tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-143104292024-03-05T01:09:51.506-05:00A Bit Of Everything SportsChipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.comBlogger535125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-64198812334610525552016-01-09T09:59:00.000-05:002016-01-09T09:59:05.945-05:002016's Outlook Maybe Not Be As Bad As First Feared<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">There are a lot of people, both media and fans alike who are very down on the prospects of the Atlanta Braves having anything close to resembling a half decent season. They look at the continuation of the tear down and rebuilding this organization is currently under and are bracing for the worst. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Sure the farm system is now rated near the top in the eyes of most people and the plan, as it has been presented, has seemingly been followed and is continuing. There is, however, still ongoing concern on what the actual Major League roster is going to look like in 2016. People are afraid that it is going to be a full season of what they saw over the last 2 months of 2015 where the product, play and record was just a train wreck.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Just remember that people said that same thing about the 2015 team and hop bad they were going to be right out of the gate. They managed a .500 record right up until the All Star Break and were more then a competitive ball club. It was only then when another round of trades were made to gain youth and helpful assets that the team has continued to look for. Between that, injuries and a complete lack of big league arms in the pen and young starters going through some growing pains the Braves struggles.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Since then, the team has made more moves and have added some very high end prospects as well as some proven Major League talent. Not for a second is there any notion of the Braves putting out a Wild Card challenging lineup, but people may be surprised with the quality of play this team may be capable of. There is no denying there are holes but there are still decent players that Fredi Gonzales can trot out there on a daily basis. Sure the progression of guys like Hector Olivia and Jace Peterson will be big factors on just how good the team could be. The rest of the squad is not as bad a everyone seems to think. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">A Healthy Freddie Freeman will be the cornerstone. If he can get back to Freddie Freeman ways, that would be a good place to start. Erik Aybar is a proven major league shortstop and offers decent defense and a respectable bat. He is not going to put up gaudy numbers but should be a solid player. 3rd base is an interesting area. There are a few guys that will battle for playing time, guys that are vying for the platoon roles and back up roles. Between Adonis Garcia Gordon Beckham Emilio Bonifacio Daniel Castro. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">It will be interesting to see who will rise above and earn more time in the starting lineup.. The combo behind the plate of AJ Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers should both prove to help with the bat but perhaps more importantly help bring along the swell of young pitchers and provide a veteran presence to them and the clubhouse as a hole. The importance they may provide could be more important from a defensive perspective. This should be a formative duo.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Extra time for Nick Markakis to gain more strength after last off season neck surgery will only enhance his production especially his power numbers. He had a solid and productive offensive year last season but just did not have the strength needed to hit more then 3 home runs. Should be in double digits this season. Recently acquired Ender Inciarte should be a bright spot in center for the team and complement Freddie Freeman well. Only time will tell what $19M in Swisher and Bourn will be able to provide. If they can somehow have their contracts cleared from the books and open up some roster spots would be a nice bonus, but very unlikely to happen. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">A completely revamped bullpen and plenty of minor league contracts and invites to spring training will provide both major league quality depth in the pen and hopefully avoid the constant implosions that occurred last season. The should be competition as to who will close and who will set up and give the club plenty of options to fill out the rest of the pen. If all goes well there should be some good battles for the open spots and maybe provide more tradable assets that can be moved throughout the year for more building blocks. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The rotation will be young but there are plenty of arms available and ready to fight for the couple of spots that are open to be won. The likely scenario to begin the season is Julio Teheran, Bud Norris and Matt Wisler as the top 3 and then an open contest between Williams Perez, Ryan Weber, Many Banuelos, Tyrell Jenkins and Mike Foltynewicz for the last 2 spots.</span></div>
Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-7400239534165033702015-12-17T19:37:00.000-05:002015-12-17T19:37:42.790-05:00Super Bowl Bizaro Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is interesting when you think of past champions and
Dynasties in sports. How different would thinks look if you flipped the
outcomes of say the NFL’s Super Bowl results? All those Iconic teams now
relegated to runners up and also-rans. Suddenly legacy’s have changed and how
we view teams and players would have changed dramatically.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Not to look into every Super Bowl but a few of the notable
changes are interesting to look at. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Take for example the San Francisco 49’ers. One of the
greatest franchises in NFL history. Now, in bizzaro world would only have 1
victory on their record and that win would come on the legs of Colin
Kapernik…not Joe Montana. Montana would likely not be held in such high regard
as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the game.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Dallas Cowboys and especially Troy Aikman would also be
a team with a lot less shine on their star. America’s team would still have 3
championships but they would have come very early on in the first 15 years of
the NFL. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer a Dynasty and Terry
Bradshaw is likely not on the Fox broadcasts each Sunday morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The New York Giants now have only 1 title, and it is not
with Eli or Tom Coughlin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now lets look at some of the teams that have a much more favorable
history now. Take a team like Minnesota.. 4 titles in the first 11 Super Bowls
looks a lot more impressive now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The next 3 teams would have made the biggest u-turn and
greatly changed peoples perception of greatness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Denver Bronco’s and John Elway would now be 4-2 in the
Super Bowl and Elway is probably heralded as the greatest QB in the history of
the league.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Buffalo Bills are now probably the greatest Dynasty in
the NFL winning the Super Bowl 4 straight years. Jim Kelly is now probably
pushing Elway for top spot on the QB list.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Miami
Dolphins are interesting to look at now too. All of a sudden Dan Marino has his
1 championship and is elevated in the minds of fans and media alike. What is
even more interesting to think about is that there would now not be an
undefeated Miami team and all that narrative of them popping Champaign after
the last undefeated teams takes a loss</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Strangely .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it
is in the New England Patriots that this flip may actually be a benefit to
their legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As strange as it
sounds based on Tom Brady’s record/legacy and how the Patriots are perceived
throughout the league they may actually come out even more impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brady would now be 2 and 4 respectable
but not great. But now he also becomes the QB of the only team to go undefeated
and win the Super Bowl, He beats Eli and the Giants twice. Is his legacy even
more impressive despite losing 4 Super Bowls? Keeping in mind he gets to keep everything
else that makes Tom Brady great. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is an interesting debate to have not only for football
but all sports. How much worse are the Toronto Maple Leafs now? 8-13 and no
cups since 1960.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Montreal Canadians now 6-24 not such an impressive
championship record either.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is interesting to think about and some interesting debates
could be had at the local sports bar. Both team and personal legacies would be
greatly impacted. For those who value championships when evaluating players and
their careers might be forced to change their tune. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-89218474828537776902015-12-10T21:51:00.000-05:002015-12-10T21:51:11.841-05:00Scorched Earth - The Rebuild of the Braves in Atlanta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">The Cubs may have ‘Take me out to the ball-game’ during the 7th inning stretch and the Red Sox may play ‘Sweet Caroline’ In Atlanta they will be playing the Roof is on Fire and instead of the tomahawk Chop and the War Chant fans will be belting out “We don’t need no water let the mother#$%&*r burn, Burn mother#$%&*r burn!!”</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">It is interesting to listen to a lot of Braves followers and fans
were all up in arms when all the trades began last season when the Braves moved
Jason Heyward. Then after that Justin Upton was moved, then Evan Gattis and
finally the apparent crushing blow when fan favorite Craig Kimbrel was moved on
the day before the beginning of the season. Most everyone figured that this
team was going to be a train wreck in 2015. I was not one of those people. I
actually was not so pessimistic on how the on field product was going to be. A
lot of power went out the door and the fireballer Kimbrel was gone but even so
the players that were left were not bottom of the barrel. The 2014 season was a
very frustrating one as a fan as it seemed like every game the team was
trailing every game until at least the 7<sup>th</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> and if there was not a
home run hit, the team was going to lose something to 2 or 3. The team struck
out at near historic amount that season and that is just not a fun style to
watch and clearly not a successful style to play. Like they say ‘good pitching
will beat good hitting’ most of the time. The days of ‘Chicks digging the long
ball’ seem to have passed. You need to be able to generate offense in other
ways with a couple of legit power threats.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Fast forward to mid 2015, the team managed to be at or near the
.500 mark with a much improved farm system. Now with that said the end of the
season went off the tracks right after Jason Grilli was injured and then all
the trades moved a lot of the players that were keeping the team afloat (Juan
Uribe, Kelly Johnson, Jim Johnson and Alex Woods being the main ones).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">dd to that Freddie Freeman’s wrist
trouble, it was just too much to overcome. Fans began to get very vocal and
unhappy. They reverted back to questioning the front office and whether the
plan was worth the poor product on the field.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">What it did was put the Braves in a position to truly position
themselves to start from the ground and build almost from the real bottom of
the barrel. They created payroll flexibility for the future and based on the
dismal finish ‘earned’ a top 3 position in the 2016 draft. Also, not the worst
thing in the world. They say that you can’t be a little bit pregnant and middle
of the pack is the worst place to be. Not good enough to be good and not bad
enough to get real cornerstone players.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Then the end of the season comes around and outta nowhere, the
best defensive player in baseball today…maybe ever and yet another fan favorite
in Andralton Simmons gets shipped to the Angles. Just like the feeling was when
Kimbrel was traded fans were shocked and not pleased. Simmons was still young
and signed and looked to be part of the core in the rebuild. The knee-jerk
reaction to this is ‘what the hell’? but then, when you take a moment to think
about it it does make sense. Move him now while his value is high and his range
is still there. His offense has dropped of late but his glove is still elite.
Moving him before his defensive prowess begins to decline flip him for a good
package. They got back a solid stopgap shortstop in Erick Aybar and more
prospect arms to added to the ever improving farm system. That brings us to the
real deal, the Winter Meetings Blockbuster!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;">Nothing will help a fan base jump back to your side like a good
trade. A trade that just about every ‘expert’ and team executive agree was a
huge win for the Braves. When those people who know the game and are major
decision makes agree that it was a steal what the Braves got in return for
Shelby Miller (SS </span><span style="color: black;">Dansby Swanson, OF</span><span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/_/id/31327/ender-inciarte"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Ender Inciarte</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"> and pitching prospect Aaron Blair) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;">and comments like ‘incredible
haul’ and ‘that is the worst trade I have ever seen’ has got to make both
management and Braves fans alike fell much better about themselves and where
thy are positioned now going forward during this rebuild. A lot of people are
focusing on the 2 top prospects the Braves got in return but one could argue
that Inciarte may be near as valuable as Miller is and to add anything above
that is just icing on the cake.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Inciarte fills the right now need for a center fielder and helps
field a much more complete MLB lineup for 2016 and going forward.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">I will look at the prospects and farm system later but for now
lets just look at the on field makeup as it stands right now. Now no one is
going to claim that they are a potential playoff or wild card team but maybe
they are not going to be the embarrassment that people thought they might be
going into 2016. There is reason to believe that the lineup that they can roll
out may be able to keep them from being a true bottom feeder and actually show
some resemblance of a major league club.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;">If 1B Freddie Freeman can come back healthy from last years wrist
injury he will be a good backbone of the lineup. Erick Aybar is a veteran SS and
should prove to be a good placeholder for the short term, Nik Markakis is a
great glove and if he can continue to get stronger from last years neck surgery
his contributions should be felt. Having a good young CF like Inciarte fills a
big hole while waiting for prospects to develop. The final big piece of the
starting lineup is the duo, or tandem from catchers A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler
Flowers. A.J. is coming off a revitalizing year and Tyler Flowers is a low risk
high reward guy. Both should prove to have decent bats in the lineup wile
offering great mentoring and development to a very young staff and having both
veterans and strong defensive catchers that know how to call games and frame
pitches should be a huge asset to the large crop of developing young arms.
