ESPN – Braves vs. Nationals – Box Score – March 30, 2008
Yuck. The Braves trailed the whole way, tied it with two outs in the top of the ninth, and then lost (after retiring 24 in a row) on a two-out homer off of Moylan by Ryan Zimmerman.
Hudson got in first-inning trouble, and allowed two runs with two out, but then started sawing off bats and generally making the Nats look foolish. He only struck out three — two of them in the first — but the Nats couldn’t make solid contact. He needed only 78 pitches over seven innings, but still looked to be the loser. Chipper hit a solo homer in the fourth, but otherwise the Braves were shut down, with only three hits entering the ninth.
Teixeira hit a one-out shot that looked like it would tie the game, but it hit off the wall for a double. Bobby ran for him with Prado, which… well, I guess… who went to third on a Francoeur groundout. Jon Rauch (closing because of injury to Cordero) threw a ball to the backstop and Prado scored to tie the game.
Moylan looked great for four batters after Will Ohman retired Willie Harris (have to get the LOOGY in there) — the idiots in the booth were talking about how you couldn’t hit a homer off him — when he suddenly elevated a pitch and Zimmerman took it out.
That’s it for this ridiculous one-game series. Home opener with the Pirates tomorrow. We got Odalis Perez, Ray King, and Willie Harris today, maybe we’ll get Kali tomorrow.
Lame.
damn!
Oh well. What can you do? I’m not worried about tonight. Moylan will be just fine. Hudson looked strong all game as far as I’m concerned. Broken-bat single by Guzman. Bad throw gets him to third. Bloop single scores him. The only hard-hit ball was by What’s-His-Name. We’ll score enough to not lose 3-2. Teams will have to score a lot more to beat us. 161 left; we’ll get as many as we need.
Only one good thing to be said about tonight’s game- it will only get better. Even our other losses shouldn’t be this painful.
First game, 161 to go, Hudson was marvelous, blah blah blah — funny, all that stuff doesn’t make it sting any less. A rough loss is a rough loss, and that was a rough loss.
Odalis Fucking Perez.
Damn. One game but still…
I like how Chipper christened the ballpark first
First game, just good to get it over with. Offense looked very poor tonight, but who really gets excited about playing just one game in Wash? Huddy was very strong, as was Moylan, I’m a bit surprised Bobby brought him out for a second inning, but then again no I’m not. Looking forward to tomorrow and with all the day games, I’m sure I’ll be pretty useless at work after lunch
I’m gonna chalk the lack of offense up to new stadium jitters.
some good news…
“Smoltz had a great day today,” Cox said. “He went five innings, could have gone six. He threw 83 pitches. I think he gave up five hits on changeups. He said he was throwing it too hard because he felt so good. All of his pitches were great. He’s excited.”
he had 8k’s also and will pitch against Johan on the 6th
if you’re bored and looking for something, not too bad
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/preview08/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3320120
Yeah, cool article. I like his reasoning.
As I said, this is an new home opening gift from the Atlanta Braves to the Natspos.
You know how they say baseball is a game of inches? If McCann hits that ball another foot higher… if Rauch misses Chipper’s liner in the ninth… if Francoeur hustles a little more and throws out Johnson at second… IMHO, the Nats had all the breaks tonight, and still barely came out on top.
I’m enthused. Hudson looked good, even in the first inning (Johnson broke his bat on that “double”, and Kearns hit a very routine groundball the next AB that snuck through). Escobar played excellent defense. Chipper and Teixiera both took some good swings. McCann hit the ball hard. Aside from that one pitch, Moylan looked fine.
All in all, a tough loss, but there’s still 161 chances for the luck to even out.
It was pretty much destiny that the Gnats win this one, I guess. Not that I believe in that, but it is unsurprising they were able to pull this one out.
I really want one of those new uni’s, btw.
Another thing, that park has some weird outfield dimensions, huh? It reminded me a lot of that wonky outfield in Houston. On the plus side, it sure looked like the backstop was made from good ol’ Elberton, Ga granite.
MLB is clearly behind the times, I couldn’t go to the Braves website and purchase one of those blue jerseys if I wanted to.
The only good thing about Zimmerman ending the game was that we didn’t have to listen to Joe Morgan for another inning. almost made me miss Chip Carey.
almost.
“As I said, this is an new home opening gift from the Atlanta Braves to the Natspos.”
http://i31.tinypic.com/280ikpw.jpg
I couldn’t have been more sure we were losing that one. Uninspired showing from the start.
Listening to Joe Morgan really made me miss Skip and Pete, though. They mentioned Don Sutton as the Nats announcer, man I wish he was still announcing for the Braves.
