Show #159: The Braves Continue to Play .500 Ball
The starting pitching, Chipper in 2012, a heated debate about Heyward and, of course, Antiques Roadshow.
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Admin
August 8th, 2011 at 1:23 am
Haven’t listened to the show yet, but I was wondering…
Think we can get Venters to show Minor how to hold that slider? He pitched well today, but he could REALLY use some more movement on that off-speed pitch…
August 8th, 2011 at 4:26 am
Great show
Bottom line is if Jason Heyward isn’t successful the Braves are not winning the World Series.
If Heyward didn’t make the league minimum and made 12 million dollars like Uggla no way Constanza plays instead of him. Play Heyward or send him to AAA.
Also what in the world happened to Charles Thomas?
August 8th, 2011 at 7:43 am
Walker, Charles Thomas was included in the trade for Tim Hudson with Oakland and was out of baseball within a couple of years. I don’t think he played more than a handful of games for the A’s.
He was great for that little stretch.
As far as Heyward, you’re totally right. I know we joke about hating on Heyward, but if he isn’t a star, the future for the Braves is completely altered.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:12 am
No doubt Heyward is the future star for the Braves but that’s tomorrow. Play the hot had, that hot had won’t last long at all so Heyward will be back. We have to make a choice: Do we want to win now or save that for later. I’m not on the train that says come hell or high water we have to play the “future” star. We live in the here and now and have to win games in the here and now.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:52 am
Totally agree with Jo-bu and totally disagree with Stevie. Play to win! If Heyward needs everyday atbats then send him to Gwinnett. Steve, how is this different than Frenchy? You were adamant about him being sat down or sent down.
Speaking of…love him or hate him Frenchy made an unbelievable throw to 3rd yesterday.
Great show!
August 8th, 2011 at 10:12 am
I hear a lot of folks offerng that Heyward might be better served with a trip to Gwinnett. I’m not so sure that would be good for him. You just can’t see Major League pitcing at the Triple-A. Perhaps this is part of Stevie’s point in that you just keep sending him in to play through it? If it were May, I’d say sure but days are falling off of the calendar, even for the wildcard lead.
I’m like Curt and Hammy, I don’t look for the Phillies scores any more — haven’t since we fell 5 games back.
August 8th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Good show guys. I think you have to play “Georgie” until the league figures out how to get him out. Who knows, maybe this fires-up Jason. There is no doubt that he is our future, but right now he is pretty bad at the plate. (aside from yesterday’s blast) Also, the radio guys mentioned Fredi pulled Heyward so EOF could pitch 1 1/3 innings instead of 1/3 of an inning.
The good sign for me was Bourn coming over and continuing what he has been doing all year. You don’t see that from a lot of guys we acquire.
The bad sign for me is the starting pitching. We appear to be running out of gas. The effect of having both Hanson and Lowe in our rotation is really catching up with the bullpen, and Fredi continues to show no signs of knowing when to take a pitcher out.
I’m with you guys and Jo-Bu, no reason to pay attention to the Phillies at this point.
Leah, that throw by Frenchy was pretty spectacular. Thanks for posting the link.
August 8th, 2011 at 10:50 am
my view on the heyward situation is kind of complex.
first, ill say there is alot that frustrates me about fredi, although i really want to like him….but, i like his “check your egos at the door” attitude so far with who he plays.
i dont think heyward should sit longterm to let constanza in the lineup, but i think some folks are overreacting a bit about the whole thing so far.
constanza is batting over .400 right now, and heyward has not started in just 2 games in favor on georgie. just 2. it might be a little too soon about constanza stealing ABs from heyward.
by the way, prado should get some time to clear his head to. if heyward can sit a game here and there for a .400 hitter, so can prado, who isnt exactly killing the ball lately.
August 8th, 2011 at 10:54 am
it wasnt too long ago when the braves were doing the good week/bad week thing and y’all were begging for a good three weeks stretch to convince you this team was actually as good as its record.
well, here we are, having had such a streak, and still with the 4th best record in all of baseball. I know y’all try to just focus on the week, but keep in mind that counter intuitive to a long baseball season. The braves can bust out another streak of good baseball any minute.
August 8th, 2011 at 11:28 am
@ 3 – Thanks for the info
@ 5 – Heyward is a completely different player from Frenchy even when he’s struggling. At least Jason takes walks and doesn’t swing at every single pitch no matter where it is.
