When the site started, it was one guy, Mac Thomason. And man, I sure do miss him a lot. I can’t write like him, so I’m going to let him speak for me. We have an “About” page that you can find in the top header, and this is what it says:
About
This site has no affiliation with the Atlanta Braves, the National League, Major League Baseball, or the state of Georgia. Blog posts are my work, except when they are not. Republication with attribution is acceptable. Republication without attribution is not and my relatives are all lawyers.
This is a weblog of opinion. I make no particular effort to be neutral, unless I feel like it. I do generally attempt to be fair to individual Braves players, unless I don’t like them.
All statements of fact on this site are true, unless I am lying. Or joking. Or mistaken.
The commenting policy is simple. Be nice to me, and be nice to your fellow posters. Don’t use extreme profanity. Don’t make comments slandering entire groups of people. Use common sense. Basically, treat this forum like a civilized conversation. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t want your mother to hear you say, or that would likely provoke a fight in person. Don’t discuss politics or religion, two things that get people riled up and which nobody’s going to come to an agreement on.
There is one judge, me. Everyone gets one warning. On the second offense, you’re banned. You can appeal to me via email but insulting the judge is a very bad way to get him to agree with you.
I’d like to emphasize some points made in the final two paragraphs. The first paragraph outlines probably the best way I would know how to identify what things will get you banned on this site.
The second is where we need to get back to. I genuinely apologize if I have been too aggressive in my arguments, especially after taking over as editor. Chief, I love you, but man, you drive me bonkers sometimes. And everyone, I assure you I won’t be discussing Keith Law any further. 🙂 But going forward, if someone crosses The Line, then you’re going to get one warning, and then you’re gone. And just like Mac, I’m going to be making The Line. If you don’t like The Line, do your best to avoid The Line. If you feel like The Line is just so woefully inconsistent that it offends you on a molecular level, then tough. Sam, this is your first and final warning.
Even if you completely disagree with a blog post or a comment, even if that post or comment is rooted so deeply in nonsense that you just want to chuck your computer or never read this Often Silly Site(TM) again, don’t cross The Line.
Go Braves.
Mac’s words. #Respect
I do apologize for poking the bear last post and will refrain from doing so in the future.
Does anyone know of a reliable website for valuing baseball cards? Does anyone collect baseball cards as a hobby?
I think it is a good idea to remind everyone of the rules from time to time. That being said, I’m going to defend Sam.
Did he make an ad hominem attack somewhere in the last thread that I missed? He argued with the author of the previous entry on its contents, which should be fine, but I missed where there were any personal attacks. Doesn’t mean they weren’t made, I just did not see any skimming through the last thread.
I don’t think this should be a place where spirited debate should be looked down upon. If, in fact, there were attacks made then I retract my statement here.
@2 I used to, but I stopped somewhere in the 90’s when the market got over saturated. I do have a couple of Willie Mays from 1969 and a Hank Aaron from 1969. The meat of my collection was the 1982-1986 time when Topps came out with the extended/traded sets. I have a bunch of Ripken rookie cards from 1982ish but the cornerstones of my collection used to be my array of Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden rookie cards that are now worth zilch. But no, I do not know a reliable site for valuing cards but I should also find one…lol
I do agree with Dylan in the last thread. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Camargo has suddenly gotten a good amount of playing time right after Snitker made the comments to DOB.
Sam makes me laugh and this place would be worse without him. Please don’t issue ultimatums. And please don’t take internet baseball arguments so seriously.
It is truly a testament to Sam’s talent at straddling the line that pretty much every time he does it I think he’s going too far, but pretty much every time the site admin at the time issues him an official warning, I find myself thinking that’s a bit much.
Returning to the last thread w/r/t fatigue and 2nd half performances, it seems like there are some easily testable hypotheses that could shine some light on this given all the data available nowadays. Like, if a player’s legs are getting tired, then maybe he’ll have less range in the field, so you look to see if his range factor declines in the 2nd half. Or his average sprint speed is demonstrably down. Maybe use average exit velocity to see if it’s affecting him at the plate. Obviously none of these things are assessing only one factor- fatigue in this case- but you should be able to assemble a proxy that would give you a good indication. It’s hard for me to believe that teams aren’t already actively doing this, with much better tests/ideas than I just presented.
