Look on the bright side of a 90-loss season... we get a really high draft pick next year. The Braves usually make the most of their first round picks. Jason Heyward was a steal at number-14 two years ago, and even the guys they've selected lower in the first round have found the majors -- Jeff Francoeur, Adam Wainwright, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, the list goes on.

So think about the sure-fire future major leaguer we could pick up with the seventh pick! Keep in mind, too, that when we pursue free agents this off-season we don't have to worry about losing our first round pick because of compensation, as it is protected. That frees us up to go after a wider range of free agents than we may normally consider (though that didn't stop us last year when we signed Glavine).

The other scenario this allows us to consider is to go after a high-level, almost-major-league-ready college player -- someone who might be able to help us out in 2010 or 2011, far sooner than a high school draft pick would be ready. While it's still too early to see who among the college ranks will emerge as a top-first round draft pick, there are several strong starting pitching candidates -- enough, possibly, to fall to us at seven.

(Note: We are acutally tied for the sixth worst record with San Francisco, but they beat us head to head, so I believe the tie breaker falls to us with a higher pick.... Update to Note: The tiebreaker is acutally the team's record in the previous season, which San Fran wins with a worse record in 2007 than the Braves, so we get the seventh pick.)

Via the wonderful world of Wordle, here is a word cloud of what I've been talking about this week. Wow!

Pretty damn interesting if I do say so myself.

He came oh so close last year, but this year he got off to a huge early lead and held it pretty much all season. Way to go Chip!

Chipper Jones - .364
Albert Pujols - ..357
Matt Holliday - .321

Over the last few games Chipper Jones has been limited to the occaisional pinch-hit appearance due to what is being reported as a sore shoulder. An injury like this is not unlikely, as Chipper has been affected by numerous nagging injuries through this year and in past years. What's fishy about this injury is the timing of it right at the end of the year... when Chipper is in the lead for the NL Batting Crown.

Our third baseman leads Albert Pujols of the Cardinals .364 to .350 -- roughly a 14-point advantage. It was Chipper who was in an even closer battle with Matt Holliday last year, only to lose out in the last few days as Holliday surged and Chipper floundered against the Astros (those same Astros, by the way, that we end the season with this year). Actually, the last two series of last year are the same as the last two series of this year for the Braves, and both years they were on the road. In those series, Chipper was 5-for-20 and his average went from .341 to .337. Holliday, on the other hand, was 11-for-27 in the last two series of the year (plus the single regular season playoff game), and saw his average climb from .337 to .340.

This year the Braves and Bobby Cox may be engaging in a concerted effort to protect Chipper from being overtaken again. But what would it take for Chipper to fall or for Albert to rise?

Chipper's current average of .364 (159-for-437) seems pretty safe. If he were to play each of the last four games and go hitless (assuming an 0-for-4 each game), his average would fall to .351 (159-for-453). That's still higher than Albert's current .350 (179-for-512) average. Pujols has five remaining games. If he were to go 2-for-4 in each of those games his average would still only be .355 (189-for-532). This, more than anything, may be the reason the Braves have been reluctant to return Chipper to the lineup -- it's easier to lose ground than to make up ground. Pujols would have to go 3-for-4 in each of his remaining five games, giving him a .365 average (194-for-532), to go ahead of Chipper.

In looking at the remaining games, here is how each player has done against those clubs. Chipper has hit Philly (1 remaining game) at a .441 clip and Houston (3 remaining games) at a .385 clip this year, while Pujols has hit .167 against Arizona (2 remaining games) and .316 against Cincinnati (3 remaining games). Certainly the schedule and this year's history against those clubs favors Chipper.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but the decision to keep Chipper out of the lineup, even against teams that he does well against, is a bit fishy (unless, of course, he really is that injured). It is late in the season, and the Braves are playing for nothing other than pride, so there's no pressure to play Chipper. Bobby Cox has always been one of those managers who wants to see his players acheive milestones and win awards, and he will try and put them in the best position to do that as much as he can. It certainly looks like he's protecting Chipper's average. Of course, as I demonstrated above, it would take a total collapse by Chipper and/or an amazing outburst by Pujols for Jones to lose the NL batting race at this point... but it never hurts to err on the side of caution.

