Terry Blocker Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com
Seasons with Braves: 1988-1989
Notable Stats: .214/.250/.279
Notable Achievements: 0.00 ERA, but two walks, in one inning as a pitcher.
Versus
Ryan Langerhans Statistics and History – Baseball-Reference.com
Seasons with Braves: 2002-2007
Notable Stats: More strikeouts than hits; .379 SLG
Notable Achievements: Most similar hitter is Tony Tarasco.
I thought at one time that Tony Tarasco was going to be good. The again I thought that Ryan Langerhans had a chance to be good.
Re: Coach from the last thread
Hard to take anyone seriously who lists Hudson, Jurrjens and Hanson as ACE material while relegating Vazquez to the second tier of servicable starters. Javy only had the best year of any Pitcher in the majors according to xFIP. I like those first three as much as anyone but Vazquez right now has to be #1.
From the last thread:
I’m just really concerned that Prado went from a 20-18 BB/K ratio in the first half to a 16-41 ratio in the second half. He took a pretty solid drop off in the second half, and that concerns me. Did the league figure him out, and he’s Charles Thomas, or is he the player he was in the first half, or is he a combination within those?
He’s probably just not nearly as good of a hitter as he has been for these first ~850 PA’s. In the 1st half–much like his career to this point, he had more of a platoon advantage than RHH usually get and he was underexposed to advance scouts. I anticipate pretty crappy offensive numbers from him in 2010.
I’m going to surprise some voters here, and vote for Blocker. He was beyond terrible on two terrible teams.
Langerhans was a very bad hitter, but a very good fielder too. I think he was there for his glove, not for his bat. Does anyone remember when he once started for Andruw in CF in 2006 I think and made two great catches, including an over the fence catch to bring a home run back. I don’t know if it was good enough to offset his batting stats, but it’s at least good enough for me to vote for Blocker.
2, yes I base my opinion on one season while completely ignoring the entire previous decade of underachievement.
Vazquez has always had outstanding stuff but came into the 2009 season with a career record of 127-129 and 4.32 ERA.
Basically, Vazquez’s reputation has been, million dollar arm and a ten cent head. But he had a great season this year at the age of 32. I will regulate Javy to “ACE” status if he can repeat the same performance next year.
Prado has no platoon split. his numbers are fairly similar from both sides of the plate. i know we’ve been in this argument before, but what kind of advantage do you think he had in a platoon role that is evident in his stats? is there proof that a part-time player can put up better numbers than a full-time player?
aside from that weird month where he was experiencing dizziness, prado, throughout his minor and major league careers, has been the definition of consistent. now that he’s added some muscle and pop, he only needs to become an average fielder to become a full player. a .780-.800 ops is very reasonable to expect of prado. his obp has stayed the same and his power numbers are rising. to expect his numbers to fall dramatically is…well, a guess at best.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/split.cgi?n1=pradoma01&year=Career&t=b
I’ll grant you that Hanson may be better in the long run (though it’s still pretty early) and Hudson from 5 years ago was better, but in terms of stuff, Javy is the best right now and he put it all together last year. He also had a stellar year in 2007 and four great years in a row from 2000-2003 so it’s hardly one year’s worth of info. Most of his struggles were in the AL and hopefully the head-case thing won’t turn up again (though he did show flashes of it this year). But remember according to xFIP he was the best in the MAJORS. So it’s not like he just had a nice year.
I think Wren has to figure a way to keep Prado’s mother in Atlanta all summer. Then he’ll be OK.
Prado has no platoon split. his numbers are fairly similar from both sides of the plate.
No apparent platoon split. His BABIP has been significantly higher vs. RHP, though. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not he’s capable of sustaining it.
Dusty, you are right. Vazquez had an outstanding season and if you want to call it an “ACE performance for 2009, that’s fine by me. But I’ll have to see it again next year.
Vazquez reeled off 22 quality starts this year with five shut out performances, and deserved more than the 15 wins he garnered. Javy has always had a reputation for giving up the gopher ball but he coughed up just 20 HR’s in 2009, which is a career low and his 238 K’s were a career high. Ditto for the 2.87 ERA, another career best.
I imagine Vazquez is working his tail off this offseason to try and earn that “ACE” label from Coach.
But Vazquez wasn’t the braves best pitcher this year and it’s not even close.
Jair Jurrjens was a damn pitching machine, dude was in rocking chair on the mound all year long. JJ was Maddux like in the way he could get hitters to pound the ball into the ground. He understands the concept of pitching to contact and making the batter hit his pitch.
The Curacao kid had 25 quality starts, 29 where he gave three earned runs or less, and half a dozen starts where Jair didn’t give up a run. Jurrjens pitched well enough to win twenty games but like Vazquez, just could not get any run support during the first half of the season.
So ya’ll must understand, I’m cautiously optimistic about next year. If Frank Wren can back the Braves pitching up with some defense and offense, this team should be a lock to win at least 90 games in 2010 barring a rash of injuries.
But Vazquez wasn’t the braves best pitcher this year and it’s not even close.
It is very hard to take you seriously because of statements like this. And for several other reasons, but primarily because of statements like this. Not even remotely accurate.
Mac,
Please pick Auburn this week.
Thanks. That is all I’ve got to add.
SEC Picks for Boring Week, home teams in CAPS:
Ole Miss 28, AUBURN 22 (Sorry)
FLORIDA 19, Georgia 12
ARKANSAS 30, EMU 13
KENTUCKY 34, MSU 26
Georgia Tech 35, VANDY 10
LSU 50, Tulane 3
South Carolina 17, TENNESSEE 0
Dagnabit.
No apparent platoon split. His BABIP has been significantly higher vs. RHP, though. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not he’s capable of sustaining it.
Seems like he has over the last three years – I grant you in a limited number of AB’s but still. If he ever cut down on the K’s from the right side and could sustain that BABIP, he’d be a heck of a hitter. I think he’s shown enough that we can set our expectations a bit higher than “crappy” at any rate.
He understands the concept of pitching to contact and making the batter hit his pitch.
and where pray tell, did you gain this bit of insight from?
Seems like he has over the last three years
That’s extremely misleading. He’s got just under a full season of PA’s against RHP. I’m willing to bet that his stabilized BABIP over an infinite number of PA’s vs RHP ain’t .361.
Fact is his ISO drops from .187 against LHP to .114 against RHP and his K/BB ratio increases from 0.89 to 2.48. SSS is a definite issue here, I have no idea if any of these peripherals are true representations of his fundamental skills. But my guess is that he’s going to disappoint anyone who is expecting big things from him in 2010.
SEC Question:
Does Georgia have even a puncher’s chance against Florida?
That’s extremely misleading. He’s got just under a full season of PA’s against RHP. I’m willing to bet that his stabilized BABIP over an infinite number of PA’s vs RHP ain’t .361.
I did caveat that it was a small sample size, but by the same token, having the same result, even in a limited sample, over such a long period can’t be dismissed out of hand. I don’t wapect big things – I did say we can expect better than “crappy” and I am not sure what your basis is for predicting it. Like Diaz, Prado doesn’t “feel” like an MLB hitter, but at some point, you have to concede that he has demonstrated the skill enough to warrant some confidence.
