My vacation / convention disconnect began on last Thursday and ended around 2:30 yesterday. Hmm? So, Braves won for me last Wednesday, then have won every game played since.

The score is a true possible football score. This is like a late 60’s SEC clash between a pretty good team and a not too good (but not awful) team. A touchdown, extra point, and 2 field goals. Then, running the punter out of bounds in the end zone with a minute left to give the defense some depth (because almost no SEC team could score without running the ball and churning clock).

What about what ACTUALLY happened? the first 3 innings were some combination of good pitching, good defense, bad hitting, and bad baserunning. One Brave caught stealing and one Unathletic. How often in the “modern game” do we see that? Even see 2 attempts in a game? But it was zero to zero.

Well, Cousin Ian wobbled in the 4th. Gave up some well hit balls, made a run scoring wild pitch. Two total runs scored. BUT, he got out of that and got through 6 with no more scoring and in fairly good order. When he finished he had given up 6 hits and 2 walks (WHIP 1.33) and got 5 strikeouts (K / 9: 7.5). So a workmanlike number 3 or 4 start for a division contending club. One run better than a “minimal quality start.” That will do except when the offense is in the pits.

Well, the offense got out of the pit in the 4th inning with an eventual Ozzie sacrifice fly getting one back.

Then, in inning 5, it continued. When you start out “walk, double, triple” that is usually good, and it was. The triple was by our “gift from Grissom” otherwise known as Michael Harris, II and it put the Braves on top 3 to 2. From above, you can count and tell that that was in the old vernacular “the game winning rbi.” Before the end of the inning, Riley did that thing he does where he hits the ball a long way in fair territory and gets people excited. 5 to 2 Braves.

In inning 6, Contreras did that thing he does that is kind of like that Riley thing. 6 o 2. Chavez got a perfect inning in 7.

In inning 7, the Braves, to quote Bum Phillips, “kicked the g d door in.” Also, they scored the touchdown and kicked the extra point. I think at that point win probability was 99.9%.

Jim West gave up 1 hit and no runs in inning 8 and Jesus Cruz gave up one hit but got a K in inning 9. I didn’t remember we HAD a “Jesus Cruz.” And, on ESPN”s site, I couldn’t find how he landed in ATL. The mlb .com showed he was cut by Cardinals at end of spring training, was signed as a minor league FA by ATL and sent t0 the Stripers, then called up. If the question was “Who knew?” the answer was “not Cliff.”

Thanks, Ryan for keeping the site going. You have a servant’s heart and it shows. Some of us technical semi – literates can’t really make the bit and byte stuff work, but we will try to help in other ways.

Mets’ lead down to 7 games with their loss last night. I can’t help but visualize a cartoon by Sam C. Rawls, byline Scrawls, in the AJC about September 1, 1993 which showed a side view of a driver in a car. The driver appeared to be Barry Bonds. The earring was a question mark. The side mirror had a caption “Objects in mirror could be closer than they appear.” And, a tomahawk was split into the top of that mirror. Maybe we will get to see that again. Only time will say.