Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Seems like plenty of activity on the ‘ol blog today (for a Saturday, that is), so your C.E. thought, why not crank out a new one for the denizens? Especially since we’ve got a day game tomorrow and it’ll be a pain getting one done before that first pitch.
So here goes, while I enjoy this pulled pork BBQ sandwich (with slaw and a slice of tomato; guess that’s how they do it here in the Steel City. Gotta say, it’s good).
Speaking of sandwiches, per our discussion this morning, I just found out there’s a Primanti Brothers right here in PNC Ballpark. Actually two of them, though the one on the rich folks’ level is supposedly much better because they make the sandwiches to order, just like in the outstanding restaurant itself.
That’ll be lunch tomorrow. But it will be difficult for it to unseat the all-time best ballpark sandwich though. Where’s that? Glad you asked. None other than Shea Stadium, where Mama’s of Corona has a stand. The best sandwich, bar none. Actually, the best concession food I eat at any ballpark.
But let’s get to the blog itself. The meat of the blog, rather than the sandwich.
Kelly Johnson … time to drop him in the order.
You all know I really like Kelly, think the world of his potential as a hitter, etc. Great guy. Fine interview. That said, this isn’t working, him at the leadoff spot.
Or I should say, when he’s in a groove, yes, it works. But he’s too streaky a hitter to hold down that spot atop the order, if you ask me (or even if you don’t ask, for that matter).
Folks, Kelly is 9-for-38 with five doubles in his past 10 games, and six of the hits and all the doubles came in those back-to-back games against Cincy May 3-4. In the other eight of his last 10 games, he’s 3-for-28 with no extra-base hits, one run, two RBI and eight strikeouts, including three strikeouts Friday.
Last season Bobby dropped him down in the order when Kelly was hitting far better in the leadoff spot than he is now. Time to do it again.
As I’ve said before, I think Escobar and Kotsay at the top of the order works best with this personnel. Or when Blanco is in the lineup, he could lead off.
Kelly’s not in the NL’s top 10 in leadoff on-base percentage at .325. Actually, he’s 25 points behind No. 10 Cristian Guzman (and 115 points behind Rafael Furcal, but that’s another story).
Last season Kelly had a .372 leadoff OBP, most of that foundation established in his strong first half.
He’s struggled more often than not since the end of August, with 4-5 game stretches of hot hitting mixed in. Since Aug. 28, Kelly has hit .231 (45-for-195) with nine doubles, five homers, 20 RBI, 23 walks, 43 strikeouts and a .311 OBP and .354 slugging percentage.
While we’re p’ing off people…. Remind me, why is Jeff Francoeur playing every single game, night after night after night. Why? Bobby Cox has always been exemplary at knowing when to rest guys, knowing how to give them a day off here, a day off before an off-day there (to give them two days off while missing only one game), that kind of thing.
And then there’s Francoeur, who plays every day and virtually every inning, regardless of whether he’s surging, skidding, aching or limping. Every day.
He has the longest active playing streak in the majors. So what? His streak is, what, one-eighth as long as Cal’s? He will almost certainly never play as many as one-fourth as many games as Ripken did, unless Francoeur avoids all serious injury and continues to play for Bobby for a long time.
He’s got a cannon arm and throws out guys and prevents others from running. But that’s not enough to counter that he looks sluggish at the plate and could simply use a day to refresh.
So why not just take the decision out of the kid’s hands now, take some pressure off him, and sit him a day? For the love of…. Anyway, why not just move Kotsay over to right field for a day, play Blanco in center, and be done with this streak, before it gets even longer and the pressure to keep playing him grows even more.
Francoeur had two homers and seven RBI at Washington on April 12. Since then? He’s hit .244 (22-for-90) with 10 doubles, no homers, 11 RBI, a .307 OBP and a .356 slugging percentage in 23 games.
On the road in that span, he’s hit .244 (9-for-40) with a .256 OBP in 10 games. That coincides, by the way, with the Braves’ 2-8 record in that 10-game road span.
It certainly isn’t all his fault. Not even close. But it’s played a part.
God bless him for wanting to play every day, for never complaining about aches and pains and such. But enough.
And another thing: Slow-starting Tex got going, but now he’s struggling again. In his past eight games, 6-for-28 (.214) with one double, two RBI. In his past 16 games, a .262 average with no homers in 61 at-bats.
He’s drawing plenty of walks, got a high OBP throughout that period. But hey, let’s not kid ourselves. Braves (and Chipper) could really use a little power surge from the cleanup hitter.
