Atlanta Braves Blogs

Big news from the Big Unit: 46-year-old Randy Johnson announced his retirement, concluding his career with a record of 303-166, a 3.29 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  His five Cy Young Awards – one with the Mariners and four in a row with the Diamondbacks – rank him behind only Roger Clemens, and his 4,875 career strikeouts are second only to Nolan Ryan.  He was a 10-time All-Star, starting the Midsummer Classic four times – twice for each league. Johnson made history in 2004 when he became the oldest player – at 40 – to throw a perfect game.

Continue reading "The Big Unit hangs ‘em up"

Should Roberto Alomar be elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility?  The spitting incident with umpire John Hirschbeck does not help his case, but it really has nothing to do with his success on the field.  Fans may also remember that Alomar’s career ended with a couple of mediocre seasons, but when you look at his statistics, it’s a no-brainer.

Continue reading "A vote for Alomar"

The 12-inning thriller that was the last regular season game ever played at the Metrodome was exactly what I wanted to see.  When the Twins and Tigers played a four-game series in Detroit last week, I found myself rooting for the Twins to close the gap in order to create an exciting finish to the regular season – ideally a one-game playoff.  When that happened, I decided it would be great for the city of Detroit to send their team to the playoffs, but what I wanted most was to see a great game.  My wish came true when the two teams played a nail-biter that could have gone either way, but eventually sent Minnesota to the postseason.  Props to both teams for giving the fans what they deserved.

Continue reading "Twins-Tigers game was exactly what I wanted"

Braves manager Bobby Cox announced this week his plans to retire after the 2010 season and to immediately take on a consulting role with the team.  Cox has won 2,409 games as a manager and is fourth all-time in the category, behind only Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763) and current Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (2,550).  Cox has five pennants and one World Series title to his name, and won the Manager of the Year award four times.  Under his leadership, the Braves have won 100 games six times.  The next manager of the Atlanta Braves will have big shoes to fill.

Continue reading "Bobby Cox has one more season in him"

As it stands right now, the Colorado Rockies are 4.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card race. The Rockies have been a bit of a surprise team this season, after an unimpressive '08 campaign and the loss of Matt Holliday during the offseason. They've thrived after the firing of Clint Hurdle, as Jim Tracy has pushed the right buttons, rarely ever taking a misstep.

Continue reading "Have the Rockies locked up the NL Wild Card?"

In the last week, baseball fans have been exposed to a number of unfortunate incidents that involved big-name, All-Star players.  My thoughts on each of them follow.

Kevin Youkilis charging the mound: Youk let his emotions get the best of him on Tuesday night after getting plunked in the back for the second consecutive night.  The Red Sox need Youk’s bat in the lineup and his glove in the field.  Now they have neither for five games.

Continue reading "Poor behavior on and off the field is Bad for Ball"

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.

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

  Yikes!  What happened to that sterling Giants' bullpen?  After dropping two of three to the Pirates, San Francisco made it three losses in four games to start the second half after getting clobbered by Atlanta 11-3 Monday.  Seven earned runs were allowed by three different Giant relievers -- a rarity this year. 

Continue reading ""Giants' Bullpen is Suddenly Stuggling""

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.

Continue reading "What Might Have Been"

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.

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

   After 12 years and countless home run celebrations, the Coke bottle that towers over left field at Turner Field will be retired. It is to be replaced by a 21st-century version according to the Coca-Cola company. The current bottle is made up of 6,680 baseballs; 290 bats; 86 gloves; as well as several thousand other pieces of authentic Braves memorabilia.

Continue reading "Say Goodbye to the Turner Field Coke Bottle"

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.

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.

Continue reading "Braves Get Bombed"

There's a new face on the New York pro baseball scene. His name is Francisco. Sorry Mets fans, I'm not talking about K-Rod, who granted has been perfect this year in saves opportunities except for that 1 save opportunity that slipped away when a route pop fly by second baseman Luis Castillo was dropped. A.J. Burnett might as well have snuck behind him during his interview on SNY and stuffed a whipped cream pie in his face.