Where things may get interesting are some of the wild cards that are in Left, 3B
and 2B. Hector Olivera season will be interesting to watch and if he is able to
adjust and produce like the Braves hope he could be a welcome addition but no
one knows how he is going to progress in his first full MLB season after coming
over from the Dodgers. Then there is the revolving door that will be 2<sup>nd</sup>
and 3<sup>rd</sup> . There are a slough of guys that will likely split time at
both positions at any given time you could see </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #191818;">Emilio
Bonifacio, Gordon Beckham, Adonis Garcia, Daniel Castro and Jace Peterson at
either of the 2 positions respectively. No one knows what any of these guys are
going to do so maybe these guys may surprise and be moderately effective but
nothing you can bank on just yet. Also there are the 2 ‘Mentors’ with the huge</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191818; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #191818; font-size: xx-small;">The way that Braves GM John Coppolella
wheels and deals it is unlikely that this is how things will look on day 1 but
for now the 8 positions doesn’t appear to be as dismal as some people may have may
think. There will no doubt be more movement and tweaking as the days and weeks
go by.</span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-45178433001228219502015-12-03T14:50:00.000-05:002015-12-03T14:50:13.643-05:00The Off Season Guessing Game<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5466" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8zy9lz5RlKGZcmOqm7kF2PZUU2TxelSss_s4dDcJSJY96kHEon-XxmKyY8Hy4uCgGDt4o_duZc-BabDAWKytSQ-xgkJtID6lSPuehzIRQTi70AUAOuwwgscX0sLHoqLkit8t5g/s1600/Silhouette-question-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc8zy9lz5RlKGZcmOqm7kF2PZUU2TxelSss_s4dDcJSJY96kHEon-XxmKyY8Hy4uCgGDt4o_duZc-BabDAWKytSQ-xgkJtID6lSPuehzIRQTi70AUAOuwwgscX0sLHoqLkit8t5g/s200/Silhouette-question-mark.jpg" width="200" /></a><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5465" style="font-family: "arial";">The baseball Hot Stove Season is now upon us and the rumour mill is already in effect as it relates to Free Agency. What I would like to do is start writing blogs on what the Atlanta Braves might do, what they have done and what the team may look like on opening day. Yeah, that isn’t happening, and nor will it for now and for the foreseeable future.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5464" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5472" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5471" style="font-family: "arial";">Trying to guess what Braves GM John </span><span style="color: #161616; font-family: "arial";">Coppolella</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> and the Braves front office is thinking is like trying to understand why cats do the things that they do. Trying to predict what will be the next shoe to fall as it relates to the rebuilding process and then the other side of that coin of fielding a somewhat competitive team in 2016.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5473" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Just when you think the Braves are done their wheeling and dealing for young controllable arms they make another deal. Then you think all the roster players that may go are gone, another deal is made to free up money.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5462" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5449" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5448" style="font-family: "arial";">Trying to predict the next big splash is anyone’s guess and maybe even those same decision makers don’t even know right now. The one (or two) whispers that are a little confusing is the bantering about of names like Shelby Miller and Julio Tehran. With all the arms that the Braves have and are acquiring, they have not yet began to flip some of that pitching into some legitimate bats but that is likely bound to happen at some point. The question is from what pool are the Braves going to draw from. Miller was the Braves Ace last year. A lot of fans may not know that by looking at his 6-17 record but he was the victim of VERY POOR offence and a VERY SHAKEY bullpen. If they can flip him for a really good young player under club control for at lest as much as Miller or more the Braves would seriously have to look at making that move. Tehran can be all world or struggle mightily. He was up and down last year but began to seemingly figure things out the last 2 months of the season.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">The one adage in baseball has always been, “when you think you have enough pitching, go out and get some more.” But those people have never seen just how anemic the Braves offence was at the end of the 2015 season.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5475" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5474" style="font-family: "arial";">If the team wants to be good going into SunTrust Field in 2017 there needs to be some core pieces in place sometime during the 2016 season. At some point some of those pieces have to come to town at some point.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5477" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5476" style="font-family: "arial";">So without getting into specific names, what we can do is ask questions about what the team might do in the Rule 5 Draft and also what they may do on the international free agent market next year with the flexibility they attempted to gain as part of previous deals that has also procured that plethora of good young prospect arms. Is there someone out there that the Braves are looking at that could provide a big bat that they so sorely need.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5478" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv5495732452MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5480" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; padding: 0px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1448851597584_5479" style="font-family: "arial";">So instead of answering questions I guess I will just have to ask a bunch. How much money is available. What is more of a priority, fixing the offence or building a bullpen that is not going to go into critical meltdown 80% of the time they are called upon. With all the potential good young arms waiting in the wings you are going to need to have catchers that can work and help bring along some of the young guys that may make the big league roster. That is why signing AJ Prizinski was a smart move, sure he swung a decent bat last season but also seemed to work well with the young pitchers he handled last season. He is worth the investment if he can help bring along the young arms.</span></div>
Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-1224645494926722092015-11-13T15:46:00.000-05:002015-11-13T15:46:20.292-05:00The 'Arms' Race Continues in Atlanta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-KOdgCz7sYZ30HDYQAj89qJQseV6W_0vWcPcEvPvNaEY5Xj8tEkfiRbx7uJYmiRIGYvuP6RB0XktalrMGk3g5bb_6Jc2895F4gejAFQIWHOmrbB4tKwMas1Vg9jKeTmdTQ-00A/s1600/andrelton-simmons-11913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-KOdgCz7sYZ30HDYQAj89qJQseV6W_0vWcPcEvPvNaEY5Xj8tEkfiRbx7uJYmiRIGYvuP6RB0XktalrMGk3g5bb_6Jc2895F4gejAFQIWHOmrbB4tKwMas1Vg9jKeTmdTQ-00A/s640/andrelton-simmons-11913.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Well if there was any doubt on
the direction that the Atlanta Braves were headed in 2016 the answer became
very clear last night. <span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Andrelton Simmons, the best overall defensive player in
baseball, was dealt from Atlanta to the Los Angeles Angles. That is likely the
last big piece that the Braves had to get a hefty and/or impactful return.
Coming from Los Angeles is veteran SS Erick Aybar who is essentially a
placeholder for now and will be a free agent at the end of 2016. He is a player
that will either be flipped in another deal or play SS and possibly be moved at
next years trade deadline. He may be the veteran but not the key piece to the
trade. The Braves also picked up 2 pitching prospects that were the real
centerpieces for the Braves. As was the case in most of the other big deals
that were made during lat years off-season the Braves have shipped out top end
major league talent for top end pitching prospects. The first is Chris Ellis, a
right handed mid rotation type prospect that helps deepen an already pitching
rich farm system. He is not deemed to be an ace but a solid 3-4 type guy should
he continue to progress. The main piece is Sean Newcombe, a big left handed
power arm with 2 above average breaking balls. He looks like he could be a
young Jon Lester type that can throw in the mid 90’s and top out at 96-97mph.
If he continues on his current arc he cold become the teams #1 in the next few
years. Projecting pitching is not an easy thing to do but the Braves are hoping
that with the depth they are accumulating hope that 2 or 3 will reach their
potential.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is more then likely that some of
these young arms are going to be used as currency in other moves to boost the
extremely weak lineup that they are currently going to have to trot out onto
the fields next season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Braves fans are going to hope that a
couple of these guys pan out because if they plan on winning any games they may
need to do so 1-0 or 2-1. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now it looks like the focus is going
to have to be how best to thin out the logjam in the outfield. There are a lot
of bodies and a lot of money tied up in the outfield. Any trades are not going
to garner much of a return but right now it is probably more important to clear
some money and create some roster spots for other younger players. There are 3
outfielders that the Braves would like to move out of town, Michael Bourn, Nick
Swisher and Cameron Maybin. Those 3 guys are due in the neighborhood of $37M
and only Maybin may be a player that may be ok to roam Center field, at least
until the trade deadline. Regardless of the return it would be a prime example
of addition by subtraction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That is where we stand right now, but
we must take note that it is sill just mid November and we haven’t hit the
Winter Meetings where it is more likely that there will be more moves that will
be made, either by trade or free agency. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let the funny season continue, should
be interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-70926573968703577422015-11-06T12:46:00.000-05:002015-11-06T12:46:18.597-05:00Blue Jays GM Flies The Coop
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl959N08JVLpDpqpq3Pi4_D7Lk0msmO0nQYxrK-psYbIjZJsaMOXOoIJczxOPAUS5MsuEZeq9GHkvxiS5Msj-rJeZkVRkoAvlF7lcSwV-0_aBxUZ8trOLfBM9lodclO-VTPJtsHw/s1600/anthopoulos-alex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl959N08JVLpDpqpq3Pi4_D7Lk0msmO0nQYxrK-psYbIjZJsaMOXOoIJczxOPAUS5MsuEZeq9GHkvxiS5Msj-rJeZkVRkoAvlF7lcSwV-0_aBxUZ8trOLfBM9lodclO-VTPJtsHw/s400/anthopoulos-alex.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In my last blog I talked about
the issues that were going to need to be attended to by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Most of that revolved around the pitching rotation and the free agents and
trades that may be required to fill out the depth of this roster in hopes of
putting the 2016 season over the top. When talking about the free agents I
obviously did not put enough emphasis in getting now former GM Alex Anthopoulos
locked up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The day after I posted my blog I
awoke to the news that AA had informed Rogers that he was declining the 5 year
deal that was offered to him. That was, I don’t want to say a disappointment
but it came as a shock and then the ensuing speculation on the reason for that
he was not re-upping in Toronto was rampant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTKIlTezVQVJ8ngk6_fAQY14OmGw-v73ydu4loWU0CG7ctXpNeMlJYadZuHx2Gp4Fg0-W6q07qkoc9E94XV9-Wy5YFpWwL5Ueho6e95Cjf391Y76P1Ngck52GlzkYbqLWP25SHg/s1600/Mark-Shapiro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTKIlTezVQVJ8ngk6_fAQY14OmGw-v73ydu4loWU0CG7ctXpNeMlJYadZuHx2Gp4Fg0-W6q07qkoc9E94XV9-Wy5YFpWwL5Ueho6e95Cjf391Y76P1Ngck52GlzkYbqLWP25SHg/s200/Mark-Shapiro.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As of now we don’t know why he
chose to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems like it
was likely a philosophical difference with incoming President and CEO Mark
Shariro. I guess until he signs on with another club we won’t fully understand
what his mindset was, and even then, knowing how AA operates it still won’t be
clear as he has a great talent in not directly answering questions posed to
him. He seemed to, for the most part be honest but at the same time be able to
be vague and evasive depending on the questions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So the AA era is over but he has
left a very good on field with team friendly contracts and not a lot of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘bad money’ on the books going forward.
The one good thing for both Mark Shapiro and interim GM Tony La Cava is the
flexibility the club has. That is also where the concern from the fans and
media come from. There a re a lot of questions on what direction the new
management/ front office are going to decide to do. As of Saturday Free Agents
are available to start signing. Now it is not like hockey and day 1 a ton of
players get locked up but this team are going to have to hit the ground running
and derive a plan on how to best fill out the roster and re-build a pitching
staff that is full of question marks. The team has already exercised options on
Edwin, Bautista and R.A Dickey. Now they need to turn their attention to what
they plan on doing with Marco Estrada, do they qualify or not and should or
should they not look to get him signed to a multi year deal. Then there is the
decision on the young arms from this past year Hutchinson, Osuzna and Sanchez.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It will be interesting to see
over the next few months how things shake down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What Free Agents do they target,
what positions are the focal points and then what trades are available and does
a big right handed bat get moved for either a young established controllable
arm or a left handed power hitter to fill that roster spot or position on the
field. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Stay tuned during the Hot Stove
season to see a rundown and instant evaluation of moves as they are made here
at <a href="http://abitofeverythingsports.blogspot.com/">abitofeverythingsports.blogspot.com</a> </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-45644567534835073212015-10-27T20:33:00.002-04:002015-10-27T20:33:53.544-04:00Thanks Blue Jays! Now the hard work begins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGNlBDyHhkln5nNAjvEYuMXEIqXY6xKLjpCpF2Oz3Z-C4nwQCV-e4i64c2U1iBISfx75uz782TiTBeTRRf3DNn8rDHmQJxClHf2KLl6frwWwc816fPlVa3Pu4n2sk6eYsJkoMgQ/s1600/Jays+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGNlBDyHhkln5nNAjvEYuMXEIqXY6xKLjpCpF2Oz3Z-C4nwQCV-e4i64c2U1iBISfx75uz782TiTBeTRRf3DNn8rDHmQJxClHf2KLl6frwWwc816fPlVa3Pu4n2sk6eYsJkoMgQ/s200/Jays+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The World Series is about to begin and I do not have a horse left in this race. The Royals beat out the Blue Jays so it is a little hard to start rooting for them now, even if they may well have the most balanced team and are probably the favorites going in. The Mets have some great young arms but that KC lineup is very dangerous and can strike at any time. The Mets order is probably not as intimidating and after a lengthy layoff may well have cooled down.<br />
<br />
The dream match up I was hoping for was a Cubs vs Blue Jays World Series. The Jays are my favorite AL team and the Cubs, well they are the Cubs, the lovable losers.<br />
<br />
So now more focus goes to the off field game of baseball and there is always. Much speculation on how teams will look to improve during the off-season. Free agents, claims and trades come to the forefront during this time become topic of conversation and discussion. Who should stay, who should go and what upgrades can be made at a reasonable cost (both in money and talent).<br />
<br />
Normally this would be the time where I would start looking at The Atlanta Braves and begin feeling out what I think they need, where to get it and how they should go about it. This year is different.This year there are some extenuating circumstances that very few could have foreseen given the landscape of baseball in Toronto for the past 20 some odd years.<br />
<br />
The Toronto Blue Jays had a great season, a winning season., a season that saw them go 93-69. They won a divisional round series and just came up a little short in a comeback that could have sent them to the World Series. How could focus go anywhere else?<br />
<br />
The one good thing with this club is that there is a good chunk of the team that remains under club control. The majority of those players will likely be back to for what proved to be a formidable offense and provide stellar defense. Turns out depth and a shaky bullpen proved to be the team’s ultimate undoing.<br />
<br />
With a relatively potent offense still intact the focus this off- season will be arms, both in the rotation as well as the bullpen. Well that and likely some bunting practice from some of the top of the order guys.<br />
<br />
The big question right now is what will the rotation look like going into next season. There will almost surely be an overhaul and what parts are left standing is anyone’s guess. The Jay’s have some good young arms that could vie for a job as a starter but as for those who ended the season there will not likely be returning.<br />
<br />