OK, gotta get down to the clubhouse now. Talk to you later.
“BOOTS OF SPANISH LEATHER” by Bob Dylan
Oh, I’m sailin’ away my own true love,
I’m sailin’ away in the morning.
Is there something I can send you from across the sea,
From the place that I’ll be landing?
No, there’s nothin’ you can send me, my own true love,
There’s nothin’ I wish to be ownin’.
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled,
From across that lonesome ocean.
Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden,
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona.
Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean,
I’d forsake them all for your sweet kiss,
For that’s all I’m wishin’ to be ownin’.
That I might be gone a long time
And it’s only that I’m askin’,
Is there something I can send you to remember me by,
To make your time more easy passin’.
Oh, how can, how can you ask me again,
It only brings me sorrow.
The same thing I would want today,
I would want again tomorrow.
I got a letter on a lonesome day,
It was from her ship a-sailin’,
Saying I don’t know when I’ll be comin’ back again,
It depends on how I’m a-feelin’.
Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way,
I’m sure your mind is roamin’.
I’m sure your thoughts are not with me,
But with the country to where you’re goin’.
So take heed, take heed of the western wind,
Take heed of the stormy weather.
And yes, there’s something you can send back to me,
Spanish boots of Spanish leather.
Permalink | Comments (404) | Post your comment |
OK, Braves, now do it on the road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pittsburgh — Yes, the Braves righted their listing ship by sweeping an entire six-game homestand against Cincinnati and San Diego, a couple of last-place teams. Now comes the real test.
Because to convince a lot of denizens here and baseball observers everywhere, the Braves are going to have to prove they can play good ball on the road and not just beat up on teams at Turner Field.
Says here the severe dichotomy won’t last. The Braves, even with their swelling ranks of walking wounded, are too good to continue losing 11 of every 15 road games (they are 4-11 on the road, worse than any team in the majors except 4-12 Washignton).
Then again, we don’t believe they will continue to win 14 of every 18 home games, either (their 14-4 home record is the best in the majors).
So they’d best get the road thing cleaned up quickly and start playing more consistent ball, not limping home from dismal road trips and expecting to get healthy by winning all or most of their home games.
And they will. We’re fairly certain of that. There are 129 games left in the season, and the Braves can only get healthier (Right? They can’t possibly put more key members on the DL at once, can they?)
So anyway, they come to Pittsburgh looking to get their road house in order (cue the Patrick Swayze fight scene … OK, didn’t get much sleep after seeing Radiohead last night).
They start a seven-game trip with four at Pittsburgh, where the Braves will look to avoid any semblance of a history repeating. We won’t go into the details of last year’s Mother’s Day Massacre, the blowout at PNC Park that served as the unlikely turning point in the Braves’ season, after which they dropped like a rock and never fully recovered.
But just because the Pirates are 15-19, don’t get any assumptions that they are ripe for sweeping, or even taking three of four from.
Because the Pirates not only have a winning record (9-7) at beautiful PNC Park — by the way I’m literally looking at the stadium as I type, from the window of my 14th-floor hotel room) — they also are 4-0 with a .331 batting average and 3.00 ERA in their past four home games, including a win against Philly and a sweep of the Giants.
(Hey, the Giants are lowly, but not as lowly as the Padres. S.F. is 14-21, two games ahead of S.D. in the West.)
And don’t look now, but our boy, Adam LaRoche, has once again flicked on the switch after his traditional ghastly April. ‘Ol Rochy is 8-for-20 with two home runs and six RBI in his past five games, after hitting .167 with one homer, five RBI and 30 strikeouts in 90 at-bats in his first 26 games.
Lot of lefties: Tonight we’ve got Tom Glavine (0-1, 4.50) going against Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell (2-2, 5.09), and Snell’s the only right-hander the Pirates are starting in the four-game series.
It’ll be interesting to see how many of the last three games of the series Mark Kotsay will start against the lefties. He’s been one of the Braves’ hottest hitters the past two or three weeks, but Kots is still hitting just .191 (9-for-47) vs. lefties, compared to .388 (26-for-67) vs. righties.
And he’s also hitting .255 with one homer and five RBI on the road, compared to .349 with two homers and 10 RBI at Turner Field. But I’m guessing he’ll play at least two of three games vs. the lefties, and he should. Too early to start any platoon in center, if you ask me. Not as long as Kotsay is healthy.
Gregor Blanco does need to play and has earned playing time. But do you folks agree that Kotsay should hit against a few more lefties to see if the early numbers were just a product of a slow start overall? Because he’s hit lefties well in the past.
