Everything is apparently fine between Braves' Cox and Wren

by gondeee on Sep 23, 2009 9:45 AM EDT Comment 33 comments

I was intrigued by the report yesterday from Yahoo! Sports writer Gordon Edes about friction between the Braves manager Bobby Cox and general manager Frank Wren. It seemed plausible, and why report it if it hadn't come from a reliable source. Edes attributed his scoop to a "major league source," though there is no elaboration on who that might be -- player or team personnel.

This morning we got double denial from both Frank Wren, who said the report was inaccurate, and Bobby cox who told the AJC's Mark Bradley this:

Bobby Cox responded this morning to a Yahoo! Sports report of discord between him and Braves GM Frank Wren. Said Cox, speaking via iPhone from New York: "Everything is fine. Frank has been outstanding ... I couldn't believe it when I [learned of the report]."

My first reaction was, "Bobby has an iPhone!!!" Maybe he's not a disconnected from this generation as I thought. I wonder what kind of apps he has on there... now I'm really curious.

As for any rift between Wren and Cox, only they know, but we might find out this off-season depending on whether or not Bobby decides to stay. It's still surprising that this story did not come from a Braves beat writer.

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Comments

If he’s like most folks his age, I’m willing to bet someone bought it for him as a gift and set it up. I doubt he has a bunch of apps on there. “Which button do I press to dial?”

by KoKo the Monkey (T-Bone) on Sep 23, 2009 9:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

"Roger, which app gets Moylan up?"

I would expect Bobby would more likely have this:

"Matt Diaz is a baseball player."-Joe Simpson

by 10-4 on Sep 23, 2009 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just read the article, what a waste of time and space. I like Mark Bradley, usually, but I don’t think that column brought anything of substance to the table.

by CharlotteChop18 on Sep 23, 2009 9:52 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My first reaction was, “Bobby has an iPhone!!!”

I confess that was my first reaction too LOL.

by NCChopper on Sep 23, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Tech fetish

Something tells me they wouldn’t have mentioned him calling via a Motorola.

by 13thieves on Sep 23, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Same here. I was picturing how funny it would be to see his chubby old fingers texting on one.

by Mark Lempke on Sep 23, 2009 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gee people....

you act like he’s 100 years old or something. Seriously, older people mostly still have brains. And I’m not saying that because I’m old.

;-)

Really. I am not old.

"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti

by sddbaker on Sep 23, 2009 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

all i know is, my dad is 62, and despite having explained how to check a text message multiple times, he still can’t do it. my mom did figure it out, so i guess its 50/50.

"Matt Diaz is a baseball player."-Joe Simpson

by 10-4 on Sep 23, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

my dad refuses to use a debit card…if he doesn’t have the cash..he doesn’t buy it…and it’s not because he’s a compulsive buyer

Cockchafer

by bpk228480 on Sep 23, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

(Sorry if I took your statement the wrong way, but) Give him some props, you don’t have much support if something goes wrong with a purchase you’ve made with a debit card, as opposed to a credit card. Sorry, I’ve been a volunteer with Clark Howard for 3 years & sometimes it’s hard to turn off the spouting of consumer advice!

by Lizziebeth on Sep 23, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder if they have an app that brings Leo Mazzone back.

I’m the player to be named later.

by Crash Davis on Sep 23, 2009 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yes. pitching has been our achilles heel year this year.

"Matt Diaz is a baseball player."-Joe Simpson

by 10-4 on Sep 23, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice use of sarcasm. Typically I don’t comment, but I actually made a small laugh noise after reading this.

by someguy917 on Sep 23, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He definitely turned that Cy Young winner, Maddux, into a good pitcher!

"Actually, Justin was right."
by bigjoe on May 15, 2009 9:04 AM PDT

by justincredubil02 on Sep 23, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Justin don’t be dumb… a pitching coach does absolutely nothing for the pitchers who are either really good or really bad… a pitching coach (or any coach for that matter) has the biggest effect on the middle level guys… look at the players who left the Braves and struggled mightily (Avery, Russ Ortiz, Neagle… theres a ton more i presume). All we have is anecdotal evidence of Mazone’s affect, but its pretty strong anecdotal evidence.

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Sep 23, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I get that argument, but for every Avery, Ortiz, etc, there are Chuck James, Jason Marquis, Paul Byrd and others.

I think the common denominator in the success of random pitchers in Atlanta (and ONLY Atlanta, for some reason) is Cox. I think Leo benefits greatly from having 3 Cy Young winning future 1st ballot Hall of Famers in his rotation for so many years.

I was sad to see Leo go, but there is no evidence that supports an idea that he was a better pitching coach than McDowell has been. McDowell has had some pitchers during his short time here who have turned into good ones (Javier Vazquez, the patchwork relief corps that always seems to turn out a diamond or two).