Continue reading "Frankie serves up some spark for ..."

The Red Sox played a great game of baseball Wednesday night, as those of us in the Boston area were able to watch on NESN.  However, there was another fun game of baseball on ESPN 2 for their usual Wednesday Night Baseball game against the Braves and Yankees who were playing at the same time.  I found myself flipping between channels during commercial breaks for the Sox and caught some cool moments.  Meanwhile, the College World Series’ final game was on ESPN between Texas and LSU.  There was an awful lot of baseball on last night. 

Continue reading "Wednesday Night Baseball – Not ..."

This isn't the way Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya drew things up in the offseason.

The Mets put yet another star on the disabled list, this time center fielder Carlos Beltran. He joins Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes on the DL, and that's just in the lineup.

Continue reading "The 2009 New York Mets are Finally the Underdogs"

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.

Continue reading "Thank You Chipper"

Boston Red Sox; Rainey Night Costs the Sox!!

J. Lester started last night for the Sox and has been outstanding, winning his last 3 games in a row, 2 were almost no hitters and allowing only 1 run in the other and 11 strikeouts in all 3 games--Sick!!! So I expected Lester to come out last night and do the same thing as he has been doing.

Continue reading "Rainy Nite costs Red Sox"

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.

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

Tommy Hanson earns his first MLB win in his second start for the Atlanta Braves.

Perhaps it is a little early to determine whether it was the right decision to cut Tom Glavine, or if it was the right time to call Tommy Hanson up to the Majors, but one thing is undeniable. Hanson has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in the game. How fast he achieves that status, if he does at all, is to be determined.

Continue reading "Early Return on Tommy Hanson"

The time has now come for the Atlanta Braves to send the hometown hero out of town.

This is tough to write because I have wanted him to succeed as much as anyone in the Atlanta organization. After one of the most prolonged slumps in the history of baseball, I must finally admit that the Braves need to trade Jeff Francoeur. No more waiting for him to turn it around. No more hoping a team is going to actually give up a top prospect for him. The right fielder has run his course in Atlanta.

Continue reading "Time for Francoeur and Braves to Part Ways"

I'll put away all sentimental feelings to do this. Which is not easy to do. Because I remember Glavine at his best. I remember Glavine holding the World Series Trophy, reflecting the smile that was on Ted Turner's face, and all of his incredible post season performances. The ease with which Glavine mowed down opposing lineups was matched only by his magician-like teammate Greg Maddux. In the only World Series I have been able to see my Atlanta Braves win, Glavine was named MVP. That is why it is so hard to type the next sentence. The time had come for Glavine to hang it up.

Continue reading "So Long Tommy Glavine..."

Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play, Nate McLouth. Before I break into another ill-fated attempt at rap, I would like to discuss the most recent Braves acquisition, what Atlanta gave up, and the reaction I have heard from many other Braves fans.

Continue reading "Braves acquire Nate McLouth"

Bobby Cox has achieved above and beyond what anyone could have asked for when he took over as the Atlanta Braves skipper in 1990. However, let's look at the reality of the fourteen consecutive division titles. Ted Turner provided the money, John Schuerholz chose the players, and Bobby Cox watched. Sure Cox drew up the lineup card and gave encouragement from the top step of the dugout, but when you have three Cy Young Award winners in your rotation your impact is not felt.

Continue reading "Bobby Cox's Bullpen"

Big Unit wins a big game

Randy Johnson won his 300th career game Thursday against the Nationals.  In a dominant performance, Johnson surrendered two hits, two walks and an unearned run, and needed just 78 pitches to get through six innings.  At the age of 45, the Big Unit became the second-oldest – and at 6’10” without a doubt the tallest – pitcher to reach the milestone.  Congratulations, Mr. Johnson.