The club has an option on RA Dickey at a relatively team friendly salary. Not a top of the line guy anymore but an innings eater with a history of decent health so he is probably in the back end of the rotation. Mark Buehrle, Marco Estrada and David Price are all free agents. 2 of those guys will be looking to cash in this off-season and 1 may just retire. That leaves a lot of options and flexibility for the Jays to go in any number of directions.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxbClaVO7_ArExCsYPy0xeH2UZE9cHmLOPINs7_XxDconRX5fAjk6OwnGm06xEXd-Ab-9Wvm1tRGhGdRAnfXE7C9CTMVmc8pIMzSnbRs12wQOx3O157if7tBWWqaMTiJTjc0z4A/s1600/Ace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxbClaVO7_ArExCsYPy0xeH2UZE9cHmLOPINs7_XxDconRX5fAjk6OwnGm06xEXd-Ab-9Wvm1tRGhGdRAnfXE7C9CTMVmc8pIMzSnbRs12wQOx3O157if7tBWWqaMTiJTjc0z4A/s320/Ace.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right now the only 2 Aces that the Jays<br />have is Marcus Stroman and this guy </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here is the big thing on the pitching front, and this is where things get murky. David Price will likely want somewhere in the ballpark of 7 years and near $200 some Million he is over 30 and as history will <br />
show you are paying for about 4 maybe 5 good years before that contract looks terrible and he is unable to throw to near that value. Marco Estrada has had 7/8 of a full year as a top end starter and entering the season was not even in the rotation. Giving him a big free agent contract based on 1 good season and one VERY good post season is a very risky proposition. The question now is Do You Feel Lucky? Well do you, punk? The third member of this triad is Mark Buehrle. The decision may well be made by him and not by the club. He may want to return (but would have to do so at a very reduced rate) he may opt to retire or maybe he is just interested in moving on from the Jays altogether.<br />
<br />
Oh, there is one other issue when looking at who or how this rotation will be built. The GM, Alex Anthopoulos himself is going to become a free agent on or near the completion of the World Series. So the current head decision maker and architect of this club may not be part of this club. Or, maybe he will be. Or, maybe there will be a sharing of power in baseball operations with incoming Mark Shapiro as President and CEO. These are the most crucial decisions the Jays face at the beginning of the off-season. After that it is all the easy stuff like: Who is your second baseman Ryan Goings or Devin Travis who will be returning from injury. What are you going to do at 1st base Smoke, Colabello or another? Do you need to trade a bat for an arm and who can or are they willing to move? What young arm is ready to make the jump into the rotation? How and who are you going to set your bullpen and where are you going to find the ‘power arms’ that seem to be a necessity?<br />
<br />
And not unlike the Conservative Party of Canada attack ads.."and the budget will balance itself”. So too for the Blue Jays "the roster will fill out itself ’ right?<br />
<br />Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-87868454675943743362015-09-28T13:26:00.000-04:002015-09-29T22:40:59.825-04:00An Introduction to Baseball<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wM2s1LFmhZrNlZJVcj9qUoN2EVHbbaOw8nVHH6goCQeaMiCHPR0yk2w_Z5yZTfUAblNqHZQRymF7_nAq2LyYXyoeySsIurK5p-Q3f1yd4Rfvhn9QOOnzJybrJKlf9547BAPqwQ/s1600/DSC03798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wM2s1LFmhZrNlZJVcj9qUoN2EVHbbaOw8nVHH6goCQeaMiCHPR0yk2w_Z5yZTfUAblNqHZQRymF7_nAq2LyYXyoeySsIurK5p-Q3f1yd4Rfvhn9QOOnzJybrJKlf9547BAPqwQ/s320/DSC03798.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My little buddy keeping a close<br />
eye on the little girl on the GO Train<br />
wearing a BoSox shirt and Hat.<br />
I didn't trust her either buddy. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending a Blue Jays game at the now ‘Rogers Centre’ versus the Boston Red Sox. For the first time since 1993 the Jays are playing meaningful games in September. At that time they had strong hopes of making it into the playoffs and now possibly even a Division Championship. That in itself makes for a great atmosphere and reason to attend a game. What made this even more special was the opportunity to expose 2 new ‘fans’ to live baseball. Also in attendance for the game was my father and little second cousin who is 2 years old. For both of these budding super fans it was their first experience in watching a Major League game live. It is a much easier sell to a toddler… make it sound like it is a treat and the most fun thing since Thomas the Train or TruckTown. Before the game when watching highlights from the day before he would see the ballgame on TV and tell everyone in the room that he was going to the baseball game! He said it with such pride you would have to be made of stone not to get jacked up yourself. I figured that it would be next to impossible to get my dad to go but to my surprise he was very enthusiastic about this adventure to Toronto, riding the train and hanging out with 48,000 new friends! To attend with two newbies was great and added to the gameday experience.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuUp-nE37wqSx_NjZWvuPwDGUCQJNiqAvXEbxFu-SeJtunib8dSUSsr9KbveFQOsNRX3Cs4Hypq8KTi057RcHxqVndjj2Hf_uMmrHLUa49Nbf-ChyphenhyphenDAk5SmfXiSXBOjom8Ldpwg/s1600/DSC03847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuUp-nE37wqSx_NjZWvuPwDGUCQJNiqAvXEbxFu-SeJtunib8dSUSsr9KbveFQOsNRX3Cs4Hypq8KTi057RcHxqVndjj2Hf_uMmrHLUa49Nbf-ChyphenhyphenDAk5SmfXiSXBOjom8Ldpwg/s320/DSC03847.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was as shocked as anyone that he sat on my knee for<br />
as long as he did. I guess we can add Cheese Puffs to<br />
'Take me out to the Ballgame'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I remember the first time that I went to a Blue Jays baseball game. In fact it was the first Major League game that I had ever attended. It was at the SkyDome back on June 23, 1990 (531 R19 Seat 10 and was a 1:35 start). The Blue Jays were taking on the hated New York Yankees. They had been bad for much of the 80s so they were far less hated then they have become.<br />
<br />
I remember taking the trip to my aunt and uncles in Mississauga for the weekend to take in the game. I was so excited! At that time I would have been 10 so I had played and followed baseball for a little while and had a pretty good grasp of the game and the players on the team. We were going to the Saturday game. I recall hoping that they would sit both Fred McGriff and Kelly Gruber the Friday night before the game we were going to. Those were my two favorite players on the team at the time so I wanted to assured they would be in the lineup when I was there. Fred McGriff because he was the “Crime Dog” and had that cool looking extended bow of a follow through after his swing. The first pack of O-Pee-Chee baseball cards that I bought (yep the ones with the rock hard and sharp piece of pink gum in them) had a Kelly Gruber card in it. My first pack, and it had a Blue Jay in it! Not only that but that Blue Jay was sporting one sweet flowing blond mullet. How can anyone compete with that, it was everything a young Blue Jays/baseball fan could ask for!<br />
<br />
I remember We were on the third base line, just about even with the bag I believe and up in the 500 Level. Since none of us knew any better these were great seats! You could see everything. The game was exciting as I recall but as a kid at his first ball game it was going to be exciting no matter what. There were 2 distinct events that happened that game that I recall very well. Glenallen Hill leaping up over the fence to try to bring back a home run that was traveling over the wall for a home run and his glove falling off over the fence. The other was hearing the music play when the closer, Tom Henke, was entering the game.<br />
<br />
This time around I was the more veteran ballgame go-er, even if it was only by a few games but I had the privilege of helping introduce live baseball to an older non-sports fan and at the same time hopefully help expose a new youngster to the fun and enjoyment of attending live sports events, even though the little guy that I was with was probably too young to retain much from the game itself, how it was played or what the rules are.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKmOirWTrOIjIreUV8Tv2w7MEGkB39UYxO-1Obm9unkY_GZB2zB4Cst4YKNj9WIRi1tX7NLJryAGAlMOap8InU1ciQ2H2Jjtsh8BSyQOJQxaOfsAgVxbsSvO8EQkiq_yzTrZGHQ/s1600/DSC03808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkKmOirWTrOIjIreUV8Tv2w7MEGkB39UYxO-1Obm9unkY_GZB2zB4Cst4YKNj9WIRi1tX7NLJryAGAlMOap8InU1ciQ2H2Jjtsh8BSyQOJQxaOfsAgVxbsSvO8EQkiq_yzTrZGHQ/s400/DSC03808.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boston BP prior to the game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We got to the game during the Red Sox batting practice so this was a good time to venture around the concourse and see some sights and take in the overall baseball experience. As one might imagine with a toddler nap time is key so before the game started and a couple of innings into the ballgame my little buddy enjoyed a quick power nap. The 4:07pm first pitch was both good and bad. It gave plenty of time to get to the stadium and see some things but it also meant that the game would not end until after 7:30pm. As anyone who has been around children for any amount of time ever, they tend to be up pretty early and that makes for a long day for everyone involved.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvou-K0fJ-AqOfUxCsI6SgfUlBVq4qCHCf5-O3Nt7MbNcofc0uc0UN17Oh4gisf_1UHkhooaEX7ok2TgSgCRCvUT8cQE48v3IEEm_Ex8fUnKWRP-GXbCsk5HyxhvSNC7566cTTzA/s1600/RB+LEAH.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvou-K0fJ-AqOfUxCsI6SgfUlBVq4qCHCf5-O3Nt7MbNcofc0uc0UN17Oh4gisf_1UHkhooaEX7ok2TgSgCRCvUT8cQE48v3IEEm_Ex8fUnKWRP-GXbCsk5HyxhvSNC7566cTTzA/s400/RB+LEAH.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my second favorite management person at Rogers Centre next to Alex Anthopoulos. <br />
Great for a friend to take a minute to stop by and say hi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2g85220hmpG5_9bgFZ6RsbI0JkE5xWfie7ce9YDr_7fi5Ug-tY47RdQfpqkgBr0RnIZiXiyRX5cJnX8jacqONQ-UdaY13AWPkLacGBBXqpvJX21tNdjdOlgUFO-mtIUyv_6u_A/s1600/DSC03817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV2g85220hmpG5_9bgFZ6RsbI0JkE5xWfie7ce9YDr_7fi5Ug-tY47RdQfpqkgBr0RnIZiXiyRX5cJnX8jacqONQ-UdaY13AWPkLacGBBXqpvJX21tNdjdOlgUFO-mtIUyv_6u_A/s400/DSC03817.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Campbell and a very subdued suit that Greg Zaun was sporting on Blue Jays Central before the game. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The only regret I have from the game was my lack of the traditional 'Ballpark Food' exploration. I like to try different ballpark goodies when I am at games. Each stadium has some sort of signature food that they are known for. I was just so caught up in everything that I didn't get a chance to explore the options. I know my buddy who runs theballparkguide.com would not be pleased at this over site but rest assured I will make up for it next time! I regret to say that I also dropped the ball after the game when we stopped at the HWY 55 Burgers Shakes and Fries. It is a new franchise in Oakville and appears to be the only one in Canada at the moment as it is not even listed as a location yet on the <a href="http://www.hwy55.com/">www.hwy55.com</a> website. They offered a Shrimp Po' Boy and I did not order it...rookie mistake. I opted for a regular shrimp burger but I feel I should have splurged and gone Po' Boy style. Guess I will have to schedule another trip soon and make up for this miscue.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibakCV_ibvOGB30JWYPhw30pS0CHtUavbs-9fQRv7tzI0NX3YZrxeM7dK-tpuw8jdo8VJ4TZ0VEQey1gZPp01hxG150Sx9Dc2P19LdlPwRlmZ-SMQ8r4yLGcpIU268SDHPXVNUWQ/s1600/Tix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibakCV_ibvOGB30JWYPhw30pS0CHtUavbs-9fQRv7tzI0NX3YZrxeM7dK-tpuw8jdo8VJ4TZ0VEQey1gZPp01hxG150Sx9Dc2P19LdlPwRlmZ-SMQ8r4yLGcpIU268SDHPXVNUWQ/s400/Tix.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the same as the<br />
old style tickets you used<br />
to get at sporting events</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not only was it a Red Sox day but also it was a Jr. Jays day. A welcome distraction for a youngster who may get restless just sitting and watching a baseball game. Heck, a lot of adults have trouble sitting through a full game. He got to participate in some of the kids games and activities they had and came away with some cool souvenirs from the game. He got a neat Blue Jays airbrushed "tattoo" , a few Jays stickers and a Jays lunch bag. He was also spoiled with a swirled soft serve ice cream in a Blue Jays batting helmet. I was jealous of this and figured I needed to treat myself to one as well. What can I say I am a sucker for hats at baseball games. He also left with a snazzy Blue Jays stitched toddler’s jersey that was purchased to commemorate his first game. Maybe it will end up on the wall in his room someday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Because of his age there was a bit of an issue with the volume in the stadium. Music and sound effects may have been a bit overwhelming at times. There was also the semi-unexpected presence of Toronto fans actually cheering a home team and actually being engaged with that team. Success is not something that a lot of Toronto sports fans are familiar with so to be in a stadium that was so engaged was a bit foreign. Other then that there were no major problems. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKGevZcUuHu0LpEBDmeFRRhKCJXAv4cbnQuFHbJJ_8SwZIEaLBWwFNAFRVAA-t3Q2Y2HHLmjgqfLT_1z9yHNbENXrS8yBPjqPiXNO612XXyFrZnGatHbDbzIlpKgLYWSd_QxlDQ/s1600/DSC03810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnKGevZcUuHu0LpEBDmeFRRhKCJXAv4cbnQuFHbJJ_8SwZIEaLBWwFNAFRVAA-t3Q2Y2HHLmjgqfLT_1z9yHNbENXrS8yBPjqPiXNO612XXyFrZnGatHbDbzIlpKgLYWSd_QxlDQ/s400/DSC03810.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were our seats for the game...Just at the edge of the "B" in<br />
the Budweiser sign out in Left Center. No view of the video board <br />
but had 2 TV screens to view the game on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Perhaps next season, after a little more 'seasoning' we can try for another game or two. I would love to attend another jays game with him but maybe we can fit in an Independent League game in Ottawa (The Ottawa Champions). I think exposing a potential new and young fan to a high level of baseball at a stadium that is not packed to the brim and offers a chance to be outside and get right up close to the action can only build on future interest and an understanding of the game.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4iuKF4n7S6siasiGD0zzgkiDt3ZZiwoADgxBq27RR6T0OJP37cXDIU31J0o16Ap-or01HqRF9Rcc6WXEsDhdaTgjMBZEFDKzP1qHdFKlRivhT_nPLAo1wrr1Ad9CEsXS0Jyhlg/s1600/holders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4iuKF4n7S6siasiGD0zzgkiDt3ZZiwoADgxBq27RR6T0OJP37cXDIU31J0o16Ap-or01HqRF9Rcc6WXEsDhdaTgjMBZEFDKzP1qHdFKlRivhT_nPLAo1wrr1Ad9CEsXS0Jyhlg/s640/holders.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite her best efforts to gain entry, just because your last name is Holder does not<br />
mean you can gain access to the stadium through the Season Holders entrance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hopefully he is able to take away the excitement from the fans in the stands, the music that was played throughout the game and just the overall atmosphere of being with a group of people gathered together with one common goal…To ROOT ROOT ROOT for the home team! Because as we all know, if they don’t win it’s a shame!Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-46383806030628177292015-07-24T02:23:00.000-04:002015-07-24T02:23:24.327-04:00Trade Deadline Is Near - Braves looking to make moves <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOzehQnFjM2-SpE5jE5rxtynrN-5e-AFEo157o95eOmoAFbMf-9cmt04cFq8eFAPxG_6qR4046HQOpA32OT9jWJh_XqTOK4ymn0SLcmxFGXQtnAbI-NcgBtP1uTAq5uAEE_XH9Q/s1600/2265.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOzehQnFjM2-SpE5jE5rxtynrN-5e-AFEo157o95eOmoAFbMf-9cmt04cFq8eFAPxG_6qR4046HQOpA32OT9jWJh_XqTOK4ymn0SLcmxFGXQtnAbI-NcgBtP1uTAq5uAEE_XH9Q/s200/2265.png" width="183" /></a></div>