Agreed. I have enough confidence that, by now, we know what Diaz & Prado are. Glad we have ’em.
#21
A puncher’s chance? I guess.
This is the weirdest UGA team I’ve seen in 30 years and the only thing I can say with any certainty is: Nothing they do would surprise me.
This Florida team is not as good as last year’s. They don’t have as many offensive weapons, so it’s pretty much all-Tebow all the time. (Not so scary without Harvin & Murphy, but enough so far.)
The story, though, is their nasty defense, especially with Spikes apparently returning. We’re going to have all kinds of trouble scoring on them and I can’t see too much success running the ball.
Potential good signs? Florida has turned the ball over a good amount this year (but so have we). We have AJ Green, who could make a big play at any moment. We also have the nation’s best punter (we’re gonna need him) and a great kick returner in Brandon Boykin (but so do they, with Brandon James).
Basically, we’re a 15-point underdog for a reason. If Joe Cox is ever going to have another huge game, now’s the time.
Glad we have ‘em.
Me, too. They also seem to be two of the best dudes on the team.
but at some point, you have to concede that he has demonstrated the skill enough to warrant some confidence.
Yes, agreed. For me, that point is 4 full years worth of PA’s. That’s ideally what I like to have when I’m judging a player.
If Carolina puts 17 on the Vols, what does that say about Bama’s O?
Says it was a different game.
Despite the misery brought on by my own team, I am nevertheless able to enjoy this era of Vawl moral victories.
For me, that point is 4 full years worth of PA’s
I agree, more data is better than less, but gosh, if you wait that long to decide if someone is good, won’t you miss out on their maximum value years? The average age of an MLB rookie is 24. It takes six years or so to amass that many PA’s for most. Don’t you have to decide at some point that the potential is there and just let someone start before they turn 30? Perhaps I misunderstood you.
29,
Just for my purposes. I don’t have the advantages professional baseball teams have when it comes to valuing players (excellent scouting reports, etc..).
Well Stu they did bring in Orgeron, king of the moral victory.
14 — It is very hard to take you seriously because of statements like this.
It doesn’t seem like Coach cares if anyone takes him seriously. It’s like he’s this blog’s commenting version of a certain political commentator I won’t name.
braves14’s pre-Saturday SEC power rankings:
1. Florida
2. Bama
3. LSU
4. South Carolina
5. Ole Miss
6. Tennessee
7. Georgia
8. Kentucky
9. Arkansas
10. Auburn
11. Mississippi State
12. Vanderbilt
Really, the SEC “power” rankings should only go to two. Everybody after that is perfectly capable of beating or getting beaten by everyone else on the list.
lay off the Dew
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/More-on-Caron-Butler-s-extreme-Mountain-Dew-addi?urn=nba,198240
@34
My version would be a top 2, a bottom 2, and a middle 8.
1. Bama
2. Florida
3. Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee
11. MSU
12. Vandy
It’s really not fair to State to have them more like us than the Tennessees, Kentuckys, and Ole Misses of the league.
Sure it is. When they win a game against the other ten then it can be reevaluated. Their best chance is probably this weekend against a banged up Kentucky team.
14, if you think your Baseball IQ can match up to mine, go for it. Explain to me in explicite detail what other Braves starter enjoyed a better season this year than JJ did.
Jurrjens 2009 season in review:
Jurrjens compiled the league’s third best ERA at 2.70, which is ahead of Vazquez’s 2.91. He’s also got a solid 1.21 WHIP. He’s becoming a workhorse-pitching over 200 innings this year, at the age of 23. JJ only has 6.4 K/9 this year, but since when are superb strikeout numbers the only determinant of a pitchers value? Greg Maddux had a 6.1 K/9 ratio, while Tom ‘Terrific’ Glavine had one of 5.3.
His WHIP dropped from 1.37 to 1.21; he’s allowing less hits this year 7.9 H/9 compared to 9.0 H/9 last season. He’s also continuing to limit the long-ball, with a stellar 0.6 HR/9 mark, which is right on par with his 0.5 HR/9 last year.
Also, when you’ve got three pitches-a fastball, slider, and change-up that have all slightly improved from last season, I’d say the future is looking bright for our young ace. For a glimpse (based on Fangraphs’ pitch metrics, measured in runs prevented per 100 pitches):
* Fastball: 0.15 to 0.59
* Slider: 0.40 to 0.54
* Change-up: 0.57 to 0.62
Jurrjens pitches to contact, but when you exhibit decent control (3.2 BB/9), have three solid pitches, and have no problems displaying your full repertoire (62% fastball/15% slider/23% change-up), hitters have a tough time sitting on one pitch in an at-bat. Although he doesn’t throw particularly hard (low 90s at best), the fact that he doesn’t necessarily favor any one pitch bodes well for him.
Let’s put his season in perspective: with the hundreds of pitchers who have thrown this year, Jurrjens has the 14th highest VORP (as of 9/23). According to Baseball Prospectus, Jurrjens has a VORP of 53.5. For those wondering, Zach Greinke has a VORP in the 80s and everyone ahead of Jurrjens has one in the 50s or 60s.
JJ keeps getting better as the numbers clearly show. The statistics don’t lie; Jurrjens has been stellar and he was clearly the Braves best ACE pitcher for 2009.
Javier Vazquez, dude. It wasn’t particularly close.
Jurrjens’ peripherals really weren’t much different than in 2008.
You guys know the bit about wrestling with a pig, right?
@39 Good grief would you stop with this “pitching to contact” myth, or support it in some fashion? JJ is a fine pitcher, and will be without pulling stuff out of thin air like that. Really, you have things to say that I am interested in, but you always oversell it by adding some silly unsubstantiated assertion.
Hey guys can you match my baseball IQ!!!
What a dumba$$ LOL!!!!!
Weak spike, reaaalllllyyyy weak.
Ric Flair is F-N gay. Total faggot wrestler. The blonde boy bimbo himself, bending over and taking it up the back side for fake wrestling all his life.
I can match anyone’s baseball IQ because I know how to win.
@45 So you’ve got nothing. No surprise there.
guys, give it a rest….these lame personal attacks are getting old
Not to mention lame. Next personal attack will be deleted.
hey guys, i’m new here..trying to find something to fix my baseball craving with all the off days on the playoffs. Anyway, this debate interested me and i think that vazquez was quite obviously better than jurrjens.
lower WHIP 1.03 v 1.21
lower H/9 7.4 v 7.8
lower BB/9 1.8 v 3.1
higher K/BB 5.4 v 2.0
he had a lower BAA despite a higher BABIP and he gave up fewer extra base hits
@23, I believe that the best punt returner in the league would be the one that is pursuing the SEC and NCAA records for punt return yardage, Alabama’s Javier Arenas. No question.
Boykin and James are good returners, but they don’t have Arenas’ power. A lot of returners have speed and elusiveness, but Arenas also has vision and power that puts him on a level above those guys.
