AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > January > 23
Monday, January 23, 2006
Are you feeling the WBC?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those who don’t want to waste your time reading a blog without any significant breaking news or major developments, here’s your warning: Don’t read further. Go complain on another blog.
There, that’s out of the way, so anyone still reading, you have no excuse for wasting yours and our time sending e-mail responses lamenting the lack of new information here or telling me to shut up talking about anything but Braves news.
Hang on for just one more week, or slightly longer than that. Then, we’ll have plenty, beginning with Roger McDowell’s pitching camp the first week of February (and no, it WON’T be called Camp Roger, as some TV folks have dubbed it. McDowell has specifically requested that the Braves not refer to it as such, and can’t say I blame him. New era, turn the page).
Now, on to the feeble blog:
Some have asked who will back up Chipper Jones at 3B. Wilson Betemit will, which is why he hasn’t been mentioned in trade rumors since the early part of the winter. Braves have no plans, as of now, to pursue another who could back up Chipper, which leaves only Betemit as proven major league 3B behind the recently injury-prone veteran Jones. Tony Pena could play there if he had to, maybe even James Jurries in a pinch, but Braves aren’t planning on either of those scenarios. And even though Scott Thorman was drafted as a 3B and pitcher years ago, he’s a 1B and LF now and the Braves aren’t thinking of moving him back to 3B, even as a backup. If Chipper needs a breather or gets hurt, Betemit’s the guy who’ll back him up. At least that’s the plan now, unless some 3B falls into the Braves’ laps this spring (doubtful).
One more note on Jurries: If the Braves decide they’re not comfortable with LaRoche playing 1B every day or simply prefer keeping that position a platoon, Jurries could be a serious candidate to replace Julio Franco in the role. Jurries is a right-handed slugger who’s hit 39 homers in 681 at-bats at Triple-A Richmond over the past two seasons. He’ll be 27 in April and now’s the time for him to get a shot with the Braves, if he has a real future with the team. (And yes, for those wondering why the name rings a bell, he’s the guy who tested positive for steroids last season and served a suspension).
What else? Oh, yes: If you’re as unexcited about the World Baseball Classic as I am, please raise your hand.
Just hurry up and play the thing, already. While I understand its significance will resonate in certain countries (just as winter ball does), I have a hard time believing a lot of U.S. sports fans are going to get worked up over glorified exhibition baseball games when the NCAA tournament is going on and the real baseball season is only weeks away (call us myopic, but even soccer’s World Cup doesn’t get a lot of attention in the U.S.).
I think the vast majority of people are so accustomed to the way things have always unfolded, with casual spring-training days rolling into more intensity as opening day approaches, that they’re not going to be able to get very excited about the WBC. Especially since I haven’t even seen a TV contract in place for the thing yet. I mean, if this thing is just on ESPN2 or ESPN Deportes, it might be in trouble).
Or am I wrong? Are a lot of you looking forward to the thing? If so, good for you and MLB. I know they’re counting on it being a success, so we’ll see. Maybe it’ll work. I do know that Dominican team will be a juggernaut. Unlike the US team, the Latin teams aren’t going to have a slew of guys pulling out of this thing. Many superstars from the Dominican, Venezuela and Puerto Rico play winter ball even after signing huge contracts in the majors, simply because it’s part of their heritage and because they’re proud to play in winter-ball playoffs and for their home countries in the Caribbean World Series and, now, this.
The Braves could be heavily represented in the - ho-hum - “Classic” even if Tim Hudson backs out, as he’s expected to do as soon as this week. Seventeen other Braves are on preliminary rosters for teams in the tournament, including at least eight or nine minor leaguers who have no chance of making the Braves’ major league team this spring. From the Braves organization there are three Panamanians, three Canadians, three Australians (four if someone you’ve probably never heard of named Donovon Hendricks plays for Australia instead of South Africa; he has ancestry in both places), and even two on Netherlands roster (Andruw Jones, of course, plus minor league OF Ardley Jansen). I’ll include full list at bottom here, for those interested in Braves who are on conditional rosters.
The marquee Braves who are still planning to play are the Joneses, Chipper and Andruw (for Netherlands) and reliever Chris Reitsma (Canada). Jeff Francoeur is also on the U.S. roster and would love to play, but it seems doubtful he’ll make the final 30-man roster cut, considering the wealth of OF talent the U.S. has on its roster.
Hudson hasn’t made it official, but last week he discussed this with Braves officials and indicated to them that he’ll not pitch in the WBC, after intitially committing to play when manager Buck Martinez surprised him with a phone call to ask if he’d be intersteed. Makes sense if he backs out, because the guy has had issues with side muscle strains for three consecutive years and spent a month on the DL last summer. Like John Smoltz, who reluctantly declined to play in the WBC, Hudson knows the Braves would prefer he avoid risking injury or getting worn down pitching competitive innings so early, and instead focus on preparing for the regular season. But they can’t say this publicly, because teams are supposed to be supportive of this WBC since MLB is pushing it so hard.
OK, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’d recomment that you rent the just-released DVD “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” buy a ticket to see the remarkable singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo this Thursday night at The Earl, and give a listen to a couple of CDs I just picked up _ Danger Doom’s stunningly original and hook-filled “The Mouse and the Mask” and the stellar hard-country Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver - but I don’t want any bloggers bashing me for straying from the subject _ baseball, dammit! They want me to keep it on baseball. Because we can only concentrate on one subject at a time, right?
Later.
Braves on WBC conditional rosters:
Acosta, Manuel, Panama Camarena, Jose, Panama Francoeur, Jeff, United States Hendricks, Donavon, South Africa or Australia Hudson, Tim, United States Jansen, Ardley, Netherlands Jones, Andruw, Netherlands Jones, Chipper, United States Orr, Pete, Canada Reitsma, Chris, Canada Richards, Glen, Australia Rodriguez L., Manuel O., Panama Seguinol, Fernando, Panama Sosa, Jorge, Dominican Republic Stockman, Phil, Australia