Bummer.
John Kruk thinks we’re gonna win the division. Count it!
What was really funny about today’s broadcast was Jon said “our friend Bill James” and I said out loud, “Joe Morgan is NOT friends with Bill James, or most anything Bill James stands for.”
I thought the funniest part of the broadcast was when Joe Morgan said he “believed in K-Zone” I wanted to shout, It’s a computer Joe, DON’T trust it!
Worst broadcast team evarrrrr. I tried to listen to the radio but the timing was a good two seconds off. I’m going to figure out a Rube Goldberg-type solution to that one of these days.
maybe if you get a tivo you can pause the game for 2 seconds and then start it back up
That was, indeed, probably the worst baseball broadcast ever.
“If I had hired Joe Morgan to be General Manager, we might have won the World Series!” -George W. Bush
I think radio is ahead of TV, Lunatic96, so that would put the TV at 4 seconds behind. At least that’s the way Gator football telecasts are; the Voice of the Gators Mick Hubert is much better than those Jefferson Pilot clowns or whatever they’re calling themselves nowadays.
Bingo, Rob. Does anyone know if it the same delay on XM/Sirius or the mlb.com radio feed? I just want to hear Skip and Pete while I watch the game, is that so much to ask?
W makes a better color commentator than Joe Morgan. How about a former President in the booth next year?
Tonight, the mlb.com radio feed was a good 10 seconds behind the TV broadcast, but that could be just because my internet sucks.
“if he woulda pitched the pitch that i pitched”-George W. Bush………….any broadcast with that quote should be put quietly to sleep.
Well, after being at the game last night, I guess I am glad I did have to listen to another INSIPID Joe Morgan broadcast, but a few comments.
1. Don Sutton looks “awkward” in a tuxedo (considering no one else in the park was dressed up) as “master of ceremonies” introducing the full rosters before the start of the game.
It actually just felt very awkward and you could tell how well he knew Cox and the Braves the way he introduced them which was of course lost on this 98% Nats crowd.
2. It felt like a 95-98% Nats crowd. In the past few seasonss when I have gone to RFK (trash heap) and seen the Nats and Braves, the crowd is at least 50-50 and I remember one game where we clearly had the “fan advantage”. Not tonight.
3. Stadium is really nice but I don’t understand how a brand new stadium could have such a lack of concessions options; the two ‘unique to DC’ places, the Ben’s Chili Bowl and Five Guys, do not exactly offer healthy options (though they are both damn good!) but both had lines around the stadium when I finally made it in with my friend around 7:15.
Every other place was the usual stadium food…cheap beer, fried chicken fingers, hot dogs, burgers and fries, so everything was unhealthy and way overpriced.
(very different from my experience last May when I saw the Braves in Pittsburgh – the Pirates offer a wide array of beers and heaalthier wraps for those of us who do need to mix in healthy).
4. After my Metro experience last night, I will absolutely be attending LESS games from now on.
With RFK, it may have been a festering trash heap, but at least it was on the Organe and Blue metro lines, what most people in DC use besides Red. The new stadium is on the GREEN line, a line NOBODY EVERY USES and switching lines with thousands of Nats fans – NOT fun.
It was a gigantic pain in the butt getting to the game, and then with Bush there, the medal detectors (though understandable since it’s the President, eve one Mac hates) had everyone crawling into the game at a snail’s pace.
All in all, factoring in the Braves losing, a mediocre first experience.
Maybe it will be better when the Braves come in next weekend and sweep.
Not to get political, but I thought it was unfortunate that so many people booed our President when he’s throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game.
That’s political, all right. So don’t. Again, if you want to discuss it you can go to my other site or any number of other places.
Told my spouse that Zimmerman was the only batter they’d have to be careful with that last inning. Moylan looked sharp anyway. Hate to lose, but saw so many good things last night.
I think Tex’s ball goes out if the weather is warmer.
I think it’s gutless the way the Giants have expunged Bonds from their public persona. He’s always disgusted me, but who are they kidding?
They spent every dollar he earned them.
gutless giants??…………where i come from, when you step in dog crap,you clean it off the quickest and best way possible and get on with your walk.
#36 – interesting outlook
I look at today as the first real day of the season. I mean one game at RFK and then move on? Terrible scheduling….Hopefully we’ll jump on Snell early tonight
One thing that I think is ridiculous. MLB Extra Innings with Direct TV – 4 payments of $44 or the MLB.TV @ $20.00 per month is ridiculous, but I guess if you have what people want they’ll pay your prices
2 thoughts:
1. Consider last night the Braves’ act of patriotism for the year. We gave the Nats and the city of D.C. a memorable opening night in their new park, and if they had been playing anyone but the Braves, I would have been extremely happy for them.
