Braves

By TennesseePaul

April 17, 2007 4:47 PM | Link to this

Strange. I could have sworn there were posts here before. They’ll come back.

By Roswell Ed

April 17, 2007 5:17 PM | Link to this

What is up with this column?

If you take 2 of 3 and split even numbered series you win the division.

They’re 8-4 for Pete’s sake—-you idiot.

By Art in Tenn

April 17, 2007 5:44 PM | Link to this

IDIOT?? I think thats a bit harsh. I feel it a little bit too. Someone from the Langy/Thorman/Wilson/Johnson quartet needs to step it up or we will continue to have issues scoring when the HRs aren’t coming.

By joebrave

April 17, 2007 5:54 PM | Link to this

Langerhans should be shipped out and Gregor Blanco should be shipped in give 1B to Diaz and let’s roll!!!

By joebrave

April 17, 2007 5:55 PM | Link to this

Then give 2B to Yunel Escobar.

By Chop Chop

April 17, 2007 6:15 PM | Link to this

It’s less than gentlemanly to call a woman an “idiot”, Roswell Ed.

By I like Carroll better than David

April 17, 2007 6:31 PM | Link to this

There can be a letdown, but I think the Braves have not suffered one. I think it’s just baseball. They will roll more often than not this year I predict.

By Brad in MT

April 17, 2007 6:43 PM | Link to this

I realize that Kelly hasn’t put up great numbers, but he has drawn a lot of walks, hit the ball hard, and has good at bats overall. Plus, he looks really good at second base. I think its just a matter of time before the hits come, and I’m not too worried about him.

By brad

April 17, 2007 6:47 PM | Link to this

Perhaps it would make sense to put together the last bit about the Braves bullpen leading the league in runners allowed and walks allowed with the bit before it about McBride. You know, the guy they just sent down to the minors because he’d walked something like 11 men in 2+ innings pitched. Ahem.

By SR

April 17, 2007 6:47 PM | Link to this

Wow, the juggernaut lineup for tonight’s game is truly fearsome and inspiring, with all three stooges in there tonight, Moe leading off, Larry batting 7th and Curly right behind him.

Collectively, these 3 potent bats are ummm “hitting”, .145. Read it and weep, combined numbers 83 AB’s, 12 hits. And for this they are making major league dollars??? What a joke.

By journalist jimmy smith

April 17, 2007 6:47 PM | Link to this

ms is kind to point out to jimmy smith that felix pie is coming to town! yes, felix pie. the braves should have traded for felix pie when this journalist first suggested it. now, felix pie is going to be too expensive to obtain. pie had a great first game today. and what other players are named pie? pie traynor comes to mind and so does hall of fame. pie is a good baseball name. now, third person bloggers - a new third person blogger is blogging today and has no relationship to this journalist. now, mark derosa is playing second base for the cubs and marcus giles second base for the padres. oh, the humanity! let’s hope kj will be a good second baseman. now, who is this pea-ay guy on the cubs? pea-ay is not the way p-i-e is pronounced. p-i-e is pie, not pea-ay if harry caray were still broadcasting cubs games you can bet p-i-e would be pronounced pie.

By James

April 17, 2007 7:09 PM | Link to this

Anybody who has questions about Kelly Johnson should look at the braves record in games Kelly played at second base. The record is 8-2. Oh by the way, he has a 306 on base percentage and leads leadoff hitters in walks.

By James

April 17, 2007 7:09 PM | Link to this

He also just lead off with a single, stole second, and then advanced to third on a throwing error.

By dipshhyt

April 17, 2007 7:10 PM | Link to this

jimyy smith and bubba redneck are both the same dipshhyt

By BIG DADDY

April 17, 2007 7:11 PM | Link to this

Terence Moore was griping about the Braves having NO African Americans on the team. I didn’t know Renterria, A Jones, Brayan Pena, Raphael Soriano and Willy Aybar were Swedes. It seems Moore has no use for blacks if they aren’t born here in the US.

That guy ought to take an inward look the next time he decides to bad mouth this team with such garbage as that. The idea is to win and I believe any fan on this blog or any other will be happy to have a black player with a hot bat and sticky glove any day over a cold bat and slippery glove of someone else. I’ve never seen racism on this blog other than the brand of racism delivered by Moore. The man is in deep trouble over the subject. How pathetic.

I’m writing here because they locked down that disgraceful tripe he posted after one day.

By Steve-O

April 17, 2007 7:38 PM | Link to this

Kellys 2-2….Smoltz will dominate.

By NO CHOP ZONE

April 17, 2007 7:50 PM | Link to this

I’m with you Big Daddy. I’ve read how there are so few blacks in MLB. Not so. There are plenty, they’re just not American. They’re from the Domincan Republic and other Carribean Countries.

By Steve-O

April 17, 2007 7:55 PM | Link to this

Langerhans needs to buy the Tom Emanski instructional video and focus on the hitting aspect of it. He is terrible offensively. Terrible……

By MBATL

April 17, 2007 8:01 PM | Link to this

Nice touch by the Nats, wearing the VA Tech caps…

By SR

April 17, 2007 8:02 PM | Link to this

Amen Steve-O and has been for quite a stretch now

By MEB

April 17, 2007 8:12 PM | Link to this

Some very strange postings so far this evening. Roswell Ed I hope you can summon up an apology… she deserves one!

Calling up the entire Richmond roster 12 games into the season seems a little drastic don’t ya think? Especially for a team that is 8-4 and leading its division. Besides KJ is having a pretty decent night so far. Couple of hits and runs scored and throw in a SB.

Great idea by the Nationals to remember Virgina Tech by wearing their caps. Two thumbs up Gnats!!!

By Dsquared

April 17, 2007 8:17 PM | Link to this

The racing presidents in Washington are on roids. I have done extensive research (bringing their pictures up online), and I swear their heads have gotten bigger. It might be the angles, but those heads don’t even look human!

By Robert

April 17, 2007 8:26 PM | Link to this

Watching CNN - some days baseball just doesnt seem very important

By MBATL

April 17, 2007 8:37 PM | Link to this

Robert, I don’t bother to argue with you on Bobby Cox, and never will … but why LOG ON to the Braves blog to announce that you’re too socially concerned to blog baseball tonight. Why not just stay the F away?

You just posted on the “other” blog here a few mintues ago. Get off your high horse.

By HEE-HAW

April 17, 2007 8:39 PM | Link to this

Robert, for god’s sake, don’t let the networks suck your life-force dry. They’re only in it for ratings. Just move on.

By Don

April 17, 2007 8:53 PM | Link to this

Apparently the sociopath spent so much time yesterday and last night ranting about his creepy obsession with Bobby Cox that he was the last person in the U.S. to hear about the tragedy in Blacksburg.

By Robert

April 17, 2007 9:02 PM | Link to this

MBATL - How do I say this nicely? Kiss my behind

I logged on to the Braves blog to see what was going on. In the meantime, I had the tv on and happened to catch part of the candlelight vigil at VaTech

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:12 PM | Link to this

I root for Andruw as much as the next person and fully appreciate what he has done in his career. That being said, I would not want the Braves to pay him $18-20 mill a year.

By journalist jimmy smith

April 17, 2007 9:17 PM | Link to this

grizzled veteran andruw jones looks like a child at the plate while young brian mccann looks like the wily veteran. is the coaching staff afraid to discuss that stance with andruw? let mccann hit 4 and move andruw down in the order. now, kelly johnson is having a good game.

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:19 PM | Link to this

Ok, who took over Frenchy’s body? That can’t possibly be him playing in this series!!

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:25 PM | Link to this

Time to bring in Soriano…this is what we traded for him for. If Gonzalez was even remotely pitching half decent, they may have brought him in…Holy, I can’t remember Smoltz ever showing that much anger…

By Daybed Wagmoe

April 17, 2007 9:28 PM | Link to this

here’s my two cents on Robert: has anyone ever heard of the concept of ignoring the guy? i mean, it seems to me that responding to his idiotic posts just fuels the fire. (and i do realize that by saying this, i’m giving him attention.)

By HEE-HAW

April 17, 2007 9:29 PM | Link to this

Hey Robert! We have a classic Donkey Cox happening here! Leaving Smoltz in too long once again!

HEE-HAW!!!

By Willy Wally

April 17, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this

Robert, you know you are getting on people’s last nerve when a really classy guy like MBATL who never personally attacks anyone on here, is forced to tell you to stay the F away.

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this

I don’t care how hard that was hit…that should have been a double play. Fundamentals boys, fundamentals. Good fielding, small ball, opportune homer, etc. Wow, Bobby should have the Braves do nothing but darn fielding practice tomorrow. What the heck??!!?? Geeeeez

By Robert

April 17, 2007 9:30 PM | Link to this

Soembody give Cox a jolt with the cattle prod and throw a carrot out towards the mound so maybe he’llgo get Villareal out of this game

By journalist jimmy smith

April 17, 2007 9:32 PM | Link to this

john smoltz went into a kolbian frenzy in the dugout. imagine what smoltz did after the errors by uh, chipper and edgar. well, if this game gets away it will be a tragedy.

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:42 PM | Link to this

Dimtri better not get a hit…that was strike freakin 3!!!!

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:47 PM | Link to this

KC, Lew, Carolina Lady, N8, Robert (Justice is The best)…where are the faithfuls?

By N8

April 17, 2007 9:47 PM | Link to this

JasonInMaine

Watch yourself now. The homers on this blog don’t like it when you preach terms like: “fundamentals” and “small ball” and the like.

This is FUNNY is what it is. Last week, DOB refuted my claim that Smoltz was tired in his last outing. Hmmmm. Over 100 pitches tonight, and the last two innings he was putting hitters away like the last name on the back of his jersey said REDMAN. Face facts guys. Smoltz, while still “dominating” is not gonna give us the 8-9 inning outings on a regular basis like years past.

The good news, however is that with Wickman and Soriano (notice how I conveniently left Gonzalaz out of the mix), in the bullpen, not to mention Hudson finally looking like he’ll be the ACE of this staff…..he shouldn’t have to.

IMAGINE what a good team would be doing to us the way we’ve been playing the last week.

We are treading water AT BEST right now (despite what the standings say), and if somebody doesn’t throw us a rope, we’re gonna drown.

Sorry to bring the “Doom and Gloom” to such a well played game tonight. Keep your eyes on me, I’m the guy that likes to p*ss in your Wheaties when you’re not looking. LOL!

Really though, it is truly AMAZING that we keep finding a way to win, with the HORSE-BLEEP way we’ve been playing since the 5-1 start. But like they say, an average team plays .500 ball, which is EXACTLY what we’ve done in the last 6 games. Against two teams that are a combined 10-15……YIKES!

By MEB

April 17, 2007 9:48 PM | Link to this

Gnats on a hot summer day can be very annoying. These Gnats on a cold April day in DC are a royal pain in the arse! Great at bat by D. Young and an even better defensive job by the Braves and its about time! I’d say we had him played just right.

By Steve-O

April 17, 2007 9:52 PM | Link to this

I am starting to hate Langerfans…..

By F A Skippy

April 17, 2007 9:53 PM | Link to this

This has been one slack ragged,butt ugly defensive effort tonight.PS VT had a tragedy this is just a bad game.

By JasonInMaine

April 17, 2007 9:57 PM | Link to this

N8, I hear what you are saying. I don’t think we are in as bad as shape as maybe you do, but I do think there are holes. Langerhans shouldn’t start. Period. I am also worried about Gonzalez and his decreased velocity. 1B needs to be figured out. I agree with others that feel Thorman or Wilson should just get a chance to play every day for a couple of weeks and try to get in a groove.

