Show #118: Our Interview with Braves Great, Otis Nixon
Otis discusses missing the ’91 postseason, why there are fewer stolen bases today, The Catch, and much more.
664 Responses to “Show #118: Our Interview with Braves Great, Otis Nixon”
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July 29th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
Is Marlon Byrd available? The Cubs are pretty much done…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:50 pm
No doubt, this week has been sickening. And the disappearing offense is the worst. But this is still the same group of guys that were winning almost every series for 2 months. It could turn around. I don’t know that it will, but it could.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:14 am
Freeman was 2-3 with 3 RBI and 2 BB today.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:15 am
McLouth was 1-5 with a solo HR.
July 30th, 2010 at 5:26 am
A little hope for the weary, courtesy of “Howie1987.” It’s a little on the rainbow bubble side for me, but it’s hard to argue against the #’s.
Please note, the “ignorance” talk and such isn’t me talking. From here to the end is all Howie.
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I’m examining if the Braves truly have “regressed” or if they have just had some bad luck and are in a funk… I’m honestly open to either scenario, so here are the numbers:
All Star Break Record / Record Since / Overall Record
Atlanta
52-36 / 6-7 / 58-43
Philadelphia
47-40 / 9-6 / 56-46
—————————————————————
RS/RA @ AS Break / Current RS/RA / Run Differential SINCE AS Break
Braves
406-337 / 467-392 / 61-55 (+6)
Phillies
410-362 / 481-427 / 71-65 (+6)
—————————————————————–
BEFORE THE A.S. BREAK
Runs Scored Per Game / Runs Allowed Per Game
Braves – 4.61 / 3.82
Phillies – 4.71 / 4.16
——————————————————————-
AFTER THE A.S. BREAK
Runs Scored Per Game / Runs Allowed Per Game
Braves – 4.69 / 4.23
Phillies – 4.73 / 4.33
People in their ignorace complaining about the offense, pay attention people, look at the pitching (namely the bullpen)…
——————————————————————-
W% & Margin of Victory PRE-A.S. Break / W% & Margin of Victory Post-A.S. Break
Braves = .590% – 1.33 Runs / .461% – 1.0 Runs
Phillies = .540% – 1.02 Runs / .600% – 0.67 Runs
***MARGIN OF VICTORY IS NOT the difference in RS/RA Per Game… Margin of Victroy = RD/Ws
———————————————————————
The BOTTOM LINE IS = The Braves have won 6 games and have a Run Differential of +6, the Phillies have won 9 games and have a Run Differential of +6…
July 30th, 2010 at 5:37 am
The Atlanta Braves are the only National League team not represented in ANY rumor on the top page at MLBTR as of right now.
Either Frank’s the stealthiest GM in the league, or he’s seriously just not going to do anything significant.
If he wants a bat, waiting until the 11th hour seems awfully dangerous. If I’m reading this right, once Bautista and Dunn/OR/Willingham are acquired, that about wraps it up. Strange. Wren in his short history here had rather pay a little extra to get what he wanted before it disappeared than wait around hoping for the best bargain. Hard to gauge his current stance.
If it’s him holding on to the talent, fine. If it’s the $$, that’s bull. Does he think those (comparatively) loud crowds are there to see Chipper Jones’s last ride? It’s the winning.
Bah. Grump.
July 30th, 2010 at 6:56 am
And the numbers that matter: PHI 9-6, ATL: 6-7. The Phillies are always in a close game because of their power. The Braves are not because they have no clutch hitting right now. Baseball is a simple game. The Braves have had 6 decent outings from their starters and lost 2-4. (A 4 run outing from D. Lowe is about as good as can be expected) One of those 2 wins came at the hands of one of the worst bullpens in the modern era. The Braves need to start hitting the Randy Wolfs/Scott Olsens/Chris Volstads of the league and they will be a good team again. If they don’t hit they will win very few games. It really is that simple.
Something that concerns me is that the Braves went 8-4 against the N.L. East before the All-Star break, and then made a trade, and then went 2-4 against the bottom of the N.L. East… I hope the team chemistry that I keep hearing about that is so important helps us start hitting the ball again. I hope we all get to start our Saturday mornings thinking about winning baseball.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Bub/Howie, The Braves runs scored numbers are misleading because we’ve scored 10, 8, and 11 in three of those wins. In the other 10 games since the All-Star break we scored and average of 3.6 runs/game. Even before the break, our runs/game were low, but we were winning, so no one cared. In that 8-4 stretch before the break we scored like 3.7 runs/game. The Escobar/Gonzo trade had no effect offensively, so what’s the deal? Why are we losing if we’re scoring the same amount? Now we have a sub .500 win pct, whereas before, with essentially the same offensive production, we won at a .667 clip… Baseball.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:17 am
I like looking at the schedule in 2 week intervals. We are in a garbage interval right now. Go look at the schedule over the year in 2 week intervals. The Braves have gone through 2 weeks where they dominate, then 2 where they’re middling, then 2 where they dominate, then 2 where they get dominated. If the Braves hold true to form, they should have a very successful upcoming 2 weeks. If we can get there with a division lead, then it’s all gravy… for 2 weeks.
July 30th, 2010 at 7:27 am
“The Braves runs scored numbers are misleading because we’ve scored 10, 8, and 11 in three of those wins.”
So, winning 10 to 5 is not indicative of a better offense than winning 4 to 3?
July 30th, 2010 at 7:33 am
“And the numbers that matter: PHI 9-6, ATL: 6-7.”
That’s just crazy talk. What if the Phillies won 9 games by 1 run and the Braves won their 6 games by an average of 20 runs per game? You don’t think that would be a sign of an uptick? You might as well say the only numbers that matter are the Braves are up by 2.5 games, so why worry? Trends matter. They add to the win/loss data. Did anybody think the Orioles would win their division after week one?
July 30th, 2010 at 7:37 am
The Big Puma is definitely out there for the taking. I bet that means Dunn is staying DC. I would definitely like to see Dunn not stay in DC. He always gets a big one on us. Every series.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:07 am
I think the Phils’ next road series is against the Natinals, though. Like to see them have some punch left. Or, at least, that would be some consolation for the big man staying put.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Bub, I’m with you on the fact that the Braves are not involved in any rumors. It’s crazy. They have to at least be in the mix. Particularly now that the Phillies have to be considered the favorites to win the division. They have to be looking to add a piece to this offense. And I was wrong. It can’t be Mike Deveraux. It has to be someone who can really make a difference. I think if the Braves were willing to eat a bunch of money, the could move KK and McLouth. I know they aren’t worth a lot, and not suggesting they would bring us anything, but they have produced at times, and could serve a team in some capacity. Find a larger package to move with Medlen, Dunn, whomever. Make a move. Prove that you are in it for real. You can’t stand pat. What about Derek Lee? Maybe he is willing to come to Atlanta.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:19 am
I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possiblity that FW is simply in super stealth mode. Think about the last three big trades he’s made: McLouth, LaRoche and the Gonz. No one had as much as a whiff about any of those. Now, do I think a big impactful trade is coming? Not really. Too busy in my Braves suck, all is hopeless with my team death-spiral right now. But, I’m still hitting refresh on MLBTraderumors and espn.com every five minutes.
July 30th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Couldn’t the Nats have traded Matt Capps before he pitched against us? and maybe kept him around for the Phils?
July 30th, 2010 at 9:31 am
If Frank Wren does nothing further, he will at least have the dubious distinction of adding bats (McLouth, Gonazalez) in consecutive deadlines that came in as the new Braves homerun leader, only to drop through the floor. That’s… special.
Steve, that’s the same mode I’m in. Trying to shake it, but this has the potential to be almost worse than not even getting close. Almost.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:02 am
MArk Bowman was just on 790 and he said don’t expect any moves. He felt that if there were a CF to be had, maybe, but because there is not the Braves will do nothing feeling that getting Diaz, Heyward, JJ back from injury covers it.
Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
July 30th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Ok…yesterday I was in the depths of despair. Today, hope springs eternal. All those fantastic wins came while Diaz and JJ were on the DL and a lot of them while Heyward wa on the DL. In FL we didn’t suck. There was a lot of luck on the side of the Fish. The Nats have historically had our number not to mention being all geared up for Strausburg and trying to shift gears for that other guy. I’m not saying losing that gam was excusable…believe me it wasn’t. Yesterday was crazy hot and if the Marlins have something that resembles a home field advantage then certainly the Nats do as well. The Phillies can’t win every game and this team is very good. JJ is stellar. Wags has had his slump an is back to rare form. Gonzo is getting settled and Heyward is due for a hot streak. If Bobby can sit Troy for a day or two and for the love play Diaz and Infante til they drop dead from exhaustion. I’m sure most of this post is BS but I feel better. Until tonight.
July 30th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Venters’ 4-game suspension has been rescinded entirely following the hearing that was held earlier this week.
Oh good. See…things looking up!
July 30th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
“I think we’re still looking internally at the pieces that we have,” Wren said early Monday evening. “Right now, I’d have to say that’s the way that we’re leaning.”
Did I mention, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
So the big move will be bringing Gregor Blanco back up. Hold on folks.
You can’t win if you don’t play.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Frank Wren is a ballsy individual to look at what the Phillies did at the deadline and do nothing. You have to wonder how much the Vizcaino arm injury hindered any moves. I thought we might see a big move this year because in theory you can’t have more than Delgado, Teheran, Minor, JJ, and Hanson in a future rotation. I have a feeling Medlen’s future role is in the pen and as a back up plan if somebody got hurt during the season. That’s why I thought Vizcaino might be a trade piece for a bat, especially since Wren couldn’t get a bat for Vazquez. Does anyone think we might see a Freeman call up soon, or do they wait until the roster expands?
July 30th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Bub, I’m sorry I disappointed you with my early morning ramblings. I just don’t see how we’re playing (offensively) much worse than we were in the stretch where we went 8-4 before the break. That’s all I was trying to say, however poorly it was said. I didn’t mean to come off as pompous with my response. I’m sure there are many stats that can explain poor results (W-L record). I just see W-L as the only numbers that really matter in a divisional race, and I am sure the stats you listed do explain the trend going on. I tend to see things very black and white. It is a fault frequently cited by those who know me all to well.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Tonight’s lineup: Prado 4, Heyward 9, Chipper 5, McCann 2, Glaus 3, Hinske 7, Infante 6, Cabrera 8, Medlen 1,
Wish Diaz was in there and Glaus was taking a break. In the word’s of Tony Soprano, “What ya gonna do?
July 30th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
Ellsbury? Ross? Anybody?