I hate the Dodgers. Hate them. Which is kind of awkward, since I used to root for a whole bunch of them.
As I am old and have to go to bed at a reasonable hour, there will be no recap until the morning.
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Back when the Braves were in the NL West, I’d say that the Dodgers were easily my least favorite team. After the Reds began to suck in the early ’80s, the Dodgers kept being the Dodgers and, for some reason, that bugged me even more.
Steve Garvey. Steve Howe. Al Campanis. What was to like?
The 1982-83 pennant races provided my first burst of genuine Braves-related baseball joy. And, of course, the ’91 pennant race was a doozie as well. The Dodgers were the enemy. LaSorda was satan. It was simple.
But when the divisions got split up, the LA Dodgers became about as offensive to me as the Seattle Mariners. My pulse doesn’t raise a tad when I see that uniform anymore.
Admission: I met LaSorda in the Spring of 1989 & I gotta say that he was pretty great.
After LA won the WS, he took an invitation to visit the Athens Navy Supply Corps School (where I was working at the time) & he gave a speech, free of charge, to all the servicemen & women there. He told stories & jokes I heard a million times, but it was amazing for morale and it was a thrill for everyone.
I’ve heard a lot of bad things about LaSorda (even from his former players), but I can’t dis the guy after he did that gig in Athens. I’ve softened completely on the Dodgers & the Mets have replaced them as “Most Hated.”
So there is a fourth game this year and I’ll be going to all four. Anyone know a good marriage counselor? After battling downtown traffic for four straight nights to watch some “stupid baseball”, I’m going to need one. I’m sure Atlanta traffic is tough, but coming from the south and trying to squeeze up the 110 at rush hour to get to Dodger stadium is insane carpool lane or no carpool lane. It would be nice if we could win a couple of these.
Robert,
My answer to gals if they ever complain about my baseball: “Y’know, I could have worse habits.”
There should be a rule that games on the west coast can’t start later than 9pm et if an east coast team is playing in them.
Oh, I’ve got the retorts ready. I mean I sat through the entire series of “The Starter Wife”. That’s hard time right there.
Robert,
That should count for something.
I’m headed to LA in a couple weeks & was bummed to find that the Dodgers won’t be in town. Angels are home vs. Texas, but I’m not sure if I’m up for that trip to The OC. Nothing defeats me quite like Southland freeway traffic.
DOG’s new blog. He tells us that KJ, Renty & Chipper have 3 of the top 5 road BA’s & explains why he hates Delta Airlines.
http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/braves/entries/2007/07/02/bravos_hit_gold.html
DOG? DOB!
Freudian slip if there ever was one.
Ahh well Robert. I guess an afternoon at the mall, and a visit to the vagina monologues might sooth things over!
Don’t take my word though, I am single!
Yeah, if it’s a weekday that drive to Anaheim is just not worth it. The 5 and the 91 are just parking lots by about 3:30. Plus there the matter of what you get. The Big A is nice, but it’s no Dodger Stadium.
Contreras Actually Lacks No-Trade Clause
The White Sox informed the Chicago Sun-Times today that Jose Contreras’s no-trade clause actually ran out in November of 2006. So much for Contreras waiving anything. Joe Cowley says the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers are all interested.
It would be a weekend game, but after a cross-country flight, the last thing I wanna do is sit in traffic.
I love Dodger Stadium. Nobody talks about it in those great ballpark conversations, but it’s a terrific place to see a game. And yes, I’ve had a few Dodger Dogs.
Haven’t seen an game in Anaheim since 1991. I know that The Big A has been renovated, but I drive past the place every January & it still looks like a charmless football stadium to me.
here’s a class act
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2923254
leave my last mark from my nest. I’ll be with the Braves no matter where my nest is. And I hope to watch the Braves at the Turner Field in next year/within near the future. For the first time in my life….Go Braves!
csg,
i’m sure she’s just returning the favor.
maybe, but she can still be the better person. Thats just low class
Yeah, that’s pretty low-class at its finest. If that’s her way of making a point to A-Rod, then I guess the bajrillions of dollars she’ll take from him in the divorce settlement wasn’t enough.