But, I am starting to drink some of the KJ kool-aid. Of 1B, LF, and 2B, I am least concerned about 2nd. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind having a certain Devil Ray or two… (:

Regards,

Jason

By StingerSplash

April 17, 2007 9:59 PM | Link to this

We are less than 20 games into the season, but let’s look at some of the averages some key Braves players are currently sporting, as we close out the top of the eighth: .191 .154 .080 .174 Of those, only one doesn’t concern me, and that’s the .191. That’s Andruw, and he will heat up. They rest belong to, in order, Thorman, Langerhans and Wilson. As much as I like Langerhans and admire his defensive skill, I think it’s becoming obvious he’s not a big league hitter. I’m not either, but I’m not being paid to be one. The starting pitching is better and the bullpen is vastly better (rather than being ghastly), but with two gaping holes in the lineup at places where you normally expect production, 1B and LF, just how good really are the Braves’ chances?

By Frits

April 17, 2007 9:59 PM | Link to this

Is it me or does it become habit of Bobby to leave a pitcher in one inning too long? I mean why spoil a good piece of work, 100 pitches is just plain enough

By ncscoots

April 17, 2007 10:11 PM | Link to this

Just got home, haven’t watched the game. So what was the Smoltz “kolbian frenzy” mentioned above?

By meansonny

April 17, 2007 10:19 PM | Link to this

Nate The reason why the record isn’t reflecting .500 is the pitching. This team is not a .500 team. Quality pitching will find its way into the post season.

Wickman hasn’t given up a run. Gonzalez in 7 outings has only given up runs in 2 outings. Paronto has only given up runs in 1 of 6 outings. Soriano has only given up runs in 1 of 7 outings.

And between the starters, they have 9.5 Quality Starts (Davies had a 5 inning gem) out of 13 games.

You can be a cynic if you want. But this team will be fine. The reason… the pitching.

By TennesseePaul

April 17, 2007 10:19 PM | Link to this

HELL YES!!! Come home from the research to find KJ broke out! WAY TO GO KJ! So proud of that guy.
Smoltz with the W. Chipper is on fire. McCann lit the place up. Francoeur had a walk with no K’s. This is what I want to see! Only thing missing is stellar defense and a break out game from Thor. The mighty Thor is due soon though.

GO BRAVES!!!

By MEB

April 17, 2007 10:21 PM | Link to this

Smoltz pitched the the bottom of the seventh and gave up a single and a triple. He obviously wasn’t happy with his pitch location. Part of the problem was an extremely long sixth inning which I think iced John somewhat.

Big win for the Braves and I’m real proud of KJ! I think his fundamentally sound swing really showed off tonight.

By journalist jimmy smith

April 17, 2007 10:25 PM | Link to this

scoots, smoltz threw smoltz’s glove against the dugout wall and then smoltz grabbed something (a bag or a cooler or something) and threw it to the floor of the dugout! it reminded this journalist of kolb returning to the dugout and destroying coolers. it was good to see chipper hit that homerun, especially after the error. and isn’t it fun to have wicky coming in as closer? wicky is becoming a favorite of this journalist. and how is paronto? and what is the status of wily aybar’s sore hand? and will langerhans’ glove (and it is a very good glove) keep langerhans in the lineup when langerhans hits like a sissy? and will andruw close andruw’s stance a little and andruw to hit the ball? 9 wins. very nice.

By TennesseePaul

April 17, 2007 10:32 PM | Link to this

With that one game KJ raised his OBP by 45 points! Now it’s at .350. In about a week or so his average will be more respectable and his OBP will be other worldly. With 2 more hits, his average would be up to .289 and OBP at .373. Perfect for a lead off hitter. So happy with the game. I would have liked to see a complete, 27 K, perfect game shut out from Smoltz, but whayagonnado? He got the W. He lowered his ERA. And he is 2 K’s closer to 3,000.

By mr baseball

April 17, 2007 10:36 PM | Link to this

A rare occurrence tonight. After again leaving Smoltz in too long, which is likely to be a recurring theme this year, Cox actually did a nice job handling the bullpen. Don’t think I’ve ever seen him do what he did in the 7th: leave a RH reliever in the game for another batter to buy some time for his primary RH setup man. Then let him stay in for the next inning after getting 2 tough outs to get out of a jam.

Clearly, Cox has already lost confidence in Gonzalez. With one LH hitter after another coming up in the 8th, he left Soriano in the game. Gonzalez may be needed tomorrow, because Soriano probably isn’t pitching again until Thursday. If Oscar is going to move into Paronto’s role, who’s going to be the long man? Considering who’s pitching the next two days, Cox may need someone to give him some innings early.

For all you Chicken Littles on the blog, give it a rest regarding KJ & AJ. Johnson is going to be just fine at the top of the order (maybe not against lefties) and Andruw is going to be Andruw. He’ll look awful a lot of the time and still hit 40 or so HRs and drive in 100+ runs. That said, 3/4 of the 1B/LF platoon doesn’t look so hot at the plate, but it’s too early to contemplate changes at 1B. You can carry one useless hitter (Langerhans) at the bottom of the lineup. Two is a little difficult to overcome. Either Thorman or Wilson needs to begin resembling a major league hitter some time in the next few weeks.

By MEB

April 17, 2007 10:37 PM | Link to this

JJS… what a shame the Braves don’t have that young man named Pie on their roster. The young man showed some serious skills with the bat, glove and arm today. Great throw to peg a runner at the plate today. I do believe that if he were in Atlanta we could correct his unfortunate pronunciation of a fine name. Just think if the catcher’s name was Face you could have had Pie to Face for the the 8-2 put out. :)

By Coach McKay

April 17, 2007 10:38 PM | Link to this

OK - here’s how we best use Langerhans:

We get him to start a fight with the other team’s best player so that they both get thrown out of the game.

By N8

April 17, 2007 10:47 PM | Link to this

meansonny

I’m not being cynical. Sure, it could be taken that way. But I’d like to think of myself as NOT drinking the “we’re a lock for the post-season” cool-aid.

You said:

“Quality pitching will find its way into the post season.”

I can’t argue with you. In fact, I TOTALLY AGREE with you…..unless, (you HAD TO SEE the “unless” coming, didn’t you?), that said quality pitching is undermined by 50 percent of the starting eight hitting under .250 and playing mediocre AT BEST defense.

Like I said before, a GOOD TEAM would’ve made us pay for our mistakes tonight. Tonight’s victory puts us at 4-3 againts the Marlins and Nats.

If you wanna keep thinking that “EEKING” out a victory against the Nats, with our ACE (and future HOF pitcher), on the mound is gonna allow us to ride off into the post-season sunset, go ahead.

That being said, even I have to admit, that these victories that we’ve been pulling out by the skin of our teeth, are games that we would’ve got our a*******es handed to us last year. So even I’m not blind enough to realize that we are better than last year.

I’ve said that all along. We are DEFINITELY in better shape than we were last year, I’m just not “sold” on the 9-4 record. The ONLY silver lining in all of this, which John Kruk mentioned ealier today on ESPN, is that we’re doing all of this with a leadoff hitter hitting around .200 (looks like he mighta broke out tonight….let’s hope), and literally NOTHING from Andruw, and the first basemen. Yeah, Andruw has 3 HR and 8 RBI (but only of those RBI is on the road, which is UNACCEPTABLE! - especially for a guy looking to make 20 million per).

So go ahead, call me cynical. I’ve been called worse. I’m not trying to Gloom and Doom on the parade route plans for October. Just calling it like I see it AS OF APRIL 17th, 2007.

By fastasballs

April 17, 2007 10:54 PM | Link to this

Somebody was laughing the other day that the Nats had no fans, but after tonight they have a lot of fans in Virginia! Very nice gesture. Something so simple can go a long way, just to show they were thinking of & supportive of the school means a lot.

I’m about 20 miles from VT’s campus & the mood around here is somber to say the least. One local kid from Roanoke died & several from here were injured but made it through.

There was some real heroics by students & professors a like yesterday. One professor, was a Holocaust survivor, barred the door with his body so students had time to make it out the windows before the gunman entered the room. He shot through the door killing the professor. Many lives were saved. The gunman had plenty of ammo left when the police found him. Many more could have died.

On to the game… Liked what I saw from KJ tonight. Thorman & Langerhans look awful at the plate. At least Langy saved a few runs with his glove. What’s going to be the plan if fist base continues to be an unproductive position? I can see Diaz in left full time (not sure about Cox) with Langy coming in for late inning defense but the problem at first does not have a solution unless those guys start to hit. Maybe if Thor or Wilson got to play more than one game in a row production may increase. Thoughts?

By meansonny

April 17, 2007 10:58 PM | Link to this

No worries. I guess I’m banking on the poor offensive teams who’ve made the playoffs solely on their pitching staff.

Most people seem to be fine with Andruw because they’ve seen his “hot summer” successes. And most people are OK with Kelly so long as he’s getting on base (with walks) and scoring runs. He obviously won’t keep today’s production up for the whole season

I personally don’t think the Langerhans platoon in left is all that bad (he’s our 8 hitter). Maybe I’m hoping for a McGriff solution at first to bolster our chances in the postseason. Obviously not someone that good, but someone acceptable in the #7 spot in the order (someone to protect McCann/Francouer in the postseason)

By MD

April 17, 2007 11:05 PM | Link to this

Langerhans cells

n. Any of the dendritic cells of the interstitial spaces of the mammalian epidermis that appear rod- or racket-shaped and are similar to melanocytes but cannot oxidize phenols or hit a breaking ball.

By N8

April 17, 2007 11:12 PM | Link to this

meansonny

You said:

“I guess I’m banking on the poor offensive teams who’ve made the playoffs solely on their pitching staff.”

If it was JUST the offense, I’d be right there with you on the confidence. But it’s the ALL AROUND defense and fundametally “unsound” play as of late.

Believe me, I’m aware of the fact that our offense usually heats up around the time the weather does. But while KJ’s defense has been a pleseant surprise, Renteria has looked “off” on some routine plays so far. Since it seems as though Langerhans CAN’T hit, he’s not gonna be out there too much longer, which leaves Craig Wilson or Matt Diaz to take his place…..enough said (on the defense, that is). Then we have 1B. Myself, along with DOB have been tooting the “we’re gonna miss LaRoche’s glove more than his bat routine” since the trade (ESPECIALLY if Gonzalez doesn’t turn it around).

I can’t stress this enough for those that don’t get it. Not only did LaRoche make OUTSTANDING plays at 1B (which Thorman and Wilson more than likely WON’T do on a regular basis), he probably save 25 errors for the other infielders with his soft hands at 1B. Already with BOTH Thorman and Wilson, we’ve seen routine plays that major league 1B should be able to make in their sleep, fall apart as though Ronnie Milsap was manning 1B.

I’ll leave you with this question. Do you think the Braves pitching got that much better in 1991, as apposed to 1990? Or did the pitching appear to improve that much because the Braves added Belliard, Pendleton and Bream to go with Lemke, to form one of the best (not the flashiest - but most consistant), defensive infields in the NL at that time?

I’ll go with a combination of the two, with a HEAVY emphasis on the latter.

By Coach

April 17, 2007 11:16 PM | Link to this

Good win. Vintage Smoltz and a four hit night for KJ. N8 , they are not even hitting on all cylinder’s offensively or defensively and yet the Braves are still winning. Nine wins and nine quality starts , the rotation is the engine that is running this car. The bullpen is six for six in save opportunities. 9-4 and after nine days , the Braves are still in first with the best record in baseball.

By meansonny

April 17, 2007 11:30 PM | Link to this

Coming into today’s game, Atlanta was 11th in MLB in fewest errors and 11th in MLB in fielding %. There is a dropoff from last year. But I think your amplifying its magnitude a bit (easy to do after today’s game).

The pitching staff is that much better (so long as the injury bug doesn’t get worse) than last year that the drop in defense won’t make the difference.

By the way, this offense was 14th in runs scored coming into today’s game. Again, it’s not as bad as your painting it to be. The problems are in the 4,7,8, and 1 spot in the lineup(and the 1 spot is scoring runs)(and Diaz is playing well when he’s in).

Cynical is a word you need to revisit.

By Jimbo

April 17, 2007 11:34 PM | Link to this

Do you think Bobby knows Langerhans is horrible? I’ll take Diaz every time against a right hander then Langer. He has to go or at the very least only play in the 8th and 9th when the team has a lead.

