From John Heyman: “If Braves manager Bobby Cox weren’t a legend, he’d be on the hot seat by now. It’s not just bad luck and a worse ‘pen when a team loses 27 straight one-run games on the road.”
I posted some neat Brian McCann facts over at Chop-n-Change. Ain’t much else fun going on, so you might as well check it out.
Tony
on August 22, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I agree. Enough is enough. Who is running this team anyway? This is really embarassing. Well it’s beyond embarassing now.
Hanan
on August 22, 2008 at 3:58 pm
It’s one thing to be devoid of talent in certain areas, and another to have a ton of injuries.
However, this team has looked horrible for the better part 2 weeks now, and they are clearly mailing it in and lack focus.
I think Cox has benefitted from a combination of:
a) good, contending teams
b) up and coming teams, with hungry youthful players
c) teams with veteren leaderships that ran the clubhouse
This team, as of now, does not fit any of these criteria. As a result, he is faced with a hodge podge team of veterens and fringe players out of contention lolly gagging around in the dog days. I can imagine it is tough to motivate them, but some of these guys have to know they are being held accountable and under scrutiny for 2009 considerations. I’m not sure that message has been received, becuase it sure seems like there is some lackluster stuff going on out there.
I suppose 8-4 looks realistic, but I notice no mention of a particular streak or that other school on The Plains.
And yes, last season, Bama did lead Georgia late—for exactly one play.
Good game, though. I recently watched a 10-minute condensed version on youtube & was reminded that Stafford really must conquer his one-bad-INT-per-game habit this year. Same thing happened vs. Auburn & Florida.
Even going back to the days of Bryant, Butts & Dooley, we’ve never played Bama with regularity, but the two schools have played some amazing games over the years—memorable for one side, heartbreaking for the other.
For every 2007, there’s a 1994; for every 2002, there’s a 1985.
I’ve been to 2 UGA/Bama games—’94 in Tuscaloosa & ’84 in Birmingham—and I gotta say that, unlike most SEC games, there’s some genuine respect between the supporters. Maybe I just got lucky to have such positive experiences, but it felt way different from other SEC clashes, that’s for sure.
FWIW, I wasn’t making game-by-game predictions, but I figure they’ll lose to Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Auburn, and beat Tennessee (mightily overrated, and we creamed them last year) and Arkansas (completely new coaching style), plus all their home games (except Auburn). I don’t see how that’s wishful at all. Remember, they were in every game last year, even against teams like Georgia and LSU who theoretically should have blown them out.
td
on August 22, 2008 at 4:44 pm
I made a few comments on the Bama writeup in the SEC preview blog. I’m in basic agreement, but I think we’ll be a lot different than last year offensively. If we don’t have frosh LB’s that make a major impact by the end of the year, 7-5 or worse is a little more likely.
I don’t know the point spread, but I’d guess that Clemson is favored in the Dome game.
Stu,
The Auburn/UGA thing is weird.
There’s distaste, yes; but the schools are like cousins in a way (fill in the joke). Joel Eaves & Vince Dooley went to Auburn, Pat Dye went to UGA and so on.
It depends on whom you ask, but it’s not the full-on hate as with Bama & Auburn. Nothing can get close to that.
The Alabama lines are always distorted by Alabama fans, of course. My grandfather, the pharmacist/bookie, taught me never to bet on Alabama. (Actually, I don’t bet at all.)
Robert
on August 22, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Since we now live in a post-LaMonroe world, I’m taking a year off from making my annual snark about Alabama’s schedule. Enjoy!
Clemson is overrated. They look good because they play in the creampuff ACC. I’d call that one a toss-up for ‘Bama.
barrycuda
on August 22, 2008 at 6:58 pm
greetings from the tropical depression……..and the weather suits my mood about this baseball team. funny thing is, the local fans are looking at the upcomming football season the same way people on here were talking before the Braves season. if, if, if…… its tough to take when you were so good for so long but i guess nobody stays on top forever, ‘Bama fans wrote the book on that.
