These games count, guys.
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These games count, guys.
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Very appropriate song for this thread, Mac! I love it! I had to explain to my wife why I was laughing!
My brother, a Mets fan, texted me yesterday to say that Fredi was the worst manager in baseball.
Hahaha. Only a matter of time before we get “Help!” or “I’m Down”
@2 – that is rough.
Think Fredi can convince McCann to get his first hit of the season?
No. Fredi can’t do anything well.
Maybe Fredi can convince Jurrjens to keep the ball down.
Or maybe Livan Hernandez, Chad Durbin and Jose Constanza will all play better than they’re actually capable of playing, and they’ll do it in the most important at bats of the game!
Braves Live! is insufferable.
The whole new social media aspect is so lame.
I should also point out that my mlb.tv blackout issue has extended into this year. Looks like it’s gameday and the free radio stream again.
I think the Braves will score 4 runs today.
And in a cruel twist of fate, the radio stream is playing CCM instead of the game.
Bethany,
I don’t know if you can get it where you are, but the MLB Extra Innings package for cable is running a free preview right now. I’m watching the Braves on my TV rather than my computer.
@13 Unfortunately, I don’t have cable :-/ I could just pay for the radio streaming but I’m so irked about the blackout problems I don’t want to give them my money.
At least we got two walks that inning.
So Neise walks two in the inning and then Freeman comes up and swings at the 1st two pitches. This is the kinda of stuff that drives me nuts. I understand that walks alone won’t solve the runs issues, but at least try to get a favorable count
Don’t recall who posted he was unimpressed with Bourn, but I agree. This early in the season I expect no production from center, short and third or left, whichever Prado isn’t playing. Hurry back, Chipper.
I’m just assuming that the Braves are playing a strategic long game, and lulling their opponents into a false sense of complacency. Basically like Homer Simpson’s boxing strategy.
Now THAT’s a takeout slide. Great job, Matty.
@16 That’s the problem, this line-up is more than just a 39-year-old chipper jones away from success.
The ‘Braves Live!’ social media thing seems really contrived.
“You call this living?”
There are a whole lot of called third strikes today. Guess Phil Cuzzi’s feeling punchy.
Minor’s looking really good today.
“Minor’s looking really good today.”
A shame he gave up that one run, thus ensuring his loss today.
It would be nice to score a run or three.
That was way outside. Phil Cuzzi is feeling very punchy.
Would be nice if pitches two inches off the strike zone were called balls. With that zone even I could throw a no-hitter.
We are so bad.
If GameDay is to be believed, we need to get Livan into this game to take advantage of this Greggian strikezone.
We need 4 walks un a row to be able to score though. 22 innings, we’ve scored in only one of them. Thanks Martin!
That call on Uggla was laughably bad. Not only was it a ball, he waited until he was almost out of the TV picture (as the camera followed Uggla toward first) to call it a strike.
Chip and Joe are getting a little ridiculous in their praise for Murphy’s weak ground out in the first inning.
Well, for two guys who seem to find more to praise in outs than they do in hits, we can honestly say they’re announcing for the right team.
I think I’m beginning to enjoy our offense as much as I already enjoy Chip Caray’s work.
This is about to get ugly.
Nice work, Mikie.
Joe just called David Wright a “veteran player.” Does that make everyone else feel old?
Brilliant baserunning by Wright there. Single-handedly kept us in the game.
Is Simpson still on the old maple bat hysteria from a couple of years ago?
We’re in the game?
Mets announcers talking about how Greg Walker believes in “aggressiveness,” and how the Braves don’t emphasize OBP.
Good to know.
The next time somebody uses the non-word “aggessiveness,” I’m liable to kick something. The word is aggression!!! I sort of understand making up -ness words when the word you want doesn’t already exist, but when the word does already exist, it’s just retarded!
/rant
@41 Is that directed at me?
Did anyone notice that the Mets have a no-hitter going? This would, of course, be the first no-hitter in the history of their franchise.
No-hitter no-hitter no-hitter.
Will there ever be any real buzz about firing Wren, or is he immune from blame for this team as long as Gonzalez is around?
The Mets, meanwhile, are aiming to get the starting pitchers out of the game. Today Minor is near 90 pitches in the 5th inning; yesterday Jurrjens hit 100 in the 5th.
But the Braves will be aggressive, because, well, why not?
Why did Diaz throw to second?
I’m done. Enjoy.
@43:
Hey, there’s something we can root for today. It’s already 4-0, and the Braves’ anemic offense isn’t coming back from this. May as well be a no-no.
48 — No, they’ll score 3 runs in the 9th and we’ll lose 4-3.