By Braves fan 202

April 17, 2007 11:42 PM | Link to this

Ya langy sucks. Man they need to win the series against the mets this weekend.

By flbravesgirl

April 17, 2007 11:54 PM | Link to this

Thank you, Mr. Soriano. He can look grouchy all he wants if he pitches like this all year. Great night for KJ, I hope this is a breakthrough game for him.

jimmy, I see an article titled “Give toes TLC after winter hibernation” on the main page. Is this something that the Braves need to read?

By fastasballs

April 17, 2007 11:55 PM | Link to this

I think they can win 2 of 3 from the Mets. It’s the beat up Cubs I’m concerned about. Davies & Redman in the Cubs series? Get well soon Lance!

By Robert

April 17, 2007 11:56 PM | Link to this

“Is it me or does it become habit of Bobby to leave a pitcher in one inning too long?”

Think back to the days when Cox routinely trotted Avery out there one inning too long - way back in the early 90’s - and realize that this is a longstanding consistant pattern of stupid behavior

Of course it’s not possible that this led to Avery’s arm problems that cut short his career

No. The best manager of all time would never have done that

Y’all, we got away with one tonight. Two HUGE mistakes by Cox - leaving Smoltz in too long and sticking with Villareal too long) - The Nats had two golden chances to punish us for his misdeeds but werent good enough to execute.

About one out of three or four games that Cox loses, the Braves win anyway - either because someone steps up or because the opposition falls on their face.

This game showed us two things

1)What an awful manager Cox is

and

2)What a terrible team the Nats are

By Robert (Justice Is The Best)

April 18, 2007 12:02 AM | Link to this

Scott Thorman needs a little more time before I will pass judgement on him. But, I have to be honest in saying that I have not been impressed. However, I see the potential in him. He really should be playing everyday. Cox should give him a 10 game span of playing everyday to see if he can get it together. If not, plan B needs to be put in motion quickly.

On the other hand, Langerhans has got to go. If Cox wants to use him as a late inning defensive replacement, fine. But, he is killing this offense. I would rather see Diaz in the lineup everyday. Nobody can tell me that Diaz’s defense is worse than Langerhans’ offense.

Kelly Johnson will be okay. Tonight could be the night he broke out. The thing that has impressed me about him (other than his almost perfect defense) is that he has been getting on base. He wasn’t hitting well but he was finding ways to get on base. He also obviously has the best eye on the team other than Chipper. He doesn’t swing at bad pitches and he rarely strikesout.

And, I’m almost afraid to say this, but I think we are seeing the metamorphous of Jeff Francoeur. It looks like he is “getting it’. He is more patient at the plate and not just swinging at everything. He has six walks in his last six games. Hell, last year he could go two months without getting one walk. If this new found patience along with his going to rightfield continues, it looks like Frenchy could be on his way to being the star so many envsioned.

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:05 AM | Link to this

Coach

And everybody else that’s watched me be Debbie Downer for the last week. I will say this:

I’ve been touting all night about how a “good team” would’ve made us pay for our mistakes tonight and in the early portion of the season. I’m not one for “luck” being a factor, because any baseball fan knows that over a 162 game schedule, luck evens itself out. That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it, though you’d have a hard time finding another team that had as bad of luck (on the injury front) last year as we did.

I’ve always said, that good teams “create their own luck”. So maybe, just maybe, the Braves are one of those teams that are good enough to OVERCOME their mistakes, in the close games. IE: Chipper hitting the HR in the 9th after making an error earlier in the game.

I’m not trying hard to convince myself that this theory “holds water”, since I like to go to bed on a “high note”. LOL!

9-4 is pretty impressive to start the season. Only a fool would bring that down. So I’ll leave it at that. But you all know, that if this thing goes bad, I’m gonna be the first person to say: “I told you so”.

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:12 AM | Link to this

I said this in my last post:

“I’m not trying hard to convince myself that this theory “holds water”, since I like to go to bed on a “high note”. LOL!”

Of course, I meant to say that I AM trying hard to convince myself….

By TheSouthernJackAss

April 18, 2007 12:15 AM | Link to this

No!…Robert, it’s just you!!…you impudent AssClown!!!…

By meansonny

April 18, 2007 12:29 AM | Link to this

Robert, this probably serves your Langerhans late for D posts. But I think Langerhans saved the game with a few late plays tonight. Who knows what Diaz would’ve done. But I’m happy with the way Langerhans gets a good jump, cuts off liners, throws to the right base. His offense has been horrendous, but his glove IS making up for it. He saved us a few runs tonight. We can score runs without a productive bat in the 8th spot of the lineup. Most teams do.

Nate, good comments about good teams and luck.

By mr baseball

April 18, 2007 12:37 AM | Link to this

Robert: At the risk of provoking more redundant nonsense, your critique of Cox’s managing tonight is again predictable and inaccurate. Yes, Cox left in Smoltz too long. What else is new? But in your ceaseless quest to rip him, you again displayed your blindness to what actually is going on in the game, not in your simplistic mind.

You said Cox left Oscar in one batter too long. He got the first batter he faced to hit a soft grounder that Chipper booted. The next ball was hard hit but should have caught by Edgar. Belliard was going to bunt, but in your infinite wisdom, you would have brought Soriano in to pitch to him. For what purpose? No offense, that’s just stupid. And Oscar STRUCK HIM OUT, and made him look bad doing it. An inconvenient truth, but the facts clearly mean nada to your ravings.

As the closest person on this blog to sharing your opinion of the manager, even I find your repetitive and pointless posts tiring, although I will admit to getting a chuckle every now and then from your colorful, if idiotic, musings.

If you are attempting to provoke a reaction, congratulations. You have certainly succeeded. If you really believe the tripe you dish out, my sincerest sympathies.

By KC

April 18, 2007 12:52 AM | Link to this

Nice win, but we had to ride Soriano pretty hard. We need Gonzalez to step up. He was supposed to be the guy to come in and shut it down.

By Braves fan 202

April 18, 2007 1:16 AM | Link to this

I hate you robert. Stop routing for the braves you make me sick

By Braves fan 202

April 18, 2007 1:16 AM | Link to this

Smoltz glavine should pitch against eachother again

By Bob, journalist

April 18, 2007 1:32 AM | Link to this

Well, I slept through the game and will now listen to the replay … sorry to hear about Jake Rocker … condolances to the family.

I agree with platooning Diaz … only let him play when either right or lefthanders are pitching!

By KC

April 18, 2007 2:01 AM | Link to this

Tonight’s lineup:

1-Johnson 2B

2-Renteria SS

3-C.Jones 3B

4-A.Jones CF

5-McCann C

6-Francoeur RF

7-Thorman 1B

8-AUTOMATIC OUT LF

9-A slightly better hitter than the previous batter P

By Coach

April 18, 2007 2:07 AM | Link to this

Just for reference and a little eye opening facts and stats so far. They are 9-4 with nine quality starts after just 13 games. The 2006 Braves didn’t get nine quality starts until they were 27 games into the season and it was May 3rd , they were 12-15 at that point in 2006. The bullpen has six saves(six for six) in just 13 games. In 2006 : It took 24 games for the bullpen to record as many and the Braves were 10-14 at that point. Massively improved pitching from the rotation and bullpen ? I THINK SO !

By Coach

April 18, 2007 2:28 AM | Link to this

Ryan Langerhans for the Braves : .080 batting average in 25 at bats with 11 strikeouts , 3 walks , 0 runs , 2 hits , 0 RBI , .179 OBP , .080 SLG. Gregor Blanco in 22 at bats for Richmond : .409 Batting average , 5 runs , 1 RBI , 3 stolen bases , 9 hits , 4 walks , .500 OBP and a .455 SLG……….. Does anybody care to tell me whats wrong with this picture ?

By RC-KC

April 18, 2007 2:36 AM | Link to this

Come on, ownership! Don’t break up the Jones brothers!!!

By E

April 18, 2007 2:49 AM | Link to this

Hi Coach, you are on to something with those stats. The Braves could use a speedy outfielder for the top of that order. Move Kelly J to 8th. In the playoffs you need those run producers at the top, guys that cause havoc on speed alone. Mets, Dodgers and Philly have that which could create problems for the Braves in the long run. They have to get some speed in here are those long homerun droughts will sink them. I would look for a RL move this weekend and expect management to bring in some speed.

By jed

April 18, 2007 3:19 AM | Link to this

If anyone reading this has MLB.TV, can you tell me whether it’s any good? What are its plusses & minuses? Also, has anyone on Dish Network heard anything about whether we will get the Baseball Package back?

By Robert

April 18, 2007 3:27 AM | Link to this

“If you really believe the tripe you dish out, my sincerest sympathies.”

I have been a serious baseball fan for about 33 of my 41 years. Growing up in upstate NY, I started off a Mets fan about 1974/75.

When the hometown AAA Syracuse Chiefs changed affiliation from the Yankees to the Blue Jays, I started following the Jays

After moving to Atlanta in 1987, I became a Braves fan

Put it together. Mets-Blue Jays-mid 80’s Braves - Before 91, I saw a LOT of bad baseball. Rooted for a lot of teams that wouldve given their collective amrs and legs for ONE shot at postseason glory

That’s why the Braves of the streak DISGUST me. These teams were so good, but had so little appreciation for what they had - they werent willing to go the extra mile, and their manager wasnt able to DO anything with the incredible talent and resources at his disposal.

This 9-4 team. If they played solid ball, they’d be 11-2

Wasted ability is disgusting. It is offensive. The attitude, year after year, that “we’ll get ‘em next year” is disgusting. So frickin arroagnat that they assumed they’d be back and then so disrespectful of the game that they felt no shame in squandering the opportunities, over and over again.

And the root of that attitude, the root the philosophy that wastes opportunity - is Bobby Cox.

Any manager in baseball wouldve given their first born to manage one of the rosters he had from 93-01, just ONE.

Bobby Cox is to good managing what crack cocaine is to good medical therapy.

His assinine philosophy, combined with his strategic ineptitude, should be a crime.

Someday, when Braves fans sober up and decide to be real honest with themselves, they’ll collectively realize this - and they will be VERY unhappy

And still I root for them. ‘09. I dont care if they lose 161 games in ‘09, they’ll have a chance.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 3:29 AM | Link to this

“Yes, Cox left in Smoltz too long. What else is new?”

End of arguement.

By Coach

April 18, 2007 3:49 AM | Link to this

Robot , your reverse psychology has me convinced that Bobby Cox is the greatest Manager in MLB history and Dude , your freaking hilarious ! keep up the comedy routine , I love it !

By bergian

April 18, 2007 5:12 AM | Link to this

So let me get this straight, Langerhans, after 25 whole at bats to start the season,(always batting 8th) should never get another start in left field? I’m sure people will tell me if I am wrong, but doesn’t Diaz get to bat 7th most of his starts? When the pitcher is behind you, it’s tough to get in a good groove batting 8th, unless you are in the AL. Perhaps we should trade him to the Rangers, where like so many other castoffs, he will hit 25 HR’s and will be an all-star. That’s not likely to happen anytime soon. Remember how long Bobby stayed with Frenchy last year, when just about everyone wanted him sent to AAA? (Or at least to have a night off?) Bobby was quoted on espn’s web site saying….OF Ryan Langerhans entered Tuesday’s game 2-for-21 (.095) this season. Your forget that Ryan is one of the top outfielders in all of baseball,'' manager Bobby Cox said.He catches a lot of balls, runs down a lot of mistakes.”So, count on Ryan in left against righties for at least another month…

By Willy Wally

April 18, 2007 5:33 AM | Link to this

HAL 3000 still hating on Bobby Cox, I see.

By Coach

April 18, 2007 6:02 AM | Link to this

Bergian , the stats don’t lie. Langerhans has contributed absolutely nothing to the offense so far and if he continues this trend for another 25 at bats , he will be sent packing , back to Richmond. T.J. Bohn or Gregor Blanco are to talented for the Braves to let a player(Langerhans) continue to struggle with his offense and take up a roster spot on the team.