2. I came home from church last night, ran in the door, turned on the game, and saw my beloved Braves wearing those stupid navy blue batting practice jerseys on OPENING NIGHT. At that moment, I would have bet almost any amount of money that we would lose. You don’t dress like Spring Training for Opening Night on National TV. I thought it was embarassing. Was there some type of special significance to those jerseys? I tuned in too late to hear any commentary on them.
I would like to add that, even though I was disappointed to see us wearing the blue unis on Opening Night, they are MUCH better than those red things. But c’mon, it’s the first night of the season, let’s see some tradition.
I agree with Robert; what a horrible, lackluster performance from the first inning onward.
The Braves don’t usually bring out the “apathetic hacking at junk” plate approach until June. Hudson appeared to be the only player who realized the game counted.
Odalis Perez makes his next start with a 1.80 ERA, Saul Rivera baffles hitters like Mo Rivera, even Burger King gets in on the fun.
It’s hard to imagine a more embarrassing way to begin the season.
#33
While I am wholeheartedly in agreement with Mac that we shouldn’t discuss politics, I have to say, whatever your political persuasion, I was uncomfortable with the booing, and I am not necessarily a Bush fan.
I think at the end of the day, whether you love, like, hate, despise or however you may feel about the current President (or any president in the past), it’s opening night at a new ballpark, a Baseball game, and I think politics should be left out and people should be respectful and polite.
It’s why my friend and I politely clapped, because it is the right thing to do, no matter who the president is. It’s just the way I was raised.
#35
Kevin, while I pretty much agree with everything you said, I think gutless isn’t the term I would use.
The Giants USED Bonds completely to make a ton of $, and his faux, steroid induced home run chase, managed to keep the park full, even though the Giants stunk.
Then again, Bonds used them back…no one else would take his cheating butt, and he wanted to steal, er, I mean “break” Henry Aaron’s home run record, so he resigned.
I would call it a draw and say the Giants and Bonds were equally culpable and despicable.
#40
Last night’s game does raise some question, going forward, about our offense. I think the 1-2 spots are the key to our entire season. Because even if Hampton gets hurt again, we have enough starting pitching to compete.
What will kill is, is if it turns out KJ and Escobar don’t light it up at the top of the order. If that’s the case, the Rentaria deal could loom large as a pall hanging over the season.
That’s the pessimist side of me…though part of me worries a lot, I will agree with what Mac said last night…we have 161 games left. We will be fine.
I doubt the Brave had too much trouble being excited about playing on Opening Night on national TV in a new ball park in the Nation’s Capital in front of the POTUS. If they did, I’m worried about them.
It’s one game and I’m not going to get overly worked up over it, but it was pretty typical of a lot of games the Braves have played over the last few years. The so-called vaunted offense can do nothing against a mediocre pitcher and waste an excellent pitching performance. Granted, it was cold and not a good night for hitting but you don’t know what you will get night to night from the offense. Moylan was fine,he just made one bad pitch. But when the pitchers retire 23 in a row, you really ought to win the game.
And every time Kotsay caught a ball, I kept thinking, Andruw would have made that look so much easier. 🙂
Alex, a friend that went to the exhibition game on Saturday was enthused about the food selections–at least compared to RFK. But he probably wasn’t looking to eat healthy. I had chances to go to the game but I knew it would be an incredible hassle with Bush there, the cold weather, and trying to get there on the Green Line. Anyway, the place looked great on TV. And if the Nats weren’t going to have a home crowd last night, they never would.
I agree with Kevin about the Giants; they milked Bonds for all he was worth, including last year when the possibility of indictment was already out there. Now, to just pretend he never existed is the height of hypocrisy. At least wait until he is convicted of something.
This whole Jayson Stark thing of picking the Braves to win it all makes me pretty nervous. I took a look at Stark’s predictions for the last 6 years (you can check out the results over on my blog) and he’s been wrong, and profoundly wrong every year but 2004.
Time to shake off last night’s dagger. It’s amazing that Hudson missed out on winning a gem because of a couple of broken bats and dead air (McCann and Tex’s doubles), but that’s the beauty of baseball, knowing that it’s going to happen to somebody else against us this season. Let’s hope the offense takes out their frustration on the Bucs tonight.
Hmm, am I the only one that thought the new stadium looks kind of blah? It’s got no personality on T.V. at least.
I’ve had time to recover from the loss and now I am just happy that baseball is finally back.
Alex R., I couldn’t agree more. Booing the President as he throws out the first pitch says less about your political affiliation than it does about your general level of class. Love him or hate him, show some respect. Don’t clap, fine. Keep your mouth shut. Geez. For one night, let it be about the baseball game.