<h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What is the right fit? What do the Braves have that teams want and do those teams have the depth to make it happen?</span></h4>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Braves have some nice chips that they could move if an interested party were to offer up a package that fits what the Braves are trying to do. Based on being 7 games out at the break, one would think that John Hart and Co. would continue to look to the ultimate end game of being good in 2017 when they move into SunTrust Park. All the moves thus far have had an eye on that being the end game. Even more recent moves involving older players are now solid trade chips to bolster the farm, create a pipeline of talent and create depth so future trades for proven players is available when the time is appropriate. All the arms they are gathering is great but as we saw with the big 3 throughout the 90's and early 2000s great pitching can cover up a lot of offensive warts but at some point you need to have a consistent offense and an increase of power, one capable of putting up some runs to aid these good young arms and lessen the amount of stressful innings they have from night to night. It is hard for young arms to pitch in 2-1 games all the time. Being last in baseball with under 60 Home Runs this season thus far needs to be addressed. It would be nice if Hart can be creative enough to get some young power in the ATL.<br /><br />When the season began there were a lot of “experts” that had written off the Braves this season and gave them no chance of finishing higher then last place in the East. Thankfully the Phillies look to be tough to wrestle that position away from. Going into the All Star Break the Braves are 7 games behind Washington for the East lead. Sure it is well within reach but fans should not be fooled. The team is not in a position to contend this year. They are a competitive team but not ready to be a playoff team yet. <br /><br />After an off season that saw guys like Jason Heyward Justin and Melvin Upton Jr. Evan Gatis, and Craig Kimbrel shipped out for prospects and more controllable contracted players. The Braves were not expected to field anything near a competitive team. Thankfully for the players that were left and the fans that still wanted to see some decent baseball the Braves have played just under .500 ball. <br /><br />Last year the team was an all or nothing squad. It was, for the most part and Home Run or bust team that were victims of the strike out more often then not. This year most of those guys are gone and replaced with contact hitters and play a more traditional National League style of ball. Contact and speed seem to be more the focus. This “small ball” mentality makes for much more enjoyable to watch. Sure it is nice to see the Home Runs hit, but when the power dries up it is a very painful game to watch. It is hard to watch the starters trow a good game and not get any support. As stated before. it difficult on pitchers both mentally and physically. Those bright young arms can throw much more freely when they get some help and take some of the pressure off.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To continue on with the plan the Braves need to look to move some guys that are not going to fit into the long term plan and are nice trade chips should the Braves manage to find a suitable dance partner with the right combination of players or prospects. Guys like Cameron Maybin, Juan Uribe and Jim Johnson and maybe Chris Johnson's contract. If the Braves can use these guys to further increase the depth at the minor league level or pick up a young controllable bat that could be very beneficial to the club going forward. What is also nice is a extra bit of money that will be freed up when the cash owed to Dan Uggla is off the books. <b>Money+ Prospects = Flexability</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">John Hart has shown he is not afraid to deal and if he can take these players and sell high he needs to do so. Even by moving some or all of these players they are still going to be able to field a competitive team. If you can still supply watchable baseball and strengthen your organization at the same time, it is a no brainer.</span><br />
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Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-55065021683228107472015-07-15T08:56:00.001-04:002015-07-15T08:56:49.119-04:00E:6-The Jose Reyes Story<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; margin: 0px;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxzIc8gKnp9JOfyWVF2DucZMJKAuuyEk0j56Ik5K6h2PcOJneByJMiw77ZHQJQd-J7AuF9iKJts4iMC1MewcrKsdHgN5cod7jmtU4YSNoDdDW5UkIsuc7cPXObCYTCjqewhWYrw/s1600/reyes1-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxzIc8gKnp9JOfyWVF2DucZMJKAuuyEk0j56Ik5K6h2PcOJneByJMiw77ZHQJQd-J7AuF9iKJts4iMC1MewcrKsdHgN5cod7jmtU4YSNoDdDW5UkIsuc7cPXObCYTCjqewhWYrw/s400/reyes1-640x360.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this Reyes forgetting he is not throwing grounders during <br />
infield practice with 2 hoppers to first ? </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Toronto Blue Jays are in an interesting position as they head into the unofficial halfway point of the season known as the All Star Break. Hovering around the .500 mark, the Jays are still in decent shape in the standings and have a good shot at both the Eastern Division crown or a wild card bid. That is provided that they manage to do something on or before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline. The Jays have bats that can put up crooked numbers in a hurry but that can only take them so far. They just recently rallied back from being down 7-0 in the 6th to taking the lead 8-7 going into the bottom half of the inning.....then surrendering the lead immediately and eventually losing 11-10. There are 3 things to take away from this. The jays need at least 1 more, or more realistically 2 more top end arms in the starting rotation, they need to shore up the bullpen so when the offense manages to get them back into games they have no right being in they can hold the lead and not choke it away and third, which is probably the most difficult to do...figure out what to do with Jose Reyes. </div>
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Jose Reyes is a threat at the plate and threat on the bases. No one is going to argue with the numbers that he can give you when healthy. Big problem is, he is also a huge threat to the team defensively. Figuring out what to do about that is no small task. Well the answer is easy, but unrealistic...you pull him late in games in place of someone who can catch and throw the ball consistently. Problem with that is, if you choose to do that you are going to loose him and most likely going to loose a bunch of the Dominican players. it is hard to understand how it seems that whenever a Latin or Dominican player has an issue with something ALL the Latin/Dominican players have an issue. Sure Canadian’s and American’s will have respect for one another but rarely do you see them stand up and side with another teammate just because of nationality. It seems island pride runs deeper. That is not necessarily a bad thing, it is good to have pride in your nationality. We as Canadians take true pride in our country. The USA as we know wave the flag as much ore more then anyone but when it come down to a personal level it seems like the Latin players will side with their brethren in spite of what may be best for business. </div>
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The Jays are in a position to make a healthy run at the playoffs and I can't believe that when other Jays like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and especially the other Latin guys that see that Reyes’ glove and arm are costing them games that that doesn't make them mad, because it should. When they see balls going and Reyes’ glove or between his legs or he double skips a throw to first base how can they not acknowledge that he is potentially costing them games. They, more then anyone, needs to realize that something needs to be done at shortstop, especially late in tight games. Olé-ing balls that should be routine is costing the team runs, innings, pitch count, bullpen arms and surely overall moral and confidence in the team's ability to make a real run towards the playoffs. </div>
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<br /></div>
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When it gets to the point where you figure the team is more confident with Munenori Kawasaki at shortstop in the 8th and 9th instead of your $22M guy there has to be some unrest in the clubhouse. Reyes is such a table-setter and important offensive catalyst you don't want to rock the boat and loose him. But if you are Alex Anthopoulos and it is your neck on the line and needing a good finish for your ball club to secure your employment and position as GM it is hard to let things go on as they currently are. Sure it might be nice to package him in a deal, but that is not something easily done. His salary is prohibitive and it is also a deal that is more likely to happen in the off season not at the trade deadline at best.<br />
<br />
Hopefully Jose can refocus during the second half and really shore things up defensively. If the Jays do manage to make a move to get some arms, the new additions will need to be supported by solid defence. It doesn't even need to be spectacular defence, just make the plays you are supposed to make and that will help everyone up and down the roster.</div>
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Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-58624928721142678162015-04-07T19:43:00.000-04:002015-04-07T20:04:10.416-04:00Atlanta Braves look to surprise with re-vamped team<br />
<h4>
Former Braves closer Kimbrel a bad contract casualty as well as an unnecessary luxury on a team that is in re-tooling mode</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxeBGw8uBQcG4yUO2wghfUBIbxPv61PnkW6o6pmo6nX8ZfLEOkjJwv8LvihFwEAPY2aRhXpypm1VdADEfXMdbF_sxh8BJfsDJjZy8uT2v1sujUIjs7X30qh4udDJdRAFF9tvjSg/s1600/Braves+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxeBGw8uBQcG4yUO2wghfUBIbxPv61PnkW6o6pmo6nX8ZfLEOkjJwv8LvihFwEAPY2aRhXpypm1VdADEfXMdbF_sxh8BJfsDJjZy8uT2v1sujUIjs7X30qh4udDJdRAFF9tvjSg/s1600/Braves+Club.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
There are a lot of people out thre that are upset with the timing of the Atlanta Braves most recent trade of Melvin Upton Jr. (formerly B.J.) and All Star and probably the best closer in the majors Craig Kimbrel to the San Diego Padres on the eve of the season opener. Had the deal been done when the Braves were clearly in ‘trade mode’ and appearing as if they were just re-tooling but clearly such a deal was not available at the time or it would have been made.<br />
<br />
The Braves made it clear that they are re-stocking for the near future and the corresponding move to the new SunTrust Field in 2017 but it looked like they still thought they could be a top runner in the Eastern Division. Because of the previous trades that were made with Gattis, Upton and Heyward having an all star closer like Kimbrel was more of a luxury then a necessity. After the acquisition of former closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson there was some flexibility in terms of the closers roll in the Braves pen. GM John Hart made it clear that the team was not shopping Kimbrell but that the team had been approached by a number of teams about his availability. He appears to be the casualty of an albatross of a contract by the wildly under performing and overpayment of Upton JR. San Diego is going to take on all of Upton’s salary in order to get Kimbrel. When you can shed that contract and roster spot from the books you almost have to make that deal. They acquired Cameron Maybin and Carlos Quentin, two highly regarded prospects -- right-handed pitcher Matt Wisler and outfielder Jordan Paroubeck -- and the 41st overall selection in this year’s First-Year Player Draft. Maybin will stay with the team but Quintin has been designated for assignment and will either be traded or released and was just involved in the deal for salary reasons and will not play for the team.<br />
<br />
Some Braves fans may have more of an issue with this then others, but in the short term and the long term the moves seem to be done within the parameters of a master plan. Many are concerned in the short term about the direction of the club. At the moment I am not as worried. After the last few seasons of being the 27th or so ranked team in terms of sacrifice flies, and having innings that were some combination of rally killing strikeouts and inability to move runners over and in, it will be a welcome change to watch a team that can manufacture some runs.<br />
<br />
So many times last year the pitching was so good throughout the game but the club just seemed to be trailing more often then not until the 7th or 8th. Combine that with only having 0-2 runs at that time became frustrating for fans and likely and more importantly the starters that were being taxed with high pressure innings every outing just to keep game in reach in hopes of a home run that often never came. Free swinging and hero-ball mentality did not work very often and that caught up with the team late in the season taking them right out of contention in both games and the divisional standings.<br />
<br />
With all the off season moves there seems to be a concerted effort to play ball the right way, a more traditional National League style with an emphasis on speed and defence. The lineup flexibility and the ability to manage different situations and not rely on inconsistent and dwindling power production. A team that can manufacture runs is a more enjoyable style to watch for sure. Speed is fun and seldom slumps...the only downside is you can’t steal 1st base so walks and singles carry even more emphasis.<br />
<br />
To all those people who are worried about the on field product this season, maybe reserve judgement for a bit. Lets see what we got here. The rotation, especially when Minor returns from the DL looks to be respectable and the re-vamped lineup looks like it could be sneaky decent. The addition of former closers Jason Grilli and Jim Johnson as set up man and closer should help offset the loss of Kimbrel and provide a solid 1-2 punch on the back end. <br />
<br />
For a team that clearly has a goal of re-stocking their minor league clubs and adding young controllable assets the on field product looks competitive and that bodes well for when all the young prospects they managed to get via all the off season trades and transactions are ready to take the next step.<br />
So lets not judge the direction of decisions too soon there is a lot of ball to be played and if you play it the right way an play hard there might be some good value on this squad.<br />
<br />
Just look at center field, the bar is not set too high for Eric Young Jr. - hit .204, strike out less then half the time and have 30+ stolen bases and your already almost better then Melvin ‘don’t call me BJ’ Upton and his $46.3 Mil still owed to him.<br />
<h4>
Kimbrel was the casualty of former GM Frank Wren’s miscue in signing Upton, the then free agent to an unworthy amount and length of term contract. They are all now gone and it is time for the team to move on.</h4>
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Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-88595666791265729522015-02-07T07:16:00.001-05:002015-02-07T07:16:45.724-05:00The Commish<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWyPNF2Uh4ST1VpcHmA4kRJJxC2EO-GUwUYndNw8KwU1voiNJjhtxrI5cZbWy4YfGl_Y3U3uqH061noR2jPGPd3nmSFYvzc_eeBDzsyUKx10lZjW5tmFVdzjWeDrYyfauRABWXQ/s1600/rob-manfred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWyPNF2Uh4ST1VpcHmA4kRJJxC2EO-GUwUYndNw8KwU1voiNJjhtxrI5cZbWy4YfGl_Y3U3uqH061noR2jPGPd3nmSFYvzc_eeBDzsyUKx10lZjW5tmFVdzjWeDrYyfauRABWXQ/s1600/rob-manfred.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a>The introduction of the New Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred has already been met with some questions, and some interesting answers.<br />
<br />
The first was in regards to the DH in the AL and pitcher batting in the NL. As it stands now the World Series is played under 2 different rules. DH is enforced in AL parks and traditional rules are used in NL venues. Is this fair? Maybe, maybe not. I am not a huge fan of the DH but I understand its usefulness and why players would want it. Sure it gives more jobs and more money to aging players or ones that just can't cut it defensively. I think that if you are going to play baseball you should have to be able to contribute in all aspects of the game. You don't see designated putters on the PGA or a player that gets to stand in the offensive end or get to take all free throws and be a designated shooter. The good news is the new Commish does not look like he is interested in adding the DH to the National League.<br />
<br />
One that caught many peoples ears and eyes that people seemed to take more issue with was his comments about defensive player shifts. In one of his first interviews after officially taking over he talked about defensive shifts. At first it sounded like he would like to have that part of the game taken away from teams. It sounds similar to when the NBA adopted the Illegal Defense rule, which was essentially a zone defense. The idea there was to aid offence and free up the skilled 1-on1 guys. Thankfully they smartened up and got rid of that rules.<br />
<br />
Who knows what Manford's motivation of that idea was. Maybe he thought that it slowed down play having guys moving around the field and taking too much time. If that were the issue then save time somewhere else. Make the batters stay half in the box and back ready to hit. If there is no one on base it should not take long to flash signs and then get back in. Same with the pitchers, grab the ball get the sign and throw. There is no need to walk around back of the mound, take your glove off, and rub the ball then stroll back up to the rubber. Pitcher-catchers conferences with a pitcher should count as a mound meeting not just when a coach comes out. All those are much better alternatives if you are looking to shed a few minutes off the overall game time.<br />
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Whatever the motivation is or was at the time has not met well with much of the baseball world, and who could blame them?<br />
<br />
Why should teams get penalized for making pro active and making in-game adjustments? With all the data and statistics that baseball people are now using (which, at times seems a little much, with WaR and all the other sabermetrics out there), why not let them used the data that is available and set the defense according to trends. IF you put on a right field shift to a leftie power hitter and that forces the batter to have to decide weather to hit through a shift or disrupt his regular rhythm and try and hit away from the defense. <br />
<br />
A lot of people are not huge fans of the shift but having the right to do it should be up to the individual managers and ball clubs.<br />
<br />
I recall calling for a defensive shift while playing shortstop at the Bantam and Midget levels. At the time I had the center fielder move in from the outfield and play behind the 2nd base bag. At the time any hit to the outfield would have resulted in the winning run to come in, and the batter I had noted liked to go back up the middle. We clogged up the infield and forced the batter to beat us with either a hit to the outfield or earn it with a hit threw our drawn infield. The pitch was hit right back threw the box right at the center fielder who was now directly behind 2nd, thus starting a double play. Sometimes playing the percentages works.Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-89018205077627652182015-01-20T14:08:00.002-05:002015-01-21T08:10:41.044-05:00Is Kimbrel A Luxury Asset?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbmaMDUPyR8XN91lw6L97Qv46goss2GEdXOw7JGhu7br0ns9BZCigLjOF67IXNfA0mJwAkberkSFyLw2WvSzdWaa3VfLMGK7_UExtZ_H1E7FFN7ibQChQJ88YRplsZwSqPDoDww/s1600/Kimbrell.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbmaMDUPyR8XN91lw6L97Qv46goss2GEdXOw7JGhu7br0ns9BZCigLjOF67IXNfA0mJwAkberkSFyLw2WvSzdWaa3VfLMGK7_UExtZ_H1E7FFN7ibQChQJ88YRplsZwSqPDoDww/s1600/Kimbrell.png" height="488" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">What is his value to a revamped Braves team and is it greater then what they can get for him now or at the trade deadline?</span></td></tr>