Georgia has a puncher’s chance behind A.J. Green who is simply awesome, but the Dawgs’ D won’t allow for it, I don’t think. Florida might not obliterate the Dawgs, but I don’t think it will be in much doubt in favor of the Gators.
Will posts impugning the baseball abilities of current and former MLB and MiLB players be considered personal attacks?
No.
Never said Boykin & James were the best, just great.
Right you are. haha My bad, ububba.
If anyone gets a chance, check out the MLB Network’s hourlong special on the ’84 Padres, which ran tonight & will probably run some more.
You get a terrific & extended account of the great brawl with the Braves at AFC Stadium—the one where they kept throwing at Pascual Perez.
Really, it was one of Bob Horner’s great moments.
Ric Flair is F-N gay. Total faggot wrestler. The blonde boy bimbo himself, bending over and taking it up the back side for fake wrestling all his life.
How, on earth, does this help you support your point? Even if it did (which it absolutely does not), it’s completely unnecessary. A prominent display of immaturity through homophobia and intolerance.
It’s at least good to know that the guy who constantly speaks in absolutes as if he’s some baseball genius (when people clearly more qualified to discuss the subject constantly disagree with him) proves his
foolishness in other areas.
@52 and 53
What a relief!
Ahem…Jeff Francoeur sucks.
blame Druw
Cubs looking at Bradley for Wells swap. If someone can trade Wells and his contract, surely Lowe can still be moved
57, My Rick Flair rant didn’t support a damn thing and that’s the point. I can roll around in the mud with the best of them or actually carry on an intelligent conversation if the need calls for it.
And when everybody disagrees with me (Vazquez or Jurrjens) that’s when I know I’m right. It has something to do with my triple digit baseball IQ. However, I also know most of the bloggers in here are better educated and more articulate than I am. I don’t speak in absolutes, it’s just common sense and 40 plus years of coaching in and around the game of baseball which guides me.
As for Vazquez, in ten years he will be remembered as a solid quality pitcher who never quit lived up to his talent.
As for Jurrjens, the whole Smoltz/Detriot/lopsided De Javu all over again trade, while being one of the top pitchers in the game for more than a decade will prove me right…..again.
No, I’m not a genius just baseball brilliant and this is what I said last off season over in the AJC blogs:
Trade Francoeur for Edwin Jackson 13-9 3.62 ERA. Who made the MLB minimum.
Go get Nelson Cruz 33 HR’s, 76 RBI .856 OPS. Or sign Juan Rivera 25 HR’s 88 RBI. Both good defenders with rifle arms.
How about LHP Randy Wolf 11-7 3.23 or second baseman Orlando Hudson 9 HR’s, 62 RBI, .283 BA, gold glove defense.
Ryan Dempster would have been a good addition. 11-9 3.64 ERA. compare his contract to that of Derek Lowe and get back to me FRANK F-N WREN!
Look, nobody is this lucky, not even me. I’m just baseball savvy and I know it.
My picks for THIS OFF SEASON and ya’ll better right this shit down.
Nelson Cruz…again.
Adam LaRoche, Duh.
Rafael Soriano, closer.
Mike Gonzalez, ditto.
Tim Hudson, did anybody else notice his improved mechanics?
Juan Uribe, infield insurance.
Mike Cameron, solid veteran, good. defender.
Luis Durango, I love this little dude!
Joaquin Benoit, minor league contract.
Ron Mahay, as another lefty killer.
Mitch Jones and or Randy Ruiz. Both to minor league contracts.
There ya go, right it down.
60, did you actually look at Vernon Wells contract? Dude has 98.5 million guaranteed through 2014 with a full no trade clause.
Derek Lowe’s 45 million through 2012 pales in comparison. But yes, pigs can fly and if any other team attempts to pick up Wells contract, they should be congratulated for sheer insanity.
O yea, Milton Bradley has 21 million coming through 2011.
Do I have to right it down? Do I have your permission to left all this wisdom down, instead?
#62 – yes I looked at his contract and thats exactly why I posted that comment. It insane that someone would look at him as a possible trade candidate.
Coach, your arrogance is beyond ridiculous. Go away
And when everybody disagrees with me (Vazquez or Jurrjens) that’s when I know I’m right. It has something to do with my triple digit baseball IQ.
Coach, it’s over. 1/10.
Add Adrian Beltre to my list, the dude probably has more upside than most people realize. I would scoop his butt up in a heart beat. And one more thing, I inaccurately predicted that the 2009 Braves would win 85 games. I was wrong, they won 86.
Sorry about the one game error, I’ll try to be more accurate next time.
61 is my favorite thing, ever.
Too bad “Coach’s Triple-Digit Baseball IQ” is too long to be a fantasy team name. 🙁
PS: I’ve been calling for our Braves to trade for Pujols—I’m a baseball prodigy.
How can we not trade for Puljos? What Wren should do is call Coach and have him figure out a way to land Puljos for Lowe and Diaz. Then Coach will replace Bobby Cox and figure out a way to have two first basemen on the field at once in a new revolutionary defense.
I don’t have as high a baseball IQ as coach so I gotta ask for everyone else’s opinion here.
If Gonzo and Soriano don’t return, what about Joakim Soria? I know I’ve asked this like 3 times here before, but no one has answered. We all know the Royals are horrible and have a fetish for Braves players… Anyone think it could work?
Screw Pujols! We should trade Bobby Cox straight up for Tony LaRussa.
Good read:
http://mvn.com/aroundthemajors/
Joakim Soria would be a great addition, unfortunately his contract is far too club friendly for the Royals to do anything else except say thanks but no thanks, and hang up the phone.
09:$1M, 10:$3M, 11:$4M, 12:$6M club option, 13:$8M club option, 14:$8.75M club option ($0.75M buyout for each option).
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/soriajo01.shtml
I love blogosphere self-aggrandizing
And I love how awesome I am.
Oh, I know.
predicting that the braves should sign half of the players in the major leagues and then one has a good season, makes one a genius? defense…pitching…defense…pitching…dan uggla in left field…defense…pitching…
i’m going to RIGHT this down….i want to be a jeenyus also.
In honor of the holiday and to show Mac what funny really looks like, enjoy:
Peter Jackson’s 1992 classic Zombie/Horror comedy “Brain Dead”, which can be watched in it’s entirety on You Tube.
SEC Football Name of the Year:
Auburn Linebacker – Eltoro Freeman
Not a nickname.
Rumor has it the Vols might wear black tonight. Hope not
However awesome people think it is, it won’t be as awesome as me and Stu are!
Coach (2010- Mr. Overrated retires) (October 31st, 2009 10:12 AM): I don’t speak in absolutes
Oh yeah?
Coach (2010- Mr. Overrated retires) (October 31st, 2009 11:40 AM): unfortunately his contract is far too club friendly for the Royals to do anything else except say thanks but no thanks, and hang up the phone.
You see, this is the type of “constantly speaking in absolutes” I’m talking about. How do you know the Royals won’t trade Soria? Do you work for the Royals? Are you intimately involved with an employee of the Royals’ front office?