And leave it to the shameful NY Post to put it on its front page, as if there weren’t more important things going on these days.
this might have been discussed on another thread but i will throw it out there anyway. we seem to be interested in otsuzuka. i didnt really understand our interest in him at first but maybe we really do intend to give soriano a shot at starting. if otsuzuka comes to the braves, do you think soriano would get his wish and be moved into the starting rotation?
“Airport destruction in Glasgow? Nah, let’s put A-Rod’s stupid wife on the cover!”
Rob,
It’s every day for the NY Post. You wouldn’t even know there’s a war going on. It’s just celeb crap-o-rama.
trading for another good reliever and moving Soriano maybe easier than getting a great starter. Problem is it would take Soriano some time to get his arm strength up for 6-7 innings
I wouldn’t get too bent out of sorts. It’s a TABLOID, for heaven’s sake.
erin andrews is hot
Agreed.
My wife has always taken the “if it makes you happy, it cant be that bad” attitude towards my Braves obsession, and it also allows her to go shopping….fair trade I suppose…
@16
i’m sure her “i slept with a-rod and all i got was this lousy t-shirt, a kid, $80 million, and crabs” shirt was at the cleaners.
as if you didnt know, tonights lineup
Harris
Renteria
Jones
Jones
McCann
Francoeur
Johnson
Thorman
Smoltz
ESPN just showed that Andruw is lifetime 0-11 vs him with 4k’s, hes our cleanup
why thorman?
at least b-mac is between andruw and frenchy
nevermind that was against LAD this season, either way it sucks
At least the Phillies are losing in Houston.
also the mets are losing and also have put Oliver Perez on the DL.
Roger Clemens is going to get win #350 tonight, he’s pitched through 8.
make that 4-0
Glavine 3IP 7H 6ER 3BB 3K’s, keep up the good work
Braves are #1 hitting team in the NL on the road. At home they are 15th. Go figure.
atta boy Chip, lets see what Druw is going to look like tonight
terrible!
what’s new?
Andruw looks like a chump. So what else is new?
this guy isnt worth 8-10 mil per year
He’s not worth the money and yes, he’s struggling, but he’s not the one filling out the lineup card. Bobby is partly to blame for this.
True, o fan who is not gruntled. The three lineup errors are all present tonight- Andruw 4th, KJ 7th, Thorman anywhere.
Bobby’s eternal optimism strikes again. It’s getting rather old.
13 freak’n pitches…let’s see frenchy equal that.
I wonder what this lineup would do
Harris
Renteria
Chipper
Johnson
McCann
Salty
Thorman
Andruw
didnt mean Thorman there, meant Francouer
McCann, salty and thorman? where do they all go?
No way we don’t strike out 10 times tonight.
Who’s your rightfielder?
sorry, i know it’s been posted a few times, but what radio stations streams the game?
In that case, not bad. I like
Escobar
Renty
Chipper
Salty
McCann
Francoeur
Diaz
Harris(CF)
It’s truly a joy listening Vin Scully do his thing.
I agree with Jeremy and disgruntled
Both the Mets and Phillies are losing.
Glavine got tattooed tonight. It’s 6-0 Colorado. Holliday had a 3-run HR. Looks like #47 will stay at 297.
The Rocks pitcher, Jason Hirsch, just hurt himself on the basepaths & they had to pinch run for him. Twisted his ankle pretty good. Too bad, he had a shutout going.
Mets losing, Smoltz on the mound. Let’s get this game & pick up a game on both teams.
RF is Frenchy, I was trying so hard to get Thorman out of the lineup I accidentally put him in.
also the Mets had to put Perez on the DL today, bad day for Mets pitching….Darn
Vin Scully is a real treat. Especially compared to the obnoxious Padre announcers later this week. The name “Peavy” out of those guys mouths….I shudder at the thought.
Willie wuz robbed.
What happened Jeremy?
A nice running catch from the right fielder ranging to his left and back.
Renty!!! keeps on getting the job done
Gotta love the small ball.
cmon Druw
Baseball Tonight had a “best right-field arms” segment just now. Karl Ravech had Jeff Francouer as the “now” part of it (it was split up into “then” and “now”). Seeing Francouer throw, the guy REALLY has one of the best arms in the game. The guy’s got a good arm, good range, so I can see why he came up as a center fielder.