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With all the moves the Atlanta
Braves have done this off-season there is still one very important question
left to be answered, what should they do with Craig Kimbrel? Do you keep a
closer that may not have as many opportunities on a team that you don’t know
what they are yet or if they will be able to compete in enough games to make it
worth keeping Kimbrel around. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Kimbrel is a fan favorite, is
locked up for the next few years and is one of the most dominant relievers in
baseball. With that said, does it make a lot of sense to hang onto a closer
that may not get the chance to save as many games. Maybe now is not the best
time to move him as typically moving a reliever closer to the deadline will
garner a more bountiful return. By waiting, you can also see how the team is
handling the newly re-vamped roster. Maybe they ride a good starting rotation
and are able to manufacture more runs then anticipated and surprise a lot of
people. If not then having the unnecessary luxury of a closer does not make as
much sense. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Braves are trying to gear up
for their move to SunTrust Park in 2017, and likely by that time Kimbrel’s
value would not likely be as high as it would be now. If some of the new arms
that were acquired this off season look like they have rebounded from down
years then maybe there is a capable guy there that can step into that role in
the interim. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A possible return that could be
retrieved might just be enough for GM John Hart to part with his golden armed
closer and get some more assets in his quest to prepare the Braves for their
move to SunTrust.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Recent deals that have included
the likes of Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis have brought back many
top prospects, most of them young arms. On a team that also has many questions
on offence some quality bats could be a nice and welcomed addition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There is still time before the
season for Hart to address that, especially in left field. There are still some
free agents still available as well so that could also affect the teams
willingness and/or need to move Kimbrel anytime soon. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-76369212042850139872014-12-12T12:23:00.001-05:002014-12-12T12:23:46.111-05:00Baseball's Winter Wonderland
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Although still early, the
Winter Meetings wrapping up in San Diego, there has already been some big
Domino’s that have fallen. The Oakland A’s have been one of the busiest teams
in terms of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trades. They have
already made a blockbuster move with Toronto involving their 3<sup>rd</sup>
baseman Josh Donaldson and another with The White sox involving starting
pitcher Jeff Samardzija.. They have also made some Free Agent moves in picking
up Billy Butler formerly of the KC Royals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Atlanta Braves have been
fairly active as well in their pursuit to revamp a roster that is need of a
face-lift and also in need of some added depth both at the major league and
minor league level. The Braves have already done one Blockbuster deal when they
<span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=518792"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jason Heyward</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> and <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=477229"><span style="color: #a50026; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jordan Walden</span></a>.</span>to
the Cardinals for <span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=571946"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Shelby Miller</span></a>
</span>and <span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=592433"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tyrell Jenkins</span></a>.
They also moved <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=600303"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tommy La Stella</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> for </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=527055"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Arodys Vizcaino</span></a>
and International Free Agent money. The Braves also dipped into the free agent
market already with the signing of relief pitcher <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=462382"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Jim Johnson</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> and right fielder </span><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=455976"><span style="color: #a50026; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Nick Markakis</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
looks like new GM John Hart is not done his transformation of the Braves just
yet. There is the looming issue of both Uptons (B.J. and Justin) and Evan
Gattis. Justin and Evan are the most likely to be dealt but if Hart can mange
somehow to ‘mind trick’ another GM into taking BJ and his contract off his
hands (like JP did for the Jays with Vernon Wells and Alex Rios) he would
probably be praised by Braves nation. It will be interesting to see what Hart
is able to do regarding these players. Justin Upton would likely fetch the best
package in return, it is just a matter of what Hart is looking for and what
other GM’s are willing to part with. It is no secret that the Braves are
looking for young controllable arms as well as shore up a currently depleted
farm system starved for high end talent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Braves
were looking at a possible power replacing outfielder in Cuban, Yasmani Tomas
but he chose to sign with Arizona so the Braves elected to take a look at Dian
Toscano, a lesser known Cuban that sounds like more of a contact hitter then a
big power threat like the most recent Cubans who have come over of late. It is
looking like one of John Hart’s objectives is to move the identity of the team
to a more contact oriented lineup. Power is a great thing and can prove to be
imposing but if you are striking out more often then not it can’t help but hurt
the teams ability to manufacture runs. Good pitching can stifle big power and
when that is not there you need to be able to put the ball in play and that is
something the Braves struggled with down the stretch last season The team has
also obtained the services of former A’s infielder Alberto Callaspo as a 2<sup>nd</sup>
base option.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Braves are still thin on a starting rotation that has only 4 members thus far.
Depending on what other trades or other moves are made, pitching will be a
major point of focus for the team. When you think of The Braves, people still
tend to remember the good ol’ days of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz being the
backbone of the team. With the quality of arms that are in the NL East already
the Braves will need to bolster their arms <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i>
offence if they hope to compete.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">All eyes will still be on Atlanta and GM John Hart as there are still a number of moving pieces that need to be resolved, either via Free Agency or by trade. And the waiting game continues... </span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-6183810580647897122014-11-24T18:21:00.001-05:002014-11-24T18:21:46.843-05:00Hot Stove in Hot-lanta<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeQNCpHBgtqXGFCHpVlQqWF4A6dKk4DyFtG3-fp9xIiROfMbUygh5LAg8Vz1_brlk3SVPy17RwNFCWzTaxqArwanVBOuCSbZc98utYVqYp8vVquCFhkAeTcazz9DcH5LWStohIg/s1600/Hot-Stove.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeQNCpHBgtqXGFCHpVlQqWF4A6dKk4DyFtG3-fp9xIiROfMbUygh5LAg8Vz1_brlk3SVPy17RwNFCWzTaxqArwanVBOuCSbZc98utYVqYp8vVquCFhkAeTcazz9DcH5LWStohIg/s1600/Hot-Stove.png" height="187" width="320" /></a>The Atlanta Braves have seemingly become one of the first teams to get things heated up during the Hot Stove season.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
The first big blockbuster trade went down last week with the Bravo’s trading Right Fielder and Gold Glove winner Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals with relief pitcher Jordan Waldon. In exchange the Braves get Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. In addition to that the team also will save a little bit of money, get players that they can control for a few years as well as gain some added payroll flexibility. The Braves are in need of rebuilding a young, unproven starting rotation that is also filled with uncertainty as they await finding the availability and ability of Kris Medlan and Brandon Beachy. </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
The loss of Heyward is an interesting one to try to make sense of. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? How are we supposed to look at this? Are they throwing in the towel for 2015 and looking to rebuild and try to be ready for 2017 when they move into the new stadium? Is this just the first step in simply retooling? It seems that it will all depend of what shoes fall next.</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
John Hart and Co. still have some big decisions to make and potentially some big deals that may or may not happen. It does seem clear that the team is looking to gain players that they are able to control for a few years that offer a little more cost certainty. What happens with Justin Upton, Evan Gattis and maybe even BJ Upton will be interesting to see. It would be interesting to see if the Braves don’t try to completely re-make their entire outfield. J-Up is set to be a free Agent and the Braves would likely be inclined to move him for a strong return. If he goes does Gattis move to left? Maybe Gattis gets moved to somewhere like KC to be a DH to take the spot that Billy Butler held. What then happens to BJ, do they hope that new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer can do something to get he to be even just a little bit productive or can he be flipped for someone else’s bad contract?</div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
It seems that money, as much or more then anything is the motivation to do a lot of these moves. The Braves want pitching and controllable years. They have a questionable offense as it is constructed now and a thin minor league pipeline coming up. This is evident with the move that sent 2nd baseman Tommy La Stella to the Cubs for Arodys Vizcaino and $830K in international free agent money. </div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
Until the next shoe drops it will be hard to judge what the Heyward deal means and also what the Braves plans are for next season and what the look of the team will be heading into Spring Training.</div>
Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-61552419859531066392014-11-19T05:46:00.001-05:002014-11-19T05:46:33.227-05:00Is Montreal on the radar?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFaIwYcZefkgZfh-O6Wo3Q0Uc7Y-YzG5STZjTkSDMkpj1BNfqewfUyyMZMSPAWCZ6BK4PVy9uOF33OV6RVkyI1-GF391cCJZxegFnTAIfcK9juGCNVPq0yk6TwArnG02uf6a28A/s1600/Montreal_Expos_logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFaIwYcZefkgZfh-O6Wo3Q0Uc7Y-YzG5STZjTkSDMkpj1BNfqewfUyyMZMSPAWCZ6BK4PVy9uOF33OV6RVkyI1-GF391cCJZxegFnTAIfcK9juGCNVPq0yk6TwArnG02uf6a28A/s1600/Montreal_Expos_logo.png" height="200" width="197" /></a></div>
It is interesting to think that there might yet be a day that there will be a Major League Baseball team in Montreal again. There is little chance that an expansion team would be granted to the city but re-location is a real possibility. There have been whispers that Tampa could be a prime candidate to be such a team. That would be the perfect deal for the fans in the city and still work for MLB. Montreal, is an eastern city. Tampa, an American League East team. Toronto a natural geographic and cultural rival and would fit nice and snug with other teams that are already in the area (NY, BOS, BAL, TOR).<br />
<br />
Why did the team leave in the first place? Bad ownership, a lack of interest or inability to help from the corporate community given the economic reality at the time. There was and is also the issue that there needs to be a new stadium built, preferably downtown. Sure, there is always some talk about the 'what if' but the reality was the temperature from the Bud Seilig regime was never positive. Maybe some new blood and new set of eyes may help. As far as ownership goes, up until now there have been no real potential owners with the wherewithal to own a team. Recently, however the name Bronfman, the son of the Expos former owner has been linked with interest as well as The head of Dollaramma and Media Giant Bell.<br />
<br />
The name Bell is an interesting one and the reason there seems to be a little more traction when you figure them as possibly in on the fold. It is well know and reported that they took a HUGE hit when they were froze out of the National NHL Broadcasting rights that Rogers bought for 12yrs and $5.2 Billion. They also look across the dial and see a chief rival with the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, add to that the fact that Bell owned TSN launched 3 additional stations and have a total of 5 channels that require programming content. Sports is the one, for lack of a better term 'PVR' Proof. People want to watch events live. With up to the second updates to tablets and phones , long are the days of being able to go any amount of time to avoid seeing or hearing a score update of a live sporting event.<br />
Owning a team ensures 162 games a year that you control, and any alternate programming that can be associated with it. Pre and post game. Team specials. There are all sorts of options. Then on a more basic primal level there is the satisfaction of taking away some of the market share that your rival currently holds. The Blue Jays are regarded as Canada's team, maybe if Montreal can get in they can take advantage of some fans that just don't like Toronto because it is Toronto are just hungry for a team they can root for and support as their own.<br />
<br />
The passion for baseball at the Major league level by fans would likely still be there. It was not a lack of fan support that drove the team out of town it was a combination of bad ownership, lack of local corporate sponsorship/ownership and most importantly the lack of a new downtown stadium. It is common knowledge that Olympic Stadium was in great need of being replaced but for whatever combination of reasons that the team, and governments could not come to terms to get something done. Maybe the ownership at the time really never had any interest or motivation in keeping the team in Montreal anyway so the effort may not have been there. MLB did nothing to help keep the team in Montreal either. Sure, they 'owned' the team the last few years before they moved to Washington and tried having some games played in Mexico but by that time the writing was on the wall. How serious could they be about baseball in Montreal as owners when just prior taking ownership of the team from then owner Jeffrey Loria had them up for possible contraction with the Minnesota Twins. Interestingly enough, the Twins are still in Minnesota and have a beautiful new stadium, Target Field.<br />
<br />
Sure it is probably a long ways away from happening if it can happen at all. but maybe, just maybe we are a little closer for this impossibility to become possible.Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-42536221176108216342014-10-02T07:13:00.000-04:002014-10-02T07:13:34.451-04:00BUSY OFFSEASON FOR THE BRAVES FRONT OFFICE.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Big Decisions to be made in Atlanta this offseason, and it
begins at the top.</div>
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The Atlanta Braves are heading into some unprecedented
territory this off-season. After the recent termination of GM Frank Wren and the
appointment of Interim General Manager John Hart it will be very interesting to
see what direction he and the team have in mind.</div>
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It is believed that the fate of manager Freddi Gonzalez will
be determined by whomever eventually gets the job but likely he will get at
least 1 more shot next season, albeit with likely a much different looking
regular lineup.</div>
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What will prove to be most interesting is what deals will be
done under the supervision of John Hart and what will be “saved” for the
incoming GM as it relates to player movement. </div>
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The Braves endured a season where they managed to finish
near the bottom of most offensive categories and managed to be near the top of
the team strike out list. For a team that relied on the home run to score, when
the power goes out and the runs dry out, then combine that issue with no run
production via the long ball no amount of pitching will be able to bail you
out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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So, where do the Braves look to select only their 3<sup>rd</sup>
GM since 1990? Do they go internal an promote assistant GM John Coppolella, 35?