Speaking of a lefty-righty disparity, Matt Diaz’s is a bit alarming. He’s 9-for-54 (.167) vs. righties and 20-for-46 (.435) against lefties. Wow.
Oh, and I’m thinking Brian McCann is squeezing a bat somewhere right now, just waiting to get to the ballpark and play tonight. Because he’s 7-for-12 with three homers against Snell. If that’s not ownership, it’s a lease with an option to purchase.
For those wondering, the Braves lead the league with a .288 average against right-handers, and their .286 average vs. lefties ranks fourth. Not much difference average-wise, but the Braves are slugging .477 against righties and just .395 against lefties, which is a very wide gulf indeed.
They have 49 doubles and 27 homers in 723 at-bats vs. righties, and only 19 doubles and eight homers in 430 at-bats against lefties. Big difference. Big.
The Braves’ home thing: In case you missed it here a few days ago, the Braves’ home sizzle actually began late last season, a reversal of the trend they followed most of the season, when they played so well on the road and struggled at home.
Since Sept. 5, 2007, the Braves are 23-6 with a .304 average and 3.13 ERA in their past 29 home games, with 174 runs scored (6.0 per game).
During that same period on the road, they’re 9-18 with a .253 average, 4.02 ERA and 117 runs scored (4.3 per game).
This season Atlanta leads the NL with a .316 home average and ranks eighth with a .252 road average. Their .287 overall average is seven points ahead of the second-ranked Dodgers.
The Braves also lead the league with a 3.49 ERA, ahead of Arizona (3.54), although Atlant’s road ERA is nearly two runs higher than the D-Backs’.
Braves starters, as hard as it might be to believe given their rash of injuries, lead the NL with a 3.27 ERA that’s almost a half-run ahead of the second-ranked Cardinals starters (3.73).
But Atlanta starters are also last in the league with 178-2/3 innings. Gotta clean that, up, obviously, or they’re going to have to have a regular shuttle for fresh relievers back and forth between Richmond and Atlanta by midseason.
Tex cooled off again: Mark Teixeira usually starts slow in April, but it looked like he was back in a groove after going 19-for-56 (.339) with seven doubles, two homers and 11 RBis in 13 games from April 17 to April 30.
Since then, the first baseman is 3-for-20 with no extra-base hits and two RBI in his past six games, though he does have seven walks and a .393 OBP in that span.
OK, enough for now. Let’s have a tune and get some lunch before heading to PNC Park.
”WHITE LEXUS” by Mike Doughty
Please show me how to live
Please show me how to have a day
I don’t wanna wake up now
Why do I have to wake up, anyway?
Like a soap star in anguish, shrill but bland
When your white Lexus comes
Around
The way
Idling in the long driveway
Try to feel nothing on command
When your white Lexus comes
The thrill
Be damned
I forgive the world right now
Still I play the chump’s role every time
My world’s the surface of the moon
My heart’s down in a diamond mine
Like the black stars of Memphis, moaning on,
When your white Lexus comes
To drive
Me out
Drive me to the edge of town
Try to feel nothing on command
When your white Lexus comes
The thrill
Be damned
Damn it to the last damned man
Permalink | Comments (434) | Post your comment |
Braves aim for perfection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top of the morning to you. I see the May flowers continue. Braves are going for 6-0 on the homestand today vs. the Padres and our fleeting pal Wil Ledezma. If they pull it off, it’ll be their first perfect homestand of two or more series since June 3-8, 2003 when they took five from the Rangers and Pirates. The Braves haven’t had a perfect six-game homestand since April 2000, when they went 9-0 vs. the Phillies, Pirates and Dodgers.
Personally, I’m ignoring the possibility for showers today — looks awfully sunny to me — so let’s get on with the lineup.
Omar Infante is in the lineup today playing second base. He’s not exactly in the park yet — he was due in this morning from Richmond and when I left the Braves clubhouse about 11:40 a.m. he wasn’t there yet. But he’s been activated from the DL and I’m sure he’ll show up and throw on a uni and do what Bobby always wants done — get right into the swing of things.
This will be the Braves’ first look at their super utility player acquired from Detroit via the Cubs, who was delayed by the broken hand he suffered in winter ball. The Braves wanted him to play third base, shortstop, second base and center field while he was in extended spring training. He didn’t have time to get to all those positions so he spent the last three games in Richmond in center field.
Brayan Pena heads to the disabled list with a back strain, he apparently suffered on Sunday injury pinch-hitting against the Reds.