Speaking of which, why aren’t more people wanting him in center? He’s got the range, he’s still learning technique, and he’s got the arm. His offense will look better in center, and he’s cheap. Plus, it’ll be a lot easier to find a good hitting RF than CF.
No way he would have beaten a throw by Furcal.
Edgar deserves an All-Star spot. With Tony coaching, I thought he’d get in. At least he’s still clutch.
By the way, I usually avoid ragging on ESPN, but the new Sportscenter feature called “Who’s Now?” is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Example: “Who’s more now: Tiger Woods or Matt Leinart?”
WTF does that even mean?
Anyway, I’ve got to be at work at 8 EST, but I’m watching the TBS games T/TH/F. See you guys then. Go Braves.
how can you say Andruw’s swing is getting better
last 15 games .119 avg 18K’s
3-0 Greenlight?
there’s our cleanup guy
why would you ever pitch to renteria and chipper?
No one kills a rally like Andruw Jones.
Ok. Bed.
Andruw is very then. He certainly isn’t *now*, unless *now* means “the worst hitter in the National League.”
Outside pitch and Andruw grounds out to the left side of the infield…surprise, surprise
very rarely do i complain about cox and his lineups because I like to think he knows more then we do. But what the hell is AJ doing batting 4th, especially when he is lifetime below .200 agianst this guy???
Wait, are the Phils trying to rally in the 9th?
You got to give it to Bobby, it’s pretty funny he gave Andruw the green light on a 3-0 count
C’mon, John. You cannot walk Furcal leading off the inning.
I agree. From the way he has played this year, I think Andruw should have lost all of his goodwill from past performances. They should really sit him out a whole series and see what kind of impact it has on him. I wouldn’t mind Diaz in left and Willie in center for three straight games.
Rally killed. Phillies lose this one.
No! Any day now, he’ll magically turn into…the .260 career hitter he is.
This is akin to Bobby batting McCann behind Francoeur all last year.
Martin scares me more than any other player on their team
I see why your Disgruntled
Haha, only about the post-2005 Braves.
cmon John
Smoltzy.
anyone buy the iphone?
Mets mini-rally in the 8th. It’s 6-2.
Saw a friend’s new iPhone today, but it’s got some limitations, as I’m sure you know.
a friend has one…it’s sweet.
maybe i can sell a kidney and get one.
beedee, that might be better than standing in line for 6-8 hrs for one
I hope Colorado doesn’t bring in Fuentes.
with my affinity for whiskey, i may just wait til the price drops.
let’s do it again renty
if he’s smart, Lowe will walk the bases loaded to get to Druw.
or, just strike Renty out, I guess.
Smoltz might look like Moylan by the end of the year
do you think he needs glasses? 😉
I think he just said Thorman and Range in the same sentence
Thorman does have range. No bat, but decent range.
I just had Deja Vu. Thor looked very slow jogging to 1st, Im surprised Pierre didnt beat him there
speaking of that, watched Deja Vu the movie last night. Good movie
should’ve walked him
if smoltz can get out of the inning, lowe should be just about done and we can get onto the bullpen.
is Lerew still on the DL or is he back in AAA.
Lowe already at 101, its his last inning
time to become somewhat useful druw
maybe Andruw actually listened!!
hit to CF…we’ll win this game
Wow, that WAS somewhat useful!
Andruw has a six-game hit streak…
wow, apparently if andruw can’t get a hit off you, you no longer have a job.
#106, thats scary and he’s still under .200…
nice bunt there Mac
Thor wont hit here
interesting move
after KJ that is
anything but a DP
or a K
i’ll settle for a grand slam here
gd…c’mon salty
csg, pleas predict a grand slam now.
I predict a run being scored somehow
please!!!
unbelievable
Or not.
i thought kent was retired….errrrrghh
Im really surprised Bobby didnt play the #’s with PH Escobar for KJ also
surprised is not a word that comes to mind when looking at the lack of results in that inning
Smoltz only at 73 pitches
i know, but it be nice if he didn’t pitch more than 90.
