Gentlemen, your first-place Atlanta Braves. Thank you, Boom-Boom Bobby.
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Gentlemen, your first-place Atlanta Braves. Thank you, Boom-Boom Bobby.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
If we are giving out thanks, a quick shout out to Bud for the unbalanced schedule:
vs East: 25-14
vs Cenr: 6-9
vs West: 6-9
vs AL: 8-10
Wow, what a turn around it has been.
I don’t know if any of us would have predicted the Braves in the position they’re in now. JS even made the right roster moves, sending away Garcia and Wise while keeping Green and Charles “Chuck” Thomas. I really like the set-up of the team right now (with one possible exception in Eddie Perez, but I’m willing to let that slide).
All of that said, let me speculate on tomorrow (today? it’s late). How wild would it be if the Braves lost, while the Mets and the Marlins won. There would be a four way tie for first place. Has anything like that ever happened this late in a season?
Of course I don’t think that the Braves are gonna give up first now that they have it, but it would be wild.
I keep waiting for this streak of good play (and good fortune) to end. It seems to have been a foregone conclusion that we are not going to win the division title again, but now…our hopes are up and rising.
I like this team, though. I expect Chipper to play way better in the second half, and I dig the fact he’s back on the infield. Charles Thomas shows he’s got potential, if he can just keep up the pace- same with Nick Green. Let’s get Raffy to quit swinging for the fences and work some more walks and hit some gappers.
From my rough calculations, Roberto has pitched in 10 close games in which he has either given up the lead or increased a deficit of two runs or less.
It would appear that Roberto has finally decided to pitch for Atlanta…
I really didn’t think this would happen, especially with the way interleague play began. But, it’s still a long, hard road ahead.
I LOVE our lineup Save one person…
Andruw Jones..
He went what 0-Philly including a string of 6 strikeouts in a row. During all those rain delays a few weeks back he was absolutely roasted on the rain delay radio and after that he played well for about 5 games. Hes back to sucking and swinging at balls rolling through the other batters box
I say trade him for some pitching put eli or thomas in center (thomas probably since he likes the hustle)
The money freed from payroll with andruw would be abig help i thikn
or maybe i’m a big idiot 😉
Trading Andruw does not solve the salary problem. It is precisely because Andruw is overpaid that his salary cannot be just dumped. Any team that gets AJ has to pay his huge contract, so that team will demand other compensation, which might include prospects and paying part of his salary.
The funny thing about Andruw is that someone would take on his contract, because even with the strikeouts and hitting into DPs, he puts up very good HR and RBI totals each year. He would do the same in Houston, Philly, Boston and other places. If he would lose 25 pounds he could steal a few more bases, but he is as solid as they come in Center. Putting Thomas in Center (because he likes the hustle) isn’t the problem. He’s made 2 errors all year, and one was a on a routine ball that was literally rolling to him and took a funny bounce.
Let’s see how this team plays over the next 10 days. They could be fine, with the exception of a power pitcher.
In case nobody noticed, Andruw reached base three times last night. Oh, I see nobody did notice. It’s amazing, sometimes, how his failures are magnified and successes ignored.
Trading Andruw Jones will make the Braves worse for the next 5 years. He has always been streaky and he is certainly due for a good streak. Calm down people, he has always come around.
Any team that gets AJ has to pay his huge contract, so that team will demand other compensation, which might include prospects and paying part of his salary.
Please. His defense combined with his remarkable health make him a valuable asset to any team. The idea that you would have to pay someone to take him off your hands is beyond ridiculous. His contract is not too bad 12M,12.5M,13M,13.5M ending in 2007 when he’ll be 30. Overpriced by today’s standards but certainly not a millstone.
Here’s the list of NL CFers with better VORP than Andruw:
37.1 Edmonds – always the best in the NL
26.5 Finley – hanging in there, but about done
25.5 Biggio – horrible defensively, moved to LF
23.5 Griffey – injured now, will be injured later
23.0 Burnitz – not a CF, Coors inflated numbers
20.3 Bradley – good player but with a long injury and off the field history
Andruw sits at 19.7. So even in what has been a bit of a down year I would still take him over everyone but Edmonds given that we are trying to win now. He’s somewhat underrated offensively this season because he has rediscovered his batting eye. He’s on pace for 85 walks this season.
Anytime somebody suggests trading Andruw, I always come back to the sme thought – who replaces him? Even with the streakiness his durability generally makes him one of the league’s best CFs every year. Is he overpaid at $12.5m a year? Probably, but not by as much as many ATL fans think. On the open market he’d perhaps make $3-4m less, but plenty of GMs would prize a durable, gold glove (so perceived) CF who can pop 30+ HR with 100+ RBI a year.
Right now his value is low. His slump is more likely to end than Thomas’s hot streak is to endure.
For anyone that’s got cable with a company that carries the MLB Extra Innings package – there’s a free preview through sunday so this earth resident is for the first time watching a game on turner south. got to say, i’m enjoying it more than the tbs broadcasts – kinda like watching a game at a ballpark where they play the organ instead of classic rock.
and getting rid of andruw is foolish unless someone makes an offer too good to refuse.
Nice to see Reitsma picked up where he left off
Yay! 1st place. Here’s hoping we get a Braves-Mets race.
Edmonds: OK player, but a freaking eyesore to watch, always scowling, laying down 5 minutes after every catch (and his “great” cathces are the kind Andrew makes in stride). He makes the game look like moping floors.
It’s amazing, sometimes, how his [Andrew’s] failures are magnified and successes ignored.
I’m not sure sure how you can call getting hit by a pitch a success. Yeah he got on base but it’s really more the pitcher’s fault when that happens. So Andruw got on twice of his own accord on Wednesday. That’s still not going to make me feel much better when he whiffs at strike three in a situation where some offense is badly needed, unlike Wednesday when everybody was hitting. And sure, his stats will be up there at the end of the season like always, but consider the situations. I think you can honestly look at Andruw and say not that he makes an offense better, but that good offenses make him better. Yeah he’s good at what he does. It’s what he doesn’t do that frustrates the hell out of me.
Did I say “Wednesday’s game” referring to Thursday’s game? I must have rocks in my head since there were no games played anywhere on Wednesday. None of any real importance anyway.