Okay, everyone, the season may be over, but we have something to work towards… Dan Kolb is coming back to Atlanta! Yes, the Brewers are next, and Danny has a 5.09 ERA, despite which he seems to be their primary setup man. (He was actually the closer briefly before they traded for Francisco “The Chairman” Cordero.) Surely we can find a way to commemorate his return. Possibly involving drowning him in a vat of Milwaukee’s Best.
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We have a chance in the wild card hunt! Reds deal for outfielder Hollandsworth for stretch run
I get goosebumps just thinking about how his potential to suck.
I feel sorry for Turnbow. His fall happened so suddenly.
The 2006 NL wildcard race is trying very hard to disprove the zero-sum rules of baseball. Everyone is trying to lose at once.
1914 Update:
NY Giants 57-39 (–)
Boston Braves 51-46 (6.5 GB)
Chicago Cubs 53-48 (6.5)
St. Louis Cardinals 54-49 (6.5)
Philadelphia Phillies 46-52 (12)
Cincinnati Reds 47-54 (12.5)
Brooklyn Robins 43-52 (13.5)
Pittsburgh Pirates 43-54 (14.5)
Today’s Game:
Reds 000 000 010 – 1 6 1 LP- Benton
Bost. 020 001 00x – 3 8 1 WP- James (14-6)
Braves move into a tie for second, but there is bigger news…
Welcome… to Fenway Park.
Dum-dum-dum-DUM, da-da-DA-da-da-da-DA…
Yes, the Braves are playing their remaining home games at Fenway. The crowds are growing to be more than the South End Grounds can support, and Braves Field won’t even start construction until next year. So the Braves have moved into Fenway. (As repayment, the Braves will let the Red Sox use Braves Field for the 1915 and 1916 World Series.)
Fenway looked rather different than it does now in 1914:
First get a picture of Fenway in your head.
Remove all but a small portion of the seccond deck and all higher decks.
Reduce the height of the Green Monster (to 25 feet from 37) and cover it with ads.
Extend the Monster all the way out to center field, which is now a maximum of 488 feet from home plate. The LF corner is 324 feet away from home, not
315310.Enlarge the foul territory, and put the bullpens down the lines.
Generally enlarge right center field and have the right field fence higher and less directly pointed toward home. The future “Pesky Pole” is now 314 feet from home plate, instead of 302.
Put a stupid hill in front of the Green Monster, like the hill in Houston. There is a purpose for it, though: it provides the Monster with structural support.
(Thanks to Andrew Clem for information about the park’s 1912 layout.)
I highly doubt Braves’ fans would boo Dan Kolb, but it will be interesting to hear their reaction to his taking the mound.
Brian very nice. thanks for the info
Dan, they would probably cheer for him now. Especially after what was witnessed this year and yesterday on everyone’s mind
Great update Brian..
“Okay, everyone, the season may be over…”
Might as well make it official:
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k289/DanC1986/Braves.jpg
No kidding…
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2545992
ububba, this is 100% an academics issue. Auburn will have more problems with SACS than with the NCAA, and it’s well-deserved.
You’re worried about whether the fans will boo or cheer Kolb? You’d be better served worrying if any fans will even show up. That’s the more pressing issue.
Sorry, I think I have been in denial the last few weeks that the long winning streak of seasons is going to be over in a month and a half. It makes me sad; I feel like their should be a musical montage for us.
So, sorry if I have kinda disappeared off BravesJournal but I truly ran out of things to say aboiut the Braves.
I mean, we finally get back to back quality starts from Hudson and James and then the bullpen blows up. That’s a sign that it just wasn’t MEANT TO BE THIS YEAR.
Honestly, at this point, we should be planning for next year.
The Braves are in D.C. next week so honorarily, I will take in 1 Game, possibly the Wednesday game…not sure yet.
Anyway, I am just down and counting the days until Georgia’s football season begins.
Since this an open thread…
From Bill Simmons’ last column…
“My bosses won’t allow me to say which six announcers I would deport to Eastern Europe, but here are their initials jumbled together backwards: WBMABCMJMTBJ.”
