Daniel Doyle's Atlanta Braves fan blog

You never want to be the man that follows The Man. It's a much safer situation to be the man that follows the man that followed The Man. To follow a legend, almost always leads to a predictable demise. That legend, whether a player, coach, or general manager, has obviously set such a high level of expectation, that his successor really has no choice but to fail. This was the thinking for Atlanta Braves fans when John Schuerholz left his position of General Manager and put Frank Wren in his former place.

You see, over the run of 14 consecutive division titles, Schuerholz became as much of a respected icon as the Braves manager, Bobby Cox, himself. From the worst-to-first season in 1991 to the "Baby Braves" divisional title in 2005, seemingly every move Schuerholz had a hand in turned to gold for Atlanta. So when Frank Wren was named the new General Manager of the Braves in October of 2007, skepticism flooded through the Atlanta faithful. Now that it is coming up on the completion of his second full season as General Manager, let's take a look at what he has been able to accomplish.

Continue reading "Wren's Not So Bad After All"

Try not to think about what might have been, cause that was then. And we have taken different roads. Those are lyrics from the song What Might Have Been, by the country band Little Texas. Please excuse me, as I have listened to this piece of music several times since I heard news of the Atlanta Braves trade of Jeff Francoeur.

Several weeks ago, I actually wrote an article claiming that it was time for the Braves and Francoeur to go their seperate ways, in hope that each party could find true happiness and success apart. That was my head talking. The part of me that wants what is best for the Atlanta Braves and their playoff chances. I never thought about the bond that had been formed between Frenchy and the Atlanta area.

Francoeur had lofty expectations placed upon his shoulders when he debuted for his hometown team in the summer of 2005. That season was supposed to be the year that the Atlanta Braves string of division titles came to an end. It was a transition year of sorts, with Atlanta integrating several rookies into prominent roles with their club. However, with instant contributions from the likes of Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, Wilson Betemit, Pete Orr, Kyle Davies, and Francoeur, the team took the National League East crown for the 14th consecutive year. The group of youngsters were labeled the

Continue reading "What Might Have Been"

Steve McNair's untimely death has struck the hearts of Tennessean's and football fans all over.

Toughness. It's a quality that is not only wanted, but is of the utmost importance in the National Football League. Not many players had more of it than Steve McNair. He played with terrible knees, worn out legs, and even a ruptured sternum. Titans fans became spoiled being able to have a quarterback with such a high tolerance for pain. He was the Superman of the Tennessee Titans franchise.

Living in Tennessee for the past nine years, I have seen and read quite a bit about McNair, from his play on Sunday's to some off his off the field run ins with the law(mainly D.U.I's). I consider myself a fair-weather Titan fan, and for whatever reason, McNair was a very likeable figure in this state. Playing through injuries is always a great way to earn fans' respect, but there was something more to "Air McNair." Behind his facemask, there was a certain twinkle in his eye. He could often be found wearing a big smile and was always considered a consumate teammate during his tenure with the Titans. Even with the aforementioned D.U.I's, his reputation never took a hit in Nashville. Additionially, none of his problems with the law were ever related to violence, which makes the circumstances surrounding his death even more shocking.

Continue reading "A Fallen Titan"

With Atlanta's three game sweep of the division leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves find themselves only two games out of first place in the National League East.

I just got back home from Turner Field, and was fortunate enough to see the Braves break out the brooms against the first place Phills. To say Atlanta needed those three games, would be a huge understatement. After losing 6 out of 9 against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Braves were desperate to turn things around and at least give themselves a shot in the race for the N.L. East. There was no better time to get three wins than against a Philly ball club that beat them every time the two teams met at Turner Field in 2008.

Incredibly, the offense that has been so miserable all season, figured it out. Who knows, maybe it will be their most potent output of the year, and the bats will come back down to earth. Make that below the earth, because they have not been good enough to be called mediocre until this Phillies series. Martin Prado became a catalyst for a club that has had only three solid hitters this year( Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar). Prado nearly won the first game of the series by himself. He went 4-5 and drove in four runs, including the game-tying and game-winning RBI's.

Continue reading "The Braves are Back..... Maybe."

The Braves rookie has become the team's "stopper."

When Atlanta called Hanson up to make his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7th, expectations were sky high from people all over the league. The heralded righty turned in a rather sub par performance that day, but since then has been very R.O.Y.-esque.

His next start against Baltimore he allowed 2 earned runs, and those would be the last two he has given up to date. His consecutive scoreless inning streak is up to 21, which is no small feat for any pitcher, much less a rookie. Those 21 innings have come against some pretty solid offenses such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Ever heard of those teams?

What most people have already forgotten, is that Hanson is the main reason that Tom Glavine was cut. Some blamed it on those tight wads at Liberty Mutual, and the one million dollars that would have been owed Glavine had he been placed on the active roster. The real story was, Atlanta needed a fifth starter. Jo-Jo Reyes had been getting drummed every outing and Kris Medlen was a stopgap until the decision was made between the two Tommy's. Braves management deemed Hanson the most suited to fill out the rotation, and so far, he has made them look pretty smart.