Also, this just in, Brian McCann rests today and Corky Miller gets the start catching Jo-Jo Reyes. No, that’s not that unusual with a day game after a night game, but it is unusual in that hey, McCann has played a ton.
Ever stop to think about how often McCann is behind the plate? Me neither. It just hit me last night how much he’s been in there, something we start to take for granted. It’s something his youth, toughness and a few off days have allowed for lately, and it’s something not just McFann should appreciate, eh?
McCann had played in the Braves first 32 games, entering Sunday. He got the day off on April 3 vs. Pittsburgh and April 20 vs. the Dodgers, but came into pinch hit both days. He had played 14 in a row behind the plate until today.
Felt like checking with John Smoltz today, just to see what’s going on with his arm. He’s 10 days into his resting period and said a lot of the pain/stiffness is dissipating in the shoulder. When he pointed to the place where he still feels a little stiffness now, it’s the old trapezius muscle. But he’s feeling positive about things and he said the serious pain started to subside when he hit the six-day mark of rest.
He doesn’t want to over-promise and undersell — something he pointed out he’s learned from the work he’s done with Kings Ridge, the Christian school he started from the ground up — but he’s betting on being back out there by the end of May. Or the way he put it “something that starts with a 2.” Hm, having now just looked that up on the schedule, wonder if it’s any coincidence that the first day that starts with a 2 — May 20 — is the first of a three-day series against the Mets at Turner Field.
Not that I’m pushing, but Smoltz, gotta love the enthusiasm. But that might be pushing it. Maybe another day with a 2 in it is more like it. But we’ll see. (Oh gosh, I’m beginning to sound like Bobby, who I’m now kidding because he says “we’ll see” so much about all these injuries.
Anyway, Smoltz said trainers wanting him to rest for a couple more days but he thinks he’ll be playing catch by Sunday in Pittsburgh. And somewhere between catch and returning to the bullpen, there will be a minor league rehab assignment.
I did ask — because I was curious — if moving to the bullpen had anything to do with trying to keep himself from having to throw all his pitches. Smoltz said no, that it’s strictly the amount of pitches. So that’s that. He also said he doesn’t see himself being in a typical closer’s role because he’s not going to be ready to go three days in a row or four out of five. So it’ll be interesting to see how Bobby uses him when the time comes. He needs some structure, which isn’t easy to pull off in the bullpen.
And one last thing. Had to share this little tidbit. I’m working on a story about Chipper and his switch-hitting history for Sunday’s Braves Insider, and I went to the source Larry Wayne Sr. who taught Chipper how to switch-hit and who is always great to talk to. And we were chatting just a bit about the ride Chipper is on right now.
Larry’s taking it all in through Chipper’s nightly calls to his dad riding home from the ballpark. One of these nights here recently, Larry said, Chipper told him: “It’s great to be me right now, Dad.”
And Larry (otherwise known as U Kno Who Sr?) also said Chipper has sounded as introspective about things lately as he’s ever sounded, and here’s one of the things Chipper told him that made him say that:
“He told me ‘In all my years in baseball, I can’t ever remember a time when I’d walk to the plate with the buzz going through the stadium like I’m starting to hear now. There’s a buzz that starts as I leave the on-deck circle.”
Rightly so. And perhaps overdue.
Without further ado……the game. Enjoy.
Permalink | Comments (457) | Post your comment |
Braves, fans on rollercoaster ride
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Say what you will about these Bravos, but they sure aren’t boring. You folks need to restock the Rolaids yet? (Hint: this blog available for sponsorship.)
There’s been a crisis a day, more or less, from this team as it’s sputtered and surged to the best home record in baseball (12-4) and the worst road mark (4-11, same as the lowly Nationals).
While navigating an early season trail littered with sore elbows and balky shoulders (oh, and a strained pec), the Braves have somehow managed to cobble together a National League-leading 3.30 starters’ ERA (this from a team that’s had starters John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Chuck James on the DL; oh, and Mike Hampton, who has a long-term lease on DL Street).
Of course, Braves starters have also pitched a league-low 169 innings, and that’s got the potential to really bite the Braves in the butt if they can’t get that trend reversed before the All-Star break.
Or is there someone out there who believes this injury-ravaged bullpen can continue to carry such a burden throughout the season? No, I’ll answer that one myself. It can’t happen.
We’ll probably get an update today on closer Rafael Soriano’s elbow after his MRI, but there’s little reason to believe he’s going to be back soon, or that if he is back soon, that he’ll be able to stay healthy.