A few observations:
(1) It was really cold last night! Not exactly Cubs or BoSox home opener-type weather, but still cold.
(2) Very nice park, and food definitely better than at RFK. The gumbo at the stand on the center field second level is excellent.
(3) Two Nats hits in the first were both broken bat hits, just dumb luck sandwiched around a bad throw to first.
42–I agree that much of the season rides on how well KJ and Esco play at the top of the order. I’m not yet convinced that there will be enough starting pitching. One very good outing by Hudson does mean Glavine will pitch well, Smoltz’s should will hold up, or …
Queue Mac
Well, broken bat hits or not, they should not have been enough to decide the game. Somehow, I had a bad feeling when KJ struck out to start the game.
Why did we have to have Morgan, Bush, and Miller in the same booth? Do we really want to destroy the English language?
As hard as it was to get down to the game, as cold as it was (thank goodness for really warm gloves and a thick jacket), it was still better than having to listen to Joe Morgan, who should not be on Television doing any kind of anylsis. He’s a jacka–.
I don’t think this line of conversation is political at all, Mac. As Rob, Alex, and TN Brave say, it’s about class and upbringing. I found it terribly embarrassing. Show some respect for the office, if not the person holding it.
Anyway, I think I’ve recovered from last night, too. Our pitching looked exceptional with the exception of, like, 2 pitches. And as Kyle S alludes to above—where the heck have you been, anyway, Kyle S???—it was just one of those games where all the breaks went against us. It’ll even out.
#43
Marc, it’s possible then your friend wasn’t looking to eat healthy.
You know I don’t even have a problem with stadiums way overcharing with food and beer – they all do it.
But my God, if I am going to pay that kind of cash last night, I want something better & healthier than fried chicken fingers, mediocre fries and Miller Light. Heck, if they at least offered more than 3 basic, cheap beers in the park, that would be a start.
I tought that Miller, Morgan and Bush was terrible. Two dummies and a bore (I let you guys make your own judgement on wh othe bore is.)
I would like to make a motion: We call the new blue unies the softball jersys, all in favor?
#51
Amen, Stu.
#43……….the giants milked bonds by paying him untold millions?. damn, i wish someone would take advantage of me like that. what company or corporation doesnt try to maximize profits from their employees talents? then, when the employee becomes too much of an embaresment, they disappear and are quickly forgotten.no portraits in the boardroom, no name or number on the company letterhead. and its his own fault.
Alex,
I’m sure you are right, he wasn’t looking to eat healthy. I actually need to look out for that myself now so I appreciate the heads up. They do have Red, Hot, and Blue, which, while not the healthiest food in the world is, I think, a sight better than the chicken fingers and so on. I frequently eat before going to the game anyway to avoid (1) paying the high prices, and (2) eating lousy, unhealthy food. I went to the women’s NCAA games at the U of Maryland last weekend and they sold coffee for $3.50. Yikes, I could go to Columbia and grow the beans myself for less than that.
And, on another subject, Go Tigers Go! Final Four!
I, too, thought the Nats’ stadium was a little blah. It’s a nice stadium, but there seems to be nothing to it. Well, I guess that’s what happens when you spend “only” $600M, compared to the Yankees spending $1.2B.
Where’s the link to the politics board, Mac? I don’t see it.
It’s Thomason Tracts, linked under “commenter sites”. And this discussion is certainly political.
No matter what you believe, this president is the best first-pitch president of all time.
I think that Chippers and Zimmermans HR’s landed about 2 seats apart. I would really be surprised if the same person ended up with both of them. They were both bullets that were only about 30 feet in the air. Looked indentical
i kinda liked the stadium on tv. it looks like a real ballpark not something disneys imagineers dreamed up. if you tell me theres no stupid mascots or organ music, i’ll love it. the thought of what kind of mascot washingtons’ team would have is pretty funny. ooops…..that was almost political.
Careful what you say, Marc… John Rocker might hear you.
That was in response to Do we really want to destroy the English language?
Half the team in the bigs start the season out with losses. I would be more concerned that the bats come out big today and not start the season quietly.
Barrycuda,
I’m not saying the Giants owe Bonds anything. But it’s pretty ridiculous to pretend that he didn’t exist. They sure didn’t act that way last season. It’s like they are trying to reinvent history. Most of the Giant fans were cheering for Bonds; now they are supposed to pretend that it didn’t happen? Should the Braves airbrush John Rocker out of 1999 team pictures and pretend he wasn’t on the World Series team?
#60 – good velocity at least.
