“If you want it, you got it, Just bust a move.” Young MC came to mind today and I wish he was right. But “you want it, you got it” rarely happens.

In fact, it is next to never that Young MC’s notion comes to pass in my life! I bet the same is true for you. And, unfortunately, the results from our “Who would you rather…?” game shoot the young rapper’s lyrics full of holes, too.

You would rather…play the Marlins

When choosing the NLDS opponent for the Braves, 96% of Braves Journal readers would rather play the Fish. When choosing between Miami and the Philthies, the choice was overwhelming. Unfortunately for Braves Journalers, its getting late in Game 2 and the Fish are flopping around and apparently out of water. Aaron Nola has wiggled out of trouble on a couple of occasions and I’m already sick of the gorilla gyrations.

…beat the Philthies

Again, Braves Journalers where united as 92% want to beat the Philthies. Philly is more of a rivalry, and they are far more unlikeable than the Fish. These two facts alone make me wonder why this wasn’t 100% of the vote. And then if you throw in Jorge Soler losing a playoff game to the Braves apparently feels like more than we can bear. Hopefully, Young MC is right here and we can bust a move with a 3-1 series win over those Philthy Philthies!

You would rather…see Max Fried start Game One

I wish Snit had called yesterday before the open-to-the-fans scrimmage. But, alas, he didn’t – and Max Fried threw 76 pitches against the B-team. It was good to hear that Sean Murphy and Kevin Pillar launched missiles against a great pitcher. But, the fact that Max gave up two homers has some in Braves Country concerned. Unfortunately, the 67% of us who wanted Max to start Game One will probably not be busting any moves. Fried is the likely Game Two starter. The good news is we have Spencer Strider to make the Game One start. Let’s hope he is dialed in!

You would rather…see AJ Smith-Shawver be the third starter

When choosing between Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Jesse Chavez being our third starter, opinions are mixed. Smith-Shawver received 46% of the votes, followed by Elder (29%) and Chavez (25%). It is like that Kyle Wright will follow up any of these three, depending on their effectiveness. And word out of yesterday’s simulated game reported that Smith-Shawver didn’t give up a hit in five innings against the best lineup in baseball…without Marcell OHzuna in the lineup, that is.

Thanks for playing along. We shall see how Snit manages the team and how what we would rather see plays itself out early next week. Playing the Fish would have been easier, but I really want the Braves to stick it to the Philthies and am glad they will get them in the next round. It sounds like the bats were solid again today in the pre-NLDS scrimmage. Word out of Truist is that Ronald Acuña Jr., Travis d’Arnaud, and OHzuna all homered twice, while Austin Riley also hit a missile.

The NLDS is gonna be high-drama, must-see TV. And here’s the thing, I would much rather be the Braves than the Philthies. Beat those Philtie dogs, boys, and let’s bust a move into the NLCS!