Continue reading "Big Unit wins a big game"

What do you do with David Ortiz? Here's a guy who has bled Red Sox red (note to self: this doesn’t work) for the better part of his career. He is arguably the greatest clutch hitter in team history. Would the Sox have won two World Series rings without him? Surely not.

Continue reading "What to do with David Ortiz?"

Cole Hamels showed no signs of injury and pitched rather well with the exception of a couple runs given up on the 4th. With the loss to the Mets, however I think a chink in the armor has been revealed

Continue reading "Phillies Bats are hot!!!!"

The National League has four legitimate contenders for the World Series, and two of those clubs reside in the NL East. Along with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, the New York Mets and incumbent champion Philadelphia Phillies are the league’s elite. The Florida Marlins and Atlanta Braves should have respectable seasons while the Washington Nationals battle with the San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates for the label of most horrendous team in the league.

Continue reading "The Sports Don's 2009 NL East Preview"

Before I get to the actual list, I must say when I posted this on FanNation, readers were complaining about the omission of the New York Mets' star-studded infield.

The funny thing is, I'm a Mets fan. And yet I ranked both the Braves and Phillies' infields ahead of the Metropolitans. Talk about reserving one's biases...

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Infields"

Kansas High School Basketball Coach Hypnotized Team 

A high school board in Kansas voted last month to ban hypnotism sessions after their Class 1A boys basketball coach employed the therapy to increase focus and concentration among members of his team.

Continue reading "High School Basketball Coach Uses ..."

Eastbound & Down Rules 

Eastbound & Down is a new comedy show on HBO that follows the struggles of a North Carolina redneck who was once a star relief pitcher in the Major Leagues “with an arm like a fucking cannon” and has since plummeted from grace and become a lowly gym teacher in his hometown elementary school.

Continue reading ""Eastbound & Down" Rules and Everything ..."

The Texas Rangers recently signed Andruw Jones to a minor league contract.  If he makes the squad, the Texas Rangers will pay him $500,000 and a up to $1 million in bonuses.  Why is this important?  Because Jones is still a viable player that can be traded for a smaller price if he doesn't make the Rangers roster this spring.  That and it doesn't break the Rangers bank.  Jones also provides a fail-safe if Josh Hamilton goes down with an injury.  Marlon Byrd, who recently re-signed with the Rangers, was a fill in player for Hamilton in Center field at times, but really found his niche in Left Field.  Already a logjam in the outfield, the Rangers can only hope that Andruw Jones can become the terror at the plate he used to be in Atlanta.  After leaving Atlanta for the Dodgers, Jones never regained his offensive form and after a series of injuries, faltered many aspects of his game.

Continue reading "What the Andruw Jones move does for ..."

The 2009 MLB season has not yet started and the Atlanta Braves and their fans already have on their rally caps. The Braves are supposedly the 3rd best team in the NL East, trailing the NY Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. What should anyone expect?

Continue reading "Doubts Waking Up the Beasts of the ..."

Koji Uehara may not be the answer to Orioles fans’ prayers, but he’s certainly a start.  Though it is hard to judge stats from Japanese baseball (because of the perceived lower level of competition and other factors), Uehara holds a 112-62 record with a 3.01 E.R.A. in his 10-year career in Japan.  In 1998, he won 15 consecutive starts and 20 overall on his way to being named Rookie of the Year.

Continue reading "Orioles finally tap into Japan’s talent"

Can you feel it?

Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. The World Baseball Classic is upon us.

Can you feel it?

Many of the mega contracts have been finalized, while a handful of others are still in the works.

Continue reading "Astros Payroll: Design on a dime"

What are some of the Braves other needs before the season opener against the Phillies on April 5? Adding an outfield bat seems to be Wren's top priority, but who could it be?

Hopefully not Andruw Jones, who just hit the free agent market yesterday. I just don't think he's worth taking a shot on. After all, the Dodgers did agree to pay him the rest of his contract as long as he stopped hurting their team by taking up a roster spot.

Continue reading "What's left for the Braves?"