Our pitching coach is the least of our worries. There is no need to talk about bringing Leo back, or even getting rid of McDowell.

"Actually, Justin was right."
by bigjoe on May 15, 2009 9:04 AM PDT

by justincredubil02 on Sep 23, 2009 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Of course they're going to deny it.

Oh, Bobby.

by sdp on Sep 23, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yep. I wouldn’t read Bobby’s and Wren’s spin to mean there wasn’t any truth to the report on Yahoo. Maybe there was a problem at various points in the season but they’ve patched things up and an extension will be announced soon (blah).

by redwards95 on Sep 23, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure during the course of any season

managers and GM’s disagree.

by Andy Braves Fan on Sep 23, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it seems Yahoo Sports has done a really good job of coming up with these reports outta left field and they end up being true… they’ve realized most of the controversial news the past couple years (in all sports) and it all seems to be true. but like Gondee said, only Bobby and Frank know the truth… but maybe we will get an inkling as to their relationship this offseason.

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Sep 23, 2009 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bring Bob back.
(Chipper stays.)
Bring Heyward up.
Win the division next year.

After Cox and Chip retire, Chipper becomes the manager (or hitting coach).

(self-appointed President of Yunel's Cartel~~~)
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews ~ RIP Roi
Chief! Do your anti-rain dance!!! Now, damn it! Now!!!

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Sep 23, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh yeah, don’t re-sign our “pinch hitting specialist.” It’s usually going to be a team loss, but Norton was sent up in a lot of key situations this year, and went 0 for whatever.

(self-appointed President of Yunel's Cartel~~~)
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews ~ RIP Roi
Chief! Do your anti-rain dance!!! Now, damn it! Now!!!

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Sep 23, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure which reliever to sit for 10 straight days and then trot out in a high pressure situation?

There’s an app for that.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Sep 23, 2009 10:55 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Is it called Boone Logan?

by ATLforlife on Sep 23, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Green. I thought he was going for Medlen.

If Dunn walks 30 fewer times, he'll drive in 15 more runs. This is thanks to the scientifically proven formula: RBI = (this is nonsense) (I made it all up).

Here's a stat: Wins as manager: Dusty Baker, 1,162; Bill James, 0.

by TradeAndruw on Sep 23, 2009 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cox and pendelton have got to go.Even though Cox is one of the best ever it is like Glavin when it is time it is time,now go!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by losers33us on Sep 23, 2009 12:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, what a terrible job he's done in building a potential 90-win team out of a group nobody had any expectations for.

Remember when the Panthers had a good offensive line? Yeah, me too.
--Darin Gantt

by MichaelProcton on Sep 23, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just think Roger McDowell needs to work with him more closely on his bullpen choices...

(self-appointed President of Yunel's Cartel~~~)
"The future is no place to place your better days." - Dave Matthews ~ RIP Roi
Chief! Do your anti-rain dance!!! Now, damn it! Now!!!

by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Sep 23, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It’s still surprising that this story did not come from a Braves beat writer.

That leads me to believe the source probably came from another organization, probably a friend of either Bobby or Frank.

by Doghnut on Sep 23, 2009 3:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think

ppl are a little harder on Bobby than they should be. At times he has seemed to overuse guys in our BP but we have also seen why.

I have been one of the ones to get mad at the fact that Boone Logan wasn’t used as much then he comes out and serves up some runs. Same thing for Nunez.

I personally feel that if given a BP of guys not named Acosta, Bennett, or Boyer, Cox will be fine. Its honestly not too much his fault because we would all be getting mad at him if he did use Logan or some other guys at high leverage situations and they failed. We would then say, “Why not O’Flaherty, Moylan, Gonzo or Soriano”

Yes there are some things that could have been done better through out this year but in all honesty all managers have those few questionable moves during the course of a season.

I love the fact that when Bobby got some players with speed he utilized it. When we got McLouth they let him run, when Schafer was here and got on base they let him run, and now Diaz is doing some running as well.

In the end the reason we havent won more games is because of an inconsistent offense and to my knowledge thats not Bobby’s fault. He can’t hit the balls for ppl and so therefore he shouldnt be blamed for the position this team is in.

by drumzalicious on Sep 23, 2009 3:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Its honestly not too much his fault because we would all be getting mad at him if he did use Logan or some other guys at high leverage situations and they failed. We would then say, "Why not O’Flaherty, Moylan, Gonzo or Soriano"

Please see game vs Phillies in which we trailed by 2 and Acosta came in for a perfect example of this. People were complaining and saying that Cox should be fired for that move – the same people who claim that he should be fired for over-using the top ~~three~~ ~~I mean 4~~ 5 BP guys.

"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."

by justincredubil02 on Sep 23, 2009 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs