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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
75 comments Add your comment
chipl1960
August 28th, 2012
3:44 pm
first
NORRIS CHUCK
August 28th, 2012
3:47 pm
Well we dont know if it is enough, but some of us know that they need some punch in the lineup.
Weyman C Wanamaker Jr, (A Great American)
August 28th, 2012
3:56 pm
I wish it were. But unfortunately I don’t think they’re even going to do that.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2012
3:59 pm
Kudos, chipl1960
Weyman C Wanamaker Jr, (A Great American)
August 28th, 2012
4:00 pm
But it’s not enough for their fans.
Kevin Chop
August 28th, 2012
4:23 pm
It’s always enough for Atlanta. That’s why there is only one championship in this city. The torture it is to be a fan of Atlanta teams. The mentality of the teams here make me sick. Until fans start really showing displeasure like they do up in places like New York and Philadelphia. We will always have that one lonely championship hanging from 17 years ago.
DWP
August 28th, 2012
4:46 pm
The Braves are the middle of the road team which looks very average. Very streaky but depend too much on the home run as always. Not enough consistent hitting and no dominate starters. I’ve been a fan for years and hope I am being pessimistic but guess I am realist.
sidslid
August 28th, 2012
5:01 pm
Kyle Lohse is St. Louis’ #1 pitcher this year. I like our chances, and I like St. Louis getting in. Looks like the quickly glued together Dodger team is essentially Red Sox West, and will implode accordingly. At least Beckett will be sucking down Dodger Dogs, not chicken.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2012
5:02 pm
The Braves are fourth in the league in runs, fourth in OBP … and eighth in home runs.
I wouldn’t say this team is dependent on the home run. Previous teams, yes.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2012
5:06 pm
Oddly enough, Kyle Lohse would have started against the Braves in a one-game playoff last season.
ronaldh
August 28th, 2012
5:11 pm
To ask if making the playoffs is enough might be counting chickens when you’re looking at eggs. This is just an average baseball team. There is no guarantee that they make the playoffs.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2012
5:19 pm
The Braves have the fifth-best record in baseball. Is that average?
ChopChamps95
August 28th, 2012
5:21 pm
I remember back in the 90s and early 00s where the Braves were expected to make the playoffs every year and anything short of going to the World Series was considered by nearly everyone to be absolutely unacceptable. I don’t think the same can be said now. There is a “culture of acceptance” that runs rampant through the organization from the owner Liberty Media all the way down to Fredi Gonzalez. The Braves as a whole need to get back to the mentality they had during the glory years of the 90s. IMO, FG (and possibly others) should be given a pink slip for anything less than a WS berth.
Mark Bradley
August 28th, 2012
5:21 pm
It’s not my intent to make the Braves out to be the greatest team ever. They aren’t. But they are clearly a pretty good team. Record says so.
DaveinNEPA
August 28th, 2012
5:26 pm
Up until this point, this team has shown a marked inability to win what would be considered a “must win” game or series. I have to believe that if they “must win” a 1 game playoff to go further into the post-season, it won’t happen. They never seem to come up big when necessary.
So…..in answer to the question…….just making the playoffs won’t be enough IMO.
bulldogbubba
August 28th, 2012
6:03 pm
This team needs some new tires. Every time we get going a “tire” blows and we lose momentum.That being with Uggla and a hurt McCann in the line-up we seem to lose steam, without them we go farther. GO BRAVES!!!!!!
Stinger 2
August 28th, 2012
6:13 pm
Mark: Just making the playoffs would be good enough for me because it would be a great improvement over last year. It would put the effects of the
collapse and hopefully the memories of it to rest . If they can go past the
division playoffs and to the NLCS that would be a great bonus.
Birdhair
August 28th, 2012
6:24 pm
Pretty good team that wont make the playoffs imo. Beating Bumgarner was impressive, but turning right around getting shut out last night unacceptable. A banged up chipper and u might as well pack it in now
thomas smith
August 28th, 2012
7:09 pm
i ‘m not sure this management can get tu the playoffs much less win.i have been a braves fan for 40 years now and i can’t remember such a bad manager.fg keeps putting uggla in the lineup with his atrocious batting average.he tries to pull every pitch and pulls off every outside pitch.at least mccan is injured.they bring up bautista with a 4.00 era and we have cory gearing who pitched 12 games with atlanta with a .079 era,that is just ignorance on management’s part.we also have ernesto meja with a .303 ba ,24 home runs, and 91 rbi’s who has not been brought up. why ?he could be the rh power bat off bench .hinske and jack wilson need to be released.,because they serve no function fot the braves.fg is like bobby cox he has too many buddies to play.we need a coach who puts the best 9 players out there every night,no matter whose feelings he hurts.he need’s to quit ”running them out there” and start doing whats right.