By Ron Roberts

April 18, 2007 6:23 AM | Link to this

Robot Robot Robot….

Your nightly critiques of Bobby Cox’s managerial decisions is laugh-a-minute “must-read” material for me, first thing every morning!

If you’re looking for a career in comedy, you have a bright future!

Seiously, what MLB manager coaches the perfect game, game-in, game-out? What’s really laughable is that you contradict yourself. You’re the same guy who said you don’t even quibble over Cox’s regular season abilities, and yet here you are, each and every night, to bash away after regular season games!

So why don’t we compromise, meet you halfway and concede to your postseason concerns about Bobby Cox. So take the regular season off, allowng us to get through this blog without your redundancy, then when the Braves make the playoffs again this season, you can c’mon back and have at it!

How’s that sound? Deal?

By ssiscribe

April 18, 2007 6:29 AM | Link to this

Four hits for KJ, a good job by the bullpen, a win for Smoltz.

9-4 on the year. I’ll take that pace the entire year.

I agree with others that Cox left Smoltz in a little too long. For the record, I believe he was left in too long his last start. But all in all, hard to complain about splitting and coming home. Now, let’s sweep the Cubs.

Speaking of sweep (sad transition from the noted Scribe), the Thrashers … tisk, tisk, tisk. Eight years for this? Yikes!

—30—

By Lee

April 18, 2007 7:40 AM | Link to this

Coach - I have to agree with you about Langerhans. There is no justification even with defense to justify Langerhans batting average and strikeout ratio. His average is pathetic and cannot continue from a hitters position such as left field.

All aside very impressive win for the Braves.

By Metropolitan Man

April 18, 2007 8:08 AM | Link to this

Good morning brave bloggers, heres a prediction. METS and braves beat all teams above .500 and have to battle with teams below .500. Also has anyone else noticed that the NL East skippers all have either coached the team a few years (B. Cox the excpetion) or had bench coaches who are now managers this year. Acta and Randoplh, Cox and Gonzalez. C. Manuel has been here a couple of years but these managers and coaches know the players so well, its gonna be hard to pull any suprises unless its a rookie with no stat sheet.
Cant wait until the braves head to Shea, let the jockeying for position begin. LETS GO METS!!!

Hey Scribes, Grinch, how bout them Thrashers?????

By Willy Wally

April 18, 2007 8:13 AM | Link to this

The magic number is 150!

By Eugene

April 18, 2007 8:20 AM | Link to this

FIND A LEFT FIELDER AND FIRST BASEMEN BEFORE ITS TO LATE!!!! PLEASE BRAVES STOP BEING CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 8:26 AM | Link to this

Coach, I have to agree with you and thanks for providing the numbers. I asked on a previous blog, but isn’t Blanco also known as being very good defensively? I am not saying he is as good as Langerhans, but I thought I remembered reading a story a while back where someone said he was the best defensive minor league outfielder they had seen and Eddie Perez said that they never saw Andruw?

If he is good or close to it defensively, he sure as heck has to be better offensively, doesn’t he?

Regards,

Jason

By ernesto

April 18, 2007 9:00 AM | Link to this

Anyone remember last year? Beginning of the season Langerhans was the only guy hitting. Now he’s not, give it time. I know his career numbers don’t promise huge offense, but still, it’s 13 games. Ease up, we’re 9-4, enjoy.

By Don

April 18, 2007 9:01 AM | Link to this

Psycho boy claimed not to be watching the game last night, made a point of claiming that he was watching CNN (“baseball doesn’t seem that important”). A short while later he’s explaining how his Daddy left Smoltz and Villareal in too long. Of course if he had taken Smoltz out earlier and the pitcher who replaced him had gotten shelled he’d be whining that there’s no reason to take out a pitcher who’s still going strong.

And never mind that Smoltz was let down by errors behind him.

What a halfwit.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 9:15 AM | Link to this

“Seiously, what MLB manager coaches the perfect game, game-in, game-out? What’s really laughable is that you contradict yourself. You’re the same guy who said you don’t even quibble over Cox’s regular season abilities, and yet here you are, each and every night, to bash away after regular season games! “

No major league manager is perfect. None is expected to be perfect. It’s also always easier to see the correct decisions in hindisght than in real time. All that said and acknowledged, Cox remains a moron

I had little issue with Cox’s regular season managing when the Braves of the mid 90’s were so good that they could win the division by 10 or more games even with him around. The Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz teams could pretty much be put on autopilot and end up first at the door for the postseason

These days, it just be the manager’s performance that determines whether we make the postseason. They were nine games out of a playoff spot last season. That’s less than half a game a week. Cox is easily half a game a week negative.

Yes, I am saying that with a better manager, last season’s Braves, for all their injuries and relief pitching issues that no manager couldve fixed entirely, might well have made the playoffs.

As far as humor, yeah, some of what I say is embellished in an attempt at humor. Thats said, I’m dead serious when I say I think Cox is an absolutely terrible manager

By Jim

April 18, 2007 9:23 AM | Link to this

Any prudent manager and GM would wait until mid-May to evaluate their talent and the readiness of minor league players to contribute. In defense of Thorman, he only plays every other day and has to be pressing when he does. I think we should let him play for at least 1 week straight and then re-evaluate the platoon. (It’s not like we are missing any offense with Wilson not in the lineup.) I think many of our offensive woes would be cleared up in a hurry if AJ were hitting in the middle of the order.

By 3trees

April 18, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this

Jeez, I wish Langerhans could hit - even a little - ‘cause he can flat out get it in the outfield. I guess that’s why they’re staying with him so long. I like CRogers writing, but I thought that characterizing DYoung’s out in the 7th as a “pop out” wasn’t accurate. That was one tough at bat (so was Zimmerman’s) and, while he must’ve been well positioned, Langy made a very good play on what could’ve been a run scoring double to the left field corner. That said, he’s got to get SOMETHING going at the plate.

BTW - Carroll, I thought the piece on Jake Rocker was timely and well written.

By caveman22

April 18, 2007 9:41 AM | Link to this

meansonny Just curious if you caught ESPN’s Baseball Tonight last night with John Kruk and Dusty Baker talking about the cold weather. I thought it was funny when Kruk said there were some pitchers you didn’t even want to swing the bat b/c if would hurt, he said go up - swing at the first pitch - and go sit down. Funny stuff but true. Dusty Baker was talking about how hitting the ball off the handle or the end of the bat stung and how preparation tools in the on-deck circle didn’t work in the cold.

I was just wondering if you saw it

By journalist jimmy smith

April 18, 2007 9:49 AM | Link to this

jimmy smith thanks flbravegirl for pointing out the article on toes to this journalist. from the article: “exfoliate tough skin on your feet with a loofah or foot scrub … acid such as Keralyt can also remove layers of tough skin. It can be used two or three times a week for maintenance.”

oh, the humanity! what is a loofah? do the braves have a loofah and have they tried it on chipper? who is performing maintenance on chipper’s toes? jiffy-lube? this article is useful in so many ways. journalist again thanks flbravesgirl and urges carroll to make the braves aware of loofahs and toe maintenance.

now, more from the ajc (2 pulitzers) … there are more concerns about the untimely death of ralph whaleshark. was ralph eating too much for a whaleshark? and will eating too much affect other performers say, those who are called upon in save situations?

and would the statue of richard russell have made that play at third last night?

By Barrett

April 18, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

All the Bobby Cox bashing is to this blog what Langerhans is to the braves lineup. It just kills it…..

It’s all been said before. Everyone is entitled to their respected opinion. No one is going to change the others mind. It’s pointless to debate about this redundant topic.

And better yet, the braves front office is not going to listen to any of us. As much as we all wish they would, their not.(That is why they get paid the big bucks, and we are stuck playing fantasy baseball. Not one person in the industry world of baseball would fire Bobby Cox. I know some of you think he should be, but fact is he is never going to be fired. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not if the braves go on to lose the next 149 games.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this

Esteemed Journalist-So far, so good. Chipper’s toes have, apparently, been doing fine. Maybe Langerhans needs a loofah-a sponge, BTW. I still don’t think he is that bad a hitter, but he certainly looks lost at the plate right now. The one perplexing thing, to me is, if Thorman should be given a week straight of playing time to let him work his problems out, then why would the same not be beneficial for Langerhans? He only plays every other day, too.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this

From Buster Olney’s blog…

A veteran talent evaluator says that based on what he saw in Jason Schmidt last summer, he recommended that his own team not attempt to acquire the pitcher in the offseason. “He wasn’t anything special with his velocity, 87-89 mph, and when you lose that kind of velocity, there’s something wrong. You can lose 1 or 2 mph, and that’s one thing, but to lose 5 or 6 mph, there’s something wrong.”

Why am I posting this? Let’s hope it’s the weather affecting Gonzalez’s drop in velocity…

By journalist jimmy smith

April 18, 2007 10:07 AM | Link to this

carroll rogers, if uh, journalist was being quoted in the newspaper and journalist said someting like, “uh, gotta take ‘em uh, you know, one at a time.” why would the quote appear in the paper as, “we’re going to take them one at a time”? just curious and eager to learn more about journalism.

By Willy Wally

April 18, 2007 10:11 AM | Link to this

Were the rangers fans doing the tomahawk chop last night at the thrashers game? New yorker are so classless.

By Jim

April 18, 2007 10:15 AM | Link to this

For the Cox left Smoltz in too long crowd — The Braves got 5 innings out of their starter on Monday, and have Davies and Redman starting the next two games. If Cox did not try to get 7 innings out of Smoltz (when the bottom of the order was coming up in the 7th), the same second guessers would have been on him for over-using the bullpen. (Smoltz threw 102 pitches in the game.) By the way, the bullpen is much better than it was at this stage last year, but the front end has been at best serviceable, and Gonzalez has been very shaky. Gonzalez has not pitched in about a week. Circumstances, or is there a physical problem?

By Efrim

April 18, 2007 10:21 AM | Link to this

Imaportant start for Davies tonight. I hope he does well, because Mark Redman needs to be taken off this team when Lance Cormier comes back.

By Ron Roberts

April 18, 2007 10:22 AM | Link to this

So then, Robot, you completely overlook the jobs Cox has done in seasons when he was armed with less-than-stellar talent, eh?

I mean, honestly, 1991 was miraculous, given three young pitchers who’d yet to perform well under their previous manager; you had a hodge-podge of free agents and Braves minor leaguers (most of whom Bobby Cox either drafted or traded for as the GM before managing), and overcame a 9.5 game deficit at the All-Star break to win the West, then won the NL in six.

How about that pathetic assemblage we went to the field with in 2004, the year after Sheffield bolted and we were left with LF Charles Thomas in LF, J.D Drew in RF, an unproven Johnny Estrada behind the dish and our “ace” was freaking Russ Ortiz, dude. Hell, go to baseball-reference.com and look up that roster. Whew. Then, there’s the youth-laden 2005 squad that, quite frankly, wproduced a miraculous season.

Bobby Cox had nothing to do with their success, eh? In fact, he probably held ‘em back, eh?

I think all of us rational Braves fans can quibble with decisions Cox has made over the years, but we’re also smart enough to know that he’s probably one of, if not the most valuable asset to this organization in the last twenty years, period.

By Efrim

April 18, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this

Jim,

Gonzalez pitched Monday night.

By meansonny

April 18, 2007 10:25 AM | Link to this

caveman Didn’t see it. But I’m sure I’ll have nightmares of little league baseball practise at 7:00 AM in mid March back in the 1980’s. Not a fun time to take batting practise for an 8 year old (with a metal bat).

I think the weather does have an impact on the offense. But as previously posted, so do a “plethora” of other factors in April (ie. new pitchers).

I still hadn’t seen any differentiation why cold weather struggles in April won’t be cold weather struggles in October. Stinging hands are stinging hands. Even 162 games later. Low barometric pressure affects the carry of a ball the same in April as low pressure in October.