@ 6 – Even though he won’t see Major League pitching at Triple-A, the point is for him to just get his confidence back.
@ 8- You’re right Prado is having his own little slump which makes it weird that the 2 players that sparked our team to the playoffs last year are 2 of our worst right now.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
Did you see Constanza lick his bat?
It was right after a foul ball. He looked like he was licking off the ball mark so he could see where he could see where he was hitting the ball on the bat.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
This year’s team approach seems to be “Be Agressive”.
I think this explains the lower walk total and being “aggressive” is not necessarily a bad thing… However, they don’t seem to modify their approach with men on base and THEY NEED TO…
The approach ought to be, at least in their heads, the pitcher is in trouble. The pitcher has to change from wind-up to stretch, he has to split his attention between batter and runner, he has to have multiple defensive scenerios in his head as to which base he will throw to/where he goes to back up plays, etc. and he will have to be more carefull on the pitches he throws to prevent the men on the basepaths from moving up (i.e wild pitch, passed ball, balk, etc.).
The batter is still doing what he was doing before… trying to get a hit or a productive out. And that usually takes some patience.
How many times have we seen men on base and the batter go after the first ball he sees, no matter where it is? That is being aggressive, not adjusting to the situation. Until you get two strikes and need to protect the plate, look for a perfect pitch…don’t just go up there “aggressively hacking”.
August 8th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
@8
I like the “check your egos at the door” reference.
I liked that Fredi didn’t change the line-up for Chipper to bat in the third spot when Freddie and Uggla are SO HOT at 3 & 4.
AND Chipper contributed to a win from the 5th spot.
BTW – ESPN’s bottom line displayed stories from the day’s games. All references contained last or first and last names of players except for the Braves game and the reference just said “Chipper” – kind of like “Elvis”
August 8th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
FOF: Should Chipper retire?
Foul-ish.
If he determines he should take a more limited role and restructures he contract toward such, the “Foul”. Otherwise, I am leaning toward “Fair”…
August 8th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
#11 – Wow. I didn’t see that. I am now in favor of Jose taking at-bats from Heyward until I see it for myself.
August 8th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Wayward Heyward
Uggla’s struggles came from an approach at the plate. Early season, he was trying to pull everything…he seemed to be trying to be the “pop in the middle of the line up the Braves have needed for years”..
Once he went back to being the gap-to-gap hitter he was when he was successful in Florida, he has been the Uggla we thought we were getting.
Jason’s issues, on the other hand, stem from problems with his mechanics stemming from playing through his shoulder problems. As a rule, you don’t work through mechanical problems at the major league level when you have a replacement (i.e. Constanza).
You still need to win games at the major league level. Want to make the playoffs? Heyward needs to play at a higher level or put him at AAA where he can concentrate on getting his swing back against inferior pitching – you don’t need major league pitching to work on mechanics of a swing. That way we win games now AND maybe Heyward is ready to contribute before the league completely figures out Constanza.
OBTW – Steve – we will have to agree to disagree – Constanza is a better defensive ourfielder than Heyward in the respect that Constanza’s speed can make up for the mistakes that both of them seem to have with balls hit over their heads. How many times have you seen Heyward lose one you think he should have caught? How many times have you seen Constanza make an adjustment and catch one hit past him that you thought he wouldn’t (given a small sample size…)
August 8th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
mark in memphis AND Chipper contributed to a win from the 5th spot.
well, chipper was batting 9th, after starting the game on the bench. point taken, though.
August 8th, 2011 at 3:30 pm
steve, here is an article poking fun at constanza for it:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Bat-got-his-tongue-Braves-8217-Constanza-lick?urn=mlb-wp15301
August 8th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
#18 – Awesome.
J-Hey riding the pine again tonight.
August 8th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
The truth is that Heyward was given star status before he earned it. Today he is an average hitter and outfielder at best. Words like “Top Prospect”, “special” or “potential” are used freely but you have to do it on the field. I am not saying he won’t be great once he heals up but then again, how many players make it to that level? .222 and 30 rbis is what it is. Lots of power when he hits it! MLB stats must have a typo but they are showing he has one assist this year; can’t be right. It also maybe that the Braves have had such bad luck at developing outfielders, he only looked like a superstar. I hope that is where it ends up………SUPERSTAR.
August 8th, 2011 at 5:32 pm
@ 20
You can’t go by the # of assist an outfielder has when measuring defense.