If there’s one thing worse than discussing SEC football, it’s gotta be…discussing ACC football. 😉
But that’s what we’re reduced to, because there’s really nothing worse than playing meaningless late-season baseball. It’s August 22 & we’re “dead as Dillinger.”
Speaking of such things, here’s a tribute to the late Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners, who passed this week. If you like Irish music, this guy was an amazing singer. (youtube The Dubliners & you’ll find some treasures.)
Oh, I think Alabama fans are pretty realistic. We realize we’re closer to the beginning of a rebuilding cycle than to its end. Look at TD’s comment on the site — the success of this season by-and-large depends upon how many freshmen are capable of playing right away, because except on the offensive line all the most talented players on the team are Saban recruits, freshmen and a handful of sophomores. Would Braves fans (thinking Braves fans, anyway) be confident in the 2009 club if its success depended upon Schafer and Heyward and Freeman and Hanson all coming through immediately?
Mike N.
on August 22, 2008 at 7:18 pm
No Frenchy? Why thats just absurd!
barrycuda
on August 22, 2008 at 7:31 pm
nicely put, Mac…………looks like our football teams and the Braves are in the same boat.
Hudson got hurt, Teixeira got traded, and the team quit?
Wick
on August 22, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing the Braves are fundamentally sound at is hitting into double plays.
August 30th can’t get here quick enough…Go Dawgs!
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Looks like my 90 loss prediction will be low. As I said a month ago, this team needs a stick of dynamite.
MGL
on August 22, 2008 at 8:32 pm
You guys might have missed this … Looks like we are now all set for next year!!
Braves signed righty Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with a major league option for next season. He’s one year removed from Tommy John surgery, gonna send him to Gulf Coast League to pitch in a week or so and see how he does rest of season before deciding whether to pick up the option for next year.
He won 15 games for Baltimore a few years ago, but also lost 18 in one season. He’s 32.
barrycuda
on August 22, 2008 at 8:36 pm
well, when you cant hit, pitch or catch, you’re at a serious disadvantage………..it hurts to say it, but even Chipper looks like hes just trying to protect his BA. the power has disappeared from his game. i’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 8:36 pm
While probably not a big financial risk, another indication that this F.O. is as they say, without clue.
This is hardly the team the Braves had two months ago, or even one month. No Hudson, no Teixeira, and Escobar hasn’t gotten healthy and isn’t. Also, stop repeating yourself.
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 9:14 pm
OK.
I don’t think I’m going to continue to post anymore, because frankly I get enough delusion from my interaction with Alabama fans.
Adam
on August 22, 2008 at 9:16 pm
We’re all delusional, and yet you stick around. OK…
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 9:20 pm
My honest belief is that most of this fanbase is delusional including the front office “one player away” climate that is pervasive.
This franchise needs wholesale changes in playing staff, and draft focus i.e. stop limiting your talent pool to the greater Atlanta area.
Ben
on August 22, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Holy shit, Pujols is only about 7 points behind Chipper for the batting title right now. As if things can’t get any worse, the only bright spot left for this shitty team is for Chipper to win the batting title…and Pujols is probably going to pass him in the next week or so.
Brick Tamland
on August 22, 2008 at 9:40 pm
The whole Cardinals team might pass Chipper this weekend, the way they’re hitting.
Every time you think they’ve hit bottom, they dig a hole.
Frank
on August 22, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Braves signed righty Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with a major league option for next season.
Great … more pitching depth.
This is getting so bad, a one run loss might be an achievement. And yet another appearance for Boyer and Bennett. I’m starting to hope Cox feels the tug of retirement.
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 9:56 pm
It’s time for Bobby to go fishin’ although despite his warts, Casey Stengel or Connie Mack couldn’t have won with this roster.
Wow… talk about a team psychologically beaten… leave whoever is in, in for the rest of the game… don’t tire anybody else out on the lost cause game.