Diaz and Yunel hurt my fantasy team yesterday, should have started Kelly I guess. One thing I wish is that when Bobby brings someone like Blanco to pinch run for Pena that he would actually let him try to steal. We actually have some speed on this team now and we should use it to our advantage
I’m sure it’s been mentioned, but I was very impressed with Hudson last night.
Tough loss last night, but I was pleased to see a nice outing by Hudson. Let’s hope that keeps up. I too am a little worried about our leadoff batters not getting hot, but it’s still early (and cold.)
As for the new stadium, I agree with a couple of others – it was kind of “blah” to me as well. I was thinking the views of the Capital and Washington Monument were a little better, but as it was you could hardly see them (or it looked that way on TV.)
Went to the game, as well as the “opener” on Saturday night with the Os.
I was sitting with my friend talking about how bad the Nats pitching was, and pointed to a green space in left center and said, “Chipper Jones is going to decorate that space with about 100 balls.” He hit his homer about 30 ft. to the left of that spot.
The stadium is nice but lacks personality. The food and restroom lines were unbelievably bad.
Yes, I was appalled at the booing, and no, Mac, being appalled at bad manners ain’t political. 1) You don’t boo the President of the United States anywhere, and 2) you don’t do it in the Church of Baseball on Opening Day. Boorishness is not a political statement.
Yeah, definitely a solid throw from the W. Threw from the mound, had a little zip on it. Not quite a strike, but not bad from an old man.
I would have been appalled if they booed a lot of people, but you definitely don’t boo the President. On Opening Night. In a brand new stadium. In Washington.
Anyone noticed that there are no more condensed games on MLB.TV ? That really sucks. Why in the world would they make a great product worse?
That was boooing? I thought they were saying Buuuuuuuuuuush. You know, kinda like everyone does for Springsteen. 😉
And this discussion is certainly political.
Well, it’s non-partisan, and I don’t get why you’d ban general political discourse—no discussions of the Declaration of Independence or the War of 1812—but you’re the boss.
As for the game, one slightly negative thing I took from last night that hasn’t been mentioned yet:
I came into the season believing we had significantly upgraded our bench, but when the first guy off the bench in the 8th inning was none other than Brayan Pena, well, it led me to reevaluate my previous stance. (Let’s go get Juan Rivera, Big Bird.)
I’ll add to the on-the-scene observations of last night’s game.
Nationals Park is fantastic. The open views of the field from the concourse and the views of the surrounding city from the seats are impressive. There was some care taken to align the stadium with the city. For example, looking in from 1B/right field toward home plate, you can see The Capitol looming beyond the action.
While there may not be “healthy” options yet, there are consession stands every 5 feet so everything keeps moving at a reasonable pace. I will also report that there was Bass, Blue Moon, Stella Artois and a few other beers available, just not at every stand. Plus there are liquor stands for various mixed drinks.
The field itself may be unremarkable (no Tal’s Hill, Green Monster, Teal Monster, Ivy, etc.), so I can see how it would seem blah on T.V. from that standpoint. Aside from the huge HD screen beyond right-centerfield sporting “Nationals,” there’s nothing that says You’re looking live from Washington. There are supposed to be cherry blossoms blooming in the trees above the outfield walls soon and that’s a big deal here, so that may provide some uniqueness.
Getting to the stadium was actually easier than I expected. The metro stop is literally one block from the centerfield entrance. The Green Line runs more north/south, so it is actually easier for folks in Maryland and eastern D.C. to use, though I’m neither.
Overall I was very pleased with the ballpark. As for the game, it’s 1 of 162, so unless there was an injury we haven’t heard about (there’s not), I’ll take it in stride. Like others have said, it was a perfect ending to the game aside from the fact that it came against the Braves. The Nationals’ ride in 1st Place will end soon enough, I imagine.
For the record, as I speak to Mac regularly ‘offline’, his seering hatred for the current President has no limits.
There’s no reasoning with him (not that I am a fan, but I try to get him to be rationale in the words he uses…) so everyone CORRECTLY pointing out that NO MATTER WHO THE PRESIDENT IS, you just don’t “boo” on opening night like that, won’t wash with Mac. Sadly.
All I can say, with a 4 1/2 month old son, he will be raised that you have to have respect for your parents, your elders, your teachers, and yes, even when you disagree, for the office of the President.
I have to say, it’s not a good precedent for all those thousands of kids at the game last night. Most important to me as his dad, I want to raise Jake to be a kind and generous young man. Something I maybe haven’t always “practiced what I preach” but when you have a child, it really sets your priorities, big time.
I am sure all the dads on here can agree!
Cary,
I am sorry we couldn’t connect last night later (I just couldn’t hear my cell in all the noise) But I am glad you made it over to take part in the opening night experience – even though we lost.