44- After sabotage like Livan and Durbin, I think people are starting to notice that Wren bears some responsibility here.
And so do his bosses. I suspect the stories about the TV contracts, future payroll restrictions, and so on sent a message to the team: “We don’t care, so why should you?”
As I said this team stinks. Probably going to finish last in the East.
@44, There has to be, at some point.
Here’s a fun scenario: If Teheran and Delgado don’t pan out, Wren didn’t sell high on them to acquire help on offense, and we struggle like this all season, you’d have to think he’d certainly get the axe.
When you take a pile of garbage, let it sit for the winter while adding more garbage, and expect it to be not garbage in the spring..
You get the 2012 Atlanta Braves.
But at least Mike Minor has made some excellent pitches.
Who else is rooting for that no-hitter?
There can’t be a worse team in baseball…I mean, even the Astros can score a run or 2 per game. This isn’t the Phillies pitching staff they are facing, so what will happen when they face “real” pitchers?
@50
The bosses bear more responsibility. Not that Wren and the baseball operations brain trust are blameless, but Liberty is content to ride the MLB gravy train toward profit and shareholder dividends without caring a whit about the team’s fortunes.
I accepted that Liberty would own the team for five years. I’m giving the Braves this season, but if Liberty still controls the franchise when pitchers and catchers report next February, I will abandon the Braves after 30 years and support another club.
Fan support of a professional franchise should not be an unconditional reflex action. Twice I ditched my hockey team because of incompetent ownership — and came back when competent bosses who cared about winning were in the high-backed leather chairs.
This ain’t college; this is a business, and our only votes are with our wallets (and our viewership, and whether we click on the team’s website, etc.).
Fredi left in Minor to take some more punishment why?
@42
No, you were merely reporting what the idiot Mets announcer said. It was directed at announcers who are supposed to be able to speak for a living but can’t manage to use actual words.
@57 He wanted to save Livian for tomorrow?
I hope Fredi is nervous.
@60 He should be
Well, at least putting in the Lisp here is close enough to the right call. This really should’ve been Livan’s job, though.
Even the announcers got worse over the winter.
I don’t understand.
62- No, retrieving people’s Gatorade should be Livan’s job. But if he has to actually take the field, then yes, he should get these mop-up jobs.
Thufferin’ thuccotash.
Lulz.
This sucks
Ah, f**kers.
I will say if we have a horrendous April (and starting 0-3 doesn’t count as a horrendous April), I might be in favor of firing Fredi simply because that may be the only way left to kickstart the team, and though Fredi is not the all-encompassing sinkhole everyone on here seems to think, it wouldn’t break me up if he was no longer managing the team. I don’t really care one way or the other about him. But if that does happen, he will not deserve it nearly as much as everyone on here thinks he will.
Ryan, do I get your permission to post that the Braves suck?
he will not deserve it nearly as much as everyone on here thinks he will.
But you’re on here, and you don’t think he deserves it. So how could he not deserve it as much as everyone on here thinks he will?
Touche
IMBW, but I don’t think there’s a single person on here who thinks Fredi is a bigger problem than the offense.
Fredi is an anagram for ‘fired.’
“Jeremy’s Iron.”
Chip just pointed to Niese’s double as the turning point in this game in which the Braves are being no-hit. Which double occurred when the Mets already had scored two runs, which is clearly enough against this offense. I think his idea of what constitutes a “totally different outcome” and mine may differ.
By the way, Chip Caray is going to be our announcer for the next like 30 years. Plus, apparently, this lady who pops up to tell us some ass-kissing thing some sycophantic fan on Twitter said about the organization every hour or so. Imagine a boot, stamping on a human face, forever.
Braves telecasts (team aside) are miserable. Poor announcers, poor studio show, and now they add this horrendous social media aspect. Its like state run television.
and there goes the no no
@77 and don’t forget poor team
Good job, Braves. You didn’t get no hit by Jon Niese. Quite an accomplishment.
And Freeman ends the suspense.
And among people who care about their craft, Louis Oosthuizen took the lead in the Masters with a double eagle.
This is how rallies start, fellas!
This is pathetic. Will somebody please wake this team up.
Well at least the Mets are still the Mets.
A hit, a hit, a palpable hit!
Those not getting SportSouth are really missing something “special” (retarded) with the new social media thing. Even SportSouth has to know how stupid it is, and will probably quietly drop it sometime during the season.
This all started with a walk. Nobody tell Greg Walker.
This reminds me of Andruw Jones for a few seasons where he would hit monster solo shots only when the game was out of reach one way or another.
“Fredi Gonzalez” is an anagram for “A Fizzled Goner.”