And I agree words like “Top Prospect” or “special” are used freely but with Heyward they were actually true. This guy killed minor league pitching and shot up to the majors with 5 tool talent. I mean you can’t help but get excited. He just needs to stay healthy.
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2010/09/12/heyward-395-obp-could-join-rarefied-group/
August 8th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
#11.Mentally scarred for life.
August 8th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
@17
Yeah, sorry, was mixing my games up…
But Chipper did contribute ( 1 for 4, drove in a run with a ground out) when batting 5th the day before… not a lot, but something…
August 8th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Great piece on Chipper:
http://espn.go.com/espn/commentary/story/_/id/6843873/chipper-jones-last-legs-long-braves-career
And did you guys notice the reaction by the Mets fans in the background when Chipper batted in Alex for the winning run? Priceless.
http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17763399
You can put a thought bubble right there: “Man oh man, Chipper again???”
August 8th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
If Bobby was still managing, Hayward would be playing every day. We all would have killed Bobby for sticking with a slumping player for way too long.
August 8th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
4-0 Braves and we’ll need 4 more runs with Lowe out there off to a poor start.
August 8th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Way to go offense! So how long til lowe coughs this lead up?
August 8th, 2011 at 8:00 pm
When DOB posts “perfect inning for Lowe” I cry happy tears. Go Braves!!
August 8th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
This lead should be good enough and we had a pretty good streak going until Hanson got pounded.
From Elias: The Braves had an early 5-2 lead before dropping a 11-7 decision to the Mets. Before Saturday night, the Braves had won the last 51 games in which they had owned a lead of at least three runs, dating back to September of last season. That had been the longest current streak for any major-league team and it was the second-longest the Braves have had since moving to Atlanta in 1966. (The Braves won 60 straight games with leads of three-or-more runs during the 2002 season.)
August 8th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Freddie has a one game hitting streak
August 8th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
YEAH DAN!
Got a ball in the air w/ Bourn on 3rd and less than two outs (with a man on first – i.e. potential double play). Something that Prado should have done with a man on 3rd and NO OUTS!
August 8th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
#24 – I know it’s easy for me to say, but I disagree. Heyward is not Frenchy. All we know is that he’s a potential superstar. With Frenchy he obviously had huge holes in his swings and was more of an athlete than a baseball player. That’s not the case with Heyward. Which, again, is why he should be in there.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:14 pm
I could not be more excited about the Uggla hit streak, by the way.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Some of the umpires are getting WAY TOO BIG of an ego!
What an a-hole!
August 8th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
#33 – Yeah. Pretty reprehensible.
August 8th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Can you tell by the announcers choice of words that they “know” about Proctor?
“Good night for Christian Martinez. Now Proctor will try to finish this off without any drama”… How funny!
August 8th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
With a 5 run lead, when Proctor walked the first man, I would have pulled him. NO EXCUSE for walking a man in the ninth with a FIVE RUN LEAD!!!
August 8th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
3-2 to the first batter
3-2 to the second batter
August 8th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
How can you pitch from behind with a FIVE RUN LEAD?
August 8th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Well, at least now Kimbrell can get a save…
August 8th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
Well, I guess if he hits him it save a few pitches…
August 8th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
2-0 to batter three
3-2 to batter four
Maybe this outing will get Proctor off the team… Probably not, but hope springs eternal…
August 8th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
I never thought I would say this:
“How long before Linebrink is back?”
August 8th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
I have a feeling Proctor knows something scandalous and is blackmailing Frank Wren. Frank just tell Mrs. Wren the truth so you can just release him. LOL
On another note, Joe DiMaggio here we comes Uggla.
August 8th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
*here comes Uggla
August 8th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
@33
I now think EVEN LESS of the home plate umpire now that I have heard that is the FIRST TIME Freddie has been thrown out of a game at ANY level… IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE!
August 8th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
MLB umpires certainly have a racket going on. Talk about job security.
35: Joe Simpson made another statement that I cannot recall at the moment that was sort of a dig at Proctor.
I really don’t think Proctor will be on the team if we make it to the post or maybe even in September. The Braves eventually did the right thing with KK and I think they’ll do the right thing with Proctor as well.
August 9th, 2011 at 7:52 am
The Heyward debate is a good one, but man, Georgie is bringing a lot to the table. He’s so much better and cheaper than McLouth. Good find.