As long as we can all agree that Joe Morgan should be loudly booed any time he opens his mouth, the world will be a better and more harmonious place.
I fundamentally disagree, and have a new post on Thomason Tracts to that effect. And that’s my last word on the matter here.
#79
Well, we can all agree with that; if Joe Morgan gets elected POTUS, none of us will stick around this country to find out whether he gets booed or cheered at games.
The new blue softball jersys are sharp!
Why can’t we buy them yet?
re: new jerseys
I have to admit, I hated them. This is just my own personal opinion, but boring batting practice jerseys just don’t wash with me (ha…no pun intended).
At least the Sundays reds have some ‘flare’ – maybe not 39 pieces of ‘flare (ha) but are eye catching.
Tough game to watch because I sure felt like the Bravos should have won.
Positives: Huddy looked really great, Chipper was Chipper, Moylan was sharp but for one pitch (is that a positive or a negative?)
Negatives: team seemed kinda lackluster, like they weren’t ready to bring it or as if they were playing the first game in Florida instead of one that counted, didn’t seem to want to make the Nats pitchers pitch to them (making Odalis look brillant as they hacked at everything)
I wasn’t a huge fan of Prado running for Teix in the 9th. I completely understand that you’ve got to tie it before you extend the game… but is Prado that much faster than Teix? Wouldn’t you rather keep Teix’s bat in there? I can see both sides here since you’ve got to get that run (and thank you Mr. Lo Duca for not exactly ingratiating yourself with the new fans… I was tickled when he let that ball pass. He had to be the happiest guy in the park when Zimmerman’s bomb launched).
As far as alternate jerseys go those weren’t bad at all. I thought they were menacing with those hats. Its all personal taste so I don’t have a problem with others not liking them.
#77
Alex, feel free to visit the political forum for some opposing viewpoints. I’m following the rules.
sansho,
I will drop it and I really wasn’t making a political statement. I am not a Bush fan – please understand that was more just about being respectful at a baseball game. I know some of us disagree, but I wasn’t at all wanting to make ‘political statements’.
I did just read Mac’s post…Mac’s my friend, but we’ll just agree to disagree. End of story.
Alex,
Are you are the same person that called Tim Kurjian (can’t spell his name) a “midget” for picking the Braves finish third? You might want to teach your son not engage in ad hominem and personally offensive attacks on someone with whom you disagree. The people that booed Bush did so because of their anger at his policies, not because he picked against their favorite team.
Please stop saying this isn’t political. It is political–you are trying to say that fans should censor their feelings about the president in a public place. What if everyone cheered? Would you complain that people shouldn’t be expressing their approval? Of course not.
As for Jake, you might want to teach him that the glory of the United States of America is that we don’t put our leaders on pedestals and we don’t treat them like tin gods.
Doing my morning reading and congrats, Mac, on the cite from the Baby Blue Cherub.
What a nice response, Marc. I am trying to respond with civility on this, and I thought, was trying to “respectfully” have a discussion.
And a) I stated I don’t always practice what I preach and B) Tim Kurkjian isn’ the President of the United States.
I am actually rather stunned by that response.
I didnt like the booing and it shows disrespect and I wouldnt ever do it to anyone, but I also think that people should be able to express their feelings and they can boo if thats their choice. I whole heartedly disagree with it and I try show respect to others, but its your choice.
I guess the best thing to do is move on and end the conversation before everyone gets upset.
Lillibridge is on mlb rumors as a blocked prospect, here’s the write up
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/03/blocked-prosp-2.html#comments
@85,
Huddy did look great. I watched the game in HD over at a friends house and the amount of late movement on his pitches was, at times, stunning.
I would have booed, I’ll leave it up to Stu to make wild judgment statements about my upbringing. I don’t even boo, but for him I would have made an exception. I do agree with this though:
No matter what you believe, this president is the best first-pitch president of all time.
Tonight’s was a little high but had some zip on it. That first pitch strike after 9/11 was perhaps his best moment in office.
I’ll also agree with whomever said that our jerseys looked like BP jerseys. I don’t think I’ll be plunking down $80 for one of those anytime soon.
Pretty boring game last night…Morgan only exacerbated the boredom.
The one positive was Hudson. He was solid. His performance was very promising, but it is against the Nats and only one game. I’m pretty much ready to move on and look forward to tonight’s game.
His performance was very promising, but it is against the Nats and only one game.
Their lineup actually looks pretty solid to me. The bit about being only one game is of course true, but I was very encouraged by that performance last night.
