every year and it’s always been a total disappointment if they don’t win it all so we would love to win it all in 2012 and totally beyond.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hillbilly
February 21st, 2012
10:39 am
Just for you, Sonny Cluster…from the Washington Post :
Ryan Zimmerman said that ardent hunter Adam LaRoche had killed a buffalo. With a bow and arrow. LaRoche, with a large biceps tat of a buck with huge antlers, did not confirm this info, but did say animals are smarter than you think, communicate well and “so I hide [the tattoo] when I hunt.”
Loosing Managar = Loosing Record
February 21st, 2012
10:57 am
My name sez it all. Loosing managar will mean a loosing record.
Loosing Managar = Loosing Record
February 21st, 2012
11:18 am
Is it ture that Chipper came in overwieght?
cowdogit
February 21st, 2012
12:13 pm
The brave’s have the same team that played so pathetic last september,so why are the fan’s so sure they will play any different this april.
dawg tired
February 21st, 2012
1:25 pm
Insanity is by definition doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result.
We Fifes are sensitive.
February 22nd, 2012
2:29 am
Still haven’t recovered from the end of last season. Too soon. Ohhh.
Rick
February 22nd, 2012
11:40 am
“Is it ture that Chipper came in overwieght?”
DOB has said multiple times he came in at his usual weight.
“The brave’s have the same team that played so pathetic last september,so why are the fan’s so sure they will play any different this april.”
They also played pretty damn well April through August and had one of the best records in baseball.
mark's for the braves
February 22nd, 2012
1:35 pm
I believe the Braves will surprise some folks this year. With all the hunger resulting from last year’s collapse, I believe we’ll win 5-10 more games easily. That means we’ll win 95 games or so–good enough for the wild card or may be even the NL East title.
tennisbrave
February 22nd, 2012
2:42 pm
Well, it looks like the “chokes of September” will be heading to good ole spring training where everyone gets a chance to play. Same players and manager return who blew one of the biggest leads in the history of the game. You get what you pay for and the Braves will be the same ole, same ole
choke.choke
February 22nd, 2012
3:44 pm
the braves choked a huge lead away last year, got older but not better, so expect more chokes in 2012!!! atl==chokeville!
AlanFalcon
February 22nd, 2012
4:24 pm
91/71 they take the East by a very slim margine-don’t sell them short based on last years collapse, a lot of expierence was gained, see you at the end of the season as you critic’s eat your words !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mister Frisky
February 23rd, 2012
5:41 pm
4th place.Enough said.
Packer Ed
February 23rd, 2012
10:45 pm
Did not know you had a sense of humor
Yankee
February 24th, 2012
10:59 pm
Of course, homer-pimp Bradley was compelled to scribble such. Otherwise, he puts himself out of a job for six months — until he begins to pimp for god-buddy Richt, doleful Blank et al.
GOP Cannon
February 25th, 2012
10:22 am
I think that the Braves as a team will probably perform about the same as last year as far as wins and losses… they will be decent; however, as a fan, I cannot remember a season where I was less enthuastic about an upcoming season as this one. I predict the worst attendance since 1990.
My point: the Braves will be a decent team next year; however, from the prospective of the fans (who where compeltely fire-bombed last September) there is not going to be a lot of excitment.
Greg Mendel
February 25th, 2012
6:11 pm
I’d like to be positive about the Braves, I really would. But the team didn’t just let the 2011 playoffs slip away in September. They got an early headstart on falling behind. Generations passed before Dan Uggla finally started hitting. Only by the grace of struggling division opponents did the Braves avoid being buried deep by June. Regardless of conventional baseball wisdom, every win counts.
Apparently the players are very “up” and ready to forget a disappointing season — just like they were last year. But the slumps and injuries will come. The talent won’t.
The good news is that Kawakami and Lowe, among others, are finally gone. The bad news is that Liberty Media still owns the team, which is our greatest weakness, in my opinion.
Caseyatthebat
February 26th, 2012
10:21 am
Sonny Cluster seems to be the pimple on Chipper Jones’ ass. Whine for us some more pimple!