Braves Quote For The Day - McCann Speaks The Truth
by Scott Coleman on Dec 14, 2010 11:08 PM EST
in Braves Quote For The Day
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PrintOur very own Brian McCann had this to say regarding the Phillies signing Cliff Lee:
Obviously it makes the Phillies a better ball club. But I think we have a champ-caliber team. They got better, we got better.
Ain't that the truth? Sure, Cliff Lee will probably be dominant with the Phillies, but let's not forget about just how good our own pitching staff will be. Our 5-man rotation is better than a good majority of the other teams in baseball, and our bullpen is absolutely stacked. And let's not forget we have arguably the #1 pitching prospect in the Minor Leagues who could be ready by the All-Star Break if needed.
Do the Phillies have a hell of a team on paper? You bet. Are they the favorites in the National League? Probably. But let's all wait and see how the games play out before we start declaring the Phillies the kings of the world or something. We have quite a team gathering in Atlanta, and we'll be there all year long.
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If even one of their pitchers goes down with injury (inevitable) and Utley or Howard miss significant time (likely)
They will be paying 20+ million for guys to sit the bench and be fielding a very average team.
162 games provide a lot of room for anything to happen.
60% of the time, it works every time
We have a shot — but only if they have an extended run of bad luck.
by kbertling353 on Dec 15, 2010 1:50 AM EST up reply actions
Nah, we’d just need them to have bad luck in a 7 game series against us, and we’d need a 2 week run of decent luck.
I’m pretty sure we’re going to make the postseason at least as the wild card. Yeah, 91 wins last year was in spite of some bad luck. I think 95 is doable for this club next year, even with the Phillies.
Agreed
We just have to get to the dance, which I am less sure about than you but still confident, and find a way to win four games against them. As far as the season is concerned, they will win the East barring significant injuries and maybe even with them as they did last season.
The wildcard is going to be tough. The Dodgers and Cards both got better which means the races will be even harder than last year.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 1:31 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Getting to the playoffs is never a cakewalk...
…well, unless you can trot Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz out there. The Dodgers don’t scare me much, I don’t think they are any better than the Rockies in their own division, for example. Their current starting left fielder is Jay Gibbons and they are considering “upgrading” in left by signing Bill Hall. I am not sure the Cardinals have done much of anything to improve. Theriot can hit better than Ryan, but doesn’t field as well and isn’t really a good hitter at all (just better than Ryan). Berkman in left isn’t going to work; he’ll go on the DL really quickly or just end up a bench bat. Their pitching staff remains the same.
The Rockies worry me more than the Dodgers and Cardinals.
Just making a point.
Their The Braves’ current starting left center fielder is Jay Gibbons Nate McLouth and they are considering could "upgradeing" in left center by signing Bill Hall.
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
The Berkman experiment oughta be interesting to watch.
I agree with you about the Rockies, btw. Much more worrisome than LA or Stl. And that team is never out until mathematically eliminated.
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
You could say that about any team, lol.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
I wouldn't worry about the Dodgers...
They got moderately better, but with the Real Divorce of Orange County showing no sign of abating, they don’t look to improve much more.
The Cards are going to have to start planning for the Small Country they’ll have to buy for Pujols, so I wouldn’t sweat them a whole lot either.
You guys were better than both last year and you’ve already improved more than both combined with the addition of Uggla’s bat alone.
by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Dec 16, 2010 10:08 AM EST up reply actions
My friend and I were discussing the Pujols situation
I have no idea if it’s ever been done, or even feasibly possible, but instead of just money, why don’t the Cards just give Pujols a small slice of the Cardinals organization? As a player, it puts the onus back onto Pujols to perform well, because if the Cards profit, as does Pujols, and being a partial-owner of the team removes any ideas of him wanting to play anywhere else, and kind of makes it impossible without more organizational ramifications. Besides, since moving to the states, he’s lived in Missouri the whole time, why pluck him away? Furthermore, it creates a financial cushion and security for Pujols and his family to essentially have a job beyond the playing career, and given the crude idea that it’s going to take 10/$300M to resign Pujols, and the highly likely life-time deferred payments the Cardinals would have to do to pull that off, what difference does it really make? Just a wild idea that has no chance of happening, but some food for thought, regardless.
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
Didn't A-Rod want that from the Yankees
Irregardless, I am sure that there would be some league rules to consider with that. And either way, the ramifications of a player/owner haven’t been explored at all in my knowledge. It certainly would be uncharted territory.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 16, 2010 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, it's totally illegal
I only just found that out on MLB on XM a couple months ago with Jeter-Gate.
Player-Manager = Kosher (so long as there’s not sports betting…)
Player-Owner = HUGE no no, apparently.
by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Dec 16, 2010 5:04 PM EST up reply actions
As said below...
the Collective Bargaining Agreement keeps owners and players seperate. Best example I can think of is another sport though, as Michael Jordan had to sell his shares of the Washington Wizards before he put on their uniform.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
That was hilarious when they screwed him over when he wanted to buy back in.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 5:23 PM EST up reply actions
So true.
Anything can happen, and we’ve got a great team of our own. I mean, weren’t the Mariners predicted to win the AL West last year?
The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a f***in' potato."
by alligatorimpersonator on Dec 14, 2010 11:14 PM EST reply actions
I think that was more of a “trendy” pick than anything
by kbertling353 on Dec 15, 2010 1:51 AM EST up reply actions
The Phillies are very capable of not putting runs on the board, I’m not sure if they scored in May or June.
Free Matt Young!