You have no way of knowing whether or not the Royals will trade Soria. His contract is very club-friendly and it would certainly take a lot if the Royals would even entertain the idea, but how do you know they won’t? You don’t. Just more garbage flowing from your mouth.
I think MGL said it best:
Your behavior is exactly parallel to the behavior inhabited by the “ignorant and unsuccessful people”, as MGL describes them.
I have said it before, but apparently I must say it again: Why people on this blog still read Coach 2010’s posts, and even bother to REPLY to them, is beyond me. Just ignore him and he’ll eventually go away.
Woof.
Can you fire your defensive coordinator at halftime?
Hah! Go you Auburn Tigers!
i just got home from a defense-free football game. the score was only 45-42 so i guess it could have been worse(and the last game i went to was)……….and i dont want to ignore coach. in fact i want him to get all his wisdom printed on a roll of Charmin so i’ll know what to do with it.
Willie Martinez is still alive? I had no idea.
Guys, does this bartender chick dig me or is she a pro at swinging a good tip? Last night, she brings me my check and sensually drags her hand across mine when she sets it down. I think she’s just doing her work, but I’ll consider the other possibility. 😉
You could, you know, ask. Just a thought.
She may be trying to get a big tip lol. (double entendre)
I love you too Cooch. I mean Coach…
Thanks, spike. A truly novel idea.
One that guys your age (I am old, so I can say this), really should try more often. It has a much higher success rate than most other approaches, with an added bonus of not wasting a bunch of time and money deducing indirectly what is readily available by direct examination.
You speak the truth. I’m a quiet guy by nature–it’s hard to break out of what’s comfortable.
when in doubt, always confide in the guys on the baseball blog………..i bet thats what she does……….well, on some kind of blog anyway.
Fair enough. Whatever works for you then.
Wow, just when you thought Tennessee’s uniforms couldn’t get any uglier…
At least they don’t have the Keystone Cops in uniform.
BTW, for those complaining about SEC officials, the Big 12 officials just ruled an obvious strip to be no fumble because (even though the player was still fighting and nobody blew a whistle) his “forward progress stopped”.
…Allowing Texas to drive to go up by 17.
wow. That was a HR? Looked like he hardly even swung…
@99 I know…are the guys just getting so much stronger? But that ball did travel pretty far…despite that poor swing…
Also Vanderbilt is leading Georgia Tech in the second half. I don’t know what to say other than “the ACC really sucks”.
Oregon, the team who lost to Boise, leads So. Cal by 2 TDs.
Make that three.
Also Vanderbilt is leading Georgia Tech in the second half. I don’t know what to say other than “the ACC really sucks”.
And let me guess, it’s just small sample size when Georgia Tech scores 52 against them? Get off your high horse, the SEC ain’t that good. Just because their superiority (which does exist) is constantly overstated by idiot journalists doesn’t make them right. The SEC is the best conference in NCAAF, but it’s not like the SEC is the AL East and everyone else in the AL Central.
Ahem…Tech scored 56 tonight.
So the worst team in the SEC (by far) holds a second-half lead on the best team in the ACC, and it’s not evidence of SEC superiority? Vandy’s averaging 16.6 points a game, and they scored 31.
106,
And there’s zero chance it’s an aberration, right? You’re extremely objective when it comes to baseball, but that all goes out the window when it comes to football. 36 minutes of poor defensive play on the road is no more of a piece of evidence of a conference’s superiority than Furman Bisher saying the SEC is superior. It’s like a Red Sox fan talking about how the NL sucks every time a former NL ace gets shelled in the AL or a former AL scrub dominates an NL lineup, but passing it off as luck or small sample size when a former NL scrub dominates an AL lineup or former AL ace gets shelled in the NL.
Looks like we have a lot of douchebaggery in store for us this winter.
Geez, I can’t believe Langerhans was around that long…
@107
Well, the SEC really is better than the ACC. I don’t really thing there is much of ans argument there.
I don’t think the SEC is as good as it has been in the past five years, but I also think college football is a little down this year as a whole.
I was at the Tennessee game last night and when they came out in the black, Neyland Stadium was about as loud as I have ever heard it. It was fun.
P.W.Hjort, please tell me you aren’t that dumb? Or maybe it’s just plain ignorance.
The Southeastern Conference has long been the dominant football leader in the college game. I thought everybody knew this already? Apparently not.
@111
I don’t think the SEC was consistently the best conference until recently. The Big 12, Pac 10 and even Big Ten were very good, but then the SEC started pulling away.
the sec is basically the best in all around athletics…just not academics. which matters? you decide. i went to an sec school, and i’m purty smart.
Hey Hjort (numbers maniac), this is about as ABSOLUTE is it gets:
From 2003-07 the SEC was by far the strongest conference, accumulating 40 of a possible 42 points. It placed a staggering 41.7 percent of its teams in the final AP polls, went 6-1 in BCS games and its 11-point CPI margin over the second-place Pac-10 (29) was the biggest discrepancy during any time period.
Of course the SEC again dominated college football by winning the BCS Championship last season and placing three of it’s teams in the final top ten rankings in 2008.
SO you can take my absolute attitude and smoke it!!!!!! 🙂
p.s. Until there is a playoff format in division one college football, this debate will rage on until hell freezes over.
Didn’t he admit that the SEC was better in his post in 104?
“Just because their superiority (which does exist) is constantly overstated by idiot journalists doesn’t make them right. The SEC is the best conference in NCAAF…”
He didn’t say the SEC sucks or wasn’t a good conference, he just said it is overrated constantly, which it is.
I agree that, at times, the SEC is a bit overrated. In fact, I would say it’s pretty overrated this year. But, overall, I think the SEC is worth the hype that it receives, and there is a fairly large gap between the SEC and the Big Ten/Big 12/ACC/Big East bunch.
If we score 31 on you, your defense is terrible. If you score 56 on us, your offense is good.
If we score 31 on you, your defense is terrible. If you score 56 on us, your offense is good.
Yes. But that’s nothing we didn’t already know, right?
Why doesn’t Harvin return punts for the Vikings?
Brandon Spikes…all around scumbag.
Wow – I know there are no choirboys at the bottom of a dogpile, but when caught there should be punishment. Swift, stern, multi-game suspension punishment. It’s the only way there will ever even hope to be improvement.
Has the media picked up on this?
You probably shouldn’t piss the leader of the best defense in the country off by stomping on your sidelines when you’ve won 3 out of the last 20 meetings. That is deserving of at least a personal foul penalty, if not a suspension, but are you going to fault Brandon Spikes for being pissed off at Georgia, after all of the crap they’ve pulled? After watching Spikes’ intensity the last four years, I’m surprised he didn’t rip Joe Cox’s head off and wear it as a hat.
I wonder if there’s a correlation between Harvin’s injuries and the increased workload the Vikings have put on him. Harvin struggled to stay healthy at Florida, and the Gators handled him very carefully. He’s probably a better returner than Brandon James, but Urban Meyer wasn’t about to put that ceramic player on special teams. The Vikings better be careful or else they might lose him for a long time.