Perhaps use past relationships to lure KC GM Dayton Moore back to the ATL. Also,
Former Houston GM Gerry Hunsicker’s name has been mentioned as a possible
candidate. <br />
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John Hart himself has been known to be the architect of
some pretty potent offences in his times as a GM but has not always had
pitching staffs to complement it. The Braves seemingly are at least ok by the
looks of things on the mound (although the common sentiment is if you have 5
good starters you need 4 more). Will the Braves have to move a younger arm with
some bad salaries to make some off-season moves?</div>
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It would be nice to either get some cash relief by
moving a BJ Upton or Chris Johnson, which would also immediately cut down on
the amount of strikeouts the team managed to have. If one or both could be
moved, some other teams bad salary would likely have to come Atlanta’s way and
possibly a young prospects may have to be included to sweeten the deal. There
are probably few untouchables on the roster and whoever takes over as GM could
really put their stamp on the team if they decided to get creative and make
‘The Big Deal’. Both Jason Heyward and Justin Upton are free agents after 2015,
decisions will have to be made on their long term future as well, could they be
dangled to bring back a decent return. What will happen with Evan Gattis is
also a question mark. If the team thinks they can get service and production
from a Christian Bethencout/Gerald Laird combo maybe Gattis’ power could
backbone a trade to fill another void. </div>
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We will hopefully soon see who is calling the shots. It
is likely they would like things in place soon after the World Series concludes
and the GM Meetings in early November. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-87516334529494411682014-09-29T16:21:00.001-04:002014-09-29T16:21:46.840-04:00The Value of a Win<b id="docs-internal-guid-05e765d9-c249-2f28-4208-ff7030c1bf1e" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBu-WfgkPMJCVVkRTT4fGu398lc3y66WUugCgmezmHegaUQJJbuXlv6aCv9bgdyXIhMXTCXt45B9rbnYRZD-MsAiaBGFGLkjpo2Wb6yw8RSDS_kA2QO4HD-4P65aHiePto4Q3qXA/s1600/Braves+Club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBu-WfgkPMJCVVkRTT4fGu398lc3y66WUugCgmezmHegaUQJJbuXlv6aCv9bgdyXIhMXTCXt45B9rbnYRZD-MsAiaBGFGLkjpo2Wb6yw8RSDS_kA2QO4HD-4P65aHiePto4Q3qXA/s1600/Braves+Club.jpg" height="160" width="200" /></a><b id="docs-internal-guid-05e765d9-c249-2f28-4208-ff7030c1bf1e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have had a long, misguided, and over-appreciated view of what a win really means in baseball. At least in terms of what a win is as it relates to a pitcher. </span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-05e765d9-c249-2f28-4208-ff7030c1bf1e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-05e765d9-c249-2f28-4208-ff7030c1bf1e" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was a time when I thought you could look at a pitchers record and ell if he was having a good season or not. Was this pitcher worthy of winning a Cy Young or even be considered an ace without 18+ wins? At one time I probably would have said no. I felt like consistency and good pitching go hand in hand and the results would usually, over the course of a 182 game season work itself out. I no longer believe this.</span></b></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-05e765d9-c249-2f28-4208-ff7030c1bf1e" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even bad teams will win a lot of games, so one could conclude that even a good pitcher on a bad team is going to get positive results. The failure rate in most categories in baseball is so great that one would figure that even the bad will beat a good on any given night.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I am learning about good pitching and good numbers are that strictly looking at win totals does no good at all. Sure, I will submit that there is something to be said for some guys that just manage to 'get it done', 'rise to the occasion', or simply 'just win, baby'. But in the big picture you can't just look at that.</span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After watching the Braves this season seemingly give up at least the first run on just about every night, but it seems like it is multiple runs early in the game. it makes it a lot more difficult to play from behind all the time and not getting early runs is not helping anyone. When the Braves do score it seems like it is just one or 2 runs and then the bats go quiet again. This is leaving the Braves pitchers out on an island to fend for themselves. Sure there have been some stinkers thrown by the rotation, but on the whole, as a complete rotation they have been sensational. Considering at the beginning of the season it looked like the 5 man group had be decimated and that that was going to be the Braves downfall right from the get go.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a season that looked so promising with a rotation that look like it could be Julio Tehran, Kris Medlan, Brandon Beachy, Gavin Floyd, and Mike Minor and or the possibility of Freddy Garcia, There was talk that maybe a 6 man rotation would be the way to go for the first month and see how that went. The team looked deep in that position, looked like a solid playoff calibre team that was ready to play any National League team. </span></div>
<br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That nice depth of quality arms looked to put the Braves in a position of strength and offered high optimism heading into April. Then the wheels went off the track and things began to go sideways. Medlan - Tommy John (again), Beachy Tommy John (again), Gavin Floyd looked good on his rehab then boom - Tommy John (again). Suddenly things down in Peachtree nation wasn't looking quite so peachy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRVR6JItQyK6yKqlJhcrsffxE8wM9ngw3kcQKdOMCWC6LqB_hwo_lweHHwjkjLcywmsOE-e8pBHD7HJ3NQ7u9L_xxH24e3D15aGepT6QHXJmY7KUd3WhSSvGEShfm9zjWuf1qPg/s1600/Pitchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRVR6JItQyK6yKqlJhcrsffxE8wM9ngw3kcQKdOMCWC6LqB_hwo_lweHHwjkjLcywmsOE-e8pBHD7HJ3NQ7u9L_xxH24e3D15aGepT6QHXJmY7KUd3WhSSvGEShfm9zjWuf1qPg/s1600/Pitchers.jpg" height="203" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was easy to be greatly concerned that this was going to devastate the team and just crush the team coming out of the gates a bury them early. Freddy Garcia was let go in what at the time seemed a strange decision and Aaron Harang was brought in off the scrap heap from Cleveland. Ervin Santana was swept away from at least 1 other team, at least one AL East team with a 14.1M 1 year contract. It looked like the season was going to be cut down at the knees because of the pitching. That was far from true. They were almost all the shining stars on a team that was just not able to sustain a consistent offence that, by the end of the season, was all but dried up. This is why the win for pitchers mean so little. You can pitch your ass off and get rewarded with either no support, blown leads from the bullpen or no help until it is too late. Even as a Braves fan I feel for Cole Hammels a bit as he seems to get the same amount of support that the entire Braves staff was given the majority of the season.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn6rIfnC5-NI1PJziS3CklTba8VSxwzbUr0CbJo-Ydi1CxNBQ85fEua5-_kVpqIC2oeztgX9t2m4UxcDjoy6I7HEVCJYbkoRayxNYKToozNWEUM6a7cjJD1e17oPhHf3iUYh5AA/s1600/Q+Starts+Sheet1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifn6rIfnC5-NI1PJziS3CklTba8VSxwzbUr0CbJo-Ydi1CxNBQ85fEua5-_kVpqIC2oeztgX9t2m4UxcDjoy6I7HEVCJYbkoRayxNYKToozNWEUM6a7cjJD1e17oPhHf3iUYh5AA/s1600/Q+Starts+Sheet1.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Craig Kimbrell managed to rack up 46 saves is almost mind blowing. I guess with that said the Braves could not or would not score much of any runs until the 7-8 or 9th innings. The way a game is played out is directly influenced but the team that can jump out and score even a few early runs...it just takes the pressure off that you just can't plate guys. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With all the teams in the NL East poised to be better next season through nothing more than just getting healthy the Braves need to bolster a roster/lineup that can manufacture some runs. If they could not do it this year with the diminished staffs from other NL East teams then they are going to need some much different faces and approaches next year and maybe then some of these well tossed games and efforts by the pitching staff will not go to waste as often.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span></b>Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-44893761372571435812014-06-11T07:59:00.000-04:002014-06-11T07:59:23.044-04:00World Cup 2014 Brazil - Wake me when it is over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4ft-rAUjWNfVIOMxj9KvoEne_AsbamqISqGB3xgYsXb884WvrOmgjtrotq81etXG84jpLswJsNn4DGjVgJuPgCQMzpyP7syVNaYoRRXI_LW4PFak5W03O8a1MKJWJev19RwQ4A/s1600/FIFA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4ft-rAUjWNfVIOMxj9KvoEne_AsbamqISqGB3xgYsXb884WvrOmgjtrotq81etXG84jpLswJsNn4DGjVgJuPgCQMzpyP7syVNaYoRRXI_LW4PFak5W03O8a1MKJWJev19RwQ4A/s1600/FIFA.jpg" /></a></div>
The World Cup of Footie begins in just a few days in Brazil. Get your tv ready for this by blocking any channel that may show anything related to this monstrosity so you don't accidentally stumble upon a game and have the batteries die on your remote and you are subjected to any part of a match.<br />
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Right off the top lets ask the question of why is it known as The Beautiful Game? What is beautiful about this game? Aside from some of the fans and/or cheerleaders I can't say as I see it.<br />
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Thursday, June 12 the home team opens the tournament in a match versus Croatia. Lets not kid ourselves, there are a lot of people in North America and abroad that are jacked up for this tournament. I have no idea why but for whatever reason, reasonably smart people lose their mind and start to invest an interest in this event. This is without a doubt one of the most corrupt sports in the world, next to cycling and the Superbowl of that sport the Tour de France.<br />
I don't know what would be worse, having to endure watching this tournament or having to listen to the Vuvuzela's that became quasi famous in South Africa last World Cup and thankfully banned at the tournament this year.<br />
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Please people, do not become that person who thinks this is the be all and end all and start to adopt footie language over the next month. Do everyone a favour and don't start breaking out the soccer speak like you are a British announcer. Nobody wants to hear that a team is getting ready to enter 'the pitch' for 'a match' and they need 'a result'. The game ends zero-zero, not nil-nil. Extra time vs injury time. Earning a Cap, Holding it (for stoppage time) are other terms that can be added to this list as well. The whole thing is just redickulous, don't become soccer guy or gal. Also don't give into the desire to indulge in orange slices as a snack at half time. Above all else remember it is Soccer not Fùtbol.<br />
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Just because you happened to fly over Italy or Spain or went to France one time does not make it OK to run out and get car flags of those country's car flags and adopt them as 'your team'. Just be thankful that the Canadian Men's National team is so bad that they did not qualify and that you don't have to be conflicted about having to support them just because they are representing Canada at this event.<br />
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The next biggest issue is that we are getting close to summer and that is when a lot of movie blockbusters are set to hit theaters and yet they will all pale in comparison to the acting that will be going on during this event known as the World Cup. Players, will be hitting the turf, flopping to the ground like they have been assaulted with violent blows like a scene from Saving Private Ryan or 300. Flipping and doing somersaults in the air to sell the fact that an opponent has come withing 2 feet of them and they have been violently assaulted should not be an accepted part of this game. The art of the fake soccer injury is as important to learn as that of any other skill, trick or move involved in the sport. The game has tried to clean up the image of it being know as that of a game of fakers and embellishers, lets see just how successful they have been.<br />
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The only good that can come from this World Cup of Soccer thing is the chance to get some nice new beer glasses. Kelsey's will hook you up with a nice Budweiser glass with the purchase of a pint. The only problem is you have to sell your soul to get one as they are only available during soccer games. So likely you will be subjected to some footie to cash in on this. It is of personal discretion on if you can stand that or willing to subject yourself to that kind of cruel and unusual punishment.<br />
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<b><i>For a better perspective on this what better resource is there then The Simpsons.</i></b></div>
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<br />Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-71266995952383845292014-05-27T13:19:00.000-04:002014-05-27T13:19:06.117-04:00Making sure the deal today doesn't bite you tomorrow<div>
<b><i><span style="color: red;">The balancing act when trading for now but not getting burned in the future</span></i></b></div>
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There is always a risk when making a trade in any sport, especially
baseball. It is usually less risky when making a player for player deal as, for
the most part, with established players you have a pretty good idea what you are
giving and what you are getting. Also there is less of a financial penalty
because there is no salary cap. A deal may hurt your budget but not necessarily
cripple the team. Of course injuries that may crop up are out of anyone's
control. The Ian Kinsler/ Prince Fielder trade between the Texas Ranger and the
Detroit Tigers is evidence of that. Tigers look to come out way ahead of that
one so far with Fielder possibly out for the season with neck surgery.</div>
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<div>
Where deals are a little more cloudy is when you start throwing prospects
into the mix. This happens a lot near the trade deadline for teams that look to
get an established arm or bat to help in a push for the post season or for a
World Series run. Eliminated teams will often deal top end players that will not
help them in the short term and get top end prospects to help them get better in
the long term. It is a tough balancing act on how much teams are willing to give
up in terms of the future for players that can be dropped into the line-up right
away.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL6BpZBeqx6xfvmQ2OjQ1HXmpFvApE1fyqzguBLhjApauDXEy7vHYscV7FDS7INicGOcGaCn88E1Ixpnl4A0c8MK_w23pcB4zWN76h8mrzRxr8XzkFv5hbUv-FgRj4AtnMZJqOg/s1600/atlanta-braves-screaming-warrior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCL6BpZBeqx6xfvmQ2OjQ1HXmpFvApE1fyqzguBLhjApauDXEy7vHYscV7FDS7INicGOcGaCn88E1Ixpnl4A0c8MK_w23pcB4zWN76h8mrzRxr8XzkFv5hbUv-FgRj4AtnMZJqOg/s1600/atlanta-braves-screaming-warrior.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Every team has stories about winning and losing deals with this practice.