So the question can be asked… Is this team built to go past the first round of the playoffs? Offensively and defensively, we rank about 10th (give or take 2 spots) in MLB right now. With a future solution to the Redman/McBride problem, will we improve? With Andruw’s bat obviously going to add some pop in the future, does that move our ranking up?

Or does the cold weather in October bring us right back to where we are now? Struggling to put the ball in play?

By Lew

April 18, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

Many keep talking about the loss of Mike Gonzalez’s velocity. I don’t even remember, from playing the Pirates the last couple of years, exactly how hard he threw the ball. I have my doubts, after seeing him pitch for two weeks, that he could hit the high 90’s with the motion he uses, but he has been recorded at 91 and over a couple of times this year. All of his power seems to be coming from his shoulders, not his legs, as with many power pitchers-his motion gives him no added velocity, because so little torque is generated by his lower body. This alone would explain any shoulder problems he has had. Using stadium radar guns is an iffy proposition, at best. They are notoriously inaccurate and have even been known to record trees moving at 75 MPH. I have yet to hear of any concern voiced by anyone associated with the Braves except for those on the blog who insist he is a shadow of himself. Maybe we should let the weather tone down a bit and see where we are then. Gonzo has not been lights out, but has managed a fair amount of damage control, at the very least. If he were having shoulder or arm issues-if the Braves even THOUGHT he was experiencing any problems in this regard, would not have let him pitch as often as they have. I think this is yet another case of the doom and gloomers on the blog getting ready for another coronary. For crying out loud, let’s let things play out a bit. I mean, didn’t KJ have four hits last night? Isn’t he one who most here have been ready to send to rookie league ball again? Relax, breathe deeply and let the tension dissolve. Breathe again.

By KC

April 18, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this

bergian: “So let me get this straight, Langerhans, after 25 whole at bats to start the season,(always batting 8th) should never get another start in left field?”

berigan, nobody’s basing anything on just 25 at-bats. Well… maybe someone ism but I’m not. Some people here keep talking about Langerhans as though this were his first year in Atlanta, and no one’s giving him a chance.

Here are the facts about Ryan Langerhans:

In 682 career at-bats… yes, 682 (not 25)!!!!… Langerhans has a career .248 average and more strikeouts than hits (183/169). Over those 682 AB’s, he has only 15 homers and 75 RBI (and 1 stolen base). That’s not good run production for that many at-bats. Not good at all.

If he started everyday and got 550 AB’s, based on his career numbers, you could expect: .248, 12 HR, 56 RBI, 0 stolen bases, and 149 strikeouts.

I very rarely question Bobby Cox. Even when I don’t understand what he’s doing, I usually give him the benefit of the doubt because I know he’s a much smarter baseball man than I. But… I do have to question him in regard to Langerhans.

“Ryan is one of the top outfielders in all of baseball” That’s absolutely true. He’s a great defender. But he’s a classic all-glove-no-lumber type of player. Guys like that have value, and we’ve had guys like that throughout the years… but those guys were usually used solely as late-innings defensive replacements and for occasional pinch-hitting duty. And I can’t remember any of those light-hitting, big fielding players EVER cutting significantly into a .300 hitter’s (like Matt Diaz) playing time.

Why not Matt Diaz in the 1st-7th or 8th innings, and Langerhans for the last inning or two. It’s working in the past for the Braves.

I don’t get it. Why do we insist on running a guy who can’t hit up to the plate 300 times a year???

By Meanie

April 18, 2007 10:32 AM | Link to this

Jim try not to look like an idiot…if you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about keep the piehole shut. Gonzalez just pitched…moron.

By TennesseePaul

April 18, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this

“I knew last year there were a lot of situations like that when that would be a no-decision for [Smoltz],” Soriano said. “I tried to do the best I could.”

Nice. I’m glad to hear it. Great quote Carroll.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 10:46 AM | Link to this

Lew, no doom and gloom here my good Vermonter. Yes, Gonzalez consistently hit 96 on the radar last year and in years before that. I watched him pitch in more games that just the ones in which he faced the Braves. Here is the scouting report on him from FoxSports:

Gonzalez is often overpowering with his fastball-slider combination. He runs his fastball up to 98 MPH and regularly throws it at 93-95 MPH. Gonzalez’ slider has a late break and is particularly tough on righthanded hitters. He struggles throwing his changeup for strikes at times, but it hardly matters working short stints in relief. Gonzalez began his professional career as a starting pitcher and has the ability to work multiple innings if needed. He often forgets about baserunners, making him easy to steal on, and is a subpar fielder. Gonzalez batted only once last season but belted a two-run double for his first hit since high school.

As far as if the “Braves thought something was wrong argument”, I hear ya; I really do. But, there has certainly been more than one case of a player hiding an injury from the team in order to try and impress, trying to impress, etc. I hate to mention the name, but Reitsma comes to mind of a recent pitcher not saying anything about an injury.

Again, there may be nothing wrong, and I certainly agree with you that the Braves no more than I. But, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Regards,

Jason

By Jim

April 18, 2007 10:49 AM | Link to this

Thanks for the polite reminder, Meanie. I’m stuck with only TBS (which of late seems to coincide with all the Redman starts) and have to work, so I missed all the details of the Monday night game.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this

“Pitching coach Roger McDowell says the work he did with RHP Kyle Davies’ delivery was at manager Bobby Cox’s suggestion.”

Bobby Cox suggested something? He actually knows something about pitching? Oh yeah, he is the best manager of our generation, and Smoltz says BC had more to do with the pitching success of the Braves over the years than anyone, including Leo.

By Rodger

April 18, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this

Robert, your history illustrates something interesting-you weren’t even around in 78-81 for Cox’s first go-round. Compared to that, he looks like a genius now.

What you have to remember is that strategy, which he is not good at, is only part of the game. Having a team of great players does not necessarily mean having a great team. If that was all there was to it, the Yanks would win the series every year. I don’t like Cox, but I certainly respect what he does, and more importantly,* so does almost every player in baseball!*.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this

KC-I’ll admit that Langerhans has looked totally lost and clueless at the plate so far. But you do make one telling point, even though it doesn’t exactly figure into your conclusion. You mention IF Langerhans had 550 AB. That’s just it. He’s not going to get 550 AB while platooning. He has to get full playing time before you write him off. His career numbers all reflect a platoon situation. He has never gotten an appreciable amount of outfield time all to himself. Platooning is quite difficult and has got to be wearing on a player. Any kind of continuity is impossible under those circumstances. As far as Diaz. Again I have to ask, Why doesn’t he get a full time chance? Why was he released by two teams that should have given their hearts for a .300 hitter? No one has given me a satisfactory answer to that one. When the Rays and Royals have given up on you and BC still won’t let you play full time, desoite a .300 average, there has to be a reason.

By Lee

April 18, 2007 11:02 AM | Link to this

Soriano has been very impressive and has no doubt solidified the bullpen in order to get to the closer. The one name you do not here mention on this blog or in the baseball media very often is Bob Wickman. This man has been sensational. He converted 18 out of 19 saves last year even with that powder-puff bullpen the Braves had and has converted 4 out of 4 this year. All he does is consistently throw strikes and record outs. This man is on doubt one of the elite closers in the games at present time. I am not sure if he has a high strikeout percentage for outs or not - perhaps that is why he does not get more recognition as an elite closer.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

Jason-I admit not seeing him pitch that much and I have always heard him referred to as a power-type pitcher. I’ll have to go with your evaluation, because you obviously have seen him more. I think, however, a drop off of 5 or more MPH would have gotten the Braves’ attention, much like the Dodgers have with Jason Schmidt, who just got sent for an MRI. I don’t see Gonzo being able to hide something that obvious, especially to people as knowledgeable as the Braves’ brain trust (Robert’s rants, notwithstanding). I don’t know. I take out of his performances that the guy is good at controlling bad situations. I am somewhat troubled by the number of runners he has put on, but hope that is a matter of mechanical adjustment-I don’t think his release point is quite there, as he leaves the ball up in the zone a bit. This could, however, be as little as an inch or so off on his release and only time will fix that-but it IS emminently fixable. I would, however, have him available for full innnings and let Soriano take care of the situations with runners on base-at least for the time being.

By ncscoots

April 18, 2007 11:05 AM | Link to this

Diaz is currently 9-for-28 on the young season. Play him every day, have him throw together a couple of 0-for-4s, and he’s hitting .250. Will he then be kicked to the curb, or would the blog scream for him to be “given a chance to straighten out”? I only wonder. He has fewer than 500 ML AB, so projecting him as a consistent .300 hitter over the course of a full season (while playing most days) is iffy. I don’t know if Langy will get his stroke straightened out or not, but I don’t have the confidence in Diaz as a fulltime player that some here seem to hold tightly to their bosom.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this

Lew, you make some good points. I only mention the shoulder as I wonder if there was simply permanent damage that may simply result in him never getting back his velocity. So, while there may be nothing wrong now structurally, is there a chance that his shoulder just doesn’t allow him to ever throw that hard again? Anyway, hopefully he will continue to not let up runs and my musings will be moot, as with much of what I have to say (:

Schmidt is now on the DL as well.

By Lee

April 18, 2007 11:12 AM | Link to this

Lew - I cannot comment on why the Kansas City Royals did not give Diaz more playing time; however, Tampa Bay has had an over abundance of outfielders the past few years. Only my opinion though.

By rammerjammer

April 18, 2007 11:13 AM | Link to this

You know, in Gonzalez’ 24-for-24 save season a year ago, he still allowed 73 baserunners in 54 innings. Thirty-one of those were walks.

So he’s not a three-up, three-down kind of pitcher. Gonna make us squirm all season but will get the job done.

By Renegator

April 18, 2007 11:17 AM | Link to this

If Bobby is going to continue to trot Thorman and Langercanthit out against every righty - he needs to at least break them up in the lineup. Having them hit back to back is a surefire rally killer (see last night - 1st inning). With those two (7th & 8th) followed by the pitcher (9th) is like having 3 pitchers in the lineup.

By TennesseePaul

April 18, 2007 11:18 AM | Link to this

The LF issue is an interesting one. I’m leaning toward the Diaz every day camp. There is nothing fundamental about Diaz. He stands at the plate odd. He swings at some highly questionable pitches. His swing in general is unorthadox. He takes horrid routes to fly balls. He has an awkward throwing motion. He has poor range. Basically, he doesn’t do much right in terms of fundamentals, but he still succeeds. It’s not a gracefull success, but it is success. And with all of his success I think he has meritted the starters job with Langerhans being the back up. Diaz will never ever be any where remotely close to as good a fielder as Langerhans. There’s just no way around it. HOwever, defense is something which is promoted on a Braves team. So I suspect we’ll see Langerhans in there for a while. I just hope he figures out whatever it is that is prohibiting him from succeeding.
In the mean time I will rest comfortably knowing that in LF we have the option of a highly successfull hitter or a highly successfull fielder. I hate platoons, but at least in this two man option you have some benefits from each.

1B on the other hand is totally out the window. Wilson is not a good defensive 1B. If Thor is a step down defensively from LaRoche, Wilson is at the bottom of the cliff from LaRoche. We gain nothing defensively by throwing Wilson on the field. Now, in the past, with LaRoche, we platooned at 1B with success. Two things are missing in this equation this season. Superior defense from half of the platoon with good offensive contributions. The other half presented a veteran leadership role, adequet defense and a superior knowledge of hitting. Julio Franco is the type of player you can platoon with. He is a good hitter. LaRoche was a masher with good defense.
Wilson offers none of this. He’s had one good season and spent the rest of his career striking out or hitting pinch hit homers off of lefties. Off of righties he hasn’t done much if anything. We do not benefit from this platoon. Thor doesn’t get the playing time he should have to get into his groove… the same playing time they wanted him to have last season when he was sent back down to the minors. The same playing time that allowed him to hit .300 with 20+ HRs. Because Thor doesn’t get this playing time, his production level is down. It will take him longer to get into his groove. And in the mean time we get to have Wilson taking up space in the field.
We should keep Wilson as a pinch hitter or something, but grant Thor the bulk of the playing time. Let him play for a couple of weeks and see what happens. He’ll probably take off. If and when Thor takes off, the LF situation won’t be such an eye sore.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:21 AM | Link to this

ncscoots, you are correct. But statistical and predictive analysis are predicated upon such sample sizes. If you were to predict over the course of a full season which hitter would have the higher average, there is no mathematical way you could conclude that it would be Langerhans.

