Mike Minor just doesn’t know how to win is all. Spotted a six-run lead, he got a no decision. Sure, that might be because he didn’t return after 48-minute rain delay in the fourth, but Jack Morris would have stopped the rain somehow, at least until after the fifth.
The Braves jumped all over the Marlins’ starter, someone named “Nate Eovaldi”, for three runs in each of the first two innings. Chipper Jones doubled in Reed Johnson and Jason Heyward in the first, and came around to score on a Dan Uggla single. The Braves batted around but left the bases loaded when Minor struck out.
Minor had trouble in the second inning, needing to strike out the pitcher himself to get out of a bases-loaded jam. In the bottom of the inning, Heyward singled in Michael Bourn, then he and Johnson came in on a Freddie Freeman double. (Remember when I used to complain that the Braves couldn’t score from first on a double? Heyward did it twice in the first two innings.)
After the rain, it was bullpen time, and you have to be a bit worried about the workload. Cristhian Martinez, who got the win, pitched three innings, allowing one run in the sixth. Chad Durbin finished the seventh, Cory Gearrin pitched the eighth, and Craig Kimbrel, who hadn’t pitched in a while, struck out the side in the ninth but allowed a hit and a walk.
God, I love Jason Heyward so much.
Hard to believe that some “have trouble getting excited” about him.
Yes. He needs to get a 6+ year contract, and fast.
Eovaldi came over to the Fish from LA, in the Hanley deal.
Stu,
I am officially “excited” about Jason now. But, once he hears that, he is likely to go into a slump. 🙂 (Also, am I to be held to every dumb comment I make in a fit of frustration? If so, I am in trouble. 🙂
BTW, for those in the Washington area (or planning to come), I have an extra ticket to the Nats/Braves game on Monday, Aug. 20. For those who have been at Nats Park, it’s in the 300 level right behind the left-hand batter’s box. The ticket is face-valued for around $24 but it’s part of my season-ticket group so I will take what I paid for it, $20.
I am planning to use the other ticket. However, if someone wants to take their child, significant other, or a friend, you can have both tickets.
If anyone is interested, e-mail me at mwarrenschneider@gmail.com.
Id think the pecking order for locking up players would be Heyward, Freeman, Prado, Beachy.
Minor’s last 5 starts (rain delay included)
31IP 18H 6ER 6BB 27K
Does Minor have a ‘hot hand?’
I don’t know. We’ve never been out on a date.
Minor seems like the kind of guy who flips out when his girl hasn’t responded to a text in 24 minutes.
@10
You’ve already uses that one…
It would be nice if the Marlins played like they gave a damn this weekend.
So, I’m officially moving to the DC area this September. (Yay!) It’ll be the furthest north I’ve lived, but I’m glad I’ll be able to see the Braves come to town. Anyone know about the Nats tickets packs? I imagine they’re about to get pretty expensive, but do they do 5- or 10- game packs where I could get a bunch of Braves games for not-too-much?
Good seats at Natspos park are expensive. The cheap seats are still pretty cheap, but they’ll go up next season.
Anyone read the article about the IRS taxing Olympic Medal Winners? Taxes on a gold medal could run as high as $8,986, while silver could be $5,385. On a bronze metal, the tax might be $3,500. Missy Franklin, high school student, already owes $14,000 in taxes.
Check this out – Gold Medal payouts
Italy – $186,400
Russia – $135,000
France – $65,200
Japan – $35,900
China – $31,400
USA – $25,000
Missy Franklin, high school student, is probably gouing to get about $2 million in endorsements. She can pay $14,000 in taxes on her earnings. I’m not sure why the US pays performance bonuses for medals, but the athletes who get them should pay their taxes.
This (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/atlanta-braves-pitcher-ben-sheets-great-under-the-radar-acquisition-080212) is a neat article about the details of how the Sheets signing went down, straight from Wren’s mouth.
But paying taxes on your earnings resulting from the Games is a different point from paying taxes on the medals themselves. The United States sends Olympic teams because it thinks that the teams represent the United States. It seems to me that medals that you win representing your country should be tax free. If she sells the medals, then tax the proceeds. I agree she should pay taxes on her actual earnings.
Do they tax the value of the medal itself? Like, based on its weight, purity of the gold, silver, or bronze, and going market value? Or do they base the tax penalty on the value of a 2012 Olympic Gold Medal being sold on eBay or something like that?
Interesting question.
Regardless, its not the stars who win a bunch in high profile events you’d feel bad for as much as the folks who win in minor events who probably won’t have as much of a chance for endorsements.
Still, makes you wonder why they don’t just waive the taxes as part of the gold medal payout.