DawgDad
August 28th, 2012
7:19 pm
Game 163 is not the playoffs. Winning game 163 would put a team in the playoffs. I would boo the Braves if they raised a banner for losing that game.
For this team, with it’s demons and unique dynamics, just getting into the playoffs is enough. Of course I want to see them win the pennant and play in or win the World Series, but after last year, sending Chipper off on a national stage and going home with some sense of shared achievement would be huge for the players, management, and the fans. It could help get or keep players here, too.
Hillbilly D
August 28th, 2012
7:32 pm
I’d think they need to at least make the NLCS and most would view anything less than a WS appearance, as not enough.
Ed
August 28th, 2012
7:38 pm
For any of atlanta’s professional sports franchises to make the playoffs is good enough, for the individual teams, the city and the fans.because unfortunately to make the playoffs is just as good as winning a championship in Atlanta.
Dirty Dawg
August 28th, 2012
7:45 pm
Enough? Not hardly. The only two goals – aka, taking it one game at a time, and in order – that remain are, 1) make the playoffs, and 2) win the last game of the year.
Mr. Dawg
August 28th, 2012
7:48 pm
Mark my post on your column yesterday addresses this question specifically. The play in game is a gimmick to keep more teams alive during the regular season. I don’t consider it a playoff game as much as I think it’s a hurdle that can ruin a deserving teams chances of playing in a real playoff series. The only justification I can think of is that it was’t that long ago – relative to my age – that only two teams from each league made the post season and one game could separate them from second place. All said, is making the playoffs really all Braves fans want to see after more than 20 years of mostly near misses? I hope they make the playoffs. But getting knocked out in the “play in” game or even the Divisional series would be a disappointment. It’s time the Braves hoisted another Championship Banner.
alex
August 28th, 2012
8:19 pm
i like our chances if 1. replace uggla with prado, 2. get mccain helthy, 3. simmons should be in midseason form, 4. freddy suddenly doing his job like real manager, not jerk. so a lot off if. otherwise one and out at best.
Columbus
August 28th, 2012
8:36 pm
What kind of headline is this? Is it enough? No its not enough. Only getting to the World Series would be enough. Being the National League Champions. Only one team can do that.
I personally think Uggla is about to snap out of his slump. He proved last year he can swing his way out and over the last week there has been a shift going on in his swing. From what we have seen over the last 2 months to making more authorative contact. He may be about to turn the corner and if he does that will put the Braves over the top in the division and make them a team to beat anybody. McCann needs to get some help with the shoulder too. Give him as much rest as possible. He has been swinging a little better too the last few days. Dont know if thats from a shot or hes getting over it. I would guess it was another shot.
Bottomline is if a couple thing fall into place, the Braves can go all the way. Anything can happen.
Remember last year when the Cards BARELY made it in and won the whole thing? A couple things fall into place and the Braves can beat ANYBODY.
If you dont see that you are baseball stupid or ignorant or a hater….
extremus
August 28th, 2012
10:14 pm
If your end goal isn’t to win the World Series each and every year, you need to clean house from players right up through management and even ownership to get that priority fixed. Anything less is a very unhealthy, stagnant attitude for any franchise and fans can smell it a mile away. And if you’ve played 162 games and managed to play into October, NOBODY (fans especially) are satisfied with anything less than a world championship parade afterward. Otherwise, why bother coming this far? “Our boys (the guys who get paid guaranteed contracts in the multi-millions) did good this year because they made the playoffs?” Please, spare me. And by no means hang any banners for making a one-game wild card playoff, or you’ll only make yourselves a laughingstock to the league and your city.
Win it all or you failed. This attitude is the most important criteria that separates great franchises from also-rans.
BravesWin
August 28th, 2012
10:29 pm
Big things can happen, and I’ll certainly be in approval if they do, but I just don’t see it happening in a big enough way this year, particularly with a clueless manager. Having said that, this year could be great groundwork for 2013. Lots of top-notch seasoned as well as younger talent. Losing Chipper and perhaps McCann may not hurt so much if we can keep Bourn, Freddie, Jason, and Prado. Wren has done well keeping the best of our prospects, while picking up some overlooked gems for peanuts. Lets go for the Tops this year, boys and girls, hopefully Wren will save his own job by letting Fredi go and hiring a top-flight manager, and the future stands to be brilliant.