Gotta love the Rockies and the Astros tonight. I am in Houston, but can’t devote myself to them…unless they are playing the NL East (not including the Braves, of course)
beedee, every pitch Smoltz doesn’t throw is a good one right now. We need him (and Huddy) to lead us into and through the playoffs.
who knows this might be his last…maybe 1 more, but we’ll probably see a PH for him to start the next
well that sucks
yep McCann trying to backhand more pitches, use your body to stop some of these
My power went out and I just got it back on in time to see Baseball Tonight show the highlights so far. I definitely laughed in disbelief at Kent robbing Salty. Aghhhhhh
yep, i hold my breath everytime he pitches…and b-mac has to stop those.
Bobby has to let Smoltzy bat here
Tom, I think this will be his last. Our relievers are rested
shit
well McCann those are yours
that’s it for smoltzy
Argh.
nevermind…damn
another game where we can make up ground and we find a way to lose
465 feet to left…ouch
hey! was it over when the germans bombed pearl harbor?
yep, that might be one of the hardest balls ever hit off Smoltz. I remember Adam Dunn hitting one about 480-500 last year also. Still cant believe that McCann lets this many balls get past him
I very much disliked mr. kemp’s hopping and posing.
Smoltz is done now
Did it look like Smoltz had a vein sticking out of his head?
just need some hits here, their closer is dominant
looked pissed to me, they just subtracted 30 feet from Kemp’s HR 435 now
The company goes to bed, finally, and I can sit down and watch the game. Then Kent blasts one. Consider me not happy.
I guess it’s a bullpen battle right now. I like our chances.
Let’s go!
@146
i thought that was his arm…maybe you had a bad angle.
that’ll be a start….lets get Smoltz the lead here
Renteria > Furcahol
I fear a BB and a DP here
There’s your walk
lets go Chipper!!
might get another BB here and pitch to Druw
chipper, we have your kids…all we’re asking for is lousy homerun and no one will be hurt.
not a K
Im done
ok, you’ve forced my hand.
..and your double play.
csg, your speaking privilege is revoked.
csg, please stop predicting things.
well, I predict that we tie the game in the next inning…how about that
Andruw Jones: Rally starter!!
Oh, wait…
bunt double, WTF?
uhh…how the hell did Pierre double on a ground ball to Renteria? Tell me that’s a mistake on gameday.
Mike, slap bunt right over the head of Chipper. had no play on it
Ah, that makes sense. Gameday is dumb.
BB doesnt really hurt here, dont let this guy swing at anything good..please
At least this team finds creative ways to really suck.
goodnite guys
well nevermind, Im shutting up
God forbid we actually walk the guy that has had a hit every at bat so far.
Double Argh. I knew I didn’t trust Yates for some reason.
Luis Gonzalez will pop up to the infield, McCann will neglect to use his glove, will play the ball with his face mask, and Gonzo will be credited with a ground rule double.
It was the return of the bad Yates, for sure. I guess it had to happen sooner or later.
This is getting uglier by the minute.
Can we get a f*cking out PLEASE
Game day agrees with me, that this ump is a joke.
Strike 2 is in the left handed batters box.
The wheels are officially off the wagon.
This sucks.
Gag.
We need to get clever braves-related tee-shirts made in mass.
Include jokes only people on here would understand.
It gets better. With each batter, they find new and different ways to really really suck bad.
I guess I should say “I’m sorry” to Matt Kemp for referring to him as Kent earlier. No man should have to suffer that. My bad.
See y’all tomorrow….
As Iggy once sang, “No fun, my babe, no fun.”
Let’s get ’em tomorrow.
I think it is time to realize that the Braves are just another team, nothing special, .500 or a little better. They can’t win with Smoltz, can’t hit any kind of decent pitching. I know it’s early, but they have been utterly mediocre for two years. JS’s “bump in the road” is looking more like an abyss. I’m tired of the mediocrity. I find little reason to be optimistic about the Braves–they can’t even pick up ground when the other teams suck. Over the last 77 games, they are 3 games under .500. The Braves do a lot of talking about how we need to start winning, blah, blah, but that’s all it is–talk. Smoltz is being held together with bailing wire and the rest of the staff is nothing to write home about. Andruw is a joke and the team has so little power, it’s pathetic. And we can’t expect much help. If this team turns things around, I will be happy, of course, but absolutely astonished. It’s a good thing they play in the NL East or they would already have been buried. I’m pretty fed up.