Anyone else concerned that when the Nats brought in their LOOGY to face Kotsay, Bobby stuck with Kotsay? I mean he’s going to suck enough already without Bobby exposing him to lefty killers.
I was watching the lineup intros, and it struck me that Bowden has — once again — put together what looks to be a pretty good lineup on the cheap. If Dukes stays out of trouble, and Milledge manages to not outrage his teammates, and Johnson stays healthy, they’re going to score some runs. That’s not going to be the case, of course, but right now they’re all in the lineup. Guzman’s really their only below-average for position hitter, and he was really good last year. Dukes/Milledge/Kearns is, for however long it lasts, the best outfield in the division, and it could be the best in the league.
FWIW…booing made me uncomfortable and embarrassed. Last night was about baseball. Came off classless no matter who is in office. Now if Joe Morgan throws out the first pitch, boo all day long. I hold no reverence for the announcer position.
Dukes/Milledge/Kearns is, for however long it lasts, the best outfield in the division, and it could be the best in the league.
I guess you’re assuming the Mets don’t get something worked out with Fernando Tatis. Because with him on board, that changes everything.
Anyone else concerned that when the Nats brought in their LOOGY to face Kotsay, Bobby stuck with Kotsay?
Blanco had already been used to pinch-run, hadn’t he? Maybe he hadn’t. Can Gotay play CF?
Scratch that. After checking the play-by-play, I see that Blanco was still available.
Yeah, Blanco pinch ran for Pena.
Last word on booing:
I still believe you salute the uniform, not the man. But one commenter on the WaPo Nats blog said something to the effect of :
I get paid to oppose President Bush. Nonetheless, I gave him a “golf clap,” because I respected his position. Not as the leader of the free world, but as the guy throwing out the first pitch of the season.
If memory serves, Johnson used to kill the Braves’ pitchers before his most recent injury. They do have a very good lineup.
I’m generally against booing anyway. Hell, I felt bad when the stadium was booing Mark Redman last year.
Speaking of boos, I wonder how many Braves fans that will cheer for him tonight, gave him a hearty boo whenever he came to town in a Mets uni?
Anything in a Mets uniform is by definition boo worthy.
Guess I should have mentioned I was speaking of Glavine pitching tonight…duh
Well Dukes is already on the DL, so that’s that.
Coz,
I really HOPE Braves fans all cheer Tommy. Whatever side you fell on about his decision to leave 5 years ago (and I fell on the side that JS was partly to blame in all that), the man won us a world series, and took less money to come back.
That has to give him some cache.
My sense is that he will get a standing ovation tonight as well he should.
Welcome back, Tommy.
I’ll be in attendance Saturday for the Mets game with Glavine on the hill – now that one should be fun..
Another cold one, 50 at my apartment this afternoon and windy. This first opening week – night games – ridiculously cold. I was at the home opener last year and it was the coldest I’ve ever been at a baseball game
I went to the home opener last year also. It was really cold. Too bad I won’t make it to the game tonight. Stupid Info Tech class project.
I agree with mac, I think the Nats have a good line-up. Their pitching may suck, but they should score some runs.
Its not bad. No way should they be beating us though when Hudson pitches that well
I hope last night doesn’t portend another year of being dominated by lefty starters, ex-Braves starters, and terrible starters who get pummeled by the rest of the league.
I’m not sure why Bobby trotted out Moylan for a second inning on opening day. I would have liked to see Acosta or Resop there. Also why pinch run Blanco for Tex resulting in Prado playing first base in the bottom of the ninth? Bobby does some weird stuff sometimes….
I dunno. Moylan was dealing, and it’s not like he threw a ton of pitches in his first 2/3 of an inning. I didn’t have a problem with the move.
It’s just one game, right?
Well, no.
It’s the same damn game they lost thirty times last year and it falls into the category of the “Bobby Cox Marathon” approach.
We’re in a dogfight this year, and it won’t surprise me at all if this game doesn’t materially affect the standings at the end.
A little intensity, please?
Btw, I wouldn’t boo Bill or Hillary or Hussein if/when they throw out the first pitch.
I make no promises about James Earl Carter, however …
Alex,
You always express shock that someone finds your comments offensive. You were the one that presumed to speak for “all dads” about how you wanted to raise your son. I was simply pointing out that attacking someone for a personal characteristic because he picked against your favorite team while at the same time talking about how kids should be raised to be respectful to their elders, etc. is, to say the least, inconsistent.
Re using Moylan for a second inning–isn’t there some evidence that pitchers hold up better if they have fewer appearances but more innings per appearance? In other words, using one guy for two innings rather than two guys for one inning each. I think remember reading somewhere that the Padres have been successful with this approach.