Caseyatthebat
August 28th, 2012
10:44 pm
Good enough? Of course it’s not good enough. The goal for any team is to win the championship. When we had our 14 year run it was stated at the beginning of the season that we were after the World Series ring. Now we ask, “is it enough?” to get to the playoffs. More appropriately this team doesn’t have “enough”. And with this manager it’s hopeless. I’ve been following baseball for decades and this guy is one of the worst I’ve seen. His primary job is to field the best team and we all have seen what is does with that.
Hy Ronatt.
August 28th, 2012
10:44 pm
Firefredigonzalez.com
JASon
August 28th, 2012
10:59 pm
Screw major league baseball.
RaleighDawg
August 28th, 2012
11:22 pm
To me it depends on “which” Braves you’re talking about…for the Braves fans – heck no; for the Braves players – probably, after all they constantly remind us it’s a business; for the Braves management – probably, considering how they are hamstrung by Liberty; for the Braves owners – heck yes…all Liberty needs is for the Braves to be (using Greg McGarrity’s vocabulary when asked what he want of UGA men’s basketball) is to be relevant so they can fill their evening programming and sell advertising…in fact, for Liberty an epic collapse like last year was a winfall for all the folks tuning in to see what would happen.
Fats Johnson
August 29th, 2012
2:05 am
They wet their drawers last year in the stretch, so I am not sure they even make it. Although Heyward and Freeman are hitting some serious line drives consistently and may be the punch they need. Don’t expect Bones Jones to hit his way out of a wet paper bag at crunch time,though.
Stinger 2
August 29th, 2012
3:47 am
extremus: “win it all or you failed”. So by that you mean that 29 MLB teams fail every year? I will say this: You blog tag certainly fits your outlook on baseball.
BRaveP
August 29th, 2012
7:01 am
The braves will likely make the playoffs and go out in round 1—overrated talent and management.
wins-by-a-link
August 29th, 2012
7:43 am
This Braves team is above average, Look at the record, Third best in National League, Consistant play will be the key to how deep they will go into playoffs, I think pitching will be fine but offense may be thier weak point, Uggla could be key to Braves advancement if he can snap out of his long slump, Chipper needs some rest before playoffs, Lets hope they can string together enough wins to overtake the Nats and avoid the Wild card series, You never know what will happen, They could possibly win it all.
Tee
August 29th, 2012
8:07 am
Braves should make playoffs, no excuses…schedule from now through the end of September has every series vs teams with losing records and we get the Nats at home. If they don’t, clean house!!!!
HUH?????
August 29th, 2012
8:09 am
” For the Braves, is just making the playoffs enough?”
This is exactly why people laugh at the AJC writers. I guess Mark forgot about making the playoffs 14 years in a row only to win one WS.
smyrnabob
August 29th, 2012
8:22 am
Not enough.
The last two years have shown that 3 hot starting pitchers can lead a team to the WS title. A rested bullpen could help as well.
Pippa's hiney
August 29th, 2012
8:31 am
How many times I have to say it? They need a RH hitter in the line-up.
Ebenezer Snerdberg
August 29th, 2012
8:34 am
IT SEEMS THAT THE BRAVES CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR SECOND (2nd) BEST!
Kirk
August 29th, 2012
9:28 am
Looks like Medlen , not Hudson, should be our wildcard game hurler
raleighbravefan
August 29th, 2012
9:39 am
MB – I wish you would provide in text form, as well. I don’t like to have to watch the video.
Dejay
August 29th, 2012
9:43 am
I’ll answer your question with a few questions of my own…
Is making the playoffs ‘enough’ for the Falcons? Apparently not, from the owner on down, which probably explains why there are new coordinators on the payroll this year. Have them lose in the first playoff game this coming season and see what AB does next; more heads would roll.
Is making the playoffs ‘enough’ for the Hawks? Michael Gearon tried to convince folks that it was many times, only for his pleas to fall on rolled eyes and covered ears all across town. And as the 5-8,000 empty seats in the stands on average will attest whenever Kobe or Team Voltron isn’t in town, it obviously isn’t.
Is making the (insert jabronie bowl here) good enough for UGA, Tech, Tennessee, Florida, LSU, or Alabama fans? We ALL know the answer to that one, no need to go any further.