However, I do agree that players need to be able to get some ABs under their belt in order to try and get comfortable. I wish Thor would get the job at 1st and Diaz would get the job in LF. Play ‘em for a month, see what happens, and have a plan B.

Regards,

Jason

By journalist jimmy smith

April 18, 2007 11:22 AM | Link to this

lew makes a good point on playing time. so does tp. when the other manager chooses, the other manager can dictate bobby’s lineup. lew will remember that before spring training jimmy smith predicted that langerhans would have a good start and be a much improved player. why did that last only in the spring? is the toe-tap no longer working? langerhans looks bad at the plate but still he is hitting .080 and that’s with 11 strikeouts. we should not be concerned until the average drops below .075. now, andruw is hitting .188 with 16 strikeouts. and thorman is hitting .154. did journalist mention that tony pena, jr. is now hitting .204? lofty, right? and now, making the toes ready for sandals … despite the helpful ajc article on toe care, carroll and dob are discouraged from wearing sandals at the ballpark. and now, the toe-tap and major league hitters. who are the braves’ toe-tappers? chipper and mccann. not bad. langerhans. bad. perhaps langerhans is tapping the wrong toe or perhaps it is a matter of how many toes are being tapped!”. not sure. investigative reporting is needed here. who is covering tonight’s game?

By ncscoots

April 18, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this

Re Gonzalez, I guess it’s possible he still has some lingering mental concern with his elbow, even if it’s physically fine. Perhaps he is just mentally reluctant to air it out. Or maybe he’s decided he doesn’t have to break the speed gun on every pitch if it means better command. Don’t know.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:23 AM | Link to this

From Fox:

Zambrano did have a big day at the plate, doubling in a run and connecting for his 11th career homer - second to Mike Hampton (15) among active pitchers.

I wasn’t aware that Hampton was an active pitcher… (:

Just kidding, just kidding. I know it isn’t his fault.

Regards,

Jason

By TennesseePaul

April 18, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this

Gonzo’s velocity is down. His scouting report from last season had him consistantly in the mid 90’s (94-96) topping out at 98 on rare occassions. This year he is maxing out at 92-93 and consistantly in the 89-91 range. That’s a drop. Not sure why. But what I can appreciate is, we didn’t just trade for him to be our man. So he doesn’t have the added pressure of trying to be the closer and get comfortable with the new team and figure out his mechanics. Basically, he cannot churn out a Kolbian experience for the team. Since Gonzo isn’t the closer, he can afford to get off to a slow start. So it isn’t all that bad. Maybe he needs warm temperatures to get going. Whatever the case, by the time he gets into a save opportunity, he’ll be in the proper shape to continue his consecutive save streak.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 11:25 AM | Link to this

Jason-You could be right, but I sincerely hope he hasn’t had permanent damage. If so, then he has really pitched well, all things considered. The guy’s a gamer, for sure. Get those mechanics straightened out and I feel he’ll be a damn good pitcher. Lee-You’re right, the Rays have been outfield heavy, but the Royals? When you have to bring in an ancient Reggie Sanders, you can’t afford to dump good players. Then you have the fact that in two years. BC hasn’t seen fit to give him the job full time. I know he’s very loyal to his players, but why be loyal to Ryan in exclusion of a .300 hitter? I’m just not so sure that argument works (and Lee, I know you didn’t suggest it). Lot’s of unanswered questions in my mind. There has to be a reason why Diaz just hasn’t caught on anywhere he’s played.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:28 AM | Link to this

Hey guys and gals,

Sorry, but I have to ask again as I am not up to speed on some of the prospects. But, isn’t Blanco’s reputation one of defensive genius? If so, and he has been good offensively in the minors, including last year with no power, would it be that awful to bring him up, play him in LF, and potentially bate leadoff (potentially since KJ may still be fine in that position). If not, would it hurt to have someone like that hitting 8th? Again, these questions are admittedly asked without much knowledge of Blanco.

Regards,

Jason

By Lew

April 18, 2007 11:31 AM | Link to this

Ten Paul-I agree with you on the glaring weakness part. If Chipper had started off quickly and Andruw had gotten off to a better start, we wouldn’t notice it nearly as much. When you get down to it, most of the team didn’t hit right off the bat (sorry for that pun-it was irresistable). Add to this the fact that on this blog we view everything in minute detail and promote seasonal microcosms to full season trends and I’m pretty sure we have a very skewed view of life itself, here.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

Ron - 91 and 92 were probably the best jobs Cox ever did as a manager, anywhere, anytime. Mostly what he did was sit back and watch.

The 91 team had a group of special young pitchers, headed by Glavine and Smoltz, who were at the right age and had the blessing of having LEO MAZZONE there at the right time, and who were willing to listen to him and therefore rapidly made the transition from young throwers to big time big league starters. The 91 and 92 teams also had career years out of Terry Pendleton, who not only was the linchpin of the offense, but who set an example and acted as a leader to a group of young players (Justice and Gant being the best of them) - a kind of leadership they’ve never really had since Justice left the team.

The 91 and 92 Braves were NOT winning games becauise of stategic masterminding on the part of Bobby Cox. I assure you of that.

The 2004 Braves team that you think was such trash featured 3 future HOFers (albeit I’ll admit thats fewer than what they had most years), a BIG year out of JD Drew, and LEO MAZZONE’s finest hour.

Five number three starters and a nondescript relief corp but anchored by John Smoltz who was converting 9 out of every 10 save opps.

We’re back to LEO MAZZONE. It was Leo, folks

There was no 9th inning strategy for Cox to blow - he called for Smoltz and then Eddie Perez would sneak him sugar cubes as they watched the final three outs together

As for there being noone in the baseball industry that would fire Cox. I can believe that the majority wouldnt. If I take the fan element out of it, and think of it purely as a corporate venture, I could even see a reason justifying not firing him (again, make it clear, this applies only if my only interest in the team is drawing a profit with no care whatsoiever as to how they perform). But I REFUSE to believe that the entire industry is this singleminded, this stupid, and so completely brainwashed into believing the Cox myth that they created for no apparent reason.

If you think the Yankees, for one, wouldnt have fired him after his 96 WS boner, you are absolutely out there.

Noone in Atlanta wants to hear this, or beleive it, but folks, the competition is telling us what we want to hear when they sing Cox’s praises in unison. It serves their best interests, and the playoff fiascos of the great yet tragic mid 90’s Braves teams are everlasting testimony to that fact.

Y’all can deny it. Y’all WILL continue to deny it.

That miserable 2004 team? They needed 87 wins to qualify for the playoffs. The Phillies, led by Eric Milton (he of the unmatched gopherball prowess) got to 86.

Frank Robinson did a far better job getting 67 wins out of the Expos, who I dont think had a player that made his high school’s HOF, than Cox did with the Braves that year.

What did Cox do that was positive? Ok, he let Leo do his thing. Cox is at his best when, once the game starts, he throws a tantrum, gets ejected, and then lets the adults handle the grown-up work.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:32 AM | Link to this

If the Braves can win tonight, they will be up another game on at least two teams with the other NL East foes all battling each other…

By journalist jimmy smith

April 18, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this

there is a possibility wicky will be facing pie in tonight’s game. how will wicky do when asked to face pie? imagine wicky’s thoughts drifting to a nice cobbler while pie bunts the ball right in front of wicky! journalist jimmy smith wishes to make all aware of this possibility in tonight’s game. and now, more langerhans … that is some good d langerhans is playing. that is some bad batting. where is mccann’s daddy for a little instruction? and remember pete orr? where is pete orr?

By Robert

April 18, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this

” think all of us rational Braves fans can quibble with decisions Cox has made over the years, but we’re also smart enough to know that he’s probably one of, if not the most valuable asset to this organization in the last twenty years, period.”

Cox’s work as GM deserves praise. And since he was GM when the foundation was laid for the great 90’s teams, I’ll agree that his work had great value for the Braves

His GM work, and only his GM work

As an on-field manager, it seems he has been doing his utmost to completely negate all that positive contribution

Hey, keep him in the organization if you like. Let him be a special assistant to the GM. Let him earn bonus money by handing out the party favors and giving the players’ kids rides on Family Day. As long as his job description prohibits his presence on the field or in the dugout during the actual games, it’s all good

“In fact, he probably held ‘em back, eh?”

I couldnt have said it more accurately myself. Well done

By 22oz

April 18, 2007 11:39 AM | Link to this

I just bought tickets for Thursday night’s game before realizing that Redman is pitching. Yikes! Here’s rooting for a turnaround! At least i’ll get a Smoltz t-shirt!

By Lew

April 18, 2007 11:41 AM | Link to this

Jason-Blanco is a great defensive outfielder, and apparently a good hitter (for avg.), but has little to no power. The problem here is that Langerhans (and I believe Diaz) have no options remaining. They would have to be placed on waivers in order to send them to Richmond and even if they passed through waivers, I believe they could refuse the trip to the minors and become free agents, which, I believe, is what they would do. Either would likely be picked up by another team, with the Braves getting nothing in return. Blanco was not considered an option after spring training and I doubt he is now, either. I’m not even sure if the Braves seriously consider hi an option in the future. They have been extremely non-committal in relation to Blanco. I think, when push comes to shove, the next minor league outfielder from the Braves’ system to see playing time in Hotlanta will be Brandon Jones, provided he has a good AA season. He certainly looked very good at the plate and in the field this spring.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 11:42 AM | Link to this

“strategy, which he is not good at, is only part of the game”

Of course. But STRATEGY is the manager’s single most important responsibility. Determining how to use the pieces that he has is HIS JOB. The rest, such as babysitting, and making sure noone wears sunglasses during BP, is PERIPHERAL

A manager that fails as his team’s chief strategist is a failure as manager. Period.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

The sad fact that Mr McDowell had to turn to Cox to try and find answers for his pitching staff reflects on HIM, not on Cox.

It illustrates what we lost when Mazzone left the team

Like it or not. Believe it or not.

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

Robert,

Out of curiosity, and I don’t mean to insult your intelligence as I know you are the foremost baseball genius, but why do many of the Braves pitchers—Smoltz, Hudson, Glavine, Maddux—say that the baseball genius that is Bobby Cox had more to do with the Braves pitching success as well as their own individual success than anyone else in their careers? Less you forget my fellow blogger, Leo took direction from Bobby. Yes, that’s right. Bobby told Leo when to go to the mound (as he does with Roger). Bobby was the one managing the bullpen, deciding when to take someone out, leave him in, etc. Did others provide input? Sure. Bobby made the decisions then, and he still makes them now. As a result, the Braves will continue to have a chance to win.

When every player, coach, reporter, analyst, and 99.9999% of fans know and recognize his greatness, you have to ask yourself, “Am I smarter than the world?” I do not doubt that you are intelligent man just like I do not doubt that you get a kick when people such as myself respond to what you know deep down is an illogical conclusion at best, but very few people have been so wrong about a baseball topic. But, I admire your dedication and commitment irregardless of how erroneous you are.

Regards,

Jason

By N8

April 18, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this

Lew

I pretty much listened to every spring game online this year and even earlier this spring Gonzalez was hitting 96-97 on the gun. Which is pretty much where he was at last year, if my memory serves me correctly.

Now a while back, somebody mentioned the “difference” in radar gunz and this and that, leading to the possible difference of up to 3-5 MPH on various guns, which I can totally live with.

But Yates and Soriano have been hitting 96-97 pretty consistantly, does this mean they were throwing 100-101 on the gun that was clocking Gonzalez at 96-97 in the spring and last year? I doubt it.