Fortunately for the Braves, they’ve got Mike Gonzalez coming back in two weeks or so, and by the second half he might just be ready to close some games. They’ll also have John Smoltz moving to the bullpen, and between him and Gonzalez, the Braves could be good to go with a proven closer most nights, regardless of what happens with Soriano.
(Hey, while I’m thinking about it, I’m listening to the new Neil Diamond CD as I write this. It’s the second back-to-basics CDs of his produced by Rick Rubin, who did the great Johnny Cash’s American Recordings set in the Man in Black’s latter years.)
(I know, scores of you will deride and ridicule me for digging the sometimes-cheesy — OK, frequently cheesy — Diamond, and I’m not even going to try to argue with you about the greatness of songs like I Am … I Said, Solitary Man and Cracklin’ Rosie, because you love them or you’re wrong [kidding, folks. Well, sort of.] But I’m telling you, these two rootsy albums of his that Rubin produced are solid, the latest titled Home Before Dark that came out Tuesday.)
(While on the subject of tunes, gotta say how cool it is to have these 680 Rude Awakening guys ask me for a song to play each Wednesday when I’m on with them at 9:10 a.m. I mean, how often do you hear The Replacements’ Answering Machine or James McMurtry’s Just Us Kids or Spoon’s You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb on a sports-talk radio station? Tell me! Awesome, even if they’re only playing 20-30 seconds or so. Cool dudes.)
OK, back to the regularly scheduled blog already in progress….
But there are reasons to believe they can stabilize that rotation, even without making a trade (Frank Wren will continue making calls in case a starter becomes available, but I’d not count on anything happening on that front before July).
The reason for optimism? Well, Tim Hudson’s already gone through a rough patch and bounced back with a three-hit shutout in his last start (he usually goes through one or two rough stretches per season, and that’s about it).
And did we mention Jair Jurrjens? How’d we get this far into today’s blog without mentioning the Curacao Kid, who has been nothing short of splendid in his first April-May in the majors.
His six-inninng, one-run performance last night to beat the Padres made him 7-3 with a 3.60 ERA in the first 14 games of his career with Detroit and Atlanta. That’s special, denizens. We needn’t remind you of how the likes of Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine fared in their first year or so in the majors, do we?
I joked with Glavine in the clubhouse after last night’s game that he was this good after 14 starts, wasn’t he?
“Oh, yeah, I was dealin’ after 14 starts,” quipped Glavine, who was 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA in nine starts for Atlanta in 1987, and 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA in 34 starts in 1988.
Jurrjens has allowed just one run seven times in his 14 starts, and has a .212 opponents’ average in 75 innings. Think about that - a .212 opponents’ average, for a 22-year-old kid with far less high-level amateur baseball experience than most American pitchers who grow up playing the game.
In his past four starts, he’s 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA and .152 opponents’ average, with 14 hits (one homer), six runs, eight walks and 23 strikeouts in 26 innings. Jurrjens has pitched six or seven innings in each of those and given up one run three times in that span, while allowing hit totals of 3, 2, 2 and 7.
In three starts at Turner Field, he’s 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA, with 21 strikeouts and five walks in 18-1/3 innings. He’s had a career-high eight strikeouts in each of his past two home starts.
In fact, in his brief career he’s yet to lose a game at home. Jurrjens is 5-0 with a 3.68 ERA in eight home starts for Detroit and Atlanta, and his teams have won all eight of those games.
Speaking of Jurrjens….
Rookie of the Month: For those of you who felt Chipper Jones deserved the NL Player of the Month award in April (Chase Utley got it), here’s your chance to have a say in another monthly award.
Jurrjens is one of four finalists for the the Gillette/MLB Rookie of the Month Award for April. The others are Cubs OF Kosuke “Be Careful With My Name” Fukudome, Cubs catcher Geovany Soto and Cardinals pitcher Kyle McClellan.
This one will be decided by fan balloting. And given that his three competitors are from teams with rabid fan bases, I’d suggest you might want to pound the computers if you believe Jurrjens is deserving.
Online ballots are at www.mlb.com/gillette.
Hudson also likes home: Jurrjens isn’t the only unbeaten Braves starter at Turner this season. Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three home starts, including his three-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks Friday against the Reds.
He’ll face a Padres team that hasn’t beaten him, but has battered him a bit. Hudson is 2-0 with a 4.88 ERA in five starts against San Diego, including 1-0 with a 6.32 ERA in three during 2006-07. Yes, a 6.32 ERA.
He benefited from more than nine support runs per nine innings pitched in those three games. Adrian Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with two home runs against him, and Brian Giles is 6-for-12.