Is it sinking in, ladies and gentlemen?
The object of pro sports is to WIN WORLD TITLES. Period and a dot, end of story. To say anything else really tells the story of your franchise, which probably explains 1) the reason why Bobby Cox had no pressure to perform when it mattered most and 2) the lack of urgency from the front office to change the cook when the meals he’s serving isn’t getting you the 5-star ratings. That explains why folks walked away from buying playoff tickets in the latter half of the divisional run they had; why pay for the sequel when you’ve already read the script off Wikipedia’s web page?
They always say that the arch-enemy of greatness is the satisfaction of being good. Is making the playoffs good enough? Ask a Falcons or a Hawks fan and they’ll tell you…
extremus
August 29th, 2012
10:13 am
@Stinger2,
I’m referring to a mental attitude, one where a team believes they belong at the top and can win any given game. Such a team goes into the season not looking to make the playoffs, but to win a world championship. And indeed, anything less is perceived as unacceptable.
It should sound familiar. It’s the same standard the Atlanta Braves held for well over a decade, and along the way much if not most of the fanbase came to feel the same way. Not so much entitlement, certainly, but the genuine feeling that our team was the best in baseball and SHOULD win the World Series. Of course that only happened once in 14 seasons, and going by the majority of posts by fans reflecting on that fact, my view on the subject isn’t all that “extreme”; repeated, crushing disappointments led to a perceived sense of failure (100-plus win seasons notwithstanding) and the overall cynicism regularly encountered here nowadays.
The Braves were baseball’s “model organization” for 14 years, but won only a single World Series. Sadly, it’s the 13 years they didn’t that many fans define the success of those teams by.
jek
August 29th, 2012
10:33 am
Dum(n) manager will lose it.
Dozer
August 29th, 2012
10:43 am
Making the playoffs is good enough for them – witness the last 20 years. Perhaps if the current culture of acceptance was replaced by one of accountability post-season results would begin to change. You only have to go back to last year to see it – where was the outrage with their collapse? All they did is tip their cap to the Cards & fire their hitting coach. I’m not saying that you get rid of everybody but it sure seems like the Braves rationalize their failures different than most winning franchises…….
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2012
11:26 am
Wildcards are for losers. Literally. Nevertheless, it would be great to see them in the playoffs.
2011champs
August 29th, 2012
11:57 am
It is a moot point because the Braves are not going to make the playoffs, and even if they do, they will be 1 and done. The Cards can start either Lohse or Wainwright and win the wildcard game. The Braves are a good team, but have no leadership on or off the field.
Gene
August 29th, 2012
12:18 pm
The Nats are shaky right now. We will have to see which Braves team shows up for the Philles, i.e. the one that hits or the one that doesn’t. I don’t think that the Braves will melt down like they dd last year, but I hope they don’t face the Cardinals in the one game playoff. I don’t like the second wildcard thing, and I hope that it goes away next year.
Casey Stinkle
August 29th, 2012
12:21 pm
No, Hell no! All the way baby!
Casey Stinkle
August 29th, 2012
12:21 pm
No, Hell no! All the way baby!
Dirty Dawg
August 29th, 2012
12:44 pm
We gotta get some more bats goin. Two runs against, basically rookie pitchers over he sat two games? And it’s almost too bad Uggla got lucky last night…all it’ll do is confirm his belief that swinging harder is the answer.
Ken Stallings
August 29th, 2012
1:00 pm
Even with the extra Wild Card, baseball remains the most exclusive of professional sports when it comes to playoffs. Only five teams in each league make it, and in the NL, that means 11 teams do not. Compare to the NFL, NBA, and NHL and the stark difference becomes all too clear. So, is making the playoffs enough for now? Yes, it is the goal for now and a darn worthy one at that!
Then, if the playoffs are made, by whatever method done, you start to analyze where the team is at, remembering that baseball is the most unpredictable sport on a game-by-game basis. And rather than ratchet up the media pressure on that, perhaps all of us (media included) should chill a bit and enjoy the opportunity vice stand around setting up measures of disappointment or failure.
bobbymahlon
August 29th, 2012
1:20 pm
First off only a World Championship is enough.
Getting in the WS is very good.
Winning the division is good.
Getting in the one game playoff game is risky, anything can happen in one game.
I hate the one game wild card playoff, after playing 162 games you play one game to decide who gets into the playoffs bull c–p.