I'm sure they must have...
but for the life of me I can’t prove it.
by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Dec 17, 2010 6:25 AM EST up reply actions
Aces high don't correlate to rings
Even when the Braves had our trio of aces it was lack of quality at bats in the post season that was our undoing. In the Playoffs you are going to eat a steady diet of #1 and #2 SP. As the Braves proved – pitching and defense up the middle(remember that?) gets you through 162 but the playoffs, per Cox, is a crapshoot. Dominant Pitching, timely hitting and a spark of luck usually decide the 7 games series and no one like KK takes the hill. Just like some hitters pad their stats by crushing bad pitching, Baseball is a game fun to break down statistically but a 5-7 game series is a small sample size. The Yanks and the Braves prove it.
by crack of the bat on Dec 14, 2010 11:33 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
This
They compared the line up to I believe the 97 Braves staff with Maddox, Glavine, Smoltz and Neagle. That staff never won a ring. With all of the pitching we had in the 90’s we won ONE, count them ONE ring.
Until the Jets or Heat win a title this year, any team that has a stacked area on paper is just that paper champs.
by cmdpsu15 on Dec 14, 2010 11:38 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
The Jets? Of all the teams in football, you chose the jets as the one team that looks stacked on paper? You could argue steelers, ravens, patriots, chargers, colts, falcons, any number of teams, but the jets?
MASN Announcer: "Ususally they have what they call here 'the privilege,' and that's what bobby cox calls it when he let's the veteran guys swing away on 3-0. This is not such a hitter."
Jason Heyward: Single up the middle, ballgame.
He said stacked area
… so I assume he’s referring to how the Jets’ D looked amazing on paper. They already had Revis at CB last year, and then traded for Cromartie and then drafted arguably the best cover corner as well last year … so you could’ve said that they were stacked on D, and specifically at CB … but this was all before the season started too.
I should preface that comment by saying
I am a die hard Patriots fan, and I had to listen to all the Jets blowhards talking about how they had a stacked team and were going to destroy everyone. Granted I didn’t believe a word of it, but still.
They made all the moves in the off season, getting Holmes, Cromartie, LT, etc. and they just got trounced by NE and lost to the fins.
The Giants beat tthe Phillies in the NLCS last season
The Phillies have got better.
And while the Giants beat us, I believe fully healthy we were a much better team.
We are getting healthy and an even better team.
Anything can happen.
Following the infamous "astroglide" comment and the challenge for use of word:
"no way the Astros glide into the playoffs."
by BrockSamson on Aug 29, 2010 3:26 PM PDT
Nice...
"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann
by HansonManCrush on Dec 15, 2010 8:41 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
We are the only team
that even gave the eventual World Champs a fight last year. We got better and I’m not impressed by Phillie pitching. We have a staff that is as capable and a better bullpen than they have. Their lineup is weaker and Rollins can’t stay on the field long enough to make an impact. The greatest thing about them getting all this hype is watching them fall later ;)
Plus this “30 year old Allstar team” of Phillies will definatly have some injuries.
Then just like last year they will say We didn’t do good because ______ ______ was injured.
News Flash Phillies: Injuries are part of baseball
"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
-Yogi Berra
by BravosFanatic on Dec 15, 2010 7:15 AM EST up reply actions
Not to threadcap...
But who used that as an excuse?
Anytime “we had a ton of injuries” was uttered by a Phils fan, it was always immediately followed by, “-and yet we still won 97 games.”
we didn’t do well in the NLCS last year because nobody was hitting anywhere near the level they were capable.
Of course injuries happen. None of us were/are gonna whine about it or make excuses.
We can be intentionally stupid sometimes, but we’re not the Mets.
by Chutley's Impressed by Mac's Speed on Dec 15, 2010 10:50 PM EST up reply actions
I agree
Oh and braves fans please remember that injuries are just as likely to happen to your team.
You can muff a punt but can't punt a muff
True
But most of our team is at least on the better side of 30.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:05 AM EST up reply actions
My thoughts:
Enjoy your time Philly, for your days of glory are growing ever shorter.
The next Dixie Dynasty is mounting.
"Jason Heyward was a Greek philosopher reincarnated as a baseball player." - Don Sutton
+1
"I wasn’t thinking about it. That’s the worst celebration of all time. I didn’t know what to do. I got lost in the moment." - Brian McCann
by HansonManCrush on Dec 15, 2010 8:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
If Philly..
Stays healthy no one in the NL can touch them… but that is unlikely… all of their stars are on the wrong side of 30
Halladay, Lee, Oswalt
Utley, Howard, Ibanez, Polanco, Rollins
Brian, I love you. I really, really do.
But the Phillies have one of the best rotations I have ever seen, and back it up with a monster offense.
Unless we are counting on injuries or people playing above their heads for us, we are playing 2nd fiddle.
There is no way we have as good of a team as they do right now. We have a better bullpen, better bench, better catcher, better RF. That is it. They have a better 1-4 pitcher.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 1:32 AM EST reply actions
What exactly about their offense if "monster"
They lead nothing last year, and they have lost Werth.
Howard is declining. Ibanez is old. Rollins has lost it.
60% of the time, it works every time
A healthy Rollins and Utley make them that much better. Add in a healthy Rollins and Utley and all of a sudden you may have a better Howard.
No matter how you look at it, their offense is better than ours.
And what about their offense is “Monster?”
Howard, Victorino, Rollins, Utley
2 of those guys are either the best or one of the best at their positions in all of baseball. Another one hits 30-40 HRs per year, and the last one is just a few years removed from a MVP.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 6:53 AM EST up reply actions
Not sure I buy all of that...