Teix is pretty slow so having a pr for him isn’t such a bad thing, but I hope it happens only a handful of times over the course of the season.
So, Alex, what you are basically saying is you have to be civil to the president and other “great men” but, with respect to lesser people that irritate you in the most meaningless ways, you can be as offensive and disrespectul as you want, including making fun of their physical appearance. Nice.
Marc, I was just trying to make a nice statement, there was no criticism of anyone. Could you kindly back off already?
I already stated the difference between not booing at the Major League Baseball opening game at the President of the United States (fold your arms, it’s at least a silent protest?) vs. making a JOKE about a Baseball Tonight announcer. It’s APPLES & ORANGES.
Honestly, at this point, are you trying to provoke something I am simply not interested in fighting about?
Gee, I am sorry…I would assume all dads would want to set good examples for their children. I know…crazy talk on my part. Not sure what your deal is with me today.
The Braves are already tearing us apart.
And it’s not even April.
I agree Brad.
Joe Morgan, John Miller, George Bush, and Mark Kotsay are a devisive combination! Good thing Dan Kolb wasn’t brought up!
I thought Moylan was on top of it. He made a bad pitch to a hitter who kills mistakes. Sucks but thats baseball. Leaving him in was the right call I think.
Let us not forget that this is baseball time, savvy?… That may not be the only Jack Sparrow reference I make tonight while the Pirates play.
And yes my pessimism grows exponentially every day that we’re not engaged in a winning streak.
I think it was the “all dads” comment that sat most unwell with me. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you Alex R., so how can you presume what “all dads” should be doing? Rest assured I would never presume to make such a statement.
Well, Askia, if I have offended you, that was not my intent at all. My apologies then.
I love the “I’m sorry if I offended you” apology. This is not directed at you Alex, by the way. Just in general I think its a funny way of not saying you’re sorry.
Its like saying “I still don’t agree with you that I did anything wrong, but if it’ll shut you up, I’ll tell you I’m sorry”
Call me crazy, but I think that was directed at me. And when I do apologize, I am sincere about it – for the record.
I have sincerely said several times today I was not trying to offend anyone, whatsoever…I do love how it always works out that I generally am the one person that does.
But the apology was sincere.
Alex, I’m not trying to provoke anything. My original issue was that we needed to avoid talking about the booing of Bush on this blog because many people do not see it the way you do. You brought up the issue of parenting and teaching kids respect, which we all want to do but we disagree about what that means.
Shouldn’t have to apologize to anyone. This is a message board about a baseball team. People need to get over stuff.
Hey look! Chippers on pace to hit 162 home runs!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3006
Look, I made the mistake during the early years of getting “drawn into” protracted ‘battles’ with other bloggers (in particular Stu, who’s now one of my favorite bloggers at Bravesjournal) on here and that was a mistake on my part.
While I am sincere in my beliefs and feelings (and at heart, we’re all Braves fans here, right?) I have tried (maybe not always successfully) to learn from past mistakes and if I say or do something that really upsets someone else, well, life’s too short to have a big to do about it, just keep the peace and move on.
I am passionate in my views. If I was a wallflower, these kind of ‘mini’ blow ups might happen less.
Look, I made the mistake during the early years of getting “drawn into” protracted ‘battles’ with other bloggers (in particular Stu, who’s now one of my favorite bloggers at Bravesjournal) on here and that was a mistake on my part.
It was a mistake on our part. But I’m not really a blogger. More of an annoying commenter.
But you’re one of the best annoying commenters in the blogosphere, Stu, and don’t let anyone tell you different. I keep coming back to Bravesjournal because there are so many great people here.
Amen to AAR’s comment.
Stu – even when we disagree, your comments are entertaining. I generally scan past the more boring stuff to get to your stuff.
Don’t change a thing!
I seriously wasn’t directing that at you, Alex. I’d have said my piece regardless of which poster made an “if I offended, I’m sorry” apology.
You just happened to be the person who made one and reminded me that I find the thought of them amusing.
Don’t change a thing!
That strikes me as horrible advice, but I surely am glad that we’re no longer bickering, Alex. I can’t think of many things which are more pathetic than online pot-shots; I’m trying to get better about neglecting to fire them and avoiding the ones thossed my way!
Well, it probably is horrible advice, but at the very least, take solace that you offer all the commenters named Alex on here, some great entertainment.
Ok, so back to the Braves now, if I could ask to see ONE thing tonight, win or lose, is I’d like to see a better game from Kelly and Escobar.
As we’ve remarked earlier, the top of the order is huge for the Braves this year. If KJ and Escobar aren’t good, this team won’t score any runs, period.
Over/under on pitches Francoeur sees? I say 5 all night.
Over.