John Smoltz was a great signing indeed and it is a win-win situation for both sides of the table.  If Mr. Smoltz performs well as he did throughout his career then he receives bonuses, the Red So

Continue reading "Smoltz; a Red Sock"

Yes, it's great for the Atlanta Braves that Derek Lowe is their rotation's new ace. He's better than what they have now — with the exception possibly being Jair Jurrjens, who might be really, really good one day but is still just 22 years old — and there aren't too many other options out there. Randy Wolf isn't that great, neither is Oliver Perez, and Ben Sheets is exactly what the Braves don't need, another starter who will spend more time on the DL then he will off of it.

Continue reading "Braves overbid for Lowe - but they had no choice"

Omar Minaya is the Jekyll and Hyde of Major League general managers. It's incredible how he can look like an Einstein-esque genius with some moves, and an executive that knows very little about baseball with others.

Continue reading "Major Mets Blunder: Lowe Signs with Braves"

        Rafael Furcal finally decided his future- he is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers.  This is the wrong decision.  Furcal would have done the best had he signed with Oakland.  In Oakland, he could have taken his pick of which position he would want to play, which spot in the order he would bat, and even which days he would want to take off from playing in the field and just DH. By staying in Los Angeles, he has pigeon-holed himself into the shortstop role and the lead-off batter position.  I mean, don't get me wrong- even with the Atlanta Braves, Furcal was the natural leadoff hitter that they have sorely missed since his departure to Los Angeles.  And although he has had an unlucky streak of injuries recently, he still remains one of the top shortstops in the NL, and even in Major League Baseball.

Continue reading "Rafael Furcal- Playing for the wrong ..."

Part Four:  The Maestro

           Has Omar Minaya been a good general manager of the New York Mets?  Well, for one, he didn’t trade Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.  No, when he traded the Mets’ top prospects, he got a much better return—Johan Santana anyone?

Continue reading "In The Aftermath Of The Collapse ..."

I apologize for the delay between posts. I have been very busy after getting a new job, while keeping the old one. For about the past two weeks, I worked about 55-60 hours per week. I will try and get back to a post a week or better. Also, congratulations to the Phillies. It's nice to have a National League team win again. Now, on to the blog.

Continue reading "Cardinals rumors"

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

Last week I droned on about the mind-numbing dullness of baseball’s mid-season. This week I’m eating my words.

Lets break down the two biggest deals:

Teixeira to the Halos: Braves trade Teixeira, who will become a free agent after this season, for Casey Kotchman (he of the .280 batting average, 12 dingers and 55 RBI). How did the Braves get fleeced here? They get a legitimate, starting first baseman who is excited about playing in Atlanta and who should hang round for a while. In return, they surrender a three-month rental player. Immediate advantage: Halos. Long-term advantage: Braves.

Continue reading "Trade Notes"

    For the third time in a week, the Mets showed some moxie last night in winning convincingly the day after a disconcerting loss.  First, it was John Maine's solid performance against the Phillies the day after the bullpen blew Johan Santana's eight-inning gem.  Then, it was Santana going the distance to conserve the worn out bullpen the day after the five-hour, 14-inning loss to St. Louis.  And last night Oliver Perez fought through six innings, allowing just the one first-inning run, after the bullpen blew an eighth-inning lead on Monday.  David Wright gave the Mets an early lead with an RBI double in the first and Carlos Beltran put New York ahead with a rare two-out RBI single in the sixth.  Carlos Delgado jacked a two-run homer in the eighth for insurance, and Heilman pitched two scoreless innings for the hold, before Billy Wagner tossed a perfect ninth for his 27th save.

Continue reading "Heilman Holds Perez's Lead, Delgado Puts it Away"

Mark Teixeira is on the move again, but this time he's doing much more than changing uniforms -- he's changing the perceptions of two franchises.
Teixeira's move from Atlanta to Anaheim (okay, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) signals the boldest decision that the Angels have made in their pursuit of an American League pennant and the end of the Braves' era as buyers at the trade deadline. Anaheim instantly upgrades its lineup with the switch-hitting first baseman, providing some added pop behind Vladimir Guerrero, and now has very few weaknesses at the plate to battle playoff-tested pitching.