Rob –
So you’re saying it’s potentially excusable to eye gouge someone pinned at the bottom of a pile? I understand passion wrt to sports as much as the next guy, but my god man, calibrate your moral compass.
wasn’t brandon spikes the guy that called out oklahoma last year for being dirty? what a douchebag.
I’ve heard shit like that goes on in every pile. Punching, eye gouging, smacking each others nuts. Its just that this dude got caught.
Slim Shady Slive will do nothing about any of Florida’s thuggery. An absolute disgrace of a commissioner.
He has now gone so far as to threaten execution if any dissent is uttered.
Fire his useless ass NOW!
@120
He is a Gator, what else do you expect?
@127
Slive is a moron. When he suspended that crew he left the door open to coaches to start calling out the officials. If Roy Crammer was alive, this would have never happened. On top of that, he is a Gator what else do you expect?
Howard missed the plate
i would hate charlie manual and brad lidge if i were a phillies fan.
I never said it was excusable. I’m just saying that if Georgia doesn’t think a buncha pissed off football players won’t retaliate for what they’ve been doing, they’re as retarded as their celebrations suggest they are. It is inexcusable for Spikes to do that, it’s the wrong way to retaliate, and he probably should be suspended for it. I prefer the 42-17 and 49-10 types of retaliations myself…
A-Rod is so unclutch… didn’t he get the memo?
Attempting to gouge someone’s eyes out is assault, plain and simple. Being on the field of play should not prevent arrest for Mr. Spikes. This is completely outside the game.
That should go for any player on any team, be it pop warner, high school, college or pro. This behavior is simply not acceptable.
I’d be completely enraged and embarrassed if any player on my team pulled something like that. Gators fans simply can not defend this.
Spikes may or may not be a bad guy, but he did the crime, he should do the time.
Re: “He-Just-Got-Caught” Dept.
I’ll cut Spikes some slack.
His actions there were clearly appalling, but it’s all relative. I mean, he didn’t kill anyone.
Unlike his brother.
http://tinyurl.com/ye5ckd3
Relatively speaking, he’s a solid citizen.
I think players’ families should be off-limits in a discussion like this. My family has had it’s share of legal problems, so I guess my character should be in question, right?
It’s unacceptable what Spikes did, and we’ll see how things go in the national media, if it gets that far. An FSU player twisted Earnest Graham’s knee at the bottom of the pile in the 90’s, and that didn’t seem to get a whole lot of attention. Maybe there’s more of this that we don’t know about (but ESPN does), and so it doesn’t get a lot of attention. Either way, it’s definitely wrong and unacceptable.
Re: “Assault-Charge” Argument
I think we should be careful about bringing legality into a sporting event. After all, every pitcher that intentionally tries to bean a hitter would be guilty of assault. Maybe they should be bringing hand-cuffs to baseball games.
I think we should be careful about bringing legality into a sporting event. After all, every pitcher that intentionally tries to bean a hitter would be guilty of assault.
If I did this to you, you would rightly call the police. I fail to see how the context of a “sporting event” changes this.
edit – actually, if I hit you, it would be battery.
Brandon Spikes is on his way to a long career in the NFL. Hell, pro coaches will never admit it publicly but they love his kind of play on the gridiron.
Shoot, guys get spit on, fingers get stomped and all kinds of nasty shit goes on at the bottom of the pile. It’s just business as usual in the violent sport that is football.
Alabama is coming unglued!
http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1009841
Coach – It’s hard to make the stretch that Bama is coming unglued based on them moving from 2nd to 3rd in a poll when 2nd to 3rd makes no difference at all at this point, especially considering Alabama had an open week. If Ala and Fla go undefeated until the championship game, the winner will go to the BCS championship game – plain and simple.
IM guessing if UA beats #9 LSU this weekend then we’ll see a ranking change once again. However, it doesnt matter at this point who is 1-2-3
It’s just business as usual in the violent sport that is football.
Channeling John Facenda?
I don’t think anyone is saying that this is a good thing that players do terrible things to each other at the bottom of the pile. It’s just a “that’s just the way it is” kind of things.
I mean, let’s think about this. Football players get arrested for DUIs, possession of guns and drugs, assault, battery, and even murder sometimes. They get unsportsmanlike penalties for hitting guys out of bounds, hitting the quarterback way too late, and overall taunting and acting like children. They spend so much time getting emotionally amped up for big games, and when people with character problems get spun up into a big ball of emotion, they are going to do things like this.
If Danny Wuerffel, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, or other guys that have been said to have strong character did something like this, I would be surprised. But I’m not about to think that a lot of the guys who play this violent sport that we love to watch are a bunch of angels.
As for spike’s comment, I don’t really understand your point. If you threw a baseball at my head, yes, I would rightly call the police (or duck). So, I’m failing to see how you are saying that it’s not right to do it off the field, but it’s right to do it on the field, which is something that was disagreed with on here. If it’s wrong to do it off the field, why are you watching baseball?
140, SSSSSSSSH. I’m yanking Mac’s chain early in the morning.
Rob –
I think you misread me. My contention is that intentionally throwing at someone is assault regardless of venue, just as eye gouging is battery. I thought you were asserting that “we should be careful about bringing legality into a sporting event”, which I completely disagree with.
On the Spikes issue, I think Cary nails it in every respect at 133.
I for one was pulling for Phila, now that its 3-1 I just hope the Yanks end it tonight. Lets get the offseason/trades moving along.
Ububba will be very sad if the Phillies lose tonight.
I’m posting to admit I was wrong and Stu was right.
1. Bama
2. Florida
3. Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee
11. Vandy
12. Ole Miss.
What an absolutely craptastic weekend. Next year without Dexter we’re really going to be in trouble. He is our offense.
Cliff Lee!
How was I right? Before the season, I said we’d be in the middle of the SEC pack, and as I said a couple of weeks ago, I now rank us 13th.
1. Florida
2. Bama
3. LSU
4. Tennessee
5. Auburn
6. Arkansas
7. South Carolina
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. Miss St.
11. Kentucky
12. Vandy
You said, “It’s really not fair to State to have them more like us than the Tennessees, Kentuckys, and Ole Misses of the league.”
You were right.
Oh. Apart from selling UT short, I suppose I was.
how bad has Jevon Snead been this season? dude should have left early last year when all the hype was around him. I know he had 3 picks vs Vandy, 4 vs Bama, and I know Auburn returned one for a TD last saturday. He’s awful and its too bad that Ole Miss hasnt figured it out that Dexter is their best player. Give him the ball
Some might find this amusing…
http://dailytailgate.com/issues/82-DT-Which-Yankee-Are-You-Last-Call-for-#section1
That’ll show him. Typical no-harm punishment by Meyer. Vandy couldn’t score on Florida if the Gators played ten on eleven.
[Witty, self-deprecating retort.]
Mac,
That’s the Gators for you. Don’t worry, Kiffin is catching up to them.
Man, what a mealy mouth. “We don’t condone that” and “Brandon has our full support” within 5 seconds of each other. I do not delude myself that this is what almost any coach would say, and that this activity occurs regularly. Just be man enough to own up to being a cowardly cheat, instead of trying to pawn off the notion that benching for half of a game against a far outmatched opponent is some sort of punishment. That just makes you look like a douche as well as a punk.
Why not bench him for the second half and wait until you’re up 27-0?
UGA could have taken care of this on the field. It’s not like Spikes’ knees couldn’t have been chopped a couple of times after the score had gotten out of hand.
A look at some possible left fielders that might be on the trade market.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/trade-market-left-fielders.html
These left fielders can be sorted into three categories:
Overvalued.
Overpaid.
Useless.
So now Adam Dunn is overvalued or overpaid? Seemed like all of last year he was the second coming of Christ around here.
Overvalued by his team, yes. The Gnats aren’t going anywhere and they should have dealt him, but wouldn’t.
Nats made the same mistake with Soriano a couple of years ago
Out of all of the leftfielders listed in the articles linked in 163, the only really interesting one was Willingham. But at trade deadline, many thought Washington was overvaluing him (so maybe that is the group Mac intended for him) and they don’t seem to have a reason they really need to move him.
But more fundamentally, this team doesn’t need an outfielder unless he is an elite outfielder who also bats righthanded or switch hits with good right side numbers. By my method of calculating, there aren’t any of those available (Bay can’t field, Holliday can’t hit away from Coors, lots of lefties, many others “unavailable”)
Why ould Braves not go for an outfielder? Diaz has proven an above average fielder in left and above average hitter. Even normalizing his splits to everyday, he is about an 820 OPS left fielder. Church is an above average right fielder IF he has a platoon partner. McLouth is an above average center fielder. And, we have Heyward who porjects an MLE of 830 according to the Bill James system. And, we have Schaffer who probably could OPS 750 or so coming back from this injury and get back up to low to mid 800’s in a couple of years. And all 5 of those guys put together won’t cost more than 13 million next year.
Braves need to make the best fit at 1B they can for the money and resources they have. THEN, if they can get a near elite outfielder that is right handed in FA at a good price, get him. If they can get a trade that is fair that comes from surplus (extra “old pitcher” or extra non ML starting young pitcher) for a pretty good to near elite right handed hitting outfielder, then get him. Otherwise, forget it.
Does anybody know (or know how to find out) who the Braves have that is not now on the 40 man roster that might be subject to Rule 5 draft if not protected? They have already dropped several guys and I am just curious who we have to cover.
Sooner or later (sure hope it’s later) we’re going to need a 3B.
Gloom, despair and agony oh no – anybody got any thoughts?
In all fairness, I think Dunn would have been able to get out of his contract if traded in the first year, and it may have depressed his trade value. I don’t think Willingham is held in high enough regard by the baseball GM community to get back full fair value for what he produces. Look at what he got traded for. That’s not to say Washington shouldn’t have done a better job of marketing both and getting something done for the future though.
I’d give you Lowe for Willingham straight up. The Nationals have no credible starters outside of Lannan. Willingham is relatively cheap (say 4.5M next year – maybe a bit more) and a righty to boot.
Matt Holliday’s OPS+ for his career: 103, 114, 137, 150, 140, 142
Those are, of course, context adjusted. Call me crazy but having a RH Mark Teixeira in LF wouldn’t suck.
As long as he’s not a douche.
“Why not bench him for the second half and wait until you’re up 27-0?”
Um, didn’t Saban once suspend a player for a half only to put him in after the first series?
UGA fans should be outraged over the pathetic state of their football team.
He suspended DJ Hall for the ULM game a couple of years ago. He then brought Hall in for the second half because the offense was struggling, but they wound up with the embarrassing loss anyway.
Here’s a trivia question for you. Who holds the record for most HR in the World Series as a DH?
having a RH Mark Teixeira in LF wouldn’t suck.
Of course not. The question is what will it cost, and will the Braves pay that much? I am not sanguine that the answer to the second question is yes, and even if it is, that they would be able to attract him over comparable offers from more successful franchises.
spikes transgression is really no big deal if you think about it. his teammate is jesus and jesus can heal the blind.
From Phil Rogers’ Sunday column:
The Braves are expected to shop Javier Vazquez after signing Tim Hudson to a three-year contract extension.
BA’s top 10 Braves Prospects are up:
Heyward, Freeman, Teheran, Minor, Kimbrel, Bethancourt, R. Delgado, Spruill, C. Johnson, Milligan
Phil Rogers has no history of tactical reportage concerning the Braves. Unless O’Brien or Bowman are on it this is most likely Rogers recirculating well established “they’ll look to trade one of their starters” conventional wisdom.
Compare to Sickels Top 10
1) Jason Heyward, OF, Grade A: A complete prospect, perfect Five Tool/Seven Skill player.
2) Freddie Freeman, 1B, Grade B+: We’ll have to see if the wrist injury cuts into his power development, but given his age he gets some slack.
3) Julio Teheran, RHP, Grade B: I still worry about his health and durability.
4) Randall Delgado, RHP, Grade B: A rare thing, an Atlanta pitching prospect that might be underrated. Usually Braves guys get too much hype.
5) Craig Kimbrel, RHP, Grade B: If his command holds up he can be a bullpen force.
6) Mike Minor, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline Grade B. Excellent pitchability with pretty good stuff. I hope I get to see him in Arizona Fall League.
7) Christian Bethancourt, C, Grade B-: Grade includes a lot of projection.
8 ) J.J. Hoover, RHP, Grade B-: A personal favorite. Need to see him at higher levels, but I love the K/IP and K/BB ratios.
9) Zeke Spruill, RHP, Grade B-: Younger and more projectable than Hoover, but I worry about his durability.
10) David Hale, RHP, Grade C+: Power arm from Princeton, another possible relief mainstay if the command is there.
He had Milligan at 14, and specifically left Johnson out of the top 20 saying “I do not believe in Cody Johnson. I think the strikeouts are going to eat him alive.”
Probably right, Sam. Just thought I’d mention it.
@177
I’ll say Big Pappi
@177
Cecil Fielder
185 and 186, nice try but no. I was stunned by the answer.
Bonds?
wrong. Thought they might have DH’ed him in Anaheim.
@177
David Justice
Shane Spencer.
Sam H. getting warmer. This player only played in the NL.
It can’t be Klesko.
Javy Lopez, maybe? Well, no, he later played in the AL. Hmm.
Klesko hit 3 in the ’95 Series, in the middle 3 games.
Re: UGA
Georgia is dealing with its issues, believe me. Lots of questions—QB, DC, etc. Staff tweaking, housecleaning, whatever it takes. There’$ too much at $take to $ink back into the World of Ray Goff. We’ll be back.
But what I find almost amusing is that, instead of getting accolades for beating a hated rival, Florida is parrying the kind of scrutiny that’s usually saved for professional wrestling heels.
They won the game & good for them—but, as it relates to the Spikes play & its fallout, there’s nothing good about it.
Kinda reminds me of the time that Pat Dye suspended his QB for one play. Nothing against Vandy, but I wonder if Meyer would’ve done anything with Spikes if they were playing, say, South Carolina this weekend.
Yes, ububba. Klesko is the career DH leader with 3 all in that one series. He hit one in games 3,4&5 as the DH.
@UGA’s rotten, no good, very bad year
Are people really shocked by this? They lost two of their three skill superstars to the NFL – Stafford and Moreno – and then topped it off by losing their key offensive lineman – Trinton Sturdivant – to an ACL injury for the second straight year in the season opener. There’s no way you compete in the NCAA’s Professional League with those sorts of holes. Did anyone really believe Joe Cox was going to come in and be something other than a four year legacy back up?
They need a real QB. They need a replacement for Moreno. They need a defense/defensive coordinator. And they need the QB and RB fast, because they have one more year at the most before A.J. Green joins Stafford in Detroit.
UGA people knew that a falloff was possible in 2009, but we’ve replaced NFL-caliber talent with NFL-caliber talent for a long time, certainly each year in the Richt Era.
It was easy to see that Joe Cox was no DJ Shockley, but Cox was viewed as a potentially good game manager. Instead, with little or no running game to support him, he’s been the most wildly inconsistent QB we’ve had since Quincy Carter. It’ll be interesting to see if Richt starts him next week.
The bigger issues are the defense, the turnover margin & the penalties. We haven’t had a consistent pass rush in 2 years. A lot of problems can be solved with that.
One “down year” is acceptable to most UGA folks—the reasonable ones, anyway—but probably not two in a row.
If we’re going to dethrone the Phillies, don’t we need a left-handed starter?
Richt announced today that Cox is still the starter.
Don’t you think it’s time to pull the redshirt off of one of the freshmen QBs to get ready for next year?
It’s an idea and I understand the sentiment to start the kid.
I don’t think Richt is really wrong either way, but I wouldn’t do it. I’d just finish it out with Cox, get to a bowl & keep that extra year for Murray.
I really like Mark Richt and hope he stays at Ga for a long time. That being said, he’s had some tremendous offenses, but his defenses have never been great – at least that I can remember. Having a great defense can make up for having a qb that is having off games or an off year. Alabama has shown that, and even with what some consider the greatness of Tebow, Fla would be nowhere close to where they are now without a strong defense.
They’re apparently sticking with Cox, which seems more like leaving Tommy Hanson in the minors to manage his arb clock than anything else to me.
In the Richt Era, UGA has had some really good defenses, but not lately. The Van Gorder Era was certainly different from the Willie Martinez Era.
In Martinez’s defense (sort of), that ’07 team had a pass rush, if not great schemes, week in and week out. They’d get beat downfield, but they also had lots of big plays—sacks, INTs, fumbles—on that side of the ball, too. None of that is happening now.
It’s kind of like that. But it depends upon how good you think that the kid will be. If he’s going to be as good as Stafford, you might as well take off the redshirt, because he’s only going to be there three years. If not… Keeping Cox in the lineup, however, is really using him as a placeholder. What Richt might be doing is keeping a place warm for Murray. If he benches Cox and Gray plays well, you have a quarterback controversy next fall. If he keeps Cox in the lineup, Murray can inherit if he plays well in practice.
It appears that Zach Mettenberger, whom I firmly believe will make a better college QB than Murray or Gray, has been completely lost in the shuffle.
I don’t see Gray in the picture at all.
As long as Paul Johnson keeps winning it’s all peripheral to me. I wouldn’t mind if UGA went 10-1 every year as long as that 1 loss was to GT.
History tells us that you get about 2 out of every 10 years, usually consecutively. That’s pretty much how it’s been since the Theron Sapp Game.
198, good question. The problem is our Braves currently have six starters who are all right handed, one of which will be traded.
But interestingly enough, lefty starter Randy Wolf was available last winter. He went on to post a record of 11-7 with an ERA of 3.23 while making 34 trips to the mound and nailing down 24 quality starts. Wolf made 5 million this season. Wolf is about to hit free agency again.
However, Mike Minor is a lefty so Atlanta might yet see another southpaw in it’s rotation.
The problem is our Braves currently have six starters who are all right handed, one of which will be traded.
Interesting. This is the first I’ve heard of this. Thanks for the report.
Randy Wolf is represented by Rafeal Furcal’s agent. Don’t expect him in Atlanta any time soon.
So is Peter Moylan, IIRC. Not sure how that works.
Yea Stu, I just found out about it five minutes ago……
God wouldn’t Dan Uggla look great in a Braves uniform!!!!!!
Sarcasm, snikering and good humor intended.
but seriously, Adrian Beltre would be a great addition to the Braves team next year. He’s coming off an injury plagued season and has more upside than risk while having the potential to be another steal like Juan Uribe was last year.
Adrian Beltre would be a great addition to the Braves team next year
Great idea. Chipper would be an awesome supersub/ late innings PH threat. He can play the outfield too, so there’s another problem solved. Maybe we can have him take a few reps at 2nd in ST just for grins – you never know.
Ah, yes, Adrian “Baseball Age” Beltre. He may be older than Chipper.
Where would Adrian Beltre play? First? I think we need a left-handed bat at first.
I just don’t see a whole lot of players available in the FA market that will impact us very much.
Prediction: Frank Wren once again blows our minds and pulls off another great trade to get a power hitter for one of our SPs. It’s not the trade itself that’s the prediction; it’s the fact that it will be clear that he made a great trade. Like McLouth and LaRoche.
183,
I like things about both lists. I like that BA included Adam Milligan. I’m with Sickels on Cody Johnson. I don’t think Hale belongs in the top-10. I think they both overrate Minor (and BA is the worse offender). And I think
SpruillHoover belongs there, too.212,
So is Yunel Escobar.
the braves should sign adrian beltre, re-sign adam laroche, rafael soriano, and mike gonzalez, trade for nelson cruz and dan uggla, and hire popeye the sailor man as their manager,kicking bobby cox’s old butt to the side (because my d*ck is bigger than his). then, replace frank wren with myself.
right that, and this, shit down!
then,to keep everyone fresh and game ready, i think the braves should play musical positions every game, while eating hotdogs and listening to van halen.
“Panama”
*switch positions*
*chomp*
“Panama”
RIGHT! IT! DOWN! THAT SHIT.
ububba,
I wouldn’t blow a red shirt at this point in the season. Maybe Cox will pull a Crompton and turn it around.
However, if Richt stays loyal to his assistants he will fall in the Fulmer trap. His situation is similar to Fulmer’s a few years back. He made some changes, but then made some poor choices.
Looks like you are going to get your game 6, ububba.
Ryan C,
You forgot about the Panamaniac, Luis Durango.
What Spikes did was wrong but no more nor less wrong that what half the rest of the players were doing in that game. It got chippy and fast. Spikes is the one getting suspended because he’s the biggest name.
(…and because he’s got a history of doing stuff like this… but that’s clearly beside the point! 🙂
Still early, but I hope so.
Believe it or not, there was lotsa nervous Yankee talk today among fans I know and (FWIW) among radio call-in folk.
Very few liked the idea of Burnett starting on 3-days rest and nobody likes the idea of Pettitte doing Game 6 on 3 days.