Brick Tamland
on August 22, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I’ve long since turned to preseason football over this slop. It’s one thing to make a trade to give up on the season. But it’s quite another for the players to give up, since they should be playing for — oh, their jobs, perhaps?
If this is the best they can do, many of these players don’t belong in the major leagues. If it’s not, they don’t want to be in the major leagues and should be replaced by players who do.
Either way, this is why I’ve come to advocate blowing it up and starting anew. These games are a test, and the collective result is full of fail.
Chief Nocahoma
on August 22, 2008 at 10:20 pm
The reason I advocated blowing up this roster MUCH earlier than most was because I realized that the roster was so poor that your most valuable assets, Chipper and at the time Hudson, and Teixeira to a much lesser extent because he’s younger, should have been moved because the roster is so poor, that by the time we’re a legitimate contender again, they will be hanging them up.
I would have asked Chipper if he would agree to be moved. I would have moved Hudson and I would have moved Kelly Johnson and Ohman, too.
Brick Tamland
on August 22, 2008 at 10:21 pm
I’ve come around, 56. Wish I’d seen the light much earlier.
Hey, a run! (And then one batter later, another!) I’ve been saving that bottle of Dom Perignon for a moment like this.
ya know, chief, ken rosenthal did predict this year’s braves to be world series champions. however, the team that we are putting on the field right now might be the worst team in baseball.
Use code “Journal” for a 5% discount.
From John Heyman: “If Braves manager Bobby Cox weren’t a legend, he’d be on the hot seat by now. It’s not just bad luck and a worse ‘pen when a team loses 27 straight one-run games on the road.”
coop, exactly
I posted some neat Brian McCann facts over at Chop-n-Change. Ain’t much else fun going on, so you might as well check it out.
I agree. Enough is enough. Who is running this team anyway? This is really embarassing. Well it’s beyond embarassing now.
It’s one thing to be devoid of talent in certain areas, and another to have a ton of injuries.
However, this team has looked horrible for the better part 2 weeks now, and they are clearly mailing it in and lack focus.
I think Cox has benefitted from a combination of:
a) good, contending teams
b) up and coming teams, with hungry youthful players
c) teams with veteren leaderships that ran the clubhouse
This team, as of now, does not fit any of these criteria. As a result, he is faced with a hodge podge team of veterens and fringe players out of contention lolly gagging around in the dog days. I can imagine it is tough to motivate them, but some of these guys have to know they are being held accountable and under scrutiny for 2009 considerations. I’m not sure that message has been received, becuase it sure seems like there is some lackluster stuff going on out there.
Nice writeup, Mac.
I suppose 8-4 looks realistic, but I notice no mention of a particular streak or that other school on The Plains.
And yes, last season, Bama did lead Georgia late—for exactly one play.
Good game, though. I recently watched a 10-minute condensed version on youtube & was reminded that Stafford really must conquer his one-bad-INT-per-game habit this year. Same thing happened vs. Auburn & Florida.
Even going back to the days of Bryant, Butts & Dooley, we’ve never played Bama with regularity, but the two schools have played some amazing games over the years—memorable for one side, heartbreaking for the other.
For every 2007, there’s a 1994; for every 2002, there’s a 1985.
I’ve been to 2 UGA/Bama games—’94 in Tuscaloosa & ’84 in Birmingham—and I gotta say that, unlike most SEC games, there’s some genuine respect between the supporters. Maybe I just got lucky to have such positive experiences, but it felt way different from other SEC clashes, that’s for sure.
A mutual distaste for Auburn probably helps.
And Tennessee — don’t forget Tennessee.
Well Cuba beat the US baseball team again…not surprising.
As far as ALA…Clemson better beat those guys handily.
8-4 for ALA is very wishful.
