The Office blogged daily for 11 years -- as long as Rowland lasted in the majors. So there's some symmetry, though, unlike our namesake, we're not done yet. Maybe this will be our only post of the year. We won't be posting daily. Weekly, perhaps. Certainly, my passion for the not-so-local anymore nine has waned,... Continue Reading →
Some ideas on what the Braves should do this offseason, in order of priority. Dump Fat Gimp. I suspect a team like the Royals would take him if the Braves paid most of his salary. If not, release the guy. I'd rather pay him not to be on the team than put up with another... Continue Reading →
At a time when the game is skewing young, the Braves remain stuck in the past. The fact that Jim Hendry is a candidate for GM or president of baseball ops or whatever says it all. The other five retreads vying for the job don't inspire much confidence, either, with one possible exception. Hendry, 62,... Continue Reading →
Forget Vin and Fernando. Liberty's promotions geniuses will have legendary Tool Race announcer Mark Owens, flanked by a pair of Tool puppets, introducing Tim Lee and his battery mate, Arby's VP of Marketing Rex Whatshisname -- with The Chop blaring in the background, naturally. Of course they'd have to involve Hank Aaron -- he'll lead... Continue Reading →
If Clayton Kershaw struggles at any time in the World Series you're likely to hear how much Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine struggled in the postseason, even if it's not true. While it's true that neither was as dominant as they were in the regular season, they were still solid. Maddux had a 3.27 ERA... Continue Reading →
I guess the Braves way means making sacrificial lambs out of respected coaches and fan favorites. Here's hoping TP and Eddie hook on with a real franchise, not the rudderless mall anchor the Braves have become. Does anyone think TP wouldn't have been a better manager than Fredi or Snitker? Hey, Mike Maddux, widely regarded... Continue Reading →
The narrative, which rings true, though may not be, holds that Royals GM Dayton Moore would come to the Braves if guaranteed total control over the franchise. That can't happen as long as John Hart remains president of baseball operations. Hart plans on staying, unless longtime friend John Schuerholz is able to force him out,... Continue Reading →
Jim Hickey, long regarded as one of the game's finest pitching coaches, and Tampa have parted ways, ending an impressive 10-year run. During his time with the Rays, Hickey helped mold the careers of pitchers like David Price (who won a Cy Young while with the team), Wade Davis, Fernando Rodney (who had an 0.60... Continue Reading →
Just sayin'. Again. Fuck you, "Coppy."
Someone hired Frank Wren. Someone else mentored and promoted Coppy. One drove the farm system into the ground. The other skirted the rules. Both were assholes. To quote obnoxious college football fans after their team loses, "Where's the accountability?" Answer: There is none. The team's owners look at the Braves like a mall developer looks... Continue Reading →
Got a call from our namesake the other day asking, "Where the fuck you been? You making me look bad!" I tried to explain to him these Braves aren't a very inspiring bunch. "Shit, I played for the '75 Braves. You don't know what uninspiring is. Now get off your ass and write something!" Thanks... Continue Reading →
So who has more hope: Braves fans or Philly followers? The Braves have won nine more games but that's largely irrelevant. It's all about tomorrow and, based on the production of the next wave, at least initially, Philly has a small lead. Rhys Hoskins put them there. Deadspin summed up Hoskins' incredible start: No one... Continue Reading →
While Sean Newcomb labored through another outing last night, throwing 94 pitches in 4-2/3 innings, Andrelton Simmons added to his MVP caliber season with a dramatic three-run homer to give the Angels a 7-6 win. (I know. Newcomb's a rookie. But his command problems are nothing new. Maybe he figures it out.) Andrelton has certainly... Continue Reading →
At some point, probably this offseason, the Braves will start dealing from their wealth of prospects. Who should be most untouchable? Rowland's Top 10: Ronald Acuna. By no means. Kyle Wright. Seems to have the most ace-like qualities of any of the team's pitching prospects. Luiz Gohara. See Wright. And he's left-handed. And he's produced.... Continue Reading →
With six weeks left in a season that's quickly gone south, there's little we can count on in 2018. Here's what we know we're getting: Another year (and another year after that) of Matt Kemp, who makes 2009 Garrett Anderson (-1.7 dWAR for the Braves that year) look like Byron Buxton in LF. As bad... Continue Reading →
Back from a brief hiatus, during which we were reminded that we can't trust Folty, Julio is still a solid big league pitcher -- away from Cobb County -- and the Braves don't yet know what they have in Sean Newcomb and Lucas Sims. So the rotation is a mess. R.A. Dickey has been solid... Continue Reading →
Thirty-one years ago today the greatest brawl in the history of baseball went down at Fulco. Thirty years ago today Bobby Cox made the greatest trade in Braves history. Here's the inside story. Â
He was here only one year, but Don Baylor, who died over the weekend, had a major impact on the Braves. "He changed my attitude and changed my approach," Chipper Jones said after winning the NL MVP in 1999. Baylor had challenged Chipper to become more aggressive from the right side. In 1998, 32 of... Continue Reading →
ICYMI ... Max Fried was promoted to Atlanta from Mississippi despite a 5.92 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. He's not the only curious promotion within the Braves system. Austin Riley got the call to Mississippi despite an Adonis-like .718 OPS for High-A Florida. In 22 Double-A games Riley's OPS is .676. Touki Toussaint made the same... Continue Reading →
Austin Jackson's catch the other night in Fenway was spectacular -- quite possibly the catch of the year. But it's not on the level of  Endy Chavez's grab in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. Considering a perfect game was on the line,DeWayne Wise's grab in 2009 was pretty special, too. Jim Edmonds makes the... Continue Reading →