…and I agree that the Phillies are a very good team and will be very tough to beat. I would disagree that no matter how you look at it their offense is better than ours, although I do think that a fair comparison gives them an advantage.
As for your Howard, Victorino, Rollins, Utley comments:
You are correct that Utley is one of the best at his position.
You are correct that Rollins is a few years removed from an MVP, but you incorrect imply that this means something significant. Rollins has a career OBP of .328 and a career OPS+ of 97. That’s fine for a good fielding SS, which he is, but it doesn’t make him a great offensive player. That the Phillies keep sticking him at the top of the lineup is great for everybody else.
You are incorrect to say that Howard hits 30-40 HR’s per year. He usually hits 40-50. He is a very good slugger. He is on the wrong side of 30, however, so hopefully he falls off, but for now he is very good.
Victorino: you say he is one of the best at his position, but I am just not buying it. His career OPS+ of 100 does not scream great hitter. Please explain why you think he is one of the best hitters at his position. He’s solid, but nothing particularly special.
Rollins is not monster anymore...
4 or 5 years ago, yes. But not anymore.
Oh, and better 1-4 pitcher? Maybe 1-2, but I’ll take JJ vs. Hamels and not think we’re overmatched. Slot Lowe against Halladay or Lee, and Hanson can trump Oswalt, while if Hudson pitches similar to last year, he matches Halladay or Lee. But let’s keep loving the Phillies.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Our pitchers might not be as talented, but they will keep us close in these games..I just hope our defense will step up..
"Check out this bitchin' homemade tesla coil!"
by bwellnjonesco on Dec 15, 2010 9:35 AM EST up reply actions
well put
That is my only worry. Uggla can be a butcher. Chipper has only ever been a solid defender, and post knee injury I worry about even more diminished range. I have no idea what to expect from Prado. McLouth is not a good defensive CF.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 9:37 AM EST up reply actions
McLouth...
seems almost sure to be replaced by a pitcher for CF trade mid season to me, as Teheran or another steps up to demand a rotation spot.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Certainly possible
and the articles I have been reading on Schafer are encouraging as well. Even if he is no better with the bat, if he can return to playing defense at a high enough level he should take the job from McLouth, unless of course McLouth returns to his Pirates numbers. That certainly is a possibility as well.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed...
although I would love it if Schafer could get a full AAA season under his belt, and we trade someone for a CF that can slide to LF next year when Prado moves back to the IF.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Jacoby Ellsbury! He’s hit lefties better in the past than Gardner..
"Check out this bitchin' homemade tesla coil!"
by bwellnjonesco on Dec 15, 2010 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
Wouldn't be a shock to be honest...
say he and JJ have solid first halves, with Mike Cameron showing good health for CF, but Beckett, Daiske, etc struggling in their rotation, that could easily be a fit between the 2
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:53 AM EST up reply actions
Halladay > Hudson
Lee > Hanson
Oswalt > JJ
Hamels > Lowe
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:04 AM EST up reply actions
But so what?
In a game the pitchers don’t face themselves, they face the batters…Halladay isn’t so much better than Hudson that the Braves couldn’t win a game 2-1 or 3-2…
Also, the Braves and the Phillies aren’t facing each other for 162 games. They face the REST of the MLB. Thus, even if the Phillies are the clear #1 rotation, the Braves are in the top-5, if not #2.
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
All of this is true…but it doesn’t change the fact that the Phillies have a better rotation.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
I 100%
Agree with you.
As a Brave fan who has had to sit and ponder our season in light of the Lee to Phillies reality, I am viewing everything with “best case scenario” glasses.
Sure, on paper the Phillies should win the NL East and probably the World Series (over the Red Sox), but it rarely plays out that way.
Thus, looking through the season through said “best case scenario” glasses, I turn my gaze to the Giants. They weren’t that good, but they got hot at the right time. As a Brave fan, I have to root for us to succeed and the Phils to fail. I don’t have a choice, and the Braves and Giants are pretty similar.
Lord knows that the Phils will be tough, but I think we’ll challenge them.
Besides, we have the secret weapon: Gonzo ;-)
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
Thus, looking through the season through said "best case scenario" glasses, I turn my gaze to the Giants.
You’re a very wise man. :^)
The South shall rise again! And it will have a tender, flaky crust!
And you don't give
A sh*t that your team wasn’t the projected favorite to win the whole darn thing last year do you?
Instead, you get to pop in your SI-New-Subscriber-Giants-WS video, wear your tacky WS Champion shirt and laugh at the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Rays, etc. who were “better” than the Giants…
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
Guess what...
There’s only 1 or 2 rotations better than Hudson, Lowe, Hanson, and JJ…who had a collective 3.55 ERA in 2010.
You are right – and Philly is one of them.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
Are you the type...
who will constantly bitch when your team doesn’t have the best of EVERYTHING?
Maybe you should consider being a Yankees fan…
If Justin followed the Yankees
He’d spend all his time at their fan forums bitching about the Barfield-Leiter trade and trying to convince everyone that Kei Igawa was a misunderstood ace.
Nope. I spend quite a bit of my time defending the Braves, Wren and the players when others bitch.
Have I once said that we need the best of everything? Have I once demanded that our pitching staff be upgraded to be better than Philly’s?
No. All I have said is we need one more bat – which any logical Braves fan would agree with.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 16, 2010 12:49 AM EST up reply actions
Fortunately...