Instantly quashing the rumors about Ned Yost possibly returning to the Braves as a coach next year, the Braves released a statement saying all coaches will return next year:

Atlanta Braves Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren and Manager Bobby Cox announced today that all six members of the Club’s Major League coaching staff will return in the same role in 2009.

“I believe our staff has done a great job and I’m extremely excited that all of the coaches will be back in 2009,” Cox said. “Each of the coaches works extremely hard and they are great communicators. The entire staff is very dedicated.”

Returning for 2009 will be bench coach Chino Cadahia, first base coach Glenn Hubbard, pitching coach Roger McDowell, hitting coach Terry Pendleton, bullpen coach Eddie Perez and third base coach Brian Snitker.

Hubbard is completing his 10th season on Cox’s staff, while Pendleton is completing his seventh campaign and McDowell finishes his third season with the Braves. Cadahia, Perez and Snitker are each wrapping up their second season on the staff.

That's the Braves, don't blame the coaches or the manager. Sooooo, which players might bet blamed? Of course, it's not in the nature of the Braves to blame anyone when they lose.

Already! Yes, already. We haven't even finished with 2008, but we know the analysis for that -- we sucked it up. 2009 promises new opportunities for sucking, and we might as well examine them head-first.

April

• It will be a shortened month because of the World Baseball Classic, part deux
  
• The season starts for the Braves on April 6th in Philadelphia
  
• We play our first home game on Friday, the 10th of April, against the Nationals
• 15 of our 21 games in April are against Washington, Florida, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati
  
• Only 9 of our 21 games in April are at home
• There are three off-days in April

May

• Our first series against the Mets is a two-game series at home on the 4th and 5th
• Our first four-game series is at home against Colorado beginning on the 18th.
• There is only one off-day in May, on the 14th
• Our first interleague series begins at home on the 22nd against Toronto

June

• Our first road interleague series is against Baltimore beginning on the 12th
• There are four off-days in June
• We play Boston six times and the Yankees three times this month

July

• The All-Star break is the 13th through the 15th
• We don't have our typical day off on the Thursday of All-Star week, instead we start a four-game series at home against the Mets, followed by a four-game series at home against the Giants
• Just before the All-Star break we take a 10-game road trip to Washington, Chicago, and Colorado
• Three are four off-days in July (counting the All-Star break)
  

August

• There are four off-days in August
• We play the Padres all seven times we see them this year
• Counting one game the last day of July, we play the Dodgers all seven times we see them this year

September

• Every series this month except the first series is a three-game series
• There are three off-days in September

October

• That's right, regular season October baseball
• We play four games in October, ending the season with four games against the Nationals at Turner Field
• We end the season playing the last ten games against the Nationals (7) and the Marlins (3)

This is the earliest I can remember the schedule for the next season coming out. I thought it usually came out after the world series and during the winter. Anyhow, it's out already. Our interleague schedule is rough next season:

The Braves play a total of five interleague series, with three of the series coming at home against the Toronto Blue Jays (May 22-24), the New York Yankees (June 23-25), who will be making their first visit to Atlanta since 2000, and the Boston Red Sox (June 26-28). The Braves’ American League road opponents include the Baltimore Orioles (June 12-14) and the Red Sox (June 19-21).

Wow. They should be exciting series, but they will be challenging. Here is a link to the 2009 schedule.