I like Sam on this blog for what it’s worth. I enjoy his comments and I think they are a valuable addition to the best website on the internet.
I love this blog. Thanks for keeping it running so well, Rob.
Without the Sith Lords, the Jedi are just a bunch of stuffy, overly self-important, religious zealots taking offense any time someone questions their theocratic system of belief. Ya know?
@3 – there was a moment in my original “facts not in evidence” post where the phrase “insipidly stupid” may have been used.
@8, given the amount of data out there, teams very well may be doing exactly that. Looping it back to evaluation of a manager, though, creates some odd inferences. Picking Markakis as an example in 2018, do we believe (a) that Snit knew he was running out of gas but stubbornly refused to give him a day off, (b) that Neck somehow overrode Snit and forced his way into the lineup, or (c) that Snit didn’t see that Neck was wearing out, despite not only having access to the relevant data, but also having the ability to, y’know, ASK Neck directly? None of those things seems all that likely to me.
I think it’s fair to question whether Snit did the right thing by continuing to run Markakis out there every day when he was clearly slumping. Attributing that slump to fatigue, though, requires us to make assumptions about things we don’t know, but that Snit probably does know.
@11, no argument from me that Snit and the organization in general know things that we don’t and probably can’t. But it’s at least plausible to me that the org had run all the analytics and the results were that none of the “fatigue indicators” were in the red, Snit talked to Markakis and he said he wasn’t even remotely tired, and the best they could come up with was that he needed to play himself out of his slump. I’m not saying that happened or even that if it did running him out there as opposed to giving him a few days off was the right call, just that it’s as plausible an explanation as those you offered. It’s certainly fair to question whether the right thing was done. I just tend to think that there’s a very rigorous decision-making process involved that utilizes all the information we as fans can see plus a ton we can’t, and then the Braves act accordingly.
BJ Upton must’ve been really tired. Really really tired.
In my return, I want to share a few things:
I’ve never really left. I still came around, checked up on the blog at least once daily. It has been bookmarked in every computer I’ve owned since my first purchase. I ventured around the internet and put roots down at Tomahawk Take and Walkoff Walk and it started because I did a piece on Braves Journal that landed me the gigs. But I’ll be completely honest with everyone here:
I was utterly terrified to write on Braves Journal.
There’s no denying that if one were to take the average IQ of this place, it’d far surpass any other Braves site and, by in large, any other sports blog out there. Mac set the bar high for all of us and he attracted intelligent people. That’s a major component that brings every regular back to this site and why I’ve been here for 15 plus years.
Unlike most Braves Journalers, Dylan and I are very active in the Braves Twitter community. It’s a great place for discussion (if one carefully filters who to follow) and news. Many of the points that Dylan made in his previous post was not speculation, rather it was real statements from Anthopoulos, Snitker, and Freddie:
1. Acuña leading off
2. Traditional manager
3. Donaldson brought on to make Camargo SU and to provide rest
The problem? The assumptions that the statements were common knowledge of everyone here. And I get it. Sam said it. Braves Journal will not fall victim to groupthink and therefore most here won’t join up on Twitter as it’s not for them. For that, I applaud you.
However, I’m going to go back to the original point, this is sometimes a very tough crowd and I only now gained the courage to come back to write here. I guess I’m comfortable in my writing niche to take some criticisms as mostly my stuff is speculative and/or MilLB pieces, which are full of educated opinion, and can be debated. I know I’m in the lower tier in intelligence when I pull up this url, but 1 thing I know and know well is human emotion. I’m an empathetic person and consider it a blessing and a curse. It makes me a better person, but it also gets me in situations like yesterday when I should’ve just left it alone and not butted in for my friend.
And what ended up happening? The same dang thing that made me insecure enough to leave here and seek writing elsewhere.
I don’t say any of this for sympathy. I’m back here because I love this place and want to see it do great things. But I’d like for us all to be a little more welcoming to new people. If I have my way, BJ is going to grow and new names will pop up in the comments. However, if we make them feel unwelcome, the place we’ve called the best blog on the internet, will cease and we’ll be left wondering…
What if.
Respect Mac’s wishes. Let’s be nice. You too, Ryan.
Would you do a Folty+ Allard+ Contereas
for Zack Greinke if they picked up some of the money?
Subtract Folty, add Gausman and O’Day. No $ involved.
@14: concur.
We’re smart, maybe brilliant. And good looking, real purty. Sweet too: we play well with others.
Most of all, we’re humble. Despite our many talents and virtues, we’re mighty humble. I tell you what, I like us a lot.
Go Braves!
There really ought to be a Keith Law exception, though.
@17 for sure the best at being humble.
I’m humbler than all you mopes.
So there.
When reading the comments in the lead post I was wondering why you singled out Republican attribution when i also considered the no politics rule. Now that I read that Republication attribution, never mind.
Ender started a rehab assignment. Will be interesting to see if they go with an additional man on the bench or DFA Joyce (which would suck). I don’t think they want to send down Camargo who is the top backup in the infield.
Camargo is the only one with options and they would be sending down their most versatile bench weapon. I will be shocked if Ender plays for the big league club.
It’s a balancing act. Matt Joyce is a quality stick off the bench, but his presence in lieu of Ender means Culberson is never going to get playing time, as he’s the only guy on the roster who can slide into CF if something happens to Acuna.
Inciarte does have options left, right? If so just stash him in AAA as insurance.
I’d give Ender the opportunity to rehab, and if he hits nominally well at AAA, at least consider having him back in CF. Acuna is a bad defensive CF right now, and Ender helps that.
I’m at the game. Feels like playoff atmosphere.
Hope you enjoyed that well-pitched inning,Tfloyd; hope the rest of your game gets even better. Enjoy.
Three minutes into the game and the ump has missed two calls against keuchel and gifted two strikes for Nola.
Bring on the robo-umps.
Enjoy TFloyd!
Edit make that three gifts for Nola in two batters faced. This ump is garbage.
I don’t think there is a place for Ender to start barring injury. The team caught fire when Austin Riley joined. There is a need for a defensive replacement late in games — Ender could come in to play CF and shift RAJ to LF.
One would think they would send down a reliever to make room for Ender and have a 5 man bench.
This is all assuming Ender is healthy.
Get well, Ender, but slowly.
I know the offense has been great, but it really just hit me now when looking at the stats for the starters today. The lowest OBP of any regular is Riley at .326. Amazing.
Had too many seasons of at least 2-3 players struggling to reach .300 OBP. As many have said, just removing black-holes in the line-up makes everything so much better. Fingers crossed it lasts another 3-4 months.
Make mine a double, Neck.
Jeff F is competent plus. Nola looks tough.
Keuchel is doing exactly what we paid for tonight so far.
@2 Beckett was always the gold standard when I was collecting (about 10 years before Putter). Don’t trust me, though, I just sold some cards for $200 without checking current prices (my brain was somewhere in the 90s, I think). After checking, I think they were worth somewhere between $500 and $1000 wholesale (not retail). Several of the ’71 Topps with the black edge that were hard to keep in decent shape. A bunch of ’70, ’69, ’68 commons that I thought were about $0.50 per card and should have been $1.00-$2.00 per card. With a stack big enough, it adds up. I still have my ’75, ’76, ’77 Topps sets plus some good cards that I didn’t let go. I think I still have the ’70 Mays in good shape. I really had no idea how much my older cards in good shape were worth. OY.
Good walk. I approve.
Shows you what I know.
@37 good walk and bad first pitch
I like Kingery. (Dang, Dansby. Woo!) He looks like a ballplayer.