As a Braves fan I know all to well that one can hit a huge home run when the
prospect that you trade for becomes a soon to be Hall of Fame member. It started
with the Braves trading Duane Ward to Toronto for Doyal Alexander. Then
Alexander was traded to the Tigers for Prospect John Smoltz. Not a bad deal,
Alexander went 9-0 and helped the Tigers win the AL East, Smoltz went on the be
part of one of the best rotations ever assembled in the last 50 years. There is
also trades that looking back involving prospects that look less then favorable
as a Braves fan. 1 Career year for JD Drew and Eli Mararo to the Braves for
competent reliever Ray King, Jason Marquis (who was still decent at the time)
and, this is where it hurts - prospect Adam Wainwright (he turned out pretty
good). The other prospect trade that looks bad now was the deal that brought
Mark Texteria and Ron Mahay to Hot-Lanta for Beau Jones, Elvis Andrus (Starting
SS-close to 30sb per yr), Neftali Feliz (40 saves in 2010), Matt Harrison (won
18 in 2012) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.</div>
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<div>
The best trade of late that was not made was the deal that would have sent
Randall Delgado to the Cubs in a deadline deal that would have seen Ryan
Dempster sent to the Braves. Thankfully Dempster vito'd the trade and the Braves
retained the rights to Delgado. Delgado was then used as a key piece that
brought Justin Upton to The ATL with 3B Chris Johnson for Nick Ahmed (minors),
Brandon Drury (minors), Randall Delgado, Martin Prado and Zeke Spruill. Had
Delgado been traded to the Cubs for 1yr of Dempster the Braves may have had to
include Julio Teheran as part of the Upton deal. Not something the Braves I
imagine would have either wanted to or would have been willing to do.</div>
Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-82805100785077709192014-05-07T12:41:00.002-04:002014-05-07T12:41:42.200-04:00Power Outage in the ATL<h3>
<i>Braves struggling to find a consistent offensive stride.</i></h3>
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Well as nice as it is to see a tick in the win column for the first time in over a week for the Atlanta Braves, it is still a major concern. The Braves managed to eak out a 2-1 win over the St Louis Cardinals in game 2 of a three game set. This win is coming on the heals of a 7 game losing streak and in so being sweapt by both the Marlins and the Giants and dropping game 1 vs the Cards. They managed only 13 runs in those 7 games and managed to only push one run across in each Giants game and was shut out in game 1 vs the Marlins.<br />
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After such a hot start by the Braves to begin the season they are in the midst of just a huge slide and had even lost top spot to Washington for a bit. Going into the season there was a huge concern that the Braves starting rotation was going to be a big issue. After Kris Medlan and Brandon Beachy went down to their second Tommy John surgery there was real worry that they would be in trouble. Then GM frank Wren did some fancy footwork and snuck into the Ervin Santana negotiations and stole him from the Blue Jays and Orioles and then made the surprising move in cutting Fredy Garcia and picking up Aaron Herang. So far both have shown to be solid moves thus far.<br />
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For whatever reason they have had a beginning to the season with near historic numbers put up by the starters, and that has kept things together.<br />
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It was thought that the offence would need to be the ones to keep things on the rails and carry the team. Of late that is far from the case and the only reason any of the games have been close of late is the pitching. Even last night in the win they only managed 2 runs scored. Granted they have run into some real good pitchers from the other teams they are still in just a huge drought. For starters they are averaging 9 strikeouts a game. To put that into perspective that is 3 full innings of NO CONTACT. Hard to score a run when you can't execute a bunt or make contact and get a sacrifice fly. They are hitting near .225 with runners in scoring position right now and even though currently in a slump it is only Freddie Freeman who has even respectable numbers in this category.<br />
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It was nice to see BJ Upton come out a few games ago with glasses on. If that was an issue maybe it will help him turn his dreadful time in Atlanta around. After last seasons Lasik procedure Dan Uggla is still struggling and needs to snap out of it soon or his starting job may fall on the shoulders to Ramero Pena.<br />
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There may be something a little more drastic that needs to be done and that would be more then just Freddie Gonzalez putting the pitcher into the 8 spot to try to get more runners in front of Freddie Freeman. Maybe they need to explore blowing it all up and rebuild the lineup.<br />
The first thing I would like to see done is Jason Heyward moved from the lead off position. That worked last year, so far, this season, not so much. I would like to see something more like this and see how that works:<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Simmons, Chris Johnson, Freeman, J Upton, Heyward ,Gattis, Bj Upton, Uggla/Pena, *Pitcher</span></b><br />
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Simmons does not strike out a lot and has decent speed, Chris Johnson can handle a bat and uses all fields, Freeman is your RBI Guy, J- Upton your power clean up hitter. Dropping Heyward down may take some pressure off and he can get more pitches to drive and get some of his power back. Gattis behind Heyward to protect him and then BJ Upton and Uggla/Pena to finish out the lineup. When Pena is in the game I have no problem with him batting 9th and putting the pitcher in the 8 hole. It just seems that something major needs to be done to get the players attention and maybe find a spark and change the fortunes of this team that is struggling so mightily.<br />
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It would be nice not to waste all the good pitching that they have been afforded thus far.There will be a point where they too will struggle and not a lot of games can be won where they can only muster a handful of runs and the pitching staff is giving up 3 or more. That should not be too much to ask for. There is just too much offensive talent on this team to not be able to score any runs.<br />
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Maybe if they can put up a crooked number early and not wait until the 7th inning or later to score some runs it will not only help out the team during the game but also the mind set. Get some runs early and it will take that some pressure off and that could make a world of difference. A couple of runs early may help the pitchers too not have to throw so many high pressure innings and put extra strain on their arms.Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-32199236277244161352014-04-23T08:25:00.000-04:002014-04-23T08:25:19.365-04:00Brew Crew or BOO Crew?<h4>
<i>The Brewers of Milwaukee now one of the most disliked team in baseball</i></h4>
I have decided that I now have a least favorite baseball team, taking over from the Yankees. Back when the Boss was in charge they were the Evil Empire. Sure they spent a tonne of money this past off season but because there are other teams and more TV money available to them the gap between NYY and everyone else is much closer than ever. Now the new King of the Castle in terms of dislike are the Milwaukee Brewers. They are a smaller market team and have no reason to top my list but they now do. Sadly it is not even the whole team, it is just 2 players that has cast a dark shadow over this squad. Ryan Braun is the first. This is a guy who is what is wrong with both sports and society. After he managed to avoid an initial suspension for PED's (performance enhancing drugs) via a technicality and destroying the collector of his sample. in the media.He then repeatedly pleaded that it was all a mistake and he never did anything wrong, the test was flawed and/or tampered with. He implored friends, family, other athletes, fans and teammates to believe it was all a conspiracy, that he was set up and he was a good guy. He held a press conference to claim his innocence. That presser made him look sleazy and greasy, like a used car salesman who was trying to spin the story to make him look like the victim. He just looked so smug with his finely quaffed hair and double pocket shirt. When he stated that if he had 'done this intentionally or unintentionally I'd be the first one to step up and say, I did it' and followed that up with saying if he had ever made a mistake he'd taken responsibility for his actions. He stated that his name was dragged through the mud and that he was the one who was wronged.<br />
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So after all that he was eventually found to have been involved with exactly what he was accused of initially before getting it overturned. After being suspended for the remainder of last season he was proven to be a fraud, a liar and in the minds of a lot of people outside of Milwaukee a dirt bag<br />
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and all that was wrong with PED's in baseball. What is one of the worst things was that he was never stripped of his MVP award the year he got his suspension overturned. Matt Kemp by all accounts should be the rightful MVP.<br />
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That brings me to the second player on the Brewers that has solidified that teams position as the worst. Carlos Gomez. This is a very talented player with all the tools, just apparently does not have the tool box yet. Maybe it is a matter of maturity or maybe it is just cockyness but when he keeps showing up opposition teams. After hitting a home run and standing and admiring it like he did last year versus Atlanta is one example. He was chirped all around the bases as he eventually hit his home run trot until of course he approached home plate and ran into a very large and very upset Brian McCann who stood at the cu-out and did not let Gomez pass to touch the plate. A small melee ensued and many angry words were exchanged by McCann and Gomez.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBnmG4LC4dq0sOyWzDK-jFuxxLNaT_6Za3O0P1osRim-7O0gJJ9JYleajdpQ4-LXJc3NfrWybF-YJm1c7XUyd6v2XymlMU3-YGZ7MmKoyfDM8s6ODhLcRihEqi8alMugvf1ZVA/s1600/mccann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBnmG4LC4dq0sOyWzDK-jFuxxLNaT_6Za3O0P1osRim-7O0gJJ9JYleajdpQ4-LXJc3NfrWybF-YJm1c7XUyd6v2XymlMU3-YGZ7MmKoyfDM8s6ODhLcRihEqi8alMugvf1ZVA/s1600/mccann.jpg" height="227" width="320" /></a><br />
This year he hit a homer vs the Braves and tries to go anti-show-off and sprints around the bases in another form of cockiness but nearly as disrespectful. Clearly it was a bit of gamesmanship on his part but still not cool.<br />
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Now once again this year Gomez decides he is going to be a primadonna again and big-time his opponents. This time he hit a ball that he thought was going to leave the ballpark. So after standing and slowly leaving the box he finally realized that it was going to stay in play. He then began to run and managed to wind up at third....where he was less than well received. Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole did not seem too take Gomez's hot dogging well and began to "chat" with him. Basically told him that maybe make sure If you are going to big-time your opponent make sure the ball goes out of the park. If you are going to act like a child and a douche you deserve to be treated like a child. He is a talented ballplayer but needs to grow up, fast or someone is going to go headhunting on him and buzz the tower a few times. Maybe it will be a Pirates pitcher or maybe it will be someone from another club that decides that he needs to learn a lesson. Carlos, make sure not to wink at any pitchers and watch out for in your ear. Thankfully he was suspended for 3 games for his role in the benches clearing. Too bad he did not get more to smarten him up but 3 is better then nothing.<br />
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And that my friends is how 2 mere ballplayers can cast such a disparaging light upon an entire franchise. It is too bad too because talent wise they have a pretty good team and now their teammates have to deal with all that comes with having two bad apples.<br />
<br />Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-9969378504991261692014-03-14T08:45:00.001-04:002014-03-14T08:49:40.952-04:00Six Flags Over Atlanta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">It has been a Roller Coaster week at the </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the middle of Walt Disney World® Resort. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">It all started when #1 starter Kris Medlan hopped off the mound, holding and flexing his elbow and forearm. This was a sight that has been seen before and that resulted in him taking an unwanted trip to Alabama. Lets make this clear, not good happens on trips to Alabama unless you are a QB, WR, RB or a 300lbs Lineman. This trip was to the clinic of the number one, but most hated name by fans in all sports, Dr. James Andrews. Dr. Andrews is the foremost authority and surgeon for Tommy John reconstructive surgery.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the second time Medlan left a game and it is not only feared but is generally believed that he will have to undergo a second Tommy John procedure and will likely miss the entire season and probably the first bit of the beginning of next season. A lot of people are not aware of Medlan as he is not as well known and is regarded as one of the most under appreciated and under the radar pitcher in all of baseball. Since his return he is second to only Clayton Kershaw in ERA (2.47). Needless to say a big loss the the Braves rotation and team.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just when you think things are starting to look bleak in terms of the rotation, the next man up, another Tommy John client took the mound in a Spring outing. Brandon Beachy still working his way back after being shut down last season after his return from the procedure. Since then he has had another smaller procedure to clean things up. Beachy started the game and was pitching well but then he too had to shut it down early mid game. In terms of Beachy, at least it seems like he just needs of rest and strengthen his arm but in any event he will not be ready to start the season when the teams breaks camp.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A once relatively deep and good looking young staff has been decimated in a very short period of time. The Braves wasted little time in addressing this gaping hole in their team that has been built to try to win now. 2-9 in the lineup are a pretty solid team on paper. If BJ Upton and Dan Uggla can bounce back and be just average the lineup has the potential to be a strong one. After brutal seasons by both those guys anything above average should bolster an already solid offensive line up.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then right out of the blue Braves GM Frank Wren jump at the lone big name free agent out there Ervin Santana. Santana is liked by many and questioned by maybe more. Wherever you sit on this guy it was a gutsy move that had to be done. Was it the right move? Maybe, maybe not, but it was a gamble that had to be made. The Braves had to show their fans that they are willing to spend to make the team better and more importantly show the team that management is backing you and believe they are a good club and are expecting to win.