FWIW, I wasn’t making game-by-game predictions, but I figure they’ll lose to Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Auburn, and beat Tennessee (mightily overrated, and we creamed them last year) and Arkansas (completely new coaching style), plus all their home games (except Auburn). I don’t see how that’s wishful at all. Remember, they were in every game last year, even against teams like Georgia and LSU who theoretically should have blown them out.
I made a few comments on the Bama writeup in the SEC preview blog. I’m in basic agreement, but I think we’ll be a lot different than last year offensively. If we don’t have frosh LB’s that make a major impact by the end of the year, 7-5 or worse is a little more likely.
I don’t know the point spread, but I’d guess that Clemson is favored in the Dome game.
Stu,
The Auburn/UGA thing is weird.
There’s distaste, yes; but the schools are like cousins in a way (fill in the joke). Joel Eaves & Vince Dooley went to Auburn, Pat Dye went to UGA and so on.
It depends on whom you ask, but it’s not the full-on hate as with Bama & Auburn. Nothing can get close to that.
But, no, we’re not crazy about the color orange.
Looked it up.
Clemson -5.
Not crazy.
What would you guess the line is on the Miami/VU game, ububba?
If it’s Miami of Ohio, I say Vandy -3.5.
If it’s Miami of Florida, I say the U -8.5.
It’s the Cradle of Coaches, and it’s MU by 3.
OK, looked it up & I’m exactly wrong: It’s Miami -3.5.
Can we sign Willie Harris? Let him hit cleanup?
Yeah, Willie Harris has more HRs than KJ & is tied with Frenchy, actually.
I love that the early money is taking Miami. It opened at MU -1.5, I believe.
clemson opened at -7.5 and its now down to -5
The Alabama lines are always distorted by Alabama fans, of course. My grandfather, the pharmacist/bookie, taught me never to bet on Alabama. (Actually, I don’t bet at all.)
Since we now live in a post-LaMonroe world, I’m taking a year off from making my annual snark about Alabama’s schedule. Enjoy!
I’ll assume that goes for Michigan, too.
All this talk about the SEC, everyone forgets about the REAL Georgia powerhouse. GO JACKETS!
Maybe the powerhouse of I-85’s North Avenue exit…
Clemson is overrated. They look good because they play in the creampuff ACC. I’d call that one a toss-up for ‘Bama.
greetings from the tropical depression……..and the weather suits my mood about this baseball team. funny thing is, the local fans are looking at the upcomming football season the same way people on here were talking before the Braves season. if, if, if…… its tough to take when you were so good for so long but i guess nobody stays on top forever, ‘Bama fans wrote the book on that.
If there’s one thing worse than discussing SEC football, it’s gotta be…discussing ACC football. 😉
But that’s what we’re reduced to, because there’s really nothing worse than playing meaningless late-season baseball. It’s August 22 & we’re “dead as Dillinger.”
Speaking of such things, here’s a tribute to the late Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners, who passed this week. If you like Irish music, this guy was an amazing singer. (youtube The Dubliners & you’ll find some treasures.)
His NY Times obit (below) is terrific.
http://tinyurl.com/62bk7w
And his performance with The Pogues (here) is memorable.
http://tinyurl.com/ysrtpv
Guinness pint raised.
Oh, I think Alabama fans are pretty realistic. We realize we’re closer to the beginning of a rebuilding cycle than to its end. Look at TD’s comment on the site — the success of this season by-and-large depends upon how many freshmen are capable of playing right away, because except on the offensive line all the most talented players on the team are Saban recruits, freshmen and a handful of sophomores. Would Braves fans (thinking Braves fans, anyway) be confident in the 2009 club if its success depended upon Schafer and Heyward and Freeman and Hanson all coming through immediately?
No Frenchy? Why thats just absurd!
nicely put, Mac…………looks like our football teams and the Braves are in the same boat.
Of course, it’s a lot quicker — not easier, but quicker — to rebuild a college football team than a professional baseball team.
What a horrible, horrible team.
wow… what the heck happened?