His velocity has dropped. That in itself, I have no problem with. We’ve all seen what LOCATING any fastball and then changing speeds has done for guys like Maddux, Glavine, Trevor Hoffman and even Chuck James. So Gonzalez could still be effective, IMO, as long as he commands his pitches (which he hasn’t really done consistantly so far).

To me the biggest concern is not his effectiveness, but that if he has LOST 4-5 MPH on hist fastball, that just has arm/shoulder/elbow issue written ALL OVER IT.

THAT is what concerns me. Especially with McBride going all Wohlers/Ankiel on us this season….OK, it hasn’t been that bad. But does it really matter if when you walk a guy on 4 pitches more often than you are getting people out, if the pitches are WILD PITCHES or not? LOL!

By JasonInMaine

April 18, 2007 11:50 AM | Link to this

Lew, thanks for the info. A great defensive outfielder with a great OPS that can steal bases…guess the no power doesn’t concern me that much, especially if he hit leadoff and KJ was moved down in the order. I am not advocating for this, but if it did happen and the number 8 hitter had 15-20 HR potential to go along with the rest of the lineup; I wouldn’t be too concerned.

Again, BC and JS forgot more yesterday in regards to baseball than I will ever learn, but as a fan; I just wonder what else Blanco would have to do to get consideration?

Regards,

Jason

By TheSouthernJackAss

April 18, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this

Yea!..I’m sure Gonzo misses all that balmy weather up in Pittsburgh!…yea, that’s gotta be his problem…

By Arkansas Hillbilly

April 18, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this

I could see being reluctant to give Diaz more playing time if he was a “Conseco” out in left field, but he isn’t an absolute abomination out there. And he’s hit .320+ in a Braves uniform. What’s it gonna take to convince SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, to put him on the damn field? Especially since our offense right now is so spotty: Long ball or bust….Langerhans has shown me nothing at the plate. Why not play Diaz consistently UNTIL he falls off like everybody seems thinks he will (except me)? Get all the good out of him that you can while he is raking the ball, and make him prove that he’s not an everyday player. Having stellar defense in left is not worth replacing a .320 hitter with an .080 hitter in my Arkansas opinion. Especially from a team that was shut out by the Nationals last week.

By TheSouthernJackAss

April 18, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this

ESPN reported that ol’ Charlie Manuel threatened to kick some “radio personality’s” A$s—now that is funny…

By Jim

April 18, 2007 12:03 PM | Link to this

Any updates on Cormier? Will he rehab for a couple of starts?

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:07 PM | Link to this

Lew

You said:

“Blanco is a great defensive outfielder, and apparently a good hitter (for avg.), but has little to no power.”

While it’s been well documented by DOB and backed up by the numbers, that Blanco has little to NO power, he appears to be (based on scouting reports), a very good OF, and an outstanding leadoff man, when it comes to getting on base and “making things happen”.

I will question the reasoning (not just yours - but everybody in general) who seems to want to used Blanco’s lack of power against him, when determining if he’d be a good leadoff hitter.

For example,

According to baseball-reference.com, Langerhans’ “162 game average” through his brief ML career is:

.248 BA, 8 HR, 39 RBI, 1 SB, with 3 CS

Really? Those 8 HR’s that he’ll average over 162 games played, are ENOUGH reason to “stick with” him. I realize that his defense is stellar. In fact, I’m on record as saying that if he had a good year offensively, he’d be a more than adequate replacement for AJ in CF next season. But if Blanco can get on base at a considerably higher rate than Langerhans AND play the defense it sounds like he’s capapble of, then why not give him a try?

Dave Roberts has 21 TOTAL homeruns in over 2200 ML AB’s. He has, however averaged 50 SB’s for every 162 games played in his career. You don’t see anybody complaining about his “lack of power”, do you?

Otis Nixon had ZERO homeruns in 1991 for us, while batting .297 and stealing 72 bases. He had 11 HRs in over 5100 AB’s in his career, for those of you without a caculator, that’s about 1 HR every 500 AB’s!!!

Never once heard Bobby say “Otis is a fine CF and leadoff hitter, but we’ve gotta have more power out of the postition on the field.

We’ve got POWER at the Catcher postition that most teams don’t have, we’ve got a 40-50 HR guy in CF this season, we’ve got a guy capable of hitting 40 HR in RF, we’ve got a 3B that if he stays healthy will hit 30-40 HR, not to mention a pair of middle infielders that will hit between 10-20 HR apiece, we should end up getting 20 or so HR’s from our firstbasemen.

To add a LF that could be a TRUE leadoff man, would not hurt this offense….it would help facilitate MORE RUNS being scored, IMO.

Now, there is NO guarantee that Blanco could handle the job. Hell, KJ might end up being a fine leadoff hitter. In that case, bring Blanco up and bat him eighth. Yeah, that’s a tough spot in the order for a rookie to hit, but if he has more patience than Langerhans, he might just start some rallies at the bottom of the order.

Imagine this: Blanco leads off an inning with a walk or an infield hit. Steals second. The pitcher then sacrifices him to 3rd (unless he’s already stolen 3B too). Then KJ will have a chance to drive in some runs. Hell, he might actually hit some homers with guys on base.

I know, that doesn’t fit into the Hack-n-Jack mentallity of our fearless leader, but hey! A guy can dream, can’t he.

Then again, a guy like Shaun would say that that is just “wasting outs”. So on second thought, maybe we’re better off with Langy HACKING away all year, so we can get those 8 HR out of him. LOL!

I’m not convinced that 25 AB’s are enough to judge Langerhans on, I like the kid. But he’s shown me NOTHING to prove that he’s anything more than a platoon guy at best, if not a 4th OF/late defensive replacement type of guy.

We’re winning right now, so it hasn’t come back to haunt us……yet.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 12:09 PM | Link to this

Hillbilly-That’s the thing. You’d think that it would be a no brainer putting Diaz in left. But no one has ever done it-Not the Rays, not the Royals and not the Braves. There has to be a reason. BC’s loyalty to Langy doesn’t explain it to my satisfaction. Nathan-All I’m saying with Gonzo is that if there were serious concerns with his arm, he would not be pitching at all, much less being overused as some here were thinking last week. I just can’t see the Braves trucking him out there for performance after performance if he were hurt. Look at Davies last year. The Braves got pretty ticked off that he didn’t inform them. A drop off in velocity would have tipped them off without Gonzo’s admission. I just can’t see injury as being the issue. I still think it is a minor mechanical problem involving release point. Keep in mind that he has been out of the strike zone and manages damage controll real well. NO ONE has lit the guy up, which would most likely be the case if he were seriously hurt. Look at Schmidt, who has an ERA over 7 runs per game after losing significant velocity. What’s Gonzo’s ERA, about 3.2?

By TennesseePaul

April 18, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this

We Lost to the Nats when Diaz was playing Monday 1-5, with most of the Nats hits going straight to LF. Diaz isn’t a sure fire win even against the Nats. But his offense has been good enough to consider giving him the starting job until Langerhans gets in rhythm.

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this

I forgot to add this to my last “bible length” post.

I’m not sure Blanco has a longterm future in the Braves lineup with guys like Brandon Jones on the horizon and the possiblity that DOB mentioned, of Lillebridge playing the OF with all the middle infield guys we have on the way.

But Charles Thomas didn’t have a longterm future in Atlanta either, and he seemed to energize the lineup with his youth/athleticism/speed in the short time that he was here. Scouts didn’t have anything nice to say about him either. Who’s to say that Blanco couldn’t have the short term impact THIS SEASON that Chuck T. had for us before the Hudson trade?

By MBATL

April 18, 2007 12:10 PM | Link to this

Hey Robert, after a long morning of prayer and reflection (well, after thinking about it a few minutes, anyway): I jumped way to hard on you last night. I was in a foul blogging mood - mainly after reading some bubba comments on Carroll’s other blog, and it came out here.

Still don’t care for the Cox rants, but I don’t like attacking folks. Sorry to you and to the blog.

Now (as they say), baseball: Lew, one pretty interesting report I read on Blanco was that his almost-total lack of power is seen as a real obstacle to his playing in the majors; that his high OBP’s wouldn’t be repeated when big league pitchers just ignored his bat and blew fastballs at him, not fearing that he’ll do any damage. And so he won’t draw many walks - a big part of his game.

He did pretty well in spring training, of course, so I don’t know how true this is. If he hit .280 with an OBP of, say, .360, he’d be useful; but an OBP of .320 or so with no power is pretty weak for a major league corner OF.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this

Jim-The report I heard on Cormier is that he had a worry free session and is due for one more on Thursday. If all goes well, he will go to Richmond for a rehab start(s).

By Lew

April 18, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this

Nathan-I am not concerned about Blanco’s lack of power, either, but was merely answering the question that was asked. Lack of power is seemingly one of the reasons given for his lack of serious consideration in the bigs. Just being a Journalist here, not giving my opinions in that particular situation.

By geauxbraves2000

April 18, 2007 12:16 PM | Link to this

As I’ve said in the past, my wife is a Cubs fan and I work at a radio station that carries Cubs games, so I follow the Cubs quite regularly. Long story short, if the combined runs for both games with the Cubs total 5 or more, I’d be surprised. Even with Redman on the mound.

Zambrano will own the Braves, Davies won’t own the Cubs, but they, like the Braves, simply are not hitting, so I look for two pitchers duals in both games.

However, like George Constanza, everything I say is usually wrong, so I should just do the opposite, so, watch out for 25 or more runs scored :)

Geaux Braves!!

By TheSouthernJackAss

April 18, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this

Robert—-Your obsessive thinking is an emotional defense that is dysfunctional…it’s dysfunctional because it keeps you focused on the future, or the past…and you miss out on being alive today…it’s dysfunctional because your attempts to escape unpleasant thoughts causes you to generate even more unpleasant thoughts, including the thoughts that most people have of you on this blog for example…get into a recovery program, find your inner child Robert, get drunk, get laid, get lost!…do something, say something…”DIFFERENT”…

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:25 PM | Link to this

I agree with you Lew, on the Gonzalez velocity “mystery”.

I too, will assume, they would protect him, by putting him on the DL, rather than keep chugging him out there.

He has lived dangerously, by getting out of jams so far. Strikeout guys can do that. Even if he isn’t as effective as he’s been in the past, he STILL isn’t a bad 3rd option in the pen. Not to mention that Soriano and Wickman have been outstanding.

So like most thought when we traded for Gonzo, having Soriano and Wickman for a full year, was a BIG step up from last year’s pen, if Gonzo is light out as well, we’re just that much better.

He is the LEAST of my concerns, with KJ being the second least of my concerns.

My concerns are as follows:

LF “offense”, 1B “defense”, 1B “offense”, 5th starter.

Pretty minor concerns compared to last year.

I think our offense will “come around” when the whether heats up. But don’t take my sarcasm seriously, when I say that I ALSO thought our bullpen would “solve itself” last year as well. LOL!

Everything goes in cycles. As long as we’ve got a good mix of things going on, we’ll survive and for the most part, thrive.

With Smoltz and Hudson (so long as he’s truely “back”), and James, we have as good of a 1-2-3 punch in our rotation as ANYBODY. So we either need the 4th and 5th starters to STEP UP, or for the offense to STEP UP when they aren’t pitching well.

But if the 4th and 5th guys struggle AND our offense is still sputtering, we could be looking at 2 losses every 5 days, which STILL leaves us with a .600 winning percentage, just so long as we win MOST of the games started by the Top 3 starters.

Our bullpen is gonna be fine, I think. So that helps.

Our defense is a mixture of GREAT defensive guys, mixed with mediocre defensive guys. McCann calls a great game, but struggles with base stealers. I can live with that. It’s kind of like Maddux and Glavine BOTH being horrible at holding runners. Just so long as there isn’t THAT MANY runners, it’s not gonna be a problem.

Thorman and Wilson are a MAJOR downgrade defensively over LaRoche.

LF is feast or famine. All defense/No offense with Langerhans or the opposite with Diaz. Though he is NOT as bad defensively as Langerhans has been offensively, IMO.