JB must be Joe Buck
TM must be Tim McCarver
JM must be Joe Morgan
AM must be Al Michaels
CB =?
BW=?
I can’t figure out who those are…maybe someone could have a gues??
CB = Chirs Berman
Damn…just goes to show how tired I am today. I didn’t even think of “leather”.
BW = Bill Walton
Yeah, I was just going to type Bill Walton…but ya beat me to it.
funny aside…Charles Barkely said on “The Dan Patrick Radio Show” today that’d really like to kick the crap out of Jay mariotti and Skip Bayless…he says he hates them. He wants to take them on at the same time on celebrity boxing.
JM can’t be Joe Morgan. J is the last part of one initial pair, M the first part of another.
WB MA BC MJ MT BJ
The only MA I can think of is Marv Albert, but it’s certainly not him.
I agree with Charles… while he’s at it, he can bludgeon Woody Paige aswell.
huh…wait, am I getting this wrong?
“but here are their initials jumbled together backwards:”
So, he put them backwards…meaning that MJ, backwards is JM…being Joe Morgan in my opinion.
But the initials might be backwards. Hence:
JB Joe Buck
TM Tim McCarver
JM Joe Morgan
CB
AM
BW
UPDATE: Oh, I see.
So we’re just missing AM.
I guess that AM could be Al Michaels…
Seems unlikely though.
Braves pick up .5 game today. We’re back in it! Ok. Maybe not.
Personally, I like Michaels. I don’t feel like my brain is dying when I listen to him, like some others on that list.
But, I’ve read about other people that don’t like him..and he’s the only AM that I can think of right now.
But yeah, it seems unlikely…
I hope people don’t boo Kolb; he was what he was, and had no talent to be better. The booing should be reserved for the GM who ignored a low strike-out rate and a terrible second half (5.00+ ERA) to get his proven closer, when everyone in the modern world knew DK’s first half was a fluke, and that we were getting kind of a journey-man middle talent guy.
But at least we gave up a 95 MPH+ kid who may have some upside, to get Kolb…
Kolb was a malcontent and not liked on the team.
As far as I am concerned, the 578 Braves fans that show up…have at him!!!
Plus, I Hope Winston the Watercooler kicks his big butt.
Michael Tucker’s playing with the Mets now.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/sports/baseball/11mets.html?ref=sports
Registration may be required.
Even had him self a hit, and an assist in the outfield.
Al Michaels is play by play, good at that too.
He like every other human being has boring stories, but most are okay to funny.
Where is GR?
BRING BACK MICHAEL TUCKER! I heard he ahs been walked more than 11 times this season.
Anyway, since Kolb was booed when he was on the Braves, I would hope that the fans have the good sense to continue to boo him.
gotta be woodward and bernstein.
I remember last year, the home announcers (Sutton, Caray, etc) tried to give Braves fans a reason to look on the bright side, including once where according to one of these powerhouses behind the mike, Bobby Cox saw Kolb in the elevator at the Braves facilities (something like that) and told him to “keep up the good work” or something like that.
After pondering what he meant by that, I now understand.
Bobby’s is on Omar’s payroll, otherwise explain the constant use of Pete Orr as a pinch hitter and that comment.
Either that or Cox has lost it.
“That was a go-go-good play by Giles, those are the ty-ty types o-o-of plays you wa-wa-want your play-players t-t-to make.”-Ron Gant
Despite what you might think, HEARING someone say that is much harder than reading where someone wrote that.
Wow, Simmons doesn’t like Al Michaels? hmmm.
I hope we pound Kold and finish a case of Schlitz after
The Braves beat the Mets today ! (Well the tides to be exact, but it’s still the Mets minor league.)
http://www.norfolktides.com/news/?id=10907
I’m pretty sure that Frank Francisco is the Chairman, not Francisco Cordero.
What if Kolb comes in the game and dies on his way to the mound? massive heart attack or something, what would we do, or say?
Call 911?
Alex R,
Re: The Dawgs.
Yup, me & you both. Sep. 2 can’t come soon enough.