What am I seeing about Keuchel that makes him any different than a left-handed Julio? His max speed is about 88. He cannot seem to knock that ERA down below 5.00. His FIP was over 7.00 before this game began. He’s about 1.5 HR/9 over his career average and striking out 2 men per 9 fewer than his career average. How many starts does he need to tune up? If he had pitched more innings, his numbers might have looked even worse.
He seems to be doing better tonight, but I’ll hold my judgement until after he goes 7 tonight or after the Braves score at least one freaking run. Nola is not pitching that well.
BMac seems to make a habit of picking us up when no one else will hit.
I have not weighed in on the last thread because I have been on sparsely while on vacation….. I agreed with AAR (and Sam minus the invective). Among other statements, I found questionable, the assertion that “Atlanta will suffer the same 2nd half fall they did a season ago” is completely incorrect. The Braves ended the first half and began the 2nd half slumping to 2nd place in the division but they surged hard after Aug 1st and from Aug 1st to the end of the season, they were one of the best teams in baseball. So, while exhaustion may have been a factor to some guys, it certainly was not team-wide and the Braves had a great 2nd half. The 1st half was worse because the team was not set for most of the time either at 3B or in the pitching staff. Camargo solved the 3B problem late in the first half and AA solved the pitching problem at the deadline (Gausman, Brach, Venters and Sept 1st callups).
Second three innings were not as crisp as the first.
I have to agree. He looks closer to a BOR guy than a TOR guy. He isn’t going to strike many guys out and has to limit the walks and keep the ball on the ground. Not a lot of margin for error.
Both teams are hitting a lot of at em’ balls.
When was the last time our SP pitched into the 7th?
@45 four days ago – Soroka.
Keuchel pitched well tonight. I said this in his first start, but he reminds me of Mike Hampton in 03-04.
Good outing, Dallas. Let’s score some runs, Braves.
I will admit, Keuchel has stuck it out and, like I said in my post, I reserved my judgement until he might make it through the 7th which he’s done. The Phillies helped him a lot by swinging at a lot of first pitches. The recap will be positive about Keuchel.
The offense stinks tonight and not just because Nola is pitching so well. Hopefully, we get two innings against the bullpen and can make something happen.
I used to comment on this site rather frequently, back when Mac was around. Good to see that a lot of the community is still intact, but I will never understand why this one particular problem is allowed to stick around. Every time I’ve thought about returning, I see him pull a stunt like what happened in the last thread, and remember “oh, that’s right, I left in the first place because life is too short for this mess.”
If someone presents themselves as thought opposition to shake things up from supposed groupthink in a community, and perpetuates that persona for themselves over a long stretch of time, that person isn’t sticking around for any reason other than to stir the pot, and isn’t acting in good faith.
Time to break through, Braves, let’s get Nola out of there.
Everything Nola has thrown the last couple of innings has been on the black.
Until Dansby popped up that hanger.
Nola shut us down. I’m impressed, but I do so hate the Phillies.
It seems like we always lose the day after an off day
Absolutely no reason to leave Blevins in to face any righties.
@54 No reason at all. Not the best idea and I figure this is going to cost us. Probably won’t matter, but still…
I was about to say, it seems that Snitker is throwing in the towel by leaving him in.
Well, our offense really sucks. I have no opinion as to whether they are tired.
recapped
given the amount of data out there, teams very well may be doing exactly that. Looping it back to evaluation of a manager, though, creates some odd inferences. Picking Markakis as an example in 2018, do we believe (a) that Snit knew he was running out of gas but stubbornly refused to give him a day off, (b) that Neck somehow overrode Snit and forced his way into the lineup, or (c) that Snit didn’t see that Neck was wearing out, despite not only having access to the relevant data, but also having the ability to, y’know, ASK Neck directly? None of those things seems all that likely to me.
I think it’s fair to question whether Snit did the right thing by continuing to run Markakis out there every day when he was clearly slumping. Attributing that slump to fatigue, though, requires us to make assumptions about things we don’t know, but that Snit probably does know.