Ken Stallings
August 29th, 2012
1:20 pm
You know what the “win it all or else” philosophy does? It sets up disappointment. Because only one team wins it all and so everyone else carries degrees of disappointment in measure to the intolerance of their own “win it all or else” mindset. It is so very easy for people to observe and critique the performance of others without any true stake in the outcome.
The Braves have the third best record in the NL, and have actually gained three games on the Nationals in the last week. Yet, several bloggers here use words like “average,” and “middle of the road” to describe the team.
The only people who regarded the mantra “World Series of failure” as the guidepost of the Braves during the 1990’s are so-called fans who walk around with such a foolish notion. They speak louder than their numbers warrant!
Bobby Cox, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Chipper Jones (at minimum) will be enshrined in Cooperstown in the near future. Five names from one team in the world’s most exclusive hall of fame does not average or disappointing make! At what precisely does the general fan extract from a World Series championship that he does not get from a successful team making the playoffs and winning at a high percentage?
A trinket? A shirt? What do these tokens do for us that following a successful team playing engaging sport not do? When did fielding a successful team that wins far more than it loses over a two-decade period of time become fodder for negative commentary? It’s not merely the fans and bloggers only. Many in the media deliberately fuel the same negativity and then sit back to watch the fun.
In the truly big scheme of life, it is all entertainment. It is unpredictable entertainment devoid of a script and therefore unconcerned with the notorious “spoiler alert.” You don’t have to worry about reading 300 pages in a 325 page “who done it” book and having your kid walk in and say, “Great book, never guessed that “XYZ” did it!” Don’t have to worry about watching 1.7 hours of the two hour movie and having your cousin walk in and give away the ending.
Especially in baseball, since there is no clock, there is no predictability. There is no lead at any time from which victory cannot be extracted from defeat. And there alone baseball remains unique. It provides the ultimate in unpredictable entertainment — a game with so many facets that it can be studied in depth and yet appear simple, and with rules designed to encourage the remarkable outcome.
Enjoy the season. Enjoy the games. Enjoy the chance to see the remarkable and to see the unpredictable.
Stick a fork in em
August 29th, 2012
1:31 pm
It should be apparant what ownership thinks of this team as illustrated by their hiring of Freddi g. The Marlins ran him off b/c he stunk. Fire him, resign Bourne (which AINT gonna happen), and then MAYBE Ill start to believe ownership cares.
CDOG
August 29th, 2012
1:47 pm
DAN UGGLA GOT HIS BIG CONTRACT THEN QUIT ON THE BRAVES.HE NEEDS TO PLAY AND MOST OF ALL, HIT THE WAY HE IS CAPABLE OF.
Stinger 2
August 29th, 2012
1:52 pm
extremus: I read your post and understand the points you made. All I am saying is that only one team of the 30 MLB teams can win a world championship each year. That being the case, I don`t see how every other team is a failure. For example, a team wins the World Series like the Marlins did a few years ago. I don`t remember who they beat but whoever it was won the AL Championship. To me, that is an accomplishment in itself…not a failure.
None
August 29th, 2012
2:06 pm
Doesn’t matter. They could go all the way every year and it wouldn’t be enough for some of the so called “fans” that quit playing baseball about mid 4th grade. I am sorry you guys are so unhappy with life. Must suck,
whassup
August 29th, 2012
2:17 pm
Even with Medlen factored in, this team cannot beat the Nationals or the Reds in a series. Why expect them to ? Lets assume Medlin continues to be terrific and Hudson has a good day. Beyond these two, starting pitching is totally unreliable. And what is wrong with “just” making the playoffs ? Before the year began we all know that the Phils and the Marlins were picked ahead of the Braves. So the Braves were a projected fourth. Getting into the playoffs means it has been a very successfull year. Sure, I want to be in the World Series but this team isn’t ready for that.
KEVIN CHOP: Mets and Phils fans can throw bottles on the field but it won’t get either of those teams into this years playoffs.
BravesFanSince80s
August 29th, 2012
2:32 pm
I REALLY wish people would stop saying Dan Fuggla is in a “slump.” Oh he’s in a slump eh? Slumps usually last something like 2 weeks to a month. By my recollection, with the exception of about roughly 3-4 weeks of fluke hitting, he’s hit at about the same pace the ENTIRE time he’s been here. Pretty tough to call that a “slump” anymore. It is what it is, Ugly Dan has been exposed on a bigger stage and is no longer capable of reproducing anything like what he did while in FLA. PERIOD….