For Dawg fans, from my old Red & Black pal Chip Towers…
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/sports/uga/stories/0811ware.html
Wise is the main setup guy right now. Kolb’s been pretty good lately. Turnbow can’t throw strikes. Cordero had been awesome.
And the above poster is correct. It’s frank francisco that’s the chair chucker, not francisco cordero.
Listening to Erik Kauselias and Buster Olney on Mike&Mike this morning and they are bashing Javi Lopez, saying he would have been better as a DH his whole career and he sucks. Yeah he sure sucked catching Smoltz and Glavine for most of the ’90s. Those guys didn’t win Cy Young awards with Lopez catching them nor win 15+ games a year. Right. What idiots. Blaming Lopez for the Red Sox’s recent pitching suckiness is ridiculous.
Yeah ROn you are right and no one hates that jerk Javy Lopez more than I do!
I have had a few emails about the Braves Eulogy. I have decided that I have had a bad week and don’t want to do it yet. Here is my plan, if the Braves don’t win at least two of the games this weekend I am going to do it and give up on the season. Monday morning the eulogy is going up!
who’s pitching SAt and Sun?
TBA, then Hudson.
Here’s something to watch out for… Olney is going to break out the catcher ERAs for Javy when he was with the Braves to “prove” that he sucks. He will not note that the pitcher the other catchers were catching was predominantly Greg Maddux, only the best National League pitcher of the last forty years.
I never thought I would miss Travis Smith!
I read that as John Madden, rather than Joe Morgan, but I could understand Morgan. My reasoning: JB and TM are next to each other, the Fox TV broadcasters. Al Michaels is the next “known.” The final two are ESPN blowhards. I figured that the other person would be part of a “pair” as the rest had been, leaving Madden.
*GASP* Someone get csg to a hospital! He’s delirious! 😮
Good point Kyle. JM could very well be Madden, if AM is Michaels…
But still, I’m gonna think it’s Morgan… 😀
Sam, I was joking!
Can we have a McCann plate appearance meter? His winning the batting title is one thing to look forward too, at least.
Nice one Gene!
Here’s what I’m still looking forward to this season…
1. Chipper and McCann trying to get that batting title..
2. Chipper and McCann getting 20 Hr, so we have 5 guys with atleast 20 hr’s
3. Andruw getting the rbi crown..
4. Finishing at atleast .500
5. Playing the spoiler
Who else is going to watch Matt Garza’s major league debut tonight for the Twins? This kid is a strikeout artist. Should be fun to watch. Go Twins! Oh yeah and go braves, yay.
Can we have a McCann plate appearance meter?
I’m on Andurw 10/5 watch over here. Four more days!
Totally off topic is this crazy story: link
Boyfriends must be hard to come by in Muskegon Heights these days. I went to high school about 30 minutes from there and they were in our conference for sports. It’s a scary place. Please delete if deemed inappropriate Mac.
Robert,
Wow. That is wild. Silly people.
Robert, that lady is a piece of trash! Her boyfriend is worse……….
we have the #2 closer in baseball
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5864310
or at least for the last month we do, I guess anything positive for us is a good thing…Watch him blow a save opportunity tonight
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5863564
Tejada flicked off the fans in Toronto
Anyone else amazed that this little league story is getting so much attention?
Much ado about nothing.
A little, but then again everyone played or had a kid who played little league so everyone thinks they have a valuable take.
Oh and here’s mine: Lousy call by the coach. You make the other team feel bad by taking away their chance to win, you make the kid feel bad by putting him in a position where he’s going to lose the game, and you pretty much steal much of the happiness your own team may have gotten from the victory by taking advantage of a kid who can barely swing the bat.
I know when I was in little league I never got any joy over beating an obviously inferior opponent. I also know I was never involved in a game that featured an intentional walk until college.
My question was: Why was that kid batting right after “the best hitter on the team”?
I have no problem with what the coach did. In my view, he owed it to his team to try to win. They spent the whole season trying to get to that point, so why is it incumbent on them to take it easy on the other team in a championship game?