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The deal is for 1 year for $14.1M. Like they say there is no bad one year deal. The one knock is that they had to give up the ever valuable 1st rd pick to the Royals who qualified Santana. That is the bad news. Here is the good news.The Braves have stated they are here to win not rebuild so losing the pick is the cost of doing business. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Santana's $14 million salary wasn't in the budget, and the Braves do stick to budgets. Teams that do that have to be prepared to make difficult decisions. If that means walking away from a player they love -- Tim Hudson, for instance -- they do it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You have to give to get.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Braves do have a silver lining for this too that help take the sting out of losing that pick. They are getting one from the Yankees for the Brian McCann signing and also they may be able to recoup that pick next year if they qualify Santana and he declines and tries his luck again in free agency for a long term deal.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Santana is coming to the National League for the first time. It is known as more pitcher friendly league and the stadiums lend themselves to being a little more forgiving as well. An added benefit for Santana to boost his stock this year is that the Braves on paper are a decent team but also have one of the best defenses in the NL. The outfield has speed and good gloves, the infield has the best defensive SS in all of baseball in Andralton Simmons and Freddie Freeman can pick it as well as any first baseman in the game. I know it sounds weird that a guy that sports a sideways straight brimmed hat can create this buzz but it is true. here is a quote from Richard Justice’s piece on the issue ”...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Santana has pitched 200-plus innings in three of the past four seasons, and only </span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=448306" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">James Shields</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=453286" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Max Scherzer</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=450351" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C.J. Wilson</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> had more quality starts among American League pitchers in 2013. Santana is a low-key, professional guy who will fit well in the Atlanta culture.”
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hopefully the team can break from spring training without any more injuries and get off to a decent start. It looks like it will start with Julio Tehran, Alex Wood, Freddy Garcia and David Hale.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hopefully they can then get some help with Minor, Beachy and Santana coming back hopefully in the first month and then Gavin Floyd sometime in mid May.
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It will be an interesting beginning to the season and if they can stay afloat until they get some reinforcements back they should be in a good position to keep up with or close to the Washington Nationals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span>Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-88948922935786057642014-02-26T08:17:00.000-05:002014-02-26T08:17:59.716-05:00New Home Plate Collision Rule<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mLd-ylhcNDnXvN0JZjhqU-qCuan2nddd42AsvKES8H2F33EWa3n0EJeBx1_WMHoOyT-hk8JPXZlYd6Td_Oc6u9C93gEIAhG4O16i3wfWnlgFOQJBD1Ynps0viOvWLVhvdeZFg/s1600/buster-posey-ap2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1mLd-ylhcNDnXvN0JZjhqU-qCuan2nddd42AsvKES8H2F33EWa3n0EJeBx1_WMHoOyT-hk8JPXZlYd6Td_Oc6u9C93gEIAhG4O16i3wfWnlgFOQJBD1Ynps0viOvWLVhvdeZFg/s1600/buster-posey-ap2.jpg" height="296" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not unlike the 'Brady Rule' In football, not being able to hit the <br />catcher can be called the 'Buster Posey' rule. </td></tr>
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Major League Baseball has come out with the trial version of a rule that prohibits catchers from blocking the plate and prevents runner's from blind siding catchers who are in the base paths. This world will be adopted for the 2014 season on a trial basis and most likely will be tweaked on a case by case basis. The way the ruling is currently worded leaves for it a lot of gray area and interpretation by all parties involved. Depending on the circumstances catchers may or may not block home plate, that runners may or may not be allowed to make contact with the catcher depending on if he has the ball are not, it is up to the umpires personal discretion on how he wants to interpret the rule and if a player is safe but makes questionable contact with a catcher is now out and visa verse.<br />
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Home plate is the only base where contact is allowed to be made. A second baseman and shortstop or third baseman cannot block the bag with their leg or body. Why isn't so different at home plate? Is it because it's a scoring play? Is it because that's the way it's always been? If the latter is the case that is a pretty weak argument. If a third baseman can put his glove down in front of the base to tag an oncoming runner, one would think that a catcher would be able to have that same skill set to catch a ball and put his glove on the ground. If baseball in so concerned about players being injured on collisions of home plate why not just completely eliminate that option?<br />
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Not unlike hockey and the touch vs. no touch icing rule, if it is a matter of player safety then there should be little debate. To a eliminate a play that has little impact on the game itself and protects players from being injured should be a no brainier.<br />
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Other than blood lust from archaic fans, runner-catcher collisions serve no real purpose. Not unlike hockey fights there's no real reason. Why have this in the game at all? Especially in a game that where there is no physical contact having just one particular play that allows for a player to blow up, not an unsuspecting player, but a player in a vulnerable position. Sure catchers wear all sorts of protective equipment, but wearing shin pads will not prevent you from having your leg broken like Buster Posey or Buck Martinez.<br />
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Umpires have a hard enough job calling the game properly with the rules they already have in place. Making a new rule with this much room for interpretation and ambiguity, adds personal judgment and the possibility of human error is nothing short of silliness. Based on that you know this must be one of Bud Selig's brainstorms, Putting yet another rule in place that has that much gray area will put even more unnecessary scrutiny on these umpires. The one saving grace is that this season they will have the ability to use instant replay to aid in their calls. That part is very important, too aid in the call. We have all seen other sports, and even last year on home run calls where the replay will blatantly show something happening and the official will still either refuse to reverse a call more choose not to change a call (sometimes this could be under protest of the system other times it could be out of arrogance or stubbornness). The less guesswork we give these umpires the better.Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14310429.post-44048647143185953332014-02-25T09:14:00.001-05:002014-02-25T09:14:36.242-05:00Atlanta Braves: Locking Up The Core<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg194WMpucf1gTVeXsAUmQTpbVFbChUFz8Td2Ho94PdsIteXcvNJHX4_EBior96g7QQz0pu1-IehqCHs8ZuOAvmYg-1tvDp0VUcJVl26LK0DHclqF6ouaZaxzsHvOKifzHqob24PQ/s1600/d4tuokjsk1emtpesqfrinmwf4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg194WMpucf1gTVeXsAUmQTpbVFbChUFz8Td2Ho94PdsIteXcvNJHX4_EBior96g7QQz0pu1-IehqCHs8ZuOAvmYg-1tvDp0VUcJVl26LK0DHclqF6ouaZaxzsHvOKifzHqob24PQ/s1600/d4tuokjsk1emtpesqfrinmwf4.png" height="209" width="320" /></a>In a few short years the Atlanta Braves will be leaving their home lovingly known as 'The Ted' aka Turner Field. Turner Field and was built for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games, it was then transformed into the new home for the Braves the move there from Atlanta Fulton County Stadium aka 'the launching pad'. Turner Field, named after former owner and a media mogul Ted Turner is owned by the city of Atlanta and is now starting to show its age. By the time the braves moved to their new location it will be roughly 20 years old. Not that old by building standards but the fact that it is not owned by the ball club limits and what they can do in terms of upgrades and what revenue they can generate for themselves. For instance parking and concessions.<br />
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It is widely regarded that teams than build their own stadiums will receive and immediate bumping in revenue streams, that higher ticket sales and more people to the park. It stands to reason that if you're making more money you have more money available that can be put toward payroll. With the Braves owning the building in being the primary tenant has seemingly allowed the Braves to open up their wallets this off-season. GM Frank Wren has been given the authority and financial flexibility to identify the young core of the Braves moving forward. Not only is moving into a new stadium helping their financial commitments, national television money as well as regional TV rights are allowing the braves to up their payroll. It has been a few years, probably not since Ted Turner sold the team to AOL Time Warner that the Braves have been in a position to spend a little more money.<br />
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GM Frank Wren and upper management have clearly made in a mandate to lock up their young core of players and haven't already begun that process this off-season. The Braves had three major young arbitration eligible players that they needed to take care of this off-season. In the beginning it and looked like they were going to be a file and a trial team. This basically means the player gave them a number they thought they deserved and the team did the same. A hearing would be held to decide which dumber would be used for the upcoming season. It appear the braves were going to take their chances on one ever the ruling was in each case for a one year deal.<br />
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It was then that the report came in that first baseman Freddie Freeman had signed an 8yr $135M contract. Freeman was in the running for NL MVP this past season and is currently only 24 and has now received the richest contract in teams history. Right now it looks like he used to be tented as the new face of the franchise, ironically enough, taking that title from his good buddy Chipper Jones. After that deal was made and probably realizing that the free agent crop this year was not that deep the Braves came to terms on another in young potential star Jason Heyward on a 2 yr $13M deal. Heyward is coming off a tough injury plagued season where he was sidelined after an emergency appendectomy for a few weeks, than came back and was inserted at the top the lineup where he and the team thrived during a double digit winning streak. Then an untimely (not that there is ever a good time) pitch to the face that fractured his orbital bone sent him to the DL again. Because of all the missed time it was hard for the two sides to come up with a good mutual number on a long-term deal. If Heyward is able to stay healthy and produce to the level in which he and the team expects then they can begin to look at a multi-year extension.<br />
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At this point the braves surprised many people by turning their focus to one of their young key starters. Braves announced they had signed Julio Teheran to a six-year $32.4 million extension that includes an option for the 2020 season. If the option is exercised, the 23-year-old pitcher will earn $44.4 million over the next seven seasons. Given the price of any of the top free agent pitchers each year, locking up Teheran now and buying out his arbitration years could potentially be a team friendly contract. Even though he is young there's still a risk that the team is taking. One can never predict injuries or drop off in skill when it comes to pitchers. They're the biggest gamble of all. Pick correctly and you set yourself up to be a contender for years to come, pick wrong and you have a very expensive player pitching at your AAA affiliate.... Blue Jays and Ricky Romero I am looking in your direction.<br />
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It looked like at that point the Braves would be done and have a whole off-season biz is taking care of, except of course the arbitration hearing for young closer Craig Kimbrel. It was thought that Kimbrel would go through the process get a one year deal and then the braves would have to decide how much they were willing to invest in a player who will only pitches one the inning, the ninth. Sure it is a very important inning, when teams have to decide how important and how much money to allocate to that position. It is a risky proposition to sign a closer to a big money multi-year deal. The Braves have decided to take that risk and sign Kimbrel to a four year $42M deal. Kimbrel has only been in the league for three seasons but has already proven himself to be one of the premier closer's in baseball and has had his name mentioned the last couple of years in both the CY Young and MVP categories. The Braves are clearly taking your risk on him be able to sustain the level he is currently at. If he is able to do so he will almost definitely and live up to his once on a generation player type contract that he signed. Hopefully for the Braves sake he can do that and not end up like a guy and within an anchor contract that has been given in the past to closer's like Randy Myers, Jonathan Paplebon and perhaps worst of all BJ Ryan.<br />
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I like with the Braves have done and have identified their core group and lock them up for the foreseeable future. Sure they have are taking a risk but based on the age of the productivity and grooves that the players have shown thus far in their development, hopefully the moves will pay off in the long run and keep these guys together as perennial contenders.<br />
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To help the Braves keep the same winning message, they have just extended 2 more pieces of their core...on the management side. GM Frank Wren and manager Fredi Gonzalez have both come to terms with the team. This is a good sign, stability in a good franchise with a winning culture is key. Confidence breeds confidence and winning breeds winning.<br />
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Just as I was about to post this blog word came down that the The Braves have just signed Andrelton Simmons to a 7 yr 58M contract extension. Simmons now joins fellow teammates Freeman, Kimbrel, Teheran being locked up in the Atlanta system and putting them in a position to be in the organization when they make the move to their new stadium in 2017. Simmons is widely regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in the Majors. He also has showed that he has the ability to impact games with his bat as well. He has very good offensive numbers and can provide a little bit of pop as well. If he continues to improve as he gains more time this could be a great set up for the Braves over the next 5 years. It is an interesting plan that the Braves have to ensure that this group of guys will get to play and grow together.<br />
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The Braves have always been a consistent team but seemingly have constant turn over. With the <br />
majority of their core being so young gives them the unique chance to set their line up as well as give the franchise a good idea of what there payroll will be and what they are able to do with other home grown talent as well as what they can and can not due in terms of free agency. Sometimes making a big splash with a free agent signing is not nearly as important as the deals you can get done with guys you have drafted and/or developed.<br />
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It is interesting to note that former Cleveland Indians executive John Hart, who is now in the front office with the braves was one of the first GM's to utilize the strategy of identifying and wrapping up a core of young players. Back in the early nineties Hart watched the Pirates lose key players like Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonillia because once they reach to free agency they were too expensive for the small market Pirates to afford. Hart rolled the dice by signing Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga to long-term deals before they were eligible for arbitration. This set the stage for long-term deals that likely kept Omar Vizquel, Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez in Cleveland longer than if all of these players had been allowed to go through the arbitration process.<br />
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The Braves hitter knee identified this strategy as one that they would attempt to do even before hart joined the club but his knowledge and insight clearly help get all parties on the same page.<br />
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It will be interesting to see how these players perform going forward but if these players pan out and can form the core that the Braves hope they can they should be able to be in a position to contend each year for a division title and it hopefully also a playoff spot.<br />
Welcome to Braves Country!Chipperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13058915230085887188noreply@blogger.com1