Hudson got hurt, Teixeira got traded, and the team quit?
I’ve come to the conclusion that the only thing the Braves are fundamentally sound at is hitting into double plays.
August 30th can’t get here quick enough…Go Dawgs!
Looks like my 90 loss prediction will be low. As I said a month ago, this team needs a stick of dynamite.
You guys might have missed this … Looks like we are now all set for next year!!
Braves signed righty Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with a major league option for next season. He’s one year removed from Tommy John surgery, gonna send him to Gulf Coast League to pitch in a week or so and see how he does rest of season before deciding whether to pick up the option for next year.
He won 15 games for Baltimore a few years ago, but also lost 18 in one season. He’s 32.
well, when you cant hit, pitch or catch, you’re at a serious disadvantage………..it hurts to say it, but even Chipper looks like hes just trying to protect his BA. the power has disappeared from his game. i’ll be happy to be proven wrong.
While probably not a big financial risk, another indication that this F.O. is as they say, without clue.
I do believe that Matt DeSalvo is the worst pitcher we’ve had this year, which is quite an achievement.
“1 or two players away”, Braves Journal posters, circa most of the 2008 season.
This is hardly the team the Braves had two months ago, or even one month. No Hudson, no Teixeira, and Escobar hasn’t gotten healthy and isn’t. Also, stop repeating yourself.
OK.
I don’t think I’m going to continue to post anymore, because frankly I get enough delusion from my interaction with Alabama fans.
We’re all delusional, and yet you stick around. OK…
My honest belief is that most of this fanbase is delusional including the front office “one player away” climate that is pervasive.
This franchise needs wholesale changes in playing staff, and draft focus i.e. stop limiting your talent pool to the greater Atlanta area.
Holy shit, Pujols is only about 7 points behind Chipper for the batting title right now. As if things can’t get any worse, the only bright spot left for this shitty team is for Chipper to win the batting title…and Pujols is probably going to pass him in the next week or so.
The whole Cardinals team might pass Chipper this weekend, the way they’re hitting.
Every time you think they’ve hit bottom, they dig a hole.
Braves signed righty Rodrigo Lopez to a minor league deal with a major league option for next season.
Great … more pitching depth.
This is getting so bad, a one run loss might be an achievement. And yet another appearance for Boyer and Bennett. I’m starting to hope Cox feels the tug of retirement.
It’s time for Bobby to go fishin’ although despite his warts, Casey Stengel or Connie Mack couldn’t have won with this roster.
i’m just watching this team for humor value now
Wow… talk about a team psychologically beaten… leave whoever is in, in for the rest of the game… don’t tire anybody else out on the lost cause game.
I’ve long since turned to preseason football over this slop. It’s one thing to make a trade to give up on the season. But it’s quite another for the players to give up, since they should be playing for — oh, their jobs, perhaps?
If this is the best they can do, many of these players don’t belong in the major leagues. If it’s not, they don’t want to be in the major leagues and should be replaced by players who do.
Either way, this is why I’ve come to advocate blowing it up and starting anew. These games are a test, and the collective result is full of fail.
The reason I advocated blowing up this roster MUCH earlier than most was because I realized that the roster was so poor that your most valuable assets, Chipper and at the time Hudson, and Teixeira to a much lesser extent because he’s younger, should have been moved because the roster is so poor, that by the time we’re a legitimate contender again, they will be hanging them up.
I would have asked Chipper if he would agree to be moved. I would have moved Hudson and I would have moved Kelly Johnson and Ohman, too.
I’ve come around, 56. Wish I’d seen the light much earlier.
Hey, a run! (And then one batter later, another!) I’ve been saving that bottle of Dom Perignon for a moment like this.
Recap is up. HATE.
http://tinyurl.com/5gy996
schafer really coming on hard.
ya know, chief, ken rosenthal did predict this year’s braves to be world series champions. however, the team that we are putting on the field right now might be the worst team in baseball.