When I played Little League, we did intentional walks. In fact, when I was 12 playing in the District 8 Championship game in Georgia, we faced this 6-foot-monster boy who had hit 3 prodigious HRs in the previous 2 tournament games. We walked that guy every time he came up like he was Barry Bonds (bases empty, runner on first, didn’t matter). He wasn’t going to beat us—no way.
And he didn’t—somebody else did. 😉 But the point is, we spent the whole season trying to win a championship and, as long as we did it within the rules, there was nothing that was going to diminish that accomplishment.
I feel for the kid, but I don’t think that other coach or that team should apologize for anything.
Thank you ububba. That’s exactly how I feel. My first thought was also why was the worst hitter behind their best hitter in the lineup. That’s begging for a walk.
Robert, the kid that they pitched to can swing just fine. I saw a video of him, nothing wrong with him. He is a cancer survivor, not knocking on deaths door everytime he takes a swing, gimme a break.
They quoted the kid as saying he was going to start taking more batting practice so he would be ready next time. So obviously it helped with his determination.
My question was: Why was that kid batting right after “the best hitter on the team”?
Because LL coaches spread out their good hitters throughout the lineup so they don’t have innings at a time with no chance to score. Standard operating procedure.
They spent the whole season trying to get to that point, so why is it incumbent on them to take it easy on the other team in a championship game?
Who says to take it easy? How about teaching them to step up to a challange. Wanna feel like a champion? Throw your three best fastballs by the good kid and win the title. That will do it. What you’ve taught them now is to take the easy way out.
@55
I know, I was too 😀
Robert, the kid that they pitched to can swing just fine. I saw a video of him, nothing wrong with him.
Have to admit I haven’t seen the video. Some reports like the SI Reilly article described him as barely being able to swing, so I took it at face value. I would think that the fact the folks at the game reacted to strongly to the situation would suggest he’s not just a regular weak player. This same coach was the kid’s basketball coach and knew of his condition and he took advatage of it. I find that disgusting, but then I’m not really a win at all costs kind of guy, especially when you are talking about 9-10 year olds.
Rob, that doesn’t make any sense. Step up to the challenge to feel like a champion? I don’t see that happening anywhere in the major leagues. But I think they still feel like champions when they win.
We should also be teaching them use the best strategy to win. Otherwise we are doing them a disfavor.
He’s just a skinny kid. But the video I saw showed him swinging just fine and throwing the ball around. He’s just not a good hitter.
The video, along with interviews with the kids dad and the coach of the opposing team are on cnn.com. Right now it’s in their video section on the main page with the title “Cost of Winning: Fair or Foul?”
Why not hit for the kid. I got hit for several times and I turned out just fine. If the kid had gotten a hit, Disney would make a movie about him. Kudos for the kid pitching for throwing stikes. Maybe we can get him some work in our bull pen.
“Kudos for the kid pitching for throwing stikes. Maybe we can get him some work in our bull pen. ”
Now that is funny.
LOL Smitty! Yeah, we need to draft this kid asap.
Robert,
That kind of lineup was never standard procedure in my Little League, where I played, coached & umpired.
From my experience, I can tell you this: After months of 3-hour gut-check practices in the Georgia sun that included windsprints, crab-walks & boots in the ass, neither me nor my teammates were ever gonna apologize for winning. We busted our butts every day to put ourselves in a position to win & an intentional walk to an opponent wasn’t going to sully the effort we put into the season.
I don’t know what this Utah championship team went through to get there, but I’m pretty sure they feel like it was worth the effort.
Otherwise we are doing them a disfavor.
Yes if they don’t learn the valuable lesson to prey on the weak we are doing them a disfavor. Half the fun of winning is beating a worthy opponent.
Prey on the weak? That’s just lame man.
After months of 3-hour gut-check practices in the Georgia sun that included windsprints, crab-walks & boots in the ass, neither me nor my teammates were ever gonna apologize for winning.
For Little League? Man I’m glad I didn’t have your coach. It’s supposed to be fun. I don’t know what 9-10 year olds in Utah do but I hope it’s not that.