Continue reading "Teixeira trade boosts Angels, scalps Braves"

According to several blogs, including Baseball Digest Daily, Mark Teixeira is headed to the Angels, in exchange for middling 1B Casey Kotchman and minor-league pitcher Stephen Marek, with perhaps others thrown into the mix.

Continue reading "Tex is an Angel"

    Monday night in Miami was an all-around bad experience for the Mets.  John Maine cruised into the fifth inning with a 2-0 lead, and looked just fine to the naked eye.  But after Maine missed with a 1-0 fastball to John Baker, Jerry Manuel, Dan Warthen and Ray Ramirez, the trainer, jogged out to the mound to consult with Maine.  He appeared to say he was fine, and stayed in the game for the time being.  But after his next pitch to Baker left the yard for a solo home run, and his 1-2 pitch to Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco chased Endy Chavez to the warning track to make the catch, Manuel and Warthen decided they had seen enough, and pulled Maine in favor of Carlos Muniz.  Maine is listed as day-to-day with shoulder stiffness, and Warthen said he was most concerned that Maine might develop further injuries if he tried to compensate in his delivery to protect his shoulder.  In all likelihood Maine will miss a start in order to rest his shoulder, and hopefully pitch again next week.  After the game Manuel was adamant that Maine will not pitch through any pain.

Continue reading "Mets Fried By Fish, Maine Leaves Early"

So many bloggers and fans out there want the Orioles to make a play for Atlanta first baseman Mark Teixeira, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season. As the Major League trade deadline looms (THIS thursday!), O's fans are surely thinking about this Severna Park native who, in a 102-game total for the Braves this season, has been .283 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI's and an OPS of .902. We could use a little of that, I'd say.

Continue reading "teixeira trade talk (say that three times fast)"

As reported in the stalwart Sports Xchange, the Braves are making moves to their roster that may suggest a possible trade is imminent. First baseman Mark Teixeira is the big name that's been bandied about in baseball, and (except for Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday, who will either go close to the deadline or not at all) is the Last Man Standing as far as frontline trade candidates go.

Continue reading "Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

It’s the annual midpoint of the baseball season, and for the brief span that is the All-Star break, all eyes are upon the Bronx. As everyone is well aware of, this campaign is the last go around for the world’s most famous, largest, and most prominent ballpark, Yankee Stadium. It seems hard to believe, and even more sacrilegious that this living legend’s days are numbered. Built in 1923 and christened by the greatest ballplayer to ever live, Babe Ruth, the cathedral of baseball will never truly be replaced. Although the Bombers will move a block to Yankee Stadium’s heir, the Mecca of America’s Pastime will still live on in our hearts. Whether you’re a diehard Yankee fan, or Yankee-hater, you still can respect the history and awe that the stadium brings. So when the All-Stars take the field Tuesday night, sit back on your couch, crack open a cold one and soak up the history of Yankee Stadium, as its final chapter is unveiled to all of us.

Continue reading "National League Looks to End Rut"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

For some of you who don't know, I am a fantasy sports fanatic. I enjoy the crunching of number, and the drafting of players. This is an example from one of my leagues (my team is SPeff Starz, having an unusually bad season for my standards.)

Continue reading "All Stars and Winning Fantasy Baseball: Relation?"

Maybe the Astros should make it a habit of having a hotheaded pitcher get into a skirmish with General Manager Ed Wade.

Every day.

Call it the Keith Hernandez Principle.

Back in 1988, the New York Mets first baseman had gotten word from his attorney that his bitter divorced had become final. The next night, Hernandez (never a real power hitter) hit two home runs and drove in seven runs. He mused: "Maybe I should get divorced every day. I'd be broke, but I'd also be in the Hall of Fame."