August 9th, 2011 at 10:00 am
#43 LOL, If Wren CAN get those pictures back, Proctor is GONE. Time to get a look at some Gwinnett pitchers who can throw strikes with a 5 run lead. There has to be someone better.
August 9th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
#48 – I’d rather just bring Gearrin back up.
August 9th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Somewhat off topic, but something I would like to know…
Do you think Proctor walked off the mound thinking “Gee, I just didn’t have it tonight?”
Does he come to the ballpark everyday thinking he can be effective if he gets his chance? That somewhere inside of him, he can still pitch?
Is that delusional or the type of confidence you have to have to take the mound? …Or both?
August 9th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
I think the look on Proctor’s face says it all. He knows he doesn’t have it.
August 9th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Heyward sits again. Unreal.
August 9th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
#52 — I agree. I think that Gonzalez should continue to play the hot hand with Constanza, but get Heyward in there somehow. Even if it means giving the semi-struggling Prado a night off, start Constanza in LF and Heyward in RF. For me, it’s close to unacceptable to not even allow Heyward the opportunity to hit his way out of it — especially when they’re facing a RHP tonight. I know that for you, Steve, it’s beyond unacceptable.
Y’all mentioned at the end of the show about alumni weekend and the list of players the announcer was naming…I’ve got a different request regarding the alumni: can we get some decent guys to announce Braves games, for both TV and radio?!?!?! Glavine’s good on Sundays, but Lemke and Treadway are painful to listen to on the radio, both during and after the games, and Gant and Brian Jordan are awkward at best!
The Braves won Lowe’s first start…what’s y’all’s call for the remainder of the week? Surely we don’t lose either series from here.
August 9th, 2011 at 3:25 pm
And just to clarify — I’m talking strictly about former Braves players as guys who announce or analyze games, in pre-game, in-game, and post-game segments. Jim Powell, Don Sutton, etc — those guys are good.
August 9th, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Is today’s lineup already out? Was this in a DOB tweet?
August 9th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Never mind, I see the new DOB article on the AJC. DOH!
August 9th, 2011 at 4:26 pm
#53,
I agree, wouldn’t hurt to give Prado a day off here and there; .172 for August.
August 9th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Getting benched on his birthday. Lame. There has to be more to this than playing the hot hand. I agree with those suggesting to give Martin a rest. He has had some pretty miserable ABs lately.
Kind of surprised to see Chipper in there on back to back days. He is hitting well, but he looks like every part of his body hurts. He had a postgame quote the other night confirming that pretty much everything hurt.
Fredi has to be more creative in finding ways for Heyward to play.
August 9th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
I completely agree with you guys. I hope we aren’t stunting his growth.
August 9th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Surprised at how aggressive Martin has been, especially hitting in the 2 spot. It seems like he’s grounding/popping out on the first or second pitch frequently.
August 9th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Alex Gonzales has been aggressive as well and has been fortunate to get the hits he’s got for a 7 or 8 game hitting streak. I wish I had some video of some of his horrible swings — I mean, stuff that is high and out side to where the catcher can hardly get to it.
August 9th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
“Just talked to #Braves’ Heyward, who has good perspective on this situation and great attitude. Said he understands Fredi starting Constanza because they’re trying to win games in a playoff race and Constanza gives them best chance right now. Said time off has given him opportunity to work a lot more in batting cage each afternoon, said he’s getting more comfortable in his approach and stance, simplifying things. Also, said health not an issue at all. Will write something now and post on http://ajc.com in a bit.”
Come on Stevie…J-hey gets it…
August 9th, 2011 at 8:20 pm
Just saw Heyward’s interview on the rain delay show — wow. That looked like a completely different interview than how I’ve heard the interview with Steve went. He was smiling, being nice to the interviewer…kid deserves a start!
August 9th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Poor Prado. Hate to see him so frustrated. He needs a hug.
August 9th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Stanton is a big dude. Uggla was very brave on that play.
August 9th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Good job Danny Boy!
August 9th, 2011 at 9:52 pm
They should sit Prado
August 9th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Looks like Prado is back. Can’t sit him now.
August 9th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
#67 Curt,go sit in the corner.
August 9th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
PRADO!!!
Who would ever suggest benching that guy? Definitely not #53!
August 9th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Oh Jason. Looked like he was safe.
And yes, definitely sit Prado. Tomorrow. Or maybe on Thursday. Definitely sit him on Thursday.
August 9th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Thank God none of us manage this team.
August 9th, 2011 at 11:54 pm
YES!!!
August 10th, 2011 at 12:02 am
Maybe Fredi Gonzalez knows what he’s doing.
August 10th, 2011 at 12:03 am
Scouting reports might be out on Constanza. Great way to grind it out with 45 games left in the regular season.
August 10th, 2011 at 12:05 am
—Can we give Alex Gonzalez some props. He has actually been coming up big lately.
—Kimbrel got real lucky with that at bat against Cameron. There were about 3 pitches in the happy zone.
@ 72 I could manage this team better than Fredi.
August 10th, 2011 at 8:54 am
Kimbrel needs a break. Having to pitch him in game 1 of this series was a joke. I think this is 4 games in a row now. He needs a night off.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:42 am
Just watched the extra innings from last night’s game. Stanton really got behind that throw to the plate didn’t he! Yikes! I’m seriously afraid of him. Kudos to his Mama!
Also, J-Hey cannot catch a break.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:48 am
Proctor finally released. I’m so happy.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:48 am
PROCTOR RELEASED!! VIZCAINO UP!!
August 10th, 2011 at 10:55 am
#80, Huge.
August 10th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Talking Chop is worth a read today. The Proctor stuff in there is comical, and the “Vizzy” stuff is really exciting.
Anybody paying attention to Beltran in SF? We dodged a bullet on that one. Especially considering the help the Four Horsemen of the Pitchpocalypse could provide our big league club down the stretch.
August 10th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
#62 – Leah, my argument about sitting Heyward was never about worry that it would mess with him mentally. It’s that he’s the superior ball player to Constanza and should be playing over him.
August 10th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Could not be happier about the Proctor release. And I’m damn excited to see how Vizcaino will do.
August 10th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
@ nate, pitchpocaolypse? im stealing it.
August 10th, 2011 at 1:15 pm
I told you guys about the ’98 team. Read accompanied ESPN article linked within. Of course you have to relive all of Bobby’s terrible managerial decisions, but fight through it.
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2011/08/10/best-nl-team-of-the-free-agency-era-espn-says-the-98-braves/
August 10th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
#85, that’s fine. I stole it from the guy who does Talking Chop.
August 10th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Thank God and Greyhound Proctor’s gone!!! That’ll probabbly be the end of his MLB career.
August 10th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
#86, Just a platoon nightmare.
August 10th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Can you really blame Bobby? How about blame the players who absolutely sucked. Danny Bautista and Graffinino were obviously were hitting lefties pretty well. They just sucked this time. Maybe Bobby should have told Maddux that Lopez would start. Kerry Ligtenberg couldn’t stop the Padres. Glavine gave up 5 runs in game 6. Is that Bobby’s fault?
August 10th, 2011 at 2:36 pm
That Bobby would ever start Eddie Perez over Javy in any playoff game, let alone 2 elimination games? Yeah, that’s not Bobby. Eddie should have gotten hits.
August 10th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Is it sad that I am stressed about how many games we have left with the Nats?
August 10th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
@84
Bet he can throw strikes with a 5 run lead…
August 10th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
@77
I just hope Fredi isn’t doing to Kimbrell what Joe Torre did to Proctor (2006 89 games, 102.1 innings – Tommy John in 2009, never the same pitcher…)
We probably won’t know till next year…
August 10th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
@94…now there’s a happy thought.
August 10th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Great to see Prado have a good game; and with Chipper even at 80%, things are looking up for the offense. Also, with Gonzo contributing and Proctor gone, and McCann healing, what could be better? Now, all we need is a little more from the starters and we can make our October plans.
August 10th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Or, is this premature infatuation?
August 10th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
@96
I would like to see a bit better BA with RISP also…
August 10th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
@95
That’s my job… providing happy thoughts…
August 10th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Obviously nobody in the National League can beat the Phillies.
August 10th, 2011 at 8:37 pm
#96 – Hell yeah. Not to mention that JJ is feeling much better and that the news about Hanson is good, too.
#100 – It’s infuriating, isn’t it? They were down 6 – 0 heading to the 4th, for eff’s sake.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
Think Jason thought he was out #three there?
