Rowland's Office

This cool new layout has motivated me. I’m trying to think of things to post about, even when nothing is happening.

Ergo, all this yap about maybe getting Peavy prompted ye olde blogger to hark — harken? — back to the offseasons of 10 and 20 years ago to see what the Bravos did then. A decade ago, JS had a productive winter. He signed Brian Jordan, which paid immediate dividends as BJ and Chipper led a plucky, injury-depleted (Big Cat, Javy out) squad to the NL pennant.

Suspenders also dealt Neagle, Tucker and Rob Bell – seems like we traded him 3 or 4 different times — to Cincy for Remlinger and Bret Boone. Rem was fantastic here, of course. No stretch to say he’s the best non-closing reliever in Atlanta Braves history. Boone? He waited till he hit the Pacific Northwest to discover roids.

For good measure that offseason, the Bravos brought back Otis and signed Ozzie Guillen. 

Rewind another 10 years. Ah, yeah. The bad old days. Check out the crap parade that came our way between late September 1988 and opening day 1989: Jody Davis, Darrell Evans on the eve of AARP membership, Jim Acker, John Russell — has any club ever acquired two catchers who hit under .200 in a single offseason? — Mark Eichorn, Jeff Treadway and Dwayne Henry.

In fairness, Treadway had a couple of decent years here. The rest of those guys were either old or horrific or both.

On the plus side, Henry starred in one of the most memorable Braves games I ever saw before the 1990s. It was April, 1989. A young Tommy G. leaves the mound in the 7th having allowed just 2 runs, with the lead against a powerful Reds team. Enter Henry.

Hey, Dwayne!

No sooner does D Hank enter than Eric Davis leaves, in a hurry, a fearsome line shot that nearly knocked a hole in that old high wall beyond the plexiglass fence in left center. Three runs score. Tommy’s lead — gone. The inning ends, and the Reds are up 6-4.

Up on the matrix screen pops Jim Varney (aka Ernest P. Worrell), the Braves mascot that season. No kidding. The throng of 10,067, including me, erupts in boos.

Whatever happens this offseason, chances are it won’t be as good as the winter a decade ago, nor as utterly unproductive as that of two decades ago.

–CD