His counterpart is familiar lefty Randy Wolf, who’s got a 6.06 ERA in his past three starts. Folks, things are obviously in place for the Braves to stretch their winning streak to five games, if they get a decent game from Hudson.
Wolf is 0-2 with an 8.64 ERA and .364 opponents’ average in his past six starts against Atlanta. Chipper is 13-for-40 (.325) with three homers against him, Mark Kotsay is 6-for-14 with a homer, Matt Diaz is 4-for-5, and Brian McCann has a homer and a walk in two plate appearances against the former Phillies lefty.
Hot-hitting Hoss update: He’ll cool at some point, of that we’re certain. But if Chipper keeps this up for much longer, he’ll have such a foundation that the batting title will be his to lose.
If he can just stay healthy and get enough at-bats to qualify, he’s got to be a hands-down favorite to win his first batting title year after coming so close in 2007. Imagine, his first batting title at age 36.
But anyway, here’s a few more Hoss stats: After going 1-for-2 with two walks and a two run homer last night, he’s hitting .426, 60 points higher than the majors’ next-best average, Rafael Furcal’s .366.
Chipper leads the Braves with 10 homers and 29 RBI and leads the majors with a 1.220 on base-plus-slugging percentage, ahead of Utley (1.176) and Lance Berkman (1.159).
Bill Brasky … er, Chipper leads the majors with a .500 average (29-for-58) with runners on base. He’s hitting .440 against right-handers with a ridiculous .880 slugging percentage (Berkman is next at .766 against righties).
Oh, and he has seven three-hit games; nobody else in either league has more than five.
Chipper has a .468 home average with five homers and 19 RBIs in 16 games, and he’s hit safely in all but one of those games, including 10 multi-hit games.
In his last 26 games against the Padres, dating to May 2003, he has hit .365 (35-for-96) with 11 homers, 20 RBIs and a 1.248 OPS.
The Braves are 20-6 at home since Sept. 7, and Chipper has hit .449 with eight homers and 31 RBI in those games, with 17 walks and a .517 OBP (he’s played all 26 games).
Some view it as sacrilege to suggest Chipper should come to the plate with anything but Ozzy’s “Crazy Train” playing, but here’s one that would be better suited, if you ask me (which no one has):
”COPPERHEAD ROAD” by Steve Earle
Well my name’s John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only came to town about twice a year
He’d buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
He headed up the holler with everything he had
It’s before my time but I’ve been told
He never came back from Copperhead Road
Now Daddy ran the whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason’s Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside
Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin’ sound
Well the sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin’, knew something wasn’t right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin’ down Copperhead Road
I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first, ‘round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Colombia and Mexico
I plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
Well the D.E.A.’s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I’m back over there
I learned a thing or two from ol’ Charlie don’t you know
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
Copperhead Road…
Copperhead Road…
Copperhead Road…
Permalink | Comments (422) | Post your comment |
Best at home, worst on the road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With all due respect to the reunion of the Big Three this week at Turner Field, we’re going to focus on a couple of other unprecedented and/or highly improbable trends and occurrences related to this Braves team.
First of all, do you realize the Braves have the best home record (11-4) in the National League and the worst road record (4-11) in all of major league baseball? Well, they do.
They’ve got three more home games before we venture back out on that cruel road. Not only that, those three home games are against the San Diego Padres, losers of 14 of their past 18 games, and those three don’t include a matchup with Padres ace Jake Peavy.
Braves have a legitimate chance to sweep an entire homestand, though it’s hardly a lock of a proposition, given that Padres starters Chris Young and Randy Wolf both take sub-4.00 ERAs into matchups tonight (Young vs. the Curacao Kid, Jair Jurrjens) and Wednesday (Wolf vs. Mr. Recent Consistency, Tim Hudson).
Still, it’s a legit shot at going 6-0 on a homestand, which would certainly provide a bit of balm to the recent rash of woes that were casting a pall over the Braves’ season before we even reached the one-fifth pole (just a reminder, tonight is game No. 31 in a 162-game season).
But this home/road dichotomy obviously can’t continue, if the Braves hope to contend with Philly and the rest of the NL East through the summer and fall. Because I’m gonna go out out on a limb and predict the Braves aren’t going to win 11 of every 15 home games the rest of the season.
So they’d best start winning a lot more on the road. No better place to begin that Pennsylvania, where they will fly into the middle of a heated NHL playoff series (Flyers vs. Penguins) and try to do some damage against the lowly Pirates (12-19 overall, 6-7 at home) and not-at-all-lowly Phillies (19-14 overall, 10-8 at the bandbox of verbal abuse, Citizens Bank Park).
