Today's loss was beyond belief.  Not only was it a blow out to one of the worst three teams in the majors, it was a game that just would not end.  I officially stopped watching in the 7th inning when an ebay auction I was hovering over ended, and I was the victor, and felt no further need to sit in front of a computer, let alone be watching the game, since there were some errands to be run.

Anyway, this it not necessarily a bitch session, but more or less the fact that I'm kind of bored, and when I get bored, I tend to write, and when I tend to write, I tend to write, a lot.  I appreciate those who commiserate, and those who actually take the time to read my ramblings, but sometimes, I feel that I need a break from the hostility, the trade speculations that result in people calling other people stupid, and like I say in my profile, a little bit of time to step away and just look at the game of baseball for what it is; a game.

Every season, I tend to hit a point, kinda like now, where I find my attention to baseball weaning a little bit.  Worry not, because it always comes back in like mid-August, when the realization hits that the season is indeed coming to a close, and then I begin putting things into perspective, write a lot of emotional things, start going to a lot of games, and enjoying what we have left. 

I'm more apt to go out and be social, date another future-ex, watch movies, eat out, etc.  I think this more or less started with a disenchantment with interleague, compounded with the miserable June of 2006.  It doesn't help that this summer, I've been kinda grounded, due to my freelancing contract.  So no further park exploration until further notice.  But for the past few seasons, right around the All-Star game, do I lose a little bit of focus until about August.  Especially when we get demolished like today, because it just doesn't feel like the team has it in them to make a comeback.

So what I'm doing right now is covering several topics; hopefully it channels frustration away from just the Braves, and onto more individualized topics.

Atlanta Braves 2008:  Feast or Famine - Look at the bright side; at least we didn't get shut out.  Six times this season, other teams have hung double-digits on us in a run-away defeat.  One of those games, we hung double-digits back on them, and still lost.  And six times, the Braves have hung double-digits on opponents, and ran-away in a rout.  No middle ground this season.

Umpires:  No, I don't have any affiliation with John Feinstein, or his publishers.  But I've said it many times, the book Living on the Black, is a must-read for Braves fans, as well as general baseball fans.  If you respect/like Tom Glavine and/or Mike Mussina, read this book.  Anyway, they book goes into great detail over umpire controversies, due to the nature of Tom Glavine's pitching style, and how he lives on the corners; he basically insinuates that if the umps don't give him the low-and-outside strike, then he's pretty much in for a long afternoon.

Today's display of officiating has prompted me to feel like writing about umpiring; I don't know about the rest of you, but I've grown very accostomed to, and learned most of the names of the umpiring crews of MLB.  I assure you, it's not a very good thing, because I learn the names real quickly, when I don't like an ump.

If I had all the money/travel capabilities in the world available at my hands, no, the first thing I would do is not travel with the Atlanta Braves throughout an entire season; it would be to travel along side with MLB Umpire Crew J (CB Bucknor, Ed Hickox, Ed Rapuano, and Joe West), and get primo seating at every game they officiate, and heckle the hell out of them.  I would want to be seen by one/all of them at every game, so that it gets in their head that they can't shake me.  To wonder if they're having a meals together in various cities, Detroit, Boston, Anaheim, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, etc. talking about "that guy" who seems to be at every game they officiate.

But anyway, today's officiating by HP umpire, Chris Guccione was nothing short of atrocious.  (BTW, Guccione is a Triple-A umpire; Umpire Crew E annually has one AAA ump on its squad) He was squeezing the hell out of an already struggling Jo-Jo Reyes, and his calls over the (his) left side of the plate was more inconsistent than Jeff Francoeur.  But that happens; it's a part of baseball.  I hope that this game is reviewed thoroughly by whichever agency does umpire reviewing; Guccione's got no business umping in the majors with a hot little temper like his own.

The way he handled Buddy Carlyle's frustration, and the ensuing tossing of Bobby was flat-out ridiculous, in my opinion.  A pitcher's not allowed to get flustered over a questionable call anymore?  I thought Buddy handled the situation very well, considering it how bad it was.  The tossing of Bobby was faster than he could get his first F-bomb out the window.

The reason I bring up Living on the Black, is because there is a good deal of text about Glavine and Mussina both understanding that umpires don't like to be "shown up."  Those words are generally used by anyone who talks baseball, whether it is broadcasters, announcers, or other players - which is what I feel is a serious problem.  Many umpires seem to suffer from this paranoia, and it seems to get worse and worse each year.

Glavine brought up a good point about how he did his best to remain professional and courteous to all umpires, because let's face it; they're their own little fraternity, and they do speak to one another.  Pissing off one umpire, could potentially get your name stuck in one or more other umpires' heads, which couldn't possibly be a good thing when they're calling your balls and strikes.

One thing that irritates me is the unfortunate kissing-up that players do to umpires.  I can't remember which team, I want to think it's either the Rockies or Diamondbacks, but one of them, it was said that they kept a brief scouting report on the HP umpires in the locker room, with tidbits of info, like where they went on vacations, and important things like family birthdays; so that the players can use this info for small talk, when taking their place in the batter's box, or when they're stretching and making chit-chat with the umpiring crew.

Tim McClelland - I would say he's probably my least favorite umpire in MLB.  We had the dubious pleasure of watching him squeeze the living hell out of Jair Jurrjens earlier this year, against the Mets, and was just a hair more generous with Mike Pelfrey on the other end.  Sure this is a little old, but when the topic of umpires is on television, they are always quick to point out that McClelland is often referred to as "the most fair" umpire, i.e. players favorite umpire.  Coincidentally, he also happens to be one of the most senior umpire in MLB as well.

Bottom line - let the players show some emotion; the fans do like to see that.  Nobody is paying to see umpires, regardless of what Angel Hernandez thinks.  If players voice their displeasure over umpires, they're already getting fined; no point in tossing them, and making such spectacles out of a testy situation.  Earlier this season, we had the Brian Runge incident, and earlier today, it felt like there was going to be a Chris Guccione incident on hand.  For people whose jobs are to be unbiased and neutral, they're showing a whole lot of emotions and more evident favoritism nowadays.

I feel bad for the person at the ballpark who gets the prize designation of "honorary team captain" - where as "first pitch" person gets to throw a ball at a benchwarmer, and get a picture taken with Ruben Gotay/Greg Norton, and occasional award winners get to stand with Bobby Cox/Chipper/Huddy, the honorary team captain receives the "honor" of standing with Gene Snitker, the other team's third-base coach, and the umpiring crew for a photograph.

Free Agency:  Maybe it's just me (likely), but does anyone else get the insinuation that having a title of "free-agent-to-be" is like the equivalent of the scarlet letter, or a life-threatening disease?  I understand the game has changed, and fans are smarter, and more savvy to the way the business/farm/financialworks and all, but if you'd have asked me straight up "do you want C.C. Sabathia?" I'd probably have went "F*ck yeah".  Nowadays, those same questions are responded with all sorts of skepticism and disgust for a player's impending lack of leash to any particular team.  I'm having difficulty at trying to find the right words, but it's like a lot of us are skeptical about being able to trade Mark Teixiera to anyone, because Teix is currently wearing a tag of impending free agency, which has been apparently been dipped in an un-flushed toilet, because nobody wants to go near it.

I get it the process, I really do.  I know that teams don't want to get a rental player for two months, only to fail, and then lose the acquisition, along with all the players they used to get said acquisition.  This can easily be the result of the rise of unsavory free-agency, but another topic. 

But on a more granular scale, it seems silly that so many people don't want a power-hitting, gold glove-wielding switch-hitter, just because they feel like they're going to lose him in the future.  Just how much future planning can one do while not losing sight of the present?

If you've read this far, I truly appreciate it, and commend you on your resolve.  I suppose that the majority of my rambling focused around umpires, but hey, it felt good to get some words off my chest on the topic.  I figured I'd say my words, prior to taking my steps back and taking deep relaxing breaths.  We'll take another stab it tomorrow, and hopefully the results will be better.  I don't know about the rest of you folks, but I don't care what the Philles, Marlins and Mets are doing.  I don't look the GB column, let alone standings in general.  I just want to see the Braves win, and as many times as they can, before October.  If it's meant to be, the rest of the concerns of the division, a playoff run, and a World Series berth will take care of themselves.