…Louisville Slugger still makes them. Bat problem solved. Next?
(And that’s probably about the only way we solve it. We don’t have much money for anyone else who would be better than our internal options. I would still love for us to sign Andruw, but it isn’t going to happen.)
Assuming that's how both rotations fall out in games...
but we both know teams don’t always go 1-2-3-4-5-1-2-3-4-5 with their pitchers, and things get moved around with injuries, off days, and managers moving starting slots around. Slide Lowe into the 2 spot (and he’s been our opening day starter two years in a row), and it becomes…
Halladay > Hudson
Lee > Lowe
Hanson > Oswalt
Hamels = JJ
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:30 AM EST up reply actions
Why slide Lowe and nobody else?
Also, Hanson is not better than Oswalt.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:46 AM EST up reply actions
FIP over the last two years,...
Hanson has been better than Oswalt.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
And that is not assuming that...
Hanson in year 3 will be better than he was as a rookie and second year player, and that Oswalt will be as strong at 33/34 as he’s been at 31 and 32. If that natural progression for both occurs, it makes Hanson even better than he’s already been compared to Oswalt (and he’s already out produced him as a relative babe in the league).
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
Hudson and Lowe also have the ability to outpitch Halladay/Lee on any given night.
by king of games on Dec 15, 2010 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
All of our pitchers do.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 16, 2010 12:50 AM EST up reply actions
So we can assume a healthy Rollins, but not a healthy Chipper?
cause a healthy Chipper is better than Polanco (who is also an injury risk by the way).
Prado is almost sure to be better in the field than Ibanez, and has better OBP. But Ibanez hits dingerz, so that trumps in LF, while the reverse is true for SS even where fielding is equal, as OBP (even a subpar obp) trumps dingerz?
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
Polanco is less of a risk than Chipper, but will probably miss some time as well. As for Ibanez, that bat speed is pretty slow these days. He slugged a full 90 points higher at home last season. Prado may well out-homer Ibanez.
All in all, lineup wise, it won’t take a miracle for the Braves lineup to out-perform the Phillies. Beyond what I just said about Ibanez, Ryan Howard’s contact issues continue to get worse. I see a lot of potential Travis Hafner in him. And Dominic Brown is only about as likely to succeed as Freddie Freeman this year. Carlos Ruiz had his breakout season at age 30/31. I wouldn’t even lightly pencil him in for a .400 OBP again. And Jimmy Rollins isn’t only an injury risk, but he hasn’t out up an OBP over .300 the past two seasons.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 9:50 AM EST up reply actions
Well, Rollins is not coming off of an ACL tear at the ripe young age of 38.
Rollins, as of right now, will be their healthy starting SS.
Chipper, as of right now, may or may not be recovered enough from ACL replacement surgery to play professionally again.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:06 AM EST up reply actions
Who cares if he’s healthy enough to play as December 15th??
by dunnytwogloves on Dec 15, 2010 10:31 AM EST up reply actions
We should, because we aren’t sure he will be ready on April 15th either.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:46 AM EST up reply actions
You description of Chipper's recovery...
is at odds with every report given so far.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions
Everything I have read says Chipper is doing great, the ONLY questionables are by posters on TC. Chipper won’t start 135 games, big deal it has been a while since he has.
Free Matt Young!
2009..
he played in 148 games. But yes, all reports have him ready when spring starts, let alone by mid April.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 11:38 AM EST up reply actions
Can’t swear to it, but a bunch of those games were as a pinch hitter, not a starter.
Free Matt Young!
he started 131 at 3rd, + 3 as DH.
http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/individual_stats_player.jsp?c_id=atl&playerID=116706
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 12:03 PM EST up reply actions
One does not go from having ACL replacement to being MLB-ready in just a few months.
I thought my knee was 150% better too – until it popped again for no reason a few weeks ago, and I had my surgery 12 months ago.
I’m just saying that we have no idea if Chipper will be in playing shape or not, and that isn’t even remotely a ignorant or terrible thing to say.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 16, 2010 12:52 AM EST up reply actions
Of course we don't have any idea.
Let’s face it, even if the knee is totally healed, this is Chipper, and at this age, he could go down with anything at any time. I am not sure comparing the experience of a lay person and a professional athlete on recovery time is really worth anything, however.
You can pencil in his annual spring training oblique strain.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:08 AM EST up reply actions
Good point.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:05 AM EST up reply actions
And valid too...
you are wrong, again.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:31 AM EST up reply actions
...
No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.
by royhobbs on Dec 15, 2010 10:38 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
At least I fleshed out why he's wrong above...
but point taken Sir Spamalot.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:40 AM EST up reply actions
boo
"Now, I'm gonna go get off my horse by getting onto a smaller horse, and then onto a large dog, until I'm near enough to the ground to roll off."
by Bravely going forward on Dec 15, 2010 9:36 PM EST up reply actions
i just saw a preview for the MLB 2K11 game with Roy on the cover. The commercial shows him pitching against the braves and the scoreboard showing he is a strike away from a perfect game. It then shows the batter who is none other than, Nate McLouth. As the commercial ends the ball is approaching the plate.
They can have the fantasy land… but we all know in that exact situation, Nasty Nate would most likely put one in the upper deck. Right?
Following the infamous "astroglide" comment and the challenge for use of word:
"no way the Astros glide into the playoffs."
by BrockSamson on Aug 29, 2010 3:26 PM PDT
assuming he is traded
no he wouldn’t be out starter
Following the infamous "astroglide" comment and the challenge for use of word:
"no way the Astros glide into the playoffs."
by BrockSamson on Aug 29, 2010 3:26 PM PDT
Why not?
He is the Dragon Slayer and beat Halladay once before
i am aware of that
regardless this is the 2011 version of the video game and i don’t think KK will be on the team
Following the infamous "astroglide" comment and the challenge for use of word:
"no way the Astros glide into the playoffs."
by BrockSamson on Aug 29, 2010 3:26 PM PDT
I kinda feel bad for nate
I mean, Id be pissed if they put me in the game like that.
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
Throw in Fredi Gonzalez
and the Braves are going to make some real, real noise next year. SPs don’t have to go as long with a stacked pen to follow up and having Uggla in the 4 hole will make the world of difference for the pitches that JHey will see at 3.
I’m stoked. Bring on the Phweenies.
Have you seen Blake Griffin play in person yet?
I saw him up in Phoenix…oh my god. It’s unreal.
"That guy mvhsbball is really an insufferable schmuck." - FuquaManuel
by Scott Coleman on Dec 15, 2010 2:27 AM EST up reply actions
I got tickets in Atlanta to see him.
Everyday ESPN reserves 1 or 2 spots for him on Top Plays daily cause he is so good
"You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six."
-Yogi Berra
by BravosFanatic on Dec 15, 2010 7:12 AM EST up reply actions
I know I'm late to reply
but yea, I have Clipper season tickets. The man is a freak of nature. Feels good to finally have a superstar in the making playing for my beloved Clippers.
Y'all have had several...
how long are you gonna keep this one, one, maybe two years?
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 19, 2010 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
Cute try in trying to diss the Clippers
Rookie contracts have the player be with the team for at least 5 years, with the 6th being the team option. With the new CBA coming out the salary cap will be decreased and will be more like the NFL, having a team being able to “franchise tag” FA’s.
Under this CBA no first round pick has stayed with his team for “one, maybe two years”. If you’re going to poke fun at least do your research.
by yaggiefresh on Dec 20, 2010 12:47 AM EST up reply actions
Why don't you do yours...
see Joe Alexander and Patrick O’Bryant, both lottery picks. Both cut loose after two years. Not to mention trades, etc moving players out after a year or two.
Now to educate you on rookie contracts, it’s a 2 year contract, with club options for years 3 and 4. Not “at least 5, with the 6th being the team option”. It’s 2 years, with team options for years 3 and 4. The club can then make a one year tender after year 4 (if they pick up year 4), making the player a restricted free agent. If the player accepts the one year tender, they can become an unrestricted free agent after year five.
Please, if you’re going to ask someone to do research, at least have some idea of what you’re talking about.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 20, 2010 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
Speaking of Fredi...
…did anyone else see his interview at BP the other day? He gave encouraging answers—-including stating that OBP was the most important thing at the top of the order and that teams make mistakes by putting speed guys there who don’t get on base. He said he liked speed, and ideally you have a speed & OBP guy at the top of the lineup, but he acknowledged that those guys aren’t always around.
That's fantastic
Intelligent management is good.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 9:53 AM EST up reply actions
A little bit of perspective
From Dave Cameron: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/how-good-are-the-2011-phillies-now/
I did a quick and dirty projection of the Braves in the same regard
And I tried to be really really conservative with my estimates:
McCann: +4.5 (even though he was over 5 last season)
Freeman: +1 (again, conservative)
Uggla: +4
Chipper: +2.5
Gonzalez: +1.5
Prado: +3
McLouth: +1.5
Heyward: +5.5
Bench (total): +2
Hudson: +3
Hanson: +4
Jurrjens: +3
Lowe: +2.5
Minor: +1.5
Bullpen: +5 (only +2 over the Phillies BP projection in the article).
The Phillies are projected to get plus 50 War, With these numbers the Braves have +44.5. And I think I was mighty conservative in those projections. The Braves could easily keep up with the Phillies as currently constructed.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 10:20 AM EST up reply actions
Definitely conservative...
also, throw in the fact that Hudson’s WAR is based off his FIP, which does not accurately describe how valuable of a pitcher he really is.
The third-base umpire ran into the outfield and retrieved the biggest chunk. "It's a f***in' potato."
by alligatorimpersonator on Dec 15, 2010 11:03 AM EST up reply actions
Actually McCann is quite right I believe...
Yes they got Cliff Lee but they have a glaring hole at the #5 spot and they just lost huge offensive production in Werth.
The Braves just added an offensive bombshell in Uggla and disposed of most of the holes in our line-up last year (and even with last year’s atrocities we still won 90+ games). We also have a consistently solid/above average rotation 1 though 5 with no holes and the best bull-pen in baseball (along with SF).
Bring it on Philly (just please do throw up on little kids…and please leave your spandex at home – Diaz is no longer available to take out your trash)
I think we are better than our 90 win team from last year.
And I like our bullpen. But after losing Wagner and Saito, I am not prepared to say we have the best bullpen in baseball along with SF yet.
We’ll be fine and the Phils will be fine. Each of our respective futures going forward point toward some form of success one way or another. There will always be contenders and teams better on paper than other teams. As much as money is an issue, all that matters is the plan, the pieces, and most importantly, the results.
McCann is right, we have every bit as much claim to a chip from this point forward as any team in baseball does. Chill and enjoy the season.
play the games
The Phillies were supposed to sweep all before them this year too. But the Giants won the pennant and the World Series.
Let’s say that they’re as good as Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz and Avery/Neagle. We only won one World Series in all the time they were together, and it’s not as if our teams stank up the joint or something.
And even though we have a pretty tough team on paper too, we lost a bunch o games to last year’s edition of the Nats and Buccos. Ya gotta play the games – and win ’em.
Wasn’t there only 2 or 3 years with those guys together?
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 4:27 AM EST up reply actions
the guys he listed.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 15, 2010 10:06 AM EST up reply actions
Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz/Avery or...
M/G/S/Neagle.
Maddux was from 93-03.
Glavine was in the rotation with him all of those seasons except 2003 (so 9 seasons).
Smoltz made at least 20 starts for 7 of those seasons (93-99), missed 2000, made 5 starts in 2001, but also came out of the pen 31 times that year, and was closer until returning to the rotation in 2005.
Avery joined them in the rotation from 93-96, so we had Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, and Avery for 4 seasons, although Avery’s 94, 95, and 96 were not as strong as his 93 season.
Neagle was traded here in 96 (for Jason Scmidt, Corey Painter, and Ron Wright), made 6 starts, plus 4 playoff appearances (including 2 as starts). Then was here for full seasons in 97 and 98, so he had just over 2 years pitching in the same rotation as Smoltz, Maddux, and Glavine.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:39 AM EST up reply actions
So, to sum up...
Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz, were together for 7 seasons. Avery was with them for 4 of those seasons, Neagle for just over 2, and we ended 1996 with all 5 on staff.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 10:42 AM EST up reply actions
Those Braves rotations
boasted 3 HOFers and 1 other really good pitcher. This Phillies rotation inclueds 2 HOFers in Halladay and Oswalt, but I don’t see Cliff Lee making it, and Hamels has a long way to go.
Not the best way to judge a rotation, I know, but just saying.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 11:51 AM EST up reply actions
Oswalt?
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/oswalro01.shtml
150 wins, 1666 Ks, 3 All Star games, 0 Cy Youngs, 1 bad World Series start?
Not saying he isn’t a good P, but there’s a lot better resumes that aren’t in. If he can put together another 5-7 seasons like his last 5, I’d say yes. But a career damaging injury or fall off in his mid 30s could change that. His next 5-10 years determine if he’s Hall of Fame, or just a really good one. I’d think of Lee and Hamels the same way, both are pretty good, and a continued 7-10 years like their recent production can get them in the discussion, but they aren’t there yet. Halladay I could see getting there, at least on a Koufax level of dominance in a short span.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/
by Mr. Sanchez on Dec 15, 2010 12:12 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
I looked again at Oswalts numbers and came to the same conclusion. his longevity will be a big factor. That said, he easily reaches 2000 k’s and probably tops 200 wins, so he should cover his bases decently enough in the traditional stats.
Halladay should be fine as well. I don’t see Lee ever getting there though. He has had 3 or so great seasons, and nothing else (not even bad seasons really) to his resume. He is already 32. Hamels has a better shot, but thus far has been a far more mediocre pitcher.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Let's get back to the prospect lists
The braves are going to be getting much younger in the next 2-3 years, and I would rather talk about that right now, than about how the Phillies will be saddled with old veterans and have pay roll issues and no offense in the next few years.
When has a baseball team NOT had injuries?
The Phillies are much, much more top-heavy than the Braves. Look at our team last year. We went to the playoffs and competed valiantly with 2/5 of our rotation, Chipper, and Prado hurt. Plus, we had two hobbled first-basemen and horrid CFs.
If the Phillies lose the equivalent this year: Oswalt, Lee, Rollins, and Utley, and have Howard hobbled, how do you think they’ll be? Honestly, we can withstand injuries better than they can. Someone will get hurt, for it’s hard to go an entire season with everyone healthy…
But screw rooting for injuries, I think we can take them even if healthy (assuming we’re healthy, too). Sure, they staff is better, but not leaps and bounds better, and Lee will only face us 3-4 times tops. Heck, even crappy lefties give us fits, so do I really care if Lee is really good? Nah.
Plus, our offense is good enough to keep us in the game, and we have the better pen. They had better hope that their studs go the distance in every game…
Should be an interesting year.
"You can't print what I said, but they have to catch us." - Chipper Jones
Umm
Last year Rollins, Utley, and Howard were all out for a lengthy amount of time. They also didnt have Lee last year and only got about 12 starts out of Oswalt. With all that said they still ran away with the division. So I think the Phillies can take injuries better than the Braves.
You can muff a punt but can't punt a muff
That's a pretty poorly fleshed out comparison.
When the Phillies were injured, they were falling way behind in the race, and the Braves were comfortably ahead. Then the Phillies got healthy, got Oswalt, and Chipper, Medlen, Jurrjens, and Prado went down. The Phillies caught fire, the Braves crashed and barely held the wild card.
There are an amount of injuries that no team can handle. Beyond that, it depends on who is hurt. The Phillies can obviously survive losing one SP; they were a fine team before they signed Lee. The Braves have tons of pitching depth so they can afford to lose a pitcher as well. Of course, every injury makes the team weaker; that’s the nature of the beast.
I think we can agree that neither team can handle injuries and their success depends on everyone staying healthy. That brings me to another point though. Ive seen a lot of fans on here saying its inevitable that one of the the phillies aces will be injured this year. That is bad logic because every team in MLB has the same chance of injured players. For all we know injuries could desimate the braves. I know a lot of people like to throw in the age of the phillies starting rotation in that equation but they always leave out the fact that hudson is 37 and lowe is 35. Halladay is 33, Lee 32, Oswalt 32, and Hamels 27. Its just as likely that hudson or lowe are injured. To put it simply, hoping for injuries or predicting injuries in this game is pointless. Its like flipping a coin. Strausburg is 21 and already is having surgery.
You can muff a punt but can't punt a muff
I don’t think anyone here has said anything about the SPs going down, pitchers always get hurt, it doesn’t really warrant discussion. We’ve been talking more about the older offensive players
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:12 AM EST up reply actions
Id rather gave jair than oswalt. Plus you have to think, roy halladay and tim hudson are going to completely shut down half the NL teams anyways. Roy was USED last year too, those inning are going to catch up to him eventually
by Slinkyjoe on Dec 15, 2010 11:49 AM EST via mobile reply actions
SP's
Halladay > Hudson
Lee > Lowe
Hamels < Hanson
Oswalt < Jurrjens
Does anybody really expect Oswalt to pitch as well as he did after the trade next season???
Shark in the water.
by AvoidTheDolphin on Dec 15, 2010 12:27 PM EST reply actions
No
but 30 starts and a mid 3’s era seems likely. That should get him pretty far, especially if the lineup hits.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 15, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
and esp since he wont be facing #1 starters.
Or rather his hitters wont be.
"If I have asthma, they won't let me scuba. And if I can’t scuba, then what’s this all been about?? What am I working toward??"
"You look like you should be married to one of the San Diego Padres."
The only thing I’m genuinely worried about is CF.
"It looks like The Hound of the Baskervilles out there." - Steve Stone
"...I'm reminded of Wuthering Heights." - Harry Caray
~
Swing and a drive...Belted right! Welcome to the Show!!!
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Dec 15, 2010 1:33 PM EST reply actions
Agree
But with a possible rebound by Nate, offensively anyway, Young, Schafer and Constanza available if he doesn’t, plus a mid season trade if it comes to that, I think we will be OK in CF
Free Matt Young!
This.
I’m skeptical about Nate, but I wouldn’t go as far as worried. I’m comfortable enough with the rest of our lineup that another bad year from Nate wouldn’t be too burdensome.
by king of games on Dec 15, 2010 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
i honestly am not
We have Gonzo putting up a sub .700 ops. Freeman is a question mark as a rookie. Chip is a question mark being 38 recovering from a major injury. Then there is Nate. That’s a possible 4 holes in our lineup. The easiest to fill would be 1B or CF.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 1:56 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
And with pretty much the same holes (and one more)...
…we still won 91 games last year. Glaus was a question mark and first base production was inconsistent. Freeman is a decent bet to match the first base production of last year. Chipper was a question mark last year, too, first struggling, then hitting stride, then getting hurt. Center field and left filed were complete disasters for us last year; at least we have sort of fixed left field (when Chipper is healthy) and the production in center field can’t be any worse than we got last year. Finally, Gonzo doesn’t hit well, but he shouldn’t hit worse than the combined offense performance of our shortstops last year.
There are always things to worry about. Unless you can run a $180 million plus payroll, there will always be some question marks on the roster. That’s the nature of the beast.
Gonzo may not hit all the time, but he did have some pretty clutch hits last year and a couple timely hot streaks. I think he’s one of those players where OPS doesn’t tell the whole story.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:18 AM EST up reply actions
last year was pretty different
We didn’t go into the season with Chipper as a question mark. We all figured he would still produce pretty well only to see him fall off a cliff almost until midway through the season.
CF wasn’t a gigantic concern. We had gotten Nate and he posted a .7xx OPS and we were all expecting a rebound. Not, “Hey this guy couldn’t hit off a tee last year and hes our starting CF”
I’d say last year our only real question mark was 1B and RF. Glaus for his health and Heyward because he was a rookie.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
I had questions about Chipper going into 2010, his 2nd half of 2009 was atrocious. Off the top of my head, from mid June 2009 thru the end of that season he was batting about .230-.235. His OB% held up, but we were needing him hitting line drives into the gaps. For crying out loud, Chipper’s June 2009 thru June 2010 is where all the rabble about pulling him from the 3 hole came from.
Free Matt Young!
You could probably go through all 30 teams and say the same thing. Every team has high injury risk players and young unknowns. Yankees have Jeter/ARod/Posada/Mo, Phils have Rollins/Howard/Utley/Brown, Boston has Papi/Ells/most of their pitching staff, etc.
by king of games on Dec 16, 2010 10:16 AM EST up reply actions
yea
and those guys are making moves to take care of their possible holes.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 10:57 AM EST up reply actions
Thoughts
Knowing that everyone here knows a good amount about baseball i ask a question. There is no doubt in my mind that i believe in this team. After hearing many of my friends say things to me like " Braves cant compete with them", " Those 4 pitchers will beat your team by themselves" i get a feeling of uneasiness. I really do believe in this team but do any of you honestly believe we need to go out and trade for a greinke or a centerfielder to make our team equal to the phillies?
Nope, I think we’ll be right there with them all year. It’s not like we play the Phillies 80 times per year.
by king of games on Dec 15, 2010 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
how many times DO we play the phillies?
by chop goes da weazel on Dec 15, 2010 8:20 PM EST up reply actions
If Philly is healthy
Yes…
But thats a huge if, I think we can stay competitive over a long season due to depth. However in a playoff series… I dont think we match up well
by UltimaParadox on Dec 15, 2010 8:24 PM EST up reply actions
A SP? No. A CF? Definitely.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 16, 2010 12:54 AM EST up reply actions
this
I hope Wren gets something done. Its interesting that all of the kk chatter has disappeared hopefully something is in the works.