You owe taxes on both, just as if you’d won a car on a game show. Most of the taxes are on the performance bonuses, not the medals. Bronze and silver are really cheap. Even a gold medal is only worth about $500. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_value_of_an_Olympic_gold_medal
@15
The story behind that is misleading. There have been a few follows in that last couple of days that note that most of these people don’t have to pay much, if any, taxes. A decent accountant can get around it.
#19 – The medal is only worth $600, its the $25,000 payout thats taxed.
@21-
I’m not sure if that makes me more or less confident in our tax code. Probably less….
Sponsors give the athletics 1099s for whatever they receive. Some training expenses are tax deductible. The swimmer at UVA turned down the $ to keep her scholarship.
So you’re saying they just treat the gold medal payout as earned income? Err… doesn’t that make perfect sense? What’s the problem?
@17, great article. Wren took “having a plan” to mean having an explicit day-by-day roadmap of how to get him into the rotation. That move won Sheets. Great work.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20120802/NEWS01/120802012/PolitiFact-Olympians-will-owe-9-000-taxes-their-medals-
@25 The problem is they didn’t earn it in America. We’re pretty much the only developed nation in the world that taxes income no matter where it is earned.
@15 – Those tax amounts the article cites ($8,986 for gold, $5,385 for silver, $3,500 for bronze) are making the assumption that the medal-winning american olympian is in the absolute highest income tax bracket – 35%. To be in that bracket you would be reporting an income of over $350,000.
@28: I have zero sympathy for theproblem of athletes being taxed on their earnings in london. Soldiers are being taxed on their earnings in Afghanistan as well. And I think that’s a lot more dangerous than rhythmic gymnastics.
Wait. They tax the medals/winnings, yet the athletes still compete for them? I’m confused. I’ve been told that if we tax things the creator class won’t makes us nice things any more.
@28 And you assume I’m for the latter? Believe it or not, we could fix both injustices.
@31 You’re an idiot.
So the Expos just got Kurt Suzuki. I think this makes them worse.
@11: so you did read it the first time 😀
@28, only if the person is subject to US tax AND there isn’t a reciprocal tax treaty with the country in question.
aaaand in the “that’s what I get for not checking first” department, the IRS TAXING OLYMPICS! claim is Norquist agit prop, which makes it politics, which means I ain’t talking about it any more
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/aug/01/americans-tax-reform/do-olympic-medalists-owe-9000-irs/
@31 You’re an idiot.
Now now, not everyone here loves Grover Norquist.
@36,
It figures.
@30 Military wages in combat zone are tax free. Military reup there so reenlistment bonuses are not taxed. They deserve the break. Other counties give bigger bonuses and do not tax them.
@39: Thx. I didn’t know that. looked it up and you are 100% correct.
@39, that is only completely true for enlisted personell, and even then only in designated combat zones. All other overseas military personnel pay the same as civilians.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=101262,00.html
Guess I started this, my apologies.
Good Lord, this is like a law school individual tax class. Boooring.
What I find fascinating about Wren is how many bad deals he’s been saved from because of last minute falling outs (Furcal, Griffey, Dempster). Would we look at him differently if those deals had happened?
Why were the Griffey and Furcal deals bad deals? Would Griffey have been worse than Garrett Anderson, aka ACHE? Would that even be possible? And why would the Furcal deal have been bad? Because Kelly Johnson worked out so well? Both of those deals would’ve made the team either better or the same.
The only “bad deal” that he thought was done that didn’t happen was the Escobar-for-Peavy deal, and I don’t know that you can call that trade bad, either, looking back. Neither Escobar nor Peavy turned out very well afterward.
Well, we don’t really know what the Dempster deal would’ve looked like, for all our grousing about giving up Delgado. We don’t know exactly what we would’ve gotten in return. So much depends on what we would’ve had to pay Furcal or Griffey too.
I think we have to assume that the deal was either Dempster and cash for Delgado or Dempster and Reed Johnson for Delgado and Chapman or someone similar, based on what we’ve heard and what transpired later. And we can’t properly call it a bad deal for awhile unless Dempster totally washes out the rest of the year.
Bethany, do you approve?
http://www.lostlettermen.com/hot-pants-heat-up-auburn-fall-practice/
@45 Just because the alternative ended up being ACHE doesn’t make signing an ancient Griffey a good move. Furcal was also old, injury riddled and expensive.
@48 I do not. The less skin showing the better.
And probably drunk.
Billy Cuningham split his basketball shorts in an all star game. Different era
Philly papers are claiming that Lee has been claimed off waivers…also Blanton has been traded.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/Report_Cliff_Lee_claimed_off_waivers.html
Is someone blocking a waiver deal? Does he have more value than what he is owed?
@17 That article about Sheets was amazing, thanks Pete!
Just because he’s claimed doesn’t mean they’ll let the claiming team have him. July waivers are revocable waivers, different from waivers for the purpose of unconditional release.
Who’s fatter: Terrence Cody or Terrence Cody?
Every year in August, tons of good, useful players are put on waivers. When sports writers can’t think of something to write about, they put out stories about players getting claimed off of waivers. In and of itself, Lee being claimed means nothing.
I think the Phils would give Cliff away for nothing. He’s owed a lot of cash.
Dodgers earn Cliff Lee trading rights.
Claim rights, that is.
So, it’s Star Wars night at the Ted, inspiring two questions:
1) Can Darth Vader hit a curve ball?
2) Does Yoda’s height confine him to the bullpen, despite the wicked movement he somehow gets on his pitches?
I should add that I once saw Kenobi knock the cover off a ball. I swear his bat was glowing.
Dodgers already got Blanton today, I doubt they’ll pull off taking 2/5ths of the Phils rotation.
Though it would be an interesting way to build a team. Basically, the Dodgers have been collecting big contracts for players other teams didn’t think were worth the money anymore.
@62, Didn’t Smoltz use the Imperial March music for a minute when he was a closer? Always thought that was totally badass.
I just feel like the Dodgers are assembling a transformer made up of clunkers that’s going to fall apart in October.
Go Braves. Whup those Astros.
Man, it sure looked like he caught that at first.
I like Darth Vader very much. But he no help with curve ball.
Tim’s doing his Hanson impression.
Come on, boys. It’s the Astros, for Pete’s sake.
Damon got DFA’d today. No 3000 hits for you.
I’m not sure it really counts as a Hanson with no walks and no steals allowed.
Shaky though and a ton of pitches.
Good inning, Huddy.
CHIPPA!!!!!
Chipper!
Chipper Jones has no limitations with a bat in his hand.
And Heyward scores from first on a double again.
More scoring from first on doubles.
HOLY CRAP!
They seem to have scored that a hit.
Rain is comin’.
How nice of the Astros to make outs on three straight pitches then. Let’s hurry up and make this one official.
Life on the Edge, Tim.
Man alive, Bourn can fly.
Double time!
And it’s official. Bring on the rain!
Fish just grabbed a lead in the nightcap with Washington. 3-1 Fish.
Oh lay off it, Astros. Enough with the hissy fits.
89- Exactly. The Astros need to deal with the fact that they suck.
Can’t blame this one on Jim Joyce, Gallarraga
Not Jason’s best night at the plate.
Got lazy, BMac.
BMac’s no Bourn.
Freeman’s plate discipline over the past five or six weeks has been amazing. It almost came out of nowhere–not that I’m complaining.
Good job, Huddy. I was afraid we’d need 5 innings from the bullpen, nice fighting through.
Kimbrell may be okay.
Any chance Hudson makes it into the Hall? IDK. What if he makes it to 200 wins? Will that be enough in the modern era? Do people even care about pitching wins anymore (see AL Cy Young – King Felix)?
I’m kind of up in the air about Hudson in the hall. Sure, no Cy, but he’s been so consistently good for so long it’s hard not to think about it.
It’s not even fair.
Kimbrel krushes them again!
And the Nats finish losing their nightcap to Miami. Two back.
GO FISH. NATS LOSE.
Fish hangs on for a 5-2 win.
Wait, who won the second Nats game? Does anyone on the internet know this?
18-6 since July 3. For all the grousing, they’ve had a nice 4 weeks.
Coulda, shoulda, woulda been 24-0
So about taxes…
Janish may not be Barry Bonds but I’m pretty damn glad we picked him up. I don’t think I could’ve stomached a Pastornicky/Wilson platoon for two months while Simmons is on the mend.
65, Smoltzie also used “Dancing Queen” once, which wasn’t quite as badass.
Personally, I would go with “Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?”
Bourn: 7th (same)and 2nd by position
Heyward: 8th (down 1)and 1st by position
Prado: 15th (up 2)and 4th by position
Chipper: 31st (down 1)and 5th by position
McCann: 37th (down 5) and 6th by position
Uggla: 48th (down 1) and 6th by position
Freeman: 50th (same)and 6th by position
Simmons: 58th(down 2)and 7th by position
R. Johnson: 90th (up 2)
Ross: 98th (up 1)
Francisco: 110th (down 4)
@108
Agreed. According to fangraphs, he’s coming in at a 0 WAR player for the year, meanwhile Wilson and Rev were much worse than that.
As long as Janish reaches first base somewhere in the neighborhood of 30% of the time, he’s doing the job.
If Janish would swing at fewer (and more hittable) pitches, he’d really be a valuable player as his defense is extraordinary.
As it is, his hitting is going to relegate him to backup status.
Auburn caught a break. Sammy Watkins is out for a marijuana infraction.
@114 I feel the same way, I wish he’d swing less. But, all things considered he was a great pickup.
@115 Hah, well we’ll need some help this year.
Janish has been a very good pickup, Fransisco has been looking better lately also
Early returns on Alex Wood look promising. Does he start next season at high A or are the Braves aggressive with him as they were with Minor and Gilmartin?
I rather like Francisco. He looks like a legitimate threat against righties.
One possibility for the Braves next year would be to find a cheap platoon partner for him (like Jeff Baker) and leave Prado in left. Alternatively, they could platoon him with Reed Johnson: play Prado at 3B and Johnson in left against lefties, and Francisco at 3B and Prado in left against righties. That way they could save money on left field and pay up for a CF and SP. Still, Prado wouldn’t like that, I suspect–and rightfully so.
Prado doesn’t have emotions, because they take time away from thinking about baseball.
I’ll be doing recaps this weekend. Today’s will be delayed to sunday am but tomorrow’s would be up soon after the game.
Was at the game last night. Fun game, fun atmosphere, and Kimbrel domination was pretty awesome. Night was awesome until we were walking back and saw that my friend’s car had been broken into. Kind of put a damper on the whole thing.
I think Martin Prado wants to win baseball games. If platooning between 3B/LF means we can keep Bourn, I think he’d be down.
How is Franciso’s defense? Seems weak even with Simmons. Is small sample size enough to determine difference between bad and really bad like it was for TP?
It’s going to take more than a good month from Francisco to convince me he’s worth using on a regular basis.
120—I think Gattis is gonna be the guy in left. And I hope it’s gonn be Bourn in center and Heyward in right, but I’m a little terrified that it’s gonna be Heyward in center and Swisher in right.
Would Bourn (or, more precisely, his agent) even consider an extension now or is he going to wait for Free Agency?
We might (might) survive losing Chipper, but not Chipper and Bourn.
————-
You think Gattis will be ready by next year? Hope you’re right. What a story if true.
————-
As it gets closer, the idea of working so hard all year to make the WC and then getting bounced after ONE game is just intolerable. Play 154 in the regular season and make the WC playoff a best 2 of 3.
I forget – are the Uptons twins?
Kinda cool they both hit their 100th homeruns on the same night.
Not twins. Three or so years apart.
@128 – He’s a Boras client, so he’s going to free agency.
@128: Intolerable? What about all the times it’s already happened… including last year for the Braves and Red Sox. (It just happened in game 162, not 163) Or the one game playoffs when there have been wild card ties. Really doesn’t seem that different to me.If you want to avoid it, win the division.
I know I’m in the minority, but I like the one game playoff. It puts more pressure on teams to go for the division and I dunno, I like the idea of a baseball team having to go all out to win one game to survive.
I’m happy to be in any minority Bethany is in.
Oh, and Ruiz just got put on the DL.
I like anything that makes not winning your division a hefty penalty, but the fact is, one of those teams will go forward, and the current system admits two non-winners to the lottery instead of just one. Baseball has the longest season, purportedly to sort out who the best teams are during that period, not to throw the whole business away for a coin flip.
If the Braves don’t want to get bounced in a 1-game play-in game, they should win their damned division. If they can’t win their division, they deserve what they get.
MLB will never go back to 154 games. There’s no reason why the 20 clubs that don’t make the post-season should have to give up 4 home gates to accommodate the clubs that do.
What I think we’ll find this year with the 2 WC games is some drama (manufactured, yes) that we don’t always get every year. One-game playoffs are fun. Ultimate games in best-of-5s or best-of-7s are fun. They can make for some great interest & great viewing.
I have all kinds of problems with the non-balanced schedule & its implications with the WC, but for the moment, I’m just going to go with the new WC plan. The more pressure, the bigger the games, the higher the interest.
Last year, actually, was a terrificly competitive post-season (Braves fans, of course, were officially excused from paying too much attention). But for me, the 2007 post-season will always hold a special place in the bummer-post-season hall of fame.
All 3 NL series were sweeps. In the ALDS you had a sweep & a 4-gamer. Then in the ALCS you might’ve had the least-compelling 7-game series in Major League history–6 of the 7 games were blowouts, including Boston winning the last 3 games by 30-5. Then, of course, the WS was a sweep, the biggest rubout in WS history.
Lord knows, MLB doesn’t do everything right when it comes to fairness, balance, etc., but I’ll give this one a chance.
127–Gattis might end up being a lefty masher, for what it’s worth. Certainly, the team needs one. Still.
Damn this Barbasol commercial.
America, you’re looking good: Handsome, free and tall.
Recapped.