Continue reading "Houston Astros are 1-0 in post-Shawn Chacon Era"

And probably not your own Braves, either. I watched them boot the ball around last night with a long-time Braves fan; three first-inning errors led to three runs, and they never recovered, losing 4-3, in a game without Chipper and a host of others.

Continue reading "Not Your Daddy's Braves"

Let the Curt Schilling Hall of Fame debate begin.
That's what we do when players like Schilling look like they've hit the end of the road, and his chances of rebounding from the right shoulder surgery that he will undergo on Monday are very slim at best. Schilling is a 42-year-old man with 20 years in the big leagues staring back at him when he peeks in the rearview mirror, a million miles on his arm in terms of baseball travel. Coming back at his age might be a bridge too far even for someone with Schilling's single-minded focus and stubbornness.

Continue reading "Schilling worthy of Hall call"

I being an Atlanta Braves fan think that the Braves are going down hill! I do not agree with all of the newer players thinking that they can replace the all stars that left the Braves. I really do believe Braves may turn into one of the worst MLB Teams. I hope that the newer players can pull itout this year. Were is Greg Maddux when we really needed him?

Continue reading "Atlanta Braves "Going Down Hill"?"

So I have been thinking about the Cubs a lot recently and the game yesterday against the Braves made me think about something.  It was a throwback game celebrating sixty years of baseball on WGN and they showed the records from 1948 and both the cubs and white sox were in last place on June 12th of that year and the two teams leading the division, one from each league on this day in '48 went on to win the World Series.  So I wondered, how many teams in recent history with the best record in the NL went on to go to and better yet win the World Series.

Continue reading "The best record isn't always the best team"

I can't help but wonder how Harry Caray would've liked this year's Cubs team. What a shame he had to broadcast when the Cubs were usually terrible.

The hits keep coming for the North Siders. On Thursday, the Cubs beat the Braves, 3-2, in the 11th, when Reed Johnson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Whatever works.

Continue reading "Cubs win!"

Josh Anderson can run.

The speedy outfielder stole 40 bases at Triple-A Round Rock last season. Called up to Houston in September, he hit .358 in 21 games. This season, at Triple-A Richmond, Anderson stole 13 bases in 16 attempts.

Continue reading "Roster shuffle leaves Anderson out ..."

Two games down on the current road trip. Eight games to go. One baseball team, sinking fast.

The Braves ran their losing streak to five games Wednesday night and never had a chance against the team with the best record in the bigs. The Cubs lit up emergency starter Jeff Bennett for seven runs and seven hits in two-plus innings, Atlanta falling 7-2 to drop two games below .500.

Continue reading "The beat goes on ..."

In a perfect world, or at least a perfect National League, Ned Yost would like to be Bobby Cox when he grows up. If you’re looking for a managerial role model, you could do a lot worse than the long-time Braves skipper. In fact, Yost’s biggest asset when he interviewed for the Milwaukee Brewers’ job was his years learning the game as one of Cox’s coaching staff. 

Continue reading "Wither Nedly -- should Yost get fired?"

Yep, the injury bug now has bitten one of the Braves' youngsters.

According to some reports on the Web this afternoon, Jair Jurrjens injured his ankle while leaving Wrigley Field last night and will not make his scheduled start tonight against the Cubs.

Continue reading "New starter for tonight's game"

When I say Ol' Roy, of course, I'm not referring to the Wal-Mart brand of dogfood named after the late Sam Walton's late hunting dog Ol' Roy. Rather, the old version of Astros ace Roy Oswalt. You know, the guy who could get guys out and make it look easy.

Continue reading "Ol' Roy O shows up, Astros beat Brewers 6-1"

By Bud L. Ellis 

ATLANTA -- As the Atlanta Braves prepared to leave Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and close spring training, the franchise that built its success on pitching felt pretty good about 2008.

Continue reading "Braves learning a hard lesson on aging pitchers"

We're starting to see the shape of this year's baseball season a bit more clearly.

Some teams are really good. The Red Sox, White Sox and Angels, perhaps the Rays.

The jury's still out on the A's, who might be able to contend. (Or not.) It's hard to know what to think about the Yankees. They were even worse last year but came back. You can't write them off too quickly -- they have such a huge payroll that they could go out and buy a pitcher.

Continue reading "Pretenders, Contenders"

Someday we will certainly look back on the last few years as some of the best years in baseball, as far as watching some significant milestones being broken. In between Bonds' maligned chase of Aaron and Randy's recent conquering of Clemens' K record, we've seen Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, and ARod all reach the 500-HR plateau, and Sosa reach 600, with Griffey knocking on the same door. Maddux recently won his 350th game, and Glavine won his 300th, and Smoltz recorded his 3000th strikeout just before he went down to a season- (and possibly career-) ending injury, and not long after Pedro reached that same level.

Continue reading "Another Milestone Passed"

New Atlanta Braves General Manager, Frank Wren, appeared to have pulled off a gem of a deal when he traded for Mark Kotsay to replace Andruw Jones in centerfield.  So far this season, Kotsay

Continue reading "Kotsay It's Not True"

I should preface this by saying I'm not a Braves fan and never have been. This is due to many factors, including my dislike of many things Southern (I say this having spent almost 10 years living in Alabama, and several more visiting my parents there), the annoying and insulting idiocy of the Tomahawk Chop and its associated "war cry," the stupid antics of rednecks like John Rocker (and the fans' tolerance of his ignorant ways), as well as their hegemony of the airwaves. Because they were always on TBS, it was hard to avoid the Braves, and in the days before my DirecTV Extra Innings package (AKA "Baseball Heroin") I'd watch the Braves games just to root against them.

Continue reading "Braves: America's Team No More"

Who has the best bullpen in baseball this year. Is it the Red Sox with Papelbon and Okajima? Is it the Reds with Cordero, Weathers and Bray? Here is a breakdown of the top pens in the big leagues.

Continue reading "The Best Bullpen In Baseball"

Here are some stories I've dug up. Always nice to get another perspective on things 

MLB

Mariners woes continue as Putz blows lead vs Yanks
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2004438030_webmari25.html

Continue reading "Link Day: 5/26"

In the 1990s, baseball fans watched Cecil Fielder clobber home runs from one city to another.  A 3-time All Star, Fielder earned the moniker of "Big Daddy" for his towering shots.  In 1990, he became baseball's first player to hit 50 homeruns in a season since George Foster of the Cincinatti Reds hit 52 in 1977.  But perhaps Cecil's greatest accomplishment was the birth of his son, Prince, in 1984.  Today, the younger Fielder has also earned a reputation for launching explosive long-balls.  In 2006, Fielder hit 28 home runs to break the rookie record for the Milwaukee Brewers and in 2007, he became the youngest player of all-time to hit 50 home runs.  

Continue reading "Can A Vegetarian Break The All-Time Home Run Mark?"

It's a well-known fact among baseball fans that your superstars can get you to the postseason, but winning it often requires production from unexpected places. Pitchers can pitch around your superstars, then relax on the lesser lights--who then proceed to knock the cover off the ball. Think Billy Hatcher of the surprising 1990 Cincinnati Reds, with his 7 straight hits to start their sweep of the heavily favored As. Or Jim Leyritz's massive blast to tie up Game 4 of the 1996 World Series and help the Yanks to "sweep back" the Atlanta Braves, winning four straight after dropping the first two. 

Continue reading "Around The Horn With The '61 Yankees: 2B"

Dear Readers;   It is getting very difficult to be positive in my writing about the Giants when they are finding different ways to lose everyday.  Granted they were up against a very ho

Continue reading "It's the Same Old Song!!!"

Besides the fact that the Red Sox have lost two straight games in Tampa, it's been a pretty good weekend already. We'll get to Boston's struggles later on. For right now, here's a few thoughts to ponder from the part of the weekend that's already happened.