August 10th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
I think Dunn has attended the Proctor School of Pitching from behind… Was there a batter he didn’t go 3-2 on? I think maybe one…
August 10th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Where Chipper is a Mets killer, it looks like Prado may be shooting Fish in a barrel…
August 10th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Heyward is an enigma. What can be done to help the guy?
August 10th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Time for Hudson’s shower.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Past time for that shower.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Thanks Fredi. Left Hudson too long and then go with a lousy match up. Fredi has his money on the fish tonight.
August 10th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
I was wrong, Fredi is a genius.
August 10th, 2011 at 10:08 pm
@93
I may have been wrong…
Well, it WAS his first major league batter…
Guess we can give him a pass no matter what for tonight…
August 10th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Venters can qualify for a save. Tying or winning run is in the batters box or on-deck circle…
August 10th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
Good bit from Jim and Don. The Marlins had a poll asking fans, “What’s the most annoying thing about the Braves?”
A) The Braves Way – smugness.
B) Bobby Cox
C) Calling it Hotlanta
D) Chipper Jones
E) The Tomahawk Chop
Apparently the Tomahawk Chop is really annoying to all 7 Marlins fan.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:00 am
I don’t know about you guys but from now on, I’m rooting for the Diamondbacks to win the West so we wont have to face that Giants pitching.
August 11th, 2011 at 12:17 am
Heyward strikes out 3 times…..and his batting average is below Uggla’s! Who would have thought 1 month ago?
August 11th, 2011 at 8:25 am
#112 Why would Bobby Cox be the most annoying thing about the Braves? Bizarre. I’d have replaced that with “Watching Fredi & Uggla SWEEP YOU!”
August 11th, 2011 at 8:56 am
#112 I would compare it to the joy we all had booing Tommy Lasorda back in the day. No reason to, it was just fun!
August 11th, 2011 at 11:20 am
#115 Anne, that was funny…
August 11th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
I saw Mark mentioned this above and I think it needs to be revisted……
Last night after one of Heyward’s strike outs he flipped his helment to the ground like it was out #3. How many times have we seen this happen? Is his head in the game at all? I want to say that there was a man on base, so would that not change the way you would handle the at bat?
Steve I MUST disagree with what you said on the show (to a point). What happened last night is EXACTLY why Freddi needs to sit Heyward. The guy is litterally not hitting his weight right now. I say instead of sitting him, send him to Gwinett to get his swing back. He is really playing that bad right now. I understand what you are saying about loyatly and keeping him in the game, but to say to keep him in because he is the “new face of the franchise” is rediculous. We need to win NOW… While I respect your opinion, I do think it is wrong. But who am I, you are the one with a baseball talkshow!
If Proctor was still around he could pitch to Heyward to help him….
August 11th, 2011 at 4:12 pm
The Braves are fortunate to have many young faces on the team. When I think of their future, the names of Kimbrel, Venters, JJ, McCann, Freeman, Prado, Uggla, etc. are the ones that come up. Heyward is an afterthought. Injured or not, he is not the player anyone expected. He has no business batting any higher than 7th and he likely needs time at AAA to regain his skills. Right now, he looks like a #4 outfielder at best. Once you are in the Majors, the words “Prospect” and “Potential” don’t mean squat if you can’t perform! Can he perform in the future? I sure hope so but today, he is hurting the team. This time of the year, you put the players out there that give you the best chance to win. You worry about an individual’s ego after you look after the team. THIS IS A TEAM SPORT.
August 11th, 2011 at 5:17 pm
@119
John J you are completely a PRISONER OF THE MOMENT and completely WRONG.
When I think of the future of the Braves, Heyward is actually the first name that comes to mind. I agree with you he may need to go to AAA, but only for a week. No way is Constanza going to be our right fielder into the postseason. Constanza is no J-Hey and you are completely lost if you think he is. Constanza has been extremely lucky and he is the 4th outfielder you speak of, not Heyward. The young faces you speak of like Uggla , Kimbrel, Freeman were all given every chance to work out of their struggles earlier in the year.
PEOPLE HE IS ONLY 22!!!
Yall are ready to throw him away like a rag doll. Be patient, the Braves are going to the playoffs and the only way they win a world series is if Jason plays out of his slump. I guarantee you Jason Heyward will be a extremely good player in his career, and a year from now we will be looking back at this laughing.
August 11th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
@120: I completely agree with you….. Constanza is no J-Hey, but right now J-Hey is J-ZERO. After last night I am worried about what is going on in his head….
