Show #116: The 2010 Braves at the Halfway Point
Omar Infante backlash, All Star no shows, Yunel Escobar, and looking back at the first half of the Braves’ season.
298 Responses to “Show #116: The 2010 Braves at the Halfway Point”
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Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 [6] 7 8 9 10 11 … 12 » Show All
July 14th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
“Gonzalez. He kinda blows.” Exactly Steve, exactly. It raises big question marks, as Curt pointed out, for next year’s left side of the infield with Gonzalez blowing, Chipper’s potential/hopeful retirement, Salcedo isn’t a stud yet, and the kid we got is a single A player… Escobar falls in the Klesko bin of players Bobby couldn’t deal with. What a shame. go braves…
July 14th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Good riddance to PettigReyes. My only comfort is that when I disagree adamantly with Steve and/or Bub I’m proven wrong. And, you know, the 17 homers. Ok Big G…please prove me wrong! Poor Yunel. Get used to hearing Oh Canada.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:16 pm
Somewhere in the Braves GM suite Frank “Ice Man” Wren is looking at a picture of Yunel in one hand, waiving a Canadian flag in the other, and laughing like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
This is a win now move. In the long term, it’s high risk, low reward. But since the Braves make so few of these kinds of moves since the Tex trade, I can get behind it.
I do not believe Yunel will become an elite SS, but he might. I also believe more will come out about just how damaging his attitude has been, stuff we haven’t seen because Bobby is careful. Watch for some Chipper quotes.
Also, this was Yuni’s last year being cheap. We get A-Gonz for 2 years (2011 option) cheap if he happens to perform this year.
Mara, those 17 homers will never repeat. Sorry. But still a solid trade IMO, especially short term.
July 14th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
An unseen long-term benefit: Braves say to the MLB world, “yes, it’s still true that you can not come to Atlanta and act a fool.”
I’ve seldom been prouder. The day after our best personality is hero to the whole league, our worst one is shipped out.
I know personality-worship is a thin game in baseball, but I have tradtion on my side. Who doesn’t love Honus Wagner more than Ty Cobb?
July 14th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Um….
July 14th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Seriously?
Oh well.
July 14th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
I still can’t believe it. We just got boned. Glad you’re happy, Bub. Gonzalez is not as good as Escobar. The Braves just sold very low. Hey, but at least we get McOut back….
July 14th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
The more I read from non-Atlanta media on this trade, the sadder I get.
July 14th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
It’s an old family thing. Ty Cobb is a piece of garbage, but my grandfather loved him. He even gave me a program that had been signed by Ty Cobb. So I guess it is more a pro-grandfather thing than a pro-Cobb thing.
All that aside, I hope this isn’t THE move we make.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
re #125 – thank you, Curt, for calling out Steve. Keep that boy in line, too.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
That’s a cool Cobb story, Curt. I can appreciate that.
“I hope this isn’t THE move we make.”
Unfortunately, that sounds like a leftover comment from the Glaus acquisition. It seems like we are permanently small-time and farm-driven. It’s not the worst thing in the world, but it’s no Fred McGriff.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
And yet there seems to be no better year to bet the farm, excuse the pun. I don’t want to give up any of our big farmhands, but it seems like it is right there for the taking if we make the right move. which this one will be tried to be sold as. (English?)
July 14th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
If you want a championship, as a GM, you have to look at the Yankees staff and ask yourself if your offense can beat that… Right now, the Braves, I don’t know. The Phillies failed last year, and I don’t think our offense is better than the ’09 Phillies. Yes, we have a better staff and pen than they did. The Yankess will still score on it, though. Winning the NL is great. The Bobby Braves have already done that a lot. I’m not saying losing Escobar makes us a weaker offense this year. I’m saying more moves have to be made if we are going to use the “let’s get it done this year for Bobby” approach.
July 14th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
It’s good to see Wren isn’t just sitting on his hands. Maybe there is more to come. What I really don’t understand is why they wanted Reyes?
July 14th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
The Mother Blogger likes it…see what I dis there?
“Frank Wren has made some very good trades and a couple not-so-good. This one looks to be one of his best, without question.”
July 14th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Jon Heyman
“bobby cox has to be thrilled to be rid of underachieving space cadet yunel escobar. alex gonzalez is a nice early going away gift for cox.”
July 14th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
“The Mother Blogger.” I like it.
I don’t see how DOB (or anyone) could voice this as a clear win for the Braves if you’re talking in typical terms of winning a trade.
Of course I LOVE it, but even I wouldn’t call it one of his best just yet. Not with Ohman and ALLSTAR Infante coming back for… who was it, Ascanio, somesuch? And Jurrjens/Gorkys for Rentalria. (see what I did? Rental? Uh…)
But I could not be happier if I was skipping along the yellow brick freakin’ road with a… with a… *anecdote falls over and dies*
July 14th, 2010 at 4:08 pm
The AJC writers will make it sound like we traded in an ’04 Ford Ranger for an ’09 Benz. It’s their job to do that. The reality is we now have 3 infielders with a history of injury problems. I’ll care what Chipper thinks about Escobar when he becomes a 3-hole hitter again. DOB interviewing Chipper on Escobar, yeah that won’t be a biased interview…
July 14th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
All I meant about Chipper is that he will let the truth of Escobar’s clubhouse distraction slip through most likely. You know he can’t help himself.
July 14th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Oh, I know, Bub. I get the feeling Chip and Yunel never got along. I don’t think Yunel understood why Chip was so coddled considering all the fielding errors Chipper makes and never really gets called out for it. Not to mention that Chipper, aside from maybe McOut, has been the Braves worst offensive player over the last year and a half. Yunel was the black sheep of the Braves because of his immaturity and attitude. Let’s all forget that Yunel didn’t have the same advantages in his upbringing that most Braves players had growing up. Maybe, just maybe, that accounts for his demeanor and immaturity. Now, hopefully, Yunel will get a manager and organization that know how to handle that. Since 2008, comparing Yunel and Chipper, Yunel’s been the better player, which is why I could care less what an underperforming Chipper at the end of his career thinks about Yunel.
July 14th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
*couldn’t care less. I’m done ranting on Yunel. He’s gone. There’s a lot of ball left to play before the playoffs.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
“Let’s all forget that Yunel didn’t have the same advantages in his upbringing that most Braves players had growing up. Maybe, just maybe, that accounts for his demeanor and immaturity.”
That’s very valid when considering him as a person, but once he’s a problem in the clubhouse, from a baseball point of view, his reasons for becoming petulant don’t hold much value, in my opinion. (Though I’m not unsympathetic to those facts and it does take some of my “righteous indignation” down a notch, so I’m glad you reminded me.) But the only two baseball questions on that matter are “how bad is it?” and “what are the chances it will improve?”
I think Wren and Cox answered those questions for themselves and pulled the trigger accordingly. I do agree that Bobby’s somehwhat arbitrary doghouse is aggravating, though. And while I’m glad’s Yunel is gone, I hope Fredi G will have a broader approach.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Fair enough, the Bobby Braves have always been about attitude being as important as on-field performance. That amounts to one championship, but a lot of classy post-game interviews.
July 14th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
If you have to be obnoxious to win a championship, then farewell championships.
But I don’t believe that is the case.