Continue reading "Celtics' attendance numbers burst Bibby's bubble"

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/ryan_klesko_retiring_from_majo.

The Left fielder/first baseman was a key member of the 1995 Atlanta Braves who won the world series. From AP-

Continue reading "Ryan Klesko retiring from MLB after 16-year career"

With all apologies to the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A's, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, Major League Baseball's real Opening Day finally came on Monday.
A full day of baseball in March always reminds me how much I miss the game after it goes away at the end of October. Not having to wake up at 6 a.m. to see it is a nice plus, and not having to stay focused after two Regional Finals in the NCAA Tournament allows me to appreciate a match-up between Jake Peavy and Roy Oswalt late in the evening.

Continue reading "The real Opening Day"

I’m going to a conference in Atlanta for a few days, and from the time I scheduled my trip, I knew I wanted to go to the Braves Home Opener.  I saw Jon Smoltz pitch against the Nationals in Washington in ’06, so I was hoping for either Tim Hudson or Tom Glavine, and was thrilled to hear that Glavine would be making his return to the Braves in a game I will attend.

Continue reading "Let's not forget the pitching vets"

Next up on my preview of the 2008 Major League Baseball season is the National League East. Like before, these are the key questions facing each team.

Atlanta Braves

How much do Tom Glavine and John Smoltz have left?

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: National League East"

Juan Uribe is off of waivers and officially a member of the 2008 White Sox. Further, he’s our most of the time second baseman after putting on a nice little hitting display during his little waiver stint. What does it all mean? I’d like to think that it means he’ll be hitting like he can throughout the season and we’ve got ourselves a solid 2B and bottom lineup hitter. More realistically I’m just hoping he can keep his hot streak going through at least the first couple weeks of the season. If we can make a good showing through April I think we stand a good chance to stay

Continue reading ""

We are four and a half weeks away from first pitch of the new Major League Baseball and I have a lot to cover until Josh Beckett faces Joe Blanton in Japan.  This is the first of a seven part series of my MLB 2008 preview.  In the first six parts of the series I will discuss each division, break them down by team and give my predictions for the upcoming season.  The first division I will take a close look at in the NL East.  I see a tight three-team race here between the Mets, Phillies and Marlins.  Just kidding, of course the third team is the Braves.

Continue reading "First of a Seven Part Series-NL East Preview"

Let's mix in a Boone.  What's that?  The Nats already have 5 in the organization?  Who cares, let's add another.  The Washington Post is reporting that the Nats have signed Brett Boone to a minor league deal: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/18/AR2008021802026.html

Continue reading "Feel Good Story or Awkward Comeback ..."

http://thesportspoint.blogspot.com/2008/02/john-rocker-to-bud-selig-kill-yourself.html

Former Braves pitcher John Rocker is back on our radar after making a number of strong statements and accusations on an Atlanta radio station Monday.

Continue reading "John Rocker to Bud Selig: Kill Yourself"

An unauthorized unfinished biography of John Smoltz

John Andrew Smoltz, was born in Warren, MI on May 15, 1967.  His parents knew they had something special when at the age of three he took apart the engine of his father's '69 Corvette and used the pieces to build an exact replica of downtownJacksonville, Florida.  When he started school the teacher announced on a Friday that there would be show and tell on Monday.  John showed up that Monday with three Vietnam POWs.  Much like Jesus, not much is really known about John's adolescence, except that he did write four episodes of 

Continue reading "The Unfinished Unauthorized Autobiography ..."

Remembering the Crappy Braves

After 14 years of getting to the postseason, the Braves have failed two years straight.  For Braves fans who are in high school or college they only know what being a winner is.  Perhaps these fans have been spoiled by always having a team to watch in October even if they make us the fan equivalent of Charlie Brown always believing he is going to kick Lucy’s football.

Continue reading "Remembering the Crappy Braves"