The Braves begin their final homestand of the season tomorrow as they will host the Philadelphia Phillies for three games then the New York Mets for three games. It's probably a pretty decent time to go see the Braves since they've decided to start winning ballgames lately. Here are the homestand highlights for the next six days:

• Tuesday, September 16th, vs. Phillies:  It's the old vs. the young as 45-year old Jamie Moyer pitches against 22-year old rookie James Parr. 2-for-1 tickets that night.
• Wednesday, September 17th, vs. Phillies:  It's the last good promotion of the year as the first 10,000 fans get a Braves winter hat. Jair Jurrjens goes for the Braves.
• Thursday, September 18th, vs. Phillies:  This is likely the last widely attended college night (since I'm guessing the Gwinnett Braves will be a cheaper date next year). It's $1 hot dog night and something called "Choptoberfest." Not sure what that is, but I like the name. Should be a lot of offense with Jo-Jo Reyes on the mound.
• Friday, September 19th, vs. Mets:  Naturally it's the last Friday Night Fireworks and it's also the beginning of Fan Appreciation Weekend, so I'm sure there will be some other stuff going on. Mike Hampton takes the mound for possibly the last time at Turner Field.
• Saturday, September 20th, vs. Mets:  More fireworks, that's right, another night of post-game fireworks (thank you Publix). This is also Future Stars Night, which I'm guessing is when they trot out the minor league players and pitchers of the year. The Tijuana Iguana will be toeing the mound for the Braves.
• Sunday, September 21st, vs. Mets:  The only afternoon game of the homestand. There is an alumni meet and greet before the game, I'll keep you informed as to who might be there. James Parr will take the mound for the final game at Turner Field this year, but you'll want to stick around after the game as Sprayberry's own Travis Tritt (sans Twitts) will put on a free concert. 

If you were planning on making one more trip to the ballpark, make sure you get to it this week.

Waddayaknow, even more baseball Atlanta fans won't go to see, er, I mean, at least Cubs fans are intimately familiar with how to see games at the Ted.

Turner Field has been discussed as a possible neutral site for at least two games of the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros series this weekend, games postponed in Houston because of Hurricane Ike.

A person familiar with discussions said the teams have talked to the Braves about using Turner Field while the Braves are in New York to play a three-game series against the Mets tonight through Sunday.

The first two games of the Cubs-Astros series at Houston have already been postponed. The Sunday series finale was expected to moved as well as Ike came ashore Friday near Houston.

This is similarish to the relocation of the Sugar Bowl several years ago after Katrina devestated the Super Dome. It is more similar to a series between the Indians and Angels last year which was essentailly snowed out and relocated to Miller Park (a dome).

Could be interesting, but really, do we need to go to another game with obnoxious Cubs fans in attendance? Heck, I'd go just to say I went.

Another thing to consider... the middle game of the series is supposed to be Tejada Jersey T-Shirt night (presented by Citgo), and the Sunday game is Pink Jersey night. Would those promotions transfer to Turner Field. Nothing brings out the Atlanta fans like free schwag.

In an interview with Jay Busbee of Atlanta Magazine and the blog Right Down Peachtree, John Smoltz fired the first shot in what is sure to be a long winter of contract discusssions... and he didn't hold back:

"I say this for the first time, without reservation, if I’m going to bust my butt and if I feel like I’m good enough and it doesn’t work out here, I will be pitching somewhere else … My dream scenario would be to pitch in the playoffs again, and that’s coming from a guy who’s been in 13 of them. (Smoltz missed the 2000 playoffs with Tommy John surgery.) To me, that’s what I’m about. So if the door gets closed here, it’ll have to be explored somewhere else."

He later clarified his statement a bit more with this comment:

"Make no mistake," he said a few minutes later. "I am absolutely, 100 percent committed to playing the rest of my career for the Atlanta Braves. But this can’t be my only option … I may not be in the [Braves’] plans. It’s no given right, where I’ve spent 21 years here and [so] they owe me whatever I want."

This is going to be a hotly debated topic during the off-season and even before the off-season, starting right now. With this shot from Smoltz, the race is on and each party will likely have their say. The reality is that the Braves may choose to go young and not retain Smoltz or Tom Glavine, or they may choose to spend money in other areas and on younger and healthier players. It will be interesting to see what Smoltz and Glavine will be asking for in a contract -- guaranteed money, incentive-based deals, or just a low minimum.