Maybe someone will pay half of Nate’s salary.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 1:48 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Trading for Greinke or someone like that would be a mistake, IMO.
SP is still a strength of this team. We don’t need a better staff than the Phillies, since we have one of the top 3 staffs in baseball, plus a much better pen than they have.
Add to that the fact that our bench is still a major strength (and probably one of the best in the game), and we should have a great late-innings team again.
But, we are missing a bat. We still need a legit bat in the heart of the lineup. Then you gotta consider the likely “what-ifs” like “What if Chipper isn’t healthy?” or “What if Freeman struggles as a rookie” (he didn’t show signs of being able to hit well in MLB in an extremely small sample size last year) or “What if Nate can’t bounce back?”
All of those are legitimate questions that, if the answer is negative, our offense is in trouble.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 16, 2010 8:43 AM EST up reply actions
We didn't have that bat last year.
We had one less. We have since added Uggla. CF, LF and SS were all complete disasters for us offensively last year. First base wasn’t particularly good. And somehow, we managed to finish fifth in the NL in runs scored.
this is true
The offense is already much much better than last season. Living with question marks is the reality of any team, even the $200 Million Yankees.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 16, 2010 10:07 AM EST up reply actions
what?
1B wasn’t good? for the months of May, June, September and October our 1B carried the team. Troy started off slow in April, fell off midway through July so we got DLee who started slow but picked it up in September.
CF and LF were very atrocious last year and so was SS I will agree.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 10:59 AM EST up reply actions
what?
1B wasn’t good? for the months of May, June, September and October our 1B carried the team. Troy started off slow in April, fell off midway through July so we got DLee who started slow but picked it up in September.
CF and LF were very atrocious last year and so was SS I will agree.
by drumzalicious on Dec 16, 2010 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
Are you willing to bank on that happening again?
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 17, 2010 1:43 AM EST up reply actions
@justin - Agreed
The Phillies are playing with marginal upgrades here. Their rotation at the end of last year was:
Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, Blanton, and Brand X.
This year, unless Blanton can’t be moved (and he’s got a lot of inertia), it will be
Halladay +1 year, Lee, Oswalt +1 year, Hamels, and Brand X, probably Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley or something like that.
The Fangraphs item linked suggests WAR of about 21 from the Phillies’ starting rotation this year. The WAR last year from baseball-reference for the Phillies starters was:
Halladay: 6.9
Hamels: 4.7
Oswalt: 5.1 (including his Astros starts)
Blanton: -0.7
Brand X: 0.0 (combine Moyer/Kendrick/Happ)
2010 WAR: 16.0 vs. 21 projected for 2011 (as posted at Fangraphs (sometimes FG’s WAR differs from BR a bit, so this is not apples/apples)).
Dumping Blanton saves them about $9 M — I think the rest of his listed salary is a prorated bonus. Adding Lee’s WAR of 4.3 from last year for the average of his contract is costing them $24 million, or about 6 Million per WAR, but their marginal cost (Lee – Blanton) is going to be about $16 MM this year, or about $4MM for the extra 4.0ish WAR from Lee considering their makeup and likely changes. That’s reasonable on the open market. And Lee probably does better in the NL than the AL.
The issue here for the Phillies is whether the marginal value of that WAR is worth $6MM per. If they are on the cusp (losing Werth and projected to win maybe 90 games instead of 95 with [Werth – Brown] costing them perhaps 4 WAR this year, getting back to a projection of winning maybe 95 games is pretty valuable.
Smart 2011 move, right? As for the rest of it, it is wait and see, and pray for no Freddy Garcia consequences, I guess.
That said, I think the Braves likely added more WAR this year. The Phillies probably added a bit, but not as much: [-Werth < +Brown +Lee, but: ?: age]. We’re closing the gap, we’re younger and cheaper, and have a better path forward. It’ll be really hard this year, but not impossible, to win the division. But that’s why they play the games. Plus, the WC provides a legitimate path to the WS anyway. Just have to get hot at the right time - the playoffs have a higher degree of variabiltiy in the likely outcomes because of the shortness of the series. In other words, We’re Not Dead Yet! Unlike the Mets.
Carrying on Bobby's Legacy!
by FrediGonzalez on Dec 16, 2010 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
Ugh. Stupid formatting.
Carrying on Bobby's Legacy!
by FrediGonzalez on Dec 16, 2010 10:48 AM EST up reply actions
And furthermore
it points out a basic difference in the organizations at this stage. The Phillies now have to rely on free agents because their farm system is mostly bare at this point. That means they have to pay for every win at market cost.
The Braves system is about to explode with another fresh batch of talent at the league minimum. It makes a huge difference.
by Andy Braves Fan on Dec 16, 2010 11:54 AM EST up reply actions
I agree that we are much better prepared for the future. The Phillies’ recent moves scream of a closing window, and they realize that.
I love the Braves going forward, but for 2011, we are playing 2nd fiddle, unless we answer one of the “what if” questions I asked above.
If all 3 things work out in our favor (Chipper playing healthy, Nate bouncing back and Freeman putting up ROY numbers) then our offense will be as good, if not better than Philly’s. If any 1 of those things doesn’t happen, then we are in trouble.
This guy wants to suck all the cubs dick can he not have an unbias some what partition reguards
by RWH2 on Apr 5, 2010 10:20 AM CDT
by justincredubil02 on Dec 17, 2010 1:46 AM EST up reply actions
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