(One of my Yankee season-ticket pals said today, “With this pitching matchup and the inferior lineup we’ll trot out, tonight’s game has 8-1 Phils written all over it.”)
A lotta folks would’ve been happy to see Gaudin start tonight vs Lee, then return with Burnett on 5 days, with Pettitte doing Game 7 on a full complement, if nec. It may not matter, but I tend to agree.
Hope a Game 6 happens. I’d be kinda psyched to see Pedro pitch.
Smitty,
I’m with you.
As crazy as it sounds, I think Cox still gives us the best chance to win remaining games. Richt shouldn’t give up on them.
With Stafford, as mentioned, it made some sense; but I can’t say that we have anyone like that waiting in the wings.
I for one dont want Uggla in LF or Adrian Beltre on this team
so who is this Chapman 21 yr old fella that the Braves now have interest in?
notes per peanut
Assuming that Gonzalez and Soriano will get better offers to close elsewhere, the Braves are expected to continue to gauge the cost of signing veteran closer Billy Wagner, who posted a 1.72 ERA in the 17 appearances that he made after returning from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in late August.
There has also been a recent buzz that the Braves may attempt to trade for Pirates closer Matt Capps, who made $2.3 million this past season and has two remaining arbitration-eligible seasons. It’s believed the Pirates will be actively shopping the 26-year-old right-handed reliever, who hails from the Atlanta area.
While there’s a chance that the market could put LaRoche in position where he could return to Atlanta with the one-year offer the Braves may be willing to provide, there seems to be a greater likelihood that the Braves will be finding next year’s first baseman via trade, free agency or the expanded list of non-tendered players that are expected to be available this year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aroldis_Chapman
The Falcons defense is a joke.
I think signing Wagner will be a brilliant idea. I have been thinking the same for weeks.
I don’t want to trade for a closer anymore. I thought the Kolb and Gonzo experiences have taught us enough lessons….
@214, 215 I think Beltre has a great chance to land in Philly next season.
Good lord, that Utley is having a series.
#230 – right there with you on Wagner
Braves deny interest in Chapman | Mark Bowman’s Blog
There will be a number of Major League clubs pursuing Cuban pitching sensation Aroldis Chapman. But contrary to an SI.com report, the Braves are not currently in the mix for the 21-year-old left-handed pitcher.
“We don’t have any plans to meet with him at this time,” Wren said via an email response on Monday night.
WHO DAT?!
If the last draft is any indication, Wren should be believed. Chapman figures to sign for quite a bit of money.
I read somewhere that Wagner was leaning toward retirement. That may or may not be a bargaining chip, but it’s worth noting.
KC, what Juan Uribe was one year ago is exactly where Beltre is right now. Uribe went on to hit 16 HR’s, 55 RBI, 289 BA while backing up at 2B, SS and 3B.
But yes, Adrian Beltre is likely to bounce back and hit his usual 25 HR, 80 RBI, .780 OPS while playing gold glove defense. He would make for some excellent infield insurance in case Chipper finally falls completely apart and retires.
236,
His agent denied that rumor. Said “Wagner will pitch in 2010” or something like that.
I could go for Billy Wagner as our closer, but damnit, we better have a REAL 1st baseman, none of this Martin Prado, Robert Fick crap….I’ll be very disappointed if we have Suck Ass 1st Baseman to start the year….
BTW, going under the knife again, they found another tumor in the brain stem area, shouldnt be as bad as last time, but, surgery is surgery, wish me luck and see you guys in a few days.
FBF,
You are a trooper. Best of luck.
FBF, hang in there. Life is worth the price of admission my friend.
Adrian Beltre could be converted into a first baseman in the event that we lose LaRoche and or back up at third base if Adam returns.
FBF, you are in my thoughts and prayers.
FBF;
You’re the toughest guy I know. All our prayers.
And yes, ububba, you deserve that seat at game six, after dealing with Mets/Yankees fans all year.
just ran into my gator-grad neighbor at breakfast who is a fairly well-known attorney of ill-repute and he dusted off the old nixonian defense for mr. spikes……..”hey, everybody does it, he just happened to get caught”
FBF… best of luck. You’re in my thoughts and prayers.
Glad to see Ububba gets to go to game 6.
FBF, your attitude is an inspiration. You’re in my prayers, too.
Mets’ Francoeur has surgery on hand | ajc.com
Originally, I read that as “head” and thought it was about time.
Hey, Smitty, following up on our discussion a week or two ago, the SEC’s coaches think Ogilvy’s better than Chism, too.
A new team name? The Atlanta Brave Francoeurs. Might have thought so from all of the ink and pixels dedicated to him. Love the inclusion of him hitting into the triple play.
FBF, wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.
I am thinking if I am the Hawks’ GM, I will try my absolute best to get Chris Paul out of NO (Josh Smith, Teague, and two 1st round picks?) and sign Bosh to a max contract. Let Joe Johnson leaves and hand to SG starting job to Crawford. Otherwise, the current team is going nowhere.
According to ESPN.com’s Trade Machine, it’s impossible—or close to it—to find a deal for Paul that works for both teams under the salary cap. Without even taking into account the quality of the players exchanged.
Word is that Vandy manhandled UNC in a closed scrimmage.
FBF – all this cosmetic surgery is getting out of hand.
Seriously, God bless you and keep you strong.
253—I don’t know about “manhandled,” but we won comfortably and Ogilvy didn’t even play.
Of course, with all our experience, we ought to have won, and these scrimmages—featuring weird lineup combinations and frequently interrupted to provide coaching moments on both sides—don’t necessarily tell you much. But I’d rather win than lose.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/ has the latest blurb on the Braves offseason needs.
If we’re focused on a right-handed bat—apparently at first base and not in the outfield, if Peanut is to be believed—it sure doesn’t look like we have many options.
D-Lee? Only if they’re so desparate for decent pitching or to unload Bradley that they’ll trade their best hitter and a fan-favorite.
Billy Butler? The Braves value defense too much, I would think.
Michael Cuddyer? Not young and not reliably great.
Jorge Cantu? Meh.
Paul Konerko? Who knows what Kenny Williams will do, but I can’t imagine they’re looking to unload bats. And Konerko’s kinda with Cuddyer in the unreliable category.
Kevin Youkilis? Yeah, right.
Miggy Cabrera? Would the Tigers dream of trading such a stud? Or trading with the Braves? Would the Braves even consider taking on that salary or a guy with a bad body and a known history of problems with alcohol?
Really, the only reasonable target is Albert Pujols.
@ 256 I think a lucrative prospect package of Shaffer, KJ and Reyes gets it done. Maybe throgh in Marek or Hicks and we can get Ludwick as well
do it benjamin frankwren
@255 – “ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer says the Yankees will probably want to become younger this offseason”…..aren’t we all?
KJ for Capps?
New thread/poll. Last matchup of the endless first round.
@257 lets get realistic.
first – why settle for Pujols when it its clear that Juan Rivera, Nelson Cruz and Dan Uggla are available. And why not Adrian Beltre?