We busted our butts every day to put ourselves in a position to win & an intentional walk to an opponent wasn’t going to sully the effort we put into the season.
Throw in some purpose pitches and some take out slides too then. It’s a game. For kids. It’s bad enough when a kid screws up a costs him team the game, but to target the weak kid and set him up for failure is just dispicable. This is not the major leagues.
Robert,
I can only speak for myself, but winning was the fun.
Also, my coach taught me more about the game of baseball than anyone. I have no problem with his methods. Made me mentally stronger, made me a better ballplayer, made me a winner for the time I played for him. I had a blast. No regrets.
Life’s not fair Rob, I for one would rather learn that early on, then grow up to be a spoiled and naive “adult” who expects the world to hand me everything on a silver platter.
50 years ago they would have walked him and nobody would have batted an eyelash. The fact that we are even having this conversation says a lot about what’s wrong with the world today.
So here’s a crazy story:
I entered the Braves Dress Your Pet contest where I could win 4 tickets to a Braves home game, but I live in NJ. I didn’t really care if I won and if I did I wasn’t going to go to Atlanta. But then my mom said I could go with my brothers and dad. I thought I didn’t win because the tickets were supposed to be for this weekend. My mom got an email this afternoon saying I won tickets for Sunday’s game so now me, my dad, and my 2 brothers are driving down to Atlanta tomorrow morning!
Different strokes I guess. Our practices went like this. Everybody grab a position on the field and one guy hits until he makes and out (which would come sooner than later because there were usually like six outfielders), then everybody slides over one position and the firstbaseman comes in to hit. Everybody gets to hit and run the bases and you get a chance to play a little of every position. Now that was fun. There was some work on the fundamentals the first few practices but other than that, a lot of baseball.
Elizabeth, it didn’t happen unless you have pictures to back it up.
We(I don’t and wouldn’t if you held a gun to my head)boo Tom Glavine, you know our World Series MVP, 2 time cy young winner, 6 different 20 win seasons for the Braves.
So if Kolb gets a standing ovation, I may lose it!
— Bravesfan1
And we would’ve beaten the crap out of you. 😉
Life’s not fair Rob, I for one would rather learn that early on, then grow up to be a spoiled and naive “adult” who expects the world to hand me everything on a silver platter.
I hate this kind of thinking. That something a simple as a little league game can’t just be a fun distraction from school it has to be a life learning experience preparing our kids for the world. Nonsense. Nobody became who they are today because of what happened at a baseball game when they were ten. Just try to make the game fun and make sure nobody get hurt.
And we would’ve beaten the crap out of you.
This is war! Kidding. We were actually really good mostly because me and my friend were really good pitchers. Lots of left handed pitching talent flowing out of South Hamlin Elementary at that time. We both ended up pitching in college. The one of us not named Robert had some success.
Then again 50 years ago he wouldn’t have survived cancer to be in the lineup at all.
“Nobody became who they are today because of what happened at a baseball game when they were ten.”
I think ububba and MANY other people would disagree with you there.
I think ububba and MANY other people would disagree with you there.
Perception does not equal reality.
Meaning, those kind of experiences during adolescence play a large role in shaping the adult you grow into. You don’t just turn 18 and all of a sudden learn all of lifes lessons in that first year.
“Nobody became who they are today because of what happened at a baseball game when they were ten.”
Perception does not equal reality. Works both ways Rob.
Most of what I learned about myself I learned playing sports as a young person. I learned what disappointment was all about, I learned the highs and lows of winning, and how to play as a team…..things I couldnt have learned ANY where else
True, when I shoot too many jumpshots in pickup basketball my elbow starts to hurt. That’s how playing baseball has shaped my adulthood. Don’t let your kids throw sliders. Fastball in, changeup away.
Rob you seriously don’t think your childhood has anything to do with who you are as an adult. Not much else I can say if you believe that.
“Nobody became who they are today because of what happened at a baseball game when they were ten.”
Perception does not equal reality. Works both ways Rob.