Don’t think that “we” want the Braves to give up on him, but something needs to be done….
August 11th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Well, I just think that whoever is performing at the moment should be playing. Unfortunately, that’s not Heyward. If it’s Aprill or May you can afford to give him a chance to work through it (he’s had this entire season already). But with less than 45 games left on the calendar, there’s no way you can afford for him or anyone else to come up with runners on base and popup or ground into a DP to waste that opportunity.
Constanza is not going to contnue to hit above .400 but he finds a way to get on base and when he does, it’s almost like a potential double. Lately he’s been taking an Ichiro approach to just put the ball in play and is getting lucky. You need luck in this game to succeed and right now he has it. We simply cannot afford to mortgage this season on next year’s “potential.” that’s like saying, well, we’re just gonna go ahead and let Jason get right for the next 30 games so he can go on a tear for the last 10. I think that’s silly and he’s not matured at this level to give anyone the confidence that he could even do that. I’m not downing him, his skill set, his talent or “potential” — he’s just young and working through some things.
If he’s lost some of his mechs at the plate, you can work on that stuff with soft-toss. Sending him to Gwinnett? I dunno but I think not becuase he still needs to see Major League pitching whether his problems are mechanical or not. And yeah, I get the confidece thing but I think is issue is more the lack of inconsistant mecanics than confidence at the plate.
I just cannot believe that we entertain sticking with the cold hand over the hot hand just simply because of Jason’s potential (and what he did in his rookie season). For all of the Struggla-Meter talk, and the complaining of others like Gonzales and McLouth (which were/are all justified), how does one make a logical argument that Jason Heyward, because of his pedigree is any more special than those veterans? This is not the time of the season (veteran, rookie, or otherwise) and the Braves must win by putting the best possible lineup on the field.
And for all my complaints about Fredi Gonzales this season, he at least gets that one right in my book.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Walker,#120. I’m not sure that I am “completely wrong” and in#119, I don’t think I said give up on him or “throw him away”. I never compared Constanza either. Most players don’t make it at 22 maybe Heyward just isn’t quite ready. Maybe it is not being 100% healthy. All I know is that I would take almost any other Brave to be at bat if the game was on the line. Maybe it all came too easy for him but right now he doesn’t seem to even do basic adjustments like shortening up his swing or keeping his weight back, etc. He seems off balance and unable to make contact when needed, like to move a runner up. I am no hitting coach but he needs some work to hit at the major league level. It could be fixed any day but we need hitters NOW.
One last thing, the Uggla situation was totally different as he has proven year after year what he is capable of so he got 3 months reprieve and it paid off. We were on his case but still thought it was highly probable Uggla would start hitting at some point. Uggla can hit MLB pitching! Not to say that Heyward won’t at some point. Let’s agree to disagree but I see Heyward as a contributor but not the cornerstone of the team.
August 11th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
@122 easy with that “y’all” word. I haven’t heard anybody else say he’s done. The discussion was either Play him, bench him or send him down. I think he’ll be awesome again. Just maybe not this season.
August 11th, 2011 at 11:48 pm
@124 ???
August 12th, 2011 at 2:47 am
Agree to disagree
August 12th, 2011 at 5:30 am
I’m headed to CA unexpectedly and sorry I’ll miss the Bobby hoopla this weekend. Go Braves!!
August 12th, 2011 at 6:55 am
@125 oops, meant #120. Numbers have never been my strong suit.
August 12th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
You and Fredi both, Leah.
August 12th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Ya know…let’s just settle this hitting streak issue early.
August 12th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Zambrano from Cub’s ace to Cub’s @ss…
August 12th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
I think he better be happy he got off the field…
I think the ump might have saved him a beating…
August 12th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Looked like the three closest were Heyward, Uggla and Freeman… Definitely could have put a beat down on Zambrano…
August 12th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
VERY good job by the home plate ump.
August 12th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
What fools we were for even considering trading a future #2 young left handed starter for two months of Beltran.
August 12th, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Giants and Phillies losing. Yay!!
August 12th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
@ 133. Did you see Hinske? He was ready to kill him.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
I missed it. Why did Zambrunatic get booted? Someone give me some deets.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
Zambrano gave up 5 homers, got frustrated and decided to hit Chipper. He missed,and it was a loser move. At least he didn’t throw at Chipper’s head like Weaver but still a douchebag move.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
So glad we got the win. Hello from the SF Bay Area where I don’t even know which team is home.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Anne! I am hanging at SFO awaiting the red-eye back to Boston. Both home teams here seem to be pretty bad right now.
