AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > May > 25
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Braves loaded for Cub
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re going to have to keep this one short, folks, because your friendly correspondent is sitting on a hot plane on a runway in Cincinnati, because apparently every time it rains now, O’Hare Airport in Chicago has to shut down. I mean, talk about ridiculous. Two days in a row they’ve shut it down. Several Braves’ families couldn’t get in last night because of cancelled flights, etc.
Anyway, we’re about to take off when the pilot informs us we’re headed back to gate in Cincy because they’ve got a one-hour hold on arrivals at O’Hare. Nice.
I’m gonna recap, just for the benefit of a certain blogger whose simple response every time I point out something stressful about my job or whatever is, ‘Yeah, but you get to cover the Braves.’ (Hey, we all hate parts of our job - goes with the territory - but this certain guy seems to think if he had my job he’d be in heaven, wouldn’t even ask for a salary probably, because he’d get to eat hot dogs, watch ballgames and interview Chipper. Or so this guy makes it sound.)
Well, let me put down my Braves pom-poms and my foam tomahawk for a moment: After covering my sixth game in six days, and my fifth night game in that span with West Coast deadlines, which means filing an early plug story for the state edition, a notebook before the first pitch, a game story before last pitch, a game story redo with some quotes if we have time by 1:15 A.M. EDT, and if not for online after that, and oh yeah, having spent much of the morning looking up stats and doing the blog and checking the wires and other stuff going on around baseball … where was I? Oh, yeah - after covering the game last night and getting back to my hotel at about midnight pacific time (3 a.m. in Atlanta), I had a 4 a.m. wakeup call so I could make my 6:45 a.m. flight. Flight was late leaving San Diego, so upon arrival in Cincy I raced from gate B20 to B1 (the length of the terminal) with my bags to catch my connecting flight to Chicago.
And now, at 3:30 p.m., I’m sitting on the runway. I’m gonna get to Chicago late now, right at the heart of rush hour, and have to put together the extended scout box we do before a series, then write an off-day story on Edgar Renteria. Keep in mind, this is an “off day.” Or, as our friend, the blogger who thinks this job is a fan’s dream would put it, this is a day to frolic in Chicago. Yeah, right.
OK, I’ve wasted your time. Please, don’t way “waah” or whatever. As I said, I know we’ve all got parts of our jobs that stink, and I really do consider myself fortunate to do something I love to do: write and cover baseball. Unlike many, I like my job. But I just wanted to take this opportunity, as I sit on this plane that’s now broiling and full of cranky, p* -off people, to give you (or rather, this particular person) some idea of why this job is far, far from the playtime you portray it as. Most of you get it, I know. So humor me in my indulgence this one time, with my itinerary and travel woes.
OK, gotta go. Sorry, but laptop’s running out of power.
This series at Wrigley is big only in that the Braves really need to sweep, or win two of three bare minimum, to take advantage of a team that’s lost 20 of its last 25 games and has an ERA in mid-5s during that stretch. Braves can build off momentum of last night’s huge offensive game, and if wind’s blowing out, Andruw can hit a few more bombs and some other guys like Langerhans and Francoeur should be able to chip in some long balls, too.
Thomson wasn’t very sharp last night, another example of how he just can’t seem to protect a lead no matter how large. (I know he won last night, but giving up six runs against that Padres lineup after being staked to a 3-0 lead and 6-1 lead just isn’t a good sign.)
No word on McCann until Friday. He’s resting the ankle today and they’ll see how he feels tomorrow to know whether he can play.
The Smoltz rest thing, I think, is a great idea. It was alarming to see him throw 251 pitches in two starts, and 130 in one was just unreasonable, in my view. So it’s good to see him and the Braves pull back a bit, hopefully just because he thinks it’s smart and not for any soreness (he says he’s fine, so I’ll take him on his word).
OK, now I do have to go. Later.
Again, thanks for letting me bore you with details of my travel day.
And I still haven’t gotten the new Cash CD. Will in Chicago, for sure. There’s some good record stores downtown.
I’ve been playing the heck out of the Steve Wynn CD “Tick Tick Tick” and the Black Keys’ “Chulahoma,” plus the Gnarls Barkley and Neil Young CDs. Those four have been my soundtrack on the first week of this trip out west. Hope to see a band or two while I’m in Chicago, since we have three day games.
Enjoy the games. Eat fish tacos. Or steak. Chicago, steak … mmmmm.
Peace.