Tomahawkin
August 29th, 2012
2:34 pm
Yes, The Nats are in The Braves Head, Its like the Phillies were last year and every year since 2006
And This is a 1 and Done Team if they don’t Choke the wildcard spot away before then
Huddy is Not a #1 Ace and bet Fredi starts him in that stupid 1 Game WC Elimination…
Meds Should start that game because the league still doesn’t know about him enough yet
Tomahawkin
August 29th, 2012
2:36 pm
Huddy is too predictable in a big elimination game…Wait til he beats a team like the Cardinals before we can call him an ace, Huddy is as big a Choker in big games as the guy at 3rd and behind the plate
Bruce Benedict
August 29th, 2012
2:37 pm
The Cardinals were probably not any better on paper last year than the Braves but they got hot at the right time and David Freese played out of his mind in the playoffs. I agree that the Braves organization does not seem to put winning it all as the goal anymore, but I’m sure the players want to win. When you’re already rich beyond imagination, what else is there to play for? Absolutely anything can happen in a playoff series, you only have to go 4-3 to advance, that’s nothing. A bounce here, a bad call, an inch there, these can all be the difference in a single game. The Rangers were by far the best team in baseball last year and they still lost. You just have to get in, and see what happens. That said, I think the Braves will get in and then promptly lose because I am defeatist by nature.
Bruce Benedict
August 29th, 2012
2:41 pm
I also hope that no matter what happens that the Braves don’t resign Brian McCann. Let someone else pay the ridiculous money he will want, besides he’s had 7 years at catcher and his knees will not be able to withstand much more. Plus, there’s nowhere else for him to go on this team, we already have a first baseman. Let him go!
anonymous
August 29th, 2012
2:53 pm
I would be satisfied if the Braves only made a divisional series BUT in doing so were competitive in that series. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. Of course I want them to go to the World Series and win it. I just won’t get all upset if they lose (be it NLDS, NLCS, or WS) to a better team.
BulldogBen
August 29th, 2012
3:01 pm
Who cares if the record “says” they’re good. Many a Braves team has had better records than this team and all but one wet the bed.
Agree with others that say the main problem with Atlanta sports is that OF COURSE the playoffs should never be enough. The fact that the question is even posed says it all.
At this point, I await the inevitable failing.
Chief Yikkity
August 29th, 2012
5:51 pm
testing
Chief Yikkity
August 29th, 2012
5:54 pm
Ahhh, finally a blog that talks about the current state of the Braves instead of arm-chairing the 2013 and beyond season(s.)
Stick a fork in em
August 29th, 2012
6:40 pm
Gabby “yard ape” Douglas gripin cause ppl dissed her…….obviously gymnastics aint the sport for the bruthas and sistahs……..stick to bball and football and crack dealin.
loserville
August 29th, 2012
11:10 pm
atl — 1 fluke title in baseball in 95, a strike year. the rest of the years for all these teams–misery. atl — loserville!
nashvillewill
August 30th, 2012
10:24 am
Mark, let’s not count chickens, or playoff appearances, before hatching. Sorry to reference last year, but…..this team has the capability of imploding again. Lack of consistency throughout the lineup; only Chipper, Prado, and Freeman could be called consistent: Bourn is streaky and too many K’s; Heyward is streaky and way too many K’s; hitting from SS position may get better when Simmons returns, but Janish cannot hit and is allowed to bat in key situations late in games and kills rallies; the bench is atrocious. Hopefully in Sept callups some new blood will help. After two years of watching I think Uggla is not ML caliber. And Ross is superior to Mac and should be starting. Evaluate the catchers in the offseason – is Mac’s decline due to injury, or to the lifespan of a ML catcher? In general Fredi has handled pitchers better this year, though late to the dance on Medlen. And Sheets may be done. Also, Hanson has not looked like a ML pitcher in spite of his W/L record. Does Fredi go if the Braves fail again down the stretch?
Double Zero Eight
August 30th, 2012
5:34 pm
From Liberty’s perspective the answer is “yes”.
They refused to invest in a “bat” before the trading
deadline. Losing 3 to 1 or 4 to 2 , is just as bad as losing
6 to 0. Our best bet is for Medlen to start the wildcard playoff,
and hope he holds the opposition scoreless.
faultline
September 2nd, 2012
3:14 pm
Yes, it has always been, and always will be.