Although on the bright side…”Reign of Dazzle!”
Jamie Moyer has faced 8.9% of the hitters ever to have played in MLB.
Now back to the suck.
Wait, what the hell happened while I was making anagrams??????
@77
It reflects ownership’s philosophy. The Liberty Media-run sports networks, ROOT Sports, specialize in cheerleading for their teams. Announcers throwing rally towels into the stands during games, standing on tables to get home fans cheering and using social media to present a ceaseless parade of “Go Team Go!” messages are standard operating procedure and turn the broadcasts into a freaking May Day rally and the announcers into Baghdad Bobs.
Skip Caray must be turning over in his grave at the train wreck the TV broadcasts have become.
(Sorry if my comments are Liberty-centric. But any other change around the team is nothing more than treating the symptom rather than the cancer at the top. Plus, I have friends at Liberty who can attest to how little the company values the Braves.)
“Reign of Dazzle” is excellent.
@ 90
The “Reign of Dazzle Started?”
This team totally chagrins my dazzle.
(ducks flying rotten vegetables)
And of course, we make a futile rally. Maybe there’ll be another one to carry us within 7-6 in the ninth.
So, in a 3 run game, we run out the lisp and medlen. But in a tie game yesterday we run out Livan, and then in a one run game Durbin?
Via O’Brien:
“Hairston double drives in 2 more, #Mets up 7-0 in 6th. #Braves haven’t been swept in 3-gm opening series since ’03 (Expos at ATL)”
Doubt this team will win 101 games though.
The ump sucks really, really bad.
Martin Prado, American hero!
Wow…been a minute since I have seen the Braves, but McCann has really gone bald. Ok, back to the game.
Still can hit…
Best catcher in baseball.
Welcome back, Brian.
Seriously, nice to see McCann has his stroke back.
Alright, so you could argue Collins leaving in Acosta to face McCann wasn’t particularly sharp thinking. And Collins paid a small price for it. Really, not a big deal, though.
But all this pinch-hitting with Constanza, plus the domino effect of using Livan/Durbin in the previous game…Fredi just won’t be denied.
I’m beginning to think that Constanza delenda est.
@103
The only plausible explanation for this is that Cox explained to Fredi that someone must play the role of Greg Norton.
103- Well, wouldn’t be the first time. Remember Cox’s obsession with Greg Norton back in 2009? Even Constanza can’t hit 145/ 330/ 171, can he?
Stay aggressive, Braves. Clowns.
“Even Constanza can’t hit 145/ 330/ 171, can he?”
Nope.
.145/.170/.171 sound right.
Well. Solid start to the season.
Mets’ fans are only happy until the Mets commence playing real teams.
No Hinske for Jack Wilson there?
Three of the final four outs — Freeman, Francisco and Heyward — saw a combined 5 pitches. This while being down TWO RUNS.
Happy Easter everyone. Ill pretend these three games didnt happen
At least I own Santana, Niese, and Murphy in my NL-only league.
Recapped.
The total lack of off-season moves confirmed what I suspected at the end of last year–the glory days of this organization are officially over. The Braves this year will have a losing record, and quite possibly will find themselves in the division cellar. Sure, Chipper might contribute this year, but it’s much more likely that he’s going out with a whimper, not a bang. Sure, Heyward might blossom, but it is also likely that he continues to struggle with injuries and adjustments. Uggla might rebound, but it is more likely that his offense, like that of many players in their early 30s, is in the midst of dropping off a cliff. McCann might have another All-Star season, but pretty soon he will begin to decline as well, and this may be that year. Maybe Hanson and Jurrjens have fantastic seasons, but it is more likely that injuries will continue to plague them both. Perhaps Hudson returns as his old self, but it is more likely that he’ll just be old.
There is nothing reliable about this team, just a series of best case scenarios to be devoutly wished for. And I’m tired of ignoring the rational part of my mind. Fredi may be a lousy manager, but he could be the Platonic idea of a baseball manager and still not succeed with this cast of characters. It’s been a long time, but I do remember being a fan in the 1980s. Lower your expectations. Know that the Braves are going to lose the game you are watching, and then be pleasantly surprised when the other team screws up and lets you win. Cherish individual moments, knowing that they will not last. When Heyward goes 3-4, don’t say “He’s finally putting it together”; instead, say “It was nice to see a flash of the old Heyward, even if was just for one day.” When Chipper homers, think “Wow–that is probably his last home run. I’m glad I saw it.” And pray for the day when new ownership takes over.
The best philosophy with the Braves is what Lt. Spheres said to a soldier in “Band of Brothers :” Accept that you are dead and don’t worry about it.
It’s the Curse of Yohan Flande.