AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2007 > March > 11
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Flying to Jupiter, ruminating on Redman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hello again everybody, good to be back and bringing you fine folks a spring rarity _ a Sunday blog. (With Skip Caray sitting here talking to me and distracting me, I thought I’d start out with a radio-man lead-in to the blog….)
Anyway, I’m recharged for the final three weeks down here. Three days off were perfect, and Carroll did a helluva job. Nice to know the blog is in good hands when I’m away _ even if those are the hands of a … Blue Devil. Yikes.
(Speaking of yikes, Kyle Davies just walked two guys in the first inning.)
By the way, for those keeping score, three nights with Carroll in the rental house were preceded by four with Jeff Schultz, which means I’ve spent the past week with either Blue Devil or the actual devil himself.
No, I didn’t ask the Braves to withhold the Hampton news until Carroll took over. But it sure worked out well for me. And I think she enjoyed diving right back in and doing some newsy stuff instead of coming up with features.
My take on the Mark Redman signing was the same as many of you had: Helluva pickup at that price. I mean, they’re basically paying him what they’re paying Tanyon Sturtze or Chris Woodward. Braves were very fortunate to have a proven guy available at that price, fortunate that he didn’t take one of the better offers he had earlier in the winter (the guy could have signed this winter for three or four times what the Braves are paying him).
Honestly, wouldn’t you rather have him in the rotation than, say, Jason Marquis, who had a 6.02 ERA last season, was dropped from the Cardinals’ roster of the postseason, and then got a three-year, $21 million contract?
Make no mistake, Redman will be in the opening day rotation. They didn’t sign him for that affordable deal with the expectation he’d have to win a job. It’s only a minor league contract because the Braves’ 40-man roster is full right now and they’ll need to trade someone or expose someone to waivers to create a spot for him by opening day.
And if and when Hampton gets back, the Braves will have some rotation depth, a luxury they could have certainly used last year when they scrambled to find anyone to fill in (Hello, Jason Shiell, can you start at St. Louis tonight?).
OK, game’s starting here at sunny Jupiter, where there’s standing-room only tickets available for games today and tomorrow vs. Los Bravos. Bill Parcells, who has a house nearby, stood at the batting cage during Braves batting practice.
Several Braves introduced themselves. “Hi, coach, Chipper Jones,” was overheard. Bill Belichick is supposed to be here tomorrow. Coaches from other sports are always coming to Cardinals camp and hanging out with La Russa, whose buddy Bobby Knight always comes down for a few games after his hoops team is eliminated from postseason play.
All Braves position players except Willy Aybar and Chris Woodward made the trip (only overnighter of spring), and Martin Prado (2B), Brayan Pena (C) and Craig Wilson (1B) are lineup. Regulars at other spots. Prado leading off.
Aybar’s right hand/wrist is sore, something he did in winter ball, but Braves don’t think it’s serious. Hand specialist checked it out, no hamate bone break or anything else that would cause problems. Just sore, strained, whatever.
Abiding and ridin’ with music…. Warning, this is a longer-than-usual music entry, so if you don’t want to read it, skip it. The baseball portion of my post is over, so you have no excuse for venturing into tuneage territory. So please, all I ask is that you don’t complain if you do. It’s not hard to scroll down from here.
OK, fellow music lovers: The two-hour drive down to Jupiter was easier than usual, because a. It’s Sunday and absolutely no traffic, enabling 85 mph cruising, and b. Trip was fueled by incredible new music. I blew the budget at Park Ave. CDs, a great indie-record store in Orlando (yes, Orlando, the old part of the city near downtown, the part of town that has a soul and beautiful old houses surrounded by big Spanish Oaks and blah blah blah).
Remember last year when I played the new Hank III “Straight to Hell” CD for the first time on the way to Vero Beach and said it made me want to stop and burn down a barn or something? Well, I played the new Arcade Fire CD, “Neon Bible,” on the way today and it made me want to hang out of the sunroof and pump my fist. Which I actually did, until a trucker flipped me off (kidding).
Anyway, it’s incredible. I thought their album a few years back, “Funeral,” was probably the best rock album in several years. I really did. Well, this one’s every bit as good. It’s phenomenal. Arcade Fire is what the Killers might be if the Killers were really good and had something to say and cared more about making great music than they do about growing cheesy moustaches.
Try cuts “Intervention,” “Antichrist Television Blues” and “No Cars Go” off this Arcade Fire album and tell me they aren’t incredible.
Then I played the new Son Volt “The Search” album, and I’ve gotta say, either it’s Sunday morning and everything sounded good, or this is their best album. Their last one was really good, but this one, to me, is even better. But I expect to get some argument from Son Volt “purists” as it were who don’t like the horns and strings on some songs. I love it, sounds like a twangy version of Spector’s Wall of Sound, or like Memphis or Muscle Shoals sound added to their Americana. Great stuff.
”NYC” by Steve Earle
He was standing on the highway/Somewhere way out in the sticks
Guitar across his shoulder/Like a 30 ought six
He was staring in my headlights/When I come around the bend
Climbed up on my shotgun side/And told me with a grin
I’m going to New York City/I never really been there/Just like the way it sounds
I heard the girls are prettyThere must be something happening there/It’s just too big a town
He was cold and wet and hungry/But he never did complain
Said he’d come a thousand miles/Through sleet and snow and rain
He had a hundred stories/About the places that he’d been
He’d hang around a little while/And hit the road again
I’m going to New York City/I never really been there/Just like the way it sounds
I heard the girls are pretty/There must be something happening there/It’s just too big a town
See I’ve been to New York City/Seems like it was yesterday
I was standing like a pilgrim/On the Great White Way
The girls were really pretty/But they wouldnt talk to me
I held out about a week/Went back to Tennessee
So, I thought Id better warn him/As he climbed out of my car
Grabbed his battered suitcase/And shouldered his guitar
I knew I was just jealous/If I didn’t wish him well
I slipped the kid a twenty/Said Billy give ‘em hell
I’m going to New York City/I never really been there/Just like the way it sounds
I heard the girls are pretty/There must be something happening there/It’s just too big a town
I’m going to New York City/I never really been there/Just like the way it sounds
I heard the girls are pretty/There must be something happening there/It’s just too big a town