Look back on the team you were on. Where are those guys? I played in a small town and basically played with the same guys every year for ten years. We all experienced the same baseball ups and downs. Now? Some of are them successfull, some are druggie washouts, and most are in the middle. The influence of family, friends, school and genetics are much, much stronger. We tend to give baseball more importance, because we all liked it so much we wish it were more important.
Gotta go to lunch now. Enjoyed talking to you guys. Hope I didn’t come off as too snide.
I learned something in a baseball game when I was ten. When the coaches and adults tell you to “hang in there” when batting and that the “ball doesn’t hurt” are liers. Have you ever been hit with a baseball being thrown at you? Hell, yes it hurts!
I learned that getting hit with a baseball hurts and people will lie to you to get you to do something. Two important life lessons.
I’m not trying to give more credit to baseball than it’s due. But it sounds like you are trying to imply that I am saying little league determines if you are a success or failure in life.
You also keep contradicting yourself. Family, friends, school and sports all fall into the same sphere of influence in a childs life. That you excluded it as something that has no effect in your life, says more about your childhood, than anyone elses.
I would also argue that genetics play no role whatsoever in your character makeup. Genetics may make you predisposed to alcoholism or drug addiction but they have no influence over your general character. After all there are lots of succesful alcoholics and drug addicts in the world. How they deal with their addictions determines their place in the world. And being on that little league team that teaches them that life isn’t fair might play some small role their future success or failure.
Smitty, stepping back into the batter box, after being hit just might have made you the tough guy you are today. And yes it does hurt but the pain quickly fades. Those bruises are badges of honor when you are in little league.
I learned that I really, really suck at sports. I love them–God help me, I love them–but I washed out of my athletic career by the time I was 12 or so. Like Robert Duvall said in A Family Thing, “I was short, but I made up for it by being slow.”
Thank God I grew up to be brilliant and devastatingly handsome.
One time I slid into second feet first wiht my eyes open and got a ton of dirt in my eyes. That sucked! So there is another lesson:
Don’t slide with your eyes open.
I was never told that the ball didn’t hurt if you got hit by it. I was petrified of getting hit by the ball. Ultimately, in my 10 games of Little League in 1994, that was one way I got on base: got hit by the ball. Other way was a walk. I didn’t have a signle hit. Best one was a pop up to shortstop.
I think the most important lesson I ever learned in Little League was that it is important to be loyal to your team. We Rockies didn’t win much and didn’t have much to hope for against the best team, the Orioles. In the middle of getting pasted by them, I was sitting in the dugout and I said out loud “I wish I was on the Orioles instead.” But
my coach heard that and he told me in no uncertain terms that I was a Rockie and that it was important to stick with your team and be supportive, no matter how bad the situation. He didn’t curse or anything, but was firm and I got the message.
We shared much the same season Sam. I think the most important thing I learned was that their is only one way to get better at something: practice practice practice. Unfortunately I didn’t start to improve until the end of the season.
Another great lesson I learned was:
“When facing the pitching machine, always try as hard as you can to hit the ball back at the piching machine. If you, your team mates, or anyone on the other team accomplishes this, cheer loudly; because it is cool.”
its almost like hitting Golf Balls at the guy picking them up, for some reason its cool!
CSG, that’s a great Family Guy episode.
See csg, you and the Family Guy learned a great lesson from Little League
or I learned a great lesson from the Family Guy episode. that show cracks me up!
there is nothing like adult humor
“Hey, Joe, cancel all my meetings! I’ve gotta hit more balls at this fat kid!”
You also keep contradicting yourself.
I was hoping that this was going to be followed by an example. Sadly no.
That you excluded it as something that has no effect in your life, says more about your childhood, than anyone elses.
Really, what does it say?
I don’t know the details of the this story so I can’t really comment on it. But I am appalled that people think you learn “life lessons” by adopting a win at any cost mentality when you are ten. I guess that’s true if you think Social Darwinism is a reasonable philosophy. I have a feeling that a lot of people have done just fine in life without learning that you need to climb over the backs of others to succeed. And, don’t compare this to the majors. Obviously, that’s completely different. Wow, I’m stunned, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised in 21st century America.