And before any of you get yourselves too worked up over the fact that Chase Utley beat out Chipper for NL Player of the Month, consider that Utley leads the league with 26 extra-base hits, while Chipper (15) doesn’t rank in the top 10.
And as great as Chipper’s 1.189 on base-plus-slugging percentage is, Utley’s 1.210 is even better. Those are the best two OPS totals in the majors; in fact, the top 10 are all NL players.
(Just wondering aloud, are we finally seeing signs of a balancing of the scale in terms of balance of power between the leagues? Might the NL win the All-Star Game this summer? I’m going to predict it happens, giving the NL team the home-field advantage for the World Series. I already predicted the Diamondbacks would win the World Series, and I’ll stick with that pick regardless).
Secondly, the Joneses…. OK, show of hands from those of you who would’ve predicted this back in 2005, when 28-year-old Andruw Jones was amassing a majors-leading 51 homers and league-high 128 RBI, and 33-year-old Chipper Jones was playing 109 games and hitting 21 homers with 72 RBIs?
Who would have, who could have, predicted anything even remotely close to what has transpired for those two players since then? Because today, Andruw looks likes the oldest 31-year-old “star” in the majors and Chipper looks like one of the best 36-year-old hitters in recent memory.
Andruw Jones has followed up the worst season of his career in 2007 with an even worse start to the 2008 season, and Chipper has followed up one of the best seasons of his career in 2007 with an even hotter start to the 2008 season.
Andruw, in the first season of a two-year, $36.2 mill contract with the Dodgers, is batting .158 (16-for-101) with six extra-base hits (one homer), four RBI, 34 strikeouts, a .267 OBP and a .248 slugging percentage (.515 OPS).
A year ago through May 5, Jones was hitting .235 with 14 extra-base hits (five homers) and 20 RBIs in 29 games, with a .375 OBP and .846 OPS. I’m guessing the Dodgers would kill to have such numbers from the center fielder today.
Andruw is a majors-worst 1-for-25 (.040) with runners in scoring position, and a league-worst 4-for-48 (.083) with runners on base.
He’s hitting an unfathomable .138 (9-for-65) with no RBI and 25 strikeouts against right-handers. In other words, he’s hitting about like most pitchers hit against right-handers.
Andruw hit a home run against the Braves on April 19 at Turner Field, and many believed that might start a bit of a resurgence for the longtime former Brave.
It has not. To say the least.
Since that day he’s 6-for-46 (.130) with one double, one RBI, 16 strikeouts, and a couple of benchings.
Chipper Jones, meanwhile, is off to such a torrid start that we’re all left to wonder just what he might be capable of if he plays 145-150 games. It’s not a stretch to say that, when healthy, he’s been the majors’ best all-around hitter for the past couple of years.
“He killed us,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said Sunday, after Hoss went 3-for-6 with a homer and five RBI in the series finale and 7-for-13 in the series. “He’s always been a great hitter. Now, he looks like the best hitter on earth. That’s a sweet stroke he’s got going.”
Kelly Johnson told me that if Jones played in Boston or New York, he’d be on the cover of every national magazine, the toast of the town, compared to the greats to play the game, etc. I didn’t disagree.
The man is hitting .425 more than a month into the season, a mere 59-point lead over the next-highest average in the majors, Rafael Furcal’s .366 (Utley is at .362).
Jones leads the Braves with nine homers and 27 RBIs, not to mention his .472 OBP and .717 slugging percentage. He’s hitting .400 against lefties, and .438 with an absurd .849 slugging percentage against righties.
He’s hitting .467 (28-for-60) with a 1.231 OPS at home in a park that’s considered to be favorable for pitchers.
He is hitting .500 (28-for-56) with runners on base, and .385 with a .500 OBP with runners in scoring position.
He is on fire.
In 18 games since April 12, Chipper is 32-for-70 (.457) with eight homers, 18 RBI, 10 walks and a 1.390 OPS. He’s struck out just five times in that span.
Going back to Sept. 5, the Braves are 20-6 in their past 26 home games.
Chipper has played in all of those games and batted .446 (45-for-101) with seven homers, 28 runs, 30 RBI and a .504 on-base percentage.
He leads the majors with a .341 average since the beginning of the 2006 season, ahead of Ichiro Suzuki (.331) and Derek Jeter (.331).
But this is the one I keep going back to, the hitting line that just demands to be read again a couple of times, because it frankly doesn’t seem possible.