August 12th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Steve, this guy wrote this article for you……
http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/8/11/2356904/jason-heyward-atlanta-braves-news
August 12th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
LOL! Zambrano now tells the Cubs that he is retiring.
August 12th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
R.I.P. Ernie Johnson….. Wow
August 12th, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Ham, safe flight home. I’m in the east bay.
August 12th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
The Nats beat the Phils and the Marlins beat the Giants. Am I tired or forgot how to count??
August 13th, 2011 at 12:02 am
Whatta game, whatta game!!!
August 13th, 2011 at 11:50 am
steve, that 4-2 prediction is looking pretty safe right about now, hunh?
was at the game last night and it was electric. folks are getting excited about this team, and dan uggla is creating quite a buzz. awesome night.
August 13th, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Great week to be a Braves fan:
— We have won 5 straight
—-The offense is clicking
—-Everyone’s getting healthy
—– Great Bobby tribute
— It’s fun and Refreshing to watch Bourn and Constanza’s speed.
—– We Finally released Scott Proctor and Gamble with your Lead.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
Show #160: The Braves Play 1.000 Ball
August 13th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Lowedemort strikes again…
August 13th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
That was me.
August 13th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Oh Lowe you didn’t.
A Lowe hitter.
Feelin’ Lowe pain.
August 13th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Isn’t it funny that not since May have we had McCann, Chipper, Prado, and Heyward in the lineup at the same time. CRAZY
August 14th, 2011 at 1:47 am
Somebody needs to lie to Lowe and tell him it’s September already!
August 14th, 2011 at 10:21 am
I can’t believe I’m quoting from Parade Magazine: “at the All-Star break, the number of runs per game was down 20 percent from 2000, and home runs had dropped a whopping 31 percent.” Um, thanks, drug testing??
August 14th, 2011 at 11:52 am
A couple of observations:
Our “Ace” just isn’t all that dependable. You think?
Big disappointment to see my hero try to take third on a grounder to short with no outs. Should know better after some 30 years of playing baseball.
Often times, Braves end up with lots of hits and not enough runs as “small ball” is not executed. Running, bunting, stealing, moving up the runner, etc. Not part of Fredi’s game?
What is the real scoop on Heyward’s health?
I liked the way Bobby never left a player on the bench for too many days. He tried to keep everyone sharp with some at bats and some defense time. I miss that.
August 14th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Frigatedoc, #142 link doesn’t work. Do you have another?
Will: “Oh Lowe you didn’t” was my favorite
Sorry to be so absent the last few days. Been in CT for a HS reunion. Flying home now.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
#157:
Hudson’s been killing it. Over his last 14 starts, his ERA is 2.61 and 12 of the 14 have been quality starts (at least 6 IP and 3 ER or less).
I agree about the small ball. It seems that some weeks Fredi falls in love with it and bunts everyone and some weeks he abandons it.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:41 pm
I’m thinking Linebrink isn’t quite up to par.
August 14th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
Dammit…
August 14th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
#159, My mistake, i was basing “ace” (#157) on money = Lowe. I am very happy with Hudson.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Keep scoring as it would be a crime to lose this one.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
It would be great if Braves had ONE reliable pinch hitter.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
EOF! What gives?
August 14th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Hinske is pretty reliable. Conrad’s not bad either.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
This ump’s strike sounds like Mac’s favorite bad word.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Maybe McCann and Linebrink should have waited one more day to come back.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
It’s going to come down to Uggla, with the game and the streak on the line.
August 14th, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Braves pinch hitters, last I looked, is around .190 BA
August 14th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
What a disappointment. Important home series and hitters and bullpen don’t show up. Nice half swing by Prado.
August 14th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
How do you lose that game? 4 errors by them. We struck out 12 or something? Bad, bad loss. Bad series loss. The Cubs are playing better, but they are going nowhere. A stinker to end the week on after the sweep in Florida.
August 14th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
What a weird game. I feel like we won but we didn’t. We actually played the better baseball but this game goes to show that none of that matters when your pitchers can’t locate their pitches.
August 14th, 2011 at 8:40 pm
EOF located his.
August 14th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Sorry, 18 K’s.