The Devil Rays, showing why they’re the Devil Rays, released Robert Fick only to sign Randall Simon. That is a lateral move on many different levels, isn’t it? What’s worse, assaulting another player, or sort-of assaulting a girl in a sausage costume? Anyway, I thought there was marginal chance that the Braves would sign Simon as an extra bat, but only very marginal. I think that they thought he was a bad influence on Andruw. Andruw is presumably a grownup now, but still…
Matt Belisle got a callup for the Reds when Danny Graves went on the DL. I suppose he’ll wander around the back of their bullpen, but with their pitching in that park he’ll get lots of chances. I still don’t like trading B prospects for C relievers. The Reds, showing just how desperate they are, have also called up Darren Bragg.
C’mon, give Randall a break. He barely tapped the girl on her hat and it was clearly intended to be a joke. And he apologized. Fick’s act in the playoffs was truly a dirty play and dangerous. No comparison.
…and Darren Bragg promptly gets a game-winning hit. That’s the game I love.
Now in other quasi-former-Braves news, does anyone care to remark on the performances so far this year of Gary Matthews Jr., and to a lesser extent Russel Branyan? I know Branyan wouldn’t probably do us any good now, and maybe not Matthews either.
But there was a time in the season when we were playing Dewayne Wise and Mike Hessman and Jesse Garcia and Derosa in the same lineup. It strikes me that Mr. Little Sarge would have been helpful in such a time of need — the guy is producing moderately well on a good team.
The lesson, as always, is that you shouldn’t base your roster decisions on 40 at-bats in spring training. Wise “beat” Matthews, you’ll recall.
Well, look at it this way – if the Braves had kept Matthews, chances are we never would have gotten to see Thomas and Marerro platooning like Ted Williams for two months.