Chipper really started to get hot in late June 2006, after a slump earlier that month. Since June 24, 2006, here’s what he’s done, in bold for emphasis:
In 213 games, he’s hit .361 (294-for-815) with 64 doubles, 6 triples, 57 homers, 180 RBI, 120 walks, 108 strikeouts, a .439 OBP, a .664 slugging percentage, and a 1.103 OPS.
The Braves are 118-95 in that span in games Chipper has played, and 29-38 in games he has not. Therein lies the knock on Chipper, of course. He had DL stints, though none this season.
Out of curiosity, I thought about Kelly Johnson’s comment and decided to see how a few Red Sox and Yankee stars have done in that same period.
Since June 24, 2006, Manny Ramirez has played 229 games and hit .312 with 62 doubles, 2 triples, 41 homers, 163 RBI, .407 OBP, .542 slugging, .949 OPS.
David Ortiz has played 259 games in that span and hit .311 with 72 doubles, 3 triples, 74 homers, 216 RBI, .432 OBP, .624 slugging, 1.056 OPS.
Alex Rodriguez has played 267 games and hit .305 with 53 doubles, 78 homers, 236 RBI, .404 OBP, .596 slugging, 1.000 OPS.
And for those who might be wondering: Andruw Jones in that period has played 268 games and hit .220 (212-for-963) with 47 doubles, 3 triples, 50 homers, 163 RBI, 142 walks, 238 strikeouts, .327 OBP, .431 slugging, .758 OPS.
Kotsay on a roll: The Braves haven’t seen as many lefties lately, and that’s helped Mark Kotsay keep his batting average in a steady ascent, now up to .301 overall. He’s hit .377 (20-for-53) with five extra-base hits and nine RBI in his past 14 games.
For the season, he’s hit .171 (7-for-41) vs. lefties and .387 (24-for-62) against righties.
By the way, Kotsay is 0-for-12 against tonight’s starter, Chris Young.
Etc.: Braves really might want to be careful this time around with San Diego’s Tony Clark, the former Arizona slugger who has a .429 average and amazing six homers in just 28 at-bats against the Braves over the past three seasons…. Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez has hit .386 with seven homers in 70 road at-bats…. Tim Hudson is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in three home starts. Gonzalez is 5-for-8 with two homers against him…. Matt Diaz is hitting .405 (17-for-42) at home, second to Chipper among Braves. He’s hit .204 on the road.
OK, how ‘bout a tune? For the woman who took our old dog Larry to freakin’ New Jersey, along with half the wedding pictures. (Hey, been a few years now, can smile about it. Sometimes.)
“YOU’RE A BIG GIRL NOW” by Bob Dylan
Our conversation was short and sweet
It nearly swept me off-a my feet.
And I’m back in the rain, oh, oh,
And you are on dry land.
You made it there somehow
You’re a big girl now.
Bird on the horizon, sittin’ on a fence,
He’s singin’ his song for me at his own expense.
And I’m just like that bird, oh, oh,
Singin’ just for you.
I hope that you can hear,
Hear me singin’ through these tears.
Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast
Oh, but what a shame if all we’ve shared can’t last.
I can change, I swear, oh, oh,
See what you can do.
I can make it through,
You can make it too.
Love is so simple, to quote a phrase,
You’ve known it all the time, I’m learnin’ it these days.
Oh, I know where I can find you, oh, oh,
In somebody’s room.
It’s a price I have to pay
You’re a big girl all the way.
A change in the weather is known to be extreme
But what’s the sense of changing horses in midstream?
I’m going out of my mind, oh, oh,
With a pain that stops and starts
Like a corkscrew to my heart
Ever since we’ve been apart.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
Latest comments
While it’s still “early” there are some trends that are developing for the Braves that must be reversed pretty quickly. Take having the worst road record in the league and having the worst record in one run games. With a little over one... read the full comment by monty | Comment on Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter? Read Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?
The forecast for tomorrow calls for a high of 52 degrees here in Pittsburgh. On May 12. And rain, at least through about noon.... read the full comment by David O'Brien | Comment on Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter? Read Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?
Hey DOB - Um�look at your 5:38 post. �Accept in an emergency��? Yikes.GrammarPolice Thanks, man. Whew.... read the full comment by David O'Brien | Comment on Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter? Read Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?
Diaz is not an everyday man Is there evidence for this (besides 2/3 weeks in April)? Is it possible Francouer isn’t that good? Potentially..yes. And why is he tired? He’s a kid playing in May. It seems to me he’s a... read the full comment by Eman | Comment on Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter? Read Time to rest the RF, try a new leadoff hitter?