Continue reading "Tommy Hanson Continues to Impress"

The Bronx Bombers unleashed their fury in Atlanta, Georgia for two nights this week.

As an avid Braves fan, I should have known it was far too good to be true. The first game and a half of a three game set went as perfect as a game and a half could go for Atlanta. They shut out a 200 million dollar lineup for 14 straight innings. Hell, Kenshin Kawakami and Kris Medlen had combined for a perfect game for the first five innings of the second game. Then, the law of averages caught up with the Braves.

You see, winning those 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005 really has us screwed now. Having Cy Young Award winners filling the rotation for all those years has simply caught up to the Braves. And now, Atlanta cannot get the ball to take a single bounce their way. And in a game of inches, one bounce means a lot.

Continue reading "Braves Get Bombed"

Cleveland, don't start planning the first Cavaliers victory parade in franchise history for 2010 just yet. Shaquille O'Neal is far from the answer.

One of the first things I heard when O'Neal was dealt, is that Cleveland now has a low post scoring option. I cannot argue with that. Shaq can still be a valuable contributor when he is on the floor. There is no doubt, if he can stay healthy over an entire year, a 20 and 10 campaign is certainly not out of the question. He put up a very solid 17.8 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds per game last season. He is entering a contract year,  and perhaps that motivation can provide a little improvement in both areas.

Motivation can only go so far though. Contract year motivation cannot do anything if Shaq is in a snazzy suit on the sideline. Before last season, in which he played in 75 games, O,Neal was on a definite downward spiral. In 2006-07 he played in 40 games, followed by a 33 game year, and then in 07-08 he played a measly 28 games. In fact, O'Neal's 75 game year this past season, was the most games he had appeared in since the 1999-2000 campaign. Not to be pessimistic, but as a guy that believes in the law of averages, Shaq is due to miss some serious time next year. He is a 37 year old, 325(generous) pound man that has carried and thrown that weight around more last year than he has in any of his previous 10 years. It will be defying the odds if Shaq plays in more than 50 games next year. Bottom line.

Continue reading "Why Shaq Is No Final's Ticket for Cleveland"

Chipper Jones was one of three Braves to be ejected in the 7th inning of Sunday's loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Finally emotion from an Atlanta Brave. This club has appeared to be dead to the world for much of the last two weeks. Not only have they been playing poorly, the losing seems to have no affect on them. I know these guys collect a paycheck whether they are ten games over .500 or ten games under, but it would certainly be nice to see these guys actually have one, single shred of pride.

This is the Atlanta Braves. America's team. The team whose fan base spread all over the nation when its owner, Ted Turner, put them on his little television network in the 90's. This is the team that won 14 consecutive division titles and one World Series in its glory days from 1991 until 2005. This club should have some freakin pride about them. They aren't the Chicago Cubs, who are more famous for how they always find a way to lose. They aren't the Washington Nationals, who are routinely mathematically eliminated from playoff contention in May. They are Chief Knockahoma and city of "The Chop." And it is about time someone acted like they care.

Continue reading "Thank You Chipper"

Alex Rodriguez' s slow start is certainly a cause for concern in Yankee-land. Could the lack of certain P.E.D's be the root of his poor performance this year?

How quickly things have changed. A little over a month ago, Rodriguez homered in his first at bat of 2009 and the joyful "pie in the face" celebration seemed to be a nightly occurrence for the New York Yankees. Now Rodriguez is facing a two game benching in his hometown of all places, Miami, Florida. A-Rod had reserved around 100 tickets for his family and friends for the three game set against the Marlins. It looks as if Pro Player Stadium will have to wait until Sunday for its attendance to double.

Manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman met with Rodriguez and the group decided a two day break would be best for the slugger. While Alex claims he is experiencing no soreness, it is hard to ignore that only a few short months ago Rodriguez had hip surgery. Perhaps his .212 batting average can be accredited to that damaged hip. Hitting is so dependant on timing and any small hitch can completely alter a player's swing. It is very possible that Rodriguez's hips are not rotating through the zone like he is accustomed to.

Continue reading "Fatigued A-Rod Benched Two Games"

After Sunday's 11-2 defeat by a last place Baltimore Orioles team, it is apparent that the Atlanta Braves need to seriously consider replacing Bobby Cox.

Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones are the last two links in a Braves uniform to their World Championship team of 1995. I, along with every other Atlanta Brave fan, should be appreciative of what Cox has accomplished in his tenure as the Braves skipper. And I am. But all good things must come to an end. Cox's good thing in Atlanta ended with their last playoff appearance in 2005.

Watching Atlanta play over the last week or so, has been painful. Not only have they been losing frequently, they have played uninspired, ignorant baseball. From base-running mistakes, fielding errors, and other miscues defensively that do not show up in the boxscore, this club needs someone lighting a fire under them. Atlanta needs a Fredi Gonzalez/ Ozzie Guillen type manager that is not afraid to get in his players' faces.

Continue reading "Time for Change at the Top in Atlanta"