Basically, like ANY good team does, the players will have to “pick eachother up” when things aren’t going as planned. IE: When the pitching struggles, the offense has to step up and vice/versa. Sorry to go all John Madden and state the obvious.

But essentially, that has been what’s going on early in the season.

By Tony

April 18, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this

I hate to say this, but if the automatic out in left field was not white…would he still be in there? I mean this is ridiculous. I mean his defense is not gold glove caliber type…damn. I’m sure Brandon Jones or Jarrod Saltalamacchia could add more to the lineup, than a singles hitter with no speed. Don’t we go through this every year with Langy…

By ncscoots

April 18, 2007 12:31 PM | Link to this

Jason, predictive analysis is a subject with which I’m conversant, thanks :-), but I wasn’t really trying to paint Langy as a better hitter than Diaz. Rather, that the hypothesis that Diaz will hit .300+ over 550 AB in a single season lacks foundation. He’s probably still the best option if the Braves decide to make a a change, though. Hey, if Langerhans is still in the dumper after 100 AB, I’ll probably be arguing for a change, too, LOL.

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:37 PM | Link to this

MBATL

“…but an OBP of .320 or so with no power is pretty weak for a major league corner OF.”*

If THAT is concidered weak for a corner OF spot, what would a BA of .080, with and OBP of .179 be concidered?

That, of course are Langerhans’ “early” numbers so far.

Sorry, just trying to be funny.

By Arkansas Hillbilly

April 18, 2007 12:39 PM | Link to this

TenPaul,

My point was: if our offense is performing bad enough to get shutout by the a team like the Nats, then it would make sense that the offense needs help and having Diaz’s bat in the lineup should trump having Langy’s glove in this situation. At least until the rest of the offense lines out. My fault, I should have clarified my point better. Diaz’s defensive contribution isn’t stinking up the place near as bad as Longerhorns’offensive contribution is.

By DonCoburleone

April 18, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this

Well, I think tonight we find out if BC has been listening to this blog (and most of the Braves fandom I assume) in regards to starting Matt Diaz against a righty! His time has come Cox, make it happen!!!

By N8

April 18, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this

Lew

After reading your initial post with the comments on Blanco, over again, I realized you were just “reporting” what others have said.

I wasn’t neccesarily attacking you, (I think I stated that in my post), but just attacking that theory in general.

Listen, I’m not saying he (Blanco) is the answer. But I’m beginning to be pretty convinced that Langerhans isn’t either. Now it’s just a “sit back and watch” kind of game to see when Cox realizes it too.

MBATL

I understand what you are saying about the fastballs and pitchers approaches to a guy with no power. But are you really saying that a guy that is a slap/contact hitter can’t hit fastballs? You’re assuming that guys are just gonna challenge him with fastballs down the middle.

A guy can “take walks” just the same, with fastballs that are out of the strike zone, can’t he? Walks are a product of a guy KNOWING the strike zone and being selective, not pitchers throwing breaking balls.

Not trying to argue, but I’m not buying that arguement.

By Arkansas Hillbilly

April 18, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this

Tony,

I hate for you to say that, too.

By Arkansas Hillbilly

April 18, 2007 12:47 PM | Link to this

And I’m not trying to say that Diaz is the answer to all our prayers. I’m just trying to put the best offense on the field while we’re in a rut and relying on the 3-run bomb. More clarification.

By Bob, journalist

April 18, 2007 12:48 PM | Link to this

Robert,

STRATEGY is the manager’s single most important responsibility. Determining how to use the pieces that he has is HIS JOB.

The rest is PERIPHERAL

A manager that fails as his team’s chief strategist is a failure as manager

How sad … actually, such thinking is so outrageous as to be hillarious!

By DonCoburleone

April 18, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this

And Carroll, come on girl, its baseball! 5-1 against the Mets and Phillies, and now 4-3 against the Marlins and Nationals doesn’t mean anything. Move ahead in the season and I guarantee you there will be times where we go 5-1 against the Marlins and Nationals and struggle against the Phillies and Mets. Being someone who covers baseball, I would think you’d know that pretty well by now… It’s not a “let down”, its just how baseball is.

By BobbyDudes

April 18, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this

N8 if I wanted to read a damn novel I would go buy one between you and pie toe boy everything’s pretty much been covered ad nauseam sifting through all this psycho-babble is ridiculous AJC do something posting limits something please anything

By MBATL

April 18, 2007 1:17 PM | Link to this

Don’t try that logic crap with me, N8; I’m not gonna fall for it!

No, I’m not really making that argument about Blanco; it’s just an opinion I read from some guy who had his own gig on the web - so he must’ve been an expert, right! I’m not really saying it’s accurate. His opinion was that the “slap hitter” is kind of a thing of the past, at least in terms of outfielders.

There are a few guys with high obp’s with very little HR power; Freddie Sanchez won the batting title, with just 6 HR. Hard to think of many OF with high OBP but no power.

Anyway, I’m not opposed to seeing Blanco - it’d be fun to have some speed in the lineup. I still think we should try to get Langerhans going, as long as we can afford the luxury. But, sooner or later, yeah, we’re gonna have to have more production from LF.

Especially if the Mets continue to lead the league in pitching and scoring.

By Lew

April 18, 2007 1:18 PM | Link to this

HeyBobby Dudes- I don’t see that you’ve added anything new and unique to the equation, either. If it’s all a waste of your precious time, just what are you doing here to begin with? I guess you just like to b!tch.

By TennesseePaul

April 18, 2007 1:23 PM | Link to this

So I found this site… pretty funny stuff

By Richard Cory

April 18, 2007 1:30 PM | Link to this

Arkansas Hillbilly—you’re not the only one who supports Diaz being the LF. I agree whole heartedly with that position. These are the kind of things that give Robert’s view, some merit. Not saying, I agree with him, just that some time you wonder, “What the h—- is he thinking”.

By David O'Brien

April 18, 2007 1:46 PM | Link to this

HEY! NEW BLOG IS UP. Let’s do this. Dammit.

By Jim

April 18, 2007 2:01 PM | Link to this

Does anyone who gets the cable know if tonight’s game is on WGN out of Chicago? TBS by circumstance or design is torturing us with a mostly Redman schedule this year.

By Bill

April 18, 2007 2:06 PM | Link to this

If the problem in LF continues into June, they have to make a change. Diaz is not the answer. He can’t run or field. He needs to be in the American League. Bring up B.Jones,Matt Esquival or Blanco. KJ will be fine at leadoff. B.Jones & Esquival will supply some power.

By Bill

April 18, 2007 2:07 PM | Link to this

If the problem in LF continues into June, they have to make a change. Diaz is not the answer. He can’t run or field. He needs to be in the American League. Bring up B.Jones,Matt Esquival or Blanco. KJ will be fine at leadoff. B.Jones & Esquival will supply some power.

By Bill

April 18, 2007 2:08 PM | Link to this

If the problem in LF continues into June, they have to make a change. Diaz is not the answer. He can’t run or field. He needs to be in the American League. Bring up B.Jones,Matt Esquival or Blanco. KJ will be fine at leadoff. B.Jones & Esquival will supply some power.

By Burt

April 18, 2007 3:29 PM | Link to this

I wished this blog had an ignore button. I’d punch it for every one of Robert’s sophomoric posts, which is all of them. (Someone should teach him how to spell, too.)

Bobby Cox was Manager of the Year how many times? (Yes, count both the AL and NL.) That would be four. And let’s not overlook the fact that John Smoltz says the reason — the only reason — he didn’t go to another team earlier in his career when more money was on the table is because he wanted to play for Bobby Cox.

BC is also responsible for the trade that brought Smoltz to Atlanta (from Detroit), and he took a big risk doing it by trading Doyle Alexander away. How did Alexander respond? By going 9-0 down the stretch with a 1.53 ERA in his 19th year in the big leagues. Smoltz posted a 12-11 record in 1989. He followed that up with a whopping 2-11 start in 1991, and everybody in Atlanta was ready to skewer BC for being a bumbling idiot who traded away a solid veteran pitcher for a “pathetic” right-hander. Oh, and speaking of miscues, BC was chastised for trading away a guy named Dale Murphy at the end of the ‘90 season. Fortunately, Smoltz came back with a 12-2 second half, Glavine had his first 20-win season, and BC once again was on everybody’s (except Robert) rock star list.

Lest anyone forget, BC was GM in 1990 when the Braves selected a young man named Chipper Jones first in the draft. JS came on as GM after that season, citing the strength of Atlanta’s farm system as one of the primary reasons the Braves were able to convince him to leave Kansas City. And who built that farm system from 1986-1990? Yeah, Robert: BC knows baseball.

Is Bobby perfect? Of course not. But there’s no denying that he is the central figure in building a dynasty that’s the envy of MLB. And he did it without the funding to match the Yankees’ bloated payroll. Are there weaknesses? You bet. Ball players aren’t robots, injuries happen, no one is capable of bringing their A game to the field every game of a 162-game season, and at some point youth has to be injected for the long-term good of the organization. It seems to me BC has a handle on all of those human dimensions, as proven by the Braves’ record since he returned to the dugout in 1990.

So, what’s with this (ongoing) rant about a medicore chief strategist?

By Marc

April 18, 2007 5:04 PM | Link to this

Cal Ripken Jr. went 0 for his first 70 in his first season. Langy isn’t going to be the worst hitter in baseball forever, it’s not even 30 ABs yet, A-Rod has a worst slump than that last year.

Thorman and Wilson both scare me, not just because of this year, but because of their careers thus far. They need to do something different.

KJ is a great player, he’s quickly becoming a personal favorite. There’s 4-5 lead-off superstars in MLB, every other team has to rely on a specialist, our specialist is a plate-discipline guy, and I’m content with that. Would much rather see that extra money go to pitching anyway (Phillies are a good example why).

The Jones boys will continue doing what the Jones boys do, though I do sorta wish Andruw would make better contact at times.

The pitching looks good. Redman is a better pitcher than what he’s shown so far, he will start accumilating wins. I also like the bullpin, Mcbride’s been the only real dissapointment so far, but he’ll be back sometime this year I’m sure, and Gonzo will back with dominant stuff - it’s not unusual to lose some velocity and control this soon after an arm injury, they’re gonna play him till he gets it back. Pleasantly suprised with Paronto and Yates, hope to see him back soon.

Frenchy’s at bats aren’t as suspenseful anymore, it almost takes the fun out of it a little, but comforting none-the-less.

McCann and Rentz are the sex, love those two guys.

Cox is a great manager, there’s more to managing than the line-up and rotation, and he’s handled all of it pretty well in my opinion.

By Robert

April 18, 2007 5:23 PM | Link to this

“But there’s no denying that he is the central figure in building a dynasty that’s the envy of MLB”

There is no way in you -know-what that a one championship franchise can be considered a dynasty.

Please Bobby, dont reconsider your decision. ‘08 is enough already.

PLEASE!

By BobbyDudes

April 18, 2007 6:25 PM | Link to this

At least I don’t have diarrhea of the mouth like you (Lew) running off at the mouth endlessly all the time saying nothing trying to pretend how smart you are>>>>>must be because you are a B***

By meansonny

April 18, 2007 11:44 PM | Link to this

Marc Good post.

Food for thought. The Braves have scored 62 runs in their 10 wins. They’ve scored 6 runs in their 4 losses. We can look at Redman’s performance all we want, but the offense has struggled in those games that it’s difficult for Smoltz to get wins with that type of production.

More food for thought (this slice thread title is making me hungry). Kelly Johnson didn’t start 2 of those 4 losses.

I think Redman has a shot at keeping the Cubbies under 6 tomorrow. Especially if Soriano isn’t in CF.

Go Braves!!!

By meansonny

April 18, 2007 11:53 PM | Link to this

How does Villareal end up getting so many decisions while out of the pen? It’s kind of uncanny.

8-1 last season when coming out of the bullpen. This year 1-0 already (way behind last year’s pace, though)

By Ed Ulinsky

April 22, 2007 4:44 PM | Link to this

Bob Wickman for Mayor………..Kelly Johnson for